• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.430-441
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• 2023

Velvet antler is widely used as a traditional medicine, and numerous studies have demonstrated its tremendous nutritional and medicinal values including immunity-enhancing effects. This study aimed to investigate different deer velvet extracts (Sample 1: raw extract, Sample 2: dried extract, and Sample 3: freeze-dried extract) for proximate composition, uronic acid, sulfated glycosaminoglycan, sialic acid, collagen levels, and chemical components using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-light mass spectrometry. In addition, we evaluated the cytotoxic effect of the deer velvet extracts on BV2 microglia, HT22 hippocampal cells, HaCaT keratinocytes, and RAW264.7 macrophages using the cell viability MTT assay. Furthermore, we evaluated acute toxicity of the deer velvet extracts at different doses (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg) administered orally to both male and female ICR mice for 14 d (five mice per group). After treatment, we evaluated general toxicity, survival rate, body weight changes, mortality, clinical signs, and necropsy findings in the experimental mice based on OECD guidelines. The results suggested that in vitro treatment with the evaluated extracts had no cytotoxic effect in HaCaT keratinocytes cells, whereas Sample-2 had a cytotoxic effect at 500 and 1000 ㎍/mL on HT22 hippocampal cells and RAW264.7 macrophages. Sample 3 was also cytotoxic at concentrations of 500 and 1000 ㎍/mL to RAW264.7 and BV2 microglial cells. However, the mice treated in vivo with the velvet extracts at doses of 500-2000 mg/kg BW showed no clinical signs, mortality, or necropsy findings, indicating that the LD50 is higher than this dosage. These findings indicate that there were no toxicological abnormalities connected with the deer velvet extract treatment in mice. However, further human and animal studies are needed before sufficient safety information is available to justify its use in humans.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.783-790
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• 2023

Modern people have an increased incidence of metabolic diseases due to changed eating habits, and diabetes is considered the most significant metabolic disease. Given that existing diabetes treatments are accompanied by side effects, the aim of this study was to identify traditional natural products that have anti-diabetic activity. The potential anti-diabetic and antioxidant activities of natural products were examined using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay, α-glucosidase assay, and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibition assay. Methanol extracts of Ulmus davidiana var. japonica, Acer tegmentosum branches, Nelumbo nucifera seeds, and Carthamus tinctorius seeds were found to have high anti-diabetic activity and further fractionated with solvents using ethyl acetate and butanol. Consequently, the ethyl acetate fraction of C. tinctorius seeds (MG-11-E) with high α-glucosidase and PTP1B inhibitory activity was selected. MG-11-E was subjected to preparative thin layer chromatography, and fraction #6 showed high α-glucosidase and PTP1B inhibitory activity. Fraction #6 was analyzed and fractionated via high performance liquid chromatography with 50% methanol as the mobile phase, and anti-diabetic activity was observed in the sample that eluted after 4 min as a single peak. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity exhibited by this sample seemed to be greater than the PTP1B inhibitory activity; thus, it was concluded that a greater anti-diabetic therapeutic effect may be achieved by combining this agent with natural products that inhibit PTP1B activity.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.217-242
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing the logistics demand of inland ports along the Yangtze River and predict future port logistics demand based on these factors. The logistics demand prediction using system dynamics techniques was conducted for a total of six ports, including Chongqing and Yibin ports in the upper reaches, Jingzhou and Wuhan ports in the middle reaches, and Nanjing and Suzhou ports in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The logistics demand for all ports showed an increasing trend in the mid-term prediction until 2026. The logistics demand of Chongqing port was mainly influenced by the scale of the hinterland economy, while Yibin port appeared to heavily rely on the level of port automation. In the case of the upper and middle reach ports, logistics demand increased as the energy consumption of the hinterland increased and the air pollution situation worsened. The logistics demand of the middle reach ports was greatly influenced by the hinterland infrastructure, while the lower reach ports were sensitive to changes in the urban construction area. According to the sensitivity analysis, the logistics demand of ports relying on large cities was relatively stable against the increase and decrease of influential factors, while ports with smaller hinterland city scales reacted sensitively to changes in influential factors. Therefore, a strategy should be established to strengthen policy support for Chongqing port as the core port of the upper Yangtze River and have surrounding ports play a supporting role for Chongqing port. The upper reach ports need to play a supporting role for Chongqing port and consider measures to enhance connections with middle and lower reach ports and promote the port industry. The development strategy for inland ports along the Yangtze River suggests the establishment of direct routes and expansion of the transportation network for South Korean ports and stakeholders. It can suggest expanding the hinterland network and building an efficient transportation system linked with the logistics hub. Through cooperation, logistics efficiency can be enhanced in both regions, which will contribute to strengthening the international position and competitiveness of each port.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.166-177
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• 2023

The giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) suffers economic losses in aquaculture facilities due to problems such as poor body color and carapace weakness. While this species is farmed on an animal-based diet, in the wild it consumes a detritus diet with a high proportion of plant matter. The plant matter they consume in the wild is not only a source of basic nutrients, but also carotenoids, which are responsible for body color. Korean goldenbell (Forsythia koreana) is a flowering tree widely distributed in Korea, and its leaves contain carotenoids comparable to yellow carrots. In this study, we investigated the effects of feeding Forsythia leaves to M. rosenbergii on their body color and health. The experimental diets were 100% commercial feed (control), CON, 80% commercial feed plus 20% Forsythia leaf powder, FP, and 80% commercial feed plus 20% unprocessed Forsythia leaves, FL, and each diet was fed to juvenile prawn with an average weight of 1.1 ± 0.2 g for 10 weeks. In terms of body color, the CON prawn were consistently clear ivory in color, while the FP and FL prawn changed from blue to dark brown as the days of rearing progressed. Survival and growth were not significantly different between CON and FP or FL. Histological comparison of the hepatopancreas revealed that the vacuole size of B cells, the constituent cells of the hepatopancreatic tubule, was significantly larger in FP and FL compared to CON. The vacuoles of B cells are responsible for the absorption and digestion of nutrients, suggesting that the supply of Forsythia leaves may have had a positive effect on the health of the M. rosenbergii. The above results show that the use of Forsythia leaves in the aquaculture of M. rosenbergii can be expected to improve body color and health without inhibiting growth.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.23-40
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• 2023

This study examines the customer value factors affecting the intention to continue using the mobile app of department stores, which are traditional offline retailers, in the retail industry that is rapidly digitalizing and becoming mobile. This study clarifies multidimensional customer value in three dimensions; functional, convenience, and social. Functional value refers to the integrated channel, and consistent customer experience provided between channels in the omnichannel retail environment, while convenience value is the convenience of saving time and effort save while customers use a mobile app. Social value refers to the improvement of social approval or social self-concept occurring due to the use of products or services related to green marketing within the mobile app of the department store. The influence of each on the dependent variable, the mobile app's continuous use intention, was analyzed by using the three dimensions of customer value as independent variables. Data was collected from customers who have a history of using the mobile app of Shinsegae Department Store in Korea, and a confirmatory analysis was conducted using Smart PLS 4.0. The analysis results showed that all three dimensions of customer value; functional value, convenience value, and social value, had a positive (+) influence on customers' intention to continue using the mobile app, and the influence of functional value had the greatest impact. As functional value appears to be the most important influencing factor due to the omnichannel retail trend by advancement of technology, it suggests that it is important for department stores, and offline retailers, to provide integrated channels. This provides insights into the direction of customer-centered strategy formulation for activating department store mobile apps and suggests basic analytical data for customized services and marketing activities that department stores can effectively meet the changing expectations and demands of customers through new mobile channels rather than existing offline channels.

