The state of democratic consolidation in Korea : decentralisation and participation in local politics 1988-1998

PhD ThesisThis thesis explores the democratisation process in Korea by dividing it into three stages, paying special attention to the local level and the involvement of women. The transition phase lasts from the liberalisation of an authoritarian regime to the introduction of a democratic constitution, 1985 to 1988 in the case of Korea. During the next phase, consolidation, democratic institutions have to established and democracy has to be accepted by the elite and the population alike. The last stage of democratisation is either a mature democracy or a failure. In order to assess the progress of democratic consolidation in Korea political participation at local level and decentralisation were studied. Mainly due to the prevailing strong influence of traditional political culture consolidation has made only slow progress in the last ten years. The distribution of power from the central to local government has been gradual. Local councils have been introduced but their influence on the executive is limited and they have yet to develop fully their potential to influence policies. Local assembly members are mostly highly educated, have a high family income and have been involved in civic groups for a longer time period. Citizens have been slow to use the new opportunities for participation. They have yet to adopt fully democratic attitudes that include active participation. Besides this attitudinal obstacle there remain problems for further increases in participants in the form of structural, financial and educational deficiencies. This affects in particular the involvement of women in politics who are hardly represented at all. Unless citizens take a more positive approach to participation in civil and political society the democratisation process in Korea will take a very long period of time.Korea Foundation Kyonggi Provincial governmen

Ambivalente Einstellungen zur wirtschaftlichen Öffnung Südkoreas seit der Asienkrise

Die Asienkrise von 1997 löste in Südkorea viele Veränderungen in der wirtschaftlichen und sozialen Situation des Landes aus. Präsident Kim Dae-jung bezeichnete die Reformen als unumgänglich und initiierte ein ambitioniertes Reformprogramm. Die Einführung der Marktwirtschaft brachte das Ende des "besonderen koreanischen Entwicklungsmodells", in dem der Staat oft in die Wirtschaft eingriff. Die Öffnungspolitik war eine Reaktion auf weltweite Globalisierungstendenzen, denen das Land nun vermehrt ausgesetzt war. Diese Entwicklungen beeinflussten jeden Lebensbereich in Korea, aber die Einstellungen der Bevölkerung zu den Umgestaltungen sind weitgehend unbekannt. Nach den Erfahrungen der letzten Jahre offenbarten viele Koreaner ambivalente Gefühle in Bezug auf Marktwirtschaft und Öffnungspolitik und waren nicht immer einverstanden mit der Richtung der Entwicklung, sahen aber letztendlich Vorteile für die fernere Zukunft

Institutionelle Evaluierung von Engagement Global

Bürgerschaftliches Engagement findet in unterschiedlichen Formen statt. Aus entwicklungspolitischer Sicht kommt der Stärkung bürgerschaftlichen Engagements im Politikfeld eine besondere Bedeutung zu, weil durch staatliche Förderung gemeinschaftliches Engagement sinnvoll unterstützt und im Sinne der entwicklungspolitischen Zielerreichung verstärkt werden kann. Um die staatlichen Angebote zur Unterstützung bürgerschaftlichen Engagements in der Entwicklungspolitik unter einem gemeinsamen organisatorischen Dach zu bündeln, gründete das Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung 2012 Engagement Global als gemeinnützige GmbH. Der Anlass für die vorliegende institutionelle Evaluierung war die zunehmende, in den letzten Jahren auch in einem starken Mittelaufwuchs zum Ausdruck kommende politische Relevanz von bürgerschaftlichem, zivilgesellschaftlichem und kommunalem entwicklungspolitischem Engagement. Gegenstand der Evaluierung war Engagement Global als Organisation mit ihren Strukturen, Prozessen und dem Portfolio unterschiedlicher Programme sowie deren Ergebnissen. Die Evaluierung leistet damit einen Beitrag zur institutionellen Weiterentwicklung von Engagement Global. Die Empfehlungen sollen zur Stärkung ihrer Handlungsfähigkeit und zur Verbesserung ihrer Unterstützungsangebote dienen

