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Background: This paper uses a SEIR(D) model to analyse the time-varying transmission dynamics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea throughout its multiple stages of development. This multi-stage estimation of the model parameters offers a better model fit compared to the whole period analysis and shows how the COVID-19's infection patterns change over time, primarily depending on the effectiveness of the public health authority's non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Methods: This paper uses the SEIR(D) compartment model to simulate and estimate the parameters for three distinctive stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea, using a manually compiled COVID-19 epidemic dataset for the period between 18 February 2020 and 08 February 2021. The paper identifies three major stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, conducts multi-stage estimations of the SEIR(D) model parameters, and carefully infers context-dependent meaning of the estimation results to help better understand the unique patterns of the transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in each stage. Results: The original SIR compartment model may produce a poor and even misleading estimation result if it is used to cover the entire period of the epidemic. However, if we use the model carefully in distinctive stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, we can find useful insights into the nature of the transmission of the novel coronavirus and the relative effectiveness of the government's non-pharmaceutical interventions over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a SEIR(D) model to analyse the time-varying transmission dynamics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea throughout its multiple stages of development. This multi-stage estimation of the model parameters offers a better model fit compared to the whole period analysis and shows how the COVID-19's infection patterns change over time, primarily depending on the effectiveness of the public health authority's non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). This paper uses the SEIR(D) compartment model to simulate and estimate the parameters for three distinctive stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea, using a manually compiled COVID-19 epidemic dataset for the period between 18 February 2020 and 08 February 2021. The paper identifies three major stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, conducts multi-stage estimations of the SEIR(D) model parameters, and carefully infers context-dependent meaning of the estimation results to help better understand the unique patterns of the transmission of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in each stage. The original SIR compartment model may produce a poor and even misleading estimation result if it is used to cover the entire period of the epidemic. However, if we use the model carefully in distinctive stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, we can find useful insights into the nature of the transmission of the novel coronavirus and the relative effectiveness of the government's non-pharmaceutical interventions over time. Identifies three distinctive waves of the COVID-19 epidemic in Korea. Conducts multi-stage estimations of the COVID-19 transmission dynamics using SEIR(D) epidemic models. The transmission dynamics of the COVID-19 vary over time, primarily depending on the relative effectiveness of the government's non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). The SEIR(D) epidemic model is useful and informative, but only when it is used carefully to account for the presence of multiple waves and context-dependent infection patterns in each wave. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the cases of Seoul, Taipei and Keelung to illustrate the dynamics of the local state in leading the process of cultural preservation. We argue that political ambitions of local leaders, driven by economic and political incentives to boost local development, create policy networks centered around local bureaucracies. Various actors, such as local political elites, local bureaucracies, civic groups and developers, are involved in the process of political and economic entangling. The cultural preservation projects are thus the reflection of the political interpretation of memory, as well as the realization of local state power to implement innovative goals of urban rebranding and regeneration. The Korean and Taiwanese cases demonstrate that political functions, such as regime legitimacy and the formation of new identities, have been instrumental in the process of urban regeneration. This paper brings the "politics" back into local developmentalism in the democratic societies of South Korea and Taiwan. This paper also argues that central-local relationship matters as well. The local developmental states are not totally isolated from political entanglements at the central level. Policy supports from the central level are mainly out of political concerns to legitimize ongoing efforts of historical reconstruction and re-interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endophytic fungi occupy inner plant tissues, which results in various interactions between the fungus and host. Studies on endophytic fungi have been conducted in Korea for over 30 years. This paper summarizes the published results of those studies. The endophytic fungi of approximately 132 plant species in Korea have been studied since the 1990s, resulting in over 118 publications. The host plants featured in these studies comprised 3 species of mosses, 34 species of woody plants, and 95 species of herbaceous plants. At the family level, the most studied plants were members of the Poaceae family, covering 18 species. Regionally, these studies were conducted throughout Korea, but over half of the studies were conducted in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gangwon-do, and Chungcheongnam-do. Relatively few studies have been conducted in a metropolis such as Seoul. We confirmed 5 phyla, 16 classes, 49 orders, 135 families, 305 genera, and 855 taxa of endophytic fungi, excluding Incertae sedis, whose relationship with others are unknown. Most of the endophytic fungi belonged to Ascomycota (93.2%), and a few belonged to Basidiomycota (3.6%). Since the diversity of endophytic fungi differs depending on the host plant, plant tissue, and distribution region, future studies should be conducted on multiple host plants and in various regions. Future studies on endophytic fungi are expected to broaden, including genomics and taxonomic and ecological studies of secondary metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the establishment of "friendly and cooperative relations' in 1992, relations between South Korea and China have been continuously elevated almost every 5 years. The two countries have achieved great advancements in expanding civil exchanges, bringing economic relations closer, finding common ground in foreign policy and security and elevation of political relations. Despite the honeymoon period that the two countries experienced after they established diplomatic relations, however, conflict is now arising