• Title/Summary/Keyword: western China

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Warm Water Circulation and its Origin by Sea Level Fluctuation and Bottom Topography (해수면변화와 해저지형에 의한 난류수의 순환과 그 기원)

  • PARK Ig-Chan;OH Im Sang
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.28 no.5
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    • pp.677-697
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    • 1995
  • The analysis of long- period sea level variations with tidal record data around Korea, Japan, and Russia shows that about half of the variations are due to atmospheric influences. The sea level variation by water movements is the largest in the coasts along the Tsushima Current, and becomes smaller in the distant areas. It suggests that the sea level varications are related with the Tsushima Current. The effect of sea level variations to ocean circulation has been studied with a numerical model allowing barotropic sea level fluctuations, like the result with GCM (Semtner) model by Pang et al.(1993), the present model also shows that waters basically flow along isobaths over the last China Sea after geostyophic adjustment around Taiwan. However, barotropic sea level fluctuation makes the basic circulation in the Yellow Sea, which waters flow into the central Yellow Sea and out along the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Besides this, barotropic sea level fluctuation makes long period waves over the shelf area as the Kuroshio varies. By the waves, the basic circulation in the Yellow Sea is disturbed, so that the flow pattern of oppositely flowing into the Yellow Sea along the west roast of the Korean Peninsula appears. In the Yellow Sea circulation, it seems that northwest winds strengthen the basic circulat ion In winter, and southeast winds strengthen the disturbed circulation in summer. Another point appeared by the long period wave is that the Tsushima Current possibly originates in different areas. There have been two opposing argues on the area in which the Tsushima Current originates the southwest sea of Kyushu Island and the adjacent sea of Taiwan. Through this study, we found that both of them seem to be important areas for the origin of the Tsushima Current, and one of them is possibly strengthened by long period waves. The long period waves given by the variation of the Kuroshio Current in the adjacent sea of Taiwan propagate to the Korea Strait as forced waves. The wave continuously propagates to the last Sea through the eastern channel, but reflects in the western channel due to bottom topography. The reflected waves propagate southwestward along the last China Sea as free waves and determine the sea level variations with forced waves.

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The Structure of Vegetation in Chamaecyparis obtusa Plantations (편백인공림(人工林)의 식생구조(植生構造)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究))

  • Goo, Gwan Hyo;Lee, Kang Young
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.80 no.4
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    • pp.393-407
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    • 1991
  • The vegetation structure within Chamaecyparis obtusa plantation was analyzed for the purpose of applying the effective forestation method for Chmaecyparis obtusa plantation, tending and regeneration in the southern districts of korea. The results were as follows ; 1. The importance percentage was high in the order of Eurya japonica, Rhus verniciflua, Chamaecyparis obtusa, Lindera erythrocarpa, Carpinus laxiflora, Styrax japonica, Viburnum dilatatum, Zanthoxylum piperitum and Smilax china among the vegetation of Chamaecyparis obtusa. Importance percentage of natural seedling of Chamaecyparis obtusa was high in lower story but gradually decreased in middle story. 2. The basal area of upper trees had a negative correlation with the density of natural seedlings in the middle and lower story, and it represents that the basal area of upper trees had some effect on the density of natural seedlings within understories. 3. The rate of the A and B class by Raunkiaer's frequency was higher in the vegetation of middle story than that of lower story. 4. By Morisita's index, the species of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Rhus verniciflua, Lindera erythrocarpa, Smilax china. Callicarpa japonica and Lindera obtusiloba were randomly distributed at lower story, but they were aggregatively distributed at middle story. At all of middle and lower story, Eurya japonica and Viburum dilatatum were randomly distributed, and Carpinus laxiflora, Zanthoxylum piperitum and Picrasma quassioides were aggregatively distributed. 5. The number of appearance species and the value of species diversity in western survey area were more than that of eastern survey area. 6. The value of species diversity at lower story was higher than that of middle story, and it represents that the number of individuals of appearance species was composed more even at lover story than middle story. 7. According to cluster analysis by similarity index, the survey areas were separated from inland and seacoast districts. 8. Judging from each stories ordination analysis by dissimilarity index, the vegetation was separated from lower and middle story, and the vegetation of lower story was more progressed succession stage than that of middle story. 9. In Chamaecyparis obtusa stands, Eurya japonica had a positive correlation with Sorbus alnifolia, Hex macropoda. Ficus erecta and Trachelospermum asiaticum, but it had a negative correlation with Zanthoxylum piperitum, Carpinus laxiflora and Parthenocissus tricuspidata. 10. In estimation of the productivity of Chamaecyparis obtusa stands, the value of SC (Conic surface) and VP (Parabolic volume) for upper trees was 94.5% and 99.63%, respectively and SC and VP of middle story was 5.49% and 0.37%, respectively. In the species of middle story, material productivity was high in order of Eurya japonica. Lindera eryhrocarpa, Rhus verniciflua. Carpinus laxiflora and Styrax japonica.

