• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.94-123
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• 2019

Over the past few decades, gender equality has been considered one of the fundamental principles and a significant crosscutting issue in international development. However, beyond applying 'gender equality' as a policy buzzword, there has been a lack of critical reviews on how generally 'gender equality in education' is understood and constructed in Korea's development programs and projects. In this regard, this paper explores the use of vocabularies and semantic meanings of gender equality in the Korean Government's Academic Cooperation Program and its 52 projects. By applying mixed contents analysis as a method, the research resulted in several findings: first, the policy papers recently highlighted Korea's directions on gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive approaches in international development. Second, 'integrating women and girls' into education institutions was emphasized in various projects; third, the term women rather than gender were used in the texts, highlighting their position as a 'marginalized group.' Lastly, there was a lack of evidence of projects dealing with changing gender-based power relations. The constructed gendered relations and powers were identified throughout projects, usually acting as barriers to project activities. However, they were only identified, not challenged, by the program. In conclusion, whilst Korean international development and educational development discourse actively embrace Women in Development (WID) and Gender and Development (GAD) in their programs, it is time to consider the issue of gender equality from different standpoints, such as identity, rights, and capabilities and a more active engagement with Korea's domestic issues in gender discourse and practices is also needed.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.93-100
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• 2019

The root of Panax ginseng is used in ethnomedicine throughout eastern Asia and various recent studies have proved that Panax ginseng has inhibitory effects on cardiovascular disease. Each factor causing cardiovascular disease is known to have a very complex process which is achieved by a diverse number of mechanisms. Among these factors, platelets are the most important because they directly participate in thrombogenesis. Therefore, inhibiting the activity of platelets is an essential element for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Our previous study showed the antiplatelet effects of Korean red ginseng extract and two of its components, ginsenoside Rg3 and ginsenoside Ro. However, the inhibitory mechanism of other ginsenosides remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the inhibitory mechanism of ginsenoside F4 (G-F4) from Korean red ginseng on the regulation of signaling molecules involved in human platelet aggregation. With the use of G-F4, collagen-induced human platelet aggregation was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, and it suppressed collagen-induced elevation of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ mobilization through elevated phosphorylation of inositol 1, 4, 5-triphosphate receptor I ($Ser^{1756}$). In addition, G-F4 inhibited fibrinogen binding to ${\alpha}IIb/{\beta}_3$ during collagen-induced human platelet aggregation. Thus, in the present study, G-F4 showed an inhibitory effect on human platelet activation, suggesting its potential use as a new natural medicine for preventing platelet-mediated cardiovascular diseases.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.176-198
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• 2018

Environmental issues are among the most critical issues nowadays. These issues are no longer confined to individual countries, and international society has been progressing in building global dialogues since the early 1970s. Within these international efforts, Germany and Japan have played essential roles in global environmental governance. However, there are major differences in nation-level environmental policies in both countries. Governance based on network structure is more efficient than that based on hierarchy for solving complex problems. The network structure is formed through horizontal cooperation among various autonomous actors, and the relationship intensity among actors is one of the key concepts in the governance. Using social network analysis as a framework to explain complicated societal structures explains how interaction among actors creates networks, and these networks further affect their interactions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the structure of environmental policy governance as collaborative governance in Germany and Japan. To address this goal, this paper analyzes the relationship between the informational dimension of governance networks and its complement resource-sharing networks in both countries. The results show that the information-sharing networks have lower-level network influence on the resource-sharing networks as higher-level networks even if not all of the information factors have singular influences. The results suggest that the information-sharing networks may be one of the pieces of the puzzle for explaining this phenomenon in environmental governance in Germany and Japan.

