K-pop in Korea: How the Pop Music Industry is Changing a Post-Developmental Society

Korean popular songs, or kayo, are evolving from a musical genre created and performed only by Koreans into K-pop, a global musical genre produced and enjoyed by Koreans and those of other nationalities. This new development has revolutionized the perception of the popular music industry in Korea’s post-developmental society, as Korean children dream of becoming K-pop idols rather than entering traditionally esteemed careers in politics, medicine, or academia. The Korean government is also actively promoting Hallyu and K-pop, as though they constitute new export industries that could feed the entire nation in the twenty-first century. While the K-pop revolution has a lot to do with YouTube and other digital means of distributing music on a global scale, Korean television stations are now eager to tap into the booming market by showcasing live K-pop auditions in order to circumvent declining television loyalty among K-pop fans, who prefer watching music videos on YouTube. K-pop in Korea therefore illustrates three important aspects of social change: changes in social perceptions of the popular music industry, massive government support, and television stations actively recruiting new K-pop stars. All three aspects of social change reinforce one another and fuel the aspirations of young Koreans to become the next K-pop idols. Keywords: South Korea, pop culture, K-pop, social change, mass media Links to YouTube videos referenced in this article: Lee Mi-Ja's "Tongbaek Agassi" (1964)   Shin Joong-Hyun’s "Miin" (1974

Hafnium metallocene compounds used as cathode interfacial layers for enhanced electron transfer in organic solar cells

We have used hafnium metallocene compounds as cathode interfacial layers for organic solar cells [OSCs]. A metallocene compound consists of a transition metal and two cyclopentadienyl ligands coordinated in a sandwich structure. For the fabrication of the OSCs, poly[3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene]:poly(styrene sulfonate), poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) + [6,6]-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester, bis-(ethylcyclopentadienyl)hafnium(IV) dichloride, and aluminum were deposited as a hole transport layer, an active layer, a cathode interfacial layer, and a cathode, respectively. The hafnium metallocene compound cathode interfacial layer improved the performance of OSCs compared to that of OSCs without the interfacial layer. The current density-voltage characteristics of OSCs with an interfacial layer thickness of 0.7 nm and of those without an interfacial layer showed power conversion efficiency [PCE] values of 2.96% and 2.34%, respectively, under an illumination condition of 100 mW/cm2 (AM 1.5). It is thought that a cathode interfacial layer of an appropriate thickness enhances the electron transfer between the active layer and the cathode, and thus increases the PCE of the OSCs

A New Hardware Correlator in Korea: Performance Evaluation using KVN observations

We report results of the performance evaluation of a new hardware correlator in Korea, the Daejeon correlator, developed by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). We conducted Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at 22~GHz with the Korean VLBI Network (KVN) in Korea and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA) in Japan, and correlated the aquired data with the Daejeon correlator. For evaluating the performance of the new hardware correlator, we compared the correlation outputs from the Daejeon correlator for KVN observations with those from a software correlator, the Distributed FX (DiFX). We investigated the correlated flux densities and brightness distributions of extragalactic compact radio sources. The comparison of the two correlator outputs show that they are consistent with each other within $<8\%$, which is comparable with the amplitude calibration uncertainties of KVN observations at 22~GHz. We also found that the 8\% difference in flux density is caused mainly by (a) the difference in the way of fringe phase tracking between the DiFX software correlator and the Daejeon hardware correlator, and (b) an unusual pattern (a double-layer pattern) of the amplitude correlation output from the Daejeon correlator. The visibility amplitude loss by the double-layer pattern is as small as 3\%. We conclude that the new hardware correlator produces reasonable correlation outputs for continuum observations, which are consistent with the outputs from the DiFX software correlator.Comment: 13 pagee, 9 figures, 3 tables, to appear in JKAS (received February 9, 2015; accepted March 16, 2015

Meta-analysis of Complementary and Alternative Intervention on Menstrual Distress

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the effect size of complementary and alternative intervention studies in reference to dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress. METHODS: In order to conduct a meta-analysis, a total of 393 studies were retrieved from the database. Twenty-eight studies that were published from March 2001 to February 2011 were selected. RESULTS: Intervention studies included seven studies on aromatherapy, five on auriculotherapy, three on each Koryo-Sooji-Chim and moxibustion, two on each heat therapy and magnetic therapy and six on other therapy. The effect size of the intervention studies on dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress was greater than 0.48 for Koryo-Sooji-Chim, moxibustion, aromatherapy, auriculotherapy and other therapy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that drug free therapy can reduce the levels of menstrual distress, despite the small number of intervention studies and randomized controlled trials

Effect of rhBMP-2 applied with a 3D-printed titanium implant on new bone formation in rabbit calvarium

