Cooperative Maritime Security in Northeast Asia

The geostategic maritime enviornment in Northeast Asia is changing. The Cold War order- maked by the possession of nuclear weapons, aggressive warfighting strategies, and the naval confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States has been replaced by an indistinct arrangement reflecting the fluid state of international relations. As the two military superpowers ghave reduced their military presence in response to changed in international politics and growing economic contraints, so their political leverage over the region has diminished

Geo-stategic approaches to co-operative maritime security in northeast Asia : with particular reference to naval arms control, maritime confidence-building measures and maritime co-operation measures

The purpose of this study is to design a co-operative maritime security structure for Northeast Asia through the application of naval arms control and disarmament measures (both structural and operational), maritime confidence-building measures (MCBMs) and maritime cooperation measures (MCMs). In order to construct an analytical framework for such an application it is necessary to introduce sub-objectives. The first is to explore the options for providing co-operative maritime security, such as naval arms control. MCBMs and MCMs, and to assess the value of their contribution to the general co-operative maritime security framework. The second is to examine the particular points of the major regional powers' maritime security policies with a view to considering their relevance to the construction of a system of co-operative maritime security in Northeast Asia. The third is to delineate the regional geo-strategic security environment conducive to Northeast Asian co-operative maritime security in the framework of the various types of measures. The final part examines the potential conditions for the application of co-operative maritime security measures and suggests a priority of application on the basis of the regional maritime security environment.In the last decade, the United States and Russia have been forced to change their defence policies, trim their budgets, curtail operations overseas, and re-evaluate their fundamental purposes. Nonetheless, the medium powers, such as China and Japan, continue to build and deploy naval weapons and vessels that others find threatening. Unless they reconsider their positions toward co-operative maritime security, they may miss a critical opportunity to bring stability to the high seas. In Northeast Asia, the main boundary and territorial disputes are maritime in nature, e.g. Russia-Japan (South Kuril IslandslNorthern Territories), Korea-Japan (the Tok Islandsffakeshima), China-Japan (the Senkaku Islandsffiaoyu Tao), as well as Taiwan and, in the South China Sea, the Paracel Islands/Xisha Qundao (Vietnam-China), and the Spratly IslandslNansha Qundao (China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines and Brunei). Multilateral security activities cannot replace formal diplomatic/legal negotiations to settle maritime boundary and territorial disputes, but co-operative maritime security measures may be particularly valuable in minimising the risk of conflict in such circumstances.Among the MCBMs, the most promising areas involve modifying existing INCSEA agreements, and establishing or expanding measures of transparency, such as compliance with the UN or an eventual regional arms register and the regular issue of credible official Defence White Papers. In the current context of strategic uncertainty and maritime force development in Northeast Asia, information exchange measures and communication measures may be the most valuable MCBM, applicable region-wide. Co-operative maritime security measures can offer a number of benefits. The main goals of MCMs are cost reduction through shared efforts or by joint operations for humanitarian purposes, joint development of marine resources, the protection of SLOCs and prevention of sea pollution. MCMs can also be used as confidence-building measures in themselves to maintain communication when tensions heighten. MCMs indicate that neighbouring countries can work together to look after certain problems at the regional or subregional level. This can help not onJy to deter potential adversaries but also to assure extraregional countries that no direct threat would be posed to their sea-borne trade. With functional and operational approaches, MCMs cover marine pollution, search and rescue, illegal activities, including drug smuggling, piracy and fisheries infringement.The first area of naval arms control to be considered covers constraints on naval activities as operational naval arms control measures. General operational arms control measures could be used to cover other naval activities, or they could serve as a model for similar agreements in other areas. The provisions for notification of dangerous activities, for instance, could be broadened to include mandatory notification of all naval exercises. After the 1972 Incidents at Sea Agreement, the United States and Russia developed stabilising rules of behaviour as their navies came into contact with each other across the world's oceans. With the expansion of naval forces in Northeast Asia and the increased likelihood of accident and miscalculation, one could make a case for the negotiation of regional INCSEA agreements, particularly on a bilateral basis. Such agreements already exist in the North Pacific: Canada and Russia, the US and Russia, Russia-Japan and Russia-ROK. The United States and China have also signed a related agreement on maritime consultation. Operational measures at sea could be implemented by imposing restraints on naval activities and geographical limitations. Structural measures, as the second aspect of naval arms control, consist of quantitative and qualitative approaches. A quantitative approach based on ratios would inevitably affect the relative size of forces of different countries. Such agreements are difficult to achieve because of differences in geostrategic goals and asymmetries of naval forces in the region.This thesis argues that the development of co-operative maritime security measures to the point where they become a significant aspect of the regional maritime security framework in Northeast Asia will not be easy. It is a very diverse region, where there are quite different security perceptions and maritime territorial and legitimacy conflicts which require resolution. There is also little tradition of security co-operation, at least on a multilateral basis. The maritime issues themselves are generally complicated, and the practical and operational factors involved in the establishment of effective co-operative maritime security regimes are extremely demanding. Maritime confidence-building measures offer the greatest potentiaL as an initial step. As subsequent steps, maritime co-operation measures and naval arms control measures could be followed. The important question is whether or not the application of co-operative security models can be brought to the point where they can enable the effective management of the increasing complexities and uncertainties which characterise the emerging maritime environment in Northeast Asia. Current fiscal constraints might clearly provide an opportunity for Northeast Asian countries not only to consider more closely their threat perceptions but also to pursue regional co-operative maritime arrangements which rely more on mutual understanding and less on a naval arms build-up

