• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2019

Objective : This study is a retrospective cost-benefit analysis of cervical anterior interbody fusion and cervical artificial disc replacement, which are the main surgical methods to treat degenerative cervical disc disease. Methods : We analyzed 156 patients who underwent anterior cervical disc fusion and cervical artificial disc replacement from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009, diagnosed with degenerative cervical disc disorder. In this study, the costs and benefits were analyzed by using quality adjusted life year (QALY) as the outcome index for patients undergoing surgery, and a Markov model was used for the analysis. Only direct medical costs were included in the analysis; indirect medical costs were excluded. Data were analyzed with TreeAge Pro $2015^{TM}$ (TreeAge Software, Inc, Williamstown, MA, USA). Results : Patients who underwent cervical anterior fusion had a total cost of KRW 2501807/USD 2357 over 5 years and obtained a utility of 3.72 QALY. Patients who underwent cervical artificial disc replacement received 4.18 QALY for a total of KRW 3685949/USD 3473 over 5 years. The cumulative cost-effectiveness ratio of cervical spine replacement surgery was KRW 2549511/QALY (USD 2402/QALY), which was lower than the general Korean payment standard. Conclusion : Both cervical anterior fusion and cervical artificial disc replacement are cost-effective treatments for patients with degenerative cervical disc disease. Cervical artificial disc replacement may be an effective alternative to obtain more benefits.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.43-80
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• 2014

This study suggests a model for calculating total benefit rigorously to use the contingent valuation method (CVM) in cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Estimating households' willingness to pay through survey method, the study attempts to demonstrate if a respondent's income and the distance between a respondent's residence and the location of a target facility affect her willingness to pay. The estimation results from a structural model show that income and distance-decay effects exist and that the calculated total benefit varies largely when these effects are ignored. The study emphasizes the effects of income and distance-decay on the total benefit must be carefully considered in using CVM for CBA. Even though the total project cost is precisely estimated, the benefit/cost (B/C) ratio may differ largely when the total benefit is not correctly calculated. Also, an ad hoc model generates significantly different estimates from the utility difference model this study adopted. The difference in estimates suggests that the total benefit has to be estimated by a structural model. Finally, simulations are performed to check the validity of the model as well as to predict consequences when income and distance-decay effects are not properly treated. The results from simulations reveal it is not desirable to ignore those effects considering the perspectives of balanced regional development.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.58-65
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• 1996

The environment in urban are becoming worse and forest is being recognized the major part of city by the increase of population and facilities. This study was carried out to analyze topographic environment as the basis for reasonable management and utility of forest situated in Taejon city and its vicinities using Sandst-5 TM and digital terrain elevation data(DTED). Forest area was extracted by Landsat-5 TM data. Distribution of elevation, slope and aspect was derived from digital terrain elevation data. The research area to analyze ropographic environment for urban forest were Bomumsan, Bongsan, Kabhasan, Sikchangsan, and Kyechoksan. Forest, the largest area in Taejon covers 55.1% of totaf area. This is more 5 times than urban area. 70.8% of forest area in Taejon city is located in elevation of lower than 200m and 4.8% of that is located in elevation of upper than 400m. Distribution of elevation is 45.7% of total area for 100m to 200m in Kyechoksan and is 92.4% of total area for lower than 300m in Bomumsan. Elevation of upper than 300m is 20.4% of total area in Kabhasan and is 46.6% of total area in Sikchangsan. The slope of more 20 digree is over 50% of total area in every area except for Bonsan and 35.2% of total area in Sikchangsan and Kahasan than in Bomumsan and Kyechoksan.

• Korean journal of psychology:General
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.81-107
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• 2017

The study aims to investigate the clinical utility of Bayley-III using US norm in Korea. A total of 98 preterm infants and 93 term infants were assessed with the K-Bayley-III. The performance pattern of preterm infants was analyzed with mixed design ANOVA which examined the differences of scaled scores and composite scores of Bayley-III between full term- and preterm- infant group and within preterm infants group. Then, We have investigated agreement between classifications of delay made using the BSID-II and Bayley-III. In addition, ROC plots were constructed to identify a Bayley-III cut-off score with optimum diagnostic utility in this sample. The results were as follows. (1) Preterm infants have significantly lower function levels in areas of 5 scaled scores and 3 developmental indexes compared with infants born at term. Significant differences among scores within preterm infant group were also found. (2) Bayley-III had the higher scores of the Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Developmental Index comparing to the scores of K-BSID-II, and had the lower rates of developmental delay. (3) All scales of Bayley-III, Cognitive, Language and Motor scale had the appropriate level of discrimination, but the cut-off composite scores of Bayley-III were adjusted 13~28 points higher than 69 for prediction of delay, as defined by the K-BSID-II. It explains the lower rates of developmental delay using the standard of two standard deviation. This study has provided empirical data to inform that we must careful when interpreting the score for clinical applications, identified the discriminating power, and proposed more appropriate cut-off scores. In addition, discussion about the sampling for making the Korean norm of Bayley-III was provided. It is preferable that infants in Korea should use our own validated norms. The standardization process to get Korean normative data must be performed carefully.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.971-978
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• 2014

