• Title/Summary/Keyword: Global Crisis

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Messianism in Civilizational History: The Transformation of the Buddhist Messiah via Maitreya

  • DINH Hong Hai
    • Journal of Daesoon Thought and the Religions of East Asia
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.71-92
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    • 2024
  • The world we live in is becoming more convenient thanks to the inventions of science and technology. Still, the world is also becoming more and more unpredictable with the current situation of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity). The Covid-19 pandemic brought the biggest global disaster ever with 774,631,444 infected people and 7,031,216 deaths (WHO on February 11, 2024) but it seems that humanity is gradually forgetting this disaster. Meanwhile the economic stimulus packages worth trillions of dollars from governments after the pandemic have further caused the world debt bubble to swell. The bubble burst scenario is something that many economic experts fear. Apparently, in the transitional period of the early decades of the 21st century, the world's economic, cultural, political, social, natural, and environmental aspects have undergone profound transformations: from the real estate and finance crises in the United States since 2008; through the melting of the Arctic ice over the past several decades; to the double disaster of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. Especially, in the context of the world economic crisis after the COVID-19 pandemic, the human achievements of the past thousands of years are in jeopardy of being wiped out in an instant. Many people are predicting a bad scenario for a chain collapse. Facing the signals of an imminent economic catastrophe based on the appearance of "the Gray Rhino, Black Swan and White Elephant," many drawn in by Eschatological thought declare that Doomsday will occur shortly. This is the time for many other people to hope for the incoming Messiah. The Messiah is said to appear when people feel despair or suffer a great disaster because faith in the Savior can help them overcome adversity mentally. This research will find out how adherents of Buddhism view and deal with civilizational crises by examining history via symbols associated with Maitreya as based upon the Buddhist Messiah, Maitreya.

Exploring consumer awareness and attitudes towards eco-friendly packaging among undergraduate students in Korea

  • Quedahm Chin;Seungjee Hong
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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    • v.50 no.4
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    • pp.697-711
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    • 2023
  • The global waste crisis has been escalating and its consequent impact on soil, water, air pollution, and eventually climate change acceleration has shed light on the importance of reducing waste. Amidst COVID-19 and the following surge in single-use plastics for food delivery, waste generation is on the incline. Companies and governments have embarked on developing various eco-friendly packaging technologies, but their effectiveness on the consumers is vague as definitions of eco-friendly packaging are vague, and research on its link to purchase intention remains scarce. Thus, the adoption of eco-friendly packaging has been slow. To address this issue, this study analyzes the awareness and purchase intention of four visual attributes of eco-friendly packaging-material, verbal statement, eco-label, and color-along with the environmental consciousness among undergraduate university students in Korea through online surveys and the ordered logit regression model. The study distinguished the attributes into evidence-based and conjectural categories. The findings revealed that eco-friendly visual attributes had a positive effect on purchase intention amongst undergraduate students in Korea; however the level of environmental consciousness had marginal effect on the purchase intention of eco-friendly visual attributes. The level of effectiveness also varied with each visual element. Analyses revealed that visual attributes to eco-friendly material had marginal effect on purchase intention; color was deemed not an "Eco-friendly attribute" by most students, and although eco-friendly labels were deemed as an eco-friendly attribute, trust in the labels varied according to environmental consciousness. These findings have implications for businesses and policymakers aiming to promote eco-friendly consumption within packaged food products.

Proposal for Research Model of Agricultural and Fishery Farm Tower (수직형 농축수산 팜의 연구 모델 제안)

  • Young-Su Lee;Seung-Jung Shin
    • The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.69-76
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    • 2024
  • This dissertation developed a five-story vertical livestock and fisheries farm (palm tower) model for sustainable food production in cities. It proposes to integrate marine farms, livestock raising, and pesticide-free automated crop farms to efficiently use resources and minimize environmental impact. Based on circular economy principles, the model can recycle the output of each part into resources from the other, increasing the efficiency of the system, utilizing idle space in the city, and promoting job creation and community participation. It can also contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of food production and improving food safety. In addition, the study explores how advanced agricultural technologies can be integrated into urban structures to address global food security challenges. This model presents potential solutions to the food crisis caused by climate change and population growth, and suggests a direction for the development of urban agriculture. Future research should address the technical and policy challenges for practical implementation.

A Study on Reverse-water Gas Shift Reaction in Solid Oxide Water Electrolysis Cell-stack for CO2 Reduction (CO2 저감을 위한 고체산화물 수전해 스택의 역수성가스 전환 반응 고찰)

  • SANGKUK KIM;NAMGI JEON;SANGHYEOK LEE;CHIKYU AHN;JIN SOO AHN
    • Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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    • v.35 no.2
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    • pp.162-167
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    • 2024
  • Fossil fuels have been main energy source to people. However, enormous amount of CO2 was emitted over the world , resulting in global climate crisis today. Recently, solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) is getting attention as an effective way for producing H2, a clean energy resource for the future. Also, SOEC could be applicable to reverse water-gas shift reaction process due to its high-temperature operating condition. Here, SOEC system was utilized for both H2 production and CO2 reduction process, allowing product gas composition change by controlling operating conditions.

