• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.539-554
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• 2023

This article is dedicated to the pursuit of establishing a robust empirical relationship that allows for the estimation of in-situ modulus of deformations (E_m and G_m) within sedimentary rock slope masses through the utilization of Q_slope values. To achieve this significant objective, an expansive and thorough methodology is employed, encompassing a comprehensive field survey, meticulous sample collection, and rigorous laboratory testing. The study sources a total of 26 specimens from five distinct locations within the South Pars (known as Assalouyeh) region, ensuring a representative dataset for robust correlations. The results of this extensive analysis reveal compelling empirical connections between E_m, geomechanical characteristics of the rock mass, and the calculated Q_slope values. Specifically, these relationships are expressed as follows: E_m = 2.859 Q_slope + 4.628 (R² = 0.554), and G_m = 1.856 Q_slope + 3.008 (R² = 0.524). Moreover, the study unravels intriguing insights into the interplay between in-situ deformation moduli and the widely utilized Rock Mass Rating (RMR) computations, leading to the formulation of equations that facilitate predictions: RMR = 18.12 E_m0.460 (R² = 0.798) and RMR = 22.09 G_m0.460 (R² = 0.766). Beyond these correlations, the study delves into the intricate relationship between RMR and Rock Quality Designation (RQD) with Qslope values. The findings elucidate the following relationships: RMR = 34.05e^0.33Qslope (R² = 0.712) and RQD = 31.42e^0.549Qslope (R² = 0.902). Furthermore, leveraging the insights garnered from this comprehensive analysis, the study offers an empirically derived support system tailored to the distinct characteristics of discontinuous rock slopes, grounded firmly within the framework of the Q_slope methodology. This holistic approach contributes significantly to advancing the understanding of sedimentary rock slope stability and provides valuable tools for informed engineering decisions.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.89-112
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• 2023

In March 2020, as it was declared a COVID-19 pandemic, various quarantine measures were taken. Accordingly, many changes have occurred in the tourism and hospitality industries. In particular, quarantine guidelines, such as the introduction of non-face-to-face services and social distancing, were implemented in the restaurant industry. For decades, research on restaurant attributes has emphasized the importance of three attributes: atmosphere, service quality, and food quality. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, research on restaurant attributes considering the COVID-19 situation is insufficient. To respond to this call, this study attempted an exploratory approach to classify new restaurant attributes based on understanding environmental changes. This study considered 31,115 online reviews registered in Naverplace as an analysis unit, with 475 general restaurants located in Euljiro, Seoul. Further, we attempted to classify restaurant attributes by clustering words within online reviews through TF-IDF and LDA topic modeling techniques. As a result of the analysis, the factors of "prevention of infectious diseases" were derived as new attributes of restaurants in the context of COVID-19 situations, along with the atmosphere, service quality, and food quality. This study is of academic significance by expanding the literature of existing restaurant attributes in that it categorized the three attributes presented by existing restaurant attributes and further presented new attributes. Moreover, the analysis results have led to the formulation of practical recommendations, considering both the operational aspects of restaurants and policy implications.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.204-214
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• 2023

