• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.67-82
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• 2022

The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 led to inconsistent public health policies that resulted in COVID-19 containment failure. These factors resulted in increased hospitalization and death. To prevent viral spread and achieve herd immunity, the only safe and effective measure is to provide to vaccinates. Ever since the release of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleotide sequence in January of 2020, research centers and pharmaceutical companies from many countries have developed different types of vaccines including mRNA, recombinant protein, and viral vector vaccines. Prior to initiating vaccinations, phase 3 clinical trials are necessary. However, no vaccine has yet to complete a phase 3 clinical trial. Many products obtained "emergency use authorization" from governmental agencies such as WHO, FDA etc. The Korean government authorized the use of five different vaccines. The viral vector vaccine of Oxford/AstraZeneca and the Janssen showed effectiveness of 76% and 66.9%, respectively. The mRNA vaccine of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna showed effectiveness of 95% and 94.1%, respectively. The protein recombinant vaccine of Novavax showed an effectiveness of 90.4%. In this review, we compared the characteristics, production platform, synthesis principles, authorization, protective effects, immune responses, clinical trials and adverse effects of five different vaccines currently used in Korea. Through this review, we conceptualize the importance of selecting the optimal vaccine to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.27-59
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• 2022

During the past two decades, the Southeast Asian region has experienced a range of major crises. Service industries such as tourism and the marginal and migrant laborers who work in them have usually been at the sharp end of these testing events, from natural and environmental disasters, epidemics and pandemics, global financial slumps, terrorism, and political conflict. The latest challenge is the "Novel Coronavirus" (Covid-19/SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. It has already had serious consequences for Southeast Asia and its tourism development and these will continue for the foreseeable future. Since the SARS epidemic of 2002-2004, Southeast Asian economies have become integrated increasingly into those of East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong). This paper examines one of the most significant current crises, Covid-19, and its consequences for Southeast Asia, its tourism industry, and its workers, comparing experiences across the region, and the issues raised by the over-dependence of some countries on East Asia. In research on crises, the main focus has been on dramatic, unpredictable natural disasters, and human-generated global economic downturns. Not so much attention has been devoted to disease and contagion, which has both natural and socio-cultural dimensions in origins and effects, and which, in the case of Covid-19, evoke a pre-crisis period of normality, a liminal transition or "meantime" and a post-crisis "new normality." The transition is not straightforward; in many countries, it operates as a set of serial lockdowns and restrictions, and to predict an uncertain future remains difficult.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2023

The rapid development of mRNA vaccines has contributed to the management of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, suggesting that this technology may be used to manage future outbreaks of infectious diseases. Because the antigens targeted by mRNA vaccines can be easily altered by simply changing the sequence present in the coding region of mRNA structures, it is more appropriate to develop vaccines, especially during rapidly developing outbreaks of infectious diseases. In addition to allowing rapid development, mRNA vaccines have great potential in inducing successful antigen-specific immunity by expressing target antigens in cells and simultaneously triggering immune responses. Indeed, the two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have shown significant efficacy in preventing infections. The ability of mRNAs to produce target proteins that are defective in specific diseases has enabled the development of options to treat intractable diseases. Clinical applications of mRNA vaccines/therapeutics require strategies to safely deliver the RNA molecules into targeted cells. The present review summarizes current knowledge about mRNA vaccines/ therapeutics, their clinical applications, and their delivery strategies.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.77-85
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• 2022

Purpose: The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered several herd purchase behaviors, and online shopping has been considered a health-related preventative behavior. Thisstudy aimsto the relative impact of health threat beliefs concerning Covid-19 (perceived susceptibility and perceived severity) and herd mentality on consumers' online shopping post-adoption disconfirmation and continuance intention of online shopping. Research design, data and methodology: An internet survey was conducted with Vietnamese consumers, and upon screening, usable data of 292 responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Results showed that while herd mentality positively affects disconfirmation, health threat beliefs including perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of Covid-19 do not. Results: Results also provided further support for the notion that disconfirmation is a crucial determinant of post-adoption continuance intention. Moreover, herd mentality also has a significantly negative influence on online shopping post-adoption continuance intention. Conclusions: The research provides evidence supporting the role of herd mentality and post-adoption disconfirmation in driving consumers' intention to continue online shopping. However, the research shows that neither the perceived susceptibility of Covid-19 nor the perceived severity of Covid-19 has significant impact on post-adoption disconfirmation, adding mixed evidence to the application of health belief theory in technology (such as online shopping) adoption.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.13-26
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• 2022

Purpose: The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated and triggered changes in online shopping especially in an emerging market. This paper develops a modification of SERVQUAL model to examine the relationship between individual dimensions of e-service quality, online trust and purchase intentions in singular online shopping platform. Research design, data and methodology: Data from an online survey of 385 Lazada's shoppers were used to test the research model. The structural equation modeling technique was performed to test the research model. Results: The analytical results revealed that five dimensions of e-service quality were positively correlated with one another whereas some dimensions were negatively correlated with purchase intentions. The results of this study provide new insight into the literature as well as practical implications for marketers especially in Thai online market. Conclusion: This study develops the instrument dimensions of e-service quality through modifying the SERVQUAL model to examine the e-commerce context and to testify how these individual dimensions are interlinked with one another. It also suggests that responsiveness has two-sided affects that in responses which are too prompt and insistent could make the customer feel uncomfortable and perhaps ending up with no interaction and transaction.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.189-201
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• 2022

