• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.224-230
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• 2015

Purpose: To determine whether we should recommend ultrasonography (US) for an incidental thyroid nodule identified by additional cervicothoracic sagittal T2-weighted image (C-T sag T2WI) of lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 61 patients who underwent both lumbar spine MRI and thyroid US between December 2011 and April 2015 was conducted. For all US-found thyroid nodules > 1 cm, investigators evaluated whether there was any correlation between thyroid nodule detectability by C-T sag T2WI and US features such as echogenicity, composition, or suspicion of malignancy. Results: Solid hypoechoic (2/4; 50%) or mixed echoic nodules (4/8; 50%) appeared to be found relatively more easily by C-T sag T2WI than more benign-looking solid isoechoic (1/4; 25%) or spongiform nodules (0/6; 0%). Among six nodules with ultrasonographic suspicion for malignancy, only one nodule was detected by C-T sag T2WI. Conclusion: If an incidental thyroid nodule is seen by C-T sag T2WI, it would be better to recommend thyroid US for identifying malignancy.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 1998

Many workers like welders work in squatting postures with the object on the ground during an entire work shift. It is suspected that such prolonged squatting without any supporting stool would gradually cause musculoskeletal injuries to workers. This study is to examine the physical stress caused by the prolonged squatting and to recommend a safe work/rest schedule for a welding task with squatting posture based on the lab experiments. In this study, 8 healthy student subjects participated in the experiment. They maintained a squatting work posture for 16 minutes with 4 different stool height conditions: no stool; 10cm height; 15cm height; and 20cm height. Every 2 minutes, the discomfort was subjectively assessed with the magnitude estimation method for the whole body, lower back, upper leg and lower leg. Based on discomfort ratings, we found that a 10cm height stool relieved the workload most. Discomfort rating results also indicated that a 20cm height stool showed the highest workload, and the there were no difference in workload between a 15cm height stool and no stool. We recommend to use low height stools and to maintain such working postures no longer than 6 minutes for prolonged squatting tasks.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.383-391
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• 2006

The purposes of this study were to examine the impacts of characteristics of bakery cafe customers and service quality on customer perceived value, customer satisfaction, intention to revisit, and intention to recommend, and to provide comprehensive understanding on attitudes and behaviors of bakery cafe customers. The questionnaire was developed through literature review and focus group interviews and was modified after pilot test. The questionnaires for the main survey were distributed to 320 males and females aged 20 and over in Seoul. A total of 275 questionnaires were used for analyses (85.9%) and the statistical analyses were completed using SPSS Win (12.0) for descriptive analyses, regression analyses, and correlation analysis. The main results were as follows. There were significant differences of intention to revisit between groups of different gender, age, and personal expenses. The service quality of product dimension affected all tested variables, and the service quality of services and price dimension had effects on customer perceived value and intention to recommend. Customer satisfaction was a unique variable that is affected by service quality of the interior environments dimension. Overall, researchers and managers of bakery cafes should understand customer attitudes and behaviors, and the results of this study would help to establish marketing strategies that meet target customers' needs.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.124-131
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions regarding the use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs) among young Korean women. Method: The study included 14 unmarried women aged 19 to 34 years (mean, 25 years). Data was collected by focus group interviews and an in-depth interview from July to November, 2005. Content analysis was conducted. Result: The four major themes that emerged were control of accessibility, safety concern, lack of knowledge and information, and ambivalence. Control of accessibility: Most of the participants stated a prescription is necessary although they might feel ashamed if they had to ask for an ECP. Safety concerns: Participants thought that taking an ECP would be harmful to their body. Lack of knowledge and information: Most of the participants felt that they did not know enough about ECPs and were willing to learn more. Ambivalence: The participants stated that they would take an ECP when needed and would recommend it to a friend although they were concerned about the risks of ECPs. Conclusion: The results from this study suggest the need for an educational and awareness program to empower women to be able to make informed decisions on ECPs when needed.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.285-308
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• 2012

The Korean supreme court said that Mrs Kim who was in a persistent vegetative state had a right to die if she had a presumed will or assumption of dying against Severance hospital in 2009. Presumed would be vague and can not be subjective to conjecture though, the court had a developed trial on the case. I recommend the higher valued notion such as the 'right to decide on the life extension' is more logical than assumptive will. To achieve this recommendation, I will search right to life, right to decision, human dignity and find the good relationship between them. In conclusion, I will announce that if PVS patients without advanced directives aren't able to express their will and no one could not assume their right to die in spite of meaningless life extension. So only the due and strict procedure about the extinction of meaningless PVS patients will allow them to sacrifice themselves or remove life extension ventilators. Also active euthanasia would be possible under the strict procedure of making advanced directives and the act of helping active euthanasia additionally, the crime of abetting suicide would not be executed in the legal scope.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.28
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• pp.91-117
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• 2005

The purpose of this paper is to examine practical and legal considerations in the choice of the "Seat of Arbitration". As the selection of the "Seat of Arbitration" in an international commercial contract is vital both judicially and practically, so to speak, in terms of enforceability of award, judical interference in arbitration proceedings, relative convenience and expense, and the selection of arbitrators, the selection should be carefully considered and examined. In case of institutional arbitration, when the arbitration clause does not nominate the seat, the administrator or the secretariat of the institution or the arbitrator tribunal would usually determine the seat. On the contrary in case of ad hoc arbitration, Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the "Seat of Arbitration" would be determined according to the rules which are selected by parties or their arbitrators. To avoid confusing situation about the selection of the seat, this writer would like to recommend ICC or LCIA with each Standard Arbitration Clause. If the parties want any national arbitration institution because of the expenses incurred in international institution, AAA or CEPANI is recommendable in terms of the reputation, operating system and recognized performance. Specially ICC Court of Arbitration usually examines the award before it is issued, so the enforceablity would go up. Thus when the parties lay down the arbitration clause in their contract they should confirm whether the "Seat of Arbitration" is fixed or not. If not, at least they should examine the arbitration rules which would be applied, and know in advance how the seat be determined.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.279-289
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• 2012