Evaluation of Edge-Based Data Collection System through Time Series Data Optimization Techniques and Universal Benchmark Development (수집 데이터 기반 경량 이상 데이터 감지 알림 시스템 개발)

  • Woojin Cho;Jae-hoi Gu
    • The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.453-458
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    • 2024
  • Due to global issues such as climate crisis and rising energy costs, there is an increasing focus on energy conservation and management. In the case of South Korea, approximately 53.5% of the total energy consumption comes from industrial complexes. In order to address this, we aimed to improve issues through the 'Shared Network Utility Plant' among companies using similar energy utilities to find energy-saving points. For effective energy conservation, various techniques are utilized, and stable data supply is crucial for the reliable operation of factories. Many anomaly detection and alert systems for checking the stability of data supply were dependent on Energy Management Systems (EMS), which had limitations. The construction of an EMS involves large-scale systems, making it difficult to implement in small factories with spatial and energy constraints. In this paper, we aim to overcome these challenges by constructing a data collection system and anomaly detection alert system on embedded devices that consume minimal space and power. We explore the possibilities of utilizing anomaly detection alert systems in typical institutions for data collection and study the construction process.

An Empirical Analysis of Post-Merger Risk Following the M&As of IT Firms (IT 기업의 인수합병 이후 수익율 변동성에 대한 실증 분석)

  • Young Bong Chang;YoungOk Kwon
    • Information Systems Review
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    • v.19 no.4
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    • pp.171-182
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    • 2017
  • Although economic growth has been retarded since the global economic crisis over recent decades, a large number of firms consider mergers and acquisitions (M and A) as a strategy to survive in a highly competitive market. In particular, an increasing number of firms pursue M and A with IT firms in recent years. In this study, we analyze the post-merger risks measured as ROA volatility for acquiring firms when they seek to acquire an IT firm. Our analysis suggests that a firm with prior experience in M and A acquires IT firms aggressively. Moreover, a substantial number of IT firms are relatively small and unlisted when they are acquired. We also show that an acquiring firm's post-merger risk (i.e., ROA volatility) increases after its acquisition of IT firms. However, an increase in post-merger risk is alleviated when relatedness exists between an acquiring firm and target.

Comparison of Solar Power Generation Forecasting Performance in Daejeon and Busan Based on Preprocessing Methods and Artificial Intelligence Techniques: Using Meteorological Observation and Forecast Data (전처리 방법과 인공지능 모델 차이에 따른 대전과 부산의 태양광 발전량 예측성능 비교: 기상관측자료와 예보자료를 이용하여)

  • Chae-Yeon Shim;Gyeong-Min Baek;Hyun-Su Park;Jong-Yeon Park
    • Atmosphere
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    • v.34 no.2
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    • pp.177-185
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    • 2024
  • As increasing global interest in renewable energy due to the ongoing climate crisis, there is a growing need for efficient technologies to manage such resources. This study focuses on the predictive skill of daily solar power generation using weather observation and forecast data. Meteorological data from the Korea Meteorological Administration and solar power generation data from the Korea Power Exchange were utilized for the period from January 2017 to May 2023, considering both inland (Daejeon) and coastal (Busan) regions. Temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and precipitation were selected as relevant meteorological variables for solar power prediction. All data was preprocessed by removing their systematic components to use only their residuals and the residual of solar data were further processed with weighted adjustments for homoscedasticity. Four models, MLR (Multiple Linear Regression), RF (Random Forest), DNN (Deep Neural Network), and RNN (Recurrent Neural Network), were employed for solar power prediction and their performances were evaluated based on predicted values utilizing observed meteorological data (used as a reference), 1-day-ahead forecast data (referred to as fore1), and 2-day-ahead forecast data (fore2). DNN-based prediction model exhibits superior performance in both regions, with RNN performing the least effectively. However, MLR and RF demonstrate competitive performance comparable to DNN. The disparities in the performance of the four different models are less pronounced than anticipated, underscoring the pivotal role of fitting models using residuals. This emphasizes that the utilized preprocessing approach, specifically leveraging residuals, is poised to play a crucial role in the future of solar power generation forecasting.

