• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.12.1-12.17
• /
• 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in the human population in late 2019, it has spread on an unprecedented scale worldwide leading to the first coronavirus pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infection results in a wide range of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic to fatal cases. Although intensive research has been undertaken to increase understanding of the complex biology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the detailed mechanisms underpinning the severe pathogenesis and interactions between the virus and the host immune response are not well understood. Thus, the development of appropriate animal models that recapitulate human clinical manifestations and immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. Although many animal models are currently available for the study of SARS-CoV-2 infection, each has distinct advantages and disadvantages, and some models show variable results between and within species. Thus, we aim to discuss the different animal models, including mice, hamsters, ferrets, and non-human primates, employed for SARS-CoV-2 infection studies and outline their individual strengths and limitations for use in studies aimed at increasing understanding of coronavirus pathogenesis. Moreover, a significant advantage of these animal models is that they can be tailored, providing unique options specific to the scientific goals of each researcher.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.75-89
• /
• 2024

The demand for metaverse is increasing rapidly due to the development of 3D information technology and the pandemic situation caused by COVID-19. Small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) are also in increasing demand for metaverse in the community, meetings, and customer services of their employees. Based on the UTAUT model, this study investigated the acceptance of the Metaverse-type information system(IS) by employees of SMEs. Using the responses from 170 SMEs employees, we conducted the regression analyses SMEs employees' usage intention on Metaverse-type IS. The results of the research analyses were as follows. First, among the variables of the UTAUT model, performance expectations, social influence, and promotion conditions had a significant effect on the intention to use. Second, among the variables derived from the industrial specificity of Metaverse-type IS, only individual innovation had a significant influence on the intention to use. Last but not least, in the relationship between the intention to use Metaverse-type IS and the influencing factors, only individual innovation was significant in the moderating effect according to past metaverse use experience.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Industry Convergence
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.239-248
• /
• 2024

In this study, we examined changes in the food consumption patterns of Korean adults due to COVID-19 using the results of the 2019 and 2021 adult household member food consumption behavior surveys. In the weight and BMI analysis results, both men and women showed a significant increase in 2021 compared to 2019 (male; p<0.01 female; p<0.001). The frequency of breakfast skipping was found to increase with none and over 5 times. As for interest in domestic agricultural products, the proportion of 'not interested' and 'average' responses decreased, while the proportion of those who responded 'interested' increased (p<0.01). The rate of eating out was found to have significantly decreased in 2021 compared to 2019. As a result of the eating lifestyle analysis, the taste seeking type, quality safety seeking type, and health seeking type also showed an increase in 2021 compared to 2019, and a significant level was confirmed. In the purchasing competency index, the use of labeling for agricultural products, use of agricultural food information, and agricultural food purchasing environment items all showed significantly improved results in 2021 compared to 2019, and the eating competency index showed a significant increase in healthy eating and traditional eating habits. Through this study, we aim to suggest directions for establishing food marketing strategies and dietary education for adults in the event of a future pandemic.

• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.945-968
• /
• 2024

This study focuses on SIR model for SARS-CoV-2. The SIR model classifies a population into three compartments: susceptible S(t), infected I(t), and recovered R(t) individuals. The SARS-CoV-2 model considers various factors, such as immigration, birth rate, death rate, contact rate, recovery rate, and interactions between infected and healthy individuals to explore their impact on population dynamics during the pandemic. To analyze this model, we employed two powerful semi-analytical methods: the Laplace Adomian decomposition method (LADM) and the differential transform method (DTM). Both techniques demonstrated their efficacy by providing highly accurate approximate solutions with minimal iterations. Furthermore, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the system behavior, we conducted a comparison with the numerical simulations. This comparative analysis enabled us to validate the results and to gain valuable understanding of the responses of SARS-CoV-2 model across different scenarios.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2024

