Medium-low Level Research Articles

IMPLEMENTASI RAPIDMINER DENGAN METODE K-MEANS (STUDY KASUS: IMUNISASI CAMPAK PADA BALITA BERDASARKAN PROVINSI)

Measles is one of the causes of death in children around the world which always increases every year. Although measles immunization programs have been implemented, the incidence of measles in children is still quite high. This study discusses the Implementation of Rapidminer with the K-Means Method (Case Study: Measles Immunization in Toddlers by Province). The increase in cases of measles in toddlers in Indonesia is a case that has never been separated from the government's attention. Data sources and research were obtained from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). The data used in this study are data from 2004-2017 which consists of 34 provinces. The cluster process is divided into 3 (three) clusters, namely high cluster level (C1), medium cluster level (C2) and low cluster level (C3). So that the assessment for cases of immunization against measles based on high cluster province (C1) is 21 provinces for medium cluster (C2) of 12 provinces and for low cluster (C3) of 1 province. The results of the cluster can be used as input for the government, especially the provinces, so that provinces that enter the high cluster receive more attention and increase the socialization of measles immunization against children under five. Keywords: Data Mining, Measles, Clustering, K-means

Lifestyles and Complementary Medicine: A Survey in the Region of Tuscany

Background: According to the international literature, users of Complementary Medicine (CM), Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) are more active, less overweight and have healthier lifestyles. Aim: To evaluate the lifestyle of patients of CM public clinics in the Region of Tuscany and compare it with general data of the surveillance system Multiscopo in Tuscan population (Istat 2013) adjusted for sex and age. Methods: In 2014, the Tuscan Network of Integrative Medicine (now called Tuscan Regional Center for Integrative Medicine) in co-operation with the Regional Health Agency of Tuscany distributed to 1,064 patients (age≥18) visited in CM public clinics, questionnaires on lifestyles. Data included exercise, smoking, diet, alcohol, etc. For data comparison, the sample was divided according to the level of education (medium-low and medium-high). Results: All the subjects who used CM had less sedentary (statistically significant) habits compared to controls in both groups. The consumption of fruit and/or vegetables was also significantly higher among the patients who used CM. Smoking was significantly lower among CM users with medium-low educational level and obesity was higher compared to the corresponding control group. The percentage of drinkers at risk was higher in CM users with medium-low level of education compared to general Tuscan population. Conclusions: CM patients ate more fruit and vegetables, were moderately less sedentary than the general Tuscan population and smoked less compared to the control group (medium-low educational level). However, lifestyles of our sample were not as healthy as the literature usually reports regarding alcohol consumption and obesity.

Assessing Soil Erosion by Agricultural and Forestry Production and Proposing Solutions to Mitigate: A Case Study in Son La Province, Vietnam

Son La is a province in the Northwest region of Vietnam; this province has diverse terrains with elevation ranging from 100 m to 2,900 m. Due to lack of cultivating lands, farmers still cultivate lands with steep slope, even above 25o. Consequently, the soil erosion has occurred hugely and the time for productive cultivation has been shortened. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the actual soil erosion, analyzing causes and proposing solutions to mitigate soil loss in the Son La province. Application of GIS technology and the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) to predict soil erosion showed that the soil eroded at a very low level (0–1 ton·ha−1·year−1) accounted for the largest proportion with 56.49% of the area. Low level (1–5 ton·ha−1·year−1), medium level (5–10 ton·ha−1·year−1), and high level (10–50 ton·ha−1·year−1) eroded areas account for 8.52%, 7.88%, and 1.41%, respectively, of the area. Soil is eroded in very high level (>50 ton·ha−1·year−1), accounting for 25.7% of the study area. Research on solutions to mitigate soil erosion in Mai Son district showed that, for the cultivation of perennial crops (coffee), when planting on following contour lines, the amount of soil lost annually due to erosion is 63.37 ton·ha−1, while the cultivation following level top bench terrace soil loss is 39.55 ton·ha−1. If more grass strips were planted, the amount of soil lost annually due to erosion was reduced by 71% compared to traditional solutions. For this solution, when intercropping soybean, the soil erosion was reduced by 63–76% compared to the traditional methods. For cultivation of annual crops (maize) where the traditional methods of cultivation, namely, burning, ploughing, and seeding, are followed, the average loss of soil annually is 64.06 ton·ha−1. This value was 45.04 ton·ha−1 and 41.96 ton·ha−1, respectively, as the minimum soil tillage measure and no-tillage measure were used. When using the stems of maize after harvesting to cover lands following contour lines and terraces, soil erosion decreased by 38–59% compared to traditional solutions, while intercropping with legumes, soil loss due to erosion decreased 50–68% compared to traditional measures.

