Imitators to Creators: The Emergence of a Confident National Identity in Contemporary Korea as Observed Through K-Pop and Masculinity

South Korea’s national narrative has evolved from one familiar with destruction and outside control to one that can now afford to be more challenging and confrontational. Korea’s ascent to both economic and political prominence on the international landscape in record time is well established. The rapid transformation currently impacts Korean society with the country choosing to concentrate on strengthening its soft power and nation brand exporting. This thesis aims to reveal how Korea’s recently acquired position of significance on the global stage permits the Korean national identity to be assured and stimulating, in contrast with a derivative narrative once perceived around an image of backwardness. The Korean identity projected to the globalized world through the Korean entertainment industry is formed from a combination of a distinctive Korean soft masculinity aesthetic and the “new traditional,” a concept aimed to incorporate what the Korean government wants the rest of the world to view as traditional Korean culture. In order to demonstrate this new assured Korean identity, a case study was conducted on two male Korean popular music (K-pop) groups, the second-generation group SHINee and the fourth-generation group Stray Kids. Both groups were analyzed via tools of visual anthropology to present a changing aesthetic and outward identity that reflects the overall temporal shift in Korean national identity. SHINee reveals a shift from a Western-derived physical look and manner to one confident in its separate soft masculinity. Stray Kids reveal the fusion of this soft masculinity style with elements of traditional Korean culture. These results highlight the Korean government’s ability to strengthen its particular national brand and identity as an exportable, consumable product through official K-pop cultural ambassadors and an ever-increasing confident status on the world stage

Novel methods for measuring drought stress of crops in the field

There is currently no available method for land managers to directly and non-destructively measure the water status of plants in the field. Water status of a plant effects plant growth and function and contributes to end-of-season crop yield. We have developed wearable, minimally invasive microneedle sensors that can be precisely placed in leaves of crops, to be used as electrodes for electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS measures the passive electrical properties (magnitude and phase shift of impedance) of the leaf. EIS can be used to model biologic tissue as an electrical circuit, where ions in the intra- and extracellular fluid are describes as resistors and the cell membrane is modeled as a capacitor. Our previous work has demonstrated that the magnitude of impedance varies with water availability and can be used to monitor drought stress. In this study, we aim to further our understanding of how phase shift of impedance correlates to tissue damage caused by drought stress. Because EIS models the cell membrane as a capacitor, we predict that changes in phase angle correspond to cell membrane damage. To continue studying EIS as an indicator of plant health, data loggers with microneedle electrodes were deployed in a field of Sorghum bicolor at the New Mexico State Agricultural Science Center in Los Lunas, New Mexico. Two genotypes of S. bicolor were divided into two study groups, one receiving normal irrigation and one receiving half the irrigation. The plant-based EIS data was collected throughout the growing season. Initial results demonstrate that we can collect continuous data directly from plants in the field. Impedance signals mirror expected diurnal cycles from previous lab-based studies. Initial results indicate that phase shift of impedance changes gradually as a leaf progresses through senescence (programmed tissue aging and death) and that phase shift of impedance changes rapidly when a leaf\u27s vascular system is damaged (inhibiting the ability of the leaf to maintain hydration). These initial results indicate that microneedle EIS monitoring of phase angle of impedance may provide land managers with a method to directly monitor plants for drought damage, while distinguishing from typical plant aging

Are microclimate conditions in El Malpais National Monument caves in New Mexico, USA suitable for Pseudogymnoascus growth?

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a bat disease caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which thrives in cold and very humid environments where bats frequently hibernate. Conidia of Pseudogymnoascus species are often documented on bats prior to the onset of WNS, but characterization of high-risk areas defined by microclimate cave conditions have been lacking. Investigating the occurrence of this fungal genus and appropriate environmental conditions to support P. destructans in southwestern U.S. caves is key to understanding the sites most likely to be impacted by WNS. Microclimate conditions in ten caves at El Malpais (ELMA) National Monument in New Mexico, USA were recorded using i-Button data loggers during the winters of 2011–2014 to assess appropriate environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity) for P. destructans and other Pseudogymnoascus species. Optimal microclimate conditions for P. destructans and other psychrophilic fungi were found in all the caves with at least 50% of the caves identified as high-risk areas. Pseudogymnoascus species were detected in 70% of the caves using culturing methods and PCR, but no soil samples were positive for P. destructans using real-time PCR in soil and guano samples. Pseudogymnoascus destructans has a recognized range of appropriate temperatures and relative humidity for growth and cave microclimate can help define high-risk areas. This study offers resource managers guidance for establishing priority monitoring areas in their bat caves to determine which bat species are at higher risk

Comparison of bacterial communities from lava cave microbial mats to overlying surface soils from Lava Beds National Monument, USA

