• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.27-39
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• 2018

Purpose - Recently, the mobile application field has been receiving astronomical attention from the past few years due to the growing number of mobile app downloads and withal due to the revenues being engendered. Especially delivery apps by mobile service market is experiencing rapid growth and competition is intensifying. Therefore, delivery apps' choice attributes has become important as a strategy for survival of franchise firms. Based on previous studies, this research proposed the theoretical framework about the structural relationships among customer satisfaction, trust and revisit intention on delivery apps' choice attributes. Research design, data, and methodology - This study examines the structural relationship between choice attributes of using the delivery app, satisfaction, trust, and revisit intention. More specifically, this study has been examined from the perspective of Generation Y who is enjoying electronic commerce and shopping with mobile phone. In this model, choice attributes of delivery app consists of three sub-dimensions such as service quality, system quality, interaction quality. So as to test the purposes of this study, research model and hypotheses were developed. After excluding 24 invalid respondent questionnaires, 201 valid questionnaires were coded and analyzed using frequency, confirmatory factor analysis, correlations analysis, and structural equation modeling with SPSS 21 and SmartPLS 3.0. Result - The results of the study are as follows. First, service quality and interaction quality had positive effects on satisfaction, and interaction quality had positive effects on trust, but system quality did not have a significant effect on both satisfaction and trust. Second, satisfaction had positive effects on both trust and revisit intention. Third, trust had positive effects on revisit intention. Conclusions - The implications of this study are following as: From the theoretical perspective, this study confirms the effect of delivery apps' choice attributes on satisfaction, trust, and revisit intention. In addition, it is significant that we examined the influence of choice attributes of delivery apps on their attitudes and behaviors of Generation Y familiar with mobile environment. Through this study, we hypothesized that the attributes of service quality and interaction quality of delivery apps have a significant effect on customer satisfaction, and this can be expected to provide meaningful implications for the development of franchise restaurant industry. To encourage continuous repurchase through customer satisfaction, franchise companies need to establish various strategic alliances with delivery app companies and new growth engines by providing diverse and high-quality services to customers in the smart age.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.37-47
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• 2017

Purpose - Recently, the food service franchise market is experiencing rapid growth and competition is intensifying. Therefore, consumer choice has expanded, and reputation management has become important as a strategy for survival of corporations. Based on previous studies, this research proposed the theoretical framework about the structural relationships among reputation, trust(cognitive trust, affective trust), and loyalty. Research design, data, and methodology - This study examined the structural relationship between reputation, trust, and loyalty from the customer's perspective. Based on comprehensive validation procedures across nine food service Franchise firm types, This study found support for a five-dimensional scale with the following dimensions: Customer Orientation, Employer Brand, Reliable and Financially Strong Company, Product and Service Quality, and Social and Environmental Responsibility. In order to verify the research purposes, research model and hypotheses were developed. The data were collected from 227 food service franchise consumers through online survey. The data was analyzed with SPSS 24.0 and Amos 23.0 statistical program. Result - The results of the study are as follows. First, customer orientation, reliable·financially strong company and product·service quality have significant impact on corporate cognitive trust. And employer brand, product/service quality and social·environmental responsibility have significant impact on corporate affective trust. Second, cognitive trust and affective trust have significant impacts on consumer loyalty. Conclusions - The implications of this study are following as: From the theoretical perspective, this study considers trust as two dimensions such as cognitive and affective, not a single dimension, and identify what dimensions of franchise firms affect consumers' reputation perception and in turn lead cognitive and affective trust, and loyalty. This study also provides several managerial implications. In the franchise market where competition is intensifying, it is very important to analyze the attitudes of consumers in order to gain an advantage in competition with other competitors. In this study, it is meaningful that the study was conducted on consumers who have experience using a restaurant franchise company. Also, reputation is necessary to pay attention to the company because it is an important variable that strengthens with customer through confidence in food service franchise business, and leads loyalty and consumer consumption. Therefore, marketers should develop marketing strategies considering various reputation factors.

• Industry Promotion Research
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.19-35
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• 2023

Recently, the government has emphasized the importance of establishing an innovation system for SMEs as part of an innovative growth strategy for national economic development. SMEs in Korea are experiencing many difficulties due to the loss of industrial competitiveness due to the powerful wave of the 4th industrial revolution along with the pandemic of COVID-19 that started in 2020. In relation to environmental changes, it is emerging as an important issue for SMEs to pursue open innovation for survival and growth, as well as to possess excellent technological innovation capabilities. In accordance with the need for such research, this study analyzed the factors that affect business performance or technological performance of small and medium-sized manufacturers, and identified the relationship between these influencing factors and corporate performance. The results of this study suggest that it is important for SMEs to effectively utilize R&D services and technology innovation capabilities and resources possessed by SMEs to secure a competitive advantage. The results of this stu dy are considered to be able to provide basic data and information necessary for SMEs to secu re a competitive edge and enhance industrial competitiveness through government support systems and open innovation.

• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.217-237
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• 2023

Recently, in the face of successive and unexpected global economic risks, ESG(Environmental, Social, and Governance) management has risen as an essential survival strategy for businesses. Particularly, the supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have added to the uncertainty of risks, heightening the importance of ESG management in the distribution industry. In this context, the role of blockchain technology in strengthening and managing the connection between the distribution industry and ESG management has become increasingly significant. While there have been extensive proposals for business models that integrate blockchain technology into distribution, few studies have specifically focused on the feasibility and effectiveness of applying blockchain to ESG management in this field. Therefore, this study analyzed the relationship between blockchain and ESG management in the distribution industry by employing association analysis, a text mining technique, on Korean academic research. Through this, the study confirmed the possibility of implementing blockchain in the distribution industry's ESG management and presented keywords to guide future research directions. The findings obtained from this study are expected to be utilized as foundational research for future studies in constructing blockchain-based business models for ESG management in the distribution industry.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.9
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• pp.1206-1212
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• 2023

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays essential roles in regulating various cellular behaviors, including proliferation, survival, and differentiation [1-3]. The intracellular β-catenin level, which is regulated by a proteasomal degradation pathway, is critical to Wnt/β-catenin pathway control [4]. Normally, casein kinase 1 (CK1) and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), which form a complex with the scaffolding protein Axin and the tumor suppressor protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), phosphorylate β-catenin at Ser45, Thr41, Ser37, and Ser33 [5, 6]. Phosphorylated β-catenin is ubiquitinated by the β-transducin repeat-containing protein (β-TrCP), an F-box E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, and ubiquitinated β-catenin is degraded via a proteasome pathway [7, 8]. Colorectal cancer is a significant cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Abnormal up-regulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a major pathological event in intestinal epithelial cells during human colorectal cancer oncogenesis [9]. Genetic mutations in the APC gene are observed in familial adenomatous polyposis coli (FAP) and sporadic colorectal cancers [10]. In addition, mutations in the N-terminal phosphorylation motif of the β-catenin gene were found in patients with colorectal cancer [11]. These mutations cause β-catenin to accumulate in the nucleus, where it forms complexes with transcription factors of the T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) family to stimulate the expression of β-catenin responsive genes, such as c-Myc and cyclin D1, which leads to colorectal tumorigenesis [12-14]. Therefore, downregulating β-catenin response transcription (CRT) is a potential strategy for preventing and treating colorectal cancer. Plant cytokinins are N⁶-substituted purine derivatives; they promote cell division in plants and regulate developmental pathways. Natural cytokinins are classified as isoprenoid (isopentenyladenine, zeatin, and dihydrozeatin), aromatic (benzyladenine, topolin, and methoxytopolin), or furfural (kinetin and kinetin riboside), depending on their structure [15, 16]. Kinetin riboside was identified in coconut water and is a naturally produced cytokinin that induces apoptosis and exhibits antiproliferative activity in several human cancer cell lines [17]. However, little attention has been paid to kinetin riboside's mode of action. In this study, we show that kinetin riboside exerts its cytotoxic activity against colon cancer cells by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and promoting intracellular β-catenin degradation.

• Information Systems Review
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.159-176
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• 2021

Obviating user churn is a prominent strategy to capitalize on online games, eluding the initial investments required for the development of another. Extant literature has examined factors that may induce user churn, mainly from perspectives of motives to play and game as a virtual society. However, such works largely dismiss the service aspects of online games. Dissatisfaction of user needs constitutes a crucial aspect for user churn, especially with online services where users expect a continuous improvement in service quality via software updates. Hence, we examine the relationship between a game's quality management and its user base. With text mining and survival analysis, we identify complaint factors that act as key predictors of user churn. Additionally, we find that enjoyment-related factors are greater threats to user base than usability-related ones. Furthermore, subsequent quasi-experiment shows that improvements in the complaint factors (i.e., via game patches) curb churn and foster user retention. Our results shed light on the responsive role of developers in retaining the user base of online games. Moreover, we provide practical insights for game operators, i.e., to identify and prioritize more perilous complaint factors in planning successive game patches.