due to differences in opinion and interests in various fields such politics, economy, society, culture, diplomacy, and security. This paper will examine Sino-South Korean relations using the four factor model, which is based on four approaches, starting with economic relations, followed by perception and emotions, diplomacy and security and lastly, these factors" influence on domestic politics. Following this analysis, this paper will argue that despite their continuous but rocky developments, Sino-South Korean relations will sustainably maintain their development. Considering the synergy effect of bilateral relations, two countries are standing on the opportunity to build a New Type of Sino-South Korean relations which would allow for resolution of conflicts and misunderstandings through dialogue and communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is one of the most common causes of acute respiratory tract infections in young children and the elderly. Infants and young children aged <2 years and the elderly are at particular risk of severe infections requiring hospitalization. This narrative review summarizes the epidemiology of RSV infection in Korea, with a particular focus on infants and the elderly, where possible, and highlights the need for effective vaccinations against RSV. Relevant papers were identified from a search of PubMed up to December 2021. RSV infection is associated with a significant burden of illness in infants and the elderly worldwide and accounts for a substantial number of hospital admissions due to severe lower respiratory tract infections in both of these age groups in Korea. Vaccination has the potential to reduce the burden of acute RSV-associated disease and long-term consequences such as asthma. Increased understanding of the immune response to RSV, including mucosal immunity, and the innate and adaptive immune responses is needed. Technological advances in vaccine platforms could provide better approaches for achieving a safe and effective vaccine-induced immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current environment is highly dynamic and undergoing continuous change, and the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how firms and governments need to act promptly to face unexpected threats. In this regard, location-based applications have been implemented successfully in China and South Korea, but in some Western countries, serious privacy issues have been raised. With these premises in mind, this paper has the aim of examining the factors that motivate or discourage users to adopt mobile applications able to trace location. The proposed model is based on the combination of the Protection Motivation Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Technology Acceptance Model. A variance-based Structural Equations Modeling approach has been used to test the conceptual model using Partial Least Squares (PLS). The findings show that perceived usefulness positively influences attitude. In addition, subjective norms and self-efficacy were found to be the key drivers of the intention to adopt location-based applications, whilst perceived severity emerged as an important barrier. Finally, this study provides empirical evidence for the positive and significant relationship between the intention to use this type of apps and actual behavior. Academic and managerial implications are drawn and future research directions are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we developed and validated a scale that measures the sense of community among Korean military personnel. We conducted the research in three stages. In the first preliminary stage, we administered an open-ended questionnaire to 47 military officers in order to develop the initial questions. Experts verified the content validity of the 60 preliminary questions, and the questions were modified based on the experts' input. In the second preliminary stage, we extracted preliminary scales for 20 items based on the responses of 457 Army soldiers. In the third stage, we provided the preliminary scale to 656 Korean military personnel, and their responses were used to extract a five-factor matrix with 20 items. The five factors were Needs Fulfillment, Influence, Shared Emotional Connection, Rule Compliance, and Membership; each factor consisted of four items. Finally, after four weeks, we administered the scale to 208 additional military personnel, and the stability of the scale was confirmed, with a test-retest reliability of .90. To conclude the paper, we describe the implications of the scale developed in this study as well as directions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent controversy about the size of crowds at candlelight protests in Korea raises an interesting question regarding the methods used to estimate crowd size. Protest organizers tend to count all participants in the event from its start to finish, while the police usually report the crowd size at its peak. While several counting methods are available to estimate the size of a crowd at a given time, counting the total number of the participants at a protest is not straightforward. In this paper, we propose a new estimator to count the total number of participants that we call the size of a dynamic crowd. We assume that the arrival and departure times of the crowd are randomly observed and that the number of the attendees in the crowd at a specific time is estimable. We estimate the number of total attendees during the entire gathering based on the capture-recapture model. We also propose a bootstrap procedure to construct a confidence interval for the crowd size. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed method with simulation studies and the data from Korea's March for Science, a global event across the world on Earth Day, April 22, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ESS is widely used in FR power system in Korea. In this paper, we propose a method of starting the supply generator by energizing the transmission line to the ESS instead of the self-starting generator when some area of the system is completely out of order. Simulation should be carried out to find out whether there is any problem in replacing the self-starting generator with the ESS through the calculation of the power flow and the transient stability. We used EPRI 's CBEST model for simulation, and utilized actual system data of KEPCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seoul, the capital city of Korea with over 10 million residents, has been experiencing serious air pollution problems. Previous studies on source apportionment of PM2.5 in Seoul are based on measurements of chemical compositions of PM2.5 from a single monitoring site. In this paper, we analyse PM2.5 concentration data collected from multiple sites in 24 districts of Seoul and estimate regional source profiles using Bayesian multivariate receptor model. The regional source profiles provide information for the identification of major PM2.5 sources as well as the regions relatively more seriously affected by each source than other regions. These regional characteristics relevant to PM2.5 can help establish effective, customised, region-specific PM2.5 control strategies for each region rather than general strategies that apply