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Purpose: Disruptive external forces can bring businesses to a standstill and make their strategic plans obsolete overnight. COVID-19 exemplifies such a disruptive force, which has caused worldwide havoc and ongoing disruption in many sectors of the economy, while concurrently providing great opportunities for others. The goal in this study is to examine the experiences of firms that have been impacted by a prior disruptive force, offer five theoretical lenses for framing and examining such events, and provide a set of axioms based on the research findings. Design/methodology/approach: The authors used a qualitative approach involving five short international marketing case studies of firms based in South Korea and Taiwan. These nations and firms were selected on the bases of their overall judicious navigation of the conditions presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors gathered information about these firms through primary sources of information (personal and remote interviews as well as other communications), which the authors augmented with information from secondary sources. Findings: The results indicate that external forces can bring both opportunities and threats to firms' international marketing strategies. The authors found that two strategies help firms cope with managerial issues associated with both the demand and the supply sides in successful firms in these nations: (1) leveraging opportunities presented by the pandemic through the successive introductions of new product and (2) the expansion of both the domestic and international markets. Research implications: The research provides five theoretical lenses to articulate the impact of disruptive external forces on international marketing strategies. Practical implications: The research offers thirteen demand and supply side axioms for marketing managers involved in international business (e.g. exporters, importers, MNCs) to cope with disruptive external forces, like COVID-19. Social implications: Disruptive external forces, such as the pandemic, have enormous impact on firms and consumers alike. This research aims to limit the negative impact of future disruptions by engaging in contingency planning and added resilience, through which firms may continue to function and, to a large extent, consumers are able to acquire the necessary goods and services to maintain their quality of life. Originality/value: The authors attribute the quicker response of these firms to their agility in managing the market impacts related to COVID-19 and to their prior conditioning in their respective geopolitical spheres. The authors summarize the findings in a set of nine supply side and a set of four demand side axioms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hearing impairment, the third largest health burden worldwide, currently lacks definitive treatments or preventive drugs. This study compared the effects of hydrophilic and lipophilic statin on hearing loss using a common database model. This retrospective multicenter study was conducted in three hospitals in South Korea (Anam, Guro, Ansan). We enrolled patients with hyperlipidemia with an initial hearing loss diagnosis. Data were collected during January 1, 2022–December 31, 2021 using the Observational Health Data Science and Informatics open-source software and Common Data Model database. The primary outcome was the occurrence of first-time hearing loss following a hyperlipidemia diagnosis, as documented in the Common Data Model cohort database. The measures of interest were hearing loss risk between hydrophilic and lipophilic statin use. Variables were compared using propensity score matching, Cox proportional regression, and meta-analysis. Among 37,322 patients with hyperlipidemia, 13,751 (7669 men and 6082 women) and 23,631 (11,390 men and 12,241 women) were treated with hydrophilic and lipophilic statins, respectively. After propensity score matching, according to the Kaplan–Meier curve, hearing loss risk did not significantly differ among the hospitals. The hazard ratio (HR) of the male patients from Anam (0.29, [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.05–1.51]), Guro (HR, 0.56, [95% CI 0.18–1.71]), and Ansan (hazard ratio, 0.29, [95% CI 0.05–1.51]) hospitals were analyzed using Cox proportional regression. Overall effect size (HR, 0.40, [95% CI 0.18–0.91]) was estimated using meta-analysis, which indicated that hearing loss risk among hydrophilic statin users was less than that among lipophilic statin users and was statistically significant. Men in the hydrophilic statin group had a lower risk of hearing impairment than those in the lipophilic statin group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is to develop a new scoring system for rating Hazard analysis and critical control points prerequisite evaluation items for meat shops to provide a more objective and accurate evaluation of food safety compliance. The importance of each item was measured by looking at the hazard severity level and the rate of non-compliance associated with it. It was found that the new scoring system is more stringent and gives a clearer picture of compliance with the most critical safety standards, and therefore is expected to have a positive effect on the hygiene and safety of livestock products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have reported that after the introduction of rotavirus vaccine the incidence of intussusception did not change among infants, or slightly increased at the age immediately after the first dose. The rotavirus vaccines were introduced in Korea for private market use in 2007–2008. We investigated the incidence of intussusception before (2002–2006) and after (2009–2015) the vaccine introduction in Korea. Methods: We conducted an interrupted time series study that used data from the Korean National Health Insurance database to identify infants (<12 months of age) who were diagnosed with intussusception and underwent non-invasive or invasive reduction from 2002 to 2015. According to the recommended ages for immunization, the annual intussusception incidence and the incidence rate ratios were calculated among three age groups, 6–14, 15–24, and 25–34 weeks. Results: The annual incidences in infants have decreased over time from 241.7 per 100,000 infants (pre-vaccine period) to 160.1–205.2 per 100,000 infants (post-vaccine period). The incidence rate ratio during the post-vaccine period ranged from 0.66 to 0.85. The incidences of intussusception in all three infant age groups have decreased in post-vaccine period compared to pre-vaccine period (incidence rate ratio range: 0.31–0.65, 0.47–0.75, and 0.68–0.94 in 6–14, 15–24, and 25–34 weeks, respectively). Conclusions: The incidence of intussusception in infants did not increase after the rotavirus vaccine introduction in Korea, but rather decreased over the past decades. Since the incidence of intussusception varies according to country or region, continuous monitoring the incidence of intussusception in infants is necessary in each county or region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shim, J.S.; Kim, J.H.; Chang, B.S.; Min, I.K.; Choi, J., and Chun, I., 2020. Wave observation methods using high-frequency ocean radar. