• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.429-438
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• 2023

The forest in the lower Tumen River serves as an important ecosystem spanning the territories of North Korea, Russia, and China, and it provides habitat and movement corridors for diverse mammals, including the endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris) and Amur leopard (Panthera pardus). This study focuses on the Mijiang area, situated as a potential ecological corridor connecting North Korea and China in the lower Tumen River, playing a crucial role in conserving and restoring the biodiversity of the Korean Peninsula. This study aimed to identify mammal species and estimate their relative abundance, occupancy, and distribution based on the 48 camera traps installed in the Mijiang area from May 2019 to May 2021. The results confirmed the presence of 18 mammal species in the Mijiang area, including large carnivores like tigers and leopards. Among the dominant mammals, four species of ungulates showed high occupancy and detection rates, particularly the Roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) and Wild boar (Sus scrofa). The roe deer was distributed across all areas with a predicted high occupancy rate of 0.97, influenced by altitude, urban residential areas, and patch density. Wild boars showed a predicted occupancy rate of 0.73 and were distributed throughout the entire area, with factors such as wetland ratio, grazing intensity, and spatial heterogeneity in aspects of the landscape influencing their occupancy and detection rates. Sika deer (Cervus nippon) exhibited a predicted occupancy rate of 0.48, confined to specific areas, influenced by slope, habitat fragmentation diversity affecting detection rates, and the ratio of open forests impacting occupancy. Water deer (Hydropotes inermis) displayed a very low occupancy rate of 0.06 along the Tumen River Basin, with higher occupancy in lower altitude areas and increased detection in locations with high spatial heterogeneity in aspects. This study confirmed that the Mijiang area serves as a habitat supporting diverse mammals in the lower Tumen River while also playing a crucial role in facilitating animal movement and habitat connectivity. Additionally, the occupancy prediction model developed in this study is expected to contribute to predicting mammal distribution within the disrupted Tumen River basin due to human interference and identifying and protecting potential ecological corridors in this transboundary region.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Society of Disaster and Security
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.45-59
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• 2023

The global focus on mitigating climate change has traditionally centered on carbon dioxide, but recent attention has shifted towards methane as a crucial factor in climate change adaptation. Natural settings, particularly aquatic environments such as wetlands, reservoirs, and lakes, play a significant role as sources of greenhouse gases. The accumulation of organic contaminants on the lake and reservoir beds can lead to the microbial decomposition of sedimentary material, generating greenhouse gases, notably methane, under anaerobic conditions. The escalation of methane emissions in freshwater is attributed to the growing impact of non-point sources, alterations in water bodies for diverse purposes, and the introduction of structures such as river crossings that disrupt natural flow patterns. Furthermore, the effects of climate change, including rising water temperatures and ensuing hydrological and water quality challenges, contribute to an acceleration in methane emissions into the atmosphere. Methane emissions occur through various pathways, with ebullition fluxes-where methane bubbles are formed and released from bed sediments-recognized as a major mechanism. This study employs Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests to analyze and quantify the factors influencing methane gas emissions. Methane production rates are measured under diverse conditions, including temperature, substrate type (glucose), shear velocity, and sediment properties. Additionally, numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the relationship between fluid shear stress on the sand bed and methane ebullition rates. The findings reveal that biochemical factors significantly influence methane production, whereas shear velocity primarily affects methane ebullition. Sediment properties are identified as influential factors impacting both methane production and ebullition. Overall, this study establishes empirical relationships between bubble dynamics, the Weber number, and methane emissions, presenting a formula to estimate methane ebullition flux. Future research, incorporating specific conditions such as water depth, effective shear stress beneath the sediment's tensile strength, and organic matter, is expected to contribute to the development of biogeochemical and hydro-environmental impact assessment methods suitable for in-situ applications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.654-669
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• 2021

Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of MRI in predicting the pathological complete response (pCR) and the residual tumor size of breast cancer after neoadjucant chemotherapy (NAC), and to determine the factors affecting the accuarcy. Materials and Methods Eighty-eight breast cancer patients who underwent surgery after NAC at our center between 2010 and 2017 were included in this study. pCR was defined as the absence of invasive cancer on pathological evaluation. The maximum diameter of the residual tumor on post-NAC MRI was compared with the tumor size of the surgical specimen measured pathologically. Statistical analysis was performed to elucidate the factors affecting pCR and the residual tumor size-discrepancy between the MRI and the pathological measurements. Results The pCR rate was 10%. The diagnostic accuracy of MRI and the area under the curve for predicting pCR were 90.91% and 0.8017, respectively. The residual tumor sizes obtained using MRI and pathological measurements showed a strong correlation (r = 0.9, p < 0.001), especially in patients with a single mass lesion (p = 0.047). The size discrepancy between MRI and the pathological measurements was significantly greater in patients with the luminal type (p = 0.023) and multifocal tumors/non-mass enhancement on pre-NAC MRI (p = 0.047). Conclusion MRI is an accurate tool for evaluating pCR and residual tumor size in breast cancer patients who receive NAC. Tumor subtype and initial MRI features affect the accuracy of MRI.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 2024

