The International Competitive Relationships of Three Leading Countries in the Global Shipbuilding Industry

South Korea, China, and Japan are three dominant countries in the global shipbuilding industry, and the competition between them has become more complex over time. The International Maritime Organization environmental regulations and the wave of Industry 4.0 have made the global shipbuilding industry more technology intensive than before. However, after the financial crisis of 2008, Chinas labor-intensive strategy outperformed the technology-intensive competitive strategy adopted by Japan and South Korea, and China was ranked first with the largest market share. This study sets out to explore whether Chinas labor-intensive strategy will remain superior to the technology-intensive one of Japan and South Korea. Specifically, we investigate how competitive relationships between the three countries changed after the 2008 global financial crisis. We also forecast how many ships each country will complete in through 2026. To analyze this dynamic competitive system, we use the three-dimensional Lotka-Volterra model, drawing on annual data reporting the number of ships built. The findings suggest that China has gained a competitive advantage over Japan since the 2008 global financial crisis, while South Korea has maintained a mutualistic relationship with both Japan and China. Our forecast suggests that China may lose its competitive advantage in the near future, if China does not embrace a more technology-intensive approach

The effect of collaborative innovation on ICT-based technological convergence: A patent-based analysis.

Collaborative innovation is widely recognized as an instrument to promote technological convergence. However, its effects on technological convergence remain debatable. Using firm-level panel data of patenting in the Korean ICT industry from 1980 to 2015, I examine the effects of four collaborative innovation types (i.e., Inter-firm, Inter-ICT firm, Firm-University, and Firm-Government Research Institution (GRI) on ICT-based technological convergence. The results reveal the magnitude of Inter-ICT firm collaborative innovation was found to be significant and largest. The effects of the remaining three collaborative innovation types were significant but inconsiderable. Governments may consider the differential effects of collaboration types when designing incentive systems to promote technological convergence

Collision Avoidance Algorithm for Satellite Formation Reconfiguration under the Linearized Central Gravitational Fields

A collision-free formation reconfiguration trajectory subject to the linearized Hill’s dynamics of relative motion is analytically developed by extending an algorithm for gravity-free space. Based on the initial solution without collision avoidance constraints, the final solution to minimize the designated performance index and avoid collision is found, based on a gradient method. Simple simulations confirm that satellites reconfigure their positions along the safe trajectories, while trying to spend minimum energies. The algorithm is applicable to wide range of formation flying under the Hill’s dynamics

Simple synthesis of multiple length-scale structured Nb2O5 with functional macrodomain-integrated mesoporous frameworks

We report the simple synthesis of macro-and mesostructured Nb2O5 that have functional submicrometer-sized particles (macro-domain) embedded in mesoporous frameworks (nanodomain). Resol can macrophase-separate by self-polymerization and co-assemble with niobia sol into mesostructured frameworks. The resultant materials increase the power conversion efficiency due to light-scattering capability of submicrometer-sized particles.111sciescopu

Kernel-based hierarchical structural component models for pathway analysis

Motivation: Pathway analyses have led to more insight into the underlying biological functions related to the phenotype of interest in various types of omics data. Pathway-based statistical approaches have been actively developed, but most of them do not consider correlations among pathways. Because it is well known that there are quite a few biomarkers that overlap between pathways, these approaches may provide misleading results. In addition, most pathway-based approaches tend to assume that biomarkers within a pathway have linear associations with the phenotype of interest, even though the relationships are more complex. Results: To model complex effects including non-linear effects, we propose a new approach, Hierarchical structural CoMponent analysis using Kernel (HisCoM-Kernel). The proposed method models non-linear associations between biomarkers and phenotype by extending the kernel machine regression and analyzes entire pathways simultaneously by using the biomarker-pathway hierarchical structure. HisCoM-Kernel is a flexible model that can be applied to various omics data. It was successfully applied to three omics datasets generated by different technologies. Our simulation studies showed that HisCoM-Kernel provided higher statistical power than other existing pathway-based methods in all datasets. The application of HisCoM-Kernel to three types of omics dataset showed its superior performance compared to existing methods in identifying more biologically meaningful pathways, including those reported in previous studies.N

Dose-dependent reduction of lymphocyte count and heart rate after multiple administration of LC51-0255, a novel sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 modulator, in healthy subjects