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Diagnostic Performance of HPV E6/E7 mRNA and HPV DNA Assays for the Detection and Screening of Oncogenic Human Papillomavirus Infection among Woman with Cervical Lesions in China

  • Wang, Hye-young;Lee, Dongsup;Park, Sunyoung;Kim, Geehyuk;Kim, Sunghyun;Han, Lin;Yubo, Ren;Li, Yingxue;Park, Kwang Hwa;Lee, Hyeyoung
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.16 no.17
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    • pp.7633-7640
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    • 2015
  • Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide and it is responsible for most cases of cervical uterine cancer. Although HPV infections of the cervix do not always progress to cancer, 90% of cervical cancer cases have been found to be associated with high risk HPV (HR-HPV) infection. HPV DNA testing is widely used, along with Papanicolaou (Pap) testing, to screen for cervical abnormalities. However, there are no data on the prevalence of genotype-specific HPV infections assessed by measuring HPV E6/E7 mRNA in women representative of the Chinese population across a broad age range. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we compared the results with the CervicGen HPV RT-qDx assay, which detects 16 HR-HPV genotypes (Alpha-9: HPV 16, 31, 33, 35, 52, and 58; Alpha-7: HPV 18, 39, 45, 51, 59, and 68; and Alpha-5, 6: HPV 53, 56, 66, and 69), and the REBA HPV-ID assay, which detects 32 HPV genotypes based on the reverse blot hybridization assay (REBA) for the detection of oncogenic HPV infection according to cytological diagnosis. We also investigated the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection with a total of 324 liquid-based cytology samples collected in western Shandong province, East China. Results: The overall HPV prevalences determined by HPV DNA and HPV E6/E7 mRNA assays in this study were 79.9% (259/324) and 55.6% (180/324), respectively. Although the positivity of HPV E6/E7 mRNA expression was significantly lower than HPV DNA positivity, the HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay showed greater specificity than the HPV DNA assay (88.6% vs. 48.1%) in normal cytology samples. The prevalence of Alpha-9 (HPV 16, 31, 33, 35, 52, and 58) HPV infection among these women accounted for up to 80.3% and 76.1% of the high-grade lesions detected in the HPV mRNA and DNA tests, respectively. The HR-HPV genotype distribution, based on HPV DNA and E6/E7 mRNA expression by age group in patients with cytologically confirmed lesions, was highest in women aged 40 to 49 years (35.9% for cytologically confirmed cases, Pearson correlation r value=0.993, p<0.001) for high-grade lesions. Among the oncogenic HR-HPV genotypes for all age groups, there was little difference in the distribution of HPV genotypes between the HPV DNA (HPV -16, 53, 18, 58, and 33) and HPV E6/E7 mRNA (HPV -16, 53, 33, 58, and 18) assays. HPV 16 was the most common HPV genotype among women with high-grade lesions. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the HPV E6/E7 mRNA assay can be a sensitive and specific tool for the screening and investigation of cervical cancer. Furthermore, it may provide useful information regarding the necessity for early cervical cancer screenings and the development of additional effective HPV vaccines, such as one for HPV 53 and 58. Additionally, gaining knowledge of HPV distribution may also inform us about ecological changes in HPV after the vaccination.