In ecosystems within limited resources, interspecific competition is inevitable, often leading to the competitive exclusion of inferior species. This study aims to provide foundational information for the conservation and restoration management of Microphysogobio rapidus by evaluating species' ecological response to biological factors within its habitat. To understand this relationship, we collected food web organisms from site where M. rapidus coexist with Microphysogobio yaluensis, a specie ecologically similar to M. rapidus, and evaluated the trophic levels (TL), isotopic niche space (INS), and the overlap of INS among fishes within the habitat using stable isotope analysis. Our analysis revealed that the M. rapidus exhibited a higher TL than M. yaluensis, with TL of 2.6 and 2.4, respectively. M. yaluensis exhibited a broad INS, significantly influencing the feeding characteristics of most fish. Conversely, M. rapidus showed a narrow INS and asymmetric feeding relationships with other species, in habitats with high competition levels. This feeding characteristics of M. rapidus indicate that the increase in competitors sharing the similar resources lead to a decrease in available resources and, consequently, is expected to result in a decrease in their density.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.35-43
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• 2024

Numerous methods have been applied to assess the antibacterial effectiveness of hand hygiene products. However, the different results obtained through various evaluation methods have complicated our understanding of the real efficacy of the products. Few studies have compared test methods for assessing the efficacy of hand hygiene products. In particular, reports on ex vivo pig skin testing are limited. This study aimed to compare and characterize the methodologies applied for evaluating hand hygiene products, involving in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo approaches, applicable to both leave-on sanitizers and wash-off products. Our further aim was to enhance the reliability of ex vivo test protocols by identifying influential factors. We performed an in vitro method (EN1276) and an in vivo test (EN1499 and ASTM2755) with at least 20 participants, against Serratia marcescens or Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. For the ex vivo experiment, we used pig skin squares prepared in the same way as those used in the in vivo test method and determined the optimal treated sample volumes for sanitizers and the amount of water required to wash off the product. The hand sanitizers showed at least a 5-log reduction in bacterial load in the in vitro test, while they showed little antibacterial activity in the in vivo and ex vivo tests, particularly those with a low alcohol content. For the hand wash products, the in vitro test was limited because of bubble formation or the high viscosity of the products and it showed low antibacterial activity of less than a 1-log reduction against E. coli. In contrast, significantly higher log reductions were observed in ex vivo and in vivo tests, consistently demonstrating these results across the two methods. Our findings revealed that the ex vivo and in vivo tests reflect the two different antibacterial mechanisms of leave-on and wash-off products. Our proposed optimized ex vivo test was more rapid and more precise than the in vitro test to evaluate antibacterial results.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.167-186
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• 2024

Since the 5th mathematics curriculum, the goals of mathematics education have been presented in three categories: cognitive, process, and affective goals. In the 2022 revised mathematics curriculum, the content system was also presented as knowledge-understanding, process-skill, and value-attitude. Therefore, in order to present lesson goals to students, it is necessary to present all three aspects that are the goals of mathematics education. Currently, the lesson titles presented in mathematics textbooks are directly linked to lesson goals and are the first source of information for students during class. Accordingly, this study analyzed how the three categories of lesson titles and content system presented in the 2015 revised 1st and 2nd grade mathematics textbook are connected. As a result, most lesson titles presented two of the three categories, but the reflected elements showed a tendency to focus on the categories of knowledge-understanding and process-skill. Some cases of lesson titles reflected content elements of the value-attitude category, but this showed significant differences depending on the mathematics content area. Considering the goals of mathematics lessons, it will be necessary to look at ways to present lesson titles that reflect the content elements of the value-attitude categories and also explore ways to present them in a balanced way. In particular, considering the fact that students can accurately understand the goals of the knowledge-understanding categories even without presenting them, descriptions that specifically reflect the content elements of the process-skill and value-attitude categories seem necessary. Through this, we attempted to suggest the method of presenting the lesson titles needed when developing the 2022 revised mathematics textbook and help present effective lesson goals using this.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.53-68
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• 2024

