This paper explores the relationships between the tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge, and innovativeness of International Joint Ventures (IJVs) based on knowledge-based and learning theories. In the ...context of IJVs, the relationship between knowledge (explicit and tacit) transfer and innovativeness is still complicated by many challenges. We conducted a survey of 199 IJVs in South Korea. A structural equation model was used to test hypothesized linkages. Our results confirm that explicit knowledge transfer is positively associated with innovativeness. The explicit knowledge transferred from the foreign parent to the IJV has a stronger impact on innovativeness than tacit knowledge does. Additionally, tacit knowledge proved to not exhibit a direct impact on the innovativeness of IJVs. The results provide strong support for the mediating role of explicit knowledge in the relationship between tacit knowledge transfer and an IJV's innovativeness. Finally, the strength of the relationship between only explicit knowledge transferred from a parent firm and an IJV's innovativeness increases with international work experience.
Due to structural demographic shifts, declining population, economic restructuring and deindustrialization, the number of shrinking cities has been increasing in South Korea. To tackle these ...challenges, policy makers have promoted entrepreneurial environments, largely absent in such cities, to accelerate rates of revitalization by attracting talented young knowledge workers. The creation of collaborative coworking spaces is one of these policy responses. However, there have been rising concerns over whether such coworking spaces are producing the expected outcomes. It is uncertain whether policy makers are encouraging the development of coworking spaces without strong evidence of their effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to find out what roles coworking spaces play in small and medium sized shrinking cities. A five-month study was conducted in 12 small and medium sized cities (<500,000 population) using two interrelated methods: 1) an online survey with users of coworking spaces in their 20s and 30s and 2) semi-structured interviews with the managing staff/owners of 4 coworking spaces. Based on the study, the research concludes that the coworking spaces played a key role in bringing young people together and helping them to start new businesses by providing proper hard and soft infrastructure, hosting events and sharing information and knowledge.
•The emergence, concept and expected outcomes of coworking spaces in relation to urban revitalization.•The demographic changes, economic restructuring and the increasing number of shrinking cities in Korea.•An online survey with users of coworking spaces in their 20s and 30s.•Semi-structured interviews with managing staff/owners of coworking spaces.•The roles and limitations of coworking spaces in shrinking cities in Korea.
•We analysed 22 minor and trace elements in milk and yogurts, using ICP-MS.•Method was validated by detection limits, precision, accuracy and recovery tests.•Essential elements were found making good ...contribution in accordance to RDA.•Zinc showed the highest concentration, followed by Rb, Se, Sr and Cr.•Toxic trace elements were found very low and did not pose any threat to consumers.
This study aimed at analysing the content of 22 minor and trace elements in milk and yogurts from South Korea, using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), after digestion using heating block. The analytical method was validated by detection limits, precision, accuracy and recovery experiments, obtaining satisfactory results in all cases. Results of both minor and trace elements were found mostly similar in all varieties of milk and yogurts studied. Copper and manganese were comparatively high in fruit mixed yogurts, while selenium was high in milk samples. The overall concentrations of minor elements were found to have good nutritional values in accordance to RDA. Zn showed the highest concentration, followed by Rb, Se, Sr and Cr. The level of toxic trace elements, including As, Cd and Pb were very low and did not pose any threat to consumers.
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•Campylobacter prevalence and contamination in South Korean broilers were assessed.•High Campylobacter prevalence (43.9%) was detected in South Korean retail markets.•The ...Campylobacter contamination level was 4.62 log CFU/carcass at the end of slaughter.•Farm parameters were the main factors for carcass contamination during slaughter.
This study investigated the prevalence and associated risk factors of Campylobacter in South Korean broilers using a random-effects meta-analysis. Subsequently, to facilitate the design of preventive measures, the prevalence estimate from the meta-analysis was incorporated into a stochastic risk assessment model to quantify the Campylobacter contamination levels on broiler carcasses. The baseline model was developed based on the most common practices along the South Korean broiler processing line, with no interventions. Meta-analysis results revealed Campylobacter prevalence across the chicken supply chain in the following order: farms (60.6 % 57.3–63.4), retail markets (43.90 % 24.81–64.99), slaughterhouses (27.71 % 18.56–39.21), and processing plants (14.50 % 3.96–41.09). The model estimated a 52 % (36.1–70.8) Campylobacter prevalence at the end of chilling, with an average contamination level of 4.62 (2.50–6.74) log CFU/carcass. Sensitivity analysis indicated that Campylobacter fecal shedding (r = 0.95) and the amount of feces on bird exteriors (r = 0.17) at pre-harvest were the main factors for carcass contamination, while soft scalding (r = -0.22) and air chilling (r = -0.12) can serve as critical control points (CCPs) at harvest. Scenario analysis indicated that a combination of hard scalding, inside-outside bird washing, spray washing, and chlorinated water immersion chilling can offer a 30.9 % reduction in prevalence and a reduction of 2.23 log CFU/carcass in contamination levels compared to the baseline model. Apart from disinfection and sanitation interventions carried out during meat processing, the implementation of robust control measures is indispensable to mitigate Campylobacter prevalence and concentration at broiler farms, thereby enhancing meat safety and public health. Furthermore, given the high Campylobacter prevalence in the retail markets, future studies should explore the potential risk of cross-contamination at post-harvest stage.