CORRELATION BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL OF HEALTH STUDENTS OF FACULTY OF MEDICINE UNIVERSITAS HASANUDDIN

Background: High demands in all conditions require proffesional health workers. In dealing with patients, health workers need high emotional intelligence and problem solving skills that are qualified to deal with various problems. Objective: To analyze correlation between emotional intelligence with problem solving skill of health student of Faculty of Medicine Universitas Hasanuddin. Method: This quantitative research was conducted in August-September 2017, using observational study design with cross sectional analytic approach. Population in this research is health students Faculty of Medicine Universitas Hasanuddin who forced in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 (N=1995). Sampling technique using cluster random sampling (n=333). The data were analyzed with Spearman’s Rho test. Results: More than half of respondents had a low emotional intelligence (58.3%) and medium level of problem solving skill (51,4%). Correlation coefficient both of them is weak (r=0,222; p value = 0.000 <0,05). Conclusion: There is a weak correlation between emotional intelligence with problem solving skill of health student of Faculty of Medicine Hasanuddin University. The higher the emotional intelligence of the student, the higher the level of problem solving skill.

Digital skills, access and motivation to use e-services

This paper presents a study on digital skills, access and motivations to use or not e-services, made to students admitted to a technological career at the Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. The objective was to establish the previous knowledge in the digital area before beginning the education process offered by the university. A methodology proposed was: i) to determine the context, ii) data collection, and iii) reports generation and analysis of results. The main results obtained were: The characterization of the population under study, identify medium-high levels in the skills associated with knowledge of requirements for Internet access, search and use of online forms, and a medium-low level in recognition of secure environments to make transactions. In addition, it was found that 97% of the population access digital services because they are user-friendly, while distrust, lack of interest and ignorance about the digital service offer are the reasons that usually limit access. Regarding the use of services, 100% of the population use communication and entertainment services, 71.6% have used online training services, and 44.8% have searched for work online.

Mindfulness and Other Psycho-Social Resources Protective Against Mental Illness and Suicidality Among Gay Men.

Background: There is considerable evidence of health disparities among gay men characterized by higher levels of stress and distress. Psycho-social resources have been linked to numerous positive health outcomes and shown to act as buffers in the stress-distress pathway.Methods: With data from the 3rd Geneva Gay Men's Health Survey carried out in 2011 using time-space sampling (n = 428), a relatively elaborate profile of 14 psycho-social resources—including mindfulness—is presented. Using their original scores, latent class analysis created an index variable dividing the respondents into meaningful groups. Psycho-social resources—the index variable as well as each resource individually—were then compared to two recent outcomes—i.e., serious mental illness in the past 4 weeks and short-term disability in the past 2 weeks—using a series of logistic regression models, controlling for all other psycho-social resources and socio-demographic confounders. To assess their potential role as buffers, a similar series of logistic regression models were erected using victimization and three outcomes—i.e., major depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt—in the past 12 months.Results: According to the latent class analyses, (1) 5.1% of this sample had a low level of psycho-social resources (i.e., one standard deviation (SD) below the group means), (2) 25.2% a medium-low level, (3) 47.4% a medium level (i.e., at the group means), and (4) 22.2% a high level of psycho-social resources (i.e., one SD above the group means). Psycho-social resources appeared to strongly protect against recent mental morbidity and buffer against the impact of victimization on major depression and suicidality in the past 12 months, reducing the adjusted odds ratios below statistical significance. The explained variance and the individual psycho-social resources which remained independent in the models differed for each outcome.Conclusions: There may be disparities in several psycho-social resources among gay men, and as strong compensatory and protective factors, they may explain in part the well-established disparities in stress and distress in this population. While multiple psycho-social resources should be promoted in this population, gay men under 25 years should receive particular attention as all three disparities are most pronounced in this age group.