• BMB Reports
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.60-65
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• 2024

The CRISPR-Cas9 system has significantly advanced regenerative medicine research by enabling genome editing in stem cells. Due to their desirable properties, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently emerged as highly promising therapeutic agents, which properties include differentiation ability and cytokine production. While CRISPR-Cas9 technology is applied to develop MSC-based therapeutics, MSCs exhibit inefficient genome editing, and susceptibility to plasmid DNA. In this study, we compared and optimized plasmid DNA and RNP approaches for efficient genome engineering in MSCs. The RNP-mediated approach enabled genome editing with high indel frequency and low cytotoxicity in MSCs. By utilizing Cas9 RNPs, we successfully generated B2M-knockout MSCs, which reduced T-cell differentiation, and improved MSC survival. Furthermore, this approach enhanced the immunomodulatory effect of IFN-r priming. These findings indicate that the RNP-mediated engineering of MSC genomes can achieve high efficiency, and engineered MSCs offer potential as a promising therapeutic strategy.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2023

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response, with manifestations in multiple organs by pathogenic infection. Currently, there are no promising therapeutic strategies. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a cell signaling transcription factor. Niclosamide is an anti-helminthic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a potential STAT3 inhibitor. C57BL/6 mice were treated with an intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Niclosamide was administered orally 2 hours after the LPS injection. This study found that Niclosamide improved the survival and lung injury of LPS-induced mice. Niclosamide decreased the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum. The effects of Niclosamide on phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and STAT3 signaling pathways were determined in the lung tissue by immunoblot analysis. Niclosamide reduced phosphorylation of PI3K, AKT, NF-κB, and STAT3 significantly. Furthermore, it reduced the phosphorylation of STAT3 by LPS stimulation in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Niclosamide also reduced the LPS-stimulated expression of proinflammatory mediators, including IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β. Niclosamide provides a new therapeutic strategy for murine sepsis models by suppressing the inflammatory response through STAT3 inhibition.

• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.5-10
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• 2024

Offshore wind power generation has significant advantages, including enhanced energy security and job creation. However, despite these benefits, South Korea has not fully utilized its potential in this sector. In contrast, offshore wind power industry development in Europe has been driven by government leadership. Drawing from this experience, South Korea also needs to relax regulations, strengthen necessary infrastructure, and enhance financial support systems to activate the offshore wind power industry. For this, sustained government leadership is absolutely essential. Without addressing the capacity issues in the power grid, we cannot expect offshore wind power generation to succeed. To address grid issues, we propose the enactment of a special law called the "Special Act on Grid Expansion." Considering KEPCO's financial situation, private investment should be encouraged for grid construction. The role of developers is crucial for the successful development and operation of offshore wind power. They manage risks throughout various stages, from site acquisition to construction and operation, which have a significant impact on the success or failure of projects. Since domestic developers currently lack experience in offshore wind power, a cooperative strategy that leverages the experience and technology of advanced countries is necessary. Energy issues should be recognized as important tasks beyond mere political ideologies, as they are crucial for the survival of the nation and its development. It is essential to form a public consensus and implement ways for residents to coexist with offshore wind power, along with the conservation of marine ecosystems and effective communication with stakeholders. Expansion of the offshore wind power industry requires support in various areas, including financial and tax incentives, technology research investment, and workforce development. In particular, achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 necessitates the activation of offshore wind power alongside efforts by major corporations to transition to renewable energy. South Korea, surrounded by the sea, holds significant offshore wind power potential, and it is our responsibility to harness it as a sustainable energy source for future generations. To activate the offshore wind power market, we need to provide financial and tax support, develop infrastructure and research, and foster a skilled workforce. As major corporations transition to renewable energy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, offshore wind power must play a significant role. It is our responsibility to fully utilize South Korea's potential and make offshore wind power a new driver of growth.

• Analyses & Alternatives
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.169-196
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• 2024

In the House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, which members are re-elected several times, while others are only first-term? Existing studies on the Kazakhstan political elites have mainly discussed the effect of clans on the appointment or replacement of elites. These studies have contributed to explaining the characteristics of Kazakhstan's clientelistic political structure, but the analysis of the relationship between political background and elite appointment or replacement is very poor. The purpose of this study is to analyze what characteristics of members have continuity in the 4th to 8th House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. As a result, members with activities in Communist Party of the Soviet Union had a higher average seniority than those who did not in the 4th, 6th, and 7th House of the Parliament. And Nur Otan members had a higher average seniority than those who did not in 4th and 5th House of the Parliament. On the other hand, there was no difference in average seniority by local political experience, and the difference by elite type was only partially found in the 6th House of the Parliament. These results reflect the president's strategy for parliamentary control in that the parliament is used as a means of solidifying Kazakhstan's political regime as an authoritarian state. The significance of this study is that for the first time it empirically proved who sustains political survival in the House of the Parliament of Kazakhstan.