This article examines whether Confucian Asian values are incompatible with liberal democracy. Analyses of the East Asia Barometer Survey conducted in South Korea reveal that attachment to those values makes it more difficult to reject authoritarian rule than to embrace democracy. These findings suggest that Asian values detract from cultural democratization primarily by keeping the mass public oriented toward the virtues of authoritarian politics.

Purpose: Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) has been used to treat many disorders related to excessive muscle contraction, but there are few studies evaluating its effects on neuropathic pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic effects of BoNT-A in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Methods:Male Sprague-Dawley rats were prepared by ligating the left L5 and L6 spinal nerves to produce neuropathic pain. Seventy neuropathic rats were randomly assigned into seven groups. Either normal saline or 20, ) was administered to the plantar surface of the affected left hind paw, and BoNT-A (30 and 40 U·kg -1 ) was administered into the unaffected right paw in order to determine the druginduced systemic effect. Mechanical and cold allodynia were observed at pre-administration, one, three, five, seven and 15 days after drug administration, and were quantified by measuring withdrawal frequencies to stimuli with von Frey filament and 100% acetone, respectively. Rotarod performance was measured to detect drug-induced adverse motor effects. Results:The mean minimum withdrawal frequencies to mechanical and cold stimuli were 77 ± 11 and 90 ± 4.5%, 46 ± 5 and 66 ± 7%, 33 ± 7 and 62 ± 7%, 12 ± 2.9 and 54 ± 7.3% with 10, 20, 30 and 40 U·kg -1 BoNT-A respectively (P < 0.05). Doses of 30 and 40 U·kg -1 BoNT-A resulted in reduced rotarod performance time. Conclusion:We conclude that peripherally administered BoNT-A reduces mechanical and cold allodynia in a rat model of neuropathic pain. 77 ± 11 et 90 ± 4,5 %, 46 ± 5 et 66 ± 7 %, 33 ± 7 et 62 ± 7 %, 12 ± 2,9 et 54 ± 7,3 % avec 10,20,05 Objectif

Bangkok to Manila, Taipei, Seoul, and Ulaanbaatar, East Asia's "third-wave" democracies are in distress. The most dramatic sign of trouble has been the September 2006 military coup in Thailand, where the opposition had earlier boycotted a parliamentary election. (Thailand was also the scene of the region's last full-scale democratic breakdown, a 1991 coup.) In Taiwan and the Philippines, the losers of the most recent presidential elections have challenged the results. In South Korea, the incumbent president has found himself crippled by flagging popular support and deserted by his own party's National Assembly deputies. Mongolia is mired in party stalemate. Even the region's oldest democracy, Japan, has been beset by endless corruption scandals and consistent failures to come to grips with the challenges of deflation, stagnation, and the need for structural economic reform. Under these stressful circumstances, can democracy still endure and flourish in East Asia?Although many forces can affect a democracy's survival chances, no democratic regime can stand long without legitimacy in the eyes of its own people. Scholars have long known that beliefs and perceptions regarding legitimacy have much to do with whether a regime-particularly one founded upon popular consent-will endure or break down. 1 What elites think matters, but for democracy to become stable and effective, the bulk of the citizenry must develop a deep and resilient commitment to it. A necessary condition for the consolidation of democracy is met when an overwhelming proportion of citizens believe

The objective of this study was to determine whether inoculation with Bacillus licheniformis MH48 as a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR) could promote nutrient uptake of seedlings of the ornamental plant Camellia japonica in the Saemangeum reclaimed coastal land in Korea. B. licheniformis MH48 inoculation increased total nitrogen and phosphorus content in soils by 2.2 and 20.0 fold, respectively, compared to those without bacterial inoculation. In addition, B. licheniformis MH48 produced auxin, which promoted the formation of lateral roots and root hairs, decreased production of growth-inhibiting ethylene, and alleviated salt stress. Total nitrogen and phosphorus uptake of seedlings subjected to bacterial inoculation was 2.3 and 3.6 fold higher, respectively, than the control. However, B. licheniformis MH48 inoculation had no significant effect on the growth of seedlings. Our results suggest that inoculation with B. licheniformis MH48 can be used as a PGPR bio-enhancer to stimulate fine root development, promote nutrient uptake and alleviate salt stress in ornamental plant seedlings grown in the high-salinity conditions of reclaimed coastal land.

In this paper, we examine the micro-level implications of social capital for the development of democratic citizenship. By using a recent East Asia Barometer survey in Korea, we determine whether social networks and social trust, two key components of social capital, cultivate virtues of democracy among ordinary citizens. First, the analysis shows that the Korean people as a whole tend to be involved in small informal groups. Most of them stay away from formal associations. Second, the Korean people tend to differentiate trust-in-principle from trust-in-action. It turns out that a majority of the people display competence-based trust, if neither generalized nor particularized trust. Third, associational membership has no role in promoting support for democratic institutions and principles; it merely leads to more political activism. Fourth, social trust plays a role in promoting support for democracy. Yet it has little to do with political activism. It is concluded that in Korea, social involvement contributes to democratic citizenship behaviorally, whereas social trust contributes to it attitudinally.