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This paper compares the Seongmisan community in Seoul and the Qinghe Y community in Beijing from an action-theoretical perspective. For this, we distinguish leaders and residents as two actor groups, and consider how they become engaged in neighborhood community reconstruction in terms of push and pull factors. Push refers to "because of" forces such as frustration and anxiety, whereas pull refers to "in order to" forces like ideology and dreams for a better life. The most important finding of this study is that the path-dependent development of community reconstruction in Seoul and Beijing can be explained by the role of leadership and the interaction between leaders and residents. Seongmisan community has been led by a distinctive group from the "386 generation" who are deeply engaged in people-oriented activities. In contrast, the Qinghe Y community has been led by a group of expert sociologists from Tsinghua University. This paper also shows what concrete outcomes have been produced through community reconstruction in each case, and how the leading group and community residents have interacted to bring about change. Based on analysis of these findings, the two cases are compared with respect to their relative strengths and weaknesses. In this paper we also assess the significance of the comparative case study methodology as adopted for this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper articulates an interpretation of neighborhood community reconstruction in Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo, as instances of social governance from the perspective of risk society: an important historical backdrop for community reconstruction in East Asia. The paper is composed of six sections. The first clarifies conceptual strategies and historical assumptions. Theories of social governance and risk society are merged to produce the core conceptual framework of this research. The second section explains why the three community reconstruction cases presented, namely Seongmisan in Seoul, Qinghe in Beijing, and Setagaya in Tokyo, were chosen for this research. The third section attempts to trace the origin of risk society to specific developmental strategies in East Asia, rooted in the state-centered bureaucratic-authoritarian rush for development. Such analysis clarifies the dual aspects of East Asian modernity, bright achievement and risk society, as two sides of the same coin. The fourth section examines public perception of risks in Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo, based on citizens' survey data. The fifth section is an empirical analysis of risk society formation in terms of social construction and discursive formation. The final section extends to cover public anxiety and risk demonstration as a driving force for the social governance of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented to this issue which provides information on three papers on the topics including outcomes of a global network project, relation between individual and community, and social governance.

Background: This study aimed to identify the determinant factors for clinical outcomes and survival rates of patients with cardiac arrest (CA) concurrent with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 37 patients admitted to our emergency department between January 2006 and August 2012 for AMI-induced CA treated with ECPR during ongoing continuous chest compressions. Results: Mean patient age was 61.4 ± 11.3 years, and 27 patients (73%) were men. Mean CPR time was 50.8 ± 35.4 min. Door-to-ECMO and door-to-balloon times were 84.4 ± 55.3 and 98.4 ± 56.8 min, respectively. Mean ECMO time was 106.4 ± 84.7 h; nine (24%) patients died within 24 h after ECMO initiation. Twelve (32%) patients were weaned off ECMO, seven (19%) of whom survived >30 days after ECMO removal; all except one had Cerebral Performance Category Grade 1. Of the patients who survived, 5 of them were able to be discharged. In multivariate analysis, statistical significance was only observed in door-to-ECMO time ≤60 min (OR, 6.0; 95% CI, 1,177–852.025; p = 0.033). Conclusion: We conclude that ECMO insertion within 60 min of the arrival of patients with AMI and CA at the ED appears to be a good option for maintaining myocardial and systemic perfusion, thereby increasing the survival rate of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the significance and consequences of a rare combination of a cosmopolitan vision with an Asian identity found in the political thoughts of Kim Dae-iwtg, the late President of the Republic of Korea (1998-2003). The paper first clarifies: 1) the meaning of cosmopolitanism as a key concept vf the paper; 2) the strategy of (lie reconstruction of Kim's political thoughts; 3) the Asian value debate between President Kim and Prime Minister Lee Kuwan Yew of Singapore; and 4) Kim's reconstruction of Confucianism based on his idea of universal globalism. The cosmopolitan reading of the Asian value debate neither rt7ec.c nor defends Asian values as they exist but embraces these wit/i in the framework of respecting diversities and differences. conse- quently, the binary opposition between East and West as well as between rela