Globalization and National Identity: Shintobul-i, A Case of Cultural Representation of Economic Nationalism

This article aims at analyzing and explaining the process of invention, as well as its diffusion, and finally examining the controversy around the meaning of the adage Shintobul-i. This Korean set phrase literally means Soil and body are one and the same. Looking at the form of the adage, one can easily be misled and think that it comes from traditional Korea or ancient China. Actually, it is an invention of the Korean Agricultural Cooperative in 1989 in order to mobilize the public against trade liberalization. The case study of Shintobul-i indicates that the cultural dimension of nationalism can be deeply intertwined with economic interests so that they mutually reinforces in a synergetic process. 1) The principal actors in the invention process are educated urban elites, even though farmers contributed to the popularization of the idiom. 2) The emergence of Shintobul-i as a symbol of national identity corresponds to the historical context of economic development and democratization. 3) The diffusion and popularization of Shintobul-i cover a quite long period of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century. 4) This case indicates that the symbols of national identity must possess the popular appealing power as well as some specific qualities, such as indispensability or prestige, which make them worth of a nation

Legal Issues Regarding the Legislation for an Emission Trading System in Korea

This paper will study the potential legislative issues that can be raised in the process of creating an emission trading system. First, the constitutionality of carbon credits can be questioned in relation to the freedom to choose an occupation and property rights. Second, Emission trading might be regarded as a way of granting the right to pollute, which is a violation of environmental rights. Third, the polluter pays principle (PPP), stipulated under the Framework Act on Environmental Policy, might be inconsistent with an ETS targeting only the upstream pollution sources. Fourth, the problem of determining the period(short-term or long-term) and the reduction amount and the target gases. Fifth, to whom the emission credits should be allocated. Sixth, to choose between different methods to allocate emission allowances: free allocation (grand-fathering and benchmarking (baseline and credit)) and paid allocation (auctioning). Seventh, given the regulatory gap on emissions among countries, Korea should come up with countermeasures against the negative impact on the international competitiveness of its domestic industry and potential carbon leakage in the world that could be caused by domestic regulations. Eighth, it is crucial to be open to other various policy tools such as command-and-control, environmental taxes, subsidies, support for technology development and the readjustment of the social infrastructure, and to adopt a policy-mix method that uses a combination of these various tools. Ninth, the regulatory consequences of implementing an ETS can be a huge burden on those in the industry. To minimize the regulatory burden, the following legal basis will be needed to allow a gradual implementation of the regulation

Maysin and Its Flavonoid Derivative from Centipedegrass Attenuates Amyloid Plaques by Inducting Humoral Immune Response with Th2 Skewed Cytokine Response in the Tg (APPswe, PS1dE9) Alzheimer\u27s Mouse Model

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is a slow, progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common type of dementia in the elderly. The etiology of AD and its underlying mechanism are still not clear. In a previous study, we found that an ethyl acetate extract of Centipedegrass (CG) (i.e., EA-CG) contained 4 types of Maysin derivatives, including Luteolin, Isoorientin, Rhamnosylisoorientin, and Derhamnosylmaysin, and showed protective effects against Amyloid beta (Aβ) by inhibiting oligomeric Aβ in cellular and in vitro models. Here, we examined the preventative effects of EA-CG treatment on the Aβ burden in the Tg (Mo/Hu APPswe PS1dE9) AD mouse model. We have investigated the EA-CG efficacy as novel anti-AD likely preventing amyloid plaques using immunofluorescence staining to visually analyze Aβ40/42 and fibril formation with Thioflavin-S or 6E10 which are the profile of immunoreactivity against epitope Aβ1-16 or neuritic plaque, the quantitation of humoral immune response against Aβ, and the inflammatory cytokine responses (Th1 and Th2) using ELISA and QRT-PCR. To minimize the toxicity of the extracted CG, we addressed the liver toxicity in response to the CG extract treatment in Tg mice using relevant markers, such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/ alanine aminotransferase (ALT) measurements in serum. The EA-CG extract significantly reduced the Aβ burden, the concentration of soluble Aβ40/42 protein, and fibril formation in the hippocampus and cortex of the Tg mice treated with EA-CG (50 mg/kg BW/day) for 6 months compared with the Tg mice treated with a normal diet. Additionally, the profile of anti-inflammatory cytokines revealed that the levels of Th2 (interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interleukin-10 (IL-10)) cytokines are more significantly increased than Th1 (interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2(IL-2)) in the sera. These results suggest that the EA-CG fraction induces IL-4/IL-10-dependent anti-inflammatory cytokines (Th2) rather than pro-inflammatory cytokines (Th1), which are driven by IL-2/IFN-γ. With regard to the immune response, EA-CG induced an immunoglobulin IgG and IgM response against the EA-CG treatment in the Tg mice. Furthermore, EA-CG significantly ameliorated the level of soluble Aβ42 and Aβ40. Similarly, we observed that the fibril formation was also decreased by EA-CG treatment in the hippocampus and cortex after quantitative analysis with Thioflavin-S staining in the Tg brain tissues. Taken together, our findings suggested that Maysin and its derivative flavonoid compounds in the EA-CG fraction might be beneficial therapeutic treatments or alternative preventative measures to adjuvant for boosting humoral and cellular include immune response and anti-inflammation which may lead to amyloid plaque accumulation in Alzheimer\u27s patients\u27 brains