to every region of Seoul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes probabilistic generation assessment system introduction of renewable energy generators. This paper is focused on wind turbine generator and solar cell generator. The proposed method uses an assessment model based on probabilistic model considering uncertainty of resources (wind speed and solar radiation). Equivalent generation function of the wind and solar farms are evaluated. The equivalent generation curves of wind farms and solar farms are assessed using regression analysis method using typical least square method from last actual generation data for wind farms. The proposed model is applied to Korea Renewable Generation System of 8 grouped 41 wind farms and 9 grouped around 600 solar farms in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart cards, integrated circuit cards, are frequently used to pay transportation fees in many countries such as the United States, the European Union, Korea and others. Smart card transaction histories in public transportation have been used in making diverse traffic policies. Unfortunately, data preprocessing is required to organize records to extract useful information since the raw data contain artifacts and incomplete information. The paired data, i.e. a boarding and its associated alighting, are one of the key pieces of information required to yield the city traffic demand. However, it is difficult to gather the paired data mainly because the card tagging policies and data collecting methods vary from city to city and from institution to institution. The broken trip links between the boarding and its associated alighting information are the most frequent incomplete data in the smart card histories. Although huge budgets are spent on annual traffic surveys in many countries, there are no accurate Smart card data analysis methods that cover all city cases due to high data complexity and limited base information. Among these two restrictions, limited information is more difficult to resolve because it has a large codomain, thousands of stops, for inference under tiny samples. It gives handicaps of applying well-known high-performance approaches such as deep learning and probability analysis. We propose a reconstruction method by a customized clustering algorithm based on coordinates of transactions-occurred stops, user trip histories and actual vehicle movement trajectories for incomplete trip pairs. The proposed method is derived from evaluating each passenger's historical clusters and trip patterns. In a blind test 79.1% accuracy is achieved in predicting missing alighting stops while conventional methods reach only 42.3% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of Laccaria (Hydnangiaceae, Agaricales, and Basidiomycota) are well-known ectomycorrhizal symbionts of a broad range of hosts. Laccaria species are characterized by brown, orange, or purple colored basidiocarps, and globose or oblong, echinulate and multinucleate basidiospores. While some Laccaria species are easily identified at the species level using only the morphological characteristics, others are hard to distinguish at the species level due to small differences in morphology. Heretofore, ten Laccaria species have been reported in Korea. While studying the fungal diversity in the National Parks of Korea, two new Laccaria species were discovered. Species identification was done based on molecular analyses (ITS, 28S rDNA, rpb2, and tef1), then were confirmed by their corresponding morphologies. The two newly discovered Laccaria species are proposed here as Laccaria macrobasidia and Laccaria griseolilacina. The unique morphological characters of L. macrobasidia that distinguish it from its closely related species are orange-brown colored basidiocarp, long basidia and the absence of cheilocystidia. L. griseolilacina is characterized by a light grayish lavender-colored pileus and the absence of cheilocystidia. Two new species are described and illustrated in the present paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the role of the reference-dependent preference in the relationship between idiosyncratic volatility and future return was investigated in the Korean stock market from July 1990 to June 2018. The capital gains overhang was used as a reference point for a definition of the loss and gains domain. As a consequence, the negative idiosyncratic volatility-return relationship is driven by unrealized capital losses. In addition, this negative relation disappears in the unrealized capital gains domain, suggesting the important role of the reference-dependent preference in the idiosyncratic volatility puzzle interpretation. These findings are robust to control for several factors, such as market beta, return reversal variable, momentum, and liquidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to show that open economies that have (1) a high degree of capital mobility, (2) a low degree of organization in financial markets, and (3) a high sensibility of net exports to changes in the level of economic activity may have bubbles in asset prices if there is an exogenous shock to these economies that produces a real exchange rate appreciation. These are common features of emerging/developing economies such as Brazil and South Korea. In order to accomplish the objective of this paper, we will present a Post Keynesian macroeconomic model for small open economies that will take as a starting point, Taylor and O'Connell's (1985) model. After discussing the shortcomings of the original version of their model as an analytical frame-work for emerging economies, we will present a more general and relevant model that (1) has a broader list of assets (nine assets) than the original model (three assets); (2) assumes the existence of trade between the domestic economy and the rest of the world in order to introduce the crucial variable for our analysis—the real exchange rate; and (3) has high (although imperfect) capital mobility—in the sense of Mundell and Fleming—so that interest rate differential is a major factor determining capital inflows to emerging countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to compare the relationship between distribution, growth, accumulation, and employment in Turkey and in South Korea. These countries represent two different cases of export-oriented growth. The results of the structural adjustment experiences of both countries are in striking contrast to orthodox theory; however they also present counterexamples to each other in terms of policies of economic integration. The paper tests whether accumulation and employment are profit-led in these two countries by means of a post-Keynesian open economy model, which includes a demand-driven labor market and a reserve army effect in the Marxian sense. The model is estimated in a structural vector auto regression (SVAR)form in order to capture the complex simultaneous in- traction between distribution, accumulation, growth, and employment within a systems approach. This model, and the method of estimation, are the two innovations of this paper in addressing the crucial policy issues related with structural adjustment problems in developing countries. The results show that decreasing the wage share does not stimulate accumulation, growth, and employment Interestingly, the relation between wage share, investment, growth, and employment is similar in both Turkey and South Korea; however the former experienced low and the latter high growth rates due to different export-oriented growth strategies. The explanation for this d Warence is found in the field of institutions, power structures, and state policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The worm snail Thylacodes adamsii (Mörch, 1859) (Littorinimorpha: Vermetidae) is a sessile gastropod that mainly inhabits rocky shores along the warm temperate to tropical ocean. Herein, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of T. adamsii from South Korea was characterized. The genome is 14,913 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes. The genome organization and base composition of T. adamsii are similar to those of other vermetids. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed using maximum likelihood based on the nucleotide sequences of the 13 PCGs; this tree supported the monophyly of Vermetidae. The complete mitogenome of T. adamsii can assist with molecular species identification and vermetid phylogenetic research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ground beetle Synuchus nitidus (Motschulsky, 1861) (Carabidae: Harpalinae: Sphodrini) is one of the most common species in the forests of South Korea, which has the potential to be utilized as an environmental indicator. Here, we characterized the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of S. nitidus, which is the first in the harpaline tribe Sphodrini. Its genome is 16,392 bp in length and composed of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, and an A + T rich region. In addition, we reconstructed a maximum likelihood tree to elucidate the phylogenetic position of Sphodrini among the seven harpaline tribes using nucleotide sequences of the 13 PCGs. The ML tree supported a monophyletic clade of the subfamily Harpalinae and showed a close relationship between Sphodrini and Lebinii with a low bootstrap value. The complete mitogenome of S. nitidus could be helpful for molecular species identification and exploring phylogenetic relationships among carabids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

145 fungal isolates were obtained from three sampling sites situated within the Nam River basin, located in the southern region of South Korea. Through ITS sequence analysis, the fungal isolates were identified to comprise 55 species of ascomycetes and 11 species of basidiomycetes. The 55 species of ascomycetes exclusively belong to the phylum Pezizomycotina, comprising 33 species of Dothideomycetes, 6 species of Eurotiomycetes, and 16 species of Sordariomycetes. Regarding their plant pathogenicity, an investigation into the fungi's ability to penetrate solid media revealed Nigrospora chinensis as displaying the highest growth, followed by Pseudopestalotiopsis theae, various Curvularia species, Diaporthe species, and Alternaria alternata. Further research associating this penetration ability with fungal pathogenicity is deemed necessary. Among the 10 fungal species exhibiting penetration abilities, an examination of their capability to degrade biological polymers revealed that two strains of D. phaseolorum displayed exceptional polymer degradation. These strains exhibited remarkable abilities in decomposing malachite green and crystal violet, both recalcitrant dyes. This study underscores the potential utilization of fungal diversity in freshwater environments as a foundational approach to address freshwater pollution issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitogenome sequence of Hyperhalosydna striata was determined for the first time in the present study. The genome is 15,226 bp long and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA). The overall base composition was 28.0% A, 21.9% C, 13.0% G, and 37.1% T. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to infer the phylogenetic position of H. striata among polynoid species whose mitochondrial genome sequences are available in GenBank. Hyperhalosydna striata was closely related to the species of subfamily Lepidonotinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper traces the history of education in South Korea in terms of various forms of control and their impact on democracy and rights. Three periods are identified: pre-colonial, colonial (Japanese occupation) and post-colonial (dependent capitalism). Democracy and rights have been highly politicised and education to promote these is still part of a struggle by various teachers' and parents' movements. A history of abuses of student rights and the oppression of teachers has begun to be challenged since 1993. Nonetheless, teachers remain reluctant to use the terminology of democracy and human rights, and some corporal punishment is still in evidence. Korean teachers have little autonomy, as the system remains centralised, competitive and bureaucratic. To establish a culture of peace and non-violence, the paper argues for a change in school ethos, a change to school regulations and education laws, a wider spread of democracy to media and community and the publication of manuals on education for democracy and human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most analyses of resistance, subjectivity, and identity formation have been developed out of research on predominantly `western' industrialized nations. It his research has been full of insight, but it has limited our understanding of the importance of historical specificity, of conjunctural relations, and of the ways dais, gender, and race! ethnic histories and experiences take on specific meanings in different contexts. By focusing on one of these `different contexts `-South Korea and its recent moves to institute career education and to have more students identify as manual workers we wish. to show how such specificities work to produce particular forms of resistance, subjectivity, and identity, in the Republic of Korea (South Korea), the dominant faction of the power bloc has tried to reconstitute work subjectivity through education as part of its ongoing hegemonic project. This has been done in order to deal with economic stagnation and to recover the bloc's political and ideological power which was seriously weakened by the democratic and labor movements of the 1980s. This paper examines the ways in which administrators, teachers, and students in Korean commercial high schools responded to the policies and work subjectivities that were newly articulated by the dominant grout. Data used in this paper were gathered in an ethnographic study of two commercial high schools in Korea. The paper combines perspectives from both structural and poststructuraI theories to explore the complexities of these responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectacular economic success of the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICS) of Asia since the 1960s, has led to the quest to identify other less developed countries which may be just about to become the next NICS of Asia. This paper examines the arguments for and against the view that there is a "second tier" of less developed countries which are about to join the ranks of the Asian