The study empirically examines the impact of monetary fundamentals along with global oil prices on the Pak-rupee exchange rate using the monthly data over 2001-2020. Employing the cointegrating vector autoregressive with exogenous variables (VARX) and vector error correction model with exogenous variables (VECMX), the study analyzes the impact of domestic monetary fundamentals while considering the foreign variables as weakly exogenous. In order to account for the structural breaks in the data, the Lagrange multiplier (LM) unit root test with two structural breaks has been used (Lee & Strazicich, 2003). The empirical results reveal that the domestic and foreign monetary variables significantly explain the exchange rate movements in Pakistan both in the long run and in the short run. The dynamic properties of the monetary model of exchange rate have been analyzed using the persistence profile analysis and generalized impulse response functions (GIRFs). The results reveal that the responses of shocks to domestic monetary fundamentals are consistent with the predictions of the monetary model of the exchange rate. Furthermore, being a net oil importer, a rise in global oil prices significantly depreciated the Pak-rupee exchange rate over the period of study. The global financial crisis (GFC) and pandemic (COVID-19) were also found to cause the Pak-rupee exchange rate depreciation.

• Annual Conference of KIPS
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• 2021.11a
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• pp.823-826
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• 2021

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the need for faster and more accurate ways of diagnosing certain diseases for there to be safer and more effective early responses that help to prevent a total outbreak. In this work, we would like to approach this issue through machine learning algorithms to investigate whether or not they could serve as a viable replacement for conventional diagnosis. Through a process of training and testing various algorithms, we analyzed how successfully they can predict a patient's COVID-19 diagnosis based on a list of symptoms and also identified which algorithm is the most effective at doing so. If the necessary data, containing the symptoms and diagnoses of different cases, is provided, this method can be utilized to make a probable diagnosis of any disease besides COVID-19. This method can be used in conjunction with or in lieu of conventional diagnosis depending on the situation: if there is a lack of testing facilities or test kits, this method can be employed as it is inexhaustible and it could also be used in situations where a conventional diagnosis is proven to be inaccurate.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.17-35
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• 2022

The Pandemic crisis caused by COVID-19 has raised awareness of the importance of supply chain risk management, such as the control of movement between countries and the simultaneous manufacturing paralysis in the world. Effective risk management within the supply chain of the company is a core competency in the global environment. Therefore, this study quantitatively analyzed the perspective of domestic large corporations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) by using the hierarchical analysis method (AHP) to identify the factors that should be considered as the priority when establishing supply chain risk management plans for large and small business employees. In order to conduct the study, a survey was conducted on large corporations and small and medium enterprises in Gyeongnam and Busan, and AHP analysis was conducted using Microsoft 365 excel program. In addition, Mann-Whitney U test (independent sample-nonparametric test) was conducted using SPSS/18 version of statistical package program for comparative analysis between groups. As a result, the priority was highly evaluated in the order of financial ability, competitiveness, disaster in the overall priority evaluation. There were statistically significant differences in internal risk and strategic decision making of supply chain between groups. This suggests that fandemics such as COVID-19 can not be predicted, but strategic responses are needed to utilize opportunities expressed in the crisis through supply chain risk management and to increase the competitive advantage of domestic companies even in the crisis.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.389-417
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• 2023

Social distancing required the use of doorstep delivery for nearly all purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Foreign users in Korea are forced to participate in superfluous tasks, leading to an increase in their anxiety and fatigue while online shopping. This study examines how digital shadow work stemming from the language barrier can affect the emotions and behaviors of foreign shoppers that use Korean shopping sites. By interviewing 37 foreign users in Korea, this draft examined their experiences, behaviors, and emotional output, classifying them into 14 codes and seven categories. Using grounded theory, we found that online shoppers' emotions, feelings, experiences, and decision making may be changed in the stages of the pre-use, use, and post-use activities. User responses regarding shadow work and related obstacles can be seen with the continue, discontinue, and optional (occasional use) of Korean online shopping sites. Pleasure and satisfaction come from high efficiency and privileges, whereas anger and disappointment come from poor self-confidence and pessimism. Furthermore, buyer behavior and product orientation are identified as intervening conditions, while the online vs. offline shopping experiences are identified as contextual conditions. In conclusion, language barriers and other factors make online shopping difficult for foreign shoppers, which negatively affects their psychological mechanisms and buying behaviors. The implications from the study findings and future research are also discussed.

• IMMUNE NETWORK
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.16
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• 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been spreading worldwide since its outbreak in December 2019, and World Health Organization declared it as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and is transmitted through airway epithelial cells as the first gateway. SARS-CoV-2 is detected by nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab samples, and the viral load is significantly high in the upper respiratory tract. The host cellular receptors in airway epithelial cells, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane serine protease 2, have been identified by single-cell RNA sequencing or immunostaining. The expression levels of these molecules vary by type, function, and location of airway epithelial cells, such as ciliated cells, secretory cells, olfactory epithelial cells, and alveolar epithelial cells, as well as differ from host to host depending on age, sex, or comorbid diseases. Infected airway epithelial cells by SARS-CoV-2 in ex vivo experiments produce chemokines and cytokines to recruit inflammatory cells to target organs. Same as other viral infections, IFN signaling is a critical pathway for host defense. Various studies are underway to confirm the pathophysiological mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Herein, we review cellular entry, host-viral interactions, immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in airway epithelial cells. We also discuss therapeutic options related to epithelial immune reactions to SARS-CoV-2.