• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.943-952
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on corporate governance attributes and firm performance association. This research used a sample of 188 non-financial firms from the Malaysian market for the years 2019-2020. We found that the COVID-19 has affected all firm characteristics including firm performance, governance structure, dividend, liquidity, and leverage level, yet, the difference between prior and post COVID-19 pandemic is not significant. Also, the investigation revealed that board size exerts a significant positive impact on firm performance. After splitting the sample based on year, however, we found that board size does not matter in the uncertain time of the current crisis, while board diversity appeared to be significantly enhancing firm performance in the crisis time compared to the prior year where it has an inverse association with firm performance in both indicators. Board meetings and audit committee meetings seemed to have a significant negative influence on firm performance pre and post-COVID-19. This study contributes to the limited literature by providing the first empirical evidence on the impact of Coronavirus on the firm performance and corporate governance association.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.31-47
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• 2020

Recently, as the COVID-19 has spread and prolonged worldwide, the 'Untact' society is becoming routinized, and various smart technologies are leading to the spread of the 'Ontact' culture. This is because the desire of consumers to purchase a product and use the service has increased while minimizing the direct contact. In order to quickly respond to this circumstance, the percentage of the companies which are adopting Chatbot in various fields such as orders, delivery, and inquiries is increasing and they are getting a positive result. However as the demand for building Chatbot increases dramatically, there are many confusions among the companies which want to introduce Chatbot to their system, due to the lack of professional technicians and difficulties in understanding AI technologies and how to build them effectively. I believe that in the post COVID-19 era, much more companies will adopt Chatbot, and this will intensify the problem. The purpose of this study was to derive the needs for a guide on the method of buiilding a Chatbot through considering the prior research on Chatbot and analysis of the recent surge in the use of Chatbot services related to COVID-19. There are implications to presenting 5 phases of universal Chatbot implementation methodology using the platform to the stakeholders who want to introduce Chatbot to their customer so that they can understand and build Chatbot more easily and use AI Chatbot actively in response to the POST COVID-19 era.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.396-412
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• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the clinical features of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and the efficacy and safety of Korean medicine treatment. Methods: This study was conducted on 15 patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome who visited the outpatient Allergy, Immune, and Respiratory System Department at Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital from January 10, 2021 to April 10, 2022. We retrospectively analyzed the charts of 15 patients and collected clinical characteristics, Korean medicine treatments, outcome variables (Numeral Rating Scale (NRS), modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC), Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), Quality of Life Visual Analog Scale (QOL-VAS), The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS)), adverse events, etc. Results: Of the 15 patients, seven (46.7%) were men, and the average age of all patients was 49.7±13 years. The most common symptom was cough (n=9, 60%), and it was followed by dyspnea or increased respiratory effort, fatigue, insomnia, anosmia, etc. The herbal medicine was prescribed for all 15 patients, and Saengmaek-san (n=8, 53.5%) was the most prescribed. Additionally, acupuncture and cupping were performed in four patients (26.7%) each, and electroacupuncture was applied to one patient (6.7%). As a result of Korean medicine treatment, NRS, mMRC, LCQ, QOL-VAS, and PCFS showed improvement, and adverse events were mild. Conclusions: This study presented the clinical features of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and suggested that Korean medicine treatment may be effective in alleviating related symptoms and enhancing quality of life.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.220-234
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• 2023

