The role of government in conflict resolution related to urban and regional development in Korea

This research started from the recognition that intergovernmental conflicts are inevitable in the process of public policy-making. ;.md that changes in extel11al environments have an influence on the process of conflict management and resolution. As Korean society changed in the 1990s toward democratisation and local autonomy (especially from 1995). the potential grew for intergovernmental conflicts over major urban and regional development projects. The purpose of this research has been to examine the factors influencing the intensity of such conflicts and the variables for conflict resolution related to major regional development projects and environmental issues, and in particular to consider the role of the government in the process of conflict resolution. A review of the literature on conflict theory and conflict resolution (Chs. 3 -4) identified the key factors influencing conflict origins and management of the process of conflict. It indicated the key variables influencing conflict resolution including the potential for new, more mediating roles in conflict resolution. It suggested that the degree of difficulty in resolving conflicts was related to the intensity of the conflict concerned. Further literature reviews on the introduction of local government autonomy in Korea (ChA) and the existing spatial planning system (Ch.5), document the growth of intergovernmental conflicts since 1995. They also verified the need for research into this general problem and provided a specific research scope in relation to major development and environmental projects in Korea so as to promote more effective management and negotiation strategies (Ch.6). The second stage of the research programme began by defining the requirements of a theoretical framework to be applied in an empirical analysis. Because of the need to investigate complex, time-extensive relationships in the specific context of Korea, the method of comparative case studies was chosen for this purpose. The main elements of the framework (Ch.7) included the factors influencing the intensity of conflict, ways of measuring the degree of intensity and the factors involved in conflict resolution. Three categories of intergovernmental conflicts were chosen for case study, and in order to provide a basis of comparison of the position before and after local autonomy (1995) two cases were examined in each category. The three categories were: nuclear plants at Amyun Island and Yongwang (Ch.8); major transport infrastructure projects at Kyungju and Inchun (Ch.9); and, water resource investment projects at Wichun and Youngwol (Ch.1 0). The comparative analysis is provided in Chapter 11. The case study analysis of these major development projects in Korea generally supported the central hypothesis of the relationship between the intensity of a conflict and the relative difficulty in its resolution. After the introduction of local autonomy the intensity of intergovernmental conflicts had become more visible, more intense and more difficult to resolve. Despite central government's role as a direct participant, there was some evidence of an emerging and useful mediation role which could be encouraged and developed further. The conclusions drawn from this research suggest that the key to developing a successful government role in conflict resolution in Korea will be to ensure a congruence between all elements of the planning framework, full integration and co-ordination between spatial plans or projects, and, the involvement all participants in the process of conflict resolution. There are also important roles for government in establishing new schemes for alternative dispute resolution and mechanisms for balancing between local/regional burdens and national benefits. These should be an integral part of an organisational strategy for continuous improvement in order to maximise the level of social satisfaction and competitive advantages in Korea's regional development. In terms of successful implementations of alternative approaches for conflict resolution, the outcomes for govel11ments and people would be a better performance in conflicts related to urban and regional development

What sentiment attracts tourists? Analysis of tourist attractions based on consumer\u27s sentiment

This study tried to derive meaningful insights from consumers\u27 sentiments about tourist attractions. First, through descriptive statistics, seven sentiments representing tourist attractions were identified, and the unique sentiments about certain tourist attractions were identified. On the basis of the network analysis results, four interesting travel routes based on the sentiment theme were constructed, and four insights on the sentiment were presented. Finally, through the regression analysis, one negative word, two positive words, and three network centrality measures that significantly affect the number of visitors were identified. By applying social network analysis, more specific and differentiated conclusions have been drawn. It also provided useful implications for tourist attractions

Improved application of the electrophoretic tissue clearing technology, CLARITY, to intact solid organs including brain, pancreas, liver, kidney, lung, and intestine

Background: Mapping of tissue structure at the cellular, circuit, and organ-wide scale is important for understanding physiological and biological functions. A bio-electrochemical technique known as CLARITY used for three-dimensional anatomical and phenotypical mapping within transparent intact tissues has been recently developed. This method provided a major advance in understanding the structure-function relationships in circuits of the nervous system and organs by using whole-body clearing. Thus, in the present study, we aimed to improve the original CLARITY procedure and developed specific CLARITY protocols for various intact organs. Results: We determined the optimal conditions for reducing bubble formation, discoloration, and depositing of black particles on the surface of tissue, which allowed production of clearer organ images. We also determined the appropriate replacement cycles of clearing solution for each type of organ, and convincingly demonstrated that 250–280 mA is the ideal range of electrical current for tissue clearing. We then acquired each type of cleared organs including brain, pancreas, liver, lung, kidney, and intestine. Additionally, we determined the images of axon fibers of hippocampal region, the Purkinje layer of cerebellum, and vessels and cellular nuclei of pancreas. Conclusions: CLARITY is an innovative biochemical technology for the structural and molecular analysis of various types of tissue. We developed improved CLARITY methods for clearing of the brain, pancreas, lung, intestine, liver, and kidney, and identified the appropriate experimental conditions for clearing of each specific tissue type. These optimized methods will be useful for the application of CLARITY to various types of organs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12861-014-0048-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Prediction of the Chatter during the Milling Process of the Machine Tool

