Bargaining Citizenship: Women's Organizations, the State, and Marriage Migrants in South Korea

Since 1948, South Korea has maintained restrictive immigration and citizenship policies that promote ethnic homogeneity and discourage the settlement of immigrants who do not have marital or family ties to ethnic Koreans. From 2005, the Korean government has instituted unprecedented reforms that have included local voting rights to permanent residents, dual citizenship for certain categories of citizens, and policies that promote multiculturalism; such reforms have made Korea the country with the most progressive stance on immigration in East Asia. Why has the Korean government proactively embraced immigrant incorporation under the banner of multiculturalism, after decades of promoting ethnic homogeneity and racial purity? In contrast to previous studies that focus on the adoption of liberal international norms, the remnants of the developmental state, and grassroots pressures from civil society, this dissertation explains immigrant incorporation in Korea as the unintended consequences of the negotiations between state efforts to regulate women’s access to rights and the attempts by women’s organizations and migrant women to secure rights and expand memberships. Although they comprise less than twenty percent of the total foreign population, marriage migrants, or foreign women married to Korean men, have been situated at the center of efforts to promote multiculturalism. Consequently, gender has figured prominently in shaping immigrant incorporation. Through a framework that defines citizenship as a negotiated relationship, this study demonstrates that women and the state are engaged in ongoing negotiations over three dimensions of citizenship: access to rights, rights, and memberships where the outcome of these negotiations is uneven and contradictory. Grassroots women’s organizations capitalized on the growing significance of marriage migrants in their attempt to re-negotiate the terms of women’s membership and rights. In bargaining with the state however, women’s organizations have become implicated in state efforts to incorporate migrant women as wives and mothers based upon the very patriarchal ideals of womanhood and family that women’s activists have long struggled against. Thus, citizenship ultimately poses a paradox for women, one that offers emancipatory potential for equality and inclusion while reinforcing gender ideals that exclude and marginalize them. Based on ethnographic and archival research, including personal interviews with fifty-one women’s activists, migrant women, and policymakers conducted throughout the Seoul- Gyeonggi metropolitan area from September 2011 to November 2012, this dissertation highlights the unintended consequences of women’s attempts to bargain with the state

A Salmonella virulence factor activates the NOD1/NOD2 signaling pathway.

The invasion-associated type III secretion system (T3SS-1) of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) activates the transcription factor NF-κB in tissue culture cells and induces inflammatory responses in animal models through unknown mechanisms. Here we show that bacterial delivery or ectopic expression of SipA, a T3SS-1-translocated protein, led to the activation of the NOD1/NOD2 signaling pathway and consequent RIP2-mediated induction of NF-κB-dependent inflammatory responses. SipA-mediated activation of NOD1/NOD2 signaling was independent of bacterial invasion in vitro but required an intact T3SS-1. In the mouse colitis model, SipA triggered mucosal inflammation in wild-type mice but not in NOD1/NOD2-deficient mice. These findings implicate SipA-driven activation of the NOD1/NOD2 signaling pathway as a mechanism by which the T3SS-1 induces inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo

Characteristics of Incident Liver Cancer Cases in the District of Columbia Metropolitan Area

The District of Columbia (D.C.) has the highest liver cancer incidence in the United States (U.S.), but the reasons for this are not fully known. We examined socio-demographic, clinical and behavioral characteristics of incident liver cancer cases in D.C., Maryland (MD) and Virginia (VA) to identify potential risk factors.We obtained data from D.C., MD and VA cancer registries for individuals diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) between 2013 and 2016. We estimated age-adjusted incidence rates and conducted descriptive analyses stratified by state/territory, sex, stage at diagnosis, and race/ethnicity. 5,928 incidents HCC/ICC cases occurred between 2013-2016. Age-adjusted incidence rates (per 100,000) for HCC/ICC were highest in D.C. (12.2, 95% CI=10.9, 13.5), for males (12.6, 95% CI=12.2, 12.9), and non-Hispanic Blacks (11.3, 95% CI=10.8, 11.8) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs) (10.8, 95% CI=9.7, 11.9). Racial disparities in HCC/ICC incidence were widest in D.C. A substantial proportion of cases were missing data on country of birth and behavioral risk factors. Mean age at diagnosis, marital status, country of birth, insurance status, and alcohol and tobacco use history varied across analytic sub-groups. Non-Hispanic Blacks, APIs and males experience a high burden of liver cancer in the D.C. metropolitan area. There are several socio-demographic disparities by state/territory, sex, and race/ethnicity. More data on country of birth, behavioral risk factors, and comorbidities are urgently needed to understand their contribution to the burden of liver cancer in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Subsistence and Resistance on the British Columbia Coast: Kingcome Village’s Estuarine Gardens as Contested Space

A case study is presented on the contested land ownership of the estuarine gardens in Kingcome Village, British Columbia (BC) between white settlers and the native Kwakwaka\u27wakw Indian Nation during the 19th century. The role that the natural resources of Kingcome Village\u27s estuarine gardens played in white colonists\u27 settlement of the Kingcome Village area is discussed

Telomere maintenance through recruitment of internal genomic regions

Cells surviving crisis are often tumorigenic and their telomeres are commonly maintained through the reactivation of telomerase. However, surviving cells occasionally activate a recombination-based mechanism called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Here we establish stably maintained survivors in telomerase-deleted Caenorhabditis elegans that escape from sterility by activating ALT. ALT survivors trans-duplicate an internal genomic region, which is already cis-duplicated to chromosome ends, across the telomeres of all chromosomes. These 'Template for ALT' (TALT) regions consist of a block of genomic DNA flanked by telomere-like sequences, and are different between two genetic background. We establish a model that an ancestral duplication of a donor TALT region to a proximal telomere region forms a genomic reservoir ready to be incorporated into telomeres on ALT activation.