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the adherence to dietary guidelines among college students in the post-COVID-19 era and examine the changes in their dietary habits as the learning environment transitioned from remote to in-person classes. Methods: We conducted a survey involving 327 college students in Daejeon from March to April 2023. The survey questionnaires included various factors, including age, gender, type of residence, frequency of use of delivery food, convenience food, and eating out. In addition, we investigated the extent of adherence to the dietary guidelines for Koreans and the degree of dietary changes following the post-COVID-19 shift in class format were investigated. For comparative analysis of the level of adherence to dietary guidelines in relation to dietary habit changes, an ANOVA and a post hoc Scheffe test were employed. We also performed a multiple linear regression analysis to identify dietary factors influencing the level of adherence to dietary guidelines. Results: The study revealed a high rate of convenience food consumption and a low rate of homemade food intake among students. There was a marked increase in the consumption of processed foods, convenience foods, dining out, sweet foods, high-fat fried foods, beverages, and alcohol following the transition from online to in-person classes. When examining adherence to Korean dietary guidelines, the highest scored practice was 'Hydration', and the lowest was 'Breakfast habit'. Increased consumption of convenience foods, late-night snacks, and dining out were negatively correlated with adherence levels to dietary guidelines, specifically correlating with 'Healthy weight', 'Hydration', 'Breakfast habit', and the total score of adherence. The adoption of 'regular meals' was positively associated with increased adherence levels to dietary guidelines. Conclusions: The transition from remote to in-person classes post-COVID-19 led to increased intake of convenience foods, dining out, sweet foods, high-fat fried foods, and alcohol. The rise in convenience food and late-night snack consumption negatively influenced several aspects of the dietary guidelines adherence, thereby suggesting the need for strategies to encourage healthy dietary habits among college students.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2024

Objective: Vitamin D deficiency is a major problem for human health worldwide. The mechanisms of vitamin D in the male reproductive system are unknown. After coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines were developed, doubts were raised about their possible effects on male fertility. Based on vitamin D's function in the immune system, its potential role as an adjuvant for COVID-19 vaccines is intriguing. The aims of this study were to assess the effects of vitamin D first on sperm parameters and sex hormones, and then as an immune adjuvant on sperm parameters and sex hormones after study participants had received their second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Methods: Phase 1 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) included 72 men with idiopathic infertility, and phase 2 had 64 participants who received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Both groups were instructed to take 50,000 IU of vitamin D twice monthly for 3 months. Sperm parameters and sex hormones were assessed pre-and post-supplementation. Results: Regular vitamin D intake for 3 months significantly increased the participants' vitamin D levels (p=0.0001). Both phases showed a positive correlation between vitamin D intake and sperm parameters. Vaccination had no negative effects on sperm parameters and sex hormones. Vitamin D was associated with follicle-stimulating hormone (p=0.02) and testosterone (p=0.0001) in phase 2 after treatment. Conclusion: Our results support vitamin D supplementation as an immune adjunct to COVID-19 vaccination for improving sperm parameters and hormone levels. COVID-19 vaccination is not harmful for male fertility potential, and vitamin D is an effective factor for male fertility.

• Asian Journal of Business Environment
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to explore what factors that affect customer purchase decisions in the online environment, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic in the case of Vietnamese customers. Research Design, Data and Methodology: To clarify which factor has the most significant impacts on online purchasing decision-making process, this study proposed a research model including factors such as customer trust, proposensity to trust, system assurance, the quality of website design, attitude, and customer satisfaction. This study collected the data via online survey. Data analysis was conducted by AMOS 25.0 using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. Result: The results of this study shows that the purchase decisions were positively affected by customers' attitude, satisfaction, trust, and the quality of websites design. Additionally, factors such as perceived size and reputation and system assurance, have impacts on buyers' trust, while the propensity to trust has no significant impact. Conclusion: This study provides managerial implications. The results provide which factors should be improved to foster trust, attitude, customer satisfaction, and purchase decision in the online environment. The results also provide managerial implication on marketing strategies how to enhance better relationships with customers and to consider environmental issues in the era of post COVID-19.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.43-54
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• 2021

