• Title/Summary/Keyword: COVID-Pandemic

Search Result 1,926, Processing Time 0.029 seconds

Immunostimulatory Activity of Hibiscus syriacus L. Leaves in Mouse Macrophages, RAW264.7 cells, and Immunosuppressed Mice

  • Na Gyeong Geum;Ju Hyeong Yu;So Jung Park;Min Yeong Choi;Jae Won Lee;Gwang Hun Park;Hae-Yun Kwon;Jin Boo Jeong
    • Korean Journal of Plant Resources
    • /
    • v.35 no.6
    • /
    • pp.697-703
    • /
    • 2022
  • Under the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in immune enhancement is increasing. Although the immune-enhancing activity of plants of the genus Hibiscus has been reported, there is no study on the immune-enhancing activity of H. syriacus. Thus, in this study, we investigated the immune-enhancing activity of Hibiscus syriacus leaves (HSL) in mouse macrophages, RAW264.7 cells, and immunosuppressed mice. HSL increased the production of immunostimulatory factors such as nitric oxide (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and activated the phagocytosis in RAW264.7 cells. The HSL-mediated production of immunostimulatory factors was dependent on toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), p38, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in RAW264.7 cells. In the immunosuppressed mouse model, HSL increased the spleen index, the levels of the cytokines, and the numbers of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes. Taken together, HSL may be considered to have immune-enhancing activity and be expected to be used as a potential immune-enhancing agent.

Web-Based Question Bank System using Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing

  • Ahd, Aljarf;Eman Noor, Al-Islam;Kawther, Al-shamrani;Nada, Al-Sufyini;Shatha Tariq, Bugis;Aisha, Sharif
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
    • /
    • v.22 no.12
    • /
    • pp.132-138
    • /
    • 2022
  • Due to the impacts of the current pandemic COVID-19 and the continuation of studying online. There is an urgent need for an effective and efficient education platform to help with the continuity of studying online. Therefore, the question bank system (QB) is introduced. The QB system is designed as a website to create a single platform used by faculty members in universities to generate questions and store them in a bank of questions. In addition to allowing them to add two types of questions, to help the lecturer create exams and present the results of the students to them. For the implementation, two languages were combined which are PHP and Python to generate questions by using Artificial Intelligence (AI). These questions are stored in a single database, and then these questions could be viewed and included in exams smoothly and without complexity. This paper aims to help the faculty members to reduce time and efforts by using the Question Bank System by using AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to extract and generate questions from given text. In addition to the tools used to create this function such as NLTK and TextBlob.

Effects of ESG Management Activities of Food Companies on Corporate Performance (식품기업의 ESG 경영활동이 기업성과에 미치는 영향)

  • Seo Young JEONG;Kyu-Wan CHOI
    • The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
    • /
    • v.14 no.2
    • /
    • pp.19-30
    • /
    • 2023
  • Purpose: Corporate management is under pressure to contribute to social values beyond profit-seeking, and interest in ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) is increasing worldwide. In the recent global climate change crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of non-financial values such as ESG is increasing. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to prepare a strategy for future ESG management activities by analyzing the impact of it on corporate performance by food companies. Research design, data and methodology: ESG-related research trends, ESG activities, and corporate performance were analyzed. After that, a regression analysis was conducted to identify the relationship between ESG evaluation grade and corporate performance. Result: ESG management activities measured by ESG scores did not significantly affect the return on assets, one of the variables of corporate performance. However, as a result of setting the return on equity as a dependent variable, ESG management activities have a nonlinear relationship with corporate performance, and ESG management activities have a positive effect on corporate performance when investment in ESG management activities is reasonable. Conclusions: These results show that food companies should engage in an appropriate level of ESG management activities to improve corporate performance.