NICS. While Malaysia and Thailand are generally thought to be the most likely candidates, this paper argues that one hitherto unrecognised contender. China, is likely to join these countries in achieving NIC status. This paper examines the question of whether there are likely to be more Newly Industrializing Countries (NICS) emerging over time, following in the footsteps of the original four in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan). While some writers suggest that several developing countries are about to achieve NIC status in the near future, others argue that world trading conditions have deteriorated to such an extent as to make this very unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Euphorbia prostrata Aiton 1789, an annual herb, is native to tropical and subtropical Americas and was introduced into many parts of the Old-World including Korea. We determined the genomic characteristics of the complete chloroplast genome of E. prostrata with a de novo assembly strategy. The complete chloroplast genome was 162,858 bp long, and harbored 86 protein coding, 37 tRNA and 8 rRNA. The genome showed the typical quadripartite structure consisting of a large single copy (LSC) (90,580 bp), a small single copy (SSC) (18,570 bp) and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) (26,854 bp). The phylogenetic tree inferred from chloroplast genomes of 25 taxa, which belong to Euphorbiaceae indicated that the Euphorbia is a monophyletic group and E. prostrata is closely related with E. humifusa, E. thymifolia and E. hirta, forming a well-supported clade. Our findings can be valuable for understanding the phylogenetic relationships and the evolution in Euphorbiaceae and will provide basic information for future studies on E. prostrata from genomic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sarcoscypha (Sarcoscyphaceae, Pezizales) is a saprobic fungus characterized by the cup or disc-shaped blight red apothecium and oblong to ellipsoid ascospores. The 18 species of Sarcoscypha were known to occur in Europe, North America, and tropical Asia. However, up to date, only two Sarcoscypha species have been reported in Korea. In this study, novel Sarcoscypha specimens were collected from Juwangsan, Odaesan, and Taebaeksan National Parks from September to October in Korea. This species is well distinguished from other Sarcoscypha species according to the molecular and phylogenetic analysis based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Here, we provided detailed descriptions with illustrations and a phylogenetic tree to report our specimens as novel Sarcoscypha species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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South Korea hosted the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games nearly 30 years after the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympic Games and almost 16 after the 2002 Korea/Japan FIFA World Cup. The national narrative of these sporting mega-events shifted from a grand display of industrial triumph during the Seoul Olympics to the celebration of a global nation during the World Cup to a nation of cutting-edge technology during the PyeongChang Olympics. The Opening Ceremonies of the PyeongChang Olympics were planned to showcase South Korea's hallyu cultural juggernaut and technological prowess. Just a month prior to the start of the Games, a delegation from North Korea agreed to compete, thereby changing the narrative of the show. The planned story line shifted to include the idea of reunification not as an urgent matter of the present, but as a techno-futurist fantasy of world peace. While the Olympic leadership fawned over this hopeful display of détente through sport, the joint appearance failed to garner a great deal of excitement in South Korea given the failure of decades of cultural interactions to bring the two countries closer together. Nevertheless, the presence of North Koreans created a level of interest that added an element of historical and political curiosity otherwise missing from an overwrought program that lacked spontaneity. Thus, ironically, the presence of the North Korean delegation worked to improve the overall storyline by offering a dramatic depiction of a technologically mediated future free of conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Korean Infant Sensory Profile 2 (K-ISP2) and explore whether the sensory processing of infants differs according to age, gender, and culture. Participants were 140 Korean caregivers of infants aged 0–6 months. They completed the K-ISP2 and the Korean version of 'What My Baby Is Like' (K-WBL), a scale for measuring infant temperament, for convergent validity. The K-ISP2 was re-administrated for test-retest reliability with a mean interval of 16 days. The K-ISP2 showed good test-retest reliability (ICC =.84) and significant but weak convergent validity with the K-WBL (amenability/persistence, r = −.28, p <.001; adaptability, r = −.30, p <.001; reactivity, r =.24, p =.004; activity, r =.20, p =.02). There were no significant age and gender differences in the K-ISP2 total score. The K-ISP2 total score was similar to that of the Infant Sensory Profile 2 (ISP2). This study provides reliability and validity evidence of the K-ISP2. Normative data of K-ISP2 total score can be established regardless of age or gender. The ISP2 has showed similar psychometric properties for populations of both Korea and the United States. Sensory processing is a fundamental component for adaptive responses to environment and begins to develop before birth. The Korean Infant Sensory Profile 2 (K-ISP2) can be used to assess sensory processing patterns of Korean infants, with evidence of reliability and validity. Total scores of the K-ISP2 can be interpreted with one normative data set regardless of age and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how the Japanese and Korean governments use multi-bi aid to complement their bilateral aid and compares their allocation behaviors. As opposed to traditional multilateral aid, multi-bi aid is earmarked for a specific country, project, region, sector, or theme. Japan—a traditional leading donor—and Korea—a small but growing donor—are considerably different in terms of their ODA history and size; although, they are comparable in meaningful manners in terms of their level of cooperation with multilateral organizations. Over the past 10 years, both countries used the multilateral system to a significantly lesser extent yet showed a higher proportion of earmarked funding within multilateral aid compared to the average DAC donor. This study identified more similarities than differences between Japan and South Korea—both countries commit a large proportion of their multi-bi to fragile and conflict-affected states, countries under-represented in their bilateral aid programs. Accordingly, a large proportion of their aid has been channeled through multilateral organizations leading the sectors that are not prioritized with their bilateral aid. Overall, this study identified strong complementarities between the composition of Japan's and Korea's bilateral and multi-bi aid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porella gracillima Mitt. (Jungermanniidae, Porellaceae), a bryophyte is widespread in temperate Asia and North America. In Korea, P. gracillima is mainly observed in shaded and dried rocks or tree trunks on mountains. Here, we determined the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of P. gracillima to provide useful genetic information in the phylogenetic relationship, phylogeographic history, and conservation of the species. The complete cp genome of P. gracillima was assembled using NGS Illumina HiSeqX platform. The cp genome was 121,867 bp in length (GC contents, 33.7%) and showed a typical quadripartite structure, consisting of a large single copy (LSC) of 83,406 bp, a small single copy (SSC) of 19,692 bp, and two inverted repeats (IRs) of 9,385 bp. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Porellaceae was a sister group of Radulaceae, which agrees with the findings of the previous phylogenetic studies. Our cp genome data of P. gracillima may contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of the Porella in Porellaceae and will help to infer its molecular identification, thereby providing a guideline for conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean is one of the world's most widely cultivated food crops, and soybean seeds are supplied from national seed resources in Korea. However, the transmission of seed-borne diseases through infected soybean seeds is problematic. Among these diseases, soybean seed decay is caused by Diaporthe spp. Infecting the pods, and the infected seeds show rotting symptoms. Most diseased seeds are removed during the selection process; however, it is difficult to distinguish infected seeds that do not display symptoms. Hence, a sequence-based method was devised to screen Diaporthe-infected seeds. Based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribe spacer (ITS) region of the pathogen, a primer was designed to distinguish the infection from other soybean seed pathogens. As a result of the comparison between healthy and Diaporthe-diseased seeds by using the primers, Diaporthe was detected only in the diseased seeds. Therefore, it is possible to distribute healthy soybean seeds by detecting Diaporthe-diseased seeds at the genetic level using the Diaporthe-specific primers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skippable ads are known to provide better advertising experiences by giving viewers a sense of control with the ability to skip an ad after watching it for a few seconds. Despite the growing interest, few studies have investigated factors that influence skipping or viewership of pre-roll skippable ads. This study examines the determinants of pre-roll ad acceptance by using clickstream data of 2,078,090 users' ad and content viewing behaviors on a popular online video content platform in South Korea. We found that skippable ad acceptance is impacted by personal, situational, and contextual factors that influence the level of goal impediment in online video consumption contexts. We conclude with theoretical and practical implications of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi and is well known as one of the important medical fungi in Chinese, Korea, and other Asian countries, because of its various beneficial effects on human health. The pharmacological activities of Cordyceps extract are mainly focused on anti-cancer, anti-metastatic, and immune modulating effects. In the present study, we investigated whether the antiplatelet effect of ethanol extract of cultured Cordyceps militaris (CMEE) with FeCl3-induced arterial thrombosis model. We observed that CMEE exhibited a significant inhibitory effect against ADP and collagen-induced platelet aggregation. However, there were no significant differences in prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). These results suggest that antithrombotic activity of CMEE is related to antiplatelet effect rather than anticoagulation effect, and CMEE may be a positive effect on improving blood circulation against vessel injury and occlusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytophthora species, classified under Oomycota, cause significant damage to various crops and trees. The present study introduced Phytophthora species, P. nagaii and P. tentaculata, new to Korea, which pose notable risks to their respective host plants. Our research provided a comprehensive description of these species taking into account their cultural features, morphological characteristics, and molecular phylogenetic analysis using the internal transcribed spacer rDNA region and cytochrome c oxidase subunit mtDNA genes (cox1 and cox2) sequences. In addition, this study first evaluated the sensitivity of P. nagaii and P. tentaculata to five anti-oomycete fungicides, finding both species most responsive to picarbutrazox and P. tentaculata resistant to fluazinam. The data can guide targeted treatment strategies and offer insights into effective control methods. The findings expand our understanding of the diversity, distribution, and management of Phytophthora species in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydnum is a genus of ectomycorrhizal fungi belonging to the Hydnaceae family. It is widely distributed across different regions of the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia; however, some of them showed disjunct distributions. In recent years, with the integration of molecular techniques, the taxonomy and classification of Hydnum have undergone several revisions and advancements. However, these changes have not yet been applied in the Republic of Korea. In this study, we conducted an integrated analysis combining the morphological and molecular analyses of 30 specimens collected over a period of approximately 10 years in the Republic of Korea. For molecular analysis, the sequence data of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, the large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (nrLSU), and a portion of translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) were employed as molecular markers. Through this study, we identified eight species that had previously not been reported to occur in the Republic of Korea, including one new species, Hydnum paucispinum. A taxonomic key and detailed descriptions of the eight Hydnum species are provided in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Talaromyces is a genus within the phylum Ascomycota (class Eurotiomycetes, order Eurotiales, family Trichocomaceae). Many species in this genus are known to produce diverse secondary metabolites with great potential for agricultural, medical, and pharmaceutical applications. During a survey on fungal diversity in the genus Talaromyces in Korea, six strains were isolated from soil, indoor air, and freshwater environments. Based on morphological, physiological, and multi-locus (ITS, BenA, CaM, and RPB2) phylogenetic analyses, we identified five previously unrecorded species in Korea (T. brevis, T. fusiformis, T. muroii, T. ruber, and T. soli) and a new species (T. echinulatus sp. nov.) belonging to section Talaromyces. Herein, detailed descriptions, illustrations, and phylogenetic tree are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus is one of the largest and diverse genera of fungi with huge economical, biotechnological, and social significance. Taxonomically, Aspergillus is