This study analysed changes in rural tourism between before and after COVID-19 using LDA topic analysis. In order to understand the changes in rural tourism, blog data including the keyword 'Gochang-gun travel' was used. As a result of LDA topic analysis with blog data retrieved, the study found nine topics in 2019 and 2020. 2019 and 2020 are, generally, consistent in topics, but the three topics related to rural experiential tourism that appeared in 2019 did not appear in 2020. In 2020, three new topics emerged: Beach vacations and campings. New travel activities of noncontact with other people(Untact tourism in Korean context) in the COVID-19 era, and The negative impacts on travel businesses and behaviours from COVID-19. Especially, the adverse effects of COVID-19 have made an enormous decline in rural experience tourism destinations and cancellation of local festivals. On the other hand, new tourism activities have emerged due to COVID-19. Those activities have included camping, drive-thru destinations, and cycling. Ecological and natural tourist sites such as Ungok Wetland, Seonunsan Mountain, Seonunsa Temple, and Gusipo Beach appeared. These tourist destinations have a quiet atmosphere and less density place noncontacting with other people when visiting. Also, because overseas travel has become difficult, long-term stay travel in rural areas has appeared. This study indicates that COVID-19 has less impacted rural tourism than other tourism destinations with these positive and negative impacts.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.52 no.11
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• pp.808-813
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• 2022

Studies showing that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease continue to be published. However, studies on how long the overall cardiovascular risk increases after COVID-19 and the magnitude of its long-term effects have only been confirmed recently. This is partly because the distinction between cardiovascular risk as an acute complication of COVID-19 or post-acute cardiovascular manifestations is ambiguous. Long-COVID has arisen as an important topic in the second half of the pandemic. This term indicates that symptoms persist for more than two 2 months; following three months of SARS-CoV-2 infection and cannot be explained by other medical conditions. Despite the agreement of these international organizations and experts, it is difficult to define whether there is sufficient medical evidence to prove the existence of long-COVID. However, the Korean government and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) are preparing a new platform to assess the long-term impact of COVID-19. Using this data, a prospective cohort of 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases will be established. This cohort will be linked with claims data from the National Health Insurance Services (NHIS) and it is expected that increased real-world evidence of long-COVID will be accumulated.

• 한국정보교육학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2021.08a
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• pp.283-288
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• 2021

In the COVID-19 situation, digital textbooks have been used in many schools. In order for digital textbooks to become active even in the post COVID-19 era, the functions of digital textbooks must be improved. Digital textbooks are traditional book-type textbooks with glossaries, video materials, and evaluation questions added. Recently, they are being used usefully for practical education by providing realistic contents such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and 360 images. Therefore, in this study, in order to prepare for the post COVID-19, we found the functional problems of digital textbooks and suggested a way to improve them. First, the layout of digital textbooks should be developed as a responsive layout, deviating from the same form as a book-type textbook. Second, digital textbooks and learning management systems must be integrated. Third, by developing a digital textbook for teachers, teachers should be able to directly reorganize the contents or add external materials. Fourth, learning analysis should be possible using data recorded in digital textbooks. Fifth, in the 2022 revised curriculum, various subjects should be developed as digital textbooks.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.27-36
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• 2022

Purpose: The coronavirus pandemic has affected the tourism industry in a big way. The travel industry suffered intense damage from the pandemic and procedures acquainted to containing its spread because the pandemic outbreak has led to a decline in the number of tourists and a change in their behavior. At this point, this research is to investigate adequate solutions for tourism industry to overcome the crisis in a post-Covid 19 era. Research design, data and methodology: The current author gathered data from each included study to analyze and summarize the evidence when conducting a literature analysis. This stage involves gathering and reviewing intricate texts databases for the meta-analysis. Results: The current author found total five solutions from numerous literature contents, suggesting how to overcome the crisis in a post-Covid era for tourism industry. Solutions as follows, (1) Drawing beginning illustrations, (2) Introducing Government Backing Programs, (3) Increasing Promotion of Tourism Destinations, (4) Enhancing Safety and Security Measures, and (5) Improving Infrastructure and Facilities. Conclusions: This research suggests that although the global economic recession leads to reduced demand and intense competition from other sectors, the tourism industry will be well positioned to weather these challenges if practitioners of tourism organizations follow five solutions of this research.