<div><p>Subsurface habitats harbor novel diversity that has received little attention until recently. Accessible subsurface habitats include lava caves around the world that often support extensive microbial mats on ceilings and walls in a range of colors. Little is known about lava cave microbial diversity and how these subsurface mats differ from microbial communities in overlying surface soils. To investigate these differences, we analyzed bacterial 16S rDNA from 454 pyrosequencing from three colors of microbial mats (tan, white, and yellow) from seven lava caves in Lava Beds National Monument, CA, USA, and compared them with surface soil overlying each cave. The same phyla were represented in both surface soils and cave microbial mats, but the overlap in shared OTUs (operational taxonomic unit) was only 11.2%. Number of entrances per cave and temperature contributed to observed differences in diversity. In terms of species richness, diversity by mat color differed, but not significantly. <i>Actinobacteria</i> dominated in all cave samples, with 39% from caves and 21% from surface soils. <i>Proteobacteria</i> made up 30% of phyla from caves and 36% from surface soil. Other major phyla in caves were <i>Nitrospirae</i> (7%) followed by minor phyla (7%), compared to surface soils with <i>Bacteroidetes</i> (8%) and minor phyla (8%). Many of the most abundant sequences could not be identified to genus, indicating a high degree of novelty. Surface soil samples had more OTUs and greater diversity indices than cave samples. Although surface soil microbes immigrate into underlying caves, the environment selects for microbes able to live in the cave habitats, resulting in very different cave microbial communities. This study is the first comprehensive comparison of bacterial communities in lava caves with the overlying soil community.</p></div

Are microclimate conditions in El Malpais National Monument caves in New Mexico, USA suitable for Pseudogymnoascus growth?

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a bat disease caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which thrives in cold and very humid environments where bats frequently hibernate. Conidia of Pseudogymnoascus species are often documented on bats prior to the onset of WNS, but characterization of high-risk areas defined by microclimate cave conditions have been lacking. Investigating the occurrence of this fungal genus and appropriate environmental conditions to support P. destructans in southwestern U.S. caves is key to understanding the sites most likely to be impacted by WNS. Microclimate conditions in ten caves at El Malpais (ELMA) National Monument in New Mexico, USA were recorded using i-Button data loggers during the winters of 2011–2014 to assess appropriate environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity) for P. destructans and other Pseudogymnoascus species. Optimal microclimate conditions for P. destructans and other psychrophilic fungi were found in all the caves with at least 50% of the caves identified as high-risk areas. Pseudogymnoascus species were detected in 70% of the caves using culturing methods and PCR, but no soil samples were positive for P. destructans using real-time PCR in soil and guano samples. Pseudogymnoascus destructans has a recognized range of appropriate temperatures and relative humidity for growth and cave microclimate can help define high-risk areas. This study offers resource managers guidance for establishing priority monitoring areas in their bat caves to determine which bat species are at higher risk

Are microclimate conditions in El Malpais National Monument caves in New Mexico, USA suitable for \u3cem\u3ePseudogymnoascus\u3c/em\u3e growth?

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a bat disease caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which thrives in cold and very humid environments where bats frequently hibernate. Conidia of Pseudogymnoascus species are often documented on bats prior to the onset of WNS, but characterization of high-risk areas defined by microclimate cave conditions have been lacking. Investigating the occurrence of this fungal genus and appropriate environmental conditions to support P. destructans in southwestern U.S. caves is key to understanding the sites most likely to be impacted by WNS. Microclimate conditions in ten caves at El Malpais (ELMA) National Monument in New Mexico, USA were recorded using i-Button data loggers during the winters of 2011–2014 to assess appropriate environmental conditions (temperature and relative humidity) for P. destructans and other Pseudogymnoascus species. Optimal microclimate conditions for P. destructans and other psychrophilic fungi were found in all the caves with at least 50% of the caves identified as high-risk areas. Pseudogymnoascus species were detected in 70% of the caves using culturing methods and PCR, but no soil samples were positive for P. destructans using real-time PCR in soil and guano samples. Pseudogymnoascus destructans has a recognized range of appropriate temperatures and relative humidity for growth and cave microclimate can help define high-risk areas. This study offers resource managers guidance for establishing priority monitoring areas in their bat caves to determine which bat species are at higher risk

Skin and fur bacterial diversity and community structure on American southwestern bats: effects of habitat, geography and bat traits

Microorganisms that reside on and in mammals, such as bats, have the potential to influence their host’s health and to provide defenses against invading pathogens. However, we have little understanding of the skin and fur bacterial microbiota on bats, or factors that influence the structure of these communities. The southwestern United States offers excellent sites for the study of external bat bacterial microbiota due to the diversity of bat species, the variety of abiotic and biotic factors that may govern bat bacterial microbiota communities, and the lack of the newly emergent fungal disease in bats, white-nose syndrome (WNS), in the southwest. To test these variables, we used 16S rRNA gene 454 pyrosequencing from swabs of external skin and fur surfaces from 163 bats from 13 species sampled from southeastern New Mexico to northwestern Arizona. Community similarity patterns, random forest models, and generalized linear mixed-effects models show that factors such as location (e.g., cave-caught versus surface-netted) and ecoregion are major contributors to the structure of bacterial communities on bats. Bats caught in caves had a distinct microbial community compared to those that were netted on the surface. Our results provide a first insight into the distribution of skin and fur bat bacteria in the WNS-free environment of New Mexico and Arizona. More importantly, it provides a baseline of bat external microbiota that can be explored for potential natural defenses against pathogens

Alpha diversity indices (richness, Chao1, and Shannon).

<p>Box plots of surface soils and cave microbial mats by color. Surface soil samples are in blue and cave samples in red.</p

NMDS (Non-Metric Dimensional Scaling).

<p>NMDS separates out lava cave mat communities at the phylum level, with <i>Proteobacteria</i> split out by class, from the overlying surface soils. Circles show the 95% confidence interval.</p

Plot of phyla and <i>Proteobacteria</i> class that were differentialy abundant between LABE surface soils and lava cave microbial mats.

<p>The band is the median, and the box delineates the upper and lower quartile. The whiskers show the maximum and minimum values. All data points are shown.</p