The global dairy industry has faced substantial challenges because of the prolonged coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic since 2020 and the initiation of conflict between the Ukraine and Russia. In 2022, the overall milk production reached 936 million tons, reflecting a modest 1.1% increase in total global production. This indicates below-average growth for the second consecutive year because the supply to major export regions became more challenging owing to a significant increase in costs. In China, India, and Pakistan, total milk production increased markedly by 3.1% (average) because of buffalo milk production. In the near future, global milk production is expected to exhibit an average annual growth rate of 1.5%, exceeding that of other major agricultural products. Notably, the trade flow of dairy products is highly reactive to changes in the trade policy environment. Revisions to existing trade agreements or the introduction of new agreements can significantly impact the demand for dairy products and alter the trade patterns of the industry. Collectively, adaptability and strategic policy responses are critical in shaping the future development of this industry, and industry stakeholders worldwide should remain vigilant and prepare for these challenges.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.1-21
• /
• 2023

During the Covid-19 pandemic, social distance regulation calls for non-contact services, making self-service technologies gain much more attention. However, customers found they are pushed into more digital shadow work by employing Self-service technologies (SSTs). This research aims to examine how digital shadow work influences user emotions and behaviors during SSTs use. Based on the grounded theory method (GTM), this draft drives 128 codes and 7 categories to develop the theory of digital shadow work. Operations, consisting of pre-use, during use, and after use, along with the cognitions, including the perception of use-value and time efficiency, act as the trigger of digital shadow work. Achievement emotions, embodying happiness and satisfaction from technology use, result from the perception of high use-value and high time efficiency, while loss emotions, encompassing anger and disappointment from the user experience, generate from the perception of low use-value and low time efficiency, and finally, user responses from the digital shadow work - quitting, continuous and alternative behaviors are found as key factors. The interventing roles of a sense of control, system features, and compensation are also addressed. Examining users' psychological mechanisms academically contributes to developing the theory of digital shadow work whereas it advances the development of SSTs on a practical side.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.603-608
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this perspective research is to discuss the potential role of exercise-interventions in COVID-19, terms of prevention and prognosis in the periods of the COVID-19 vaccine. SARCO-CoV-2. COVID-19 was detected as a new virus causing severe cardiovascular and respiratory complications. It emerged as a global public health emergency and national pandemic. It caused more than 1 million deaths in the first 6 months of the pandemic and resulted in huge social and economic fluctuations internationally. Unprecedented stressful situations, such as COVID-19 blue and COVID-19 red impact on many health problems. In healthy individuals, COVID-19 infection may induced no symptoms (i.e., asymptomatic), whereas others may experience flu-like symptoms, such as ARDS, pneumonia, and death. Poor health status, such as obesity and cardiovascular and respiratory complications, are high risk factors for COVID-19 prevention, occurrence, and prognosis. Several COVID-19 vaccines are currently in human trials. However, the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, including potential side effects, such as anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) and rare blood clots, still need to be investigated. On the basis of direct and indirect evidence, it seems that regular and moderate physical exercise can be recommended as a nonpharmacological, efficient, and safe way to cope with COVID-19. Physical inactivity and metabolic abnormalities are directly associated with reduced immune responses, including reduced innate, CMI, and AMI responses. Due to prolonged viral shedding, quarantine in inactive, obese and disease people should likely be longer than physical active people. Multicomponent and systemic exercise should be considered for the obese, disease, and elderly people. More mechanism research is needed in this area.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.59-70
• /
• 2024