South Korea is a country with more than 1000 caves that support a high diversity of invertebrate species. Here we review the pseudoscorpion genus SpelaeochthoniusMorikawa, 1954 (family ...Pseudotyrannochthoniidae) that is exclusive to caves in Japan and South Korea and reinstated here as a valid taxon. Based on recent field collections, three species in this genus are described from South Korea: S. dentifer (Morikawa, 1970), comb. nov., S. cheonsooi sp. nov., and S. seungsookae sp. nov. Based on present-day knowledge about range sizes and morphological variability in this fauna, three Japanese taxa currently classified as subspecies are elevated to species rank: Pseudotyrannochthonius kobayashii akiyoshiensis (Morikawa, 1956) = Spelaeochthonius akiyoshiensisMorikawa, 1956, stat. nov., Pseudotyrannochthonius kobayashii dorogawanesis (Morikawa, 1956) = Spelaeochthonius dorogawaensisMorikawa, 1956, stat. nov.; and Pseudotyrannochthonius undecimclavatus kishidai (Morikawa, 1960) = Spelaeochthonius kishidai (Morikawa, 1960), stat. nov. We emphasize that no epigean Spelaeochthonius have ever been found despite considerable search effort in the forests of Japan and Korea, and that past glacial cycling may have resulted in the total extirpation of surface species in this lineage. We also note that all species are narrow-range endemics that may require conservation management.
In assessing the adverse effects of acid mine drainage (AMD), the chemistry of AMD and stream water (i.e., pH and toxic metal concentrations) has been accounted as important monitoring parameters and ...its characteristics are regulated in many countries. Yet for the precise evaluation of eco-toxicological effect on AMD receiving streams, a more comprehensive evaluation parameter has to be recognized as a mandatory parameter. In this study, eco-toxicological correlations between chemical properties of water and sediments collected from an AMD receiving stream were investigated at an abandoned mine site in Korea. The stream water in the AMD watercourse near the mine adit that is highly acidic and contains high concentrations of heavy metals, has been neutralized as the AMD became diluted with nearby natural stream water. The toxicity of stream water showed a relatively strong correlation with the pH and dissolved metal concentrations of water implying the toxic effects of stream water on its stream biota. In contrast, the toxicity results obtained from stream sediments hardly showed close correlation with the composition of toxic elements, particularly with enriched arsenic.
•Geochemical/toxicological characteristics of AMD stream and sediment were investigated.•Unlike sediment, stream water showed good toxicity to chemical property correlation.•Development of a suitable toxicity evaluation method that considers sediment is needed.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women have been classified as a vulnerable population. However, the evidence on the effect of infection during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes ...is still uncertain, and related research comprising a large population of pregnant women in Asian countries is limited. We constructed a national cohort including mothers and children (369,887 pairs) registered in the Prevention Agency-COVID-19-National Health Insurance Service (COV-N), from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022. We performed propensity score matchings and generalized estimation equation models to estimate the effect of COVID-19 on maternal and neonatal outcomes. In summary, we found little evidence of the effect of COVID-19 infection during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes; however, a relationship between COVID-19 infection in the second trimester and postpartum hemorrhages was discovered (Odds ratio (OR) of Delta period: 2.26, 95% Confidence intervals (CI): 1.26, 4.05). In addition, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions increased due to COVID-19 infection (pre-Delta period: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.31, 4.10; Delta period: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.47, 2.69; Omicron period: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.75, 3.18). Based on the national retrospective cohort study data, this study investigated the effects of COVID-19 infection on maternal and neonatal outcomes in Korea from the pre-Delta to the initial Omicron epidemic periods. Our evidence suggests that the timely and successful policies of the government and academia in response to COVID-19 infections in newborns in Korea may cause an increase in NICU admissions, but nonetheless, they prevent adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes simultaneously.
