• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.469-478
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• 2004

Pig slurry, urine and fermented liquid manure were evaluated measuring electrical conductivity (EC), dry matter (DM) contents and other components. Samples were collected during a period from February to April, 2001: slurry samples from 70 storage tanks, urine samples from 19 and 20 fermented liquid manure samples from 109 pig farms in Jeju. Samples were analyzed for pH, EC, DM, $NH_4$-N, K, P, Ca, Mg, Na, BOD, S-S, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and OM. Relationships between EC or DM and various mineral and $NH_4$-N contents were examined using linear regression. EC, DM, all mineral contents and $NH_4$-N were higher in slurry samples than in urine or fermented liquid manure. EC, $NH_4$-N, Ca, Mg and Na concentration was similar in urine and fermented liquid manure, but K and DM values in liquid manure were twice as much as in urine. P concentration was higher in urine than in liquid manure. $NH_4$-N and Na in slurry, $NH_4$-N in urine and $NH_4$-N, P and Ca in fermented liquid manure were highly correlated with EC, while $NH_4$-N, P, Ca and Mg in slurry, $NH_4$-N and Ca in urine, and K, P, Ca, Mg, and Na in fermented liquid manure with DM (P<0.05). BOO in slurry (22,520 mg/mL) was higher than that in urine (4,763) and fermented liquid manure (2,701). Results indicated that slurry is a better fertilizer source than urine or fermented liquid manure. However, slurry may pollute soil more than urine or fermented liquid manure when applied to land, although the levels are not above the permit.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.275-286
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• 2018

Purpose: Our previous study demonstrated that persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thumb.) at different stages of ripening provided different protective effects against high-fat/cholesterol diet (HFD)-induced dyslipidemia in rats. In this study, we compared the metabolites profile and gene expressions related to triglyceride (TG)/cholesterol metabolism in vitro and in vivo after treating with persimmon water extracts (PWE) or tannin-enriched persimmon concentrate (TEP). Methods: Primary and secondary metabolites in test materials were determined by GC-TOF/MS, UHPLC-LTQ-ESI-IT-MS/MS, and UPLC-Q-TOF-MS. The expression of genes related to TG and cholesterol metabolism were determined by RT-PCR both in HepG2 cells stimulated by oleic acid/palmitic acid and in liver tissues obtained from Wistar rats fed with HFD and PWE at 0, 150, 300, and 600 mg/d (experiment I) or TEP at 0, 7, 14, and 28 mg/d (experiment II) by oral gavage for 9 weeks. Results: PLS-DA analysis and heatmap analysis demonstrated significantly differential profiling of metabolites of PWE and TEP according to processing of persimmon powder. In vitro, TEP showed similar hypolipidemic effects as PWE, but significantly enhanced hypocholesterolemic effects compared to PWE in sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (SREBP2), HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), cholesterol $7{\alpha}-hydroxylase$ (CYP7A1), and low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene expression. Consistently, TEP and PWE showed similar hypolipidemic capacity in vivo, but significantly enhanced hypocholesterolemic capacity in terms of SREBP2, HMGCR, and bile salt export pump (BSEP) gene expression. Conclusion: These results suggest that column extraction after hot water extraction may be a good strategy to enhance tannins and long-chain fatty acid amides, which might cause stimulation of hypocholesterolemic actions through downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis gene expression and upregulation of LDL receptor gene expression.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.29 no.2 s.53
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• pp.173-186
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• 1996

This is a cross-sectional study to evaluate the relationships between physical fitness, leisure time physical activity, and serum lipid levels in middle-aged male workers. Physical fitness was measured by a step test score, and leisure time physical activity was self-reported on a questionnaire. Serum total cholesterol was negatively related to physical fitness(r=-0.27), and positively to obesity index(r=0.27). But leisure time physical activity was related to total cholesterol negatively(r=-0.20) only in subjects whose total cholesterol levels were above 170mg/dl. High density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol was positively related to physical fitness(r=0.15), negatively to obestiy index(r=-0.22), and positively to weekly alcohol consumption(r=0.14). Total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio was related to physical fitness(r=-0.23), obesity index(r=0.32), total cigarette index (r=0.13), weekly alcohol consumption(r=-0.13), and vegetable preference(r=0.13). Physical fitness was also related to leisure time physical activity(r=0.19) and obesity index(r=-0.18). In multiple linear regression models, physical fitness(beta=-0.23) and obesity index(beta=0.18) were significantly associated with total cholesterol, obesity index(beta=-0.25) with HDLcholesterol, and obesity index(beta=0.30), physical fitness(beta=-0.16) and vegetable preference (beta=0.14) with total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio. In conclusion, as physical fitness has a stronger relationship with serum lipid levels than leisure time physical activity, and the association between physical fitness and leisure time physical activity is modest, physical fitness should be added as an important variable in addition to activity in future epidemiologic studies.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.21-28
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• 2009

