• Title/Summary/Keyword: milieu

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Characteristics of Postmodernity in Chinese Animation Films

  • Cao Yijun;HyunSeok Lee
    • International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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    • v.16 no.1
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    • pp.297-306
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    • 2024
  • At a specific juncture in industrial development, animation emerges as a product imbued with discernible features characteristic of the mechanical replication era. Through the integration of technology, it continually gives rise to postmodern cultural traits. Notably, the trajectories of postmodernism in China and Western Europe exhibit divergence. Following the reform and opening up, both postmodernism and modernism found acceptance and became interwoven. Chinese animated films, influenced by postmodernism, actively challenge traditional animation norms, exemplifying postmodern characteristics such as deconstruction, intertextuality, indeterminacy, collage, and diversity. This article endeavors to delve into the discourse surrounding postmodernism in both Western and Chinese contexts. It aims to scrutinize the manifestation of postmodern features, particularly with regard to ethnic elements, traditional mythological texts, and gender representations in Chinese animated films. Consequently, it becomes imperative to contemplate the affirmative adaptation and independent development of postmodernism within the unique Chinese milieu. Building upon an analysis of noteworthy traditional animated film genres and developmental trends in China, this study focuses on animated films from the 21st century, specifically Monkey King: Hero is Back, Big Fish & Begonia, Dahufa, White Snake and Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child. The paper seeks to explore the overarching characteristics of postmodernity reflected in the linguistic environment of postmodernism in China.

Preparation of a Hydrophobized Chitosan Oligosaccharide for Application as an Efficient Gene Carrier

  • Son Sohee;Chae Su Young;Choi Changyong;Kim Myung-Yul;Ngugen Vu Giang;Jang Mi-Kyeong;Nah Jae-Woon;Kweon Jung Keoo
    • Macromolecular Research
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    • v.12 no.6
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    • pp.573-580
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    • 2004
  • To prepare chitosan-based polymeric amphiphiles that can form nanosized core-shell structures (nanopar­ticles) in aqueous milieu, chitosan oligosaccharides (COSs) were modified chemically with hydrophobic cholesterol groups. The physicochemical properties of the hydrophobized COSs (COSCs) were investigated by using dynamic light scattering and fluorescence spectroscopy. The feasibility of applying the COSCs to biomedical applications was investigated by introducing them into a gene delivery system. The COSCs formed nanosized self-aggregates in aqueous environments. Furthermore, the physicochemical properties of the COSC nanoparticles were closely related to the molecular weights of the COSs and the number of hydrophobic groups per COS chain. The critical aggregation concentration values decreased upon increasing the hydrophobicity of the COSCs. The COSCs effi­ciently condensed plasmid DNA into nanosized ion-complexes, in contrast to the effect of the unmodified COSs. An investigation of gene condensation, performed using a gel retardation assay, revealed that $COS6(M_n=6,040 Da)$ containing $5\%$ of cholesteryl chloroformate (COS6C5) formed a stable DNA complex at a COS6C5/DNA weight ratio of 2. In contrast, COS6, the unmodified COS, failed to form a stable COS/DNA complex even at an elevated weight ratio of 8. Furthermore, the COS6C5/DNA complex enhanced the in vitro transfection efficiency on Human embryonic kidney 293 cells by over 100 and 3 times those of COS6 and poly(L-lysine), respectively. Therefore, hydrophobized chitosan oligosaccharide can be considered as an efficient gene carrier for gene delivery systems.

Bis is Induced by Oxidative Stress via Activation of HSF1

  • Yoo, Hyung Jae;Im, Chang-Nim;Youn, Dong-Ye;Yun, Hye Hyeon;Lee, Jeong-Hwa
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.18 no.5
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    • pp.403-409
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    • 2014
  • The Bis protein is known to be involved in a variety of cellular processes including apoptosis, migration, autophagy as well as protein quality control. Bis expression is induced in response to a number of types of stress, such as heat shock or a proteasome inhibitor via the activation of heat shock factor (HSF)1. We report herein that Bis expression is increased at the transcriptional level in HK-2 kidney tubular cells and A172 glioma cells by exposure to oxidative stress such as $H_2O_2$ treatment and oxygen-glucose deprivation, respectively. The pretreatment of HK-2 cells with N-acetyl cysteine, suppressed Bis induction. Furthermore, HSF1 silencing attenuated Bis expression that was induced by $H_2O_2$, accompanied by increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation. Using a series of deletion constructs of the bis gene promoter, two putative heat shock elements located in the proximal region of the bis gene promoter were found to be essential for the constitutive expression is as well as the inducible expression of Bis. Taken together, our results indicate that oxidative stress induces Bis expression at the transcriptional levels via activation of HSF1, which might confer an expansion of antioxidant capacity against pro-oxidant milieu. However, the possible role of the other cis-element in the induction of Bis remains to be determined.