Chattering during the milling process causes severe problems on both the workpiece and cutting tools. However, chatter vibration is the inevitable phenomenon that operators require the prediction before the process or monitoring system to avoid the chatter in real-time. To predict the chatter vibration with the stability lobe diagram, the dynamic parameters of machine tool are extracted by considering cutting conditions and adapting the material properties. In this study, experimental verifications were taken for various aluminum types with different feed rates to observe the effect of the key parameters. The comparison between experimental results and the predictions was also performed.clos

Large-scale Text-to-Image Generation Models for Visual Artists' Creative Works

Large-scale Text-to-image Generation Models (LTGMs) (e.g., DALL-E), self-supervised deep learning models trained on a huge dataset, have demonstrated the capacity for generating high-quality open-domain images from multi-modal input. Although they can even produce anthropomorphized versions of objects and animals, combine irrelevant concepts in reasonable ways, and give variation to any user-provided images, we witnessed such rapid technological advancement left many visual artists disoriented in leveraging LTGMs more actively in their creative works. Our goal in this work is to understand how visual artists would adopt LTGMs to support their creative works. To this end, we conducted an interview study as well as a systematic literature review of 72 system/application papers for a thorough examination. A total of 28 visual artists covering 35 distinct visual art domains acknowledged LTGMs' versatile roles with high usability to support creative works in automating the creation process (i.e., automation), expanding their ideas (i.e., exploration), and facilitating or arbitrating in communication (i.e., mediation). We conclude by providing four design guidelines that future researchers can refer to in making intelligent user interfaces using LTGMs.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Voice interface responses based on prior user interactions

Voice interfaces, such as those provided by virtual assistant applications on smartphones, smart speakers, and other devices utilize natural language when providing responses to user queries. Per techniques of this disclosure, user interaction patterns are used to generate natural language responses to queries posed over a voice user interface. With user permission and express consent, data that pertain to prior user interaction, e.g., text entry such as search terms entered; other input operations such as clicks, taps, swipes, mouse hovers; viewports for the user, etc. are obtained. For ease of interaction, such permission is obtained, e.g., at initial setup, and is modifiable. Such data is analyzed to derive insight into context-based topics of interest to users. User preferences gathered across multiple contexts are utilized to generate natural language responses for voice-based user interaction

Anti-malarial activity of 6-(8'Z-pentadecenyl)-salicylic acid from Viola websteri in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Petroleum ether extracts of <it>Viola websteri </it>Hemsl (Violaceae) were reported to have anti-plasmodial activity against <it>Plasmodium falciparum in vitro</it>, with this activity being largely attributable to 6-(8'Z-pentadecenyl)-salicylic acid (6-SA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The schizontocidal activity of 6-SA on early <it>Plasmodium berghei </it>infections was evaluated in a four-day test. The possible 'repository' activity of 6-SA was assessed using the method described by Peters. The median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of 6-SA, when given intraperitoneally, was also determined using uninfected ICR mice and the method of Lorke.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the present study, 6-SA was found to have anti-malarial activity <it>in vivo</it>, when tested against <it>P. berghei </it>in mice. 6-SA at 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg·day exhibited a significant blood schizontocidal activity in four-day early infections, repository evaluations and established infections with a significant mean survival time comparable to that of the standard drug, chloroquine (5 mg/kg·day).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>6-SA possesses a moderate anti-malarial activity that could be exploited for malaria therapy.</p

Transparent conducting film fabricated by metal mesh method with Ag and cu@ag mixture nanoparticle pastes

Transparent conducting electrode film is highly desirable for application in touch screen panels (TSPs), flexible and wearable displays, sensors, and actuators. A sputtered film of indium tin oxide (ITO) shows high transmittance (90%) at low sheet resistance (50 ??/cm2). However, ITO films lack mechanical flexibility, especially under bending stress, and have limitation in application to large-area TSPs (over 15 inches) due to the trade-off in high transmittance and low sheet resistance properties. One promising solution is to use metal mesh-type transparent conducting film, especially for touch panel application. In this work, we investigated such inter-related issues as UV imprinting process to make a trench layer pattern, the synthesis of core-shell-type Ag and Cu@Ag composite nanoparticles and their paste formulation, the filling of Ag and Cu@Ag mixture nanoparticle paste to the trench layer, and touch panel fabrication processes