Post-Crisis Financial Reform in Korea: A Critical Appraisal

In the aftermath of the economic crisis of 1997-98 South Korea has undertaken a number of financial reforms under IMF auspices. One of such reforms was in financial supervision, which created the Financial Supervisory Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service. In spite of these reforms Korea has recently experienced a costly financial instability relating to credit-card companies and household debts. Korea’s success in bringing about rapid economic recovery from the crisis may have lessened, as suggested by the World Bank, the urgency for full financial reform. This paper, however, argues that the newly created supervisory agencies, although created as independent agencies, have not in fact functioned as such and thus failed to carry out proper supervision over credit-card companies. It is argued that those agencies have not been able to function independently due to institutional constraints imposed on them by other extant, formal as well as informal, institutions in Korea.Financial reform, financial supervision, institutions

Statics and dynamics of an incommensurate spin order in a geometrically frustrated antiferromagnet CdCr2_2O4_4

Using elastic and inelastic neutron scattering we show that a cubic spinel, CdCr$_2$O$_4$, undergoes an elongation along the c-axis ($c > a = b$) at its spin-Peierls-like phase transition at $T_N$ = 7.8 K. The N\'{e}el phase ($T < T_N$) has an incommesurate spin structure with a characteristic wave vector \textbf{Q}$_M$ = (0,$\delta$,1) with $\delta \sim$ 0.09 and with spins lying on the $ac$-plane. This is in stark contrast to another well-known Cr-based spinel, ZnCr$_2$O$_4$, that undergoes a c-axis contraction and a commensurate spin order. The magnetic excitations of the incommensurate N\'{e}el state has a weak anisotropy gap of 0.6 meV and it consists of at least three bands extending up to 5 meV.Comment: PRL in pres

Developing Policy for Integrating Biomedicine and Traditional Chinese Medical Practice Using Focus Groups and the Delphi Technique

In Hong Kong, statutory regulation for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners has been implemented in the past decade. Increasing use of TCM on top of biomedicine (BM) services by the population has been followed; but corresponding policy development to integrate their practices has not yet been discussed. Using focus group methodology, we explore policy ideas for integration by collating views from frontline BM (n = 50) and TCM clinicians (n = 50). Qualitative data were analyzed under the guidance of structuration model of collaboration, a theoretical model for understanding interprofessional collaboration. From focus group findings we generated 28 possible approaches, and subsequently their acceptability was assessed by a two round Delphi survey amongst BM and TCM policy stakeholders (n = 12). Consensus was reached only on 13 statements. Stakeholders agreed that clinicians from both paradigms should share common goals of providing patient-centered care, promoting the development of protocols for shared care and information exchange, as well as strengthening interprofessional connectivity and leadership for integration. On the other hand, attitudes amongst policy stakeholders were split on the possibility of fostering trust and mutual learning, as well as on enhancing innovation and governmental support. Future policy initiatives should focus on these controversial areas

Monolithic millimeter-wave diode grid frequency multiplier arrays

Monolithic diode frequency multiplier arrays, including barrier-N-N(+) (BNN) doubler, multi-quantum-barrier-varactor (MQBV) tripler, Schottky-quantum-barrier-varactor (SQBV) tripler, and resonant-tunneling-diode (RTD) tripler arrays, have been successfully fabricated with yields between 85 and 99 percent. Frequency doubling and/or tripling have been observed for all the arrays. Output powers of 2.4-2.6 W (eta = 10-18 percent) at 66 GHz with the BNN doubler and 3.8-10 W (eta = 1.7-4 percent) at 99 GHz with the SQBV tripler have been achieved

Analytical Results For The Steady State Of Traffic Flow Models With Stochastic Delay

Exact mean field equations are derived analytically to give the fundamental diagrams, i.e., the average speed - car density relations, for the Fukui-Ishibashi one-dimensional traffic flow cellular automaton model of high speed vehicles $(v_{max}=M>1)$ with stochastic delay. Starting with the basic equation describing the time evolution of the number of empty sites in front of each car, the concepts of inter-car spacings longer and shorter than $M$ are introduced. The probabilities of having long and short spacings on the road are calculated. For high car densities $(\rho \geq 1/M)$, it is shown that inter-car spacings longer than $M$ will be shortened as the traffic flow evolves in time, and any initial configurations approach a steady state in which all the inter-car spacings are of the short type. Similarly for low car densities $(\rho \leq 1/M)$, it can be shown that traffic flow approaches an asymptotic steady state in which all the inter-car spacings are longer than $M-2$. The average traffic speed is then obtained analytically as a function of car density in the asymptotic steady state. The fundamental diagram so obtained is in excellent agreement with simulation data.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 2 figure

Checkpoint kinase 2-mediated phosphorylation of BRCA1 regulates the fidelity of nonhomologous end-joining

The tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 maintains genomic integrity by protecting cells from the deleterious effects of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Through its interactions with the checkpoint kinase 2 (Chk2) kinase and Rad51, BRCA1 promotes homologous recombination, which is typically an error-free repair process. In addition, accumulating evidence implicates BRCA1 in the regulation of nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ), which may involve precise religation of the DSB ends if they are compatible (i.e., error-free repair) or sequence alteration upon rejoining (i.e., error-prone or mutagenic repair). However, the precise role of BRCA1 in regulating these different subtypes of NHEJ is not clear. We provide here the genetic and biochemical evidence to show that BRCA1 promotes error-free rejoining of DSBs in human breast carcinoma cells while suppressing microhomology-mediated error-prone end-joining and restricting sequence deletion at the break junction during repair. The repair spectrum in BRCA1-deficient cells was characterized by an increase in the formation of >2 kb deletions and in the usage of long microhomologies distal to the break site, compared with wild-type (WT) cells. This error-prone repair phenotype could also be revealed by disruption of the Chk2 phosphorylation site of BRCA1, or by expression of a dominant-negative kinase-dead Chk2 mutant in cells with WT BRCA1. We suggest that the differential control of NHEJ subprocesses by BRCA1, in concert with Chk2, reduces the mutagenic potential of NHEJ, thereby contributing to the prevention of familial breast cancers

Atomic Layer Deposition of Ni Thin Films and Application to Area-Selective Deposition

Ni thin films were deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using bis(dimethylamino-2-methyl-2-butoxo)nickel [Ni(dmamb)(2)] as a precursor and NH3 gas as a reactant. The growth characteristics and film properties of ALD Ni were investigated. Low-resistivity films were deposited on Si and SiO2 substrates, producing high-purity Ni films with a small amount of oxygen and negligible amounts of nitrogen and carbon. Additionally, ALD Ni showed excellent conformality in nanoscale via holes. Utilizing this conformality, Ni/Si core/shell nanowires with uniform diameters were fabricated. By combining ALD Ni with octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) self-assembled monolayer as a blocking layer, area-selective ALD was conducted for selective deposition of Ni films. When performed on the prepatterned OTS substrate, the Ni films were selectively coated only on OTS-free regions, building up Ni line patterns with 3 mu m width. Electrical measurement results showed that all of the Ni lines were electrically isolated, also indicating the selective Ni deposition. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3504196] All rights reserved.ope