Detailed information on soil characteristics is of great importance for the use and conservation of soil resources that are essential for human welfare and ecosystem sustainability. This paper introduces soil inventory of Korea focusing on national soil database establishment, information systems, use, and future direction for natural resources management. Different scales of soil maps surveyed and soil test data collected by RDA (Rural Development Administration) were computerized to construct digital soil maps and database. Soil chemical properties and heavy metal concentrations in agricultural soils including vulnerable agricultural soils were investigated regularly at fixed sampling points. Internet-based information systems for soil and agro-environmental resources were developed based on 'National Soil Survey Projects' for managing soil resources and for providing soil information to the public, and 'Agroenvironmental Change Monitoring Project' to monitor spatial and temporal changes of agricultural environment will be opened soon. Soils data has a great potential of further application in estimation of soil carbon storage, water capacity, and soil loss. Digital mapping of soil and environment using state-of-the-art and emerging technologies with a pedometrics concept will lead to future direction.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.484-491
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• 2005

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) analyzes potential hazard of microorganisms on public health and offers structured approach to assess risks associated with microorganisms in foods. This paper addresses specific risk management questions associated with Staphylococcus aureus in kimbab and improvement and dissemination of QMRA methodology, QMRA model was developed by constructing four nodes from retail to table pathway. Predictive microbial growth model and survey data were combined with probabilistic modeling to simulate levels of S. aureus in kimbab at time of consumption, Due to lack of dose-response models, final level of S. aureus in kimbeb was used as proxy for potential hazard level, based on which possibility of contamination over this level and consumption level of S. aureus through kimbab were estimated as 30.7% and 3.67 log cfu/g, respectively. Regression sensitivity results showed time-temperature during storage at selling was the most significant factor. These results suggested temperature control under $10^{\circ}C$ was critical control point for kimbab production to prevent growth of S. aureus and showed QMRA was useful for evaluation of factors influencing potential risk and could be applied directly to risk management.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.73-103
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• 2005

This study takes of youth panel data(2002-2003), there is the purpose to know to youth employed's labor mobility conditions of employment status conversion and examine on factors affecting conversion of employment status. Main analysis result and policy imply, is as following. First, although youth employed's non-standard employment shows some decrease, employment youth hierarchy was construed that youth of our country is consisting very changefully because appear great turnover that is converted by unemployment or Not economically activity population same period. Specially, non-standard employment phenomenon of woman or low in scholarship person appeared notedly, and because phenomenon that is converted by unemployment or Not economically activity population is expose that is deepened, discriminating policy of government dimension is required for employment stabilization of these class. Second, show result that danger to escape to non-standard job risk trap which seeking employment activity of youth class is arranged case or company which is formed by official path is suitable becomes low, must formulate path of employment about youth class and improve qualitative level of employment through suitable job placement education of youth class or function (technology) level. Third, when was construed, but take into account that the although large enterprise have low risk in non-standard job, recently employment of youth class consists very limited, rather small scale business or smaller enterprise's competitive power preferably need to be plan. Finally, danger to non-standard job youth employed's company form is government connection wonder was expose that high, Such result can do that it is difficult by limited research period, but reflect actuality that youth unemployment policy of our country is enforced laying stress on public labor or unregular job employment such as internship system. Therefore, current youth unemployment policy may have to change by employment policy that can secure stable work record by youth class or act as bridge-building that promote conversion by full-time job.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2004.05b
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• pp.148-152
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• 2004

