• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.215-235
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• 2024

As artificial intelligence (AI) technology is recognized as a key technology that will determine future national competitiveness, competition for AI technology and industry promotion policies in major countries is intensifying. This study aims to present implications for domestic policy making by analyzing the policies of major countries on the start-up of AI companies, which are the basis of the AI industry ecosystem. The top four countries and the EU for the number of new investment attraction companies in the 2023 AI Index announced by the HAI Research Institute at Stanford University in the United States were selected, The United States enacted the National AI Initiative Act (NAIIA) in 2021. Through this law, The US Government is promoting continued leadership in the United States in AI R&D, developing reliable AI systems in the public and private sectors, building an AI system ecosystem across society, and strengthening DB management and access to AI policies conducted by all federal agencies. In the 14th Five-Year (2021-2025) Plan and 2035 Long-term Goals held in 2021, China has specified AI as the first of the seven strategic high-tech technologies, and is developing policies aimed at becoming the No. 1 AI global powerhouse by 2030. The UK is investing in innovative R&D companies through the 'Future Fund Breakthrough' in 2021, and is expanding related investments by preparing national strategies to leap forward as AI leaders, such as the implementation plan of the national AI strategy in 2022. Israel is supporting technology investment in start-up companies centered on the Innovation Agency, and the Innovation Agency is leading mid- to long-term investments of 2 to 15 years and regulatory reforms for new technologies. The EU is strengthening its digital innovation hub network and creating the InvestEU (European Strategic Investment Fund) and AI investment fund to support the use of AI by SMEs. This study aims to contribute to analyzing the policies of major foreign countries in making AI company start-up policies and providing a basis for Korea's strategy search. The limitations of the study are the limitations of the countries to be analyzed and the failure to attempt comparative analysis of the policy environments of the countries under the same conditions.

• Bangmulgwan gwa yeongu (The National Museum of Korea Journal)
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• v.1
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• pp.278-305
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• 2024

Gelatin dry plate photographs dating to the Japanese colonial era and the official documents from the Japanese Government-General of Korea Museum in the collection of the National Museum of Korea are significant materials documenting cultural heritage in North Korea before it was severely damaged in 1950 during the Korean War. There has been an increase in recent years in studies of Buddhist sculptures in North Korea based on these photographs and documents. This paper presents some new comments on the Buddhist sculptures at Seongbulsa Temple in Hwangju, one of the most famous temples in Hwanghae-do Province, based on the related existing research outcomes. This paper aims to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the Buddhist sculptures at Seongbulsa Temple by chronicling its history based on historical records, examining its current status, and exploring in detail the production dates and backgrounds of the Buddhist sculptures featured on gelatin dry plates. Prior to Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, Seongbulsa housed at least seven sculptural items: two Bodhisattva statues, four Buddha statues, and a triad. Two items are from the early Goryeo period, one is from the late Goryeo period, three are from the early Joseon period, and one is from the late Joseon period. Among them, two surviving items are noteworthy. One is the early Goryeo-era Stone Seated Bhaishajyaguru Buddha photographed in Eungjinjeon Hall at Seongbulsa Temple. A close examination of a schematic drawing of the sculpture's pedestal made at the time it was photographed reveals that its material accords with the materials used for the headless Stone Seated Bhaishajyaguru Buddha and pedestal currently found in the old Sangwonam Hermitage site in the Inner Geumgang Valley of Jeongbangsan Mountain. This accordance could mean that the statue is a new significant example of early Goryeo Buddhist sculpture in North Korea. The other notable sculpture is the Gilt-bronze Seated Amitabha Buddha Triad created in 1454 (the second year of the reign of King Danjong) and discovered in Geungnakjeon Hall at Seongbulsa. This statue is currently in the collection of the Sariwon History Museum in Hwanghae-do Province. It is an important example of a dated small gilt-bronze Buddhist statue from the early Joseon period found in North Korea. This paper is a case study of Buddhist sculptures in North Korea, focusing on Seongbulsa Temple. Further utilization of the National Museum of Korea's gelatin dry plates will contribute to developing the study of the history of Korean Buddhist sculpture.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.55-73
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• 2024