Hallyu and the Traditional Cultural Genes of Korea

Since the year 2000, South Korea has been the propagator of the Hallyu (Korean Wave) that has spread across the world, demonstrating the country’s cultural potential. The subject of Hallyu can be approached from several perspectives, first by identifying its origins, current status, and trends by genre; by looking at its effects and the measures that can sustain the Hallyu phenomenon; and also by examining Hallyu trends by country. This paper analyzes Korea’s traditional cultural genes that affected the creation and spread of Hallyu from a humanistic point of view. The three factors for this analysis are: i) community and courtesy, ii) dynamics and excitement, and iii) intuition and harmony. This study is expected to deepen the understanding of the relation between Hallyu and Korean traditional cultural resources

Useful Tools for Biomolecule Isolation, Detection, and Identification: Acylhydrazone-Based Cleavable Linkers

SummaryProteomic searches using affinity-based chromatography (e.g., biotin-[strept]avidin) have been severely hampered by low protein recovery yields, protein destruction and denaturation, and the release of background proteins from the support. These limitations confound protein identification. A new acylhydrazone-based cleavable linker was developed to permit the efficient isolation of proteins with a traceable tag allowing detection and identification under mild conditions. The utility of the acylhydrazone linker was validated in a proteomic search wherein aldehyde dehydrogenase-1 was selectively captured and isolated from the mouse soluble liver proteome without interfering background proteins. The use of acylhydrazone linkers is expected to be generalized, allowing for the selective release of tagged molecules from noncovalent and covalently tagged supports

Isolation and characterization of a new mucoid-free Klebsiella pneumoniae strain for 2,3-butanediol production

The secretion of mucoid substances by Klebsiella pneumoniae, a natural 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD) hyper-producer, hinders its application in large-scale fermentation because of pathogenicity, fermentation instability, and downstream difficulty. In this study, 14 K. pneumoniae strains were isolated from a waste water treatment plant and their 2,3-BD production efficiencies were assessed with the strain K. pneumoniae DSM2026. Among various strains isolated, K. pneumoniae GSC010 and GSC112 produced relatively large amounts of 2,3-BD compared to other isolates; and their 2,3-BD production was consistent with DSM2026. Meanwhile, mucoidic characteristics of GSC010 were more or less similar to DSM2026, which was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) as a characteristic intercalated thread anchored on the surface of the cells. However, no polysaccharide materials were found in a non-mucoid cell, GSC112. Fed-batch culture of GSC112 with continuous glucose feeding resulted in the production of 2,3-BD at 52.4 g/l with 2,3-BD yield and overall productivity of 0.27 g/g glucose and 0.52 g/l/h, respectively. These results strongly suggest that the newly isolated mucoid-free K. pneumoniae GSC112 has potential for industrial production of 2,3-BD.Keywords: 2,3-Butanediol, Klebsiella pneumoniae, isolation, capsular polysaccharides, scanning electron microscop

approaches to discover the functional impact of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms in selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome

Objective The aim of this study was to discover the functional impact of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) that were found in selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome Methods Whole-genome re-sequencing data were obtained from 40 pigs, including 14 Landrace, 16 Yorkshire, and 10 wild boars, which were generated with the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. The nsSNPs in the selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome were identified, and the impacts of these variations on protein function were predicted to reveal their potential association with traits of the Landrace breed, such as reproductive capacity. Results Total of 53,998 nsSNPs in the mapped regions of pigs were identified, and among them, 345 nsSNPs were found in the selective sweep regions of the Landrace genome which were reported previously. The genes featuring these nsSNPs fell into various functional categories, such as reproductive capacity or growth and development during the perinatal period. The impacts of amino acid sequence changes by nsSNPs on protein function were predicted using two in silico SNP prediction algorithms, i.e., sorting intolerant from tolerant and polymorphism phenotyping v2, to reveal their potential roles in biological processes that might be associated with the reproductive capacity of the Landrace breed. Conclusion The findings elucidated the domestication history of the Landrace breed and illustrated how Landrace domestication led to patterns of genetic variation related to superior reproductive capacity. Our novel findings will help understand the process of Landrace domestication at the genome level and provide SNPs that are informative for breeding

A Case of Oculomotor Nerve Paralysis Caused by Cavernous Sinus Metastasis of Tonsil Cancer

Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with metastasis to the cavernous sinus (CS) is uncommon, and only a few cases have been described in the literature. The highest age-adjusted incidence rate for OSCC including the tonsil in males occurs in South Asians, and more cases should be reported to establish earlier identification and treatment. We report a case of OSCC in a 59-year-old male who underwent prompt endoscopic biopsy and early palliative radiation therapy to allow complete recovery of cranial nerve palsies to improve his quality of life, despite having a poor prognosis. Furthermore, this report emphasizes his dramatic resolution of symptoms after radiation therapy, highlighting the importance of rapid recognition and proper management

Determination of Cutting Date and Interval on Native Grass Management of Agricultural Waterways in South Korea

Agricultural waterways provide a buffer zone between crop fields and adjacent rivers or streams. Waterways are important resource for agriculture water management, water quality and biodiversity conservation. The total linear distance of waterway in Korea is about 180,000 km, and about 40% are concrete and about 60% are grassed waterways. At present, the percentage of concrete waterways is increasing because of their water management efficiency. Some argue that continued expansion of concrete waterways is not sustainable because it leads to potential-degradation of the earth\u27s environment. This concern has led to renewed efforts to use grassed waterways as an alternative to concrete. In addition, grassed waterways enhance the environment-friendly image of agriculture that Korea farmers want to promote. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of cutting date and interval of native grasses for water management efficiency of agricultural waterway

Impacts of Heavy Rain and Typhoon on Allergic Disease

AbstractObjectivesAllergic disease may be increased by climate change. Recent reports have shown that typhoon and heavy rain increase allergic disease locally by concentration of airborne allergens of pollen, ozone, and fungus, which are causes of allergic disease. The objective of this study was to determine whether typhoon and heavy rain increase allergic disease in Korea.MethodsThis study included allergic disease patients of the area declared as a special disaster zone due to storms and heavy rains from 2003 to 2009. The study used information from the Korea Meteorological Administration, and from the National Health Insurance Service for allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis).ResultsDuring a storm period, the numbers of allergy rhinitis and atopic dermatitis outpatients increased [rate ratio (RR) = 1.191; range, 1.150–1.232] on the sixth lag day. However, the number of asthma outpatients decreased (RR = 0.900; range, 0.862–0.937) on the sixth lag day after a disaster period. During a storm period, the numbers of allergic rhinitis outpatients (RR = 1.075; range, 1.018–1.132) and atopy outpatients increased (RR = 1.134; range, 1.113–1.155) on the seventh lag day. However, the number of asthma outpatients decreased to RR value of 0.968 (range, 0.902–1.035) on the fifth lag day.ConclusionThis study suggests that typhoon and heavy rain increase allergic disease apart from asthma. More study is needed to explain the decrease in asthma