Региоселективный синтез и свойства ацетильных производных фенолгликозидов

Региоселективный синтез и свойства ацетильных производных фенолгликозидов. Работа посвящена выявлению реакционной способности при кислотном дезацетилировании с использованием HCl / EtOH в CHCl3, которая приводит к дезацетилированию на O-3, O-4 и O-6. Описанный реагент оказался общим и уникальным, и была получена серия 2-О-ацетиларилгликозидов. Вообще, частично ацетилированные арилгликозиды широко встречаются в природе. В частности, можно найти множество примеров 2-O-ацетиларилгликозидов.Regioselective synthesis and properties of acetyl derivatives of phenol glycosides. The thesis is devoted to the detection of reactivity during acid deacetylation using HCl / EtOH in CHCl3, which leads to deacetylation at O-3, O-4 and O-6. The described reagent proved to be general and unique and the series of 2-О-acetyl aryl glycosides were prepared. Generally, partially acetylated aryl glycosides are widely found in nature. Particularly, many examples of 2-O-acetyl aryl glycosides can be found

Vitamin D and Its Analogues: From Differences in Molecular Mechanisms to Potential Benefits of Adapted Use in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Lifestyle habits and insufficient sunlight exposure lead to a high prevalence of vitamin D hypovitaminosis, especially in the elderly. Recent studies suggest that in central Europe more than 50% of people over 60 years are not sufficiently supplied with vitamin D. Since vitamin D hypovitaminosis is associated with many diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), vitamin D supplementation seems to be particularly useful for this vulnerable age population. Importantly, in addition to vitamin D, several analogues are known and used for different medical purposes. These vitamin D analogues differ not only in their pharmacokinetics and binding affinity to the vitamin D receptor, but also in their potential side effects. Here, we discuss these aspects, especially those of the commonly used vitamin D analogues alfacalcidol, paricalcitol, doxercalciferol, tacalcitol, calcipotriol, and eldecalcitol. In addition to their pleiotropic effects on mechanisms relevant to AD, potential effects of vitamin D analogues on comorbidities common in the context of geriatric diseases are summarized. AD is defined as a complex neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system and is commonly represented in the elderly population. It is usually caused by extracellular accumulation of amyloidogenic plaques, consisting of amyloid (Aβ) peptides. Furthermore, the formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles involving hyperphosphorylated tau proteins contributes to the pathology of AD. In conclusion, this review emphasizes the importance of an adequate vitamin D supply and discusses the specifics of administering various vitamin D analogues compared with vitamin D in geriatric patients, especially those suffering from AD

Interprofessional education: a necessity in Alzheimer’s dementia care—a pilot study

Introduction: Interprofessional collaboration is seen as an indispensable prerequisite for high-quality health services and patient care, especially for complex diseases such as dementia. Thus, the current project aimed to extend interprofessional and competency-based education in the field of dementia care to the previously understudied therapy professions of nutrition, speech-language pathology, and physiotherapy. Methods: A three-day workshop was designed to provide specific learning objectives related to patient-centered dementia care, as well as competences for interprofessional collaboration. Teaching and learning approaches included case-based learning in simulated interprofessional case-conferences and peerteaching. A total of 42 students (n  =  20 nutrition therapy and counseling, n  =  8 speech-language pathology, n  =  14 physiotherapy), ranging from first to seventh semester, finished the whole workshop and were considered in data analysis. Changes in self-perceived attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration and education were measured by the German version of the UWE-IP. An in-house questionnaire was developed to evaluate knowledge and skills in the field of dementia, dementia management and interprofessional collaboration. Results: Participation in the workshop led to significant improvements in the total scores of the UWE-IP-D and the in-house questionnaire, as well as their respective subscales. Moderate to large effect sizes were achieved. All professions improved significantly in both questionnaires with large effect sizes. Significant differences between professions were found in the UWE-IP-D total score between students of speech-language pathology and physiotherapy in the posttest. Students of nutrition therapy and counseling revealed a significant lower level of self-perceived knowledge and skills in the in-house questionnaire pre- and post-testing. Discussion: The pilot-study confirms the effectiveness of interprofessional education to promote generic and interprofessional dementia care competencies and to develop positive attitudes toward interprofessional learning and collaboration in the therapy professions, thus increasing professional diversity in interprofessional education research. Differences between professions were confounded by heterogenous semester numbers and participation conditions. To achieve a curricular implementation, interprofessional education should be expanded to include a larger group of participants belonging to different professions, start early in the study program, and be evaluated over the long term

