The Potentials of Nested Markets for Sustainable Rural Development: The Case of Hongdong, South Korea

This research examines the evolution of nested markets in Hongdong Town, South Korea and their characteristics through a qualitative case study in order to open the opportunities to shape the nested markets so that they work well in regard to sustainable rural development. Specifically, this study is informed by an agro-ecological approach, and cross-disciplinary literatures in rural development, agrifood movement, and rural tourism. Data are collected via 58 in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and examination documentation. Thematic analysis yielded three significant themes that have been developed into three separate manuscripts. The first manuscript describes and analyzes the dynamics of nested markets identified in Hongdong by tracking their historical roots and changes. Four different types of nested markets are identified and their particular mechanisms are discussed. The second manuscript examines the empowerment and disempowerment factors in the different types of nested markets, focusing primarily upon the participant farmers’ own experiences and interpretations. Democratic management, ideological struggle, participatory educations, and self-consciousness are underscored for a multi-dimensional approach to empowerment of small-scale farmers. The final manuscript examines the evolution of rural tourism in Hongdong, and its links to agricultural changes, and traditional small farm survival, as part of sustainable rural development. The study shows that rural tourism is neither a simple, business-oriented project nor a step-by-step process of tourism development. It emerges, together with other nested markets in responds to the negative effects of the neoliberalist agrifood market

Association Between Insulin Resistance and Bone Mass in Men

Context: The association between insulin resistance and bone mass is still not clear. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between insulin resistance and bone mass. Design and Setting: This was a cross-sectional survey of the nationally representative population. Participants: A total of 3113 men (aged >= 20 years) from the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2008-2009 were included. Main Outcome Measures: Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Osteopenia and osteoporosis were defined using the World Health Organization T score criteria. Fasting plasma insulin and glucose levels were measured, and insulin resistance was evaluated using the homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index. Results: Age-, height-, and weight-adjusted mean BMD values significantly decreased as quartiles of HOMA-IR and the fasting plasma insulin level increased (P for trends <.001). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, participants who had a higher HOMA-IR or fasting plasma insulin level had a higher odds ratio for osteoporosis/osteopenia. Interestingly, the association between fasting plasma insulin level and whole-body BMD differed by the degree of insulin resistance. In the lowest quartile of HOMA-IR, the fasting insulin level was positively associated with BMD. As insulin resistance increased, however, the fasting insulin level was inversely associated with BMD, and this relationship became more significant as the degree of insulin resistance increased. Conclusions: In a nationally representative sample of Korean men, insulin resistance and the fasting plasma insulin level were inversely associated with bone mass. Further studies are required to confirm this association and reveal the underlying mechanisms.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2014-01/102/0000052039/4SEQ:4PERF_CD:SNU2014-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000052039ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A079543DEPT_CD:806CITE_RATE:6.31FILENAME:association between insulin resistance and bone mass in men.pdfDEPT_NM:의과학과SCOPUS_YN:YCONFIRM:

Orbital-selective Mott and Peierls transition in HxVO2

Materials displaying metal-insulator transitions (MITs) as a function of external parameters such as temperature, pressure, or composition are most intriguing from the fundamental point of view and also hold high promise for applications. Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is one of the most prominent examples of MIT having prospective applications ranging from intelligent coatings, infrared sensing, or imaging, to Mott memory and neuromorphic devices. The key aspects conditioning possible applications are the controllability and reversibility of the transition. Here we present an intriguing MIT in hydrogenated vanadium dioxide, HxVO2. The transition relies on an increase of the electron occupancy through hydrogenation on the transition metal vanadium, driving the system insulating by a hybrid of two distinct MIT mechanisms. The insulating phase observed in HVO2 with a nominal d2 electronic configuration contrasts with other rutile d2 systems, most of which are metallic. Using spectroscopic tools and state-of-the-art many-body electronic structure calculations, our investigation reveals a correlation-enhanced Peierls and a Mott transition taking place in an orbital-selective manner cooperate to stabilize an insulating phase. The identification of the hybrid mechanism for MIT controlled by hydrogenation opens the way to radically design strategies for future correlated oxide devices by controlling phase reversibly while maintaining high crystallinity

Disorder and diffuse scattering in single-chirality (TaSe4_4)2_2I crystals

The quasi-one-dimensional chiral compound (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I has been extensively studied as a prime example of a topological Weyl semimetal. Upon crossing its phase transition temperature $T_\textrm{CDW}$ $\approx$ 263 K, (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I exhibits incommensurate charge density wave (CDW) modulations described by the well-defined propagation vector $\sim$(0.05, 0.05, 0.11), oblique to the TaSe$_4$ chains. Although optical and transport properties greatly depend on chirality, there is no systematic report about chiral domain size for (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I. In this study, our single-crystal scattering refinements reveal a bulk iodine deficiency, and Flack parameter measurements on multiple crystals demonstrate that separate (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I crystals have uniform handedness, supported by direct imaging and helicity dependent THz emission spectroscopy. Our single-crystal X-ray scattering and calculated diffraction patterns identify multiple diffuse features and create a real-space picture of the temperature-dependent (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I crystal structure. The short-range diffuse features are present at room temperature and decrease in intensity as the CDW modulation develops. These transverse displacements, along with electron pinning from the iodine deficiency, help explain why (TaSe$_4$)$_2$I behaves as an electronic semiconductor at temperatures above and below $T_\textrm{CDW}$, despite a metallic band structure calculated from density functional theory of the ideal structure.Comment: 24 pages, 20 figures, 3 table

The greening of aid: the political ecology of Japans bilateral international cooperation with the Philippines

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo