• Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.205-228
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• 2023

In 2020, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) struck the world. This study examined Korean public libraries' responses during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine their working practices, service patterns, applied strategies, and roles played. The study administered an online survey to 317 public librarians in South Korea. The results indicated that librarians reported significant transitions regarding the services provided. However, only 15.5% of the survey respondents reported that they had experienced trainings/workshops for library staff members. Survey participants also identified challenges such as the limitations of non-face-to-face services, complaints from library patrons, and overwork due to epidemic prevention. When it comes to the expected roles of public libraries in upcoming disasters, the study contends that information providers, who guide the public through various information resources, would play the most critical role. An analysis of a few open-ended questions' answers proliferated the highlighted findings. Based on the key findings, this paper also discussed implications for information professionals and future research.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.74-80
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• 2024

Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, universities have hastily transitioned to entirely remote learning, often overlooking considerations for academic achievement and mental health. This study aims to assess the effects of remote education in health and medical disciplines during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research systematically reviewed published articles focusing on the academic achievement and mental health of remote education for health and medical students during the COVID-19 crisis. Five academic databases were searched for medical papers incorporating survey responses about the academic achievements or mental health of health and medical students published from March 2020 to December 2023. Out of 31 papers, 25 addressed academic achievement of class satisfaction, self-directedness, engagement in learning, academic achievement, and self-efficacy, while 11 focused on mental health indicators of depression, fear, and psychological wellbeing. It was observed that satisfaction with remote classes was higher compared to traditional face-to-face classes, except for the practical sessions where the opposite was true. A correlation was found between positive psychological health indicators and higher self-directed learning capabilities among students. This study revealed the effectiveness and challenges of unplanned remote medical education initiated due to the pandemic. Based on these findings, the development of a hybrid medical education model, integrating both face-to-face and remote learning, is recommended.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.175-186
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• 2024

This study analyzes the changes in the coastal ferry transport network in South Korea due to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the domestic shipping and logistics sector. Focusing on the small-sized ports network distributed across mainland and islands that make up the coastal ferry transport network, the research employs Social Network Analysis (SNA) methods to examine the structural changes and characteristics of the network from 2018 to 2021, distinguishing between the periods before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. By utilizing centrality indices such as the degree centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality, the study assesses the changes in the influence of small-sized ports within the network before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of this study focuses on Mokpo and Wando region in the Jellanamdo province, which have the largest coastal ferry transport networks and notable passenger transport performance in South Korea. It examines the primary ports in these regions and the small-sized ports located on the islands. Analysis of the Mokpo coastal ferry transport network indicates that the number of connected islands decreased before and after the pandemic, and connectivity to other islands within the network diminished. Factors such as the decline in tourist numbers due to COVID-19, the connecting with land bridges between the mainland and islands, and subsequent closure of ferry sea routes are believed to have impacted these network changes. In the Wando region, the sharp decrease in both island residents and tourists after the pandemic led to the suspension of ferry operations, resulting in disrupted connectivity with some small-sized ports on the coastal ferry transport network. This has affected network characteristics such as concentration and average path length in the Wando region. This study aims to analyze the changes in the domestic shipping and logistics, coastal ferry, network due to the COVID-19 pandemic, providing insights to predict potential network changes caused by uncertain events in the future and contributing to the formulation of proactive policies for effective responses.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.117-148
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• 2022

The full impact of COVID-19 has yet to be felt: while it may not define the new decade, it is clear that its immediate significance was to test many of the basic operating assumptions and procedures of global civilization. Even as vaccines are developed and utilized and even as it is possible to see the beginning of the end of COVID-19 as a discrete historical event, it remains unclear as to its ultimate importance. That said, it is evident that the academic exploration of Southeast Asia will also be affected by both the global and regional experiences of the pandemic. "Breakthroughs of Area Studies and ASEAN in the Era of Homo Untact" promises to help reconceptualize the study of the region by highlighting the importance of redefined spatial relationships and new potentially depersonalized modes of communication. This paper acknowledges these issues by suggesting that the transformations caused by the pandemic should motivate scholars to raise new questions about how to understand humanity-particularly as it is defined by societies, nations and regions. Given that COVID-19 (and the response to it) has altered many of the fundamental rhythms of globalized regions, there is sufficient warrant for re-examining both the ways in which disease, health and their related spaces affect the perceptions of Southeast Asia. To achieve "breakthroughs" into the investigation of the region, it makes sense to have another glance at the ways in which the discourses about diseases and health may have helped to inscribe definitions of Southeast Asia-or, at the very least, the nations, societies and peoples who live within it. In order to at least consider these larger issues, the discussion will concentrate on a formative moment in the conceptualization of Southeast Asia-British engagement with the region in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. To that end three themes will be highlighted: (1) the role that British diplomatic and military narratives played in establishing the information priorities required for the construction of colonial knowledge; (2) the importance not only of "colonial knowledge" but information making in its own right; (3) in anticipation of the use of big data, the manner in which manufactured information (related to space and disease) could function in shaping early British perceptions of Southeast Asia-particularly in Batavia and Java. This discussion will suggest that rather than see social distancing or increased communication as the greatest outcome of COVID-19, instead it will be the use of data-that is, big, aggregated biometric data which have not only shaped responses to the pandemic, but remain likely to produce the reconceptualization of both information and knowledge about the region in a way that will be at least as great as that which took place to meet the needs of the "New Imperialism." Furthermore, the definition and articulation of Southeast Asia has often reflected political and security considerations. Yet, the experience of COVID-19 could prove that data and security are now fused into a set of interests critical to policy-makers. Given that the pandemic should accelerate many existing trends, it might be foreseen these developments will herald the triumph of homo indicina: an epistemic condition whereby the human subject has become a kind of index for its harvestable data. If so, the "breakthroughs" for those who study Southeast Asia will follow in due course.

• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.65-89
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• 2024

This study examines the response strategies of the National Association of Korean Music Therapists (NAKMT) during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on certification management, professional re-education, and clinical practice operations. Based on written documents and interviews collected from January 2020 to August 2023, it analyzes NAKMT's measures in certification exams, continuing education, academic activities, and infection control, while comparing these strategies with those implemented by the CBMT(Certification Board for Music Therapists) and the AMTA (American Music Therapy Association). During the pandemic, NAKMT transitioned the KCMT certification exams to an online format to ensure continuity of credentialing processes. Additionally, it expanded remote continuing education and strengthened international collaboration by increasing the number of lectures from overseas experts. Furthermore, NAKMT provided infection control guidelines and psychological support manuals to enhance safety for both clients and therapists, thereby implementing strategies aimed at minimizing risks within clinical settings. This analysis provides practical insights into crisis management strategies in the field of music therapy based on the historical precedent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.1109-1115
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• 2020

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading globally, and the WHO has declared this outbreak a pandemic. Vaccines are an effective way to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19. Furthermore, the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection needs to be understood for the development of an efficient and safe vaccine. Here, we review the current understanding of vaccine targets and the status of vaccine development for COVID-19. We also describe host immune responses to highly pathogenic human coronaviruses in terms of innate and adaptive immunities.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.3_spc
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• pp.321-337
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• 2021

The global population has increased with swift urbanization in developing countries, and it is likely to result in a high demand for animal-derived protein-rich foods. Animal farming has been constantly affected by various stressful conditions, which can be categorized into physical, environmental, nutritional, and biological factors. Such conditions could be exacerbated by banning on the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter together with a pandemic situation including, but not limited to, African swine fever, avian influenza, and foot-and-mouth disease. To alleviate these pervasive tension, various immunomodulants have been suggested as alternatives for antibiotics. Various studies have investigated how stressors (i.e., imbalanced nutrition, dysbiosis, and disease) could negatively affect nutritional physiology in chickens. Importantly, the immune system is critical for host protective activity against pathogens, but at the same time excessive immune responses negatively affect its productivity. Yet, comprehensive review articles addressing the impact of such stress factors on the immune system of chickens are scarce. In this review, we categorize these stressors and their effects on the immune system of chickens and attempt to provide immunomodulants which can be a solution to the aforementioned problems facing the chicken industry.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.211-222
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• 2022

After more than two years of efforts to end the corona pandemic, a gradual recovery is starting in countries with high vaccination rates. Easing public health policies for a full-fledged post-corona era, such as lifting the mandatory use of outdoor mask and quarantine measures in entry have been considered in Korea. However, the continuous emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and limitations in vaccine efficacy still remain challenging. Fortunately, T cells and memory T cells, which are key components of adaptive immunity appear to contribute substantially in COVID-19 control. SARS-CoV-2 specific CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cells are induced by natural infection or vaccination, and rapid induction and activation of T cells is mainly associated with viral clearance and attenuated clinical severity. In addition, T cell responses induced by recognition of a wide range of epitopes were minimally affected and conserved against the highly infectious subsets of omicron variants. Polyfunctional SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell memory including stem cell-like memory T cells were also developed in COVID-19 convalescent patients, suggesting long lasting protective T cell immunity. Thus, a robust T-cell immune response appears to serve as a reliable and long-term component of host protection in the context of reduced efficacy of humoral immunity and persistent mutations and/or immune escape.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.95-106
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• 2024

Purpose: This study explores the effect on supply chain agility and logistics performance of building mutual trust between manufacturing companies that have adopted supply chain management. Previous studies have categorized trust into affective and cognitive types, and speed, flexibility, and responsiveness are recognized as subfactors of supply chain agility. Methodology: A survey gathered responses from employees of domestic manufacturing firms with supply chain management implementations. 254 valid responses underwent statistical analysis using structural equation modeling (SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0). Results: Affective trust positively influences speed and responsiveness but not flexibility. Cognitive trust positively affects speed, flexibility, and responsiveness. Supply chain agility positively impacts logistics performance. However, neither affective nor cognitive trust significantly influences logistics performance. Conclusions: The study suggests that cognitive trust based on capabilities is more important than affective trust for flexibility in corporate relationships, a subfactor of supply chain agility. However, trust alone cannot enhance corporate performance. This research is significant as it examines the roles of trust and agility in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has exacerbated the manufacturing business environment.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.23-51
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• 2021

The persistence of the employment shock by COVID-19 has various policy implications during the pandemic and beyond it. After evaluating the impact of the health crisis at the individual level, this study decomposes employment losses into persistent and transitory components using the observed timing of the three major outbreaks and subsequent lulls. The estimation results show that while face-to-face services were undoubtedly hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, the sectoral shock was less persistent for temporary jobs and self-employment. Permanent jobs in the hard-hit sector showed increasingly large persistent losses through the recurring crises, indicating gradual changes in employer responses. The persistent job losses were concentrated on young and older workers in career transitions, whose losses are likely to have long-term effects. These results suggest that targeted measures to mitigate the persistent effects of the employment shock should take priority during the recovery process.