Tie Spatial Structure of Ch'ang-ts'ai-ts'un Village A Case Study on a Rural Village of Korean Immigrants in Yen-pien Area of China (중국(中國) 연변지구(延邊地區) 조선족(朝鮮族)마을의 구성(構成) 룡정시 지신향 장재촌을 대상으로)

  • Lee, Kyu Sung
    • Journal of architectural history
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    • v.3 no.1
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    • pp.83-99
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    • 1994
  • Ch'ang-Ts'al-Ts'un is a rural Village near Lung-jing City in Yen-pien Korean Autonomous Province of China. It was formed about 100 years ago by Korean Immigrants and has been developed maintaing the characteristics of traditional Korean architecture. Therefore investigating the spatial structure of this village is a meanigful work to confirm and explore one branch of Korean architecture. This study aims at analyzing the spatial structure of the village using direct data collected from the field work and indirect data from books and maps. The field work consists of on-the-site survey of the village layout, interviews of residents, observation notes and photography. Ch'ang-Ts'ai-Ts'un is located 360-370 m high above the sea level and at the side of a long valley. A river flows in the middle of the valley and relatively flat arable land exists at the both sides of the river. The location of the village related to the surrounding river and mountains suggests that the site of the village was chosen according to Feng-Shui, Chinese and Korean traditional architectural theory. The main direction of the house layouts is South-western. The village has been growing gradually until today. Therefore it is meaningful to make the village layout before Liberation(1946 A.D.) because the characteristics of Korean architecture prevailed more in that period. The area of the previous village is limited to the west side of the creek. New houses were later added to the east of the creek, forming a 'New Village'. Previously the village was composed of 3 small villages: Up, Middle and Down. Also the main access roads connecting the village with the neighboring villages were penetrating the village transversely. Presently the main access road comes to the village longitudinally from the main highway located in front of the village. The retrospective layout shows the existence of well-formed Territory, Places and Axes, thus suggesting a coherent Micro-cosmos. The boundary of imaginery territory perceived by present residents could be defined by linking conspicous outside places sorrounding the village such as Five-mountains, Front-mountain, Shin-dong village, Standing-rock, Rear-mountain and Myong-dong village. Inside the territory there are also the important places such as Bus-stop, Memorial tower of patriots, Road-maitenance building and the village itself. And inside it 5 transverse and 1 longitudinal axes exist in the form of river, roads and mountains. The perceived spatial structure of the village formed by Places, Axes and Territory is geometrical and well-balanced and suggests this village is fit for human settlement. The administrative area of the village is about 738 ha, 27 % of which is cultivated land and the rest is mountain area. Initially the village and surrounndings were covered with natural forest But the trees have been gradually cut down for building and warning houses, resulting in the present barren and artificial landscape with bare mountains and cultivated land. At present the area of the village occupied by houses is wedge-shaped, 600 m wide and 220 m deep in its maximum. The total area of the village is $122,175m^{2}$. The area and the rate of each sub-division arc as follow. 116 house-lots $91,465m^{2}$ (74.9 %) Land for public buildings and shops $2,980m^{2}$ (2.4 %) Roads $17,106m^{2}$ (14.0 %) Creek $1,356m^{2}$ (1.1 %) Vacant spaces and others $9,268m^{2}$ (7.6 %) TOTAL $122,175m^{2}$ (100.0 %) Each lot is fenced around with vertical wooden pannels 1.5-1.8 m high and each house is located to the backside of the lot. The open space of a lot is sub-divided into three areas using the same wooden fence: Front yard, Back yard and Access area. Front and back yards are generally used for crop-cultivation, the custom of which is rare in Korea. The number of lots is 116 and the average size of area is $694.7m^{2}$. Outdoor spaces in the village such as roads, vacant spaces, front yard of the cultural hall, front yard of shops and spacse around the creek are good 'behavioral settings' frequently used by residents for play, chatting, drinking and movie-watching. The road system of the village is net-shaped, having T-junctions in intersections. The road could be graded to 4 categories according to their functions: Access roads, Inner trunk roads, Connecting roads and Culs-de-sac. The total length of the road inside the village is 3,709 m and the average width is 4.6 m. The main direction of the road in the village is NNE-SSE and ESE-WNW, crossing with right angles. Conclusively, the spatial structure of Ch'ang-Ts'ai-Ts'un village consists of various components in different dimensions and these components form a coherent structure in each dimension. Therefore the village has a proper spatial structure meaningful and appropriate for human living.

