The Kano’s Method: Mature Customers’ Perceived Service Level and Satisfaction With the Restaurant Service

The mature consumer segment has become more of importance in the U.S. economy because of the tremendous increase in the number of senior population and their increasing purchasing power. It is necessary that the restaurant industry have a better understanding of this segment to provide satisfactory dining experience. This study proposes to evaluate restaurant service attributes from seniors’ point of view. The survey will be conducted to measure expectation, perception, and level of importance of restaurant attributes. Then, the Kano’s method will be applied to classify those attributes according to their relative impact on customers’ satisfaction/dissatisfaction. The study results will provide the restaurant industry with meaningful implications in better serving the mature market

Pin-based Pointwise Energy Slowing-down Method for Resonance Self-shielding Calculation

Department of Nuclear EngineeringA new resonance self-shielding method using a pointwise energy solution has been developed to overcome the drawbacks in the equivalence theory. In reactor physics, the equivalence theory has been widely used in calculating the effective multi-group cross sections for the neutron transport analyses. The neutron transport codes adopting the equivalence theory give reasonable solutions within short computation time. However, there are still a lot of limitations in the equivalence theory even though many modified and improved equivalence theories have been published over the past several decades. The significant drawbacks in the equivalence theory are newly figured out in this work, and the new method is proposed to overcome the problems. The equivalence theory uses the intermediate resonance approximation on the resonance scattering source and the multi-term rational approximation to represent the fuel escape probability. With these approximations, the effective multi-group cross section is derived with the asymptotic equations. However, there is a gap between the derivation and the practical usage in the lattice physics code. In addition, the equivalence theory assumes that the constant distribution of the scattering sources in the fuel pellet even though the source distribution is quite important in view point of the fuel escape probability. These methods and approximations cause significant errors, in that they overestimate the effective multi-group cross sections, especially for 238U. The new resonance self-shielding method solves pointwise energy slowing-down equations which are derived for a sub-divided fuel pellet and a non-fuel region. A two-step method is developed to efficiently calculate the collision probabilities of the sub-divided fuel pin-cell. In the first step, the collision probabilities of the sub-divided fuel pellet are calculated assuming that the fuel pellet is isolated. In the second step, a shadowing effect correction factor is derived based on the equivalence theory to consider the global self-shielding effect. In addition, a fictitious moderator material is generated to model realistic scattering source from the moderator. The slowing-down solutions are used to generate the multi-group cross sections of the sub-divided fuel pellet. Various techniques and assumptions are incorporated to maximize calculation efficiency in solving the pointwise energy slowing-down equations. Especially, the new method significantly reduces the number of MOC fixed-source calculations which is one of major time consuming calculations in the resonance self-shielding calculation. Although the new method performs the pointwise energy slowing-down calculations, the computational cost is not expensive even compared to that with conventional equivalence theory. With various light water reactor problems, it is demonstrated that the new resonance self-shielding method successfully overcomes the limitations of the equivalence theory and shows great accuracy in calculating the multiplication factor, the multi-group cross section, the reaction rate, and the power distribution with no compromise in computation time.ope

Effect of restorative experience in reducing the risk perception of COVID-19 infection: Korean male campers’ well-being and willingness to pay a premium for camping

During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, South Korean men exhibited greater affective risk perceptions than women, displaying anxiety and fear of COVID-19 infection as well as emotional distress. Such negative psychological states can be reduced through exposure to natural environments. Natural settings often provide restorative environments promoting individual mental health, psychological stability, and well-being. Therefore, this study aims to examine the roles of restorativeness as perceived by men in mitigating the affective risk perception of COVID-19, improving well-being, and increasing the willingness to pay a premium to camp in the context of nature-based camping. An online survey was conducted with South Korean men who experienced camping during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 208 responses were used for data analysis. The results of structural equation modeling indicated significant relationships between affective risk perception and perceived restorativeness, perceived restorativeness and well-being, and well-being and willingness-to-pay-a-premium. The mediating effect of well-being was also significant. The findings of a multi-group analysis indicated a significant moderating effect of having children on the relationship between perceived restorativeness and well-being, but not on the relationship between well-being and willingness-to-pay-a-premium. The results of this study provide enhanced insight into restorative experiences in nature as a coping mechanism for increased affective risks as perceived by men during the pandemic. In particular, this study examined the psychological benefits of a natural environment in the context of camping and empirically identified the role of camping in promoting a feeling of restorativeness and inducing men’s well-being perception by easing negative emotions. This study also provides practitioners with an understanding of changes in men’s perceptions and emotional and behavioral responses through positive restorative experiences

