Jaekyung Lee and Namsook Kim, “Aliens” on College Campuses: Immigrant and International Students’ Educational Opportunities and Challenges

We would like to start with a pop quiz. What is one of the common background characteristics of the following people (in categories 1 and 2 each)? (1) Madeline Albright (Former US Secretary of State), Kamala Harris (US Senator, Vice President Candidate), Sergey Brin (Google Co-Founder) (2) Kofi Annan (Former UN Secretary-General, Nobel Peace Laureate), Juan Manuel Santos (Former President of Columbia, Nobel Peace Laureate), Robin Yanhong Li (Baidu Co-Founder

A Strategy for Third-Party Logistics Systems: A Case Analysis Using the Blue Ocean Strategy

One of today’s most frequently discussed topics in the business world is how to escape from the intense Red Ocean and how to create an uncontested Blue Ocean. However, because there are few practical guidelines available on this topic, we will introduce a case study of a third-party logistics (3PL) provider, CJ-Global Logistics Service (CJ-GLS), to show how it aspires to be a leader in the newly introduced 3PL industry in South Korea. CJ-GLS is a latecomer in the logistics industry, and its resources, such as the number of trucks and warehouses, are relatively small in comparison to those of established companies. But, it has achieved a distinct competitive advantage through innovative information technology (i.e., RFID— radio frequency identification), which has enabled it to create an uncontested market space, electronic logistics business. One remarkable fact about CJ-GLS is that its swift growth comes not from attracting competitors’ customers from the existing Red Ocean market but from creating a Blue Ocean market (3PL market), which previously existing incumbents ignored, and also from constructing a new business model founded on a RFID-based, ubiquitous-oriented 3PL system. Analyzed through a Four Actions Framework and characterized as Blue Ocean, this case study provides valuable information on how a company reinforces its competitive advantage from the Red Ocean while it transitions into a Blue Ocean by utilizing advanced information communication technologies

Human Decision-Making Behavior and Modeling Effects

Previous research indicates that the human decision-making process is somewhat nonlinear and that nonlinear models would be more suitable than linear models for developing advanced decision-making models. In our study, we tested this generally held hypothesis by applying linear and nonlinear models to expert\u27s decision-making behavior and measuring the predictive accuracy (predictive validity) and valid nonlinearity. As a result, we found that nonlinearity in the decision-making process is positively related to the predictive validity of the decision. Secondly, in modeling the human decision-making process, we found that valid nonlinearity is positively related to the predictive validity of nonlinear models. Thirdly, we found that the more nonlinearity is inherent in the decision-making process, the more nonlinear models are effective. Therefore, we suggest that a preliminary analysis of the characteristics of an expert’s decision-making is needed when knowledge-based models such as expert systems are being developed. We also verify that the lens model is effective in evaluating the predictive validity of human judgment and in analyzing the validity and nonlinearity of the human decision-making process

Antidiabetes and Anti-obesity Activity of Lagerstroemia speciosa

The leaves of Lagerstroemia speciosa (Lythraceae), a Southeast Asian tree more commonly known as banaba, have been traditionally consumed in various forms by Philippinos for treatment of diabetes and kidney related diseases. In the 1990s, the popularity of this herbal medicine began to attract the attention of scientists worldwide. Since then, researchers have conducted numerous in vitro and in vivo studies that consistently confirmed the antidiabetic activity of banaba. Scientists have identified different components of banaba to be responsible for its activity. Using tumor cells as a cell model, corosolic acid was isolated from the methanol extract of banaba and shown to be an active compound. More recently, a different cell model and the focus on the water soluble fraction of the extract led to the discovery of other compounds. The ellagitannin Lagerstroemin was identified as an effective component of the banaba extract responsible for the activity. In a different approach, using 3T3-L1 adipocytes as a cell model and a glucose uptake assay as the functional screening method, Chen et al. showed that the banaba water extract exhibited an insulin-like glucose transport inducing activity. Coupling HPLC fractionation with a glucose uptake assay, gallotannins were identified in the banaba extract as components responsible for the activity, not corosolic acid. Penta-O-galloyl-glucopyranose (PGG) was identified as the most potent gallotannin. A comparison of published data with results obtained for PGG indicates that PGG has a significantly higher glucose transport stimulatory activity than Lagerstroemin. Chen et al. have also shown that PGG exhibits anti-adipogenic properties in addition to stimulating the glucose uptake in adipocytes. The combination of glucose uptake and anti-adipogenesis activity is not found in the current insulin mimetic drugs and may indicate a great therapeutic potential of PGG

