• Clinical and Experimental Vaccine Research
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.60-69
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• 2023

Purpose: Although the fast development of safe and effective messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been a success, waning humoral immunity has led to the recommendation of booster immunization. However, knowledge of the humoral immune response to different booster strategies and the association with adverse reactions is limited. Materials and Methods: We investigated adverse reactions and anti-spike protein immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations among health care workers who received primary immunization with mRNA-1273 and booster immunization with mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2. Results: Adverse reactions were reported by 85.1% after the first dose, 94.7% after the second dose, 87.5% after a third dose of BNT162b2, and 86.0% after a third dose of mRNA-1273. They lasted for a median of 1.8, 2.0, 2.5, and 1.8 days, respectively; 6.4%, 43.6%, and 21.0% of the participants were unable to work after the first, second, and third vaccination, respectively, which should be considered when scheduling vaccinations among essential workers. Booster immunization induced a 13.75-fold (interquartile range, 9.30-24.47) increase of anti-spike protein IgG concentrations with significantly higher concentrations after homologous compared to heterologous vaccination. We found an association between fever, chills, and arthralgia after the second vaccination and anti-spike protein IgG concentrations indicating a linkage between adverse reactions, inflammation, and humoral immune response. Conclusion: Further investigations should focus on the possible advantages of homologous and heterologous booster vaccinations and their capability of stimulating memory B-cells. Additionally, understanding inflammatory processes induced by mRNA vaccines might help to improve reactogenicity while maintaining immunogenicity and efficacy.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.245-258
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• 2010

Smoking has been identified not as a major risk factor for circulatory and respiratory diseases but also as causes of various oral diseases. A number of clinical studies and regional health surveys have found an association between smoking and poor oral health status and between smoking and prognosis of dental treatments. However, there is few studies about status of smoking cessation treatment and policies in dentistry in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the smoking patterns of outpatients and outcomes of short-term smoking cessation treatment in dental hospitals in Korea and, subsequently, to seek further smoking cessation services in dentistry. This study was sponsored by Korean Dental Association (KDA) and department of culture and welfare. 825 dental patients were voluntarily participated in a 4-week smoking cessation program with nicotine patch and 297 participants of them completed on smoking-related questionnaires. All participants were recruited from outpatients of 11 dental university hospitals (primarily in the department of oral medicine, oral surgery and periodontology) in Korea during 3-month period from October 2009 to January 2010. The Questionnaires included demographics, duration of smoking, heavy smoking index (HSI), number of thinking of quit smoking, duration of stop smoking and reasons to smoking, awareness of smoking effects on oral health, and their success rate after 4 weeks of nicotine patch program was investigated. The statistical analysis was carried by SPSS version 18.0 program and Chi-square test. According to the results of this study, male in their 30s to 50s were the most prevalent of all the participants and duration of smoking increased with age. Attempt rate to quit smoking (Quit smoking) was the highest in 30s and 40s with duration of quit smoking ranging 1 to 3 months. Emotional stresswas the most frequently reported reason for smoking, followed by habit and pleasure in order. All age group showed high HIS over 71% and awareness of smoking effects on oral diseases such as oral soft tissue diseases, periodontal diseases and dental caries was found relatively high (50~60%) Periodontal implant was the main reason for participation in the smoking cessation services in dental clinics and the success rate of, 4-week nicotine patch program of all the participants was 29.4%, extremely low compared to that of medical clinics. Systemic education for dentists to be able to provide interventions to quit smoking including counseling with the 5As'and development of available measures for smokers is needed as considered that the low success rate of the smoking cessation services in dentistry could be explained mainly by lack of dentists' strategies, experience and attention. Awareness and attention of dentists should be emphasized and their participation be encouraged by long-term, multidisciplinary policies such as establishment of insurance fee, which would made a considerable progress in preventing smoking-related oral diseases and promoting public oral health.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.7-17
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• 2012