Structure of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein for Therapeutic and Preventive Target

  • Jaewoo Hong;Hyunjhung Jhun;Yeo-Ok Choi;Afeisha S. Taitt;Suyoung Bae;Youngmin Lee;Chang-seon Song;Su Cheong Yeom;Soohyun Kim
    • IMMUNE NETWORK
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    • v.21 no.1
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    • pp.8.1-8.17
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    • 2021
  • The global crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to the most significant economic loss and human deaths after World War II. The pathogen causing this disease is a novel virus called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2). As of December 2020, there have been 80.2 million confirmed patients, and the mortality rate is known as 2.16% globally. A strategy to protect a host from SARS-CoV-2 is by suppressing intracellular viral replication or preventing viral entry. We focused on the spike glycoprotein that is responsible for the entry of SARS-CoV-2 into the host cell. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration/EU Medicines Agency authorized a vaccine and antibody to treat COVID-19 patients by emergency use approval in the absence of long-term clinical trials. Both commercial and academic efforts to develop preventive and therapeutic agents continue all over the world. In this review, we present a perspective on current reports about the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 as a therapeutic target.

The Direction of Christian Education in the Post COVID-19 (코로나19 시기 이후의 기독교교육의 방향)

  • Kim, Sung-Joong
    • Journal of Christian Education in Korea
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    • v.63
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    • pp.39-64
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    • 2020
  • COVID-19 is sweeping the world, and it is in crisis in all aspects of politics, economy, culture, and religion. As people experience the beginning and spread of COVID-19, wince and re-spread, the people are living in anxiety and depression. Because of the COVOD-19 crisis, Korean churches were unable to provide on-site worship, and online worship began, and churches that started on-site worship also performed online worship. In the case of church schools, the functions of fellowship and education were paralyzed and many are offering online Sunday service only. Many people eagerly want to go back to what it was before COVID-19, but it seems difficult because COVID-19 has become a global issue and a pandemic situation. We can't wait to get better out of this. In the COVID-19 crisis, the church was unable to properly handle the church's original work and to fully fulfill the mission of education. The response of many churches was to postpone the planned ministry to the second half of 2020. Now, we should try to set a new direction and prepare specifically to move in the new direction. With this perspective, this paper studied the direction of Christian education in the post COVID-19. Specifically, the theoretical basis of the direction of Christian education in the post COVID-19 was found in the theory of Agape's encounter, Catechesis theory, and diakonia theory, and specific directions were suggested according to these theories. Specifically, based on the theory of Agape's encounter, Christian education that emphasizes the encounter with the natural environment, Christian education that emphasizes the encounter among family members, Christian education that emphasizes the encounter among citizens of the world, and Christian education that emphasizes the encounter through online were presented. Based on the Catechesis theory, Christian education copping with the attack of heresy was presented. Finally, based on the diakonia theory, Christian education of service for society and Christian education of service based on data were presented.

A Study on the Financial Strength of Households on House Investment Demand (가계 재무건전성이 주택투자수요에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구)

  • Rho, Sang-Youn;Yoon, Bo-Hyun;Choi, Young-Min
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.12 no.4
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    • pp.31-39
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    • 2014
  • Purpose - This study investigates the following two issues. First, we attempt to find the important determinants of housing investment and to identify their significance rank using survey panel data. Recently, the expansion of global uncertainty in the real estate market has directly and indirectly influenced the Korean housing market; households demonstrate a sensitive reaction to changes in that market. Therefore, this study aims to draw conclusions from understanding how the impact of financial strength of the household is related to house investment. Second, we attempt to verify the effectiveness of diverse indices of financial strength such as DTI, LTV, and PIR as measures to monitor the housing market. In the continuous housing market recession after the global crisis, the government places top priority on residence stability. However, the government still imposes forceful restraints on indices of financial strength. We believe this study verifies the utility of these regulations when used in the housing market. Research design, data, and methodology - The data source for this study is the "National Survey of Tax and Benefit" from 2007 (1st) to 2011 (5th) by the Korea Institute of Public Finance. Based on this survey data, we use panel data of 3,838 households that have been surveyed continuously for 5 years. We sort the base variables according to relevance of house investment criteria using the decision tree model (DTM), which is the standard decision-making model for data-mining techniques. The DTM method is known as a powerful methodology to identify contributory variables for predictive power. In addition, we analyze how important explanatory variables and the financial strength index of households affect housing investment with the binary logistic multi-regressive model. Based on the analyses, we conclude that the financial strength index has a significant role in house investment demand. Results - The results of this research are as follows: 1) The determinants of housing investment are age, consumption expenditures, income, total assets, rent deposit, housing price, habits satisfaction, housing scale, number of household members, and debt related to housing. 2) The impact power of these determinants has changed more or less annually due to economic situations and housing market conditions. The level of consumption expenditure and income are the main determinants before 2009; however, the determinants of housing investment changed to indices of the financial strength of households, i.e., DTI, LTV, and PIR, after 2009. 3) Most of all, since 2009, housing loans has been a more important variable than the level of consumption in making housing market decisions. Conclusions - The results of this research show that sound financing of households has a stronger effect on housing investment than reduced consumption expenditures. At the same time, the key indices that must be monitored by the government under economic emergency conditions differ from those requiring monitoring under normal market conditions; therefore, political indices to encourage and promote the housing market must be divided based on market conditions.