Emergence of Online Teaching for Plastic Surgery and the Quest for Best Virtual Conferencing Platform: A Comparative Cohort Study

  • Suvashis Dash;Raja Tiwari;Amiteshwar Singh;Maneesh Singhal
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
    • /
    • v.50 no.2
    • /
    • pp.200-209
    • /
    • 2023
  • Background As the coronavirus disease 2019 virus made its way throughout the world, there was a complete overhaul of our day-to-day personal and professional lives. All aspects of health care were affected including academics. During the pandemic, teaching opportunities for resident training were drastically reduced. Consequently, medical universities in many parts across the globe implemented online learning, in which students are taught remotely and via digital platforms. Given these developments, evaluating the existing mode of teaching via digital platforms as well as incorporation of new models is critical to improve and implement. Methods We reviewed different online learning platforms used to continue regular academic teaching of the plastic surgery residency curriculum. This study compares the four popular Web conferencing platforms used for online learning and evaluated their suitability for providing plastic surgery education. Results In this study with a response rate of 59.9%, we found a 64% agreement rate to online classes being more convenient than normal classroom teaching. Conclusion Zoom was the most user-friendly, with a simple and intuitive interface that was ideal for online instruction. With a better understanding of factors related to online teaching and learning, we will be able to deliver quality education in residency programs in the future.

Indoor air quality evaluation in intercity buses in real time traffic

  • Kazim O. Demirarslan;Serden, Basak
    • Advances in environmental research
    • /
    • v.11 no.1
    • /
    • pp.17-30
    • /
    • 2022
  • Road transport allows all forms of land conditions to be met at less cost. Because of this function, despite numerous disadvantages, it becomes the most frequently used method of transport, especially in underdeveloped or developing countries. One of the most significant factors used in evaluating the atmosphere's air quality is the amount of CO2, increasing people's density in indoor spaces. The amount of CO2 indoors is, therefore, vital to determine. In this study, CO2 and temperature measurements made on nine different bus journey was made in Turkey. The minimum and maximum values were recorded as 555 ppm and 3000 ppm CO2, respectively, in the measurements. On all journeys, the average concentration is 1088.72 ppm. The minimum and maximum values were measured as 17.4℃ and 32.7℃ in the temperature measurements, and the average of all trips was calculated to be 25.76℃. In this study conducted before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was determined that the amount of CO2 increased with the density and insufficient ventilation in the buses. The risk of infection increases in places with high human density and low clean air. For situations such as pandemics, CO2 measurement is a rapid indicator of determining human density.

3D Online Marshmallow Simulation Game for Target Value Design

  • Kim, Suryeon;Mainardi, Pete;Jeong, H. David;Rybkowski, Zofia;Seo, Jinsil Hwaryoung
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
    • /
    • 2022.06a
    • /
    • pp.661-668
    • /
    • 2022
  • Various lean design and construction methods such as target value design, pull planning, value stream mapping have successfully transformed the commercial building construction industry into achieving improved productivity, higher design and construction quality, and meeting the target values of construction projects. Considering the significant advantages of lean, the accelerated dissemination and adoption of lean methods and tools for construction is highly desirable. Currently, the lean design and construction body of knowledge is imparted primarily through publications and conferences. However, one of the most effective ways to impart this soft knowledge is through getting students and trainees involved in hands-on participatory games, which can quickly help them truly understand the concept and apply it to real-world problems. The COVID-19 Pandemic has raised an urgent need of developing virtual games that can be played simultaneously from various locations over the Internet, but these virtual games should be as effective as in-person games. This research develops an online 3D simulation game for Target Value Design that is as effective as in-person games or possibly better in terms of knowledge capture and retention and enjoyable environment and experience. The virtual game is tested on volunteers using feedback from pre-and post- simulation surveys to evaluate its efficacy.

  • PDF

Power transformation in quasi-likelihood innovations for GARCH volatility (금융 시계열 변동성 추정을 위한 준-우도 이노베이션의 멱변환)

  • Sunah, Chung;Sun Young, Hwang;Sung Duck, Lee
    • The Korean Journal of Applied Statistics
    • /
    • v.35 no.6
    • /
    • pp.755-764
    • /
    • 2022
  • This paper is concerned with power transformations in estimating GARCH volatility. To handle a semi-parametric case for which the exact likelihood is not known, quasi-likelihood (QL) rather than maximum-likelihood method is investigated to best estimate GARCH via maximizing the information criteria. A power transformation is introduced in the innovation generating QL estimating functions and then optimum power is selected by maximizing the profile information. A combination of two different power transformations is also studied in order to increase the parameter estimation efficiency. Nine domestic stock prices data are analyzed to order to illustrate the main idea of the paper. The data span includes Covid-19 pandemic period in which financial time series are really volatile.