This study investigates the developmental conditions of functional clothes for the elderly. First, preceding studies and relevant web sites were analyzed along with a survey of commercial functional elderly clothes in Korea. A KIPRIS patent information database was used to study registered and disclosed patents and utility models in order to analyze patent application trends in relevant fields. Patents were searched by year of application from 1990 to 2013. Keywords used for searching included 'senior, aged, and elderly'. Among collected data, overlapping and irrelevant data were excluded to select 162 cases for analysis. Details of analysis are annual patent application trends of functional elderly clothes, topic analysis, shape and characteristics. An examination of commercially available functional clothing products for the elderly indicated that most of products were developed in the form of inner wear or protective clothing for seniors who have bodily discomfort. An annual patent application of functional elderly clothes showed slight fluctuations; however, there was an overall increase. For patent topics, technologies related to secretion and excretion were the most at 47 cases total (29%), followed by 23 cases (14%) on biometric information technology. However, the development of relevant technologies seems necessary in the future as therapeutic function and fiber technologies gradually stagnate.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.161-168
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• 2019

Traffic accidents in tunnel can lead to large traffic accidents due to narrow and dark road characteristics. Therefore, special care of the driver is required when is driving in a tunnel. However, accidents can happen at any time. In the event of an accident, a narrow road structure may lead to a second accident. Therefore, all facilities installed inside the tunnel should be allowed to minimize damage in the event of an accident. We confirmed the safety of the collision target through the action of the sedan, Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and truck when the vehicle crashed into a stairway installed on the tunnel emergency escape route, and when a concrete barrier or guard rail was installed in front of the stairway. The behavior of the vehicle has resulted in a total of three results: rollover or rollover, change of speed and angle of the vehicle after collision. The sedan and SUV were the most secure when colliding with the guardrail, but considering the truck as a whole, concrete barriers were judged to be the most suitable for minimizing damage from the first accident and reducing the risk of the second accident.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.1379-1397
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• 2013

We consider a system where a licensed radio spectrum is shared by multiple primary users(PUs) and secondary users(SUs). As the spectrum of interest is licensed to primary network, power and channel allocation must be carried out within the cognitive radio network so that no excessive interference is caused to PUs. For this system, we study the joint beamforming and power allocation problem via game theory in this paper. The problem is formulated as a non-cooperative beamforming and power allocation game, subject to the interference constraints of PUs as well as the peak transmission power constraints of SUs. We design a joint beamforming and power allocation algorithm for maximizing the total throughput of SUs, which is implemented by alternating iteration of minimum mean square error based decision feedback beamforming and a best response based iterative power allocation algorithm. Simulation results show that the algorithm has better performance than an existing algorithm and can converge to a locally optimal sum utility.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.132-141
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• 2016

For those with disabilities, the residential area is the primary place to adapt the disabilities. Since the quality of the area gives a critical impact on their quality of life, it is essential to finding the measures to create the residential environment that supports their independence. In this regard, this study aimed to compare and analyze the interior elements of the houses that hinder the independence of the physically handicapped in the rural and urban areas, and conducted a survey on a total of 80 physically challenged in Seoul and Yeongwol (40 for each area). As a result, the respondents answered that the houses where they are currently living are hindering their independence regardless of area, and there were regional differences in the level of inconvenience with the size of living room, size of utility room, location of room, lighting and heating environment, ventilation system, deteriorated wallpapers and finishing materials, threshold and floor level difference and humidity control. This study has significance by providing the realistic measures to improve the housing environment of the physically challenged living in the rural and urban areas to be customized to them to increase their quality of life.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.268-278
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to set up a hypothetical model to explain causal relationships among influential variables in the mother-child relationship for Korean infants and toddlers and their mothers. The research was based on Barnard's (1978) mother-child relations model, and goodness-of-fit was examined. Methods: The participants were 207 mothers with infants or toddlers. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS programs. Results: Regarding the influence of the variables on the mother-child relationship between infants and toddlers and their mothers, social support had a 75% explanation of mother-child relationships, and attachment had a 58% explanation of social support. Attachment had both direct and indirect effects on the mother-child relationships, and social support had direct and total effects on the mother-child relationships. Among child-related variables, child temperament had a moderating effect on the mother-child relationships. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the model has utility in developing effective nursing intervention methods to boost mother-child relationships between infants and toddlers and their mothers.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.437-449
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• 2003

A multi-functional indoor smog chamber was designed and evaluated to investigate photochemical or water vapor reaction mechanisms of air pollutants. Various smog chamber experiments could be conducted using ambient air or purified air in this smog chamber. The smog chamber consisted of a housing, a Teflon bag, blacklights, injection ports, sampling ports, and utility facilities. The characteristics of light source, the wall losses of air pollutants, and the quality of purified air were experimentally investigated. The maximum NO$_2$ photolysis rate was 1.10 min$^{-1}$ . In a 2.5-m$^3$ Teflon bag, the wall losses of ambient $O_3$, NO, and NO$_2$ were 1.2~2.4$\times$10$^{-3}$ min$^{-1}$ , 0.7~2.0$\times$10$^{-3}$ min$^{-1}$ , and 0.4~2.0$\times$10$^{-3}$ min$^{-1}$ , respectively. The wall loss of ambient particles ranging 0.05 to 0.2 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$ was 1.8~5.4$\times$10$^{-3}$ min$^{-1}$ , which was slightly higher than those of ambient gaseous species. The purified air supply system provided high quality of air with NO$_{x}$ < 1 ppb, and total hydrocarbons < 5 ppb.b.