본 연구에서는 물순환의 재생이나 보전에 필수적인 유역 물순환의 정량화와 유역변화의 영향예측을 위해 개발된 WEP (Water and Energy Transfer Process) 모형의 국내 유역에 내한 적용성을 검토하고, 청계천 유역의 물순환 양상을 모의하였다. WEP 모형은 복잡한 토지이용이 이루어지고 있는 도시하천 유역에 내한 물순환의 정량화를 목적으로 일본의 토목연구소 (PWRI; Public Works Research Institute), 과학기술진흥사업단, Jia 박사 등에 의해 공동으로 개발되었으며 지표면 및 비포화 토양층의 물${\cdot}$열 플럭스 계산, 하도흐름의 추적계산 및 지하수 유동계산, 격자내 토지이용의 불균질성 반영 등이 가능한 물리적인 기반의 공간 분포형 모형 (Physically Based Spatially Distributed)이다. 모형을 적용한 청계천 유역 (유로연장 13.75 km, 유역 면적 $50.96km^2$)은 전체 토지이용중 도시지역이 $75.9\%$를 차지하고, 유역내 인구가 120만명에 이르는 도시유역으로 높은 불투수 면적비율, 인공계 물순환 요소의 영향 등의 도시 유역 특성이 물순환의 구조 전반에 미치는 영향에 대한 연구가 부족하였다. WEP 모형 적용 결과, 모의 기간 동안의 하천 유출량은 실측치에 근사한 값을 나타내었으며 유역의 물순환 양상을 모의할 수 있었다. 청계천 유역은 전형적인 도시 유역의 특성을 보여주었는데, 강우시의 직접유출이 크고, 강우의 유출에 대한 반응이 빠르며, 증발산의 경우는 산림지역보다 도시지역이 상대적으로 적은 것으로 분석되었다. 이번 연구를 통하여 WEP 모형이 유역 물순환 해석에 적절한 모형임을 확인할 수 있었으면, 향후 청계천 유역의 물리적 특성에 대한 매개변수와 인공계 물순환 자료의 보완을 통해 보다 향상된 모의가 가능할 것으로 판단된다. 하였던 Cd과 Mg이 Ca 및 Ca과 vitamin D의 동시(同時) 급여(給與)로 감소(減少)하였고 Cu는 전체적(金體的)으로 변화(變化)가 없었으며 Zn은 Cd 급여(給與)로 감소(減少)하였으나 Ca과 vitamin D의 급여(給與)에 의하여 증가(增加)하였고 Ca은 Ca과 viamin D의 급여(給輿)로 유의(有意)하게 증가(增加)하였다. 신장(腎臟)중의 무기질(無機質) 함량(含量)은 Cd급여(給輿)로 Cu, Mg은 감소(滅少)하였으나 Ca, Zn은 변화(變化)가 없었고 Ca 및 Ca과 Vitamin D의 급여(給與)로 Cd, CU, Zn은 증가(增加)하였다.ce area)는 수술 전100.8$\pm$25.6 mm/$m^{2}$에서 79.3$\pm$ 15.8 mm/$m^{2}$로 감소한 소견을 보였다. 승모판 성형술은 전 승모판엽 탈출증이 있는 두 환아에서 동시에 시행하였다. 수술 후 1년 내 시행한 심초음파에서 모든 환아에서 단지 경등도 이하의 승모판 폐쇄 부전 소견을 보였다. 수술 후 조기 사망은 없었으며, 합병증으로는 유미흉이 한 명에서 있었다. 술 후 10개월째 허혈성 확장성 심근증이 호전되지 않아 Dor 술식을 시행한 후 사망한 예를 제외한 나머지 6명은 특이 증상 없이 정상 생활 중이다 결론: 좌관상동맥 페동맥이상 기시증은 드물기는 하나, 영유아기에 심근경색 및 허혈성 심근증 또는 선천성 승모판 폐쇄 부전등을 초래하는 심각한 선천성 심질환이다. 그러나 진단 즉시 직접 좌관상동맥-대동맥 이식술로 수술적 교정을 해줌으로써 좋은 성적을 기대할 수 있음을 보여주었다.특히 교사들이 중요하게 인식하는 해방적 행동에 대한 목표를 강조하여 적용할 필요가 있음을 시사하고 있다.교하여 유의한 차이가 관찰되지 않았다. 또한 HSP 환자군에서도 $IL1RN^{*}2$ allele 빈도와 carriage

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2004

If doubtlessly contributes much to agriculture and rural development. The roles can be summarized as; 1. to activate rural areas and to provide more comfortable and safe rural life with equivalent services to those in urban areas, facilitating distance education, tole-medicine, remote public services, remote entertainment etc. 2. To initiate new agricultural and rural business such as e-commerce, real estate business for satellite officies, rural tourism and virtual corporation of small-scale farms. 3. To support policy-making and evaluation on optimal farm production, disaster management, effective agro-environmental resource management etc., providing tools such as GIS. 4. To improve farm management and farming technologies by efficient farm management, risk management, effective information or knowledge transfer etc., realizing competitive and sustainable farming with safe products. 5. To provide systems and tools to secure food traceability and reliability that has been an emerging issue concerning farm products since serious contamination such as BSE and chicken flu was detected. 6. To take an important and key role for industrialization of farming or lam business enterprise, combining the above roles.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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• v.18
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• pp.9-39
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• 2003

