试析马来西亚华人母语的转移现象

根据在马来西亚进行的实地调查所得到的数据和实例，以马来西亚五大方言群体为基础，逐一分析福建、广东、客家、潮州和海南方言群体中，相同家庭里祖子孙三代的母语种类和数量变化。研究证实，马来西亚华人的母语从方言逐渐转向英语和华语，开始摆脱原有籍贯的方言痕迹。     

Detection of parasite eggs from a moat encircling the royal palace of Silla, the ancient Korean Kingdom

We conducted a paleo-parasitological study on soil samples from the ancient moat ruins of Weolseong palace, of the Silla Dynasty (BC 57–AD 935) of Korea. Based on the cultural remains found in the mud-soil layer, the layer was precipitated onto the floor of a moat between the 5th and 8th centuries AD. We found Trichuris trichiura eggs only in that mud-soil layer, whereas no parasite eggs were identified in the other archaeological strata of the ruins. As T. trichiura eggs are shed only in human feces, we speculated that palace toilet contents were continually drained into the moat; therefore, at a certain point in time after construction, the moat finally became a ditch around the palace. Structures in the stone embankments of the moat, possibly designed to make the water flow continuously in one direction, might reflect the Silla people's efforts to alleviate the ever-increasing problems inherent in a moat.     

Environmental Regulations and Multinational Corporations' Foreign Market Entry Investments

In this study, we examine how differences in environmental regulation characteristics are linked to multinational corporations' (MNCs) foreign market entry (FME) investments decisions around the world. We rely on a data set with 29,303 observations from 94 European Fortune Global 500 companies operating across 77 countries during the period 2001–2007. We found that MNCs are more likely to enter countries with more certain—i.e., clearer and more stable—environmental regulations than those of their home countries. Results also suggest that there is a higher level of MNC entry into foreign countries with environmental regulations that are more stringent than those of their home countries. This finding challenges the controversial but commonly held view that more stringent environmental regulations deter MNCs' FME investments. Notably, the magnitude of the regulatory certainty relationship with MNCs' FME investments is larger than that of regulatory stringency. Findings also indicate that the increased tendency of MNCs to enter countries with more stringent environmental regulations is higher in more democratic countries and for cleaner industry firms.     

Amplification and sequencing of Trichuris trichiura ancient DNA extracted from archaeological sediments

Despite high prevalence of Trichuris trichiura infection, PCR-based analysis on T. trichiura from archaeological samples has not been established so far. In the present study, we sought to perform PCR-based amplification of T. trichiura aDNA using the sediments from medieval tomb of Korea. The presence of Trichuris eggs were first detected by microscopic observation; then confirmed by PCR-based aDNA analysis. Obtained sequence showed 100% homology to that of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSUrRNA) gene of T. trichiura but distinct from that of other Trichuris species. PCR-based aDNA analysis in this study can serve as effective method to confirm the presence of T. trichiura eggs in the soils or coprolites collected from archaeological sites.     

How Different are Emerging Multinationals' Views of Economic Integration in Europe? A Case Study of Korean Automobile Manufacturers' Strategic Reactions

This study is a survey of Korean automobile manufacturers in Europe, which examines the different perceptions of emerging multinationals to economic integration and the subsequent strategic reactions relating to their particular characteristics. The findings show dissimilar patterns and motivations for Korean automotive foreign direct investment (FDI) when compared to those of established multinationals, which are conceptualized as a pre-emptive strategic advance, particularly in relation to the changing ownership endowments and negative perceptions of the single European market. These finding imply that conventional variables are unlikely to be applicable to emerging multinationals and show the need to segregate them from other multinationals when formulating industrial policies and firm-level competing strategies.     

Ectopic paragonimiasis from 400-year-old female mummy of Korea

Of the parasite eggs discovered in ancient samples from Korean archaeological sites, Paragonimus spp. are of particular importance in that they are regarded as one of the most insidious trematode infection sources. Although their infection prevalence decreased rapidly in the early 20th century, archaeoparasitological studies on the species are still required, as historical knowledge of paragonimiasis remains far from comprehensive. Fortunately, we recently were given a chance to examine a medieval Korean mummy in a good state of preservation. Using morphological techniques, we discovered evidence of ectopic paragonimiasis in the sample from the 17th-century female. When the ITS 2 gene was extracted, amplified and sequenced from Paragonimus eggs, it showed 100% homology to the sequences of modern Paragonimus westermani reported from Korea and Japan, forming a cluster distinct from South Asian P. westermani. Our report is the first-ever analysis of ancient Paragonimus DNA from any archaeological field in the world. The ectopic paragonimiasis diagnosis made in this study, especially involving the liver sample, also is the first of its kind in archaeoparasitology.     

Cultural implications of international volunteer tourism: US students’ experiences in Cameroon

ABSTRACT

A popular trend is for US colleges to organise short-term, self-funded trips for students to volunteer for several weeks in poverty-stricken communities in the global South. To explore the cultural implications of short-term, international volunteer projects, I undertake an ethnographic study of college students of who travel to a small village in Cameroon to improve the quality of drinking water and community health. I examine whether the volunteer tourism can serve as a unique opportunity to see beyond the African stereotypes to recognise the historical and structural context in which Africa continues to suffer. Although a trip such as this can be a disruptive event for students to critically evaluate the global privileges of Westerners, students tend to experience Cameroon through the lens of popular stereotypes about Africa and Western paternalism. The encounters with Africans in the absence of sufficient education about postcolonial Africa can affirm the stereotypes and cultural superiority formed in USA because students negotiate their actual experience in ways to confirm their perception of Africa. Therefore, seminars and workshops about the fundamental aspects about global inequality can help educate volunteers about the postcolonial context of foreign aid of Western countries for the Third World, and White privilege.     

Ancient DNA analysis on Clonorchis sinensis eggs remained in samples from medieval Korean mummy

In the present study, Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) ancient DNA (aDNA) was successfully extracted from human remains discovered in a tomb dating to the medieval Joseon dynasty of Korea. The presence of C. sinensis eggs was confirmed by microscopic observation, after which a PCR-based aDNA analysis was performed using primer sets designed for the amplification of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), 2 (ITS2) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) genes. The sequences obtained were 100% homologous to some contemporary C. sinensis gene sequences reported from Korea and other East Asian countries. We believe that the results of our analysis expand the temporal and geographical scopes of research on the history of C. sinensis infection in different human populations.