Governance of Regional Innovation Policies of the Ruhr Area in Germany (독일 루르지역의 지역혁신정책 거버넌스 연구: 혁신주체간 협력관계를 중심으로)

  • Shin, Dong-Ho
    • Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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    • v.9 no.2
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    • pp.167-180
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    • 2006
  • The Ruhr region used to be a large industrial area, working as an engine of economic growth of the Germany. However, the region has been suffering from economic and social problems originating from de-industrialization. Since the 1970s, various levels of governments have attempted to solve the problems with policies of regional innovation, e.g., establishing technology parks, competence centers, and business incubators to promote start-ups, technology transfers, and networks between governments, businesses, universities, public research institutes, and the public. In this context, this paper attempts to analyse governance of regional innovation policies of the Ruhr area, based on an analytical framework developed by a groups of researchers, i.e.. Bae et al (2006), The paper concludes that the roles of governments are important in creating and implementing regional innovation policies of the Ruhr area, the policies heavily rely on the R&D capacity of local universities and public research institutes; and various levels of governments have different roles to play.

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Dependence of Mouse Embryonic Development in vitro on the Exposed Period to Oviductal Environment (난관체류시간에 따른 생쥐초기배의 체외발생능력)

  • Song, H.B.;Seo, B.B.;Kim, K.S.;Park, S.E.;Lee, S.H.
    • Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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    • v.19 no.2
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    • pp.117-123
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    • 1992
  • Development in vitro of 2-cell mouse embryos was examined after appropriate exposure to oviductal milieu to demonstrate biological activity present in the oviducts. ICR and ($C57Bl/6{\times}Balb/c$) $F_1$ hybrid mice were superovulated and mated for the recovery of early embryos. Embryos were recoverd at every 2h intervals from 32h post-hCG(hph) to 56 hph. The proportions of developmental stages were determined in the recovered embryos. Development in vitro of 2-cell embryos was more rapid in $F_1$ hybrid than in ICR, showing high proportions of 4-cell embryo and blastocyst at 120 hph. 100% of blastocyst development was obtained at 38hph in $F_1$ hybrid and at 50 hph in ICR when 2-cell embryos were cultured upto 120hph in vitro. Moreover, in vitro culture of oviducts containing 2-cell embryos in ICR mice for 12h from 34hph to 46hph increased developmental capacity of ICR mouse embryo in vitro. The results indicate that oviductal environment contains substances having mitogenic activity and overcoming early cell block in vitro. The mitogenic activity is effective in vitro as well as in vivo.

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Role of Nitric Oxide in Ischemia-evoked Release of Norepinephrine from Rat Cortex Slices (흰쥐 대뇌피질 절편에서 허혈에 의한 Norepinephrine 유리에 있어서 Nitric Oxide의 영향)

  • Eun, Young-Ah;Kim, Dong-Chan;Cho, Kyu-Park;Kim, Kee-Won
    • The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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    • v.1 no.6
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    • pp.673-679
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    • 1997
  • It has been generally accepted that glutamate mediates the ischemic brain damage, excitotoxicity, and induces release of neurotransmitters, including norepinephrine(NE), in ischemic milieu. In the present study, the role of nitric oxide(NO) in the ischemia-induced $[^3H]norepinephrine([^3H]NE)$ release from cortex slices of the rat was examined. Ischemia, deprivation of oxygen and glucose from $Mg^{2+}-free$ artificial cerebrospinal fluid, induced significant release of $[^3H]NE$ from cortex slices. This ischemia-induced $[^3H]NE$ release was significantly attenuated by glutamatergic neurotransmission modifiers. $N^G-nitro-L-arginine$ methyl ester(L-NAME), $N^G-monomethyl-L-arginine$ (L-NMMA) or 7-nitroindazole, nitric oxide synthase inhibitors attenuated the ischemia-evoked $[^3H]NE$ release. Hemoglobin, a NO chelator, and 5, 5- dimethyl-L-pyrroline-N-oxide(DMPO), an electron spin trap, inhibited $[^3H]NE$ release dose-dependently. Ischemia-evoked $[^3H]NE$ release was inhibited by methylene blue, a soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor, and potentiated by 8-bromo-cGMP, a cell permeable cGMP analog, zaprinast, a cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor, and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a nitric oxide generator. These results suggest that the ischemia-evoked $[^3H]NE$ release is mediated by NMDA receptors, and activation of NO system is involved.

