The Construction of Neoliberal Subjectivity of “Hard Work”

학위논문(석사) -- 서울대학교대학원 : 사회과학대학 사회학과, 2021.8. 추지현.K-Pop, a music genre originally developed in Korea, was a culture long considered inauthentic by many cultural critics and scholars. Recently, the K-Pop community faced the need to grow a sense of authenticity of the culture as a response to the potential threats of assimilation from an outside culture which was characterized by the join of Foreigner K-Pop. Against the backdrop of the neoliberal environment in the industry that was marked by globalization, commercialization of idols’ everyday life, and the increasing importance of fandom in the making of K-Pop idols, this research argued that the (in)authentication process of Foreigner K-Pop was a collaborative work between fans, idols, industrial sectors, and K-Pop professionals. Focusing on the English-speaking K-Pop fans, this thesis adopted online ethnographic research and text analysis, studied seven K-Pop groups with non-Asian performers, and demonstrated how elements of Korea and elements that were cited as Korean were maneuvered in the construction of (in)authenticity of Foreigner K-Pop. This thesis concluded that the recurrent theme of perseverance, genuineness, dedication, and hardworking in the discourse about authenticity, often cited through the necessitated process of trainee system, served to satisfy the cultural need of international fans, whose taste and identity remained peripheral in most Western countries, for a discourse akin to neoliberalism that advocates equal opportunity and indiscriminate competition, while allowing K-Pop culture to maintain a tight community and esoteric taste.케이팝은 원래 한국에서 발전한 음악 장르로, 오랫동안 많은 문화 평론가들과 학자들에 의해 비현실적인 문화로 여겨졌다. 최근 케이팝 커뮤니티는 외국인 케이팝의 참여가 특징인 외부 문화로부터의 동화의 잠재적 위협에 대한 대응으로 문화에 대한 진정성을 키울 필요가 있다는 문제에 직면했다. 세계화, 아이돌의 일상화, 케이팝 아이돌 제작에 팬덤의 중요성이 높아진 산업계의 신자유주의적 환경을 배경으로, 이 연구는 외국인 케이팝의 진정성 구축 과정이 팬, 아이돌, 산업계 간의 협업 작업이라고 주장했다. 이 논문은 영어권 케이팝 팬들을 중심으로 온라인 민족학 연구와 텍스트 분석을 채택하고, 비아시아 공연자들 7개의 K-Pop 그룹을 중심으로 연구하였으며, 외국인 K-Pop의 진정성 구축에 있어 한국 요소와 한국으로 인용된 요소들이 어떻게 운용되고 있는지를 보여주었다. 본 논문은 진정성 담론에서 인내, 진실, 봉헌, 성실과 노력이라는 반복적인 담론이 대부분의 서구 국가에서 지엽적인 취향과 정체성을 유지한 국제 팬들의 문화적 욕망를 충족시키는 역할을 했다고 결론지었다. 이 담론은 케이팝 문화가 촘촘한 공동체적이고 소수의 취향을 유지할 수 있도록 허용하면서 동등한 기회와 무차별 경쟁을 주장하는 신자유주의와 연결된다.Chapter 1. Introduction １ 1. Research Background and Research Question １ 2. Literature Review: Previous Research on K-Pop (What is K-Pop?) ８ 1) K-Pop as Re-invented Korea ９ 2) K-Pop as Culture of Hybridity １２ 3) K-Pop as K-Pop Fandom Culture １４ 3. Theoretical Framework １７ 1) Authenticity as Authentication in Postmodern Culture １７ 2) K-Pop Idol, K-Pop fandom, and Neoliberalism in K-Pop ２０ 4. Subject of Research and Methods ２５ 1) Who is Foreigner K-Pop? (Subject of Study) ２５ 2) Materials and Collection Process ２７ 3) Cases of Selected Foreigner K-Pop ３３ 4) Method of Analysis ４１ Chapter 2: Authenticity Claims and The Importance of Identifying Real K-Pop ４６ 1. Authenticity Claims ４６ 2. Identifying Real K-Pop ４９ 3. Koreaboo Stigma ５０ 4. Summary and Remarks ５３ Chapter 3: Displaying K-Pop Fan Identity: From Real K-Pop Fan to Real K-Pop Idol ５４ 1. Rejecting Koreaboo Stigma ５４ 2. Genuineness, Fan Identity, and Comradeship ５５ 3. Comprehensive, Thoughtful, and Cultured: From Real Fans to Real K-Pop Idols ５７ 4. Summary and Remarks ６０ Chapter 4: Disrupting Boundaries of K ６２ 1. (Re)Defining K-Pop ６２ 2. Proponents: Pride, Diversity, and Representation ６４ 3. Opponents: Equality, Opportunities, and Respect ６６ 4. Summary and Remarks ６８ Chapter 5: Fans’ Critic as Neoliberal Governmentality ７０ 1. Korean Proficiency ７１ 2. The Right K-Pop Style ７２ 3. Trained for Better Quality ７４ 4. Summary and Remarks ７７ Chapter 6. Conclusion ７９ Bibliography ８４ Appendix ８９ Acknowledgment ９２ 국문초록 ９３석