divided into six subgenera comprising 27 sections. In this study, 235 strains of Aspergillus subgenus Circumdati (section: Candidi, Circumdati, Flavi, Flavipedes, Nigri, and Terrei) preserved at the Korean Agricultural Culture Collection (KACC) were analyzed and re-identified using a combined dataset of partial b-tubulin (BenA), Calmodulin (CaM) gene sequences and morphological data. We confirmed nineteen species to be priorly reported in Korea (A. neotritici, A. terreus, A. floccosus, A. allahabadii, A. steynii, A. westerdijkiae, A. ochraceus, A. ostianus, A. sclerotiorum, A. luchuensis, A. tubingensis, A. niger, A. welwitschiae, A. japonicus, A. nomius, A. tamarii, A. parasiticus, A. flavi, and A. oryzae). Among the studied strains, three species (A. subalbidus, A. iizukae, and A. uvarum), previously unreported or not officially documented, were discovered in Korea, to the best of our knowledge. We have given a detailed description of the characteristic features of the three species, which remain uncharted in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how a country's promotion of its culture affects another country's consumption patterns. We collected primary data from Malaysians about their exposure to Korean drama and consumption of Korean cosmetics in order to test whether the imaging of Korean cultural richness through the international marketing strategy termed Hallyu (entailing the use of Korean TV drama to image South Korea as a celebrated country) instigates conspicuous consumption in Malaysia. Respondents with higher levels of education but lower income watched Korean drama more intensively, and the intensity of watching Korean drama was positively associated with the consumption of Korean cosmetics. Our results highlight the ability to affect trade between countries by advertising through mass culture and exploiting the need for conspicuous consumption by those individuals experiencing perceived relative deprivation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedded traditional management systems can change under the influence of several forces. The 1997 Asian financial crisis was such an event. This paper empirically investigates changes in the human resource management, corporate culture, risk management and competitive strategy parts of management systems in the General Trading Companies of South Korea in terms of internal perceptions of impact on corporate performance. It finds both change and continuity, particularly in corporate culture. This indicates that cultural change in organisations is not an easy task, not least because it is associated with changes in the values, attitudes, expectations, beliefs and behaviour of people. It also shows the importance of disaggregating trends as there can be simultaneously change and continuity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The complete mitochondrial genome of a subterranean pseudocrangonyctid amphipod, Pseudocrangonyx joolaei, was determined in this paper. The complete mitogenome of P. joolaei was 14,814 bp in length with the typical 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, two ribosomal RNAs, and a control region (CR). The gene order of P. joolaei was unique in that the CR was an inversion, and the gene order of Pseudocrangonyx was not concordant when compared to that of P. daejeonensis, a subterranean amphipod found in Korea. A maximum-likelihood tree, constructed based on 26 eumalacostracan mitogenomes, confirmed that P. joolaei supported monophyly in the family Pseudocrangonyctidae and is most closely related to the superfamily Crangonyctoidea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gammarus gageoensis n. sp., a new species of freshwater gammarid, was collected from Gageodo Island, South Korea. This new species is characterized in terms of its morphology by the flagellum of antenna 2 with calceoli, the pereopods 3 and 4 with numerous long curled setae on the posterior margins, the terminal article of the outer ramus in uropod 3, which is longer than the adjacent spines, and the presence of both rami with long simple setae. The morphological characters of the new species that are different to related species are presented in the text. This paper also compares the new species to related species by the partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene. The sequence difference, consisting of a 39-44% difference relative to closely related species, is also large enough to designate this gammarid as a different species from other freshwater gammarid species. This is the first finding of a new species of Korean freshwater gammarid since 1992. Including this new species, a total of 10 species are known to Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the scientific literature concerning urushi lacquers. Urushi has been used by skilled lacquer artists for thousands of years, predominantly in the East Asian countries of Japan, Korea and China, where there is an abundance of urushi-producing trees. Spectacular lacquered artefacts still exist due to the stability of the material, and numerous conservation efforts endeavour to preserve these pieces. This review discusses the chemical properties of this complex material, with particular reference to its stability and durability, and the conditions that contribute to its deterioration. The importance of understanding these properties is discussed with regard to the conservation of urushi-based objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public management information systems has been one of the core subjects in most South Korean undergraduate public affairs and administration programs since the late 1980s. Since the late 1990s, many e-government and various information policy subjects have been rapidly added to the PA curriculum. This paper examines the rapid diffusion of undergraduate-level IT education in Korean PA programs and focuses primarily on the implication of lessons developed in and drawn from Korean PA programs. The authors explain how the PA curriculum has been affected by changes in technologies, socioeconomic contexts, and government policies in South Korea; review the literature of IT education and classify IT courses taught in Korean PA programs; describe data and methods; summarize major findings on IT courses and instructors; examine driving forces behind the diffusion of IT education; and discuss the academic institutional isomorphism and challenging issues in IT education. The paper concludes with several suggestions for IT education in PA programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1990s, a decade of democratic advances and consumption euphoria in South Korea, heralded a new wind called 'neoliberal education'. It is within this historical juncture that I conducted an ethnographic research on low-income youths who had dropped out of mainstream high schools. While I investigated these youths' educational and career aspirations, I examined how discourses in neoliberal freedom and free marketization shape (and are shaping) these youths' self-fashioning. Central to my analysis is how this process of identity construction is intersected with class marginality. A predominate number of youths in my research express their preference in service sector and/or entertainment industries. The