• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.470-480
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of science inquiry experiments emphasizing social interaction on the development of process skills of the students. The social interactions by cognitive level of the students were also analyzed. For this study, 197 8th grade students were sampled. They were divided into an experimental group and a control group. During four-month period, the experimental group received science inquiry experiments treatment emphasizing social interactions while the control group received traditional treatment. Not only science inquiry ability pretest-posttest, but also multiple data collection method such as a questionnaire, class observation, and audio/video recording were used in collecting the data. According to the results of this study, it was found that the mean score of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group at 0.05 level. It was also found that the students of high cognitive level led the peers and participated in the class discussion actively with the teacher while the students of low cognitive level followed the students of high cognitive level and showed inactive interaction with the teacher. Analysis of the students' perceptions on inquiry experiments showed that students participated in discussion actively in the class as these experiments gave an opportunity for them to discuss and were able to solve the problems with peers' help through discussion.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.348-363
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to classify types of preconception about the motion of the moon held by middle school students and find out how the lesson applying cognitive conflict instructional model changes their conceptual view of the motion of the moon. A quantitative study was first conducted with 48 ninth graders and then followed by a qualitative study. In the qualitative study, male and female students were organized into groups of five and ten respectively. Students were instructed to observe the motion of the moon about for a month and at the same time were taught via the cognitive conflict instructional model for three class periods. Data were collected from interviews and a questionnaire evaluating the degree of concept development that each student showed. A majority of students were found to hold misconceptions formed from elementary school programs on the motion of the moon. Further, students showed lack of scientific ability to interpret the phenomena of the moon. This study showed that the cognitive conflict instructional model was effective for students to make progress regarding their conceptual views of the motion of the moon. However, it was observed that misconceptions by students may possibly occur when two dimensional figures or miniatures were used.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1464-1471
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• 2007

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder, leading to many complications including cognitive deficit. Regular exercise has often been recommended as a therapeutic maneuver to the diabetic patients for the prevention of secondary complications. In the present study, the effects of treadmill exercise on memory and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were investigated. Male SD rats, aged 6 weeks, were randomly assigned to the following three groups: control group(n=8), STZ-induced diabetic group(n=8), and STZ-induced diabetes and exercise group(n=8). Diabetes was induced by a single injection of STZ (50 mg/kg body weight). Treadmill running was conducted with duration and frequency of 30 minutes and 5 times per week, respectively, for 8 weeks. Memories were tested in the Morris water maze. Western blotting was performed to detect BDNF expression in the hippocampus. In this study, we found that compared to the control group, the STZ-induced diabetes group had a significantly impaired cognitive performance along with suppressed BDNF expression in the hippocampus and the exercise group had a higher cognitive function in diabetic rats. Therefore, the current findings of the study show that a treadmill running exercise can improve diabetes-induced impairment of cognitive function. And the improved cognitive function appears to be related to an alleviation in diabetes-induced BDNF expression in hippocampus.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.241-251
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• 2019

In the present study, we investigated the effect of microcurrent against cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mice model. The cognitive impairment was induced by intracerebroventricularly injection of amyloid beta ($A{\beta}$) to ICR mouse brain, and four kinds of micorocurrent wave were applied to AD mice. We observed the improved cognitive ability in microcurrent-applied AD mice through novel object recognition test and Morris water maze test, compared to $A{\beta}$-injected control group. The contents of malondialdehyde generated by $A{\beta}$ in the brain were also reduced by microcurrent application. These effects of microcurrent were related to the modulation of $A{\beta}$ producing and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Microcurrent down-regulated ${\beta}$-secretase, presenilin 1, and presenilin 2 which were related amyloidogenic pathway, and up-regulated human brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the mice brain, especially Wave4 group [STEP FORM wave form (0, 1.5, 3, 5V), wave superposition]. These results suggest that microcurrent application could provide help for improvement learning and memory ability, at least partly.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.405-410
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• 2013

Codonopsis lanceolata (Campanulaceae) traditionally have been used as a tonic and to treat patients with lung abscesses. Recently, it was proposed that the extract and some compounds isolated from C. lanceolata reversed scopolamine-induced memory and learning deficits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the improvement of cognitive enhancing effect of C. lanceolata by steam and fermentation process in scopolamine-induced memory impairment mice models by passive avoidance test and Morris water maze test. The extract of C. lanceolata or the extract of steamed and fermented C. lanceolata (SFCE) was orally administered to male mice at the doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg body weight. As a result, mice treated with steamed and fermented C. lanceolata extract (SFCE) (300 mg/kg body weight, p.o.) showed shorter escape latencies than those with C. lanceolata extract or the scopolamine-administered group in Morris water maze test. Also, it exerted longer step-through latency time than scopolamine treated group in passive avoidance test. Furthermore, neuroprotective effect of SFCE on glutamate-induced cytotoxicity was assessed in HT22 cells. Only SFCE-treated cells showed significant protection at 500 ${\mu}g/ml$. Interestingly, steamed C. lanceolata with fermentation contained more phenolic acid including gallic acid and vanillic acid than original C. lanceolata. Collectively, these results suggest that steam and fermentation process of C. lanceolata increased cognitive enhancing activity related to the memory processes and neuroprotective effect than original C. lanceolata.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.161-170
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• 2018