Parylene stiction

This paper presents a preliminary study into stiction between parylene C and substrate surfaces for biocompatible check-valve applications. During fabrication, parylene C is used as the structural material for the check-valve. The substrate surfaces studied include Au, Al, Si, parylene C, XeF_2 treated Si, and silicon dioxide. Stiction between different surfaces is created after sacrificial photoresist etching. Then, the stiction is measured using blister tests, and stiction mechanisms for different materials are investigated. The devices are released with different recipes to examine their effects. Finally, the results of the study reveal methods to control the cracking pressure of parylene check-valves

Use of a multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis method for molecular subtyping and phylogenetic analysis of Neisseria meningitidis isolates

BACKGROUND: The multilocus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) technique has been developed for fine typing of many bacterial species. The genomic sequences of Neisseria meningitidis strains Z2491, MC58 and FAM18 have been available for searching potential VNTR loci by computer software. In this study, we developed and evaluated a MLVA method for molecular subtyping and phylogenetic analysis of N. meningitidis strains. RESULTS: A total of 12 VNTR loci were identified for subtyping and phylogenetic analysis of 100 N. meningitidis isolates, which had previously been characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing. The number of alleles ranges from 3 to 40 for the 12 VNTR loci; theoretically, the numbers of alleles can generate more than 5 × 10(11 )MLVA types. In total, 93 MLVA types were identified in the 100 isolates, indicating that MLVA is powerful in discriminating N. meningitidis strains. In phylogenetic analysis with the minimal spanning tree method, clonal relationships, established with MLVA types, agreed well with those built with ST types. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that the MLVA method has a higher degree of resolution than PFGE in discriminating N. meningitidis isolates and may be a useful tool for phylogenetic studies of strains evolving over different time scales

ACUTE EFFECT OF VIBRATORY STIMULATION ON ELBOW JOINT FLEXOR PERFORMANCE

A novel design of vibratory stimulation training system was developed in this study. Each participant took a pre-test, before receiving treatment with 20 seconds of vibratory stimulation (VS) at a specific frequency and amplitude. The participants then took a post-test. Percentage improvement was then calculated by comparing the pre- and post-test values for each index. The experimental data were analyzed through a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA analysis, with the independent variables being vibratory frequency and amplitude and the dependent variables being EMG root mean square, maximal force, rate of force development, and average force. The optimal vibratory stimulation pattern was found from this study that being a 60% maximal force loading combined with VS at 2.5 Hz and 1 N amplitude sustained over 20 s

Employing RFID for an Equipment Management System via Wireless Sensor Network

This paper is mainly in combination with RFID to construct a set of power system equipment remote control, used first on the reader tags received after the use of Visual Basic in order to determine the signal and then transmits the signal via the RS232 cable to control circuit 8051 to control the instrument power switch. The topic is written in the Visual Basic RFID and uses features, such as personnel control systems, and access control systems, which are derived from the time of access control systems, several instrument control systems, and uses records stored in the form of functions, where the other circuit transmits signals to Visual Basic 8051, and then, by 8051, controls the instrument power switch

Distributed Training Large-Scale Deep Architectures

Scale of data and scale of computation infrastructures together enable the current deep learning renaissance. However, training large-scale deep architectures demands both algorithmic improvement and careful system configuration. In this paper, we focus on employing the system approach to speed up large-scale training. Via lessons learned from our routine benchmarking effort, we first identify bottlenecks and overheads that hinter data parallelism. We then devise guidelines that help practitioners to configure an effective system and fine-tune parameters to achieve desired speedup. Specifically, we develop a procedure for setting minibatch size and choosing computation algorithms. We also derive lemmas for determining the quantity of key components such as the number of GPUs and parameter servers. Experiments and examples show that these guidelines help effectively speed up large-scale deep learning training

Assessing the safety and efficacy of switching to brinzolamide/timolol fixed combination as a replacement therapy in patients with uncontrolled intraocular pressure in Taiwan

AbstractPurposeThe objective of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of switching to brinzolamide 1% and timolol 0.5% fixed combination (BTFC) from prior pharmacotherapy in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OH) in Taiwan.MethodsThis was a multicenter, open-labeled, interventional prospective study. The 8-week study involved patients with OAG or OH with uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) and consisted of three study visits to the clinical site. Patients were instructed to discontinue their prior medications at the first visit, prior to starting the study medication. Enrolled patients were dosed with BTFC twice daily in both eyes for 8 weeks. IOP measurements and safety evaluations were conducted at both Week 4 and Week 8.ResultsA total of 74 patients were enrolled. The overall mean IOP reductions from baseline after Week 8 of BTFC was 3.45 mmHg (15.42%); when subgrouped by prior medication class (β-blockers vs. non-β-blockers), the reduction in mean IOP after transitioning to BTFC at Week 8 was as follows: subgroup β-blockers were 3.23 mmHg (14.9 %) and non-β-blockers were 3.58 mmHg (15.25%). All mean IOP changes from baseline were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Of the 69 patients (per protocol population) who were switched to BTFC regardless of prior therapy, 37 (53.6%) patients at Week 4 and 38 (55.1%) patients at Week 8 had IOP ≤ 18 mmHg. No treatment-related serious adverse events were reported in this study.ConclusionThe results of this study demonstrated the potential benefit of using BTFC as a replacement therapy in order to ensure adequate IOP control. BTFC administered twice daily was safe and effective in patients with uncontrolled IOP in Taiwan