Customer influence on supply chain management strategies

Purpose Customers influence companies’ operational strategies and supply chain (SC) processes. In this vein, signals coming from the market must be translated into proper strategies in terms of production and supply. The purpose of this paper is to provide an understanding on how to transform customers’ expectations into SC decisions. The yacht industry, encompassing both technical and emotional peculiarities, becomes this study’s driven focus to interrogate the interrelationship between supply and demand. Design/methodology/approach The study explores the luxury yacht industry through exploratory case studies conducted with eight companies operating in Italy. Findings It was found that a wide range of factors influenced customers. That is to say, brand reputation, other brands’ involvement in the final product and emotional appeal were the most distinguishing characteristics identifying emotion-oriented customers. In this sense, companies serving such customers adjusted their SC strategies to channel a direct emotional impact. It was noticed that personalization was pivotal and companies were increasingly required to customize and create unique products to attract and further satisfy the customers. Thus, multiple sourcing strategies were often employed with an increasing number of suppliers to ensure that increasing material supply need would be met. As for performance-oriented companies, cost, quality and innovation capabilities emerged as key signals to be embedded in operations management. Companies serving performance-oriented customers were characterized by low product value and medium level of customization, and kept their core activities, including design and architecture, vertically integrated. In order to generate cost advantages without compromising product quality, single sourcing strategy was largely implemented. What the findings suggested is that the customization level and the product value were positively correlated. To illustrate, companies having more exclusive products were found allowing their customization and customer involvement in higher degrees. Originality/value Due to a relatively unexplored nature of the phenomenon, this study opted for a method by which individual and collective reconstructions were explored in a not well-investigated area, that is, the luxury yacht industry.

DIALYSIS START TIMING: DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF START SCORING SCALE

Aim.The optimal time for initiating of chronic dialysis remains unknown. The scale for mortality risk assessment could help in decision-making concerning dialysis start timing.Methods.We randomly divided 1856 patients started dialysis in 2009–2016 into developmental and validation group (1:1) to create and validate scoring system «START» predicting mortality risk at dialysis initiation in order to fi nd unmodifi able and modifi able factors which could help in the decision-making of dialysis start. In the series of univariate regression models in the developmental set, we evaluated the mortality risk linked with available parameters: age, eGFR, serum phosphate, total calcium, hemoglobin, Charlson comorbidity index, diabetes status, urgency of start (turned to be signifi cant) and gender, serum sodium, potassium, blood pressure (without impact on survival). Similar hazard ratios were converted to score points.Results.The START score was highly predictive of death: C-statistic was 0.82 (95% CI 0.79–0.85) for the developmental dataset and 0.79 (95% CI 0.74–0.84) for validation dataset (both p < 0.001). On applying the cutoff between 7–8 points in the developmental dataset, the risk score was highly sensitive 81.1% and specifi c 67.9%; for validation dataset, the sensitivity was 78.9%, specifi city 67.9%. We confi rmed the similarity in survival prediction in the validation set to developmental set in low, medium and high START score groups. The difference in survival between three levels of START-score in validation set remained similar to that of developmental set: Wilcoxon = 8.78 (p = 0.02) vs 15.31 (p < 0.001) comparing low–medium levels and 25.18 (p < 0.001) vs 39.21 (p < 0.001) comparing medium–high levels.Conclusion.Developed START score system including modifi able factors showed good mortality prediction and could be used in dialysis start decision-making.

Professionalism Practice among Lecturers in Polytechnic in Malaysia

This study was carried out by using a questionnaire survey. The Cronbach’s Alpha value for the questionnaire was calculated as 0.956, a value of which is considered as reliable. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out by using SPSS software version 22.0 in order to identify the level of professional practice. The results of the descriptive analysis showed that the level of professional practice among polytechnic lecturers was generally at a moderate level.Certain attributes such as publishing practices, collaborative networks and research, however, were found to be at a medium low level. However, the practice of work ethics, course contents and pedagogy are all at a highly satisfactory level. This situation clearly shows a pattern which portrays that lecturers’ common practices are the highest mean score while the rest of the new assessment elements in the scheme of educational service for higher education (PPPT) such as research, collaborative networks and publications have not been fully mastered by polytechnic lecturers.