The recent announcement of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) to cease journal accreditation operations as of the end of the year 2014 can easily influence the future of many research journals in Korea. Although this plan has not yet been formalized or structured, its facilitation would be the major turning point for the current Korean research and scholarly journals and publications. In addition, the NRF's plan to select and fund top 20 or more research journals over the five year period beginning 2015 suggests that the competition will most likely increase among Korean journals. Each journal would need to develop its unique strategy to improve and strengthen its competitiveness to become or maintain its position as a major research journal in Korea. The association of Korean Distribution of Science (KODISA) and its research journal, Journal of Distribution Science (JDS), has been continuously improving its reputation as a reputable journal in the distribution and related fields since its establishment in 1999. Due to demand, JDS has had to undergo several changes in its publication cycle first from semiannual publication to quarterly, then finally to monthly publications in 2012, and has become one of the major social science journals in Korea. Furthermore, with the redesigning of its webpage with English language in July of 2011, KODISA has made the published journals freely accessible and available to both domestic and foreign researchers, scholars, practitioners, and learners. These changes have resulted in the rapid increase in the bounce rate and the number of journal submissions by foreign scholars, with four research articles having been submitted by foreign scholars just in March of 2012 alone. However, although the changes and outcomes have resulted in a reasonable success so far, the achievement may only become a short-term success without continuously developing, improving, and implementing both effective and efficient strategies through critical, thorough, and frequent examinations and evaluations of both KODISA and JDS. As such, the purpose of this research is to carefully examine both KODISA and JDS to identify problematic factors and to develop appropriate strategies to change or modify those problems for further strengthening and improving their reputation and status. The paper examines and analyzes the past, present, and future of KODISA and JDS and their managerial, operational, and systematic procedures and operations. The narrow scope of research and inefficiencies in promoting the association and the journal and the improvement of impact factors are identified as the notable problems that could hinder JDS from being included in SCOPUS or SSCI in the near future. This type of examination and exploration has not been previously conducted, so the major limitation of this paper can be identified as not meticulously elaborating on the problems nor proving detailed recommendations based on the existing researches. This article asserted that solving the problem of the narrow scope of research would lead to facilitation of resolving other inefficient problems. Inclusion of international academic disciplines to the distribution and their related fields would be the viable initiation of expanding the research area, and this strategy could promote the journal as well as improve its impact factors. The narrow scope of research seems to be a good research topic and merit further exploration as an individual research project, because this kind of research could yield the creation of new understandings or theories.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.71-90
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• 2020

Recently, the global insurance industry is rapidly developing digital transformation through the use of artificial intelligence technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, and deep learning. As a result, more and more foreign insurers have achieved the success of artificial intelligence technology-based InsurTech and platform business, and Ping An Insurance Group Ltd., China's largest private company, is leading China's global fourth industrial revolution with remarkable achievements in InsurTech and Digital Platform as a result of its constant innovation, using 'finance and technology' and 'finance and ecosystem' as keywords for companies. In response, this study analyzed the InsurTech and platform business activities of Ping An Insurance Group Ltd. through the ser-M analysis model to provide strategic implications for revitalizing AI technology-based businesses of domestic insurers. The ser-M analysis model has been studied so that the vision and leadership of the CEO, the historical environment of the enterprise, the utilization of various resources, and the unique mechanism relationships can be interpreted in an integrated manner as a frame that can be interpreted in terms of the subject, environment, resource and mechanism. As a result of the case analysis, Ping An Insurance Group Ltd. has achieved cost reduction and customer service development by digitally innovating its entire business area such as sales, underwriting, claims, and loan service by utilizing core artificial intelligence technologies such as facial, voice, and facial expression recognition. In addition, "online data in China" and "the vast offline data and insights accumulated by the company" were combined with new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis to build a digital platform that integrates financial services and digital service businesses. Ping An Insurance Group Ltd. challenged constant innovation, and as of 2019, sales reached $155 billion, ranking seventh among all companies in the Global 2000 rankings selected by Forbes Magazine. Analyzing the background of the success of Ping An Insurance Group Ltd. from the perspective of ser-M, founder Mammingz quickly captured the development of digital technology, market competition and changes in population structure in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, and established a new vision and displayed an agile leadership of digital technology-focused. Based on the strong leadership led by the founder in response to environmental changes, the company has successfully led InsurTech and Platform Business through innovation of internal resources such as investment in artificial intelligence technology, securing excellent professionals, and strengthening big data capabilities, combining external absorption capabilities, and strategic alliances among various industries. Through this success story analysis of Ping An Insurance Group Ltd., the following implications can be given to domestic insurance companies that are preparing for digital transformation. First, CEOs of domestic companies also need to recognize the paradigm shift in industry due to the change in digital technology and quickly arm themselves with digital technology-oriented leadership to spearhead the digital transformation of enterprises. Second, the Korean government should urgently overhaul related laws and systems to further promote the use of data between different industries and provide drastic support such as deregulation, tax benefits and platform provision to help the domestic insurance industry secure global competitiveness. Third, Korean companies also need to make bolder investments in the development of artificial intelligence technology so that systematic securing of internal and external data, training of technical personnel, and patent applications can be expanded, and digital platforms should be quickly established so that diverse customer experiences can be integrated through learned artificial intelligence technology. Finally, since there may be limitations to generalization through a single case of an overseas insurance company, I hope that in the future, more extensive research will be conducted on various management strategies related to artificial intelligence technology by analyzing cases of multiple industries or multiple companies or conducting empirical research.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.151-171
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• 2014