Unicorn companies are attracting attention around the world as they are recognized for their high corporate value in a short period of time as an innovative business models. Their growth process presents good lessons for the startup ecosystem and have a positive impact on national economic development and job creation. However, previous studies related to unicorn companies are focused on 'event studies' and 'case studies' such as characteristics of founders, environmental factors, business models and success/failure cases of companies already recognized as unicorns rather than a multifaceted approach. The occurrence of unicorn companies and Macroscopic analysis of related factors is lacking. Against this background, this study are considering the characteristics of unicorns examined through previous research and the current status unicorns with a high proportion of technology companies, the purpose was to analyze the impact of the country's technological competitiveness, such as 'technology human resource index', 'R&D index', and 'technology infrastructure index', on the increase in unicorn companies. For statistical analysis, data published by various international organizations, the Bank of Korea, and Statistics Korea from 2017 to 2020 and unicorn company data compiled by CB Insights were used as panel data for 44 countries to be tested by multiple regression analysis. As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the number of science majors had a positive (+) effect on the increase of unicorn companies in the case of technology human resource index, and in the case of R&D index, the total amount of R&D investment had a positive (+) effect on the increase of unicorn companies, while the number of Triad Patents Families and the number of scientific and technological papers published had a negative (-) effect on the increase of unicorn companies. Finally, in the case of technology infrastructure index, it was confirmed that the number of the world's 500th-ranked universities had a positive (+) effect on the increase of unicorn companies. This study is the first to reveal the causal relationship between national technological competitiveness and unicorn company growth based on country-specific and time-series empirical data, which were insufficiently covered in previous studies. and compared to the UN's ranking of the global industrial competitiveness index and the OECD's total R&D investment by country, Korea is considered to have technological and growth potential, while the number of unicorn companies driving growth as leaders of the innovative economy is relatively small, so the research results can be used when establishing policies to discover and foster unicorn companies in the future.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.105-116
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• 2023

While there have been studies on the impact of government financial support on the performance of these enterprises, there is limited research on how entrepreneurs' perceptions of such policies affect business performance. Additionally, there is scarce domestic research on the role of entrepreneurial persistence in achieving and sustaining entrepreneurial goals and its impact on business performance. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze how entrepreneurs' perceptions of government policy support affect business performance and to explore the mediating effect of entrepreneurial persistence, shedding light on the significance of perceptions and deepening the understanding of entrepreneurial persistence. This study utilizes entrepreneurs' perceptions of government support for South Korean small and venture enterprises, and entrepreneurship as independent variables, with entrepreneurial persistence as a mediating variable and non-financial performance of businesses as the dependent variable. Data was collected through surveys targeting founders, CEOs, and executives of small and venture enterprises. After excluding incomplete responses, a total of 205 survey responses were used for hypothesis testing. The results of this study are as follows. First, it was verified that the perception of SME policy support and entrepreneurship have a significant positive impact on business performance. Second, it was verified that entrepreneurial persistence partially mediates the relationship between the perception of SME policy support and entrepreneurship and business performance. The theoretical implications of this study are twofold. First, it highlights the significant positive impact of entrepreneurs' perceptions of policy support on the non-financial performance of small and venture enterprises. This contributes to the theoretical understanding by demonstrating that entrepreneurs' perceptions play a role in affecting business performance, in contrast to previous research that focused on the impact of policy financial support on business performance. Second, this study extends the theoretical understanding of entrepreneurial persistence, a relatively understudied concept in domestic research, by demonstrating its mediating role in the relationship between entrepreneurs' perceptions of government support and, entrepreneurship, and business performance. Practically, the study suggests that to enhance the performance of small and venture enterprises, the government should not only expand policy support but also seek ways to increase entrepreneurs' perceptions of such support.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.50
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam) is an economically important root crop and a valuable source of nutrients, processed foods, animal feeds, and pigment materials. However, during post-harvest storage, storage roots of sweet potatoes are susceptible to decay caused by various microorganisms and diseases. Post-harvest curing is the most effective means of healing wounds and preventing spoilage by microorganisms during storage. In this study, we aimed to identify proteins involved in the molecular mechanisms related to curing and study proteomic changes during the post-curing storage period. For this purpose, changes in protein spots were analyzed through 2D-electrophoresis after treatment at 33℃ (curing) and 15℃ (control) for three days, followed by a storage period of eight weeks. As a result, we observed 31 differentially expressed protein spots between curing and control groups, among which 15 were identified. Among the identified proteins, the expression level of 'alpha-amylase (spot 1)' increased only after the curing treatment, whereas the expression levels of 'probable aldo-keto reductase 2-like (spot 3)' and 'hypothetical protein CHGG_01724 (spot 4)' increased in both the curing and control groups. However, the expression level of 'sporamin A (spot 10)' decreased in both the curing and control treatments. In the control treatment, the expression level of 'enolase (spot 14)' increased, but the expression levels of 'chain A of actinidin-E-64 complex+ (spot 19)', 'ascorbate peroxidase (spot 22)', and several 'sporamin proteins (spot 20, 21, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30, and 31)' decreased. These results are expected to help identify proteins related to the curing process in sweet potato storage roots, understand the mechanisms related to disease resistance during post-harvest storage, and derive candidate genes to develop new varieties with improved low-temperature storage capabilities in the future.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2024