Various forms of visual representations enable scientific discovery and scientific reasoning when scientists conduct research. Similarly, in science education, visual representations are important as a means to promote students' understanding of science concepts and scientific thinking skills. To provide a framework that could facilitate the effective use of visual representations in science classroom and systemic science education research, a visual representation competence taxonomy (VRC-T) was developed in this study. VRC-T includes two dimensions: the type of visual representation, and the cognitive process of visual representation. The initial categories for each dimension were developed based on literature review. Then validation and revision was made by conducting teachers' workshop and survey to experts. The types of visual representations were grouped into 3 categories (descriptive, procedural, and explanative representations) and the cognitive processes were grouped into 3 categories (interpretation, integration, and construction). The sub categories of each dimension and the validation process would be explained in detail.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.274-281
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• 2016

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The accumulation of amyloid-${\beta}$ ($A{\beta}$) in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and plays a key role in cognitive dysfunction. Perilla frutescens var. japonica extract (PFE) and its major compound, rosmarinic acid (RA), have shown antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. We investigated whether administration of PFE and RA contributes to cognitive improvement in an $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-injected mouse model. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male ICR mice were intracerebroventricularly injected with aggregated $A{\beta}_{25-35}$ to induce AD. $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-injected mice were fed PFE (50 mg/kg/day) or RA (0.25 mg/kg/day) for 14 days and examined for learning and memory ability through the T-maze, object recognition, and Morris water maze test. RESULTS: Our present study demonstrated that PFE and RA administration significantly enhanced cognition function and object discrimination, which were impaired by $A{\beta}_{25-35}$, in the T-maze and object recognition tests, respectively. In addition, oral administration of PFE and RA decreased the time to reach the platform and increased the number of crossings over the removed platform when compared with the $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-induced control group in the Morris water maze test. Furthermore, PFE and RA significantly decreased the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain, kidney, and liver. In particular, PFE markedly attenuated oxidative stress by inhibiting production of NO and MDA in the $A{\beta}_{25-35}$-injected mouse brain. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that PFE and its active compound RA have beneficial effects on cognitive improvement and may help prevent AD induced by $A{\beta}$.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.67-75
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• 2019

Purpose: Patients with brain damage suffer from limitations in performing the activities of daily living (ADL) because of their motor function and visual perception impairment. The aim of this study was to help improve the motor function and visual perception ability of patients with brain damage by providing them with virtual reality-based contents. The usability results of the patients and specialists group were also evaluated. Methods: The ADL contents consisted of living room, kitchen, veranda, and convenience store, similar to a real home environment, and these were organized by a rehabilitation specialist (e.g., neurologist, physiotherapist, and occupational therapist). The contents consisted of tasks, such as turning on the living room lights, organizing the drawers, organizing the kitchen, watering the plants on the veranda, and buying products at convenience stores. To evaluate the usability of the virtual reality-based visual cognitive rehabilitation service, general elderly subjects (n=11), stroke patients (n=7), stroke patients with visual impairment (n=4), and rehabilitation specialists (n=11) were selected. The questionnaires were distributed to the subjects who were using the service, and the subjective satisfaction of individual users was obtained as data. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 software. The general characteristics of the users and the evaluation scores of the experts were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The usability test result of this study showed that the mean value of the questionnaire related to content understanding and difficulty was high, between 4-5 points. Conclusion: The virtual reality rehabilitation service of this study is an efficient service that can improve the function, interest, and motivation of stroke patients.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.299-306
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• 2013

In the present study, we investigated the effect of ethanolic extract of the seed of Zizyphus jujuba var. spinosa (EEZS) on cholinergic blockade-induced memory impairment in mice. Male ICR mice were treated with EEZS. The behavioral tests were conducted using the passive avoidance, the Y-maze, and the Morris water maze tasks. EEZS (100 or 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly ameliorated the scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment in our present behavioral tasks without changes of locomotor activity. The ameliorating effect of EEZS on scopolamine-induced memory impairment was significantly reversed by a sub-effective dose of MK-801 (0.0125 mg/kg, s.c.). In addition, single administration of EEZS in normal naive mouse enhanced latency time in the passive avoidance task. Western blot analysis was employed to confirm the mechanism of memory-ameliorating effect of EEZS. Administration of EEZS (200 mg/kg) increased the level of memory-related signaling molecules, including phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase or cAMP response element-binding protein in the hippocampal region. Also, the time-dependent expression level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor by the administration of EEZS was markedly increased from 3 to 9 h. These results suggest that EEZS has memory-ameliorating effect on scopolamine-induced cognitive impairment, which is mediated by the enhancement of the cholinergic neurotransmitter system, in part, via NMDA receptor signaling, and that EEZS would be useful agent against cognitive dysfunction such as Alzheimer's disease.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Design Studies Conference
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• 2002.05b
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• pp.182-183
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• 2002