• Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.172-193
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• 2013

This study examines the production techniques and raw materials shown in the Korean dried-lacquer statues of Buddha through a careful observation of the Seated Dried-lacquer Bodhisattva Statue from the late Goryeo Dynasty which is currently possessed by Okura Museum of Art in Tokyo. As a method of study, the X-ray data and the results from a field survey were combined to analyze the production techniques and the characteristics of raw materials. Based on this analysis, a hypothesis was established on the production process and verified through a reenactment of the actual production process. Then, the characteristics of the techniques applied to each process and the raw materials were recorded in detail. Specifically, the dried lacquer techniques and the raw materials were estimated based on the results of naked-eye observation in comparison with the literature, especially the records of "Xiu Shi Lu" written by Huang Cheng of the Ming Dynasty which is considered as 'the textbook of lacquer techniques.' The raw materials used in the production of the traditional Korean lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl were also referenced. As a result, it was found that the features of production techniques and the raw materials found in the Statue at Okura Museum of Art have many similarities with those of the Seated Dried-lacquer Statue of Lohan (Arhat) from Yuanfu 2 Nian Ming (1098) of the Song Dynasty which is currently at the Honolulu Museum of Art. In particular, the similarities include that the interior of the statue being vacant because the clay and the wood core were not replaced after being removed from the prototype, that the complete form was made in the clay forming stage to apply the lacquer with baste fiber fabric, that the clay and the wood core were removed through the bottom of the statue, and that the modeling stage was omitted and the final coat over the statue is very thin. Additionally, decorating with ornaments like Bobal and Youngrak made of plastic material was a technique widely popular in the Song Dynasty, suggesting that the Seated Dried-lacquer Bodhisattva Statue in Okura Museum of Art was greatly affected by the production techniques of the Dried-lacquer Buddha Statue from the Song Dynasty. There is no precise record on the origin and history of the Korean Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues and the number of existing works is also very limited. Even the records in "Xuanhe Fengshi Gaoli Tujing" that tells us about the origin of the Dried-lacquer Buddha Statue from the Yuan Feng Period (1078~1085) do not indicate the time of transmission. It is also difficult to trace the clear route of transmission of production techniques through existing Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues. Fortunately, this study could at least reveal that the existing Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues of Korea, including the one at Okura Museum of Art, have applied the production techniques rather differently from those used in the production of Japanese Datsukatsu Dried-lacquer Buddha Statues that have been known as the standard rule in making dried-lacquer statues of Buddha for a long time.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.862-870
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• 1995

Background: Oxygen free radicals have generally been considered as cytotoxic agents. On the other hand, recent results suggest that small nontoxic amounts of these radicals may act a role in intracellular signal transduction pathway and many efforts to reveal the role of these radicals as secondary messengers have been made. It is evident that the oxygen radicals are released by various cell types in response to extracellular stimuli including LPS, TNF, IL-1 and phorbol esters, all of which translocate the transcription factor $NF{\kappa}B$ from cytoplasm to nucleus by releasing an inhibitory protein subunit, $I{\kappa}B$. Activation of $NF{\kappa}B$ is mimicked by exposure to mild oxidant stress, and inhibited by agents that remove oxygen radicals. It means the cytoplasmic form of the inducible tanscription factor $NF{\kappa}B$ might provide a physiologically important target for oxygen radicals. At the same time, it is well known that LPS induces the release of oxygen radicals in neutrophil with the activation of $NF{\kappa}B$. From above facts, we can assume the expression of IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ gene by LPS stimulation may occur through the activation of $NF{\kappa}B$, which is mediated through the release of $I{\kappa}B$ by increasing amounts of oxygen radicals. But definitive evidence is lacking about the role of oxygen free radicals in the expression of IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ gene in mononuclear phagocytic cells. We conducted a study to determine whether oxygen radicals act a role in the expression of IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ gene in mononuclear phagocytic cells. Method: Human peripheral blood monocytes were isolated from healthy volunteers. Time and dose relationship of $H_2O_2$-induced IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA expression was observed by Northern blot analysis. To evaluate the role of oxygen radicals in the expression of IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA by LPS stimulation, pretreatment of various antioxiants including PDTC, TMTU, NAC, ME, Desferrioxamine were done and Northern blot analysis for IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA was performed. Results: In PBMC, dose and time dependent expression of IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA by exogenous $H_2O_2$ was not observed. But various antioxidants suppressed the expression of LPS-induced IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA expression of PBMC and the suppressive activity was most prominant when the pretreatment was done with TMTU. Conclusion: Oxygen free radical may have some role in the expression of IL-8 and IL-$1{\beta}$ mRNA of PBMC but that radical might not be $H_2O_2$.