Narrativisation of site and spatialisation of narrative

This dissertation is a practice-based research project and consists of four video works (Eight Men Lived in the Room - News (2010), Eight Men Lived in the Room - Filmset (2011), The Life of a Comedian (2012), Memory Museum - Guro (2016)), an introduction with a contextualization and methodology of the field and four essays. As the title Narrativisation of Site and Spatialisation of Narrative suggests, my subject matter and my research methodology are inseparable from each other and are also in an inter-reflexive relationship. In order to find out how sites are narrativised, I experimented with spatial structures in narrative. To investigate how narratives can be constructed by spatial forms, I specifically selected a few sites as the subjects of my narrative. How do the spatial forms and elements of the particular sites function as the subject, formal elements or formal constitutive principles in narrative? This question has developed into an exploration of the spatial perspective of narrative structures and its possibilities. The places chosen in my research are places which have now been forgotten and have disappeared from the archives, where individual memories and collective memories intersect, and current places associated with them are unrecorded. These places were the actual places that were chosen to experiment with as many forms of narrative as possible, and these places contained different narrative forms and current situations which exist somewhere between memory and oblivion. This research was to find alternatives to the problems in narration through analysing the places associated with past memories. The existing narratives based on the cultural forms – archive videos, photos, memorials, performances and so on – were still limited to incorporate contemporary temporality and diverse memories of the past. The linear narrative form has limitations in the specification of the memories that were experienced beyond the temporal boundaries. I thought that the introduction of spatial elements and composition to the narrative form relating to past memories might provide an alternative direction to these limitations. Thus, I analysed examples of contemporary artwork that have been converted into spatial experiences, not as a way of separating the boundaries of time, but retaining the characteristics of temporal art, such as video and performance. While collecting existing narratives about these sites and conducting critical research on the contents and structures of these narratives, I came to recognise the problem of how the stories are constructed. These narratives are time-oriented (for example, chronologically arranged), unilinear, and dramatised in the format of introduction, development, turn and conclusion. When it comes to narrativising stories of others, those forms allow audiences or visitors to withdraw themselves from considering their own ethical relationship to the stories or to feel ambivalent towards them. This is connected to the conventional narrative structure, which ultimately leads itself to a time-oriented narrative, and I began to ask what would be an alternative form that goes against the temporal and causal conventions of narrative. In search of such form, I wanted to build narratives about the particular sites mentioned above and while doing so, to experiment with the spatial structure in the stories. In this dissertation, the methodological parts of the essays play three different roles. First, the essays present what I discovered and what I conducted during the work process. The texts function as a space to which I transferred all the ‘things’ that I collected and organised from the beginning to the end of the production as well as post-completion of the work. They include both tangible and intangible materials. The function of my texts can be compared to that of ‘the cabinet of curiosity’. The texts are close studies and contemplation on the elements collected, and they also present these elements taken out of their original contexts and enter them into the realm of artmaking. Second, the texts reorganise the materials into meaningful experiences. They show how the ideas and questions that I had during my ‘collecting’ process can turn into a more concrete and relevant outcome. Third, the texts are instructions for my future artistic production as well as scores for my future performance. They would serve as a starting point for the questions or experimentations that would come after the completion of the artworks. Using these methods, my dissertation also discusses the issue of simplification or unity in narratives dealing with the past, the impossibility of representing the past and historical reality, audiences’ position as strangers, and the cultural locating of narrative along the existing issues in contemporary documentary and video art that deal with the past. My writing is a critical review of these issues and perceives them as a point of departure for finding alternatives

Critical Review of Credit Bank System in South Korea: A New Mediator for Lifelong Learning?