This experiment was conducted at the affiliated farm of the Suncheon University from 2022 to 2023 to investigate the growth, yield, and quality characteristics of soybeans based on the treatment method of Methyl Sulfony Methane (MSM) for the establishment of stable production practices. In the initial investigation of growth characteristics in 2022, an increasing trend in characteristics such as plant height, stem thickness, and branching index was observed as the treatment concentration increased from 50% to 200%. Yield components also followed the same trend, with the basal fertilization + top dressing 3 times at 200% treatment showing the highest yield at 355 kg·10a^-1, with the highest number of pods. In the subsequent study to determine the optimal concentration exceeding 200% in 2023, growth characteristics showed a trend of 400% > 200% > 800%. The basal fertilization + top dressing 3 times at 400% treatment exhibited the longest plant height (106.7 cm) and the most branches (6). In terms of seed quality, this treatment also had the highest proportion (66.9%) of seeds with a diameter over 6.7 mm. Additionally, in yield components such as pods, seeds per pod, and 100-seed weight, the basal fertilization + top dressing 3 times at 400% treatment showed the highest values, resulting in a maximum yield of 374 kg·10a^-1, representing a 23.4% increase compared to the control. Therefore, for the optimal production of high-quality soybeans, it is recommended to apply the treatment of basal fertilization + top dressing 3 times at 400% concentration, with top dressing occurring at 30-day intervals before harvest.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.421-435
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• 2024

In April 2023, a wildfire broke out in Gangneung located in the east coast region due to the influence of the Yanggang-local wind. In this study, GIS-based RUSLE(Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) and SEMMA (Soil Erosion Model for Mountain Areas) were used to evaluate the erosion rate due to vegetation recovery in a small watershed of the Gangneung WUI(Wildland-Urban Interface) fire. The small watershed of WUI fire has a low altitude range of 10-30 m and the average slope of 10.0±7.4° which corresponds to a gentle slope. The soil texture was loamy sand with a high organic content and the deep soil depth. As herbaceous layer regenerated profusely in the gully after the wildfire, the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) reached a maximum of 0.55. Simulation results of erosion rates showed that RUSLE ranged from 0.07-94.9 t/ha/storm and SEMMA ranged from 0.24-83.6 t/ha/storm. RUSLE overestimated the average erosion rate by 1.19-1.48 times compared to SEMMA. The erosion rates were estimated to be high in the middle slope where burned pine trees were widely distributed and the slope was steep and to be relatively low in the hollow below the gully where herbaceous layer recovers rapidly. SEMMA showed a rapid increase in erosion sensitivity under at certain vegetation covers with NDVI below 0.25 (Ic = 0.35) on post-fire hillslopes. Gentle slopes with high organic content and rapid recovery of natural vegetation had relatively low erosion rate compared to steep slopes. As subsequent infrastructure and human damages due to sediment disaster by heavy rain is anticipated in WUI fire areas, the research results may be used as basic data for targeted management and decision making on the implementation of emergency treatment after the wildfire.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.78-87
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• 2023