Impact of Liver Inflammation on Bile Acid Side Chain Shortening and Amidation

Bile acid; Inflammation; Oncostatin MÀcid biliar; Inflamació; Oncostatina MÁcido biliar; Inflamación; Oncostatina MBile acid (BA) synthesis from cholesterol by hepatocytes is inhibited by inflammatory cytokines. Whether liver inflammation also affects BA side chain shortening and conjugation was investigated. In human liver cell lines (IHH, HepG2, and HepaRG), agonists of nuclear receptors including the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), liver X receptor (LXR), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) did not affect the expression of BA-related peroxisomal enzymes. In contrast, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) inhibition down-regulated acyl-CoA oxidase 2 (ACOX2). ACOX2 was repressed by fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), which was prevented by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway inhibition. These changes were paralleled by altered BA synthesis (HPLC-MS/MS). Cytokines able to down-regulate cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) had little effect on peroxisomal enzymes involved in BA synthesis except for ACOX2 and bile acid-CoA:amino acid N-acyltransferase (BAAT), which were down-regulated, mainly by oncostatin M (OSM). This effect was prevented by Janus kinase (JAK) inhibition, which restored BA side chain shortening and conjugation. The binding of OSM to the extracellular matrix accounted for a persistent effect after culture medium replacement. In silico analysis of four databases (n = 201) and a validation cohort (n = 90) revealed an inverse relationship between liver inflammation and ACOX2/BAAT expression which was associated with changes in HNF4α levels. In conclusion, BA side chain shortening and conjugation are inhibited by inflammatory effectors. However, other mechanisms involved in BA homeostasis counterbalance any significant impact on the serum BA profile.This study was supported by the CIBERehd (EHD15PI05/2016) and Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (PI19/00819, PI20/00189, and PI20/01663 co-funded by European Regional Development Fund/European Social Fund, “Investing in your future”); Junta de Castilla y Leon (SA074P20); Fundació Marato TV3 (Ref. 201916/31), Spain; AECC Scientific Foundation (2017/2020), Spain; Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF) at the University Hospital of Wuerzburg, Germany (Project A-E-384 to H.M.H.); grants PID2019-111669-RB-I00, PID2020-115055RB-I00 from Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Spain; the AGAUR of the Generalidad de Cataluña SGR-2017-1112, Spain; and European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) Action CA17112. R.E.E was recipient of a predoctoral fellowship from “Junta de Castilla y León” and “Fondo Social Europeo” (EDU/574/2018). J.A. was recipient of a grant from Fundación Echebano (2020–2022)

Oncostatin M-induced and constitutive activation of the JAK2/STAT5/CIS pathway suppresses CCL1, but not CCL7 and CCL8, chemokine expression

The recruitment of leukocytes to injured tissue is crucial for the initiation of inflammatory responses as well as for immune surveillance to fight tumor progression. In this study, we show that oncostatin M, a member of the IL-6-type cytokine family and potent proinflammatory cytokine stimulates the expression of the chemokines CCL1, CCL7, and CCL8 in primary human dermal fibroblasts at a faster kinetic than IL-1beta or TNF-alpha. The production of CCL1 and CCL8 is important for migration of monocytes, while specific Abs against CCL1 additionally inhibit the migration of T lymphocytes. We identify the mitogen-activated protein kinases ERK1/2 and p38 as crucial factors for the enhanced expression of CCL1 and CCL8. Depletion of the ERK1/2 target genes c-Jun or c-Fos strongly decrease CCL1 and CCL8 expression, while p38 MAPK prolongs the half-life of CCL1, CCL7, and CCL8 mRNA through inhibition of tristetraprolin. None of the STAT transcription factors STAT1, STAT3, or STAT5 stimulate transcription of CCL1 or CCL8. However, we identify a negative regulatory function of activated STAT5 for the gene expression of CCL1. Importantly, not STAT5 itself, but its target gene cytokine inducible SH2-domain containing protein is required for the STAT5 inhibitory effect on CCL1 expression. Finally, we show that constitutive activation of STAT5 through a mutated form of JAK2 (JAK2 V617F) occurring in patients with myeloproliferative disorders similarly suppresses CCL1 expression. Taken together, we identify novel important inflammatory target genes of OSM which are independent of STAT signaling per se, but depend on MAPK activation and are partly repressed through STAT5-dependent expression of cytokine inducible SH2-domain containing protein