• Title/Summary/Keyword: Understanding American Culture

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North American ginseng influences adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk regulation of inflammatory gene expression

  • Garbett, Jaime;Wilson, Sarah A.F.;Ralston, Jessica C.;Boer, Anna A. De;Lui, Ed M.K.;Wright, David C.;Mutch, David M.
    • Journal of Ginseng Research
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    • v.40 no.2
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    • pp.141-150
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    • 2016
  • Background: Adipocyte-macrophage communication plays a critical role regulating white adipose tissue (WAT) inflammatory gene expression. Because WAT inflammation contributes to the development of metabolic diseases, there is significant interest in understanding how exogenous compounds regulate the adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk. An aqueous (AQ) extract of North American (NA) ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) was previously shown to have strong inflammo-regulatory properties in adipocytes. This study examined whether different ginseng extracts influence adipocyte-macrophage crosstalk, as well as WAT inflammatory gene expression. Methods: The effects of AQ and ethanol (EtOH) ginseng extracts ($5{\mu}g/mL$) on adipocyte and macrophage inflammatory gene expression were studied in 3T3-L1 and RAW264.7 cells, respectively, using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Adipose tissue organ culture was also used to examine the effects of ginseng extracts on epididymal WAT (EWAT) and inguinal subcutaneous WAT (SWAT) inflammatory gene expression. Results: The AQ extract caused significant increases in the expression of common inflammatory genes (e.g., Mcp1, Ccl5, Tnf-${\alpha}$, Nos2) in both cell types. Culturing adipocytes in media from macrophages treated with the AQ extract, and vice versa, also induced inflammatory gene expression. Adipocyte Ppar-${\gamma}$ expression was reduced with the AQ extract. The AQ extract strongly induced inflammatory gene expression in EWAT, but not in SWAT. The EtOH extract had no effect on inflammatory gene expression in either both cell types or WAT. Conclusion: These findings provide important new insights into the inflammo-regulatory role of NA ginseng in WAT.

Understanding the Perceptions and Service Quality of Korean Foods : A Comparative Cross-cultural Study of International Tourists Visiting Korea (한국음식에 대한 인식과 서비스품질의 차이 : 방한 외국인 관광객 비교문화연구)

  • Lee, Soo-Jin;Lee, Kyung-Hee
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.11 no.10
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    • pp.467-478
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    • 2011
  • This study examines international tourists 'perceived images and service quality of Korean foods. A survey was conducted to international tourists(Chinese, Japanese, American) visiting Korea. The results of study show that there is a significant difference in several attributes of Korean traditional foods as perceived by international tourists along their nationality. Particularly, American tourists tend to highly evaluate Korean foods as ones good for health. The perceived attractiveness of Korean foods in terms of color and shape is higher for Chinese and Americans than Japanese. A distinct difference is also found in the importance and performance attributes of perceived quality of Korean foods by the nationality of tourists. The results of IPA for the perceived quality of Korean traditional foods show that the restaurant facility and atmosphere are identified as the ones that need to be improved across all the tourists.

The study on the diffusion of Catholicism in the New World: focused on the relationship between the king and the pope (왕권과 교권의 대립을 통해 본 신대륙의 가톨릭 전파과정 연구)

  • LEE, Seong hun
    • Cross-Cultural Studies
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    • v.37
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    • pp.7-29
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    • 2014
  • The 'discovery' or 'conquest' of the New World in 1492 was the starting point of world history that irrevocably changed the fate of the Latin American continent. The global stream known as 'Columbian Exchange', which was the widespread inter-continental contacts, inter-civilizational conflicts, or bilateral communication, has rendered multifarious effects throughout many historical periods up to the very contemporary time. The propagation of Catholicism initiated along with this 'discovery' transformed Latin America of nowadays in the region that has the biggest Catholic population in the world. The previous studies in Korea regarding Latin American Catholicism has focused on the spread of Catholicism in relation to the European colonization, rather than analyzing the concrete and detailed ways in which Catholicism exerted tremendous influences in the whole continent. They were less attentive to various historical contexts in which the diffusion of Catholicism differed greatly according to cultural landscapes and political specificities. Thus, this essay attempts to examine the diffusion of Catholicism from the perspective of confrontation between royal authorities and the power of church. The essay points out that the royal communities and institutional authorities which facilitated the intial process of Catholic evangelization maintained antagonistic relationship with ecclesial powers. By delving into the gradual transformation of church systems, it reveals that Catholicism in Latin America became a major field for conquerors in power to attain economic and political dominance. And unlike the initial submission and hospitality, the religious convert of the indigenous people attested to the violent inhumanity and opposition. Therefore, the essay aims to pave a clearer way to the understanding of complicated dynamics and conflicts between Catholicism in Latin America and the establishment of Spanish colonization.

