• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.1-25
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• 2010

Motion pictures are so typical experience goods that consumers tend to look for more credible information. Hence, movie audiences consider movie viewers' reviews more important than the information provided by the film distributor. Recently many portal sites allow consumers to post their reviews and opinions so that other people check the number of consumer reviews and scores before going to the theater. There are a few previous researches studying the electronic word of mouth(eWOM) effect in the movie industry. They found that the volume of eWOM influenced the revenue of the movie significantly but the valence of eWOM did not affect it much (Liu 2006). The goal of our research is also to investigate the eWOM effects in general. But our research is different from the previous studies in several aspects. First, we study the eWOM effect in Korean movie industry. In other words, we would like to check whether we can generalize the results of the previous research across countries. The similar econometric models are applied to Korean movie data that include 746,282 consumer reviews on 439 movies. Our results show that both the valence(RATING) and the volume(LNMSG) of the eWOM influence weekly movie revenues. This result is different from the previous research findings that the volume only influences the revenue. We conjectured that the difference of self construal between Asian and American culture may explain this difference (Kitayama 1991). Asians including Koreans have more interdependent self construal than American, so that they are easily affected by other people's thought and suggestion. Hence, the valence of the eWOM affects Koreans' choice of the movie. Second, we find the critical defect of the previous eWOM models and, hence, attempt to correct it. The previous eWOM model assumes that the volume of eWOM (LNMSG) is an independent variable affecting the movie revenue (LNREV). However, the revenue can influence the volume of the eWOM. We think that treating the volume of eWOM as an independent variable a priori is too restrictive. In order to remedy this problem, we employed a simultaneous equation in which the movie revenue and the volume of the eWOM can affect each other. That is, our eWOM model assumes that the revenue (LNREV) and the volume of eWOM (LNMSG) have endogenous relationship where they influence each other. The results from this simultaneous equation model showed that the movie revenue and the eWOM volume interact each other. The movie revenue influences the eWOM volume for the entire 8 weeks. The reverse effect is more complex. Both the volume and the valence of eWOM affect the revenue in the first week, but only the volume affect the revenue for the rest of the weeks. In the first week, consumers may be curious about the movie and look for various kinds of information they can trust, so that they use the both the quantity and quality of consumer reviews. But from the second week, the quality of the eWOM only affects the movie revenue, implying that the review ratings are more important than the number of reviews. Third, our results show that the ratings by professional critics (CRATING) had negative effect to the weekly movie revenue (LNREV). Professional critics often give low ratings to the blockbuster movies that do not have much cinematic quality. Experienced audiences who watch the movie for fun do not trust the professionals' ratings and, hence, tend to go for the low-rated movies by them. In summary, applied to the Korean movie ratings data and employing a simultaneous model, our results are different from the previous eWOM studies: 1) Koreans (or Asians) care about the others' evaluation quality more than quantity, 2) The volume of eWOM is not the cause but the result of the revenue, 3) Professional reviews can give the negative effect to the movie revenue.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.182-191
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• 2023

This study was carried out to identify the distribution and growth characteristics and evaluate the conservation status of the Michelia compressa Maxim., a rare and endangered wild plant II, in the habitats in Korea. A total of 314 individuals were found in the natural habitats of Heuksan Island and Jeju Island and were divided into four populations. About 45.9% (144 individuals) were distributed in the range of 401m~500m above sea level. The average height of trees was 2.7(±4.8)m, the diameter at breast height was 12.6(±13.9)cm, and the number of branches was 1.0(±0.5) on average. 54.3% of the sapling individuals of M. compressa were distributed within a radius of 30 m from the mother tree, 25.8% were distributed between 31 m through 40 m, and most (90.1%) were distributed within a radius of 60 m. The fact that sapling individuals of M. compressa are not identified even around some mature individuals and appear only in extremely limited areas is estimated to be closely related to the growth conditions as well as the environment of the natural habitats. The dispersal of M. compressa is presumed to be related to the birds and natural seedlings because water puddles, a resting place for birds beyond the range of natural seedlings, characterize its habitats. The IUCN Red List evaluation criteria at the regional and national level of M. compressa corresponds to the Critically Endangered category, and the domestic population under the category of "CR B2ab(v); C2a(i); D."

