• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.28
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• pp.17-36
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• 2012

This essay places the South Korean film Thirst (2009) within Park Chan-wook's oeuvre as a filmmaker notorious for graphic depictions of violence and revenge. Park's use of dark humour in his films, which is emphasized in Thirst perhaps more than ever, allows for a more self-aware depiction of violence, where both the viewer and the protagonist are awakened to the futility of revenge. This ultimately paints his characters as fascinatingly crazy - simultaneously heroes, villains, and victims. Film theorist Wes D. Gehring's three themes of dark humour ('man as beast,' 'the absurdity of the world,' and 'the omnipresence of death') become most obvious in Park's most recent film, which pays closer attention to character development through narrative detail. Rather than portraying the characters as sentimental, dark humour depicts their misfortunes in an alternative way, allowing for consideration of such taboo subjects as religion, adultery, and death/suicide. These issues are further tackled through Thirst's portrayal of its vampire protagonist, which ultimately de-mystifies the traditional vampire figure. While this character has more often been associated with romance, exoticism and the mystical powers of the supernatural, Thirst takes relatively little from the demons of Nosferatu (Murnau, 1922) and various other Dracula adaptations, nor the romantic figures of Interview with the Vampire (Jordan, 1994), and Twilight (Hardwicke, 2008). Instead, it is part of a much smaller group of contemporary vampire films, which are rather informed by a postmodern reconfiguration of the monster. Thus, this paper examines Thirst as an important contribution to the global and hybrid nature of those films in which postmodern vampires are sympathetic and de-mystified, exhibiting symptoms stemming from a natural illness or misfortune. Park's undertaking of a vampire film allows for a complex balance between narrative and visuals through his focus on the Western implications of this myth within Korean cinema. This combination of international references and traditional Korean culture marks it as highly conscious of New Korean Cinema's focus on globalization. With Thirst, Park successfully unites familiar images of the vampire hunting and feeding, with more stylistically distinct, grotesque images of violence and revenge. In this sense, dark humour highlights the less charming aspects of the vampire struggling to survive, most effective in scenes depicting the protagonist feeding from his friend's IV in the hospital, and sitting in the sunlight, slowly turning to ash, in the final minutes of the film. The international appeal of Park's style, combining conventions of the horror/thriller genre with his own mixture of dark humour and non-linear narrative, is epitomized in Thirst, which underscores South Korea's growing global interest with its overt international framework. Furthermore, he portrayal of the vampire as a sympathetic figure allows for a shift away from the conventional focus on myth and the exotic, toward a renewed construction of the vampire in terms of its contribution to generic hybridization and cultural adaptation.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.128-133
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• 2002

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of storage time on the sapstain development of Japanese red pine and Korean pine logs during storage in log yard, and their stain characteristics. Japanese red pine and Korean pine trees were harvested and cut into logs in mid January of 2001. These logs were transported to the two local sawmills where they were closely stacked in remote parts of log yard. The logs were then sampled destructively by cutting seven to nine 3-cm long discs along the length of each log at intervals of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 month after felling. The stain coverage and maximal radial penetration of stain were measured from the discs of the sampled logs after the isolation of causal staining fungi. The sapstain was primarily infested by the attack of bark beetles and the species of bark beetle was identified as Tomicus piniperda. The main fungal species isolated from stained wood was Ophiostoma species. Based on the present study, the logs could be stored in log yard until May without stain; but stain development was rapid after May and the severity of stain increased proportionally with storage time. Korean pine was more susceptible to fungal stain than Japanese red pine. During summer storage, decay started to develop in logs and the main species were identified as Tyromyces sp. and Schizophyllum commune. Information provided in this paper would be very useful to develop more effective control strategies for sapstain prevention in Japanese red pine and Korean pine logs.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1102-1113
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• 2023