This study critically analyzes Credit Bank System (CBS) as an emerging open higher education system in South Korea by using critical theory. Specifically, it examines the meaning of CBS degree in Korean credentialism circumstances and reflects CBS meeting needs rationale assumption. Based on the findings, conclusions and implications are discussed

Exopolysaccharide of Enterococcus faecium L15 promotes the osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells via p38 MAPK pathway

Abstract Background Bone has important functions in the body. Several researchers have reported that the polysaccharides and lipopolysaccharide derived from microbes can promote osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. Enterococcus faecium, a lactic acid bacterium (LAB), produces several bioactive metabolites and has been widely applied in the food and nutraceutical industries. The exopolysaccharide (EPS) from LAB has also been extensively examined for its postbiotic effects and for its in vivo and in vitro functionalities. However, studies on promoting bone differentiation using polysaccharides from LAB are lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of E. faecium L15 extract and EPS on osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) and to identify the underlying mechanisms. Methods hDPSCs were obtained from dental pulp tissue, and L15 extract and EPS were isolated from L15. Gene and protein expression of the osteogenic differentiation markers were analyzed with qPCR and western blotting and the possible signaling pathways were also investigated using western blotting. Osteogenic differentiation potential was examined by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and alizarin red s (ARS) staining. In addition, osteogenic differentiation potential of L15 EPS was explored in ex vivo culture of neonate murine calvaria. Results The calcium deposition and ALP activity were enhanced by addition of L15 extract or EPS. The expression levels of RUNX2, ALP, and COL1A1 mRNA and the protein expression levels of RUNX2, ALP, and BMP4 were increased in hDPSCs treated with the L15 extract or EPS. The L15 EPS treatment enhanced phosphorylation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). The L15 EPS-induced increases in RUNX2, ALP, and BMP4 expression were suppressed by the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580. The promoting effect of L15 EPS on osteogenic differentiation was not only seen in hDPSCs, but also in osteoblast precursors. ALP activity and the expression of RUNX2, ALP, and COL1A1 increased in the L15 EPS-treated osteoblast precursors. In addition, L15 EPS increased bone thickness of neonate murine calvaria in ex vivo culture. Conclusions The stimulatory effect of L15 extract and EPS on osteogenic differentiation occurred through the p38 MAPK pathway, and L15 EPS enhanced new bone formation in neonate murine calvaria. These data suggest that L15 EPS has therapeutic potential applicable to bone regeneration

Decursinol chloroacrylates useful as fungicides

Natural products decursin and decursinol angelate were recently reported as benign fungicides for controlling rice blast. Inspired by the structural similarity of the cumarin compounds and gained hint from the skeletal motifs, we designed and prepared synthetic compounds to increase the natural product efficacy and evaluated their antifungal activities against various plant disease pathogens in vitro. Synthetically prepared compound 4 and 5 indeed suppressed the mycelial growth of B. cinerea, F. oxysporum, P. italicum, and R. quercus-mongolicae. Additionally, compound 5 effectively prevents the growth of C. coccodes and C. parasitica. Furthermore, both 4 and 5 possess better inhibitory activities on spore germination of F. oxysporum and M. oryzae than the natural product decursin and commercial pesticide Iprodione. These results suggest that the effect of the lead compound for plant disease protection can be improved by tuning the structure of the original natural product and decursinol chloroacrylates 4 and 5 are candidates for the control of F. oxysporum and M. oryzae.This work was supported by Research Resettlement Fund for the new faculty of Seoul National University (to Y. Kwon). Also, Rural Development Administration Republic of Korea supported this research (Project No. PJ016243022021 to H. Son)

Regulation of synaptic Rac1 activity, long-term potentiation maintenance, and learning and memory by BCR and ABR Rac GTPase-activating proteins