Distribution of Knowledge through Online Learning and its Impact on the Intellectual Potential of PhD Students

  • Dana KANGALAKOVA;Aisulu DZHANEGIZOVA;Zaira T. SATPAYEVA;Kuralay NURGALIYEVA;Anel A. KIREYEVA
    • Journal of Distribution Science
    • /
    • v.21 no.4
    • /
    • pp.47-56
    • /
    • 2023
  • Purpose: the research aims to analyze the impact of the distribution of knowledge through online learning on the intellectual potential of PhD students and produce recommendations for policy to improve intellectual capacity. During the literature review, it was determined that a large number of studies examined the impact of online learning on the quality of education at different levels. Research design, data and methodology: the research methodology is based on subjective assessment and studying the students' opinions. The basis of the study was a comprehensive analysis of primary data obtained through a sociological survey of PhD students. 324 respondents from humanitarian, medical and natural faculties participated in the survey. Results: the study revealed that online learning helps increase students' intellectual potential. PhD students had a positive attitude towards the transition from traditional education to online learning. It should be noted that, according to the results, the most popular gadgets were laptops and smartphones, which were characterized by high mobility and ease of use. Based on the obtained results, recommendations were developed for the formation of online learning with a focus on increasing students' intellectual potential. Conclusions: based on the results of the assessment of educational and innovative potential, policy recommendations and further research in this area were proposed.

Filtration Performance Evaluation of Various Respiratory Face Masks Against Sub-Micron Particles (다양한 호흡기 보호용 면체 마스크의 서브 마이크론 입자에 대한 여과 성능 평가)

  • Zainul Alim Ali Murtadlo;Cho Hee-Joo;Park Hyun-Seol
    • Particle and aerosol research
    • /
    • v.19 no.1
    • /
    • pp.1-11
    • /
    • 2023
  • Respiratory face masks are protective facepieces that are designed to filter inhaled air. They are easy-to-use devices that can protect the wearer against various hazardous particles in the air. Respiratory face masks also prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria-containing droplets that are released from the coughing or sneezing of the infected people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, various types of face masks have circulated on the market. Their ability to filter sub-micron particles, which are the sizes of harmful particulate matter and airborne viruses, needs to be investigated. Their breathability, the easiness of breath through the mask, also needs to be considered. In this study, wwe evaluated the performance of filters used for different types of face masks certified by different standards including Korean (KF94, KF80, KF-AD), USA (N95), and Chinese (KN95) standards. We also tested the filters of nanofiber masks and surgical masks for which there are no standards for filtration test. The N95 mask filters showed the highest quality factor for capturing virus-sized particles. The other types of mask filters have acceptable performance except for nanofiber mask filters whose performance is very low.

The Influence of Individual's Health Beliefs on the Intention to Use Mobile Healthcare Apps: Focusing on the Moderating Role of mHealth Literacy (개인의 건강신념이 모바일 헬스케어 앱 이용의도에 미치는 영향: m헬스 리터러시의 조절효과를 중심으로)

  • Jin-Seob Wang;Jaemin Song;Sung-Byung Yang;Sang-Hyeak Yoon
    • Journal of Information Technology Services
    • /
    • v.22 no.1
    • /
    • pp.95-114
    • /
    • 2023
  • Smart healthcare, combining ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) and medical technologies, has been rapidly emerging. Accordingly, its market has also increased as interest in disease prevention, management, and diagnosis grows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, using mobile devices to support medical activities, mobile healthcare has been attracting attention as a leading service in the smart healthcare market. However, the intention to use mobile healthcare apps may vary depending on individual beliefs and attitudes. Many studies on the intention to use mobile healthcare apps have used the TAM (Technology Acceptance Model), but there is a lack of studies that have been verified from the perspective of users' health beliefs. This study aims to identify the factors that affect the intention to use mobile healthcare apps based on the HBM (Health Belief Model). Furthermore, it investigates how this influencing mechanism fluctuates based on the user's mHealth literacy, the ability to find and understand health information through mobile. This study contributes to the empirical examination of the intention to use mobile healthcare apps through the HBM. It also offers insights for app providers and public health officials to increase the use of mobile healthcare apps.