This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the potential impact of deforestation and forest restoration on carbon storage in North Korea until 2050, employing rigorous analyses of trends of land use change in the past periods and projecting future land use change scenarios. We utilized the CA-Markov model, which can reflect spatial trends in land use changes, and verified the impact of forest restoration strategies on carbon storage by creating land use change scenarios (reforestation and non-reforestation). We employed two distinct periods of land use maps (2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2020). To verify the overall terrestrial carbon storage in North Korea, our evaluation included estimations of carbon storage for various elements such as above-ground, below-ground, soil, and debris (including litters) for settlement, forest, cultivated, grass, and bare areas. Our results demonstrated that effective forest restoration strategies in North Korea have the potential to increase carbon storage by 4.4% by the year 2050, relative to the carbon storage observed in 2020. In contrast, if deforestation continues without forest restoration efforts, we predict a concerning decrease in carbon storage by 11.5% by the year 2050, compared to the levels in 2020. Our findings underscore the significance of prioritizing and continuing forest restoration efforts to effectively increase carbon storage in North Korea. Furthermore, the implications presented in this study are expected to be used in the formulation and implementation of long-term forest restoration strategies in North Korea, while fostering international cooperation towards this common environmental goal.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.103-129
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze the network structure of technological innovation resources in SMEs, especially manufacturing firms, and reveal the differences between innovative and non-innovative firms. The study first analyzes connection centrality, flow-mediated centrality, and power centrality for all firms, and derives structural equivalence through CONCOR analysis. Then, the network structure of innovative and non-innovative firms was compared and analyzed according to innovation performance and creation. The results show that entrepreneurship and corporate innovation strategy have a significant impact on the analysis of technological innovation resources of all firms. According to the CONCOR analysis, the innovation resources of SMEs are organized into seven clusters, which can be defined as intrinsic product innovation resources, competitive advantage promotion resources, cooperative activities resources, information system resources, and innovation protection resources. The network analysis of innovative and non-innovative firms showed that innovative firms focused on enhancing competitiveness and improving quality, while non-innovative firms tended to focus more on existing products and customers. In addition, innovative firms had eight clusters, while non-innovative firms had six clusters, suggesting that innovative firms utilize resources diversely to pursue structural change and new value creation, while non-innovative firms operate technological innovation resources in a more stable form. This study emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurship and corporate innovation strategy in SMEs' technological innovation, and suggests that strong internal efforts are needed to increase innovativeness. These findings have important implications for strategy formulation and policy development for technological innovation in SMEs.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.122-127
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• 2024

Cosmetic preservatives are an important class of ingredients in terms of ensuring sustainable use and providing customer satisfaction. Recently, a great deal of interest has been drawn to the production and use of toxic-free, naturally derived preservatives. In this work, a new naturally derived preservative (laurimino bispropanediol, LB) was developed to replace the most widely used diol preservatives, such as 1,2-hexanediol or 1,2-octanediol. The basic properties of the obtained preservative were measured, and the solution behavior of the preservative in an aqueous medium was examined. The feasibility of micelle formation in the preservative solution was investigated using the fluorescence (FL) based pyrene method. Micelle formation was feasible owing to the relatively long hydrophobic chains and increased hydroxyl groups in the preservative molecules. The emulsification capability of the preservative was assessed using the Rosano and Kimura method, showing that the preservative possessed emulsifying capability in an organic solvent (benzene) and soy bean oil. In addition, the dispersion stability of cosmetic formulations, including the new LB preservatives such as essence and lotion, was demonstrated by comparing the light transmittance of the formulations. This article provides important information for future research regarding the synthesis and practical applications of new toxic-free naturally derived preservatives.

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 2024

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is mainly produced in the skin by UV rays. Along with melatonin, it is a representative chronobiotic substance, and the skin plays an important role in distinguishing between day and night. However, vitamin D cannot be used directly in cosmetics because it is a vitamin that acts as a coenzyme and plays a hormonal role in regulating the expression of various types of genes. Therefore, it was to investigate the skin efficacy of provitamin D (7-dehydrocholesterol), a vitamin D precursor that can be used in cosmetics. Our findings reveal that pro vitamin D can effectively inhibit the expression of tyrosinase, the melanin-producing enzyme, thereby attenuating melanin synthesis. This skin tone regulatory effect has been corroborated in vitro using artificial skin models. Additionally, pro vitamin D demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties by suppressing the expression of TNFa and, upon conversion to vitamin D through UV exposure, it was observed to induce the production of the antimicrobial peptide CAMP (LL-37). The inhibitory effect of pro vitamin D on melanin production appears to be a result of it reducing the UV absorption capacity of melanin, thereby inducing the conversion of pro D to vitamin D. Utilizing pro vitamin D in cosmetic formulations could not only modulate skin tone and enhance skin immunity but also expect to contribute to other cutaneous benefits as anti-aging and barrier function improvement with everyday UV exposure. This multifaceted efficacy positions pro vitamin D as a promising ingredient in advancing the formulation of skin care products.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.215-230
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• 2023

