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This study was conducted in order to investigate the relationships between different factors affecting educational competitiveness, which is crucial to enhancing national competitiveness in every country, and to put forward policy implications whereby each country may raise the level of its educational competitiveness. PISA score was selected as an indicator representing the educational competitiveness of 22 OECD countries, and this included some independent variables, such as per capita GDP, total public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, and total per capita public expenditure on education (US dollars), affecting educational competitiveness. We employed the fuzzy set analysis method (FS/QCA) to analyze the complex causal relationships among the factors affecting educational competitiveness. The research results show that there are three significant combinations of variables affecting educational competitiveness (PISA score). Model 1 is a configuration of four variables (high total expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP, high total per capita expenditure on education, high ratio of private-source expenditure on education to GDP, and high GDP), and includes Netherlands, Finland, Australia, and Ireland. Model 2 is a configuration of five variables (low total expenditure on education, low total per capita expenditure on education, low ration of students to teaching staff, low private-source expenditure on education, and low GDP, and includes Poland. Model 3 is a configuration of five variables (low total expenditure on education, low total per capita expenditure on education, high private-source expenditure on education, high ratio of students to teaching staff, and high GDP), and includes Japan. Finally, the study suggests that each country should endeavour to enhance its own educational competitiveness, considering how the factors associated with this relate to each other.

In Korea, a policy of encouraging the production and distribution of local food has been implemented in order to resolve the problems rural societies are facing. The policy has focused not only on ensuring profits for farmers, but also on recovering the communal character of rural areas and restoring their living foundations. Wanju-gun (similar in size to a US county) in Jeollabuk-do Province is today regarded as one of the most successful examples in terms of policy implementation and achievement. Wanju has been supporting local food as a core business, and is launching various activities such as reforming local farming toward a small quantity batch production system, revitalizing farmers’ education, and opening up direct local food markets. Against this background, this study aims to identify the success factors of the local food movement in Wanju-gun, and to discuss measures for spreading this movement further. Data on the area of Wanju, homepage websites and news reports were employed to analyze the success factors of Wanju's local food movement.

The effect of heat treatment on the changes in the overall antioxidant activity and polyphenolic compounds of Shiitake extract was investigated. Raw Shiitake was heated at 100 and 121 °C for 15 or 30 min using an autoclave. After heat treatment, the free and bound polyphenolics and flavonoids in the mushroom extracts were analyzed. 2,2-Azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activities were measured to evaluate antioxidant activity of the extracts. The polyphenolic contents and antioxidant activities in the extracts increased as heating temperature and time increased. For example, the free polyphenolic content in the extract heated at 121 °C for 30 min was increased by 1.9-fold compared to that in the extract from the raw sample. The ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities were increased by 2.0-fold and 2.2-fold compared to the raw sample, respectively. There was a good correlation between total polyphenolic contents and AEAC ( p