Influence of Self-Construal on Choice of Overseas Travel Product Type

  • KIM, Young-Doo
    • The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.29-38
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    • 2020
  • Purpose: Understanding which product types of overseas travel (free independent travel vs. package travel) consumers will choose is one of the key issues of marketing and consumer behavior in travel agency management. Prior studies on overseas travel type preferences mainly focused on comparing regional differences (e.g., Asian vs. Westerner, or Korean vs. Australian, or Korean vs. Japanese, or American, French, Italian vs. Japanese) influencing the choice of overseas travel type. Another researchers focused on comparing cultural differences (e.g., individualism vs. collectivism, or individualistic culture vs. collectivistic culture), subcultural difference (e.g., acculturation; Koreans living in Republic of Korea vs. Koreans living in Australia), travel lifestyle, and socio-demographics (e.g., age, gender, income level, education level, marital status, occupation etc.). However, there are few studies that identify individual psychological differences (i.e., individual psychological differences within the same culture) influencing the choice of overseas travel type. Self-construal is a psychological factors that greatly influences choice behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of self-construal as an antecedent variable influencing choice of overseas travel product type. Research design, data and methodology: To achieve the purpose of this study, the questionnaire survey method was used. Self-construal items composed of independent self-construal items and interdependent self-construal items. Product types of overseas travel were free independent travel (FIT) type versus package travel type. In this study, the correlation coefficient between independent self-construal and interdependent self-construal was nonsignificant. It meant that the relationship between independent self-construal and interdependent self-construal was orthogonal. Therefore it was analyzed that independent self-construal and interdependent self-construal separately. Reliability analysis, factor analysis, and logistic regression analysis (controlling gender and age) was used as the data analysis method. Results: According to the results of this study, the stronger independent self-construal, the more preference for the free independent travel type rather than package travel, and the stronger interdependent self-construal, the more preference for the package travel type rather than free independent travel. Conclusions: Self-construal is an antecedent variable influencing the choice of travel type. Travel agencies must consider the consumer's self-construal (independent self-construal vs. interdependent self-construal) before planning and designing overseas travel products.

A Study on the Dwelling Behavior Patterns and Space Planning of Koreans in the Unite States - Focused on Columbia, Missouri - (한국인 거주 미국주택의 공간별 주생활행위와 공간구성 및 사용행태 - 미주리 주 콜롬비아 시를 중심으로-)

  • Lee, Jee-Heon;Shin, Kyung-Joo;Jang, Sang-Ock
    • Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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    • v.18 no.5
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    • pp.119-127
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    • 2009
  • The main goal of this research was to understand housing environment as well as the living behaviors of Korean people who reside in foreign countries. This study includes examination of dwelling units, especially focusing on dwelling behaviors by space types, arrangement and use of the space, and the according residence patterns of the Koreans in the United States. Focus group interview method and survey method were conducted; photography were taken as a visual evidence; and results were analyzed by researchers. This study strongly indicates that most of Koreans try to keep their own way of living in foreign cultures and rather readjust the housing spaces and living patterns to their own culture. The results from this study have limitations in generalizing all Korean families living in foreign cultures, because a convenience sample was used. Although studies of Korean families in Columbia, MO may not provide information that can be generalized to the entire population of Koreans overseas, we expect that this study provides useful insight in understanding and estimating the future trends in residential planning for Koreans.