Privacy-preserving Identity Management System

Recently, a self-sovereign identity model has been researched actively as an alternative to the existing identity models such as a centralized identity model, federated identity model, and user-centric model. The self-sovereign identity model allows a user to have complete control of his identity. Meanwhile, the core component of the self-sovereign identity model is data minimization. The data minimization signifies that the extent of the exposure of user private identity should be minimized. As a solution to data minimization, zero-knowledge proofs can be grafted to the self-sovereign identity model. Specifically, zero-knowledge Succinct Non-interactive ARgument of Knowledges(zk-SNARKs) enables proving the truth of the statement on an arbitrary relation. In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving self-sovereign identity model based on zk-SNARKs to allow any type of data minimization beyond the selective disclosure and range proof. The security of proposed model is formally proven under the security of the zero-knowledge proof and the unforgeability of the signature in the random oracle model. Furthermore, we optimize the proving time by checking the correctness of the commitment outside of the proof relation for practical use. The resulting scheme improves proving time for hash computation (to verify a commitment input) from 0.5 s to about 0.1 ms on a 32-bit input

SIMS : Self Sovereign Identity Management System with Preserving Privacy in Blockchain

Blockchain, which is a useful tool for providing data integrity, has emerged as an alternative to centralized servers. Concentrating on the integrity of the blockchain, many applications have been developed. Specifically, a blockchain can be utilized in proving the user\u27s identity using its strong integrity. However, since all data in the blockchain is publicly available, it can cause privacy problems if the user\u27s identity is stored in the blockchain unencrypted. Although the encryption of the private information can diminish privacy problems in the blockchain, it is difficult to transparently utilize encrypted user information in the blockchain. To provide integrity and privacy of user information simultaneously in the blockchain, we propose a SIMS (Self-Sovereign Identity Management System) framework based on a zk-SNARK (zero-knowledge Succinct Non-interactive ARgument of Knowledge). In our proposed SIMS, the user information is employed in a privacy-preserving way due to the zero-knowledge property of the zk-SNARK. We construct a SIMS scheme and prove its security. We describe applications of SIMS and demonstrate its practicality through efficient implementations

Towards maximized volumetric capacity via pore-coordinated design for large-volume-change lithium-ion battery anodes

To achieve the urgent requirement for high volumetric energy density in lithium-ion batteries, alloy-based anodes have been spotlighted as next-generation alternatives. Nonetheless, for the veritable accomplishment with regards to high-energy demand, alloy-based anodes must be evaluated considering several crucial factors that determine volumetric capacity. In particular, the electrode swelling upon cycling must be contemplated if these anodes are to replace conventional graphite anodes in terms of volumetric capacity. Herein, we propose macropore-coordinated graphite-silicon composite by incorporating simulation and mathematical calculation of numerical values from experimental data. This unique structure exhibits minimized electrode swelling comparable to conventional graphite under industrial electrode fabrication conditions. Consequently, this hybrid anode, even with high specific capacity (527 mAh g(-1)) and initial coulombic efficiency (93%) in half-cell, achieves higher volumetric capacity (493.9 mAh cm(-3)) and energy density (1825.7 Wh L-1) than conventional graphite (361.4 mAh cm(-3) and 1376.3 Wh L-1) after 100 cycles in the full-cell configuration