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 1273–1278. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) has been developing high-frequency (HF) ocean radar for wave observation with SETsystem Inc., which had developed HF ocean radar for ocean currents. A Bayesian directional spectrum estimation method (BDM) algorithm was developed to extract wave information from HF ocean radar and tested using surface current and wave variability experiments (SCAWVEX) data. A circular array antenna was used, which has advantages in terms of smaller installation space and narrower beamwidth. The prototype of the HF ocean radar for wave was composed of BDM algorithm and circular array antenna for optimizing the observed waves. The prototype of the HF ocean radar was installed at the East Sea Research Institute, Uljin, in the Republic of Korea (ROK). The radar system is being checked, and a future study will compare the results with those of other observation tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Kang, H., Chun, I., and Oh, B., 2018. Estimation of the Depth of Closure Near Gangneung Port in Korea. In: Shim, J.-S.; Chun, I., and Lim, H.S. (eds.), Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2018 (Busan, Republic of Korea). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 85, pp. 1361–1365. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Various methods to cope with coastal erosion have been tried in the East Coast of Korea, among which the regional sediment management (RSM) is now being perceived as a very efficient way for managing limited sand resources in a macroscopic scale in both time and space. To apply RSM, it is necessary to set up the littoral cell, a control volume concept whose offshore boundary is given by the depth of closure (DOC). In this study, an independent littoral cell near Gangneung Port was set up, and a method to determine its DOC was proposed and applied utilizing the existing data of deep-water wave climate. Within the method, several formulas were tested, and the results showed that that the average DOC of the study area varied from 10 m to 52 m depending on sediment size, wave condition, and the formula used. Finally, the Hallermeier's formula of outer DOC was postulated to give a reasonable DOC of the Gangneung littoral cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In recent years, research on reported adverse events following immunization (AEFI) and claims filed for compensation has been lacking. We reviewed reported AEFIs and compensation claims in Korea from 2011 to 2016. Materials and Methods: We listed all of the AEFI registered in the Integrated Management System of Disease and Public Health and reviewed the list of claims filed and serious AEFIs reported from 2011 to 2016. Results: An average of 278 AEFI cases was reported annually from 2011 to 2016. Of these, 31 deaths were reported. However, there was no association found between these deaths and vaccinations when evaluating vaccine lot, reviewing autopsies, and considering underlying diseases. AEFI reporting rate was as high as 20.8 cases for bacillus Calmette--Guérin (BCG) vaccine, 7.3 cases for 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23), and 5.4 cases for human papillomavirus vaccine per 100,000 vaccination doses in 2016. Of the 469 total cases that claimed vaccine injury compensation from 2011 to 2016, the BCG vaccine was most com- monly involved, with 235 cases (50%), followed by influenza vaccine and PPV23, with 90 and 55 cases, respectively. Of these cases, 96% of BCG-related AEFI were compensated, while only 31% and 49% of AEFI following influenza and PPV23 vaccination, respectively, were compensated. Common characteristics of uncompensated cases included the elderly subjects, receiving influenza vaccine, having underlying disease, or a very short time interval between vaccination and symptoms. Conclusion: We have maintained vaccine safety management system through both rapid response to serious AEFI and vaccine injury compensation in order to sustain public trust in the National Immunization Program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blood supply is the most important factor determining the survival of a skin flap. Botulinum toxin-A (Botox-A) is used as pharmacologic agent not only for aesthetic purposes, but also for its vasomotor actions. This study was conducted to establish whether local application of Botox-A increased survival of random pattern skin flaps in rats by changing the expression of neurotransmitters. Forty adult Sprague-Dawley rats with a caudally-based random pattern skin flap were divided into two groups: Botox-A group and saline group. Surviving flap area and cutaneous blood flow in the flap were evaluated on postoperative days 3 and 7. After injection of Botox-A, changes in vessels were analyzed using immunohistochemical staining. Levels of norepinephrine, neuropeptide-Y, nitric oxide, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase were analyzed quantitatively by high performance liquid chromatography, Western blot, and colorimetric assay. The survived area in the Botox-A group was significantly higher than that in the control group on postoperative days 3 and 7. Blood flow in the Botox-A group was significantly high in the proximal and middle areas immediately after the operation. The number of CD31-positive vessels in the Botox-A group was significant greater than that in the control group. Norepinephrine level in the Botox-A group decreased significantly immediately after flap elevation and at postoperative day 3. There were no significant differences in neuropeptide-Y level between the two groups. Nitric oxide level did not change significantly in either group despite the increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase immediately after flap elevation and at 3 days postoperatively. In conclusion, Botox-A increased vascular blood flow and viable flap area in rats by reducing norepinephrine level. In contrast, neuropeptide-Y, another vasoconstrictor, was not affected by Botox-A. Nitric oxide, a vasodilator, was also not affected by Botox-A, despite the significant increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression in the flaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current curricula of the departments of Chinese in Korea emphasize language and literature, although most students in these departments would prefer an emphasis on curricula in the Chinese social sciences, with less emphasis on language and literature. The research reported here include surveys that identified needs as perceived by students, and contrasted these with studies of existing Korean departments of Chinese. This research indicates that Korean universities currently lack the ability to meet students' needs. For more effective education, Chinese departments should offer two-track curricula, consisting of a language track and a social science track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]