Objectives : Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill contains many nutrients and exhibits high physiological functions. It has been shown that Schisandra seed and pamace contains more nutrients than fruits and thus have higher antioxidant efficacy. In this study, seed and pamace of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill (SPSC) were treated with hot-melt extrudate (HME) extrusion to produce water-soluble nanoparticles. Methods : SPSC was treated with HME to prepare nanoparticles. In this process, excipients (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, pullulan, 2-hydroxylpropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, lecithin) were added to prepare a hydrophilic polymer matrix. To compare and analyze the antioxidant effect and schizandrin content, total flavonoid content, total phenol content and ABTS assay were measured. To confirm the effect of increasing the water solubility of the particles, particle size and water solubility index measurements were performed. The molecular of the material was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Results : The particle size of HME extrudates decreased, while total phenols, flavonoids, schizandrin, antioxidant effect, and solubility increased. Through FT-IR, it was confirmed that the SPSC and the extrudate exhibit the same chemical properties. In addition, it was confirmed that when extracted with water, it exhibited a higher antioxidant effect than the ethanol extract. Conclusions : HME technology increased the solubility of SPSC, which are processing by-products, and improved their antioxidant effect to a higher degree. It was confirmed that SPSC could be used as an eco-friendly, high value-added material.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.159-171
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• 2024

This study confirmed the antioxidant activity and antimicrobial efficacy and formulation stability for the effectiveness experiment of Rumex crispus. L root extract. For antioxidant activity, DPPH radical scavenging, FRAP activity, ABTS+ radical scavenging, and SOD-like activity were performed. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated for Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans strains. In addition, skin containing Rumex crispus. L root extract is checked over time for pH, temperature, and daylight for 21 days. As a result of antioxidant evaluation, it was confirmed that the activity increased in a concentration-dependent manner at a concentration of 0.0625-1 mg/mL. The clear zones of each bacterium at 100mg/mL concentrations were 10.45±0.34, 9.77±0.59, 9.92±0.22, and 10.08±0.12, which were superior to the control group Methyl paraben, and the antibacterial power of S. aureus and E. coli was confirmed at 100mg/mL concentration for MIC. There was little change in absorbance when the pH of the skin was 4.0, 6.0, and 7.0 and At 4℃, 25℃, and 40℃, it was discolored as the temperature increased. It was also observed that discoloration occurred when exposed to daylight. This is presumed to be able to prevent discoloration when it is shielded and stored at low temperatures. When the results of this study are summarized, Rumex crispus. L root extract is considered to have high value in use as a cosmetic raw material that can expect antioxidant and antibacterial activities.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.875-884
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• 2023

In this study, the quality characteristics of texturized vegetable proteins (TVP) produced from defatted soy flour (DSF) were analytically compared with those of texturized vegetable proteins produced with isolated soy protein (ISP) and non-defatted soy flour (SF). The base raw material formulation consisted of 50% soy proteins, 30% gluten, and 20% corn starch. A cooling die-equipped extruder was used with a barrel temperature set at 190℃ and screw rotation speed of 250 rpm. With respect to the hardness of isolate soy proteins, that of soy flour and defatted soy flour was 22.4% and 68.8%, respectively, and gumminess was 17.6% and 44.3%, respectively. Defatting increased chewiness, shear strength, and springiness. Moisture content was higher in soy flour than in defatted soy flour, while there were no significant differences in terms of water absorption and turbidity. The pH was higher with soy flour than with defatted soy flour. Concerning color, the L and b values were higher with soy flour, while the a value was higher with defatted soy flour. These results suggest that defatting soybeans can improve the quality of plant-based proteins. Further research is needed to address the quality differences from those of isolated soy proteins.

• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.415-436
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• 2023

In this study, we aimed to examine the level of implementation of the second comprehensive plan for promoting academic libraries (2019-2023) by analyzing key statistics of academic libraries and gathering perceptions from library staff. We analyzed the changes in major statistical indicators of libraries over the past five years. Additionally, we surveyed library staff to understand their overall perceptions of the plan and their attitudes towards the 17 sub-tasks outlined in it. The analysis of 369 survey responses revealed several key findings. Firstly, most respondents comprehended the plan well and frequently utilized it for developing their libraries' development and implementation plans. Secondly, the IPA results indicated that regardless of the type of university, there should be a continuous focus on facility improvement, teaching-learning support, and expanding access to academic resources. Efforts to develop library policies and strengthen human and financial resources were identified as crucial. Thirdly, four-year universities particularly emphasized the importance of expanding access to international academic resources compared to junior colleges. Conversely, junior colleges perceived foundational skill-building programs and inclusive services as more significant than four-year universities. The application of the IPA diagonal model revealed that the performance levels of all sub-tasks were lower than their perceived importance levels, suggesting the need for strategies to enhance effectiveness in future comprehensive plan formulation.