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Characteristics and Significance of the Huirang Daesa Sculpture at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon (합천(陜川) 해인사(海印寺) 희랑대사상(希朗大師像)의 특징과 제작 의미)

  • Jeong, Eunwoo
    • MISULJARYO - National Museum of Korea Art Journal
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    • v.98
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    • pp.54-77
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    • 2020
  • Produced during the Goryeo period (718-1392), the statue of the monk Huirang Daesa at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon is almost life-size, with a height of 82.4 cm, a width of 66.6 cm at the knees, and a maximum width of 44 cm at the torso (front and back). Notably, it is the only known example of an East Asian Buddhist sculpture made from wood and dry lacquer that was formed by joining the front and back halves. However, a similar technique was used on a dry lacquer statue of the Medicine Buddha at Cheongnyangsa Temple in Bonghwa, which is estimated to date from the late Goryeo or early Joseon period. As such, this technique is thought to represent this particular time period. In an eighteenth-century travelogue about a trip to Mt. Gayasan, the author describes a sculpture that is believed to be the statue of Huirang Daesa at Haeinsa Temple, based on various unique features that closely correspond to the sculpture's current appearance. For example, the sculpture is said to have a hole in the chest and rough, knobby tendons and bones, two features that can still be seen today. Another sculpture of a Buddhist monk who was active in the western regions during the third and fourth century also has a hole in the chest, which is said to be a symbol of spiritual strength. The travelogue also states that the statue was lacquered black at the time, which means that it must have been painted with its present colors some time in the nineteenth century. Over time, the sculpture has been enshrined in various halls of Haeinsa Temple, including Haehaengdang, Jinsangjeon, and later Josajeon (Hall of the Patriarchs), and Bojangjeon. Records show that images of Buddhist monks, or "seungsang," were produced in Korea as early as the Three Kingdoms period (18 BCE-660 CE), but few of these works have survived. At present, only four such sculptures are extant, including the images of Huirang Daesa from the Goryeo period, and those of Monk Naong and Uisang Daesa from the Joseon period. Of these, the sculpture of Huirang Daesa has special significance for its early production date (i.e., CE. tenth century), outstanding production techniques, and superb artistic quality, realistically capturing both the external appearance and internal character of the subject. The tradition of producing, sanctifying, and worshipping statues of monks was prevalent not only in Korea, but also in China and Japan. However, each country developed its own preferred materials and techniques for producing these unique images. For example, while China has a large number of mummified Buddhist images (yuksinbul), Japan produced diverse images with various materials (e.g., dry lacquer, wood, clay) according to period. But despite the differences in materials and techniques, the three nations shared the same fundamental purpose of expressing and honoring the inherent spirituality of the monks.

The State Hermitage Museum·Northwest University for Nationalities·Shanghai Chinese Classics Publishing House Kuche Art Relics Collected in Russia Shanghai Chinese Classics Publishing House, 2018 (아라사국립애이미탑십박물관(俄羅斯國立艾爾米塔什博物館)·서북민족대학(西北民族大學)·상해고적출판사(上海古籍出版社) 편(編) 『아장구자예술품(俄藏龜玆藝術品)』, 상해고적출판사(上海古籍出版社), 2018 (『러시아 소장 쿠차 예술품』))

  • Min, Byung-Hoon
    • 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.

Community Ecological Study on the Quercus acuta Forests in Bogildo-Island (보길도(甫吉島) 붉가시나무림(林)의 군락생태학적(群落生態學的) 연구(硏究))

