This study aims to analyze the change process in order to set the improvement strategies for the zoo in the Seoul Children's Grand Park. The zoo can be reviewed through three significant time periods with noticeable changes. As a framework to analyze the major changes that happened in the zoo, this study looks at the changes in terms of the planning aspect as well as the animal welfare and program operation aspect. The findings are as follows: first, the era of general theme park turned out to have focused on exhibiting animals to meet visitor demands by expanding the zoo area of the zoo without enlarging stockyards for the animals. Second, the environmental park era created a zoo having entertaining and educational functions by arranging animal houses with the concept of zoological taxonomy and introducing animal behavioral enrichment, animal welfare programs and visitor participatory programs. The era of the zoo as an Urban Cultural Park improved old animal houses and facilities for the welfare of the animals and increased educational programs to preserve species and provide environmental education. The current status of the zoo turns out not to meet the conditions for creating an ecological zoo, which is the overall goal for contemporary zoos. The improvement strategies based on the analysis through three different eras are three-fold. First, the zoo needs to improve the boundary conditions of the animals to showcase animal wildness through landscape immersion. Second, the zoo should provide a shared environment for animals from the same habitats by changing the classification methods from the existing polyphyletic taxon to a classification that considers ecological habitat. Third, the zoo needs to develop various ecological education programs by supplementing specialists in professional education.
Inflammation is a pathological process that is known to be involved in numerous diseases. Microbial infection or tissue injury activates inflammatory responses, resulting in the induction of proinflammatory proteins including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Aster yomena is used in traditional Korean remedies to treat cough, asthma, and insect bites. Here, we investigated the effects of A. yomena extract (EAY) on the expression of COX-2 and iNOS induced by LPS. EAY inhibited NF-κB activation and IκBα degradation induced by LPS. EAY suppressed LPS-induced COX-2 and iNOS expression which are the target genes regulated through NF-κB activation in macrophages. EAY also suppressed LPS-induced nitrite production. These results suggest that EAY has the potential to be developed as a potent antiinflammatory drug.
There have been studies on the satisfaction, preference, and post occupancy evaluation of urban parks in order to reflect users' preferences and activities, suggesting directions for future park planning and management. Despite using questionnaires that are proven to be affective to get users' opinions directly, there haven been limitations in understanding the latest changes in park use through questionnaires. This study seeks to address the possibility of utilizing the thirdgeneration SNS data, Instagram and Google, to compare behavior patterns and trends in park activities. Instagram keywords and photos representing user's feelings with a specific park name were collected. We also examined reviews, peak time, and popular time zones regarding selected parks through Google. This study tries to analyze users' behaviors, emerging activities, and satisfaction using SNS data. The findings are as follows. People using park near residential areas tend to enjoy programs being operated in indoor facilities and to like to use picnic places. In an adjacent park of commercial areas, eating in the park and extended areas beyond the park boundaries is found to be one of the popular park activities. Programs using open spaces and indoor facilities were active as well. Han River Park as a detached park type offers a popular venue for excercises and scenery appreciation. We also identified companionship characteristics of different park types from texts and photos, and extracted keywords of feelings and reviews about parks posted in 3 rd generation SNS. SNS data can provide basis to grasp behavioral patterns and satisfaction factors, and changes of park activities in real time. SNS data also can be used to set future directions in park planning and management in accordance with new technologies and policies.
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