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.413-434
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• 2023

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is an ancient oilseed crop, which is usually cultivated for its seeds. Sesame breeding aims to achieve high seed yield and quality, along with resistance to biotic or abiotic stresses. It is estimated that sesame is originated from Asia or Africa continent. In this study, we characterized 10 agronomic traits and evaluated lignan contents in 165 sesame germplasm originated from Asia or Africa, to select high-yield or high-lignan content accessions. Sesame germplasm showed diverse phenotypes and highly variable lignan contents (sesamin: 0.5-12.6 mg/g, sesamolin: 0.1-3.5 mg/g, lignan: 1.1-16.1 mg/g). Based on originated continent, there are significant difference in agronomic traits, but no in lignan content. Correlation analysis revealed that yield-related agronomic traits were negatively related with lignan contents. Also, PCA analysis showed that most agronomic traits and lignan contents were principal components explaining diversity of whole sesame germplasm. Sesame germplasm was clustered into three groups based on agronomic traits and lignan contents. Finally, we selected high-yield (IT29416, IT167042, K276848, K276849) and high-lignan candidate accessions (IT169254, IT170031, IT169250, IT154876, IT170034), respectively. These accessions are expected to be valuable resources for breeding of high-yield and high-lignan contents functional cultivars.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.261-283
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• 2023

This study aimed to review the performance stability of PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) fiber reinforcing materials among the synthetic fiber types for which the application of performance reinforcing materials to fiber-reinforced concrete is being reviewed by examining short-term and long-term performance changes. To this end, the residual performance was analyzed after exposing the PET fiber to an acid/alkali environment, and the flexural strength and equivalent flexural strength of the PET fiber-reinforced concrete mixture by age were analyzed, and the surface of the PET fiber collected from the concrete specimen was examined using a scanning microscope (SEM). The changes in were analyzed. As a result of the acid/alkali environment exposure test of PET fiber, the strength retention rate was 83.4~96.4% in acidic environment and 42.4~97.9% in alkaline environment. It was confirmed that the strength retention rate of the fiber itself significantly decreased when exposed to high-temperature strong alkali conditions, and the strength retention rate increased in the finished yarn coated with epoxy. In the test results of the flexural strength and equivalent flexural strength of the PET fiber-reinforced concrete mixture, no reduction in flexural strength was found, and the equivalent flexural strength result also did not show any degradation in performance as a fiber reinforcement. Even in the SEM analysis results, no surface damage or cross-sectional change of the PET reinforcing fibers was observed. These results mean that no damage or cross-section reduction of PET reinforcing fibers occurs in cement concrete environments even when fiber-reinforced concrete is exposed to high temperatures in the early stage or depending on age, and the strength of PET fibers decreases in cement concrete environments. The impact is judged to be of no concern. As the flexural strength and equivalent flexural strength according to age were also stably expressed, it could be seen that performance degradation due to hydrolysis, which is a concern due to the use of PET fiber reinforcing materials, did not occur, and it was confirmed that stable residual strength retention characteristics were exhibited.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2023