  • Kim, Chong-Young;Lee, Jeong-Seok;Oh, Kwang-In;Jang, Seok-Ki;Park, Jin-Hong
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.89 no.5
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    • pp.618-629
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    • 2000
  • This study was carried out to investigate ecological niche of Quercus acuta communities in Bogildo-island from July to October, 1998. This island is occupied by a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests. The study on community ecology of Q. acuta, mostly dominant species of subtropical forests, is very important for successful forest management. Sampling areas were selected in 16 quadrats, dominated by Q. acuta to examine the vegetation characteristics(plant identification, D.B.H.) and environmental elements (microtopography, altitude, slope degree, aspect, illumination and soil physicochemical properties). On the basis of data from field surveys, importance values were calculated for the dominance of Q. acuta and volume growth was analyzed by tree ring widths. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. The lists of vascular plants in the investigations were identified as 54 families, 91 genera, 113 species, 9 varieties, 1 formae. It appeared that 45 kinds were evergreen, 6 kinds(Camellia japonica, Ligustrum japonicum, Eurya japonica, Smilax china, Trachelospermum asiaticum var. intermedium, Carex lanceolata) were commonly observed in all plots and 5 species(Cinnamomum japonicum, Ardisia japonica, Cymbidium goeringii, Dryopteris bissetiana, Viburnum erosum) were most highly observed in all plots(over 80%). 2. The dominating species per strata were, Quercus acuta, Castanopsis cuspidata sp. Quercus salicina, Pinus thunbergii, Prunus sargentii in tree layer, Camellia Japonica, Ligustrum japonicum, Quercus acuta, Eurya japonica, Castanopsis cuspidata sp. in subtree layer, Camellia japonica, Ligustrum japonicum, Smilax china, Cinnamomum japonicum, Viburnum erosum in shrub layer and Trachelospermum asiaticum var. intermedium, Ardisia japonica, Carex lanceolata, Camellia japonica(seedlings), Quercus acuta(seedlings) in herb layer, all in descending orders. 3. Quercus acuta could be suggested as shade intolerant tree, considering the distribution in southern, western, nothern and eastern slopes in the descending orders. 4. Mean relative illumination in the forest is 0.89 % and it is relatively low in brightness. 5. Sustainment of Quercus acuta community couldn't be confirmed by judging from their reverse J curve in even-aged forest, as shown in D.B.H. distribution analysis. 6. The result of annual ring width analysis(mean ; 2.44 mm) showed three stages, such as a gentle increasing(1~12 year ; 2.04 mm), a relatively steep increasing(13~22 year ; 2.95 mm) and decreasing or stagnating(23 year after ; 2.41 mm).

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A Novel Human BTB-kelch Protein KLHL31, Strongly Expressed in Muscle and Heart, Inhibits Transcriptional Activities of TRE and SRE

  • Yu, Weishi;Li, Yongqing;Zhou, Xijin;Deng, Yun;Wang, Zequn;Yuan, Wuzhou;Li, Dali;Zhu, Chuanbing;Zhao, Xueying;Mo, Xiaoyang;Huang, Wen;Luo, Na;Yan, Yan;Ocorr, Karen;Bodmer, Rolf;Wang, Yuequn;Wu, Xiushan
    • Molecules and Cells
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    • v.26 no.5
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    • pp.443-453
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    • 2008
  • The Bric-a-brac, Tramtrack, Broad-complex (BTB) domain is a protein-protein interaction domain that is found in many zinc finger transcription factors. BTB containing proteins play important roles in a variety of cellular functions including regulation of transcription, regulation of the cytoskeleton, protein ubiquitination, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a novel human gene, KLHL31, from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. The cDNA of KLHL31 is 5743 bp long, encoding a protein product of 634 amino acids containing a BTB domain. The protein is highly conserved across different species. Western blot analysis indicates that the KLHL31 protein is abundantly expressed in both embryonic skeletal and heart tissue. In COS-7 cells, KLHL31 proteins are localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In primary cultures of nascent mouse cardiomyocytes, the majority of endogenous KLHL31 proteins are localized to the cytoplasm. KLHL31 acts as a transcription repressor when fused to GAL4 DNA-binding domain and deletion analysis indicates that the BTB domain is the main region responsible for this repression. Overexpression of KLHL31 in COS-7 cells inhibits the transcriptional activities of both the TPA-response element (TRE) and serum response element (SRE). KLHL31 also significantly reduces JNK activation leading to decreased phosphorylation and protein levels of the JNK target c-Jun in both COS-7 and Hela cells. These results suggest that KLHL31 protein may act as a new transcriptional repressor in MAPK/JNK signaling pathway to regulate cellular functions.

Seasonal Variations of Mood and Behavior in Korean Medical Students (한국의 의과대학생에서 기분과 행동의 계절적 변동)