First Report of Leaf Spot in Fischer's Ragwort Caused by

During disease surveys from 2019 to 2021, the authors frequently encountered leaf spot symptoms on Fischer's ragwort plants growing at fields at six locations of Gangwon Province, Korea. The symptoms displayed brown to dark brown, circular or irregular spots on the plant leaves. The disease surveys at the six locations revealed 1–90% of diseased leaves of the plants. Phoma sp. was dominantly isolated from the diseased leaf lesions. Seven single-spore isolates of the fungus were selected and identified as Didymella ligulariae by investigation of their cultural, morphological, and molecular characteristics. Artificial inoculation test to Fischer's ragwort leaves was conducted with three isolates of D. ligulariae. The inoculation test revealed that the tested isolates cause leaf spot symptoms in the plants similar to the natural ones. The fungal pathogen has never been reported to cause leaf spot in Fischer's ragwort. Leaf spot of Fischer's ragwort caused by D. ligulariae is first reported in this study

Korean Green Growth: A Paradigm Shift in Sustainability Policy, and its International Implications

This article evaluates Koreas green growth law and policies in order to assess the role of green growth in international environmental law. We provide a short overview of Korean law and policy and contextualize Korean green growth by comparing it to the OECDs green growth vision. We then critically examine green growth from administrative and international law perspectives. Building on this analysis, we consider how the Korean domestic experience, and the initial efforts made to transplant aspects of green growth in other nations, can provide insight into future environmental and economic policies. While proponents of green growth continue to face significant challenges in Korea and abroad, there have been notable initial successes. Koreas forthcoming introduction of an emissions trading system and the collaboration between Korea and Cambodia to develop Cambodias institutional capacity for green growth are two conspicuous examples. Green growth remains a promising framework in Korea and abroad; its ultimate impact will depend upon sustained political and social support for the implementation of the ambitious policies green growth prescribes.This research is supported by the SNU Brain Fusion Program Research Grant in 2010

Manumycin from a new Streptomyces strain shows antagonistic effect against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)/vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) strains from Korean Hospitals

An antimicrobial compound, highly effective against multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, purified from a Streptomyces strain was identified as manumycin. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of manumycin against 8 different strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were ranged 2 to 32 μg/ml. Similarly, MICs of manumycin against 4 vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) strains were ranged 8 to 32 μg/ml while it remained ineffective against 4 other VRE strains. Compared to vancomycin, manumycin provided slightly weaker activity against MRSA strains but stronger activity against 4 VRE strains. This is the first report of antagonistic effect of manumycin against MDR pathogens.Keywords: Manumycin, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE)African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(17), pp. 2249-225

A Herbal Medicine, Gongjindan

This study protocol aims to explore the effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness of a herbal medication, Gongjindan (GJD), in patients with chronic dizziness. This will be a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, clinical trial. Seventy-eight patients diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, psychogenic dizziness, or dizziness of unknown cause will be randomized and allocated to either a GJD or a placebo group in a 1 : 1 ratio. Participants will be orally given 3.75 g GJD or placebo in pill form once a day for 56 days. The primary outcome measure will be the Dizziness Handicap Inventory score. Secondary outcome measures will be as follows: severity (mean vertigo scale and visual analogue scale) and frequency of dizziness, balance function (Berg Balance Scale), fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale) and deficiency pattern/syndrome (qi blood yin yang-deficiency questionnaire) levels, and depression (Korean version of Beck’s Depression Inventory) and anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) levels. To assess safety, adverse events, including laboratory test results, will be monitored. Further, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio will be calculated based on quality-adjusted life years (from the EuroQoL five dimensions’ questionnaire) and medical expenses. Data will be statistically analyzed at a significance level of 0.05 (two-sided). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03219515, in July 2017