Firms today have sought management effectiveness and efficiency utilizing information technologies (IT). Numerous firms are outsourcing specific information systems functions to cope with their short of information resources or IT experts, or to reduce their capital cost. Recently, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) as a new type of information system has become one of the powerful outsourcing alternatives. SaaS is software deployed as a hosted and accessed over the internet. It is regarded as the idea of on-demand, pay-per-use, and utility computing and is now being applied to support the core competencies of clients in areas ranging from the individual productivity area to the vertical industry and e-commerce area. In this study, therefore, we seek to quantify the value that SaaS has on business performance by examining the relationships among firm strategies, SaaS technology maturity, and business performance of SaaS providers. We begin by drawing from prior literature on SaaS, technology maturity and firm strategy. SaaS technology maturity is classified into three different phases such as application service providing (ASP), Web-native application, and Web-service application. Firm strategies are manipulated by the low-cost strategy and differentiation strategy. Finally, we considered customer acquisition as a business performance. In this sense, specific objectives of this study are as follows. First, we examine the relationships between customer acquisition performance and both low-cost strategy and differentiation strategy of SaaS providers. Secondly, we investigate the mediating and moderating effects of SaaS technology maturity on those relationships. For this purpose, study collects data from the SaaS providers, and their line of applications registered in the database in CNK (Commerce net Korea) in Korea using a questionnaire method by the professional research institution. The unit of analysis in this study is the SBUs (strategic business unit) in the software provider. A total of 199 SBUs is used for analyzing and testing our hypotheses. With regards to the measurement of firm strategy, we take three measurement items for differentiation strategy such as the application uniqueness (referring an application aims to differentiate within just one or a small number of target industry), supply channel diversification (regarding whether SaaS vendor had diversified supply chain) as well as the number of specialized expertise and take two items for low cost strategy like subscription fee and initial set-up fee. We employ a hierarchical regression analysis technique for testing moderation effects of SaaS technology maturity and follow the Baron and Kenny's procedure for determining if firm strategies affect customer acquisition through technology maturity. Empirical results revealed that, firstly, when differentiation strategy is applied to attain business performance like customer acquisition, the effects of the strategy is moderated by the technology maturity level of SaaS providers. In other words, securing higher level of SaaS technology maturity is essential for higher business performance. For instance, given that firms implement application uniqueness or a distribution channel diversification as a differentiation strategy, they can acquire more customers when their level of SaaS technology maturity is higher rather than lower. Secondly, results indicate that pursuing differentiation strategy or low cost strategy effectively works for SaaS providers' obtaining customer, which means that continuously differentiating their service from others or making their service fee (subscription fee or initial set-up fee) lower are helpful for their business success in terms of acquiring their customers. Lastly, results show that the level of SaaS technology maturity mediates the relationships between low cost strategy and customer acquisition. That is, based on our research design, customers usually perceive the real value of the low subscription fee or initial set-up fee only through the SaaS service provide by vender and, in turn, this will affect their decision making whether subscribe or not.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.127-156
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• 2006

