• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea TE
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.83-90
• /
• 2002

This paper proposed the strategy learning method by means of the fusion of Back-Propagation neural network and Q learning algorithm for two-person, deterministic janggi board game. The learning process is accomplished simply through the playing each other. The system consists of two parts of move generator and search kernel. The one consists of move generator generating the moves on the board, the other consists of back-propagation and Q learning plus $\alpha$$\beta$ search algorithm in an attempt to learn the evaluation function. while temporal difference learns the discrepancy between the adjacent rewards, Q learning acquires the optimal policies even when there is no prior knowledge of effects of its moves on the environment through the learning of the evaluation function for the augmented rewards. Depended on the evaluation function through lots of games through the learning procedure it proved that the percentage won is linearly proportional to the portion of learning in general.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.1127-1134
• /
• 2003

Background. Although there have been a great number of research studies based on the model of uncertainty in illness, few studies have considered the appraisal portion of model. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to test the mediating effect of appraisal in the model of uncertainty in illness. Additionally, this study aimed to examine the relationships among uncertainty, symptom severity, appraisal, and anxiety in patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Methods. This study employed a descriptive correlational and cross-sectional survey design using a face-to-face interview method. Patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation within the previous 6 months prior to data collection were interviewed by Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale-Community Form, appraisal scale, Symptom Checklist-Severity V.3, and State Anxiety Inventory. Results. A total of 81 patients with atrial fibrillation were recruited from two large urban medical centers in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A.. Symptom severity was the significant variable in explaining uncertainty ($\beta$=0.34). Individuals with greater symptom severity perceived more uncertainty. Uncertainty was appraised as a danger rather than opportunity, and those with greater uncertainty appraised a greater danger (p<.0l). While the appraisal of opportunity had the negative relationship with anxiety (r=-0.25), the appraisal of danger was positively associated with anxiety (r=0.78). The measure of goodness of fit (Q) of the model was .7863, and the significant test (X$^2$) for the Q was statistically significant (df =3, p<.00l). Accordingly, the overall mediating model of uncertainty in illness was proven not to be fit to the empirical data of patients with atrial fibrillation. Consequently, the mediating effect of appraisal was not supported by the empirical data of this study. Conclusion. The findings of this study were discussed in terms of their relevance compared with those of previous studies or theoretical framework and the plausible explanations on study findings. Lastly, in order to expand the present body of knowledge on uncertainty in illness model, recommendations for the future nursing studies were included.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.71-78
• /
• 2011

This study was undertaken to find out the effect of cholesterol and serum albumin on sperm ability and lipid peroxidation levels period to the liquid storage of miniature pig sperm. Ejaculated semen from miniature pigs was collected by gloved-hand method into a pre-warmed ($37^{\circ}C$) thermos bottle, and extended with Modena solution {with and without BSA, methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (-cholesterol) and cholesterol loaded cyclodextrin (+cholesterol)}. Each semen was assessed for viability (SYBR-14/PI staining) and acrosome intactness, intensity and capacitation status by chlorotetracycline (CTC) staining at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 days of storage. At for the effects of cholesterol and serum albumin on lipid peroxidation, semen were incubated with $H_2O_2$ ($10\;{\mu}M$), and lipid peroxidation level were measured by flow cytometry using the lipid peroxidation reporter probe $C_{11}-BODIPY^{581/591}$. The result, lipid peroxidation level in sperm added with cholesterol were lower in $10\;{\mu}M$ $H_2O_2$ compared to the added sperm with serum albumin. Also, added cholesterol to sperm had significant (p<0.05) higher viability when storage for 7 and 10 days and lower when 10 days of storage percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm (AR pattern) in acrosome state as say result compared to other treated groups. In conclusion, role of cholesterol during lipid storage in miniature pig spermatozoa was protected boar spermatozoa from lipid peroxidation prior to lipid storage. Addition serum albumin during lipid storage in sperm may be induce sperm membrane damage by lipid peroxidation. Therefore, addition of cholesterol to miniature pig sperm will be lead to extension of liquid storage periods.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.184-189
• /
• 2015

Poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) is one of the most well-known and important infectious renal diseases resulting from a prior infection with group A ${\beta}$-hemolytic streptococcus. The typical clinical characteristics of the disease reflect acute onset with gross hematuria, edema, hypertension and moderate proteinuria after the antecedent streptococcal infection. In children, usually PSGN is healed spontaneously but if it combines with fast progressing glomerulonephritis, it would be developed to chronic renal failure. Therefore, it is important to make a fast diagnosis and treatment by simple tools to predict the course and the prognosis of disease. Sonography is a simple tool for diagnosis but there is no typical renal sonographic finding in PSGN, so it is difficult to predict the course and the prognosis of disease by sonographic findings. In comparison between two cases of renal sonographic findings in PSGN, a patient who showed more increased echogenicity in more extended area of renal sonography had the severe results of renal pathology, prolonged treatment period and low serum C3 level. Here, we report the different findings of renal sonography and pathology depending on the degree of severity between two patients. Thus, it is necessary to gather more information from further studies to make a consensus about the relationship between the renal sonography and the prognosis of disease in PSGN.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.1-10
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing health promoting behavior of the late school age children and to analyze the difference of health promoting behavior according to personal factors of children. Methods: The subjects consisted of 169 school-aged children in the 6th grade in Gyeonggi-do. Data were collected from Dec. 1 to Dec. 10, 2008. The data were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients and Stepwise multiple regression with the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. Results: 1) Health promoting behavior was proved to be relatively high. The average item score for the health promoting behavior was $3.85{\pm}.41$. The highest degree of health promoting behavior was stress management (4.13). whereas the one with the lowest degree was exercise (3.40). 2) In the relationship between personal factors and health promoting behavior, there were statistically significant differences in gender, perceived health status, family mood, father's drinking habits, school performance, school satisfaction. 3) Health promoting behavior was showed significant positive correlations with perceived self-efficacy (r=.55), social support (r=.65), prior related behaviors (r=.44), perceived benefits of action (r=.42), and significant negative correlations with perceived barriers of action (r=-.37). 4) Stepwise multiple regression analysis was revealed that the most powerful predictor of health promoting behavior was social support ($\beta$=0.36) Conclusion: The combination of social support, perceived self-efficacy, perceived benefits of action, gender, and family mood accounted for 57.8% of the variance in the health promoting behavior of the late school age children.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.531-538
• /
• 2015

Preceding infection or inflammation such as bacterial meningitis has been associated with poor outcomes after stroke. Previously, we reported that intracorpus callosum microinjection of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) strongly accelerated the ischemia/reperfusionevoked brain tissue damage via recruiting inflammatory cells into the ischemic lesion. Simvastatin, 3-hydroxy-3-methylgultaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase inhibitor, has been shown to reduce inflammatory responses in vascular diseases. Thus, we investigated whether simvastatin could reduce the LPS-accelerated ischemic injury. Simvastatin (20 mg/kg) was orally administered to rats prior to cerebral ischemic insults (4 times at 72, 48, 25, and 1-h pre-ischemia). LPS was microinjected into rat corpus callosum 1 day before the ischemic injury. Treatment of simvastatin reduced the LPS-accelerated infarct size by 73%, and decreased the ischemia/reperfusion-induced expressions of pro-inflammatory mediators such as iNOS, COX-2 and IL-$1{\beta}$ in LPS-injected rat brains. However, simvastatin did not reduce the infiltration of microglial/macrophageal cells into the LPS-pretreated brain lesion. In vitro migration assay also showed that simvastatin did not inhibit the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1-evoked migration of microglial/macrophageal cells. Instead, simvastatin inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-${\kappa}B$, a key signaling event in expressions of various proinflammatory mediators, by decreasing the degradation of $I{\kappa}B$. The present results indicate that simvastatin may be beneficial particularly to the accelerated cerebral ischemic injury under inflammatory or infectious conditions.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.121-125
• /
• 2005

Objective : Many recent reports have shown that the mature mammalian brain harbors multipotent stem cells, rendering the brain capable of generating new neurons and glia throughout life. Harvested stem cells from an adult rat are transplanted in order to evaluate the cell survival and differentiation. Methods : Using a percoll gradient with a high speed centrifugation method, we isolate neural stem/progenitor cells were isolated from the subventricular zone[SVZ] of a syngeneic adult Fisher 344 rats brain. For 14days expansion, the cultured cells comprised of a heterogeneous population with the majority of cells expressing nestin and/or GFAP. After expanding the SVZ cells in the presence of basic fibroblast growth factor-2, and transplanting then into the hippocampus of normal rats, the survival and differentiation of those cells were examined. For transplantation, the cultured cells were labeled with BrdU two days prior to use. In order to test their survival, the cells were transplanted into the dorsal hippocampus of normal adult Fisher 344 rats. Results : The preliminary data showed that at 7days after transplantation, BrdU+ transplanted cells were observed around the injection deposition sites. Immuno-fluorescent microscopy revealed that the cells co-expressed BrdU+ and neuronal marker ${\beta}$-tubulin III. Conclusion : The data demonstrate that the in vitro expanded SVZ cells can survive in a heterotypic environment and develop a neuronal phenotype in the neurogenic region. However more research will be needed to examine the longer survival time points and quantifying the differentiation in the transplanted cells in an injured brain environment.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.179-187
• /
• 1988