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze each country's infectious disease response capacities and, based on this, find areas for improvement in Korea's infectious disease management response. Methods: First, the capacity to respond to the COVID-19 infectious disease was analyzed by country using the SPAR scores of 96 countries around the world released by WHO in 2022. Second, we analyzed each country's specific COVID-19 quarantine performance using Our World in Data and the Global Health Security Index (GHSI). Results: First, the quarantine intensity index on January 24, 2021 was the highest in the Southeast Asia branch at 67.6, which had strong quarantine measures, and the lowest at 44.5 in the Africa branch. As of December 31, 2022, the quarantine intensity index in Europe was significantly lowered to 11.6. Second, the factor that influenced the SPAR indicator on the total number of patients per million population was national laboratory (C4), p=.027, and the factor that influenced the total number of deaths per million population was infection prevention and control (C9), p=.005., Risk Communication and Community Participation (C10) p=.040. The influential factor on GDP per capita was infection prevention and control (C9) p=.009, and the influential factor on GHSI was infection prevention and control (C9) p=.002. Conclusion: The research findings indicate that it was difficult to find a correlation between the SPAR, which is each country's self-assessment of their infectious disease capacities, and the number of COVID-19 cases or the intensity of pandemic responses. However, mortality rates, as well as factors such as the Global Health Security Index (GHSI) and national income, appear to be somewhat influenced. For future improvements in infectious disease management and response in our country, it is necessary to develop pandemic strategies that can reduce socio-economic costs based on more scientific and reliable data like JEE or GHSI, especially in preparation for potential unknown emerging infectious diseases. Based on this, proactive decision-making led by a control tower of experts and effective health communication are also required to respond to public health crises at a national level.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.54 no.5
• /
• pp.207-211
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study was conducted to investigate the immune responses of children with moderate and severe novel influenza A virus (H1N1) pneumonia, and to compare their clinical and immunological findings with those of control subjects. Methods: Thirty-two admitted patients with H1N1 pneumonia were enrolled in the study. The clinical profiles, humoral and cell-mediated immune responses of the 16 H1N1 pneumonia patients who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (severe pneumonia group), 16 H1N1 pneumonia patients admitted to the pediatric general ward (moderate pneumonia group) and 13 control subjects (control group) were measured. Results: Total lymphocyte counts were significantly lower in patients with H1N1 pneumonia than in the control group (P=0.02). The number of CD4+ T lymphocytes was significantly lower in the severe pneumonia group ($411.5{\pm}253.5/{\mu}L$) than in the moderate pneumonia ($644.9{\pm}291.1/{\mu}L$, P=0.04) and control ($902.5{\pm}461.2/{\mu}L$, P=0.01) groups. However, the number of CD8+ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in the severe pneumonia group ($684.2{\pm}420.8/{\mu}L$) than in the moderate pneumonia ($319.7{\pm}176.6/{\mu}L$, P=0.02) and control ($407.2{\pm}309.3/{\mu}L$, P=0.03) groups. The CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocytes ratio was significantly lower in the severe pneumonia group ($0.86{\pm}0.24$) than in the moderate pneumonia ($1.57{\pm}0.41$, P=0.01) and control ($1.61{\pm}0.49$, P=0.01) groups. The serum levels of immunoglobulin G, immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin E were significantly higher in the severe pneumonia group than in the 2 other groups. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that increased humoral immune responses and the differences in the CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte profiles, and imbalance of their ratios may be related to the severity of H1N1 pneumonia in children.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
• /
• v.12 no.3
• /
• pp.7-19
• /
• 2021

Purpose: The hotel industry needs a leader who can actively demonstrate leadership to respond to and accept changes in the organization in a highly competitive and fast-changing environment. Therefore, the role of leaders who instill clear vision and goals of the organization in their members, listen to their opinions, and empathize is paramount. Leaders should encourage successful organizational activities based on active participation by employees and create the best environment for working with a sense of mission and responsibility. This study aims to identify the relationship between empathy leadership and job engagement as a result variable of team cohesion in the hotel culinary department and conduct empirical studies on the role of empathy leadership and job engagement. Research design, data, and methodology: The data were collected from employees who work in culinary department at a five-star franchise hotel located in the Seoul metropolitan area. Because it is difficult to conduct a survey through face-to-face contact with employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the online survey was conducted from February 1 to February 28, 2020. A total of 330 questionnaires through online were distributed and 268 employees completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 81%. Of the 268 returned responses, 27 responses were not usable due to missing information. Thus, a total of 241 responses were used for analysis. Results: The study results are as follows. First, it has been shown that the empathy leadership of culinary department in hotel companies has a significant positive impact on the job engagement. Second, it has been shown that job engagement has a significant positive effect on members' team cohesiveness. Third, empathy leadership of hotel companies' culinary department has a significant positive impact on members' team cohesiveness. Fourth, job engagement has a significant positive (+) mediating effect in the relationship between empathy leadership and team cohesiveness in culinary department. Conclusion: This study supports the theory that an emotional and empathic leader's behavior or ability can change the effectiveness or atmosphere of a rapidly changing hotel culinary team organization by presenting a research model on the effect of empathic leadership on job engagement and team cohesiveness. And hotel chefs should be more aware of the importance of empathic leadership and make them a human resource of the organization through formal and informal communication with culinary employees.