Rho family small GTPases are important regulators of neuronal development. Defective Rho regulation causes nervous system dysfunctions including mental retardation and Alzheimer's disease. Rac1, a member of the Rho family, regulates dendritic spines and excitatory synapses, but relatively little is known about how synaptic Rac1 is negatively regulated. Breakpoint cluster region (BCR) is a Rac GTPase-activating protein known to form a fusion protein with the c-Abl tyrosine kinase in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia. Despite the fact that BCR mRNAs are abundantly expressed in the brain, the neural functions of BCR protein have remained obscure. We report here that BCR and its close relative active BCR-related (ABR) localize at excitatory synapses and directly interact with PSD-95, an abundant postsynaptic scaffolding protein. Mice deficient for BCR or ABR show enhanced basal Rac1 activity but only a small increase in spine density. Importantly, mice lacking BCR or ABR exhibit a marked decrease in the maintenance, but not induction, of long-term potentiation, and show impaired spatial and object recognition memory. These results suggest that BCR and ABR have novel roles in the regulation of synaptic Rac1 signaling, synaptic plasticity, and learning and memory, and that excessive Rac1 activity negatively affects synaptic and cognitive functions.This work was supported by the National Creative Research Initiative Program of the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (E.K.), Neuroscience Program Grant 2009-0081468 (S.-Y.C.), 21st Century Frontier R&D Program in Neuroscience Grant 2009K001284 (H.K.), Basic Science Research Program Grant R13-2008-009-01001-0 (Y.C.B.), and United States Public Health Service Grants HL071945 (J.G.) and HL060231 (J.G., N.H.)

A Multilaboratory Comparison of Calibration Accuracy and the Performance of External References in Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) is a first principles based method to determine absolute sedimentation coefficients and buoyant molar masses of macromolecules and their complexes, reporting on their size and shape in free solution. The purpose of this multi-laboratory study was to establish the precision and accuracy of basic data dimensions in AUC and validate previously proposed calibration techniques. Three kits of AUC cell assemblies containing radial and temperature calibration tools and a bovine serum albumin (BSA) reference sample were shared among 67 laboratories, generating 129 comprehensive data sets. These allowed for an assessment of many parameters of instrument performance, including accuracy of the reported scan time after the start of centrifugation, the accuracy of the temperature calibration, and the accuracy of the radial magnification. The range of sedimentation coefficients obtained for BSA monomer in different instruments and using different optical systems was from 3.655 S to 4.949 S, with a mean and standard deviation of (4.304 ± 0.188) S (4.4%). After the combined application of correction factors derived from the external calibration references for elapsed time, scan velocity, temperature, and radial magnification, the range of s-values was reduced 7-fold with a mean of 4.325 S and a 6-fold reduced standard deviation of ± 0.030 S (0.7%). In addition, the large data set provided an opportunity to determine the instrument-to-instrument variation of the absolute radial positions reported in the scan files, the precision of photometric or refractometric signal magnitudes, and the precision of the calculated apparent molar mass of BSA monomer and the fraction of BSA dimers. These results highlight the necessity and effectiveness of independent calibration of basic AUC data dimensions for reliable quantitative studies

A multilaboratory comparison of calibration accuracy and the performance of external references in analytical ultracentrifugation.

Analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC) is a first principles based method to determine absolute sedimentation coefficients and buoyant molar masses of macromolecules and their complexes, reporting on their size and shape in free solution. The purpose of this multi-laboratory study was to establish the precision and accuracy of basic data dimensions in AUC and validate previously proposed calibration techniques. Three kits of AUC cell assemblies containing radial and temperature calibration tools and a bovine serum albumin (BSA) reference sample were shared among 67 laboratories, generating 129 comprehensive data sets. These allowed for an assessment of many parameters of instrument performance, including accuracy of the reported scan time after the start of centrifugation, the accuracy of the temperature calibration, and the accuracy of the radial magnification. The range of sedimentation coefficients obtained for BSA monomer in different instruments and using different optical systems was from 3.655 S to 4.949 S, with a mean and standard deviation of (4.304 ± 0.188) S (4.4%). After the combined application of correction factors derived from the external calibration references for elapsed time, scan velocity, temperature, and radial magnification, the range of s-values was reduced 7-fold with a mean of 4.325 S and a 6-fold reduced standard deviation of ± 0.030 S (0.7%). In addition, the large data set provided an opportunity to determine the instrument-to-instrument variation of the absolute radial positions reported in the scan files, the precision of photometric or refractometric signal magnitudes, and the precision of the calculated apparent molar mass of BSA monomer and the fraction of BSA dimers. These results highlight the necessity and effectiveness of independent calibration of basic AUC data dimensions for reliable quantitative studies

