• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.46
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• pp.304.1-304.7
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• 2018

Background: The Republic of Korea has a very low prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but the number of new HIV diagnoses has steadily risen, strongly indicating a large number of undetected HIV infections. Thus, it is important for Korean public health authorities to adopt and encourage cost-effective HIV detection tools, such as rapid HIV screening tests. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and rapid tests in a public health center (PHC) setting. Methods: We developed a decision analytic model to assess the per-examinee cost and the cost-effectiveness of identifying HIV patients in a PHC setting using two HIV testing strategies: conventional HIV screening by ELISA versus rapid HIV testing. Analysis was performed in two scenarios: HIV testing in an average-risk population and in a high-risk population. Results: Compared to the ELISA, the rapid test was cost-saving and cost-effective. The per-examinee cost was USD 1.61 with rapid testing versus USD 3.38 with ELISA in an average-risk population, and USD 4.77 with rapid testing versus USD 7.62 with ELISA in a high-risk population. The cost of identifying a previously undiagnosed HIV case was USD 26,974 with rapid testing versus USD 42,237 with ELISA in an average-risk population, and USD 153 with rapid testing versus USD 183 with ELISA in a high-risk population. Conclusion: Rapid testing would be more cost-effective than using conventional ELISA testing for identifying previously undiagnosed HIV-infected cases in Korea, a country with extremely low HIV prevalence.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.82-86
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• 2014

This paper reports the development of a platform for tracking and analysis of animal locomotion. The platform is composed of a commercial webcam, a metal stand for the webcam, and a plastic bathtub as a cage. Using it, researchers can track and analyze an animal's movement within the plastic bathtub's dimensions of $100cm{\times}100cm{\times}55cm$ in a cost-effective manner. After recording the locomotion of an animal with $1920{\times}1080$ resolution at a rate of 30 frames per second, finding the position of the animal in each frame and analyzing the ambulation pattern were executed with custom software. To evaluate the performance of the platform, movements of imprinting control region mice and transgenic mice were recorded and analyzed. The analysis successfully compared velocity, moving pattern, and total moving distance for the two mouse groups. In addition, the developed platform can be used not only in simple motion analysis but also in various experimental conditions, such as a water maze, by easy customization of the platform. Such a simple and cost-effective platform yields a powerful tool for animal ambulatory analysis.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.88-109
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• 1998

The main purpose of this study is to compare the traditional cost system and ABC(Activity Based Cost) system of clinical laboratory department in a hospital. The study subject was 296 services in clinical laboratory from March, 1997 to August, 1997. In a new costing system, cost for a lab test consist of direct cost element, activity based cost element, and allocated common cost element. In a traditional cost system, cost elements included direct cost element and indirect cost allocated based on test volumes The major findings of this research were as follows. 1. In the application of ABC system, total cost was analyzed as follows. Direct cost was 39.3% of total cost. Activity cost and allocation were 20.9% and 39.8%, respectively. The results of analysis to use traditional cost system were as follows. Direct cost was 39.3% and it was as same as the result of direct cost of ABC system. Indirect cost was 60.7%. 2. Activities of clinical laboratory of subject hospital were registration, pre-test operation, test, test result handling, delivery, culture, post-test operation, technical support, management support, and educational support. 3. The differences of the case of higher number of test case being carried out, the cost of ABC system was lower than the cost of traditional cost system. Otherwise in the case of lower number of test case being carried out, the rests have not been appropriately evaluated, and effective management were needed in clinical laboratory.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.19-25
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• 2016

Engineering structures including civil infrastructures require a life-cycle cost and benefit during their service lives. The service life of a structure can be extended through appropriate inspection and maintenance actions. In general, this service life extension requires more life-cycle cost and cumulative benefit. For this reason, structure managers need to make a rational decision regarding the service life management considering both the cost and benefit simultaneously. In this paper, the probabilistic decision tool to determine the optimal service life based on cost-benefit analysis is presented. This decision tool requires an estimation of the time-dependent effective cost-benefit under uncertainty to formulate the optimization problem. The effective cost-benefit is expressed by the difference between the cumulative benefit and life-cycle cost of a deteriorating structure over time. The objective of the optimization problem is maximizing the effective cost-benefit, and the associated solutions are the optimal service life and maintenance interventions. The decision tool presented in this paper can be applied to any deteriorating engineering structure.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.574-580
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• 2005

Recently, the number of bridges and tunnels in railway is increasing due to the super high-speedy of train. Also, because of successively accidents of civil structures such as bridges and dams, the importance of maintenance become influential. The purpose of this study is to show the probabilistic life cycle cost analysis technique(PLCC) of the railroad bridge as pubic-infrastructures, and reasonably to indicate the economy in life cycle cost(LCC) through a case study. Rationally for life cycle cost analysis, the data gathered through many materials considered the uncertainty such as covariance. As a result, it is indicated that prestressed concrete bridge is pretty more cost-effective during life-cycle than preflex as well as steel box bridge. In future, if the construction of database and maintenance materials for railroad infrastructure is actualized, the life cycle cost analysis for railroad can be conducted easily and practically.

• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.8-15
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• 2016

Cost planning practices in the construction industry worldwide has gained much popularity in recent times due to economic recession and stringent measures that various procurement laws prescribe in most developed and developing countries. Nevertheless, these practices in developing countries such as Ghana are constrained with the existence of critical barriers that render them non-effective and hence, accounting for the numerous abandonment of both private and public projects. Consequently, this study was enunciated with the aim to examine the critical barriers to the practice of effective cost planning in the Ghanaian construction industry. Through an in-depth literature review and a pilot survey, questionnaires were designed and administered to quantity surveyors. Data generated from the field survey was subjected to principal component analysis. The findings of the study revealed weak cost planning knowledge base, poor cost databases and understanding, inadequate designs and planning and external conditions are the major barriers to cost planning practices in the Ghanaian construction industry. The need for this study cannot be doubted since it provides an insight for experts in the construction industry on the barriers of the practice of cost planning in the industry. The awareness of these barriers will therefore facilitate efficient and effective efforts to resolve them. A future study is thereby proposed by this study to explore effective cost planning practices in the Ghanaian construction industry that will ensure private and public stakeholders get value for their money invested.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.777-783
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• 2007

Life cycle costing is one of the most effective cost approaches when we choose a solution from series of alternative so the least long-term cost ownership is achieved. Life cycle costing in railway industry has been focused on the prediction of investment for railway vehicles. But in today, the life cycle cost, LCC, prediction on the aspect of operation and maintenance cost through whole life cycle is highly necessary. In this paper, we present a strategy for the development of life cycle cost estimation software on the aspect of maintenance strategies of railway vehicle. For this purpose, we suggested a structure of LCC software based on the UNIFE LCC model. And we developed a pilot version of software to evaluate the LCC model that we suggested for railway vehicle. We performed LCC analysis on the brake module of metro vehicle in case study and concluded that the software and model developed in this research could enough to support engineers in choosing better cost effective solutions from many alternatives.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.3208-3213
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• 2011

It has regarded an attempt to design and construct more safe structures as challenges such as fate. In order to operate public facilities safely, It can be taken how to improve the resistance to applied load by increasing the cross-section of structural members or by installing reinforcement. But inevitably such a way is accompanied by an increase of construction cost or maintenance cost. To make a cost-effective construction, Reliability-based decision analysis which can judge the adequacy of investment is suggested using statistical data of the load, resistance and the maintenance cost.

• IE interfaces
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.477-484
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• 2005

This paper is concerned with the life-cycle cost(LCC) of the urban transit system which was developed by KRRI and is now under test in Gyeongsan, Korea. Its reliability, availability and maintainability(RAM) were analyzed. LCC is the core part of analyzing the total cost of acquisition and ownership of a system. LCC analysis of a system is the most effective when it is applied in the it's early design phase. In this paper, we present IEC 60300-3-3(Life Cycle Costing) in detail and propose how to apply LCC in assessing the urban transit system according to RAM process. This case study demonstrates that reliability management system is very effective in reducing the operating cost of subway corporations in Korea.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.376-380
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• 2015

Life-Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) for highway projects is known as an effective analytical technique that uses economic principles to evaluate long-term alternative investment options, especially for comparing the values of alternative pavement design structures and construction strategies. In the Unites States, the 2012 Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21) amended the United States Code to mandate that the United States Government Accountability Office (GOA) conducts a study of the best practices for calculating life-cycle costs and benefits for the federally funded highway projects in 2013. The RealCost 2.5CA program was developed and adapted as an official LCCA tool to comply with regulatory requirements for California state highway projects in 2013. Utilization of this California-customized LCCA software helps Caltrans to achieve substantial economic benefits (agency cost and road user cost savings) for highway projects. Proper implementation of LCCA for roadway construction and rehabilitation would deliver noticeable savings of agency's roadway maintenance cost especially in developing counties where financial difficulties exist.