This study was conducted to survey and diagnose operation status of the agricultural machinery rental service, analyse and compare operational efficiency among 82 city and county ATDEC (agricultural technology development and extension center) using the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) method, and recommend future direction, for improvement of the business. Input variables were invested budget and labor, and output variable was rental return. Percentages of return to investment on the rental service were calculated as 68.3% and 63.9% when analyzed with CCR (Charnes, Cooper and Rhodes) and BCC (Banker, Charnes and Cooper) models, respectively, indicating inefficiency of the service operation. Increase of rental charge would increase efficiency by 63.9~68.3% depending on models, and decrease of financial and labor investment would improve the efficiency by about 11.3%. Technical efficiency would be more important than scale efficiency, therefore adjustment of over-invested budget and labor needed to be made together with increase of rental charge to improve the operation. Among the ATDECs providing the rental service, 6 (7.3%), 43 (52.4%), and 33 (40.2%) were in state of CRS (constant return to scale), IRS (increasing return to scale), and DRS (decreasing return to scale), respectively. These indicated public aspects of the rental system, over-investment, lack of output component for input component, meaning that scale income would be increased by qualitative expand of rental charge. Efficiency analysis of the rental system by region showed that efficient ATDECs to be benchmarked by others were in the order of DMU-70, DMU-54, DMU-29, DMU-5, DMU-22, DMU-2, and DMU-61. More comprehensive and extensive survey and analyses would be necessary in the future.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.280-284
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• 1997

Since the start of the Korean Society of Quality Assurance in Health Care in 1994, QA has improved, but it is time to develop our own policies that are more appropriate for Korean hospitals. American Quality Assurance policies are difficult to apply to the Korean medical community due to the differences in health insurance policies, and hospital structure between the two countries. Methods : I would like to propose more efficient organization and management of Quality Assurance according to the specific structures of hospitals in Korea. All of the hospital departments and committees should report to the Quality Assurance office, which in turn should report to the director. I would like to suggest that the current insurance review staff be used for the Quality Assurance office. A nurse should be in charge of the Quality Assurance department. The Quality Assurance department should have three sections: Medical Inssurance Review, QA records for the different Medical Departments, and QA records for the Ancillary Departments. A staff physician should be the chairman of the hospital QA committee, which should serve as the advising body to the QA Department. The QA Committee should be organized into eight subcommittees so that all departments thought the hospital are represented. The current Medical Insurance Review offices in Korea have similar responsibilities to the QA Department: therefore I would like to recommend that the Medical Insurance Review office be changed the the QA office. If there are presently two separate Medical Insurance and QA offices, these should be combined into one office. Conclusion : These changes would surely benefit hospitals and strengthen the efficiency of both Insurance Review and Quality Assurance.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.85-104
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• 2003

Customer retention is more emphasized for internet business than off-line shopping-malls. The loyals not only purchase a lot but also recommend the mall to new customers quickly using internet media, and there have been many studies on this subject. In this study, customer satisfaction and trust are suggested as preceding variables that have an influence on customer loyalty, and switching gains are suggested as a moderating variable between customer satisfaction & trust and customer loyalty. Many people think it would be easier to change business connection and customer loyalty for internet shopping-malls would be very low. This study, however, concluded that customer satisfaction and trust had a significant influence on customer loyalty even in internet shopping-mall, and that switching gains had moderating effect between satisfaction-attitudinal loyalty and trust-behavioral loyalty. These results are meaningful in that customer satisfaction or trust should be emphasized even on internet business and that switching gains can be strategic focus in building up customer loyalty and retention.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.229-239
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• 1998

This study investigated ecological and growth characteristics of Sorbus alnifolia for usage of landscape woody plant. The results are obtained as follows: 1) The results of investigate the native Sorbus alnifolia vegetations in Seoul and Kyonggi-do are as follows. From the investigation of canopy and understory, Pinus densiflora, Pinus rigida, Quercus mongolica Quercus dentata and Quercus aliena grow well in natural habitat of Sorbus alnifolia. While Rhod. mucronulatum, Symplocos chinensis, Corylus hetrophylla and alnifolia. While Rhod. mucronulatum, Symplocos chinensis, Corylus hetrophylla and Lindera obtusiloba are commonly found from shrub structure in the habitat. These structure pattern of natural setting would be applied for ecological planting design. 2) The Mt. Rabong area, which locates near a heavy factory district and is considered as environmental dteriorated area has the lowest soil acidity range among three investigated area. Sorbus alnifolia grows in where contains low soil acidity and inorganic nutrient. It might concluded that Sorbus alnifolia be tolerates to air pollution. 3) From the investigation of good specimen tres, the oldest good specimen trees of Sorbus alnifolia have grown in Seoul and Kyonggi-Do for 130 years with 15m height and 12m width. Most of good specimen trees are over 50 years old with 10~15m height, 4.5-12m width. These growth shape and form could be recommend that Sorbus alnifolia would be used as street tree and landscape woody plant in urban park.