Neuroscience of Eating Behavior : Focusing on Intake (식사 행동의 신경학 : 섭취에 중점을 맞추어서)

  • Lee, Young Ho
    • Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.197-209
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    • 1998
  • In mordern society, nutritional and appetite disorders occur in epidemic proportions and are serious health harzards. Obesity and diabetes affect over 30% of American population, while eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa occur in a growing number of adolescences and young adults. The changes in various sociocultural aspects with the introduction of Westernized culture have had the effect of increasing the risk of same problems in Korea. Disorderd eating patterns are a primary symptom of numerous psychiatric disorders and loss of appetite and cachexia, during illness or in the elderly, preclude proper medical treatment for restoring good health or preserving life. Increased understanding of the systems of the body and brain, related to energy and nutrient balance, may help us to treatment and ultimately prevent these commom disorders. In this review, the author highlights the psychobiological mechanisms or factors which are associated with eating behavior, especially in the view of intake psychobiology. This review would be concentrated on 1) the theoretical concepts and theories of eating behavior ; 2) the psychobiological determinants of food intake ; and 3) the psychobiological control of eating behavior.

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Odd Fellows: Hannah Arendt and Philip Roth

  • Nadel, Ira
    • Journal of English Language & Literature
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    • v.64 no.2
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    • pp.151-170
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    • 2018
  • This paper examines the relationship and ideas of Hannah Arendt and Philip Roth including how they met, their correspondence and intellectual parallels, particularly in their shared criticism of Jewish ideals and culture in Europe and North America. It analyzes similarities in their careers and texts, especially between Eichmann in Jerusalem and Operation Shylock, as well as The Ghost Writer, while measuring their reception as social commentators and writers. Kafka was an important figure for both writers, Arendt's earliest writing engaged with the significance of Kafka in understanding and criticizing twentieth century political and cultural values in Europe. For Roth, Kafka offered a similar critique of moral principles he found corroded in North American Jewish life. Arendt connected with other writers, notably Isak Dinesen, W. H. Auden, Randall Jarrell and William Styron who further linked the two: he knew both Arendt and Roth and cited, incorrectly, a work by Arendt as the source for the key incident in his 1979 novel Sophie's Choice. He claimed it was Eichmann in Jerusalem; it was Arendt's The Origins of Totalitarianism. Arendt's reaction to Roth's fiction, however, remains a mystery: she died in 1975, before Roth began to seriously and consistently engage with Holocaust issues in works like The Ghost Writer (1979) and Operation Shylock (1993). Yet even in death they are joined. Their graves are only steps apart at the Bard College Cemetery in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

Eating Disorder (식이장애)

  • Lee, Jae-Sung
    • Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.1-12
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    • 2002
  • Eating disorders are psychiatric disorders characterized by abnormal eating patterns and cognitive distortions related to food, weight and shape, which is in turn result in adverse effects on nutrition status, medical complications, and impaired health status and function. The American Psychiatric Association's DSMIVTR offers two diagnoses to describe disordered eating anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. A third category, eating disorder not otherwise specified(EONOS) include binge eating disorder. The prevalence of eating disorder has greatly increased among adolescence and young adults since 1990's when rapid import of western culture took place. It is likely that patients who ask for weight loss are at high risk of having eating disorder. Severe dietary restriction for weight loss may cause eating disorder. Therefore it is recomendable for doctors to have appropriate understanding and guidelines of eating disorder to help their patients.

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A study on the cultural ideology of narrative in 3D C.G. Animation (3D C.G. 애니메이션에 반영된 문화적 이데올로기 - <슈렉>을 중심으로)