Objective: To elucidate the use of radiological studies, including nuclear medicine, and biopsy for the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer (PCA) in clinical practice and understand the current status of PCA in Asian countries via an international survey. Materials and Methods: The Asian Prostate Imaging Working Group designed a survey questionnaire with four domains focused on prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), other prostate imaging, prostate biopsy, and PCA backgrounds. The questionnaire was sent to 111 members of professional affiliations in Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan who were representatives of their working hospitals, and their responses were analyzed. Results: This survey had a response rate of 97.3% (108/111). The rates of using 3T scanners, antispasmodic agents, laxative drugs, and prostate imaging-reporting and data system reporting for prostate MRI were 21.6%-78.9%, 22.2%-84.2%, 2.3%-26.3%, and 59.5%-100%, respectively. Respondents reported using the highest b-values of 800-2000 sec/mm² and fields of view of 9-30 cm. The prostate MRI examinations per month ranged from 1 to 600, and they were most commonly indicated for biopsy-naïve patients suspected of PCA in Japan and Singapore and staging of proven PCA in Korea and Taiwan. The most commonly used radiotracers for prostate positron emission tomography are prostate-specific membrane antigen in Singapore and fluorodeoxyglucose in three other countries. The most common timing for prostate MRI was before biopsy (29.9%). Prostate-targeted biopsies were performed in 63.8% of hospitals, usually by MRI-ultrasound fusion approach. The most common presentation was localized PCA in all four countries, and it was usually treated with radical prostatectomy. Conclusion: This survey showed the diverse technical details and the availability of imaging and biopsy in the evaluation of PCA. This suggests the need for an educational program for Asian radiologists to promote standardized evidence-based imaging approaches for the diagnosis and staging of PCA.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.34-45
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• 2002

Of the four tidal flat areas(Yeocha-ri, Dongmak-ri, Sundu-ri and Donggum-ri) on Southern Ganghwa Island, the distribution of migratory waterbirds showed a difference in the numbers of individuals and species. Higher numbers of individuals and species were observed on the Yeocha-ri tidal flat. The dominant waterbirds species at the four areas was the Dentin(Calidris alpina). This species showed an occupancy rate(42.0-79.1%) on the Yeocha-ri tidal flat, which was much higher relative to the other areas. The Yeocha-ri tidal flats were higher relative to MSL than the other tidal flats. When the Dongmak-ri tidal flat was covered by sea water, the Yeocha-ri tidal flat was 0.0317$\textrm{km}^2$ in area and on this space we observed many resting waterbirds. The biomass of the waterbirds' potential prey on the Yeocha-ri tidal flat was higher(1.6~2.5$\times$) than other tidal flats. Twenty-three species and 266 individuals were found on the Yeocha-ri tidal flat, which was higher than the tidal flats. The food of Dunlin, which was the dominant species in these four areas, was mainly Reticunassa festiva and Umbonium thomasi(Gastropoda) and Perinereis aibuitensis(Polychaeta). A Dunlin(38.11g) used to eat 1,295 individuals of these food items for daily basal energy. Gastropod, its density was highest on Yeocha-ri tidal flats. The distribution of waterbirds seemed to be closely related with the distribution of the benthos, space and safety of resting site. We suggest that the environments of tidal flats, which are rich foraging habitats, are important factors for conservation of waterbirds.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.1-25
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• 1996