MATHEMATICAL COMMUNICATION ABILITY AND SELF CONFIDENCE Experiment with Eleventh Grade Students Using Scientific Approach

This study is a pre test-post test experiment with control group design having a goal to analyze the role of scientific approach on students’ mathematical communication ability (MCA) and self confidence (SC). The study involves 46 eleventh grade Vocational School students, a mathematical communication test, a mathematical self confidence scale (MSC), and a perception on scientific approach scale. The study found that on MCA and its Normalized Gain (N<G>), students getting treatment with scientific approach attained better grades than the grades of students taught by conventional teaching, but both student’s grades were still at low-medium level. On MSC, there was no different grades between students on both teaching approaches, and those grades were at medium level. The other findings, there is no association between MCA and MSC, and students performed high perception toward scientific approach.

Multivariate characterization of university students using the ICT for learning

The new European training model has led to innovations in Higher Education as the incorporation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to learning processes. Each student learns in a different way and therefore the ways of studying are very relevant in the academic development. This fact has revealed the need for the use of ICT in the university environment. It has been a quantitative research using the questionnaire REATIC using a sample (N = 2117) of students from the five areas of knowledge at the University of Salamanca, to know the use and opinion they have about ICT in their learning. The results presented students management above all basic and personal interrelation programs, search engines in the network, online video portals and virtual libraries. They value the help and importance of ICT in their learning process and consider positively them as relevant tools. The results showed significant differences in the use and consideration of ICT in the five areas of knowledge. Health Sciences students present the highest preference level in use of ICT. Four well-differentiated clusters were identified by applying the factor analysis to obtain a multivariate characterization of the students: One was formed by students with a medium-low level of ICT consideration and use, another by the graduates with a high level of ICT consideration and use, to a third consisting of students with a medium-high level of ICT consideration and use and to final covering students with low level of ICT consideration and medium-low level of ICT use.

Parmelia sulcataas a Bioindicator of Air Pollution in Newfoundland, Canada

The global increase in air pollution has a number of consequences including damage to our environment and health. Bioindicators are living organisms which reveal certain qualities of our environment with their absence or presence. This is useful in identifying polluted areas in order to manage pollution levels. Parmelia sulcata is said to be a pollution-tolerant lichen and consequently a bioindicator. We wished to test P. sulcata's ability as a bioindicator, indicating poor air quality with its presence. We used randomized quadrat sampling of 80 trees over four municipalities on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada with increasing human populations as a proxy for pollution. Results suggest that P. sulcata is not an ideal bioindicator of high pollution. It was absent or diseased in areas of highest pollution and present in areas of low-medium pollution levels. We recommend further studies evaluate P. sulcata's potential as a bioindicator of low-medium air pollution.

L'evoluzione del sistema moda in Veneto

Fashion industry (FI) - which has been characterized by a medium-low technological level and has undergone a deep liberalization process since the mid-90s - still accounts for a relevant share of manufacturing in Italy and Veneto. In Veneto, between 1995 and 2007, value added of FI decreased by a yearly average of 1.6 per cent. During the international crisis this reduction become faster; employment and the number of firms reduced as well. This competitive selection of firms and an internationalization process generated a productivity increase, which was stronger in Veneto than in Italy. Based on local firms’ balance sheets analysis, between 2007 and 2014 operating profitability considerably increased in footwear sector, which was characterized by larger foreign direct investment inflows. Profitability more than halved in clothing sector, mainly because of larger firms’ negative performances.

Moral Distress (MD) and burnout in mental health nurses: a multicenter survey.