Validation of UNIST Monte Carlo Code MCS using VERA Progression Problems

This paper presents the validation of UNIST in-house Monte Carlo code MCS used for the high-fidelity simulation of commercial pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Its focus is on the accurate, spatially detailed neutronic analyses of startup physics tests for the initial core of the Watts Bar Nuclear 1 reactor, which is a vital step in evaluating core phenomena in an operating nuclear power reactor. The MCS solutions for the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL) Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA) core physics benchmark progression problems 1 to 5 were verified with KENO-VI and Serpent 2 solutions for geometries ranging from a single-pin cell to a full core. MCS was also validated by comparing with results of reactor zero-power physics tests in a full-core simulation. MCS exhibits an excellent consistency against the measured data with a bias of +/- 3 pcm at the initial criticality whole-core problem. Furthermore, MCS solutions for rod worth are consistent with measured data, and reasonable agreement is obtained for the isothermal temperature coefficient and soluble boron worth. This favorable comparison with measured parameters exhibited by MCS continues to broaden its validation basis. These results provide confidence in MCS's capability in high-fidelity calculations for practical PWR cores. (C) 2019 Korean Nuclear Society, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC

Outdoor to Indoor Penetration Loss at 28 GHz for Fixed Wireless Access

This paper present the results from a 28 GHz channel sounding campaign performed to investigate the effects of outdoor to indoor penetration on the wireless propagation channel characteristics for an urban microcell in a fixed wireless access scenario. The measurements are performed with a real-time channel sounder, which can measure path loss up to 169 dB, and equipped with phased array antennas that allows electrical beam steering for directionally resolved measurements in dynamic environments. Thanks to the short measurement time and the excellent phase stability of the system, we obtain both directional and omnidirectional channel power delay profiles without any delay uncertainty. For outdoor and indoor receiver locations, we compare path loss, delay spreads and angular spreads obtained for two different types of buildings