Headland-bay beaches (HBBs) are ubiquitous on Earth and many coastal scientists and engineers have attempted to define their planform since the 1940s, by employing laboratory tests, analytical tools, ...numerical models, and empirical equations. One of the latest attempts in numerical modeling is the development of a MATLAB-based GUI software called “MeePaSoL” to facilitate the application of the empirical parabolic model for HBBs. This visualization package can be applied to determine the predominant wave direction to the shoreline planform of a HBB in static equilibrium, and to minimize the uncertainty in locating downdrift control point while using other software. The background concepts (e.g., parabolic model, equilibrium beach and wave orthogonality hypothesis) are introduced, and the operation procedure with stepwise guides for applying MeePaSoL are given to assist the users. The reliability of MeePaSoL is validated by comparing the wave direction given by this package with that by the wave energy flux approach derived from field data. Examples of engineering applications are then demonstrated, covering local to regional wave direction, the effect of jetty/breakwater length and direction, harbor siltation in a macro-tidal environment, and devising engineering works for shoreline management in Korea. Sensitivity and uncertainty are also discussed.
●MATLAB-based GUI for shoreline management.●Determination the predominant wave direction from shoreline segment.●Transformation the PBSE to a fitted circle in polar coordinates.●Application to a wide range of prototypes of harbor works for shoreline management.
Transparency is considered a key value for trustworthy governments. However, the effect of transparency on citizens' trust across national cultures is overlooked in current research. This article ...compares the effect of transparency on trust in government in the Netherlands and South Korea. The effect is investigated in two similar series of three experiments. The authors hypothesize that the effect of transparency differs because the countries have different cultural values regarding power distance and short-and bngterm orientation. Results reveal similar patterns in both countries: transparency has a subdued and sometimes negative effect on trust in government. However, the negative effect in South Korea is much stronger. The difference in the magnitude of transparency's effect suggests that national cultural values phy a significant role in how people perceive and appreciate government transparency.
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•First precise documentation of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in Central Korean Peninsula.•Discovery of corundum + quartz assemblage testifying to extreme thermal ...conditions.•Metamorphic zircon grains define ages ranging from 1923 to 1823 Ma.•Correlation with the North China Craton within the Sino-Korean continental collage.
The Paleoproterozoic rock record from the Sino-Korean Peninsula was fundamental to the models on evolution of the Asian continental collage and its relationship with the amalgamation and disruption of Proterozoic supercontinents such as Columbia and Rodinia. In this study, we present results from a comprehensive investigation on the khondalites in the Hongseong area, along the western part of the Gyeonggi massif within the central Korean Peninsula involving petrography, phase equilibria forward modeling, and zircon U-Pb geochronology, REE geochemistry and Lu – Hf isotopes. The P-T pseudosections show that the peak mineral assemblage of garnet + sillimanite + quartz + plagioclase + K-feldspar + ilmenite in the khondalite is stable at 7.5–9.6 kbar and 895–990 °C, corresponding to ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphism. We also report the first finding of corundum and quartz inclusions within sillimanite enclosed in garnet porphyroblast further confirming UHT metamorphism. The interpreted P-T path involves decompression and exhumation along a clockwise trajectory as suggested by the retrograde textures and mineral phase equilibria modeling.
The detrital zircon U – Pb data from the khondalite show multiple age peaks for the magmatic population suggesting Neoarchean – Paleoproterozoic provenance. Metamorphic zircons from the khondalites yield ages of 1931 ± 33 Ma, 1871 ± 11 Ma and 1866 ± 10 Ma. The spot ages range from 1923 Ma to 1832 Ma suggesting either a long-lived metamorphic event or two distinct thermal events. The REE patterns of the zircon grains also clearly distinguish the magmatic and metamorphic populations. The garnet + sillimanite assemblage is considered to represent the peak UHT assemblage and the cordierite + biotite represents the post-peak retrograde assemblage. The ca. 1923–1832 Ma ages obtained in our study from metamorphic zircon domains correlate well with similar ages reported for metamorphism associated with the amalgamation of crustal blocks within the North China Craton. Our study suggests that the Late Paleoproterozoic UHT metamorphism in the central Korean Peninsula might be part of a common event within the Sino-Korean Craton related to the tectonics of final assembly of cratonic blocks within the Columbia supercontinent. Although a substantial volume of the Paleoproterozoic basement of the Korean Peninsula was destroyed and recycled during the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic tectonic events, the preserved remnants provide insights into the contiguity of the basements of the Korean Peninsula and the North China Craton.
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