Value Discount of Business Groups Surrounding the Asia Financial Crisis: Evidence from Korean Chaebols

Asian Financial Crisis, Business Group, Chaebol, Diversification, Firm Value

CONSERVATIVE AND PROGFESSIVE ASPECTS OF THE SONATA FROM LATE BEETHOVEN TO PROKOFIEV

The term 'sonata' arose in the early seventeenth-century Baroque period and was originally used to distinguish instrumental (sonata) music from vocal music. Later. the sonata style, as a reliable yet flexible compositional framework, was extensively shaped and utilized throughout the Classical period. Subsequently, in the Romantic period, freer creative, individualistic. and expressive musical elements began to be preferred by composers in their use of harmonj., tone color, form, and rhythm. However, even during the revolutionary Romantic period in music. the compositions which did not have a pre-defined format (character pieces, etc) were often comfortably framed and limited within the recognizable boundaries provided by the Classical sonata style. The sonata format, when used as a tool in musical composition, provides logical boundaries that may serve to organize any unexpected emotional expressions on the part of the composer. Yet the sonata framework is also flexible enough to allow freedom of expression. In the Romantic period and beyond, composers had relied, some more than others, upon the sonata's adaptable blend of stability and flexibility. In my opinion, it is more persuasive to express oneself musically within the framework of an established musical style. Thus, I have chosen my dissertation topic as the performance of six pieces incorporating elements of the reliable and flexible sonata style. The sonata of each composer that I have selected clearly demonstrates a tension between logic and emotion expressed within the sonata framework. However, the compositions can be divided interestingly into two groups, such as 'conservative' and 'progressive' group. The 'conservative' group consists of composers who seemed to strive for greater freedom of self-expression within the constraints of the traditional sonata form. On the other hand, the 'progressive' group consists of composers who seemed more to rely upon the sonata form to rein in and add stability to their highly individual and emotional musical ideas. It is my hope that this project will provide a stimulating viewpoint from which to consider the evolution and utilization of the sonata style especially as it is applied to the composition and performance of these six diverse and interesting pieces

Self-rated health and risk of incident non-alcoholic fatty liver disease:A cohort study

Although self-rated health (SRH), a subjective measure of overall health status, associates with metabolic abnormalities, studies on the relationship between SRH and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, are limited. In this study, we evaluated whether or not SRH predicts the risk of incident NAFLD. This cohort study was performed in a sample of 148,313 Korean adults free of ultrasound-diagnosed NAFLD at baseline with annual or biennial follow-up for a median of 3.7 years. SRH and NAFLD were measured at baseline and follow-up visits. NAFLD was determined based on the ultrasound-diagnosed fatty liver without excessive alcohol consumption or any other cause. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated via a parametric proportional hazards model. During 522,696.1 person-years of follow-up, 23,855 individuals with new-onset NAFLD were identified (incidence rate, 45.6 per 1,000 person-years). After adjustments for possible confounders including total calorie intake, sleep duration, and depressive symptoms, the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for incident NAFLD comparing good, fair, and poor or very poor SRH to very good SRH were 1.06 (0.97-1.14), 1.18 (1.09-1.27), and 1.24 (1.13-1.37), respectively. This association of SRH with incident NAFLD remained significant after accounting for changes in SRH and confounders during follow-up and was similar across clinically relevant subgroups. In a large-scale cohort study of apparently healthy Korean adults, poor SRH was independently and positively associated with incident NAFLD risk, indicating a predictive role of SRH as a health measure in NAFLD.</p

Dreaming of the future of stroke: translation of bench to bed

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and the most common cause of disability in adults. Remarkable advances in stroke research have been achieved during the past decades. Stroke fatalities have decreased significantly worldwide owing to improved stroke care because of increased public awareness of stroke symptoms, improved acute stroke therapy, and improved stroke prevention approaches. There are currently significant developments in new technologies with the potential to be used daily in clinical practice in patients with stroke. In this review, we have selected and discussed some of the key areas related to stroke, namely big data, artificial intelligence, precision medicine, medical devices, and stem cells

Hepatorenal syndrome: Current concepts and future perspectives

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), a progressive but potentially reversible deterioration of kidney function, remains a major complication in patients with advanced cirrhosis, often leading to death before liver transplantation (LT). Recent updates in the pathophysiology, definition, and classification of HRS have led to a complete revision of the nomenclature and diagnostic criteria for HRS type 1, which was renamed HRS-acute kidney injury (AKI). HRS is characterized by severe impairment of kidney function due to increased splanchnic blood flow, activation of several vasoconstriction factors, severe vasoconstriction of the renal arteries in the absence of kidney histologic abnormalities, nitric oxide dysfunction, and systemic inflammation. Diagnosis of HRS remains a challenge because of the lack of specific diagnostic biomarkers that accurately distinguishes structural from functional AKI, and mainly involves the differential diagnosis from other forms of AKI, particularly acute tubular necrosis. The optimal treatment of HRS is LT. While awaiting LT, treatment options include vasoconstrictor drugs to counteract splanchnic arterial vasodilation and plasma volume expansion by intravenous albumin infusion. In patients with HRS unresponsive to pharmacological treatment and with conventional indications for kidney replacement therapy (KRT), such as volume overload, uremia, or electrolyte imbalances, KRT may be applied as a bridging therapy to transplantation. Other interventions, such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and artificial liver support systems have a very limited role in improving outcomes in HRS. Although recently developed novel therapies have potential to improve outcomes of patients with HRS, further studies are warranted to validate the efficacy of these novel agents