Introduction:Moral Distress (MD) is a common experience among nurses and if it is not recognised and treated, it may lead to serious consequences on nurses’ health and quality of care. MD has been studied in several healthcare contexts. However, there are only few studies on MD in psychiatry and in Italy there are no data in this field.Objective:To assess the presence of MD among mental health nurses in Italy and verify whether there is a relationship between MD and burnout.Methods:We conducted a multicentre survey among nurses of Mental Health services of four hospitals in Milan. The MD Scale for Psychiatric NursesItalianrevised (MDS-PItarev) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were used for data collection. Factor analysis and calculation of content validity index (CVI) and Cronbach’s alpha were performed on the Italian version of the MDS-PIta. Three items of the old version of the scale were removed, because judged not relevant in the Italian context. The revised scale maintained excellent CVI (0.89) and Cronbach’s alpha (0.93).Results:Of 285 questionnaires distributed, 228 (80%) were returned. The median of MD was 2 (scale range 0-6); MD is correlated with two burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion (rho(ρ)=0.28, p<0,001) and depersonalization (ρ=0.20, p<0,001).Conclusions:This is the first study about MD among psychiatric nurses in Italy. We found a medium-low level of MD among nurses who participated in the survey. We also found a modest but significant correlation between MD and two dimensions of MBI. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.

Innovativeness of Industrial Enterprises of the Visegrad Group and the Expenditures on Research and Development

In the article the relationship between the inventive activity of the Visegrad Group industrial enterprises and the research and development outlays is investigated. The analysis is conducted for different levels of technological sophistication (high, medium-high, medium-low, low) and patent applications to the European Patent Office are used as a measure of the inventive activity. The results of uni- and multivariate panel cointegration analysis of the yearly data from 2005 to 2014 point out that the long- -run elasticity of patent applications to R&amp;D outlays is higher, firstly, for high-technology economic activity than for medium-high, and secondly, for research activity within high-technology level financed from own resources, rather than by public funds. It was also found that in the case of medium-low and low technology level, the R&amp;D outlays do not uniquely determine the number of patent applications.

Assessment of the adaptive capacity to the climate change of rural fresh water and sanitation – A case study in Can Gio district

This work aimed at calculating and assessing the adaptive capacity (AC) to the climate change (CC) of the rural fresh water and sanitation (RFWS), a case study in Can Gio for the period of 2014–2025. By index, survey, and professional adjustment methods, the AC index was considered and evaluated via two main indicator groups: infrastructures (6 indicators) and humans (13 indicators). Results show that Binh Khanh has the highest AC index, 57 points–medium high level, with strengths in infrastructure, especially in the human indicator group. The management of local government, transportation system, or social services are the highlights here. AC index in Can Thanh is runner-up with 55 points - medium high level. However, different from Binh Khanh, strengths in Can Thanh come from infrastructure group. AC indices of Ly Nhon, Tam Thon Hiep, Thanh An, Long Hoa, and An Thoi Dong are at medium low level, ranging from 43–49. By 2020, 2025, AC index increase following the increase in water supply and drainage network, social and economic development plan. This work also review strengths and weaknesses in CC adaptive capacity of RFWS in the local, supplying the basis for establishing solutions to mitigate CC impacts.

Contrast microsphere enhancement of the tricuspid regurgitant spectral Doppler signal - Is it still necessary with contemporary scanners?

BackgroundAccurate evaluation of the tricuspid regurgitant (TR) spectral Doppler signal is important during transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) evaluation for pulmonary hypertension (PHT). Contrast enhancement improves Doppler backscatter. However, its incremental benefit with contemporary scanners is less well established. The aim of this study was to assess whether the TR spectral Doppler signal using contemporary scanners was improved using a second generation contrast agent, Definity® (CE), compared to unenhanced TTE (UE). MethodsAnalysis of patients who underwent UE then CE TR interrogation was performed. TR signal was evaluated by an experienced reader and graded 1 (clear-high level of confidence of interpretation and complete spectral Doppler envelope), 2 (suboptimal with medium-low level of confidence of interpretation and incomplete envelope), 3 (poor-absent and no measurable spectral Doppler signal). Maximal TR velocity (TRV) was defined as peak velocity that could be clearly identified. An inexperienced sonographer read 30 randomly selected studies. Results176 TTE were performed in 173 patients (mean age 57±14.8years). Wilcoxon signed rank test demonstrated significant improvement (p<0.0001) in TR spectral Doppler signal quality with CE TTE. Mean score CE TTE vs. TTE=2.32±0.85 vs. 2.56±0.75 respectively (p<0.0001). Mean maximal TRV CE TTE vs. UE TTE=2.61±0.44m/s vs. 2.54±0.49m/s respectively (p<0.0001). The inexperienced reader had a greater improvement in scoring CE TTE signals vs. UE TTE (p<0.0001). ConclusionIn the era of contemporary scanners, CE improved the ability to detect and measure TRV, except in those with clear unenhanced TR spectral Doppler signals or greater than mild tricuspid regurgitation.