Korean melon (Cucumis melo L.) is grown mostly in Northeast Asia area, and as a fruit mainly produced in Korea, the yield per unit area continues to improve, but the cultivation method is limited to soil cultivation, so it is necessary to develop hydroponic cultivation technology for scale and labor-saving is needed. As the ratio of NO₃^- increased, the plant height, the leaf length, the leaf width, and the internode length became longer and larger. On the other hand, the SPAD value decreased. The lower the ratio of NO₃^-, the faster the female flower bloom, and there was no difference in fruit maturity between treatments. There was no difference in the shape of fruit according to the ratio of NO₃^-, and the hardness was higher as the ratio of NO₃^- was lower. The total yield from March to July was KM3 5,650 kg/10a and KM1 4,439 kg/10a, 27% higher in KM3 and, in particular, 36% higher in quantity from March to May, when Korean melon prices were high season. Therefore, it was judged that it would be appropriate to supply NO₃^- suitable for hydroponic cultivation of Korean melon, which was formalized in December and produced from spring, at the level of 6.5 to 10 me·L^-1.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.233-246
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• 2023

In terms of understanding the water cycle and efficient water resource management, the importance of soil moisture has been highlighted. However, in Korea, the lack of qualified in-situ soil moisture data results in very limited utility. Even if satellite-based data are applied, the absence of ground reference data makes objective evaluation and correction difficult. The cosmic-ray neutron probe (CRNP) can play a key role in producing data for satellite data calibration. The installation of CRNP is non-invasive, minimizing damage to the soil and vegetation environment, and has the advantage of having a spatial representative for the intermediate scale. These characteristics are advantageous to establish an observation network in Korea which has lots of mountainous areas with dense vegetation. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of the CRNP soil moisture observatory in Korea as part of the establishment of a Korean cOsmic-ray Soil Moisture Observing System (KOSMOS). The CRNP observation station was installed with the Gunup-ri observation station, considering the ease of securing power and installation sites and the efficient use of other hydro-meteorological factors. In order to evaluate the CRNP soil moisture data, 12 additional in-situ soil moisture sensors were installed, and spatial representativeness was evaluated through a temporal stability analysis. The neutrons generated by CRNP were found to be about 1,087 counts per hour on average, which was lower than that of the Solmacheon observation station, indicating that the Hongcheon observation station has a more humid environment. Soil moisture was estimated through neutron correction and early-stage calibration of the observed neutron data. The CRNP soil moisture data showed a high correlation with r=0.82 and high accuracy with root mean square error=0.02 m³/m³ in validation with in-situ data, even in a short calibration period. It is expected that higher quality soil moisture data production with greater accuracy will be possible after recalibration with the accumulation of annual data reflecting seasonal patterns. These results, together with previous studies that verified the excellence of CRNP soil moisture data, suggest that high-quality soil moisture data can be produced when constructing KOSMOS.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.17-24
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• 2023

A post-processing technique for the measurement signal of a solenoid-type sensor is introduced. The solenoid-type sensor nondestructively evaluates an external tendon of prestressed concrete using the total flux leakage (TFL) method. The TFL solenoid sensor consists of primary and secondary coils. AC electricity, with the shape of a sinusoidal function, is input in the primary coil. The signal proportional to the differential of the input is induced in the secondary coil. Because the amplitude of the induced signal is proportional to the cross-sectional area of the tendon, sectional loss of the tendon caused by ruptures or corrosion can be identified by the induced signal. Therefore, it is important to extract amplitude information from the measurement signal of the TFL sensor. Previously, the amplitude was extracted using local maxima, which is the simplest way to obtain amplitude information. However, because the sampling rate is dramatically decreased by amplitude extraction using the local maxima, the previous method places many restrictions on the direction of TFL sensor development, such as applying additional signal processing and/or artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, the proposed method uses amplitude demodulation to obtain the signal amplitude from the TFL sensor, and the sampling rate of the amplitude information is same to the raw TFL sensor data. The proposed method using amplitude demodulation provides ample freedom for development by eliminating restrictions on the first coil input frequency of the TFL sensor and the speed of applying the sensor to external tension. It also maintains a high measurement sampling rate, providing advantages for utilizing additional signal processing or artificial intelligence. The proposed method was validated through experiments, and the advantages were verified through comparison with the previous method. For example, in this study the amplitudes extracted by amplitude demodulation provided a sampling rate 100 times greater than those of the previous method. There may be differences depending on the given situation and specific equipment settings; however, in most cases, extracting amplitude information using amplitude demodulation yields more satisfactory results than previous methods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.225-231
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• 2006