Generative AI is receiving a lot of attention around the world, and ways to effectively utilize it in the business environment are being explored. In particular, since the public release of the ChatGPT service, which applies the GPT-3.5 model, a large language model developed by OpenAI, it has attracted more attention and has had a significant impact on the entire industry. This study focuses on the emergence of Generative AI, especially ChatGPT, which applies OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model, to investigate its impact on the startup industry and compare the changes that occurred before and after its emergence. This study aims to shed light on the actual application and impact of generative AI in the business environment by examining in detail how generative AI is being used in the startup industry and analyzing the impact of ChatGPT's emergence on the industry. To this end, we collected company information of generative AI-related startups that appeared before and after the ChatGPT announcement and analyzed changes in industry, business content, and investment information. Through keyword analysis, topic modeling, and network analysis, we identified trends in the startup industry and how the introduction of generative AI has revolutionized the startup industry. As a result of the study, we found that the number of startups related to Generative AI has increased since the emergence of ChatGPT, and in particular, the total and average amount of funding for Generative AI-related startups has increased significantly. We also found that various industries are attempting to apply Generative AI technology, and the development of services and products such as enterprise applications and SaaS using Generative AI has been actively promoted, influencing the emergence of new business models. The findings of this study confirm the impact of Generative AI on the startup industry and contribute to our understanding of how the emergence of this innovative new technology can change the business ecosystem.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.50
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• pp.219-257
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• 2024

In this article The Woodcutter and the Fairy (나무꾼과 선녀) and Snake Bridegroom (구렁덩덩 신선비) are compared to explore the principles of conflict and harmony reflected in the 'separation-reunion' structure. These two works center on relationships; couples formed by the union of a divine being and an ordinary being. The woodcutter and his third daughter are the representatives of ordinary beings, while the fair maiden and the fresh rain are the representatives of divine beings, and the narrative emphasizes that the members of each couple are existentially different. This article focuses on the problems that arise due to existential differences in such relationships. Thus, in section 2, the narratives of The Woodcutter and the Fairy and Snake Bridegroom are shown to be based on the same structure. If the narrative of both works is analyzed centered on the relationship problem of couples, the sequence can be summarized as '(appearance and search) - encounter - connection - separation - reunion - test - passage.' And in this structure, the core of the narrative is especially contained in the 'separation-reunion' stage. The structure of a spouse leaving (separation) and a spouse returning (reunion) implies a reflection on the points that cause discord in a couple's relationship and the points that make unity possible. Accordingly, this article explores the narrative differences in the failure and success of reconciliation by examining how the 'leaver' and 'left-behind' spouses respond to this issue. In other words, it examines the factors that drive the process of relationship-change in the narratives of the two works, and attempts to capture the principles of reconciliation by capturing the causes of discord and the forces that bring about reconciliation. Through this, it can be found that The Woodcutter and the Fairy and Snake Bridegroom are works that convey the realization that a couple can continue their relationship by understanding and caring for the wishes of the world or the wishes of the other person. In other words, the two works tell readers that it is difficult to reach harmony through the will to continue the relationship, and that listening to the wishes of the world or one's spouse opens the way to true harmony.

• Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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• v.77
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• pp.63-84
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• 2024

Research Objective : The study aimed to investigate the satisfaction with the operation of theological university curricula from the perspective of learners experiencing the theological education curriculum in the field. The goal is to provide a basis for reflective introspection on the current theological education curriculum and for restructuring it to have influential impacts within the church and society. Content and Methodology : A survey was conducted with 80 learners currently enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, master's, and doctoral programs at a theological university to analyze satisfaction with current theological education programs. To interpret the survey results progressively, in-depth interviews were conducted with a randomly selected group of 6 participants. Survey Results : First, the satisfaction with the current theological education programs was found to be 60%, indicating a high level of satisfaction. Second, while 77.5% recognized the need for practical pastoral education, only 45.5% reported that practical pastoral education is currently provided in theological education programs, indicating a lower percentage than the perceived need. Third, 73.7% responded negatively regarding whether the current theological education programs can enhance pastoral competence for future society. Lastly, the areas identified as urgently requiring change for the restructuring of theological education programs were theological education content, methodology, and objectives, in that order. Conclusion and Recommendations : In an era of great transformation, our society is changing rapidly. In the face of this wave of change, the theological education curriculum also requires adaptation to suit the new era. Traditional theological education courses have primarily focused on imparting theory-centered knowledge. However, theological education in the new era necessitates a curriculum that enhances the pastoral capacity of churches and pastors to dynamically navigate through this era of significant transition. To achieve this, it is imperative to restructure the curriculum to one that is more closely related to the pastoral field. This involves offering a variety of constructivist-based, learner-centered teaching and learning methods within a theory-centered curriculum and methodology. Additionally, it entails establishing a practice-oriented theological school that can actively address the evolving pastoral landscape in this era of great transition. Restructuring of the process is essential to meet these goals.