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) concentrations on fruit quality of small-sized RubyS apples during cold storage. After harvesting, the fruits were treated with 1-MCP at 0.5 or 1 µL/L concentrations and, subsequently, stored at 0℃ for 6 months. After 6 months, the flesh firmness of untreated fruits, which was 85.4 N at harvest, had gradually decreased to 46.5 N; however, that of 1-MCP-treated fruits was maintained at 59.1 and 59.5 N. Titratable acidity (TA) of untreated fruits had also decreased from 0.42 to 0.24%, whereas that of 1-MCP-treated fruits was maintained at 0.26 and 0.27%. Soluble solids content (SSC) did not differ in all fruits. However, the 1-MCP-treated fruits had lower levels of SSC/TA ratio than untreated fruits. Moreover, after 6 months, the ethylene production had increased to 47.0 µL/kg/h in the untreated fruits, whereas 1-MCP blocked the ethylene production at 1.4 and 1.7 µL/kg/h. The weight loss and peel color variables remained unaffected by 1-MCP treatments. Thus, these results indicated that, for RubyS apples, the storability was only 2 months at 0℃ without treatment, which can be extended to 6 months with 1-MCP treatments. The application of 1-MCP at 0.5 µL/L concentration is effectively and economically sufficient to maintain the quality of RubyS apples.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1012-1028
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• 2023

The findings of this study confirmed the alteration of β-glucosidase activity, nutritional constituents, isoflavones, antioxidant activities, and digestive enzyme inhibition activities in soybeans during solid-state fermentation times with mycelia of Tricholoma matsutake. After nine days, the highest activity level was observed for β-glucosidase (3.90 to 38.89 unit/g) and aglycones (163.03 to 1,074.28 ㎍/g). The sum of isoflavones showed a significant decrease (3,489.41 to 1,325.66 ㎍/g) along with glycosides (2,753.87 to 212.43 ㎍/g) for fermentation, while fatty acids showed a slight increase and amino acids showed a marked increase. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents showed a corresponding increase according to fermentation times (5.58 to 15.09 GAE mg/g; 0.36 to 1.58 RE mg/g). Antioxidant and enzyme inhibition activities also increased; in particular, the highest level of scavenging activities was observed for ABTS (up 60.13 to 82.08%), followed by DPPH (up 63.92% to 71.98%) and hydroxyl (up 36.01 to 52.02%) radicals. Of particular interest, α-glucosidase (6.69 to 83.49%) and pancreatic lipase inhibition (1.22 to 77.43%) showed a marked increase. These results demonstrated that fermentation of soybeans with the mycelia of T. matsutake enhanced the nutritional and functional constituents, and the biological activities of soybeans. Thus, this fermentation technology can be used to produce a novel functional materials from soybeans.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.109-121
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• 2023

This study was conducted to evaluate vitamin D intake of Koreans in a total diet study (TDS) and to determine the effect of irradiation on vitamin D synthesis in mushrooms. For analysis, sample were saponified and extracted with hexane, and vitamin D was quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Based on the validation results, the recovery of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standard reference sample (SRM) 1849a was 96.7% and the z-score of -1.6 was obtained by the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS) proficiency test (PT) 21115. Vitamin D₂ was not detected in any samples, and the highest level of vitamin D₃ was detected in mackerel and anchovies ranging from 24.2 to 120.2 ㎍/kg. The mean daily intake of vitamin D was 0.99 ㎍/day, as estimated from the vitamin D contents of the analyzed foods and their corresponding intake. The adequate intake (AI) of vitamin D based on the Dietary reference intakes for Koreans provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare is 5-15 ㎍/day for Koreans aged 6 to 75 years. Compared with this AI, vitamin D intake of Koreans estimated in this study was inadequate. For that, the increased vitamin D content in ultraviolet (UV)/sun light irradiated mushrooms warrants further research to increase vitamin D intake of Koreans through diet.