The rule of the Warsaw Convention of 1929 are well known and still being all over the world. The Warsaw Convention is undoubtedly the most widely accepted private international air law treaty with some 140 countries. In the international legal system for air transportation, the Warsaw Convention has played a major role for more than half century, and has been revised many times in consideration of the rapid developments of air high technology, changes of social and economic circumstances, need for the protection of passengers. Some amendments became effective, but others are still not effective. As a result, the whole international legal system for air transportation is at past so complicated and tangled. However, the 'Warsaw system' consists of the Warsaw Convention of 1929 the Guadalajara Convention of 1961, a supplementary convention, and the following six protocols: (1) the Hague Protocol of 1955, (2) the Guatemala Protocol of 1971, (3) the Montreal Additional Protocols, No.1, (4) the Montreal Additional Protocol No.2, (5) the Montreal Additional Protocol No.3, and (6) the Montreal Additional Protocol No.4. of 1975. As a fundamental principle of the air carrier's liability in the international convention and protocols, for instance in the Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol, the principle of limited liability and a presumed fault system has been adopted. Subsequently, the Montreal Inter-carrier Agreement of 1966, the Guatemala City Protocol, the Montreal Additional Protocol No.3, and the Montreal Additional Protocol No. 4 of 1975 maintained the limited liability, but substituted the presumed liability system by an absolute liability, that is, strict liability system. The Warsaw System, which sets relatively low compensation limits for victims of aircraft accidents and regulates the limited liability for death and injury of air passengers, had become increasingly outdated. Japanese Airlines and Inter-carrier Agreement of International Air Transport Association in 1995 has been adopted the unlimited liability of air carrier in international flight. The IATA Inter-Carrier Agreement, in which airlines in international air transportation agree to waive the limit of damages, was long and hard in coming, but it was remarkable achievement given the political and economic realities of the world. IATA deserves enormous credit for bringing it about. The Warsaw System is controversial and questionable. In order to find rational solution to disputes between nations which adopted differing liability systems in international air transportation, we need to reform the liability of air carriers the 'Warsaw system' and fundamentally, to unify the liability system among the nations. The International Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO) will therefore reinforce its efforts to further promote a legal environment that adequately reflects the public interest and the needs of the parties involved. The ICAO Study Group met in April, 1998, together with the Drafting Committee. The time between the "Special Group on the Modernization and Consolidation of the 'Warsaw system'(SGMW)" and the Diplomatic Conference must be actively utilized to arrange for profound studies of the outstanding issues and for wide international consultations with a view to narrowing the scope of differences and preparing for a global international consensus. From 11 to 28 May 1999 the ICAO Headquarters at Montreal hosted a Diplomatic Conference convened to consider, with a view to adoption, a draft Convention intended to modernize and to integrate replace the instruments of the Warsaw system. The Council of ICAO convened this Conference under the Procedure for the Adoption of International Conventions. Some 525 participants from 121 Contracting States of ICAO attended, one non-contracting State, 11 observer delegations from international organizations, a total of 544 registered participants took part in the historic three-week conference which began on 10 May. The Conference was a success since it adopted a new Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air. The 1999 Montreal Convention, created and signed by representatives of 52 countries at an international conference convened by ICAO at Montreal on May 28, 1999, came into effect on November 4, 2003. Representatives of 30 countries have now formally ratified the Convention under their respective national procedures and ratification of the United States, which was the 30th country to ratify, took place on September 5, 2003. Under Article 53.6 of the Montreal Convention, it enters into force on the 60th day following the deposit of the 30th instrument of ratification or acceptation. The United States' ratification was deposited with ICAO on September 5, 2003. The ICAO have succeeded in modernizing and consolidating a 70-year old system of international instruments of private international law into one legal instrument that will provide, for years to come, an adequate level of compensation for those involved in international aircraft accidents. An international diplomatic conference on air law by ICAO of 1999 succeeded in adopting a new regime for air carrier liability, replacing the Warsaw Convention and five other related legal instruments