Verification of MPACT for the APR1400 Benchmark

This report describes several benchmark calculations performed using the transport code MPACT, that were compared to reference solutions generated by the Monte Carlo code McCARD in order to support continuous improvements to MPACT, increasing reliability of reactor modeling software, and test the capability of MPACT to model advanced reactors. The benchmarks are based on the Advanced Power Reactor 1400 MWe designed by the Korea Electric Power Corporation. The reactor core is composed of 241 fuel assemblies. Nine assembly types are specified utilizing different configurations of 1.71 wt% UO2, 2.00 wt% UO2, 2.64 wt% UO2, 3.14 wt% UO2, 3.64 wt% UO2, and gadolinia burnable absorbers. The reactor is controlled by seven control rod assembly banks. The banks are either 4-fingered or 12-fingered. The benchmark problems completed include single fuel pin, single 2-D fuel assembly, 2-D core, 3-D core, control rod worth, and 3-D core depletion. Nine temperature and boron conditions were considered for the various geometries. Additionally, MOC and spatial mesh parametric studies were performed using single fuel pins and single 2-D fuel assemblies to determine if default meshing parameters were sufficiently accurate. For the calculations in this report, the MPACT 51-group cross section library based on ENDF-B/VII.1 was used. The calculations are performed with P2 scattering. For the MOC discretization, the Chebyshev-Yamamoto quadrature type was used with a ray spacing of 0.05 cm, 16 azimuthal angles per octant, and 2 polar angles per octant. Overall, MPACT shows excellent agreement compared to the Monte Carlo reference solutions generated by McCARD. MPACT effectively predicts the reactivity for different geometries as well as several temperature and boron conditions. The largest deviation from McCARD occurs for cold zero conditions in which the fuel, moderator, and cladding are all 300 K. This is likely due to an incorrect hydrogen scattering matrix used by MPACT. Excluding these cases, the rho reactivity difference from McCARD is consistently below 100 pcm. For single fuel pin problems, the highest error occurs for the lowest fuel enrichment of 1.71 wt% UO2, indicating possible, albeit small, enrichment bias in MPACT’s cross section library. Furthermore, MOC and spatial mesh parametric studies indicate that default meshing parameters and options yield results comparable to finely meshed cases, thus verifying that default MOC and spatial discretization parameters generate accurate results for the benchmark problems. Additionally, there is very good agreement of the radial and axial power distributions. Using P2 scattering instead of the default TCP0 scattering method corrected an in-out radial power tilt for the 2-D core, 3-D core, control rod worth, and 3-D core depletion problems. With P2 scattering, the RMS pin and assembly power differences for all cases are below 1%, and all RMS axial power differences are below 1.65%. These results are comparable to previous results from the VERA progression problems benchmark. Regarding the hot full power 3-D core depletion, there was some variation in the critical boron concentration calculated by MPACT compared to nTracer and DeCART. Future work entails investigating the reasons for these differences.This work was performed under the I-NERI in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), NC State University, KAERI, Seoul National University and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology. It was supported by the Consortium for the Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL), an Energy Innovation Hub for Modeling and Simulation of Nuclear Reactors under U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725. This research also made use of the resources at the High Performance Computing Center at Idaho National Laboratory, that is also supported by the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S.Department of Energy and the Nuclear Science User Facilities under Contract No. DE-AC07-05ID14517.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163511/1/Verification of MPACT for the APR1400 Benchmark.pdfSEL

Regulatory Reform for Fostering an Innovation Ecosystem

Although South Korea has taken various measures related to regulatory reform over the past decades, it has not made significant progress in transforming its regulatory framework. There are still a large number of regulations that are outdated and exist only in South Korea compared to other developed countries. This working paper reviews key measures made in recent years and clarifies critical steps that the country must take to make a successful transition. We first examine the direction of regulatory reform corresponding to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how developed countries are rapidly moving to conceive the optimal regulatory design to promote innovation. Then, we highlight the major efforts South Korea has made in recent years to initiate regulatory reform and the fundamental challenges that remain. Lastly, we dive deep into regulatory reform for health care innovation, particularly as the government pledges to build a world-class bio-health industry over the next decade. We also approach regulatory reform from a public perspective, discussing how to encourage civic participation through open-minded communication and information-sharing with the public. As the South Korean society lacks trust towards new technologies and data usage, it is crucial to establish credibility of emerging industries as well as a balanced understanding of the potential benefits, ironing out conflicting views between stakeholders

Current Status and Key Issues of Data Management in Tertiary Hospitals: A Case Study of Seoul National University Hospital

Objectives In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, where an ecosystem is being developed to enhance the quality of healthcare services by applying information and communication technologies, systematic and sustainable data management is essential for medical institutions. In this study, we assessed the data management status and emerging concerns of three medical institutions, while also examining future directions for seamless data management. Methods To evaluate the data management status, we examined data types, capacities, infrastructure, backup methods, and related organizations. We also discussed challenges, such as resource and infrastructure issues, problems related to government regulations, and considerations for future data management. Results Hospitals are grappling with the increasing data storage space and a shortage of management personnel due to costs and project termination, which necessitates countermeasures and support. Data management regulations on the destruction or maintenance of medical records are needed, and institutional consideration for secondary utilization such as long-term treatment or research is required. Government-level guidelines for facilitating hospital data sharing and mobile patient services should be developed. Additionally, hospital executives at the organizational level need to make efforts to facilitate the clinical validation of artificial intelligence software. Conclusions This analysis of the current status and emerging issues of data management reveals potential solutions and sets the stage for future organizational and policy directions. If medical big data is systematically managed, accumulated over time, and strategically monetized, it has the potential to create new value