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Analysis on the Technological Innovation and Cooperative Networks of Service Industries by Region (서비스업 기술혁신과 협력네트워크의 특성 : 수도권과 비수도권 비교 분석을 중심으로)

  • Choi Ji-Sun
    • Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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    • v.40 no.1 s.106
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    • pp.63-77
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    • 2005
  • Innovation, esp. technological innovation, in service sectors has drawn much attention as innovation-driven economy and service-led growth has been emphasized in the 21st century. This paper attempts to analyze the technological innovation from the perspective of geography and to understand the role of cooperative networks in the technological innovation. In sum, this study reveals that more firms in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) tended to succeed in the technological innovation in service sectors than those in the provinces. However, the difference originated from the difference in firms' internal capabilities, not from the difference in the external innovative capabilities represented by cooperative networks relevant to innovative milieu. In terms of cooperative partners, the fm in the provinces placed special importance on universities as cooperative partners, while the firms in the SMA put much emphasis on various types of cooperative partners. The cooperation with private partners was a statistically meaningful variable for the occurrence of technological innovation, regardless of firms' location. The cooperation with public partners proved to influence firms' application for the intellectual property right such as patents in both the SMA and the provinces.

The Role of Local Governance on Ecotourism (생태관광과 로컬 거버넌스)

  • 최정수
    • Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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    • v.6 no.1
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    • pp.233-247
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    • 2003
  • Ecotourism is widely known to be a sort of alternative tourism which seeks to keep balance between conservation and development. Successful ecotourism is not just dependent upon natural/cultural resources but also the consensus-building and collaboration among actors involved in the development of ecotourist attractions. In this sense, the establishment of good local governance can be crucial to achieve both conservation and development which are incompatible one another. Governance is carried out through self-organising, inter-organisational networks, which is emerging as new forms of collective decision-making at local level. Governance leads to the development of different relationships, not simply between public/ nonpublic agencies but between citizens and public/nonpublic agencies. I represent some key dimensions to construct good local governance in ecotourism: i) the creation of socio-institutional milieu that facilitate interactions among actors related to ecotourism; ii) actors involved in ecotourism taking responsibility to play an appropriate role in their own position. I argue that interactive relationships and consensus-building between different actors can be promoted by collective actions such as the sharing of information and resources, co-education and co-training, and seminars. It therefore implies that local good governance cannot be established without local social capital based on trust and cooperation between actors.

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Culture and Somatization (문화와 신체화)

  • Kim, Kwang-Iel
    • Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.3-14
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    • 2003
  • In this review article, the meanings of the somatization phenomena were reviewed and discussed in terms of cultural psychiatric view point. The somatization is an universal psychopathology. But frequency, pattern of symptoms and it's cultural factors in the conversion of emotional distress to the somatization are much different from culture to culture. Conventional impression and monotonous interpretation that somatization is prevalent in the non-Western or traditional society and it is due to poor differentiation of the psyche is seriously criticized. Cultural metaphors of expressing emotional pain, traditional disease concepts, conventional way of adopting a given culture and society, and medical delivery system and milieu could be regarded as important cultural factors of the somatization. Cultural meanings of somatization in Korea were summarized and discussed. Finally, clinical guide line for transcultural practice were summarized.

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Contextual Understanding of North Korea Nuclear Problem (북한 핵의 맥락적 이해)

  • Park, Bong-gyu
    • Korea and Global Affairs
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.97-114
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    • 2017
  • This article aims for searching the clue of North Korea nuke-problem by understanding it contextually. We must see this from the beginning as many trials in settling the problem have failed. North Korea nuke-problem is related to the change of international implication as well as the domestic process of its development. At first, it started from the regime survival, which evolved with the effect of learning. During the Cold War, its development had combined the principle of 'self-defense' because of Sino-Russia conflict. Particularly, its meaning varied dramatically due to the collapse of Cold War system plus the advent of post-Cold War system. North Korea nuclear program has became a global problem based on the deterioration of North Korea's security milieu and Bush administration's policy. Therefore, the area of common solution for NK nuke-problem must be found in the context of regime survival and the change of its meaning by continual convergence effort.