tivism and universalism is superseded while the Asian identity is maintained as a wnditiori for cosmopolitan identity. Based on these discussions, the paper draws attention to the substantive field of reconciliation policy between North and South Korea, notes how Kim attempted to overcome the West-centered globalism while keeping alive Asian identity in his progressive journey from the Asian value debate through universal globalism to cosnwpolitanismn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has recently decided to develop a new highway network to connect countries in the association by roads to enhance cultural integration and economic growth of Asian countries. A total of 5400 km of roads are required to be newly constructed or upgraded to develop the ASEAN highway network. In this study, prioritization of investment for 32 road sections in the ASEAN highway network construction was evaluated using a two-step hierarchical fuzzy multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) process. The first step was to prioritize each corridor, and the second step was to prioritize individual roads within each corridor. In this prioritization, the importance of road sections was evaluated based on economic and political aspects. The economic aspect was assessed using traffic volume and construction cost while the political aspect was assessed using data related to balancing regional development, a country's willingness to invest, road network connectivity, and priority of each corridor. The road sections from Mawlamyine to Thanbyuzayat were identified as the highest priority road sections for construction. Also, it was found that the application of the Fuzzy MADM process for evaluating the prioritization of road construction is a useful and beneficial method in prioritizing highway development across various regions such as Southeast Asian countries. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A downstream transmission using a wavelength-locked Fabry–Perot laser diode (FP-LD) with a spectrally sliced FP-LD as a WDM optical source is presented and experimentally demonstrated for application to a WDM passive optical network (PON) link. A side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) of better than 40 dB is achieved by using an amplified and spectrally sliced FP-LD as an external-injection optical source. As a result, a downstream transmission of 622 Mb/s using a wavelength-locked FP-LD is successfully performed over 25 km. We can verify the feasibility of this method by its characteristics of simplicity, operational ease, and wavelength tunability. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 43: 84–87, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20382 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes Korea's pattern of social and economic development, while assesing the risks experienced by Koreans. Details on Western critiques of modernity; Reference made to the financial and economic crisis in the country; Justification for the use of the term `risk society'; How to overcome a risk society.

Background Periprocedural (6 h pre- and 24 h post-angiography) hemofiltration appears to effectively prevent contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing coronary angiography. However, this procedure over-uses medical resources, and the cessation of hemofiltration during coronary angiography results in persistent renal injury. In comparison, simultaneous hemofiltration performed only during coronary angiography requires fewer medical resources and can provide instantaneous protection against CIN. Methods Sixty-eight CKD patients (serum creatinine, 2.51 ± 1.15 mg/dL) undergoing coronary angiography were randomized in a 1:2 ratio to receive either periprocedural (n = 23) or simultaneous (n = 45) hemofiltration. The expected CIN rate was similar for the two groups (41.3% versus 40.0%, p = 0.769). Results On day 3 after contrast exposure, four and seven patients in the periprocedural and simultaneous groups, respectively experienced CIN (17.4% versus 15.6%, p = 0.846). On days 5-30, seven and three patients in the periprocedural and simultaneous groups, respectively experienced CIN (30.4% versus 6.7%, p = 0.009). The serum creatinine levels of patients in the periprocedural group transiently decreased on day 1 and persistently increased during days 5-30 compared with the simultaneous group. This difference between the two groups in terms of creatinine levels over time was statistically significant (F statistic = 6.830; p = 0.001, by ANCOVA). The cost of hemofiltration was doubled in the periprocedural group ($1066 ± 83 versus $504 ± 40, p < 0.001). Conclusions Simultaneous hemofiltration provide equal early (day 3) and better late-stage (days 5-30) renal protection against CIN at a significantly lower cost compared with periprocedural hemofiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a case study of combined traumatic tricuspid regurgitation and acute myocardial infarction after fist blows to the chest. Topics discussed include the clinical history of the patient, findings of physical and laboratory examinations done, and patient outcome. Also mentioned is the importance of serial echocardiographic assessment after blunt chest trauma.