대황(Rhubarb)은 중국과 일본에서 혈액 순환제, 진통제, 신장치료제 등으로 전통적으로 사용되고 있는 약용식물이다. 이 연구에서는 한국산 R. undulatum L.의 뿌리 추출물, 미국산 R. rhabarbarum L.과 중국산 R. palmatum L.의 줄기 추출물의 두부 부패에 관여하는 미생물에 대한 항균 활성을 평가하였다. Rhubarb의 최적 추출을 위해서 각각 50%, 70%, 80% 에탄올을 용매로 사용하였으며, 항균 활성은 Kirby-Bauert test, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)과 minimum bactericide concentration (MBC)에 의해서 평가되었다. Kirby-Bauert test 결과, R. undulatum L.의 뿌리 추출물은 대부분 두부 부패균에 대해서 항균 활성을 가지는 것으로 나타났으며, R. rhabarbarum L.의 줄기 추출물의 경우는 $20{\mu}g/disc$의 농도에서는 항균 활성이 거의 나타나질 않았으나, 고농도로 갈수록 높은 항균 활성을 나타내었다. 또한 R. palmatum L.의 줄기 추출물은 고농도로 갈수록 항균 활성이 높아졌으나, Pseudomonas aeruginosa에 관해서는 항균 활성이 나타나지 않았다. MIC와 MBC에 의한 항균 활성 평가실험에서는, 세 종류의 rhubarb 추출물 중에서 phenolic 화합물이 가장 많이 함유되어 있는 R. undulatum L.의 뿌리 추출물보다 R. rhabarbarum L.의 줄기 추출물이 MIC와 MBC 값이 낮았다. 이는 phenolic 화합물의 양 이외에 낮은 pH가 항균 활성에 영향을 준 것으로 판단된다. 본 연구를 통해서 rhubarb 추출물은 두부 부패에 관여하는 미생물에 대해서 항균 활성을 가지는 것으로 나타났으며, 천연 항균제로써 식품에 적용 가능성이 있는 것으로 평가되었다. 87.1%이었으며, 아침을 매일 먹는 채식남학생은 78.8%, 비채식남학생은 33.3%, 채식여학생 47.1%, 비채식여학생 39.6%이었다. 또한 식사의 양은 과식한다는 응답이 채식남학생 24.2%, 비채식남학생 38.1%, 채식여학생은 29.4%, 비채식여학생 40.6%으로 비책식군의 과식율이 높았다. 5. 식품 섭취빈도는 두부 및 콩제품을 매일 섭취하는 경우는 채식남학생 54.6%, 비채식남학생 16.7%, 채식여학생은 38.2%, 비채식여학생이 16.8%이었다. 우유 및 유제품을 매일 섭취하는 경우는 채식남학생 6.1%, 비채식남학생 33.3%, 채식여학생 14.7%, 비채식여학생은 21.8%이었으며, 녹차, 커피 등 차를 마시지 않는다는 비율은 채식남학생 69.7%, 비채식남학생 28.6%, 채식여학생 29.4%, 비채식여학생 25.7%이었다. 인스턴트 식품을 매일 섭취한다는 응답율이 채식남학생 9.1%, 비채식남학생 21.4%, 채식여학생은 17.7%, 비채식여학생은 14.9%이었다. 6. 운동, 체중 조절 등에 대한 조사 결과 항상 운동을 하는 경우는 채식남학생 30.3%, 비채식남학생 28.6%, 채식여학생 14.7%, 비채식여학생 18.8%이었으며 운동시간은 $1{\sim}2$시간 하는 경우는 채식남학생 30.3%, 비채식남학생 38.1%, 채식여학생은 8.8%, 비채식여학생은 17.8%이었다. 체중에 만족하는 정도를 보면 채식남학생 57.6%, 비채식남학생 23.8%, 채식여학생은 23.5%, 비채식여학생은 15.8%가 만족한다고 하였다. 체중 조절 경험에서 경험이 있는 경우가 채식남학생 3.0%, 비채식남학생 31.0%, 채식여학생은 23.5%, 비채식여학생 31.7%이었다. 7. 골밀도 BQI값과와 몇가지 요인의 상관관계를 살펴보았을때, 채식남학생은 영양보충제의 섭취와 유의적인 양의 상관관계를, 해조류의 섭취정도와 유의적인 음의 상관관계를 나타내었다.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.315-329
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• 2023