This paper introduced successful case studies of the EIP (Entrepreneurship Intensive Programs) programs that are planed by 5MBA (Small and Medium Business Administration) and executed by Hoseo University and Jinju National University in 2004. Therefore, the illustrations and examples used in this paper are based on the EIP programs of those schools. Currently there are five graduate schools for Entrepreneurship educations that are originated from the EIP program models and those graduateschools are actively and successfully working. The purpose of this paper is to find out the diffusing strategies of the Entrepreneurship spirits and Entrepreneurship Education programs after careful analysis and review of the EIP programs. The main factors of the Success of the EIP are as follows. First, there were excellent modules of the education process. Second, there were firm and clear goals of the education. Three, there were differentiated contents of the entrepreneurship education programs. Four. each and every education performance was monitored. Five, during the programs, real start-up cases were actually handled and students had many opportunities to present their cases. However, there were some shortcomings to improve and change of the entrepreneurship education. First of all, it was very difficult to make proper education formation that is fit in the purpose of the program. Second, motivating students to find out their own business opportunities so as to turn them into real business was not satisfactory or easy. Third, there were some limitations in distributing and executing the EIP budgets. Therefore, to improve the efficiency of the Entrepreneurship education, following expanding strategies should be complemented. First, continuous redesigning of the entrepreneurship education programs is very important. Second, the specialization of the contents of the entrepreneurship education programs is essential. Third, there should be some discretionary room for the management of the entrepreneurship programs. Fourth, it is also important activating the entrepreneurship networks among schools of the entrepreneurship education. Finally, it is necessary to give some incentives and motivations based on the proper performance evaluation system.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.635-653
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• 1999

The present work considers work considers research strategies to address global warming. Specifically, this work considers the development of technologies of importance for the reduction of greenhouse gas emission and, especially, the materials that are critical to these technologies. It is argued that novel materials that are essential for the production of environmentally friendly energy may be developed through a special kind of engineering: interface engineering, rather than through classical bulk chemistry. Progress on the interface engineering requires to increase the present state of understanding on the local properties of materials interfaces and interfaces processes. This, consequently, requires coordinated international efforts in order to establish a strong background in the science of materials interfaces. This paper considers the impact of interfaces, such as surfaces and grain boundaries, on the functional properties of materials. This work provides evidence that interfaces exhibit outstanding properties that are not displayed by the bulk phase. It is shown that the local interface chemistry and structure and entirely different than those of the bulk phase. In consequence the transport of both charge and matter along and across interfaces, that is so important for energy conversion, is different than that in the bulk. Despite that the thickness of interfaces is of an order to a nanometer, their impact on materials properties is substantial and, in many cases, controlling. This leads to the conclusion that the development of novel materials with desired properties for specific industrial applications will be possible through controlled interface chemistry. Specifically, this will concern materials of importance for energy conversion and environmental monitoring. Therefore, there is a need to increase the present state of understanding of the local properties of materials interfaces and the relationship between interfaces and the functional properties of materials. In order to accomplish this task coordinated international efforts of specialized research centres are required. These efforts are specifically urgent regarding the development of materials of importance for the reduction of greenhouse gases. Success of research in this area depends critically on financial support that can be provided for projects on materials of importance for a sustainable environment, and these must be considered priorities for all of the global economies. The authors of the present work represent an international research group economies. The authors of the present work represent an international research group that has entered into a collaboration on the development of the materials that are critical for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.9-13
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• 1995