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of epinephrine and norepinephrine on basal gastric acid secretion and plasma gastrin and secretin concentration in the conscious rat. One hundred and eighty-four albino rats with gastric cannula were used after 18 hours or more of fast, with water ad libitum. In a restraint cage for collection of gastric juice, physiological saline (0.9% NaCl) was continuously infused into the jugular vein through a catheter for one hour at a rate of 1 ml/hr (control period). Immediately after the control period, epinephrine (1, 2, 4, 8 and $16{\mu}g/ml/hr)$, norepinephrine (1, 2, 4, 8 and $16{\mu}g/ml/hr)$ or physiological saline (1 ml/hr) was infused for another one hour. Gastric juice was collected at one hour interval for two hours infusion period. Adrenergic antagonists, phentolamine and propranolol were injected into the jugular vein 5 min prior to the infusion of epinephrine or norepinephrine at a dose of 0.2 mg/0.1 ml. Blood was sampled from the jugular vein for the radioimmunoassay of plasma gastrin and secretin after the collection of gastric juice. The results were as follows: 1) Both epinephrine and norephinephrine significantly increased gastric acid output in a dosedependent manner. 2) The effects of epinephrine and norepinephrine on the gastric acid secretion were antagonized by the pretreatment with phentolamine and propranolol. 3) Plasma gastrin and secretin concentrations were not significantly affected by the intravenous infusion of epinephrine and norepinephrine. It can be inferred from the above results that epinephrine and norepinephrine facilitate gastric acid secretion in conscious rats and the mechanism of which is attributed to ${\alpha}\;and\;{\beta}$ adrenergic receptors rather than gastrin and secretin.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.82-88
• /
• 2014

Yam (Dioscorea batatas Decne.) has long been used as a health food and oriental folk medicine because of its nutritional fortification, tonic, anti-diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, and expectorant effects. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are known to be implicated in a range of diseases, may be important progenitors of carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the modulatory effect of yam on antioxidant status and inflammatory conditions during azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinogenesis in male F344 rats. We measured the formation of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), hemolysate antioxidant enzyme activities, colonic mucosal antioxidant enzyme gene expression, and colonic mucosal inflammatory mediator gene expression. The feeding of yam prior to carcinogenesis significantly inhibited AOM-induced colonic ACF formation. In yam-administered rats, erythrocyte levels of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and catalase were increased and colonic mucosal gene expression of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD), Mn-SOD, and GPx were up-regulated compared to the AOM group. Colonic mucosal gene expression of inflammatory mediators (i.e., nuclear factor kappaB, inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-1beta) was suppressed by the yam-supplemented diet. These results suggest that yam could be very useful for the prevention of colon cancer, as they enhance the antioxidant defense system and modulate inflammatory mediators.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.172-179
• /
• 1998

Valve lifter namely tappet is supported by lifter hole which is located upper side of camshaft in cylinder block transforms rotatic mvement of camshaft into linear movement and helps to open and shut the en-gine valve as an engine parts. The face of valve lifter which is continuously contacting with camshaft brings about abnormal wears such as unfair wear and early wear because it is severely loaded in the valve train system. These wears act as a defect like over-clearance and cause imperfect combustion of fuel during the valve lifting in the combustion chamber. Consequently this imperfect combustion makes the engine out-put decrease and has cause on air pollution. To prevent these wears therefore The valve lifter cast in me-tal developed into SiC ceramics valve lifter which has an excellence in wear and impact resistance As a results the optimum process conditions like injection condition mixture ratio and debonding process could be established. After sintering fine-sinered dual microstructure in which prior ${\alpha}$-SiC matches well with new SiC(${\beta}$-SiC) produced by reaction among the ${\alpha}$-SiC carbon and silicon was obtained. Based on the study it is verified that mechanical properties of SiC valve lifter are excellent in Vickers hardness 1100-1200 bending strength (300-350 Pa) fracture toughness(1.5-1.7 Mpa$.$m1/2) Through engine dynamo test-ing SiC valve lifter and metal valve lifter are examined and compared into abnormal phenomena such as early fracture unfair and early wear. It is hoped that this research will serve as an important springboard for the future study of heavy duty diesel engine parts developed by ceramics which has a good wear resis-tance relaibility and lightability.