paper addresses how neoliberal discourses and consumerism ;rhetoric are negotiated and transformed in youth's narratives on aspirations. The analysis speaks to the ideological pitfall of neoliberalism, echoing critical scholars' thesis that neoliberalistic education with free market principles perpetuated and broadened existing inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is an economically important vegetable crop worldwide. However, various fungal diseases, including Fusarium basal rot (FBR), neck rot, and white rot, reduce onion production or bulb storage life. FBR caused by Fusarium species is among the most destructive onion diseases. In this study, we identified Fusarium species associated with FBR in Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces in South Korea and evaluated fungicides against the pathogens. Our morphological and molecular analyses showed that FBR in onions is associated with Fusarium commune, Fusarium oxysporum, and Fusarium proliferatum. We selected seven fungicides (fludioxonil, hexaconazole, mandestrobin, penthiopyrad, prochloraz-manganese, pydiflumetofen, and tebuconazole) and evaluated their inhibitory effects on mycelial growth of the pathogens at three different concentrations (0.01, 0.1, and 1mg/mL). We found that prochloraz-manganese was highly effective, inhibiting 100% of the mycelial growth of the pathogens at all concentrations, followed by tebuconazole. Fludioxonil showed < 50% inhibition at 1mg/mL for the tested isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acarosporaceae is a crustose lichen and is known as a species that has more than 50 multispores, and has hyaline spores. Those taxa are often found in rock and soil in mountain areas or coastal regions in Korea, and very diverse forms and species are known. However, after an overall genetic phylogenetic analysis of carbonized ascomata in 2015, species consisting only of the morphological base are newly divided, and several species of Acarosporaceae in Korea are also being discovered in this situation. As a result of analysis using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and nuLSU gene analysis, Korean species belonged to Acarospora and Sarcogyne clade, and Acarospora classified as the Acarospora clade was mixed with the Polysporina group and the Sarcogyne clade is mixed with the Acarospora. We identified two new species (Acarospora beangnokdamensis J. S. Park & S. O. Oh, sp. nov., Sarcogyne jejuensis J. S. Park & S. O. Oh, sp. nov.) through morphological, molecular, and secondary metabolite substance and found one new record (Sarcogyne oceanica K. Knudsen & Kocourk). We have made a classification key for Acarospora and Sarcogyne in Korea and reported all information together here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted marginalized groups, including transgender populations, reproducing and exacerbating inequalities and vulnerabilities that existed in those groups prior to the pandemic. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of transgender-specific COVID-19-related stressors and their association with depressive symptoms among South Korean transgender adults. We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional study of 564 South Korean transgender adults (trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people) from October 7 to October 31, 2020. We measured four transgender-specific COVID-19-related stressors as follows: (A) had difficulty receiving gender-affirming healthcare due to economic hardship related to COVID-19, (B) had difficulty receiving gender-affirming healthcare due to limited access to hospitals under the COVID-19 situation, (C) had difficulty purchasing a public face mask due to gender information on an identification card, and (D) avoided getting a COVID-19 test in fear of unfair treatment and dirty looks due to gender identity, despite having COVID-19 symptoms. Past-week depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Of the total participants, 30.7% experienced any of the four transgender-specific COVID-19-related stressors, and 70.2% were classified as having depressive symptoms during the past week. We found statistically significant associations with depressive symptoms among participants who reported that they had difficulty receiving gender-affirming healthcare due to either economic hardship (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.20, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.05–1.37) or limited access to hospitals (aPR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.00–1.32), respectively. Furthermore, those who had two or more of the four transgender-specific COVID-19-related stressors were 1.21 times (95% CI = 1.05–1.40) more likely to report depressive symptoms, compared to those who did not report any stressor. Transgender-specific COVID-19-related stressors may negatively influence depressive symptoms among South Korean transgender adults. Given these findings, transgender-inclusive interventions should be implemented at the policy level during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the role of the infectious disease control (IDC) system in curbing the spread of infectious disease and preventing economic damage during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we propose incorporating a clustering analysis into the synthetic control method. This contributes to constructing a homogeneous donor pool, which is necessary for an unbiased treatment effect estimator. South Korea's effective IDC system, the so-called K-Quarantine, is estimated to have reduced the number of disease infections and to have prevented a 3.6% loss of GDP and a 0.3%p rise in the unemployment rate in South Korea in 2020. These results are robust in an alternative reduced-form regression analysis under various specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study charts the chronological developments of the three institutions that were established in South Korea for priority setting in health. In 2007, the Evidence-based Medicine Team and the Center for New Health Technology Assessment (CnHTA) were established and nested in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). In December 2008, the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA) was launched, to which the CnHTA was transferred in 2010. Since then, non-drug technologies have been reviewed by NECA and drugs have been reviewed by HIRA. Political debates about how to embrace expensive but important health technologies that were not on the benefits list led to the creation of the Participatory Priority Setting Committee (PPSC) in 2012. The PPSC, led by the general public, has played a key role in advancing the path toward universal health coverage by revitalizing the list of essential, yet previously overlooked, medical technologies. PPSC offers these technologies a second chance at coverage. HIRA and NECA served to strengthen evidence-based and efficiency-based decision-making in the health system via CnHTA, and PPSC served to strengthen social value–based decision making via priority setting in Korea. The reassessment by PPSC may be relevant in countries where the economy is growing and citizens want to rapidly expand the benefits list. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]