  • Koh, Eun-Young
    • Cartoon and Animation Studies
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    • s.6
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    • pp.7-22
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    • 2002
  • Animation constitutes the core of the media industry, which in turn lies at the center of the cultural industry. It is considered one of the industries where South Korea has the competitive edge over other countries. With the pool of customers getting wider, the genre of animation has become more and more diverse, forming a great market for it. Aware of this trend, this study focused on animation as a part of the pop culture, and on providing corresponding various viewpoints for future cultural studies. This researcher measured the practicality and persuasiveness of this study through Shreck, a three-dimensional C.G. animation which is acclaimed for its success in dismantling the old grammar of animation movies that represent the anti-Disney ideas. This researcher felt it imperative to heed the unique language of Shreck, which contains discourses on various cultural ideologies such as paradoxical structure that pits entertainment that is shown through dismantling of the canon, feminism and antifeminism against each other. This study analyzed the entertaining element of the animation genre by means of the Semiotics of Keith Moxey, thereby attempting to establish a legitimate social status of the genre, whose artfulness has been depreciated in the art society. In chapter II, this researcher examines the chronological development of three-dimensional C.G. animation that has shown a rapid advancement. Chapter III defines the cultural ideology of Shreck by exploring basic theories and texts employed in analysis of art works. This study started with the assumption that defines, from the viewpoint of symbology, the animation text as an aggregate of discourses on entertainment, and competitive and paradoxical ideologies. Then, this researcher analyzed the text and the generation process of meanings in Shreck. Consequently, this study has come to the following conclusions: First, Shreck induces changes of concepts about the canon by means of distorting and reversing the existing animation movies, which seems to reflect in the contemporary tendency of seeking new interpretations of entertainment. Second, Shreck shows up the cognitive changes of our age as to feminism by competing feminism against antifeminism. Although Shreck serves as a venue of competition between the two opposing ideas, it stops short of brushing off women as outsiders in society. Rather, it represents the resistance to the male chauvinism existing in the structures of animation and culture. As shown in the text analysis, Shreck presents an advent of a new ideology critical of the previous animation films. In addition, it reflects in the struggle between the pro-feminism on the part of the viewers and the anti-feminism that lies in the social and culture structure. This study, however, is limited in its scope and selection of subject. First, although this researcher has stressed the importance of understanding the animation as part of the pop culture and conducting researches within the historic paradigm, this study fails to provide an in-depth insight in the impacts that the changes in the C.G. industry and the systematic conditions may have on the three-dimensional C.G. animation genre. Furthermore, this study runs the risk of being understood as pro-American due to its selection of Shreck as its research subject.

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Out-of-School Educatin for the Gifted and Talented around the World

  • Freeman, Joan
    • Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.41-52
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    • 2004
  • No educational provision for the gifted and talented works in a cultural vacuum, and this is as true for out-of-school activities as for what happens in school itself. There is evidence that excellence in children's achievements can come from widely differing special provision or from no special provision at all. Cultural influences affect attitudes as to who might be gifted and talented and what might be done for them. Whatever the size and influence of special centres anywhere, there is always overlap between in-school and out-of-school activities. For all styles of provision, cooperation between the two is a vital aspect of success. The major cultural dichotomy in this field is between the perception, usually found in the Far East that 'most children have gifted potential' and the largely Western view that 'few children have gifted potential'. It is safe to say that children who are selected for aptitude and ability, and who are keen to learn, will get more from special enrichment than those who of equal potential who have not had that experience. But this does not necessarily show the provision as the best possible method for enhancing gifts and talents. In fact, I do not know of a single scientific investigation, either cross-culturally or within one country, which compares any aspect of an out-of-school programme with another. As a result it is hard to say what type of provision would be most appropriate and effective in any given situation. Outcomes are also dependent on the enthusiasm, organisation and money put into any scheme - as well as the way youngsters are chosen for it. Some of the largest and most influential out-of-school American institutions were founded on the psychological understanding of human abilities that was current in the 1920s. These early influences of seeking an IQ cut-off point (or equivalent) to identify the gifted still affect their practice. in addition, the big American Talent Searches so often select youngsters for summer-schools not only by their high-level achievements, but also by their parent's ability to pay the sometimes high fees. Opinions about the identification of the brightest children and consequential educational practice underlie all provision for their education, whether in or outside school hours. Because of cross-cultural differences, it would not seem wise to copy any action directly from one culture to another without recognising these influences and possibly modifying the model. The growing trend around the world is to offer high-level opportunities to as many youngsters as possible, so that no keen learner is turned away without even a change of sampling them.