Purpose: This study examined the meal-kit consumption practices of adults in their 20s and 30s and analyzed the properties that should be given priority for improvement among the selection attributes to improve the quality of meal-kits. Methods: Statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS program (ver. 28.0) for χ²-test, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Duncan's multiple range test, factor analysis, and Importance-Satisfaction Analysis (ISA). Results: Of the 249 subjects surveyed, 85.5% had some experience of purchasing meal-kits, with significantly more females than males (p < 0.01), significantly more married people than single people (p < 0.05), significantly more employed people than unemployed people (p < 0.05). Meal-kits were purchased most frequently for meals (60.6%), from discount stores or supermarkets (44.6%), and priced between 10,000 won and 20,000 won per person (46.9%). The overall satisfaction with meal-kits was 4.1 out of 5.0 points. The frequency of purchases was Korean soup dishes (69.5%), Korean main dishes (47.4%), and Korean street snacks (46.9%). Factor analysis of the meal-kit selection attributes revealed, 4 factors: 'quality of food,' 'packaging and diversity,' 'quality of meal-kit,' and 'convenience and price.' Compared to single-person households, multi-person households placed significantly higher importance on the 'quality of food,' 'packaging and diversity,' and 'quality of meal-kit.' The factor, 'packaging and diversity' were significantly higher in the importance evaluation scores for females (p < 0.01), married people (p < 0.05), and people in their 30s (p < 0.05) among meal-kit consumers. According to the ISA results, a critical aspect that meal-kit manufacturers or sellers should strengthen is 'price.' Conclusion: Meal-kit products will need to be developed for various purposes that offer high value for money that can satisfy the consumers' needs to improve the satisfaction of meal-kit consumers.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.99-111
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data for setting more detailed standards for baby food and to provide food information that can be used in real-world settings. We purchased 80 snacks and 40 drinks for infants and toddlers from supermarkets and online markets and analyzed tar color, artificial sweeteners, mycotoxins, and nutritional components (e.g., sucrose, sodium, and calcium). Fortunately, it was confirmed that both tar color and sodium saccharin, which do not have detection criteria for labeled foods for infants and toddlers, were not detected. However, acesulfame potassium was detected at 0.07 g/kg in one snack sample. As for myxotoxins, aflatoxin (B1, B2, G1, and G2) and ochratoxin A were not detected. Fumonisin B1, fumonisin B2, and zearalenone were detected in the ranges of 9.78-78.94 ㎍/kg, 5.58-11.73 ㎍/kg, and 2.96-8.83 ㎍/kg, respectively, but only in snacks. Sucrose was detected in 65 of the snacks (0.02-40.94 g/net weight [g]) and in 24 of the drinks (0.12-27.60 g/net weight [g]). Minerals were detected in most of the samples, and in four snacks, the zinc content per net exceeded the tolerable upper intake level for infants. Sixteen snacks exceeded the food standards for sodium content for infants and toddlers, but none of them were labeled as food for infants and toddlers in the product manufacturing report, such that the corresponding standards could not be applied. Therefore, it seems necessary to establish institutional improvements, such as strengthening labeling standards, so that the currently enforced standards can be appropriately applied, and establishing standards for labeled foods for infants and toddlers.