Evaluating the effects of CO2 capture benchmarks on efficiency and costs of membrane systems for post-combustion capture: A parametric simulation study

Membrane separation is considered to be the most promising alternative to chemical absorption for decarbonizing fossil fuel power generating systems. However, the implementation of a membrane system has several implications for the energy and economic performances of power plants. Indeed, membrane systems allow for the non-negligible reduction of power plant capacity, which can negatively affect its efficiency. This aspect, combined with the additional capital and operating expenses, is also responsible for an increase in the electricity generation costs.Currently, the majority of studies neglected to investigate the influence of CO2 separation targets on costs, thus limiting their investigation to the case of geological storage or enhanced oil recovery (EOR) that mean CO2 purity levels after compression higher than 95%. But for certain valorization aims, like CO2 hydrogenation or solar thermochemical conversion, lower CO2 quality standards may be sufficient; to the best of our knowledge there is currently no study allowing to know the cost of CO2 capture in this unusual framework.The aim of this paper was to analyze the effects of CO2 purity targets on the energy requirement for the separation and compression operations and costs of membrane systems, considering as a study case the recovery of CO2 from flue gases of a coal-fired power plant and using a Polyactive membrane. The CO2 separation process was first investigated by exploring several membrane system concepts. Then, by focusing on dual-stage configurations, the entire carbon capture and storage (CCS) chain was analyzed. From an energy view point, the study quantified the impact of CO2 capture retrofit intervention on the power plant’s net efficiency and the extent of CO2 emissions reduction. Besides, the economic analysis allowed for an evaluation of the specific cost of the CO2 capture and the mitigation cost with or without credits for EOR. Finally, an energy and economic comparison was made with the CO2 capture based on chemical scrubbing.With a CO2 separation cost of 20÷33 $/tonne, a single stage membrane system with feed compression and permeate vacuum pumping represents the most interesting option to be used in combination with CO2 recycling technologies requiring a medium-low CO2 purity level (70÷80%). Simulation results also revealed that dual stage membrane systems envisaged are economically competitive compared to amine absorption processes in the case of geological storage, involving a cost of CO2 capture of 36÷41 $/tonne.

Evaluation of the relation between reasons for initiating smoking and dependence level

The aim was to evaluate the dependence level and relation condition by examining the reasons to start smoking. Scanning the people in Family Health Center, personal information, smoking conditions and reasons to start smoking were asked to 359 smokers over 18 years of age using a questionnaire prepared. Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was used to determine the dependence level in smoking individuals. Then statistical analysis was made using the acquired data. 269 people, 181 males (50.4%) and 178 females (49.6%), were included in our study. While the package/year average of smokers is 9.0±8.4 right now, FTND score average was found 6.9±1.7 points. According to FTND, the ratio of low level, medium level and high level of dependents were 6.7%, 40.4% and 52.9% in order. Reasons for starting to smoke were grouped under 11 different answers. The cases stated the most common reason for starting smoking as “imitating” (21.2%) and boredom/stress (13.6%) followed this. There was a significant relation between the ages and reasons for starting smoking among the participants in our study (F=4.067, p<0.001). A statistically significant difference was not found in smoking dependence levels among FTND scores and smoking package/year condition. No significant relation was found between nicotine dependence level and reason to start smoking. “Imitation” as the most common reason to start smoking. Thus applications increasing the information level of individuals may decrease the smoking starting frequency of individuals.