• Journal of Venture Innovation
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.41-62
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• 2023

Given that SME workers are the driving force of national competitiveness and the basis and cornerstone of the industry, it is meaningful to study workers' job satisfaction and the factors that affect job satisfaction. In addition to variables related to corporate competitiveness and organizational justice, this study introduced variables such as environmental(E) activities, social(S) activities, and governance(G) activities, which th national government uses as major management evaluation indicators. Therefore, a literature study and empirical analysis were conducted on how self-efficacy affects job satisfaction when workers are faced with a changed work environment. To conduct this study, 300 copies of data were collected from workers in small and medium-sized enterprises and used for analysis. For data analysis, the SPSS statistical program (Ver. 25.0) was used. The study finds, first, that product or service quality and employee competency among corporate competitiveness had a significant positive(+) effect on job satisfaction. Secondly, among ESG management activities, social(S) activities and governance(G) activities were found to have a significant positive(+) effect on job satisfaction. Third, among organizational justice, distribution justice and procedural justice were found to have a positive(+) effect on job satisfaction. Fourth, self-efficacy was found to mediate the effect of product or service quality, employee competency, social(S) and governance(G) activities among ESG management activities, and procedural justice among organizational justice on job satisfaction. The academic value of this study is that it empirically analyzed the factors that ESG management activities affect workers' jobs,. As a result, it was confirmed that workers were satisfied with their jobs by actively showing interest in social(S) activities and governance(G) activities among ESG management activities and participating in corporate management. In addition, workers sensitive to changes in the external environment can become satisfied with their jobs through self-efficacy when SMEs actively enhance corporate competitiveness, execute ESG management activities, and provide a fair organizational culture. Finally, this study suggests that there's a possibility of improving the competitiveness of SMEs through a virtuous cycle created by a change in perception of job conversion and a decrease in turnover.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.1002-1014
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• 2023

The root of Cirsium japonicum var. maackii (Maxim.) has long been used in traditional medicine to prevent the onset and progression of various diseases and has been reported to exert a wide range of physiological effects, including antioxidant activity. However, research on its effects on hepatocytes remains scarce. This study used the human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cell line to investigate the antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of C. japonicum root (EECJ) on hepatocytes. Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was used to mimic oxidative stress. The results showed that EECJ significantly reverted the decrease in cell viability and suppressed the release of lactate dehydrogenase in HepG2 cells treated with H₂O₂. Moreover, an analysis of changes in cell morphology, flow cytometry, and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3) expression showed that EECJ significantly inhibited HepG2 cell autophagy induced by H₂O₂. Furthermore, it attenuated H₂O₂-induced apoptosis and cell cycle disruption by blocking intracellular reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial superoxide production, indicating strong antioxidant activity. EECJ also restored the decreased levels of intracellular glutathione (GSH) and enhanced the expression and activity of superoxide dismutase and GSH peroxidase in H₂O₂-treated HepG2 cells. Although an analysis of the components contained in EECJ and in vivo validation using animal models are needed, these findings indicate that EECJ is a promising candidate for the prevention and treatment of oxidative stress-induced liver cell damage.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.229-256
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• 2023