Optimal cutoff values for anthropometric indices of obesity as discriminators of metabolic abnormalities in Korea: results from a Health Examinees study

Background Obesity is well known as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We aimed to determine the performance of and the optimal cutoff values for obesity indices to discriminate the presence of metabolic abnormalities as a primary risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in a Health Examinees study (HEXA). Methods The current study analyzed 134,195 participants with complete anthropometric and laboratory information in a Health Examinees study, consisting of the Korean population aged 40 to 69 years. The presence of metabolic abnormality was defined as having at least one of the following: hypertension, hyperglycemia, or dyslipidemia. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for body mass index, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, waist circumference, and conicity index. Results The AUC of metabolic abnormalities was the highest for waist-to-height ratio (AUC [95% CIs], 0.677 [0.672–0.683] among men; 0.691 [0.687–0.694] among women), and the lowest for the C index (0.616 [0.611–0.622] among men; 0.645 [0.641–0.649] among women) among both men and women. The optimal cutoff values were 24.3 kg/m2 for the body mass index, 0.887 for the waist-to-hip ratio, 0.499 for the waist-to-height ratio, 84.4 cm for waist circumference and 1.20 m3/2/kg1/2 for the conicity index among men, and 23.4 kg/m2 for the body mass index, 0.832 for the waist-to-hip ratio, 0.496 for the waist-to-height ratio, 77.0 cm for the waist circumference and 1.18 m3/2/kg1/2 for the conicity index among women. Conclusion The waist-to-height ratio is the best index to discriminate metabolic abnormalities among middle-aged Koreans. The optimal cutoff of obesity indices is lower than the international guidelines for obesity. It would be appropriate to use the indices for abdominal obesity rather than general obesity and to consider a lower level of body mass index and waist circumference than the current guidelines to determine obesity-related health problems in Koreans.This study was supported by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [funding codes 2004-E71004–00, 2007-E71006–00, 2005-E71011–00, 2008-E71006–00, 2005-E71009–00, 2008-E71008–00, 2006-E71001–00, 2009-E71009–00, 2006-E71004–00, 2010-E71006–00, 2006-E71010–00, 2011-E71006–00, 2006-E71003–00, 2012-E71001–00, 2007-E71004–00, and 2013-E71009–00]. The funder had a role in the design of the study and data collection. We declare that the funder had no role in the analysis or writing of the manuscript

Overcoming the challenges of Monte Carlo depletion: Application to a material-testing reactor with the MCS code

The theoretical aspects behind the reactor depletion capability of the Monte Carlo code MCS developed at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and practical results of this depletion feature for a Material-Testing Reactor (MTR) with plate-type fuel are described in this paper. A verification of MCS results is first performed against MCNP6 to confirm the suitability of MCS for the criticality and depletion analysis of the MTR. Then, the dependence of the effective neutron multiplication factor to the number of axial and radial depletion cells adopted in the fuel plates is performed with MCS in order to determine the minimum spatial segmentation of the fuel plates. Monte Carlo depletion results with 37,800 depletion cells are provided by MCS within acceptable calculation time and memory usage. The results show that at least 7 axial meshes per fuel plate are required to reach the same precision as the reference calculation whereas no significant differences are observed when modeling 1 or 10 radial meshes per fuel plate. This study demonstrates that MCS can address the need for Monte Carlo codes capable of providing reference solutions to complex reactor depletion problems with refined meshes for fuel management and research reactor applications. (c) 2020 Korean Nuclear Society, Published by Elsevier Korea LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)