with a single convention that provided for unlimited liability in relation to passengers. Victims of international air accidents and their families will be better protected and compensated under the new Montreal Convention, which modernizes and consolidates a seventy-five year old system of international instruments of private international law into one legal instrument. A major feature of the new legal instrument is the concept of unlimited liability. Whereas the Warsaw Convention set a limit of 125,000 Gold Francs (approximately US$ 8,300) in case of death or injury to passengers, the Montreal Convention introduces a two-tier system. The first tier includes strict liability up to l00,000 Special Drawing Rights (SDR: approximately US$ 135,000), irrespective of a carrier's fault. The second tier is based on presumption of fault of a carrier and has no limit of liability. The 1999 Montreal Convention also includes the following main elements; 1. In cases of aircraft accidents, air carriers are called upon to provide advance payments, without delay, to assist entitled persons in meeting immediate economic needs; the amount of this initial payment will be subject to national law and will be deductable from the final settlement; 2. Air carriers must submit proof of insurance, thereby ensuring the availability of financial resources in cases of automatic payments or litigation; 3. The legal action for damages resulting from the death or injury of a passenger may be filed in the country where, at the time of the accident, the passenger had his or her principal and permanent residence, subject to certain conditions. The new Montreal Convention of 1999 included the 5th jurisdiction - the place of residence of the claimant. The acceptance of the 5th jurisdiction is a diplomatic victory for the US and it can be realistically expected that claimants' lawyers will use every opportunity to file the claim in the US jurisdiction - it brings advantages in the liberal system of discovery, much wider scope of compensable non-economic damages than anywhere else in the world and the jury system prone to very generous awards. 4. The facilitation in the recovery of damages without the need for lengthy litigation, and simplification and modernization of documentation related to passengers. In developing this new Montreal Convention, we were able to reach a delicate balance between the needs and interests of all partners in international civil aviation, States, the travelling public, air carriers and the transport industry. Unlike the Warsaw Convention, the threshold of l00,000 SDR specified by the Montreal Convention, as well as remaining liability limits in relation to air passengers and delay, are subject to periodic review and may be revised once every five years. The primary aim of unification of private law as well as the new Montreal Convention is not only to remove or to minimize the conflict of laws but also to avoid conflict of jurisdictions. In order to find a rational solution to disputes between nations which have adopted differing liability systems in international air transport, we need fundamentally to reform their countries's domestic air law based on the new Montreal Convention. It is a desirable and necessary for us to ratify rapidly the new Montreal Convention by the contracting states of lCAO including the Republic of Korea. According to the Korean and Japanese ideas, airlines should not only pay compensation to passengers immediately after the accident, but also the so-called 'condolence' money to the next of kin. Condolence money is a gift to help a dead person's spirit in the hereafter : it is given on account of the grief and sorrow suffered by the next of kin, and it has risen considerably over the years. The total amount of the Korean and Japanese claims in the case of death is calculated on the basis of the loss of earned income, funeral expenses and material demage (baggage etc.), plus condolence money. The economic and social change will be occurred continuously after conclusion of the new Montreal Convention. In addition, the real value of life and human right will be enhanced substantially. The amount of compensation for damage caused by aircraft accident has increased in dollar amount as well as in volume. All air carrier's liability should extend to loss of expectation of leisure activities, as well as to damage to property, and mental and physical injuries. When victims are not satisfied with the amount of the compensation for damage caused by aircraft accident for which an airline corporation is liable under the current liability system. I also would like to propose my opinion that it is reasonable and necessary for us to interpret broadly the meaning of the bodily injury on Article 17 of the new Montreal Convention so as to be included the mental injury and condolence. Furthermore, Korea and Japan has not existed the Air Transport Act regulated the civil liability of air carrier such as Air Transport Act (Luftverkehrsgestz) in Germany. It is necessary for us to enact "the Korean Air Transport Contract Act (provisional title)" in order to regulate the civil liability of air carrier including the protection of the victims and injured persons caused by aircraft accident.

• MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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• v.98
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• pp.226-241
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• 2020

Located on the right side of the third floor of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the "Art of Central Asia" exhibition boasts the world's finest collection of artworks and artifacts from the Silk Road. Every item in the collection has been classified by region, and many of them were collected in the early twentieth century through archaeological surveys led by Russia's Pyotr Kozlov, Mikhail Berezovsky, and Sergey Oldenburg. Some of these artifacts have been presented around the world through special exhibitions held in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Korea, Japan, and elsewhere. The fruits of Russia's Silk Road expeditions were also on full display in the 2008 exhibition The Caves of One Thousand Buddhas - Russian Expeditions on the Silk Route on the Occasion of 190 Years of the Asiatic Museum, held at the Hermitage Museum. Published in 2018 by the Shanghai Chinese Classics Publishing House in collaboration with the Hermitage Museum, Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia introduces the Hermitage's collection of artifacts from the Kuche (or Kucha) region. While the book focuses exclusively on artifacts excavated from the Kuche area, it also includes valuable on-site photos and sketches from the Russian expeditions, thus helping to enhance readers' overall understanding of the characteristics of Kuche art within the Buddhist art of Central Asia. The book was compiled by Dr. Kira Samosyuk, senior curator of the Oriental Department of the Hermitage Museum, who also wrote the main article and the artifact descriptions. Dr. Samosyuk is an internationally renowned scholar of Central Asian Buddhist art, with a particular expertise in the art of Khara-Khoto and Xi-yu. In her article "The Art of the Kuche Buddhist Temples," Dr. Samosyuk provides an overview of Russia's Silk Road expeditions, before introducing the historical development of Kuche in the Buddhist era and the aspects of Buddhism transmitted to Kuche. She describes the murals and clay sculptures in the Buddhist grottoes, giving important details on their themes and issues with estimating their dates, and also explains how the temples operated as places of worship. In conclusion, Dr. Samosyuk argues that the Kuche region, while continuously engaging with various peoples in China and the nomadic world, developed its own independent Buddhist culture incorporating elements of Gandara, Hellenistic, Persian, and Chinese art and culture. Finally, she states that the culture of the Kuche region had a profound influence not only on the Tarim Basin, but also on the Buddhist grottoes of Dunhuang and the central region of China. A considerable portion of Dr. Samosyuk's article addresses efforts to estimate the date of the grottoes in the Kuche region. After citing various scholars' views on the dates of the murals, she argues that the Kizil grottoes likely began prior to the fifth century, which is at least 100 years earlier than most current estimates. This conclusion is reached by comparing the iconography of the armor depicted in the murals with related materials excavated from the surrounding area (such as items of Sogdian art). However, efforts to date the Buddhist grottoes of Kuche must take many factors into consideration, such as the geological characteristics of the caves, the themes and styles of the Buddhist paintings, the types of pigments used, and the clothing, hairstyles, and ornamentation of the depicted figures. Moreover, such interdisciplinary data must be studied within the context of Kuche's relations with nearby cultures. Scientific methods such as radiocarbon dating could also be applied for supplementary materials. The preface of Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia reveals that the catalog is the first volume covering the Hermitage Museum's collection of Kuche art, and that the next volume in the series will cover a large collection of mural fragments that were taken from Berlin during World War II. For many years, the whereabouts of these mural fragments were unknown to both the public and academia, but after restoration, the fragments were recently re-introduced to the public as part of the museum's permanent exhibition. We look forward to the next publication that focuses on these mural fragments, and also to future catalogs introducing the artifacts of Turpan and Khotan. Currently, fragments of the murals from the Kuche grottoes are scattered among various countries, including Russia, Germany, and Korea. With the publication of this catalog, it seems like an opportune time to publish a comprehensive catalog on the murals of the Kuche region, which represent a compelling mixture of East-West culture that reflects the overall characteristics of the region. A catalog that includes both the remaining murals of the Kizil grottoes and the fragments from different parts of the world could greatly enhance our understanding of the murals' original state. Such a book would hopefully include a more detailed and interdisciplinary discussion of the artifacts and murals, including scientific analyses of the pigments and other materials from the perspective of conservation science. With the ongoing rapid development in western China, the grotto murals are facing a serious crisis related to climate change and overcrowding in the oasis city of Xinjiang. To overcome this challenge, the cultural communities of China and other countries that possess advanced technology for conservation and restoration must begin working together to protect and restore the murals of the Silk Road grottoes. Moreover, centers for conservation science should be established to foster human resources and collect information. Compiling the data of Russian expeditions related to the grottoes of Kuche (among the results of Western archaeological surveys of the Silk Road in the early twentieth century), Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia represents an important contribution to research on Kuche's Buddhist art and the Silk Road, which will only be enhanced by a future volume introducing the mural fragments from Germany. As the new authoritative source for academic research on the artworks and artifacts of the Kuche region, the book also lays the groundwork for new directions for future studies on the Silk Road. Finally, the book is also quite significant for employing a new editing system that improves its academic clarity and convenience. In conclusion, Dr. Kira Samosyuk, who planned the publication, deserves tremendous praise for taking the research of Silk Road art to new heights.