Soğuk savaşı sonrası dönemde askeri üs politikaları: Güney Kore ve Türkiye üzerine karşılaştırmalı bir çalışma

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Thesis (M.S.): Bilkent University, Department of International Relations, İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, 2018.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-134).U.S. military bases are distributed across over forty countries with approximately eight hundreds installations. Yet, base politics has received rather limited attention from IR scholars to date. South Korea and Turkey have hosted American troops for more than six decades. After the end of the Cold War, the issue of U.S. military presence in both countries became questioned and contentious ever now. With a comparative approach, this thesis aims to examine how host nations’ domestic politics influences in base politics. Focusing on base politics during the post-Cold War era, this thesis demonstrates that while high severity of threats to host nations stabilizes the U.S. military presence in host nations, high anti-American sentiment restricts U.S. military operations from bases in host nations. In particular, this research examines base politics under each leadership of the two countries in an effort to analyze influence of two independent variables – severity of threats and anti-Americanism – on base politics which is a dependent variable. When the national security of South Korea and Turkey is threatened, both countries are likely to count on the protection from a more powerful military ally which is the United States. Nonetheless, high anti-Americanism which was increasingly observed after 2002 in both countries has strained alliance relationships in regard to U.S. military bases.by Hyewon Kwon.M.S

Comparison of Cell-Free Extracts from Three Newly Identified Lactobacillus plantarum Strains on the Inhibitory Effect of Adipogenic Differentiation and Insulin Resistance in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Obesity and associated metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, are rapidly becoming serious global health problems. It has been reported that Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) extracts have the beneficial activities of antiobesity and antidiabetes, although few studies have compared the beneficial effects among various L. plantarum extracts. In this study, three new L. plantarum (named LP, LS, and L14) strains were identified, and the antiobesogenic and diabetic effects of their extracts were investigated and compared using 3T3-L1 cells in vitro. Lipid accumulation in maturing 3T3-L1 cells was significantly decreased by the addition of LS and L14 extracts. The mRNA expression levels of Pparγ, C/ebpα, Fabp4, Fas, and Dgat1 were significantly decreased by the addition of LP, LS, and L14 extracts. Interestingly, the protein expression levels of PPARγ, C/EBPα, FABP4, and FAS were downregulated in mature 3T3-L1 cells with the addition of the L14 extract. Moreover, the LS and L14 extract treatments stimulated glucose uptake in maturing adipocytes. The L14 extract treatments exhibited a significant reduction in TNF-α protein expression, which is a key factor of insulin resistance in adipocytes. Of the three extracts, L14 extract markedly reduced adipogenic differentiation and insulin resistance in vitro, suggesting that the L14 extract may be used as a therapeutic agent for obesity-associated metabolic disorders

Wearable EEG electronics for a Brain–AI Closed-Loop System to enhance autonomous machine decision-making

© 2022, The Author(s).Human nonverbal communication tools are very ambiguous and difficult to transfer to machines or artificial intelligence (AI). If the AI understands the mental state behind a user’s decision, it can learn more appropriate decisions even in unclear situations. We introduce the Brain–AI Closed-Loop System (BACLoS), a wireless interaction platform that enables human brain wave analysis and transfers results to AI to verify and enhance AI decision-making. We developed a wireless earbud-like electroencephalography (EEG) measurement device, combined with tattoo-like electrodes and connectors, which enables continuous recording of high-quality EEG signals, especially the error-related potential (ErrP). The sensor measures the ErrP signals, which reflects the human cognitive consequences of an unpredicted machine response. The AI corrects or reinforces decisions depending on the presence or absence of the ErrP signals, which is determined by deep learning classification of the received EEG data. We demonstrate the BACLoS for AI-based machines, including autonomous driving vehicles, maze solvers, and assistant interfaces.11Nsciescopu