CAPG is required for Ebola virus infection by controlling virus egress from infected cells

The replication of Ebola virus (EBOV) is dependent upon actin functionality, especially at cell entry through macropinocytosis and at release of virus from cells. Previously, major actin-regulatory factors involved in actin nucleation, such as Rac1 and Arp2/3, were shown important in both steps. However, downstream of nucleation, many other cell factors are needed to control actin dynamics. How these regulate EBOV infection remains largely unclear. Here, we identified the actin-regulating protein, CAPG, as important for EBOV replication. Notably, knockdown of CAPG specifically inhibited viral infectivity and yield of infectious particles. Cell-based mechanistic analysis revealed a requirement of CAPG for virus production from infected cells. Proximity ligation and split-green fluorescent protein reconstitution assays revealed strong association of CAPG with VP40 that was mediated through the S1 domain of CAPG. Overall, CAPG is a novel host factor regulating EBOV infection through connecting actin filament stabilization to viral egress from cells

A visible-light-driven molecular motor based on barbituric acid

We present a class of visible-light-driven molecular motors based on barbituric acid. Due to a serendipitous reactivity we observed during their synthesis, these motors possess a tertiary stereogenic centre on the upper half, characterised by a hydroxy group. Using a combination of femto- and nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations and low-temperature 1H NMR experiments we found that these motors operate similarly to push-pull second-generation overcrowded alkene-based molecular motors. Interestingly, the hydroxy group at the stereocentre enables a hydrogen bond with the carbonyl groups of the barbituric acid lower half, which drives a sub-picosecond excited-state isomerisation, as observed spectroscopically. Computational simulations predict an excited state “lasso” mechanism where the intramolecular hydrogen bond pulls the molecule towards the formation of the metastable state, with a high predicted quantum yield of isomerisation (68%) in gas phase.</p

Social media-based intervention to promote HBV screening and liver cancer prevention among Korean Americans: Results of a pilot study

Objective: In United States, Asian Americans are 10 times more likely to have hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection than Whites. Asian immigrants with limited English proficiency face extra barriers to HBV screening and many are unaware of the infectious status. This study aimed to evaluate a social media-based intervention to promote HBV screening and liver cancer prevention among Korean Americans (KA) with limited English proficiency. Methods: Our community-academia partnership developed the Lets talk about liver cancer mHealth program by adapting a CDC media campaign. The program consisted of culturally tailored short video clips and pictorial messages and was delivered over 4 weeks to the participants via the popular Korean social media app, Kakao Talk. A total 100 KA living in greater Washington DC metropolitan were recruited via social media networks and completed this pre-post pilot study. Results: Out of the 100 participants of KA, 56 were female, mean age was 60, and most have lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years, 84% had limited English proficiency, and 21% had a family history of HBV infection or liver cancer. After 4-week intervention, 95% completed the follow-up survey. Participants reported significant improvements in HBV-related knowledge, liver cancer prevention knowledge, perceived benefits of HBV testing, perceived risks of HBV infection, injunctive norms of HBV testing, and self-efficacy of HBV testing. Conclusions: The Kakao Talk-based liver cancer prevention program for KAs was feasible and effective. We advocate for community-academia partnership to develop and implement culturally appropriate and social media-based interventions for underserved immigrants

‘On the outside I’m smiling but inside I’m crying’: communication successes and challenges for undergraduate academic writing

Student difficulties with the transition to writing in higher education are well documented whether from a ‘study skills’, an ‘academic socialisation’ or an ‘academic literacies’ perspective. In order to more closely examine the challenges faced by students from widening participation backgrounds and diverse routes into undergraduate study, this project focuses on first-year undergraduate experiences of developing academic literacies on an Education Studies programme at one university in England. It highlights the impact of different support and guidance within and beyond their degree programme where attempts to embed academic literacy development are part of subject modules. The paper reports the findings generated using a mixed methods interpretive approach. Questionnaires were collected at the beginning (n = 48) and end of the students’ first year (n = 44), and interviews and visual data collection methods (n =19) were used at the mid-point of the academic year. Key findings highlight students’ expectations of achievement on entry to university and the influence of the emotional journey of students as they begin to make progress as academic writers. Identifying, selecting and applying academic reading were an enduring concern whilst some students struggled with the digital literacy implicit in undergraduate work. Importantly, some strategies developed to support student transition to academic writing in higher education may have unintended consequences as they progress through the first year

Key drivers and pressures of global water scarcity hotspots

Global freshwater resources are vital to humanity and Earth’s ecosystems, yet about one third of the global population is affected by water scarcity for at least one month per year. In these areas, the overuse of freshwater resources can lead to the threat of depletion, marking them as the global ‘water scarcity hotspots’. This study combines outputs from a global hydrological model (PCR-GLOBWB 2) with an extensive literature search to provide a comprehensive intercomparison of the key drivers, pressures, states, impacts and responses (DPSIR) that shape the water gap between water demand and availability at the most important water scarcity hotspots worldwide. Hydroclimatic change, population growth, and water use for the industrial, municipal and agricultural sectors are the most important driving and pressuring forces on the water gap, affecting both water quality and quantity. These drivers and pressures have been showing increasing trends at all hotspots, which is concerning for the future development of the water gap. Additionally, we identify and characterize seven clusters of hotspots based on shared DPSIR patterns, revealing their common mechanisms. Our work highlights the diversity of water scarcity related issues at hotspots, especially the variety of impacts involved and governmental responses in place. The results of our DPSIR analysis provide valuable insights for building causal networks representing water gap dynamics at the hotspots. They form a foundation for conceptual models that illuminate human-water interactions, trade-offs, and synergies at the hotspots, while guiding policymakers in addressing the multifaceted challenge of closing the water gap