Analysis on Changes in Competitiveness of Main Trade Items following Korea-China FTA - Focusing on TSI and Exports-Imports Elasticity -

최근 자유무역협정(FTA)의 확산으로 인해 국제경제 질서의 재편은 물론 기업활동의 글로벌화가 가속화되고 있다. 이러한 FTA는 무한 시장경쟁 환경 속에서 비교우위에 의한 생산과 교환활동을 촉진하기 때문에, 민간 기업은 물론 정부 차원에서도 주요 교역품목의 경쟁력 변화를 추적 관찰 후 관련 대책 마련에 활용해야 될 필요가 있다. 이러한 관점에서 본 연구에서는 한중 FTA 발효 1년을 기점으로 FTA 전후 한중 간 주요 교역품목의 경쟁력의 변화를 무역특화지수(TSI)와 수출입탄력성을 중심으로 분석하였다. 먼저 2015년 양국 간 수출입금액을 기준으로 중복품목을 제외한 수출입 상위 13개 품목을 선정(HS코드 2단위)하고 한중 FTA 발효 전후 1년간의 무역특화지수 분석을 통해 수출입 특화업종을 산출한 결과, High level 기술수준의 광학기기류는 수출특화업종으로 분석되어 FTA 이후 수출이 증가했으며, Medium high level 기술수준의 전기기기류 등 5개 업종은 수출약화업종으로 분석되었다. 수입 경쟁력부문에서는 Lowlevel 기술수준의 가구 및 침구류가 수입특화업종으로 분류되어 FTA 이후 수입규모가 증가한 것으로 나타났으며, Medium low level 기술수준의 철강 등의 업종은 수입약화 업종으로 분류되어 수입규모가 줄어들었다. 한편 수출입탄력성 분석에서는 무기화학품 및 귀금속류의 탄력성(0.6261)이 가장 높았던 가운데, 원자로 및 보일러 등(0.2881)이 뒤를 이으며 한중 FTA로 인해 가장 큰 변동폭을 나타냈다. 반면 플라스틱과 그 제품류(0.0009), 정유와 레지노이드(0.0010), 의류와 그 부속품(0.0012) 등은 13개 분석대상 품목 중 탄력성이 가장 낮은 것으로 나타나 FTA의 효과가 미미한 것으로 분석되었다. 즉, 한중 FTA를 전후로 무기화학품 등은 수입이 약화되는 방향으로 교역량의 변동이 가장 컸던 반면, 원자로 등의 기계류는 수출이 약화되는 형태로 교역량의 변동이 심했고, 플라스틱과 제품류 등은 FTA 전후 교역량의 변동이 거의 없었던 것으로 분석되었다.Focusing on TSI(Trade Specification Index) and exports-imports elasticity, this study provides a comprehensive and empirical analysis on competitiveness of main trade items following Korea-China free trade agreement. For establishing management strategy and analysis, the question which we must consider here is how much the FTA affects the main items with respect to exports and imports. Fore the reason, we provide not only a mathematical model to consider the question in a rate of change, but also the competitiveness of the items based on the TSI. Our approaches to design the model are mainly characterized as an entropy elasticity with respect to exports and imports, in which parameters are based on entropy principles and controled by the TSI obtained during the first step. These characteristics can be usefully utilized not only to observe the changes of competitiveness of the items, but to identify easily real influence on the FTA from the view points of specialized industry or items. To analysis effects of Korea-China FTA, we first selected target items based on 2015 base year. With total 13 items selected by the amount of trade between Korea and China, we compared the competitiveness of main items after analysing their TSI. And then, for the second step, we design exports-imports elasticity model with the TSI, which can make a sensitivity analysis p ossible. Our a nalysis showed t hat specialized items by e xports and i mports after K orea-China F TA: (1) A competitiveness of category of optical instrument classified into high tech industry has strengthened, while a competitiveness of category of furniture classified into low tech industry has weakened after the FTA. (2) The item with the highest exports-imports elasticity was a category of inorganic chemistry, categories of plastic and related products, oil-refining, and apparel had the lowest exports-imports elasticity.