Aim: Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor mediates the egress of lymphocytes from lymphoid organs, and its inhibition results in a decreased number of circulating lymphocytes. The aim of the current study was to investigate the safety and pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of a novel sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor modulator, LC51-0255. Methods: A phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multiple dosing, dose-escalation study was conducted on healthy Korean male subjects. Results: After single and daily administration of LC51-0255 for 21 days, a dose-dependent decrease in lymphocyte count and heart rate was observed through 0.25-2 mg dose range of LC51-0255. The mean elimination half-life of LC51-0255 was 76-95 h. LC51-0255 was accumulated with a mean accumulation ratio of 5.17-6.64. During the study, LC51-0255 was generally well tolerated. The most common treatment-emergent adverse event was bradycardia. No clinically significant event of arrhythmia, including AV block, was observed. No clinically significant difference in blood pressure was observed between the dose groups. In other safety assessments, no clinically significant abnormalities were observed, except for bradycardia. Conclusion: Daily administration of LC51-0255 in the range of 0.25-2 mg resulted in a dose-dependent reduction of lymphocyte counts and heart rate. LC51-0255 is generally safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers.N

The pharmacokinetic, safety, and tolerability profiles of eslicarbazepine acetate are comparable between Korean and White subjects

Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a prodrug antiseizure medication for the treatment of focal seizures. ESL shows a well-established pharmacokinetic (PK)-pharmacodynamic relationship and has similar extrinsic epilepsy-related factors across ethnicities. This study evaluated and compared ESL safety, tolerability, and PK characteristics between Korean and White subjects. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single- and multiple-dose escalation study was conducted in healthy Korean and White adults. Participants randomly received a single dose and multiple oral doses of ESL (400-1600 mg) or placebo once daily for 11 days at a ratio of 8:2. Serial blood samples were collected to determine the plasma concentration of ESL and its metabolites (eslicarbazepine, [R-licarbazepine and oxcarbazepine). Safety and tolerability were assessed throughout the study. A total of 29 Korean and 20 White subjects completed the study. The PK profiles of the metabolites of ESL were similar between Korean and White subjects. The geometric mean ratio (90% confidence interval) of Korean to White subjects for the area under the concentration-time curve within a dosing interval of eslicarbazepine was 1.06 (0.97-1.17) and 0.96 (0.87-1.06) after multiple oral doses of 400 and 1600 mg ESL, respectively. Other PK parameters were also similar between the two ethnic groups. ESL was well-tolerated in healthy Korean and White subjects, and its PK characteristics were similar between the two ethnic groups. The results of this study support to use the same dosage regimen of ESL in both White and Korean patients with seizures.N

Safety, Tolerability, and Serum/Tear Pharmacokinetics of Human Recombinant Epidermal Growth Factor Eyedrops in Healthy Subjects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics (PKs) of rhEGF eyedrops after the administration of single and multiple doses in healthy subjects. A phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and single-ascending dose (SAD) and multiple-ascending dose (MAD) study were conducted in three dose groups (10, 50, and 100 μg/mL). The subjects randomly received rhEGF eyedrops or the placebo in a 3:1 ratio. Serial blood and tear samples for PK analysis were collected up to 36 h and 180 h post-dose in SAD and MAD studies, respectively. In addition, the serum and tear EGF concentrations were measured. Immunogenicity evaluations were conducted using serum anti-EGF antibody levels. A total of 50 subjects were enrolled and 48 subjects completed the study. Adverse drug reactions were mild and transient. There were no serious adverse events in this study. The tear EGF concentrations rapidly increased and returned to baseline after 4 h without any serum EGF level change after the administration of rhEGF eyedrops. rhEGF eyedrops were safe and well-tolerated in healthy subjects in a dose range of 10–100 μg/mL, indicating suitability for further studies in patients with corneal injury

Comparison of the Effects of Pilates and Yoga Exercise on the Dynamic Balancing Ability and Functional Movement of Fencers

This study was conducted to compare and analyze whether Pilates exercise and yoga exercise help improve the performance of female fencers and prevent injury, and the dynamic balance test (LQ-YBT) and functional movement screening (FMS) test score of the elite adult female fencers were compared and analyzed as evaluation indicators. Participants were randomly classified into Pilates (n = 10) and yoga groups (n = 10), members of which took part in 50 min of exercise (5 min of warm-up, 40 min of main exercise, and 5 min of cool-down) twice weekly for eight weeks. The results obtained from this study were analyzed via independent t-test and 2-way ANOVA. The results were as follows: LQ-YBT measures (reaching distance) increased significantly for both groups, as did FMS scores (deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight-leg raise, trunk-stability push-up, and rotary stability). These results suggest that Pilates exercise and yoga exercise might be likely effective in improving the performance of adult female fencers and injury prevention by increasing their dynamic balance ability and functional movement