Objective: This study sought to compare the biocompatibility of a three-dimensional (3D)-printed titanium implant with a conventional machined titanium product, as well as the effect of such implant applied with recombinant human Bone Morphogenetic Protein Type 2 (rhBMP-2) for guided bone regeneration.&nbsp;Methodology: Disk-shaped titanium specimens fabricated either by the conventional machining technique or by the 3D-printing technique were compared by MC3T3-E1 cells cytotoxicity assay. New bone formation was evaluated using a rapid prototype titanium cap applied to the calvaria of 10 rabbits, which were divided into two groups: one including an atelopeptide collagen plug on one side of the cap (group I) and the other including a plug with rhBMP-2 on the other side (group II). At six and 12 weeks after euthanasia, rabbits calvaria underwent morphometric analysis through radiological and histological examination.&nbsp;Results: Through the cytotoxicity assay, we identified a significantly higher number of MC3T3-E1 cells in the 3D-printed specimen when compared to the machined specimen after 48 hours of culture. Moreover, morphometric analysis indicated significantly greater bone formation at week 12 on the side where rhBMP-2 was applied when evaluating the upper portion immediately below the ca p. Conclusion: The results suggest that 3D-printed titanium implant applied with rhBMP-2 enables new bone formation

Antiproliferative effect of gold(I) compound auranofin through inhibition of STAT3 and telomerase activity in MDA-MB 231 human breast cancer cells

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) andtelomerase are considered attractive targets for anticancertherapy. The in vitro anticancer activity of the gold(I) compoundauranofin was investigated using MDA-MB 231 human breastcancer cells, in which STAT3 is constitutively active. In cellculture, auranofin inhibited growth in a dose-dependent manner,and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), a scavenger of reactive oxygenspecies (ROS), markedly blocked the effect of auranofin.Incorporation of 5-bromo-2’-deoxyuridine into DNA andanchorage-independent cell growth on soft agar were decreasedby auranofin treatment. STAT3 phosphorylation and telomeraseactivity were also attenuated in cells exposed to auranofin, butNAC pretreatment restored STAT3 phosphorylation andtelomerase activity in these cells. These findings indicate thatauranofin exerts in vitro antitumor effects in MDA-MB 231 cellsand its activity involves inhibition of STAT3 and telomerase.Thus, auranofin shows potential as a novel anticancer drug thattargets STAT3 and telomerase. [BMB Reports 2013; 46(1): 59-64

Teatro e ensino da matemática: atividade desenvolvida num curso de formação docente

Anais do II Seminário Seminário Estadual PIBID do Paraná: tecendo saberes / organizado por Dulcyene Maria Ribeiro e Catarina Costa Fernandes — Foz do Iguaçu: Unioeste; Unila, 2014Este trabalho relata uma aula desenvolvida pelas alunas do Curso de Formação de Docentes do Instituto Estadual de Educação de Londrina com a colaboração dos Bolsistas do Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Iniciação à Docência – PIBID – Subprojeto de Matemática, para alunos de primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental utilizando o teatro como forma de apresentar conteúdos matemáticos como números, sequência de números, operações básicas como adição, subtração e conteúdos de língua portuguesa como leitura e escrita de número

Cumulative burden of metabolic syndrome and its components on the risk of atrial fibrillation:a nationwide population-based study

BackgroundThe metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components are associated with the development of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the impact of time-burden of MetS on the risk of AF is unknown. We investigated the effect of the cumulative longitudinal burden of MetS on the development of AF.MethodsWe included 2 885 189 individuals without AF who underwent four annual health examinations during 2009-2013 from the database of the Korean national health insurance service. Metabolic burdens were evaluated in the following three ways: (1) cumulative number of MetS diagnosed at each health examination (0-4 times); (2) cumulative number of each MetS component diagnosed at each health examination (0-4 times per MetS component); and (3) cumulative number of total MetS components diagnosed at each health examination (0 to a maximum of 20). The risk of AF according to the metabolic burden was estimated using Cox proportional-hazards models.ResultsOf all individuals, 62.4%, 14.8%, 8.7%, 6.5%, and 7.6% met the MetS diagnostic criteria 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 times, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 5.3 years, the risk of AF showed a positive association with the cumulative number of MetS diagnosed over four health examinations: adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1, 2, 3, and 4 times compared to 0 times were 1.18 (1.13-1.24), 1.31 (1.25-1.39), 1.46 (1.38-1.55), and 1.72 (1.63-1.82), respectively; P for trend ConclusionsGiven the positive correlations between the cumulative metabolic burdens and the risk of incident AF, maximal effort to detect and correct metabolic derangements even before MetS development might be important to prevent AF and related cardiovascular diseases