The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis can not be summarized as a single process. Lipid infiltration hypothesis and endothelial injury hypothesis have been proposed and investigated. Recent developments show that there are many points of potential interactions between them and that they can actually be regarded as two phases of a single, unifying hypothesis. Among the many risk factors of atherosclerosis, plasma homocysteine and lipoprotein(a) draw a considerable interest because they are independent indicators of atherogenicity. Triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins (chylomicron and VLDL) are not considered to be atherogenic but they are related to the metabolism of HDL cholesterol and indirectly related to coronary heart disease (CHD). LDL can of itself be atherogenic but the oxidative products of this lipoprotein are more detrimental. HDL cholesterol has been considered to be a favorable cholesterol. The so-called 'causalist view' claims that HDL traps excess cholesterol from cellular membranes and transfers it to TG-rich lipoproteins that are subsequently removed by hepatic receptors. In the so-called 'noncausalist view', HDL does not interfere directly with cholesterol deposition in the arterial wall but instead reflects he metabolism of TG-rich lipoproteins and their conversion to atherogenic remnants. Approximately 70-80% of the human population shows an effective feedback control mechanism in cholesterol homeostasis. Type of dietary fat has a significant effect on the lipoprotein cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis. Generally, saturated fatty acids elevate and PUFA lower serum cholesterol, whereas MUFA have no specific effect. EPA and DHA inhibit the synthesis of TG, VLDL and LDL, and may have favourable effects on some of the risk factors. Phospholipids, particularly lecithin, have an antiatherosclerotic effect. Essential phospholipids (EPL) may enhance the formation of polyunsaturated cholesteryl ester (CE) which is less sclerotic and more easily dispersed via enhanced hydrolysis of CE in the arterial wall. Also, neutral fecal steroid elimination may be enhanced and cholesterol absorption reduced following EPL treatment. Antioxidants protect lipoproteins from oxidation, and cells from the injury of toxic, oxidized LDL. The rationale for lowering of serum cholesterol is the strong association between elevation of plasma or serum cholesterol and CHD. Cholesterol-lowing, especially LDL cholesterol, to the target level could be achieved using diet and combination of drug therapy. Information on the link between cholesterol and CHD has decreased egg consumption by 16-25%. Some clinical studies have indicated that dietary cholesterol and egg have a significant hypercholesterolemic effect, while others have indicated no effect. These studies differed in the use of purified cholesterol or cholesterol in eggs, in the range of baseline and challenge cholesterol levels, in the quality and quantity of concomitant dietary fat, in the study population demographics and initial serum cholesterol levels, and clinical settings. Cholesterol content of eggs varies to a certain extent depending on the age, breed and diet of hens. However, egg yolk cholesterol level is very resistant to change because of the particular mechanism involved in yolk formation. Egg yolk contains a factor of factors responsible for accelerated cholesterol metabolism and excretion compared with crystalline cholesterol. One of these factors could be egg lecithin. Egg lecithin may not be as effective as soybean lecithin in lowering serum cholesterol level due probably to the differences of fatty acid composition. However, egg lecithin may have positive effects in hypercholesterolemia by increasing serum HDL level and excretion of fecal cholesterol. The association of serum cholesterol with egg consumption has been widely studied. When the basal or control diet contained little or no cholesterol, consumption of 1 or 2 eggs daily increased the concentration of plasma cholesterol, whereas that of the normolipemic persons on a normal diet was not significantly influenced by consuming 2 to 3 eggs daily. At higher levels of egg consumption, the concentration of HDL tends to increase as well as LDL. There exist hyper-and hypo-responders to dietary (egg) cholesterol. Identifying individuals in both categories would be useful from the point of view of nutrition guidelines. Dietary modification of fatty acid composition has been pursued as a viable method of modifying fat composition of eggs and adding value to eggs. In many cases beneficial effects of PUFA enriched eggs have been demonstrated. Generally, consumption of n-3 fatty acids enriched eggs lowered the concentration of plasma TG and total cholesterol compared to the consumption of regular eggs. Due to the highly oxidative nature of PUFA, stability of this fat is essential. The implication of hepatic lipid accumulation which was observed in hens fed on fish oils should be explored. Nutritional manipulations, such as supplementation with iodine, inhibitors of cholesterol biosynthesis, garlic products, amino acids and high fibre ingredients, have met a limited success in lowering egg cholesterol.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.32
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• pp.3-44
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• 2012

The purpose of the study is to explore the strategies to build participatory digital archives for documenting localities. Following the introduction of the chapter one, the chapter two deals with categorizing participation types of persons and organizations for documenting localities, analysing characteristics and benefits of each type, and listing up the requirements of participatory archives based on literature reviews. The chapter three focuses on the analyses of digital archives especially based on the participation of organizations such as collecting institutions and community archives in USA, Canada and UK. The cases of participatory archives are divided into two types; i) digital archives based on archival collections of institutions such as libraries, archives, and museums, ii) digital archives mainly based on various community archives. Online Archives California(OAC) and Calisphere of University of California, MemoryBC of British Columbia of Canada, and People's Collection Wales of UK as the first type cases, and Connecting Histories of Birmingham, 'Community Archives Wales(CAW), Cambridgeshire Community Archive Network(CCAN), Norfolk Community Archives Network(NORCAN) as the second type cases are selected for comparative analyses. All these cases can be considered as archival portals since they cover collections from various organizations. This study then evaluates how these digital archives fulfill the requirements of participatory archives such as : i) integrated search of archives that are to be distributed, ii) participation of individuals and organizations, and iii) providing broader contextual information and representation of context as well as contents of archives. Lastly the final chapter suggests the implications for building participatory archives in Korean local areas based on following aspects : host organizations and implementation strategy, networks of collection institutions and community archives, preserving and reorganizing contextual information, selection and appraisal, and participation of records users and creators.