• Proceedings of the Plant Resources Society of Korea Conference
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• 2019.10a
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• pp.91-91
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• 2019

Hibiscus syriacus L. is widely distributed throughout Eastern and Southern Asia and its root bark has been used as a traditional remedy. Recently, the extracts of H. syriacus L. exerts anti-cancerous, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the effect of anthocyanin-rich fraction of H. syriacus L. petals (PS) has not been studied under excessive oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluated the cellular protective effect of PS in HaCaT human skin keratinocytes under hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$)-induced oxidative stress conditions. PS at below $400{\mu}g/ml$ did not show any cell death; however, over $800{\mu}g/ml$ of PS gradually increased cell death. PS at below $400{\mu}g/ml$ significantly inhibited $H_2O_2$-induced apoptosis in HaCaT cells concomitant with downregulation of Bax and upregulation of pro-PARP and p-Bcl-2. Additionally, PS remarkably reversed $H_2O_2$-induced excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis, and also significantly inhibited mitochondrial ROS production concomitant with suppression of $H_2O_2$-induced mitochondrial depolarization. $H_2O_2$-mediated ratio of Bax to Bcl-2, and caspase-3 activation were markedly abolished in the presence of PS. Moreover, the inhibition of HO-1 function using zinc protoporphyrin, an HO-1 inhibitor, significantly attenuated the cellular protective effects of PS against $H_2O_2$, indicating the significance of HO-1 in PS mediated cytoprotective effect, which was mediated by activating nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2). Taken together, our results suggest that cytoprotective effect of PS in HaCaT keratinocytes against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis is mediated by inhibiting cellular and mitochondrial ROS production, which is downregulated by activating Nrf2/HO-1 axis.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.824-836
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• 2021

In this study, the use of '心' letter used in classic Chinese book of 『Hwangjenaegyeog』 and its meaning was examined. In Chinese letters, '肉' is a sign that symbolizes the body. The letters '肝', '脾', '肺', and '腎' expressing the five human organs all contain the form of '肉'. So they don't cause semantic confusion. However, the Chinese letter that means heart and mind are written as '心'. As a result, it is difficult to understand the meaning of '心'. In addition, the contents of 『Hwangjenaegyeog』 cover various fields from disease to astronomy. For this reason, a total of 286 '心' letters used in it have various meanings. The results of this study are as follows. First, it means human heart. Second, it means the human chest. Third, it refers to mind. Fourth, it means a transcendent concept like spiritual enlightenment. Fifth, it refers to pericardium. Sixth, it refers to logical thought Seventh, it means center or core, and finally does constellation. in the eastern sky of ancient Asia. The results of this study are thought to be helpful in grasping the meaning of '心' in the classical literature as well as in 『hwangjenaegyeonglyeongchu』.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2022

Objectives : Dioscorea batas Decaisne (DB) has been known to be good for the digestive system on Eastern Asia. However, the protective effect of DB on acute pancreatitis (AP) has not been studied. In this study, we tried to investigate the protective effect of DB water extract on caerulein-induced AP. Methods : To measure the protective effect of DB on AP, Mice were injected with cholecystokinin analogue caerulein (50 ㎍/kg) hourly for 6 times. DB water extract (200 or 400 mg/kg) or saline (control group) was administered orally 1 h before the first injection of caerulein. The mice were sacrificed at 6 h after the last injection of caerulein. The pancreas tissues and serum samples were immediately taken for further analysis. Results : Administration of DB water extract showed the inhibitory effect on the increase of pancreas weight/body weight ratio, pancreatic histological damage. And the rise of serum lipase level was significantly reduced in DB water extract treatment group during AP in mice. However administration of DB water extract did not show significant reduction in serum amylase level. Also, mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin (IL)-6 and Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-𝛼 but not IL-1𝛽 were inhibited by administration of DB water extract. Conclusions : Taken together, we found that administration of DB water extract ameliorates the severity of caerulein-induced AP, which suggests the potential to be an effective treatment on AP.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.151-159
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• 2023