In July 1993 a new prescription of the EC was finished, concerning the voluntary participation of enterprises in a common auditing system. By this in the EC-member countries there must be founded centers of environmental auditing where experienced experts of environmental auditing should be accredited. These accredited experts are controllers for evaluating and certification of carried out environmental-auditings. An environmental-auditing practically represents an environmental assessment for an already existing enterprise with establishing corresponding programmes and strategies for the internal management to improve the environmental relations. Much experiences, which could be collected in the field of EIA during the last years may be transfered to this new task immediately. Only an essential difference there should not be overseen because of national legislation EIA in the defined cases must be carried out. By the EC-prescription carrying out an environmental-auditing for an enterprise is optional, it is recommended only. It was not introduced as a must. In spite of this fact because of the hard competition on the market there will be developed a pressure for the enterprises, to carry out such environmental-auditings. At present already a number of first projects in this direction can be seen, in the first line above all enterprises with the necessary economic power want to use this possibility, to gain better positions on the market. We have already gathered the first experiences in this field. We arranged corresponding contacts to several enterprises within the surroundings of Dresden. Within an opening discussion, where the project is explained and discussed with the management of the enterprise very detailed, the understanding, the readiness and the cooperation for the project are generated necessary prerequesits for the success of the whole work. By means of careful detail-work in collaboration with all departments and on all levels of the enterprise the total mass and energy-balances of the factory established and analysed. There are included also such ranges like material delivery, personal policy, public relations and sale as well as waste management. It is important that all people working in the factory have the feeling to be our partners, and not to have the impression to be checked or controled by an outside organization. This one of the most important factors of environmental auditing, in order to wake up and to develop a common interest on all sides. At the end of the environmental auditing there will be according to the prescription of the EC a catalogue of measures to do immediately, short time, mean time and long time for improvement of the environmental situation of the enterprise. All proposals are made in connection with a corresponding economic evaluation. These measures and programmes are declared as the environmental manual and are the basis for the work of the environmental management of the enterprise for the next three years. According to the EC-prescription, the enterprise with this environmental manual can get a corresponding certificate, which may be used for public relation purposes.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.370-379
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• 2018

The Korean government announced plans for the International Science Business Belt as a spatial area for promoting the linkage between scientific knowledge and commercialization in 2009. R&D and entrepreneurial activities are essential for the success of the International Science Business Belt. In particular, prioritizing the types of businesses is critical at the cluster establishment stage in that this largely affects the features and development of clusters comprising the International Science Business Belt. This research aims to predict the entry and growth of firms that specialize in four industrial clusters, including Big Science Cluster, Frontier Cluster, ICT Cluster, and Bio-Healthcare Cluster. For this purpose, we employ the Swann & Prevezer's industrial clustering model to identify sectors that affect the establishment and growth of industrial clusters in the International Science Business Belt, focusing on ICT, Bio-Healthcare and Frontier clusters. Data was collected from the 2014 Korean Innovation Survey (KIS) and University Alimi for the ICT cluster, 2014 National Bio Industry Survey and University Alimi for the Bio-Healthcare Cluster, and the 2015 National Nano Convergent Industry Survey and Annual Report of Nano Technology for the Frontier cluster. Empirical results show that the ICT service sector, bio process/equipment sector, and Nano electronic sector promote clustering in other sectors. Based on the analysis results, we discuss several policy implications and strategies that can attract relevant firms for the development of industrial clusters.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.223-233
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• 2016

This study establishes a commercialization strategy for technology that can monitor and detect landslides in real time. An effective commercialization strategy was sought through both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The qualitative analysis considered the business environment in detail, while the quantitative analysis examined technologically strong and weak areas by visualizing the links between IPC (International Patent Classification) code structure and patent applicants. The results from both analyses are considered together, with particular attention paid to the business environment. The resulting integrated analysis comprehensively explores the degree of technological development and the current state of real-time monitoring and detection technology for landslides. The integrated analysis identified complementary assets in the business environment, as there is strong development and many research entities in this area. This suggests positive reinforcement for commercialization with two sub-strategies: (1) exploring demand with complementary assets, and (2) providing technology information for explored demand, which should facilitate successful commercialization. Exploiting this positive reinforcement for technology commercialization could reduce the high uncertainty of the technology and the market, and thus increase the probability of successful commercialization. It is also expected to contribute to long-term success by strengthening collaboration between the supply and demand sides.