  • Kim, Sung-Jae;Lee, Heon-Jeong;Choi, Hyun-Seok;Jung, Hyun-Gang;Kim, Bong-Ju;Kim, Ju-Yeon;Lee, Young-Woo;Cho, Dong-Hyuk;Lee, Min-Soo;Joe, Sook-Haeng;Kim, Leen
    • Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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    • v.11 no.2
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    • pp.95-99
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    • 2004
  • Objectives: Although many studies on seasonal variations in mood and behavior have been carried out in foreign countries, no such study has previously been undertaken in Korea. The goal of this study was to estimate the frequency of seasonal variations in mood and behavior among Korean medical students. Methods: 297 medical students from Korea University College of Medicine participated in this study. The subjects were surveyed with a Korean translation of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), and their responses were evaluated for seasonal patterns of mood and behavioral change, including seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder (S-SAD), derived from the case-finding criteria of Kasper et al. Results: The mean global seasonality score was 6.6 (SD=3.6). 83.5% (N=248) of the subjects reported some changes in behavior and mood associated with the seasons. Only 3.7% (N=11) reported no behavioral changes across the seasons. Total prevalence rates were 15.2% for SAD, and 2.7% for S-SAD. The estimated frequencies were 3.0% for summer SAD, 2.7% for summer S-SAD, 11.4% for winter SAD, and 5.8% for winter S-SAD. The prevalence rates for winter SAD or S-SAD were higher than the prevalence rates for summer SAD or S-SAD. Conclusion: These results suggest that seasonal variations in mood and behavior are common among Koreans. The higher prevalence rate of winter SAD or S-SAD than summer SAD or S-SAD is consistent with most western studies and stands in contrasts to studies in other Asian countries, such as Japan and China.

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Korean Art from the view of foreigners in Korea from the period of independence to 1950s (광복 후부터 1950년대까지 한국에서 활동한 외국인이 본 한국미술)

  • Cho, Eun-Jung
    • The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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    • no.4
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    • pp.123-144
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    • 2006
  • Foreigners who arrived in Korea after the age of enlightenment were Japanese, Chinese and 'Westerners' who were Europeans and Americans. The westerners were diplomats who visited Korea for colonization or for increasing their economical profits by trading after the spread of imperialism, and tourists curious of back countries, artists, explores and missionaries to perform their roles for their religious beliefs. They contacted with Korean cultural and educational people as missionaries and instructors during Japanese colonial period. In 1945, the allied forces occupied Korea under the name of takeover of Japanese colony after Japan's surrender and the relation between foreigners and Korean cultured men enter upon a new phase. For 3 years, American soldiers enforced lots of systems in Korea and many pro-American people were educated. This relationship lasted even after the establishment of the government of Korean Republic and especially, diplomats called as pro-Korean group came again after Korean War. Among them, there were lots of foreigners interested in cultures and arts. In particular, government officials under American Forces who were influential on political circles or diplomats widened their insights toward Korean cultural assets and collected them a lot. Those who were in Korea from the period of independence to 1950s wrote their impressions about Korean cultural assets on newspapers or journals after visiting contemporary Korean exhibitions. Among them, A. J. McTaggart, Richard Hertz and the Hendersons were dominant. They thought the artists had great interests in compromising and uniting the Orient and the West based on their knowledge of Korean cultural assets and they advised. However, it was different from Korean artist's point of view that the foreigners thought Korean art adhered oriental features and contained western contents. From foreigners' point of view, it is hard to understand the attitude Korean artists chose to keep their self-respect through experiencing the Korean war. It is difficult to distinguish their thought about Korean art based on their exotic taste from the Korean artists' local and peninsular features under Japanese imperialism. We can see their thought about Korean art and their viewpoint toward the third world, after staying in Korea for a short period and being a member of the first world. The basic thing was that they could see the potentialities through the worldwide, beautiful Korean cultural assets and they thought it was important to start with traditions. It is an evidence showing Korean artists' pride in regard to the art culture through experiencing the infringement of their country. By writing about illuminating Korean art from the third party's view, foreigners represented their thoughts through it that their economical, military superiority goes with their cultural superiority. The Korean artist's thought of emphasizing Korean history and traditions, reexamining and using it as an original creation may have been inspired by westerners' writings. 'The establishment of national art' that Korean artists gave emphasis then, didn't only affect one of the reactions toward external impact, 'the adhesion of tradition'. In the process of introducing Korean contemporary art and national treasure in America, different view caused by role differences-foreigner as selector and Korean as assistant-showed the fact evidently that the standard of beauty differed between them. By emphasizing that the basis to classify Korean cultural assets is different from the neighborhood China and Japan, they tried to reflect their understanding that the feature of Korean art is on speciality other than universality. And this make us understand that even when Korean artists profess modernism, they stress that the roots are on Korean and oriental tradition. It was obviously a different thought from foreigners' view on Korean art that Korean artists' conception of modernism and traditional roots are inherent in Korean history. In 1950s, after the independence, Korea had different ideas from foreigners that abstract was to be learned from the west. Korea was enduring tough times with their artists' self-respect which made them think that they can learn the method, but the spirit of abstract is in the orient.

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