In the digital age, innovation is at the heart of information technology development. This paper explores the differences of regional innovation capabilities from within the innovation system from a new perspective. By applying the coupling coordination degree model, the coupling coordination degree analysis is conducted for the three systems of innovation (innovation input, innovation output, and innovation environment) in 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of China. The results show that: the overall level of coupling coordination degree in China is low, and the number of provinces in good coordination and quality coordination is low number, but they are all distributed in the eastern economically developed regions, showing a high correlation between regional innovation and regional economic development. The overall trend of China's innovation coordination is on the rise. The research results of this paper can provide a new perspective for the evaluation of innovation capability, and also provide an important impact of innovation on promoting the development of ICT industry.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.185-195
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• 2023

Antalya is located south part of minor Asia, one of the biggest cities in Türkiye. As a result of population growth and vast migration to Antalya, many parts of the city that were not suitable for construction due to its geological conditions have become urban areas, and most of these urban areas are full of poorly engineered buildings. Poor engineering has been combined with unplanned urbanization, that causes utter vulnerability to disasters in Antalya. When an earthquake-prone city, Antalya faces with an earthquake risk, fear arises in society. To overcome this problem, it has become necessary to investigate the building stock, expressed in hundreds of thousands, in a fast and reliable way and then perform an urban transformation to create the perception of structural safety. However, the excessive building stock, labor, and economic problems made the implementation stage challenging and revealed the necessity of finding alternative solutions in the field. The present study presents a novel approach for assessment and model based on a rapid visual inspection method to transform areas under earthquake risk in Türkiye. The approach aimed to rank the interventions for decision-making mechanisms by making comparisons in the scale hierarchy. In the present study, to investigate the proposed approach, over 26,000 buildings were examined in Antalya, which is the fifth largest city in Türkiye that has a population of over 2.5 Million. In the results of the study, the risk classification was defined in the framework of building, block, street, neighborhood, and district scales.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.429-439
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• 2023

Background: The incidence and clinical importance of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged. However, effective therapeutic strategies for NAFLD have yet to be found. Panax ginseng (P. ginseng) is a traditional herb in Eastern Asia with therapeutic effects in many chronic disorders. However, the precise effects of ginseng extract on NAFLD are currently unknown. In present study, the therapeutic effects of Rg3-enriched red ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) on the progression of NAFLD were explored. Methods: Twelve-week-old C57BL/6 male mice were fed a chow or western diet supplemented with high sugar water solution with or without Rg3-RGE. Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, serum biochemistry, western blot analysis, and quantitative RT-PCR were used for in vivo experiment. Conditionally immortalized human glomerular endothelial cell (CiGEnC) and primary liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) were used for in vitro experiments. Results: Eight weeks of Rg3-RGE treatment significantly attenuated the inflammatory lesions of NAFLD. Furthermore, Rg3-RGE inhibited the inflammatory infiltrate in liver parenchyma and the expression of adhesive molecules to LSECs. Moreover, the Rg3-RGE exhibited similar patterns on the in vitro assays. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that Rg3-RGE treatment ameliorates NAFLD progression by inhibiting chemotaxis activities in LSECs.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.1-17
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• 2023

The focus of this research is the practice of journalism in relation to the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship (JFPP) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Journalists and curators who are participants in the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship received fundings from the state. The Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship is a unique model because it is the only one in the world in journalism practice that involves state's financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. These fundings from the state for the media lead to dilemmas and controversies. This research uses a qualitative approach and a single holistic case study method. The Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship was held from May to December 2021, involving 7,276 journalists from 857 media (print, television, radio, and online media) and 26 curators. This study found that during the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship, journalism experienced a crisis and lost its function as a control overpower. Giving cash to journalists and curators during the fellowship makes journalism lose its independence and objectivity. The Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship has degraded or eliminated the function of the press as a watchdog. Incentives for journalists while participating in the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship is a long-term investment by the government to co-opt Indonesian media and journalists in the future. On the other hand, the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship raises another aspect; the crisis of journalism. Journalism work produced in the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship does not reflect the values and principles of journalism. Journalism values, such as independence and impartiality, are absent from the Behavioural Change Journalism Fellowship product.