The increase in telecommuting and household electricity demand due to the pandemic has led to significant changes in electricity demand patterns. This has led to difficulties in identifying KEPCO's PPA (power purchase agreements) and residential solar power generation and has added to the challenges of electricity demand forecasting and grid operation for power exchanges. Unlike other energy resources, electricity is difficult to store, so it is essential to maintain a balance between energy production and consumption. A shortage or overproduction of electricity can cause significant instability in the energy system, so it is necessary to manage the supply and demand of electricity effectively. Especially in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the importance of data has increased, and problems such as large-scale fires and power outages can have a severe impact. Therefore, in the field of electricity, it is crucial to accurately predict the amount of power generation, such as renewable energy, along with the exact demand for electricity, for proper power generation management, which helps to reduce unnecessary power production and efficiently utilize energy resources. In this study, we reviewed the renewable energy generation forecasting system, its objectives, and practical applications to construct optimal aggregated power resources using data from 169 power plants provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, developed an aggregation algorithm considering the settlement of the forecasting system, and applied it to the analytical logic to synthesize and interpret the results. This study developed an optimal aggregation algorithm and derived an aggregation configuration (Result_Number 546) that reached 80.66% of the maximum settlement amount and identified plants that increase the settlement amount (B1783, B1729, N6002, S5044, B1782, N6006) and plants that decrease the settlement amount (S5034, S5023, S5031) when aggregating plants. This study is significant as the first study to develop an optimal aggregation algorithm using aggregated power resources as a research unit, and we expect that the results of this study can be used to improve the stability of the power system and efficiently utilize energy resources.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.57-71
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception and demand of local youth and to find ways to support universities in order to create an youth start-up ecosystem. To this end, 509 young people living in Seoul were analyzed to recognize and demand young people in the region for youth start-ups, and to support universities. The findings are as follows. First, as a result of analyzing young people's perception of youth start-ups in the region, the "Youth Start-up Program" was analyzed the highest in terms of the demand for regional programs by university. In addition, there was a high perception that the image of youth startups in the region was "challenging" and "good for changing times." Second, after analyzing the demand for support for youth start-ups in the region, it appeared in the order of mentoring, start-up education, and creation of start-up spaces. And it showed different needs for different ages. Third, the results were derived from analysis of the demand for university support for the creation of a regional youth start-up ecosystem, the criteria for selecting local youth start-up support organizations, and the period of participation in local youth start-up support. Based on the results of the above research, the implications and suggestions of university support for the creation of a community of youth start-up ecosystem are as follows. First of all, it is necessary to develop and operate sustainable symbiosis mentoring programs focusing on university's infrastructure and regional symbiosis. Second, it is necessary to develop and utilize step-by-step systematic microlearning content based on the needs analysis of prospective youth start-ups. Third, it is necessary to form an open youth start-up base space for local residents in universities and link it with the start-up process inside and outside universities. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for establishing policies for supporting youth start-ups and establishing and operating strategies for supporting youth start-ups at universities.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.87-100
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• 2022

Early start-up companies have an inherent limitation of lack of resources. Despite these limitations, in order to survive, the entrepreneur's personal ability to efficiently use limited resources is required. In the marketing field, various studies are needed to reduce the business failure rate through establishing growth strategies and innovation. Accordingly, it is necessary to apply the concept of entrepreneurial marketing, which has been researched and developed overseas for 30 years, to fit the domestic reality. According to the flow of this study, an empirical study should be preceded to clarify the influence relationship between entrepreneurial marketing orientation, marketing competency, and management performance, along with a theoretical theorem on entrepreneurial marketing that is suitable for early start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) and can respond innovatively to changes. The establishment of entrepreneurial marketing orientation and the processes from which this concept leads to business performance through the organization's marketing capabilities and its effects will be empirically verified. For an empirical survey, a survey was conducted on founders of 220 companies, and path analysis using structural equations was used for hypothesis verification. The findings are as follows. First, it was found that the entrepreneurial marketing orientation had a positive effect on both the organization's marketing capabilities and management performance. Second, it was found that the organization's marketing capabilities also had a positive effect on management performance. Third, as a result of empirical analysis of the mediating effect of the organization's marketing capabilities on the relationship between entrepreneurial marketing orientation and management performance, it was found that marketing capabilities showed a greater mediating effect on non-financial performance than financial performance. On the other hand, it was confirmed that marketing performance had a stronger mediating effect on financial performance than non-financial performance. By confirming and presenting the concept and constituent factors of entrepreneurial marketing orientation of domestic start-ups, which were academic gaps for the purpose of this paper, the academic research is differentiated in that they were verified as six components of entrepreneurial marketing. The practical implications of the research results will be that the entrepreneurial marketing-oriented mindset of small and medium-sized companies will optimize market analysis capabilities, network with various stakeholders, and increase the organization's ability to demonstrate marketing capabilities.