• Journal of the Korean Society of Earth Science Education
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.310-321
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• 2022

This study aimed to find out how creative education programs using AR/VR affect student's creative problem-solving skills and class satisfaction. For this purpose, a total of 179 students in 7 classes of the first grade of J High school located in the chungbuk region were the subjects of this study. The data were analyzed by performing two-dependent samples (t-test) based on the difference between the pre- and post-scores of creative problem-solving ability test, and the value of class satisfaction was analyzed and interpret using descriptive statistics and interview. The results of this study are as follows. First, except for 'execution', 'problem discovery and analysis', 'idea generation', 'execution plan', 'conviction and communication', and 'innovation tendency' showed statistically significant results. Second, in terms of class satisfaction of the creative education program, it was an average of 3.75 and it was difficult for learners to derive creative ideas, outputs, and results through groups within a given time in regular class, but generally showed a positive response. Therefore, it was confirmed that the creative education program using AR/VR increased student's learning motivation and interest in the process of generation or expanding ideas to solve problems like educational effect of STEAM.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.136-143
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• 2022

Background: In northern Thailand, the longan flower is the principal nectar source for honey production. Microorganisms play a critical function in the agricultural ecology. The morphological characteristics of fungal species found in longan pollen were studied. Aspergillus spp. were found to be invertase-producing strains and were employed in the longan syrup production process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of invertase-added longan syrup on the adult honey bee population numbers that were fed by this syrup for 16 weeks. Results: Different fungal species were found in longan pollen samples. Aspergillus was the main genus, with three predominant sections: Nigri, Flavi, and Terrei. Other isolated species were Trichoderma spp., Rhizopus spp., Neurospora spp., Chaetomium spp., Fusarium spp. and Penicillium spp. However, Aspergillus spp. is the only fungal species that produces the enzyme invertase. The invertase-producing strains belonging to the Aspergillus section Nigri were found to be A. niger LP5 with an optimum activity at pH 6.0 and 60℃. When A. niger LP5 invertase was used for longan syrup processing, the highest levels of glucose (3.45%) and fructose (2.08%) were found in invertase added longan syrup (C), while fresh (A) and boiled longan syrup (B) had lower contents of both sugars. The sucrose content was detected in (A) at 4.25%, while (B) and (C) were at 4.02% and 3.08%, respectively. An appropriate amount of sugar to feed and maintain the honey bee population was considered. The data showed no statistically significant differences between the two selected forms of longan syrup compared to the sugar syrup examined by the adult honey bee population. Conclusions: The main species of isolated fungi from longan pollen were Aspergillus spp. The discovery of an invertase-producing strain of A. niger LP5 has enabled its application for enzyme utilization in the invert sugar preparation process. The adult worker bee populations fed by longan syrup from both boiled and invertase-added sources showed an increasing trend. Artificial syrup made from longan fruit to feed honey bees when natural food sources are limited can be applied.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.65 no.4
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• pp.239-245
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• 2022

Although normal activation of platelets is important in the process of hemostasis, excessive or abnormal activation of platelets can lead to cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the discovery of novel substances capable of regulating or inhibiting platelet activation may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Artemether is a derivative of artemisinin, known as an active ingredient of Artemisia annua, which has been reported to be effective in treating malaria, and is known to function through antioxidant and metabolic enzyme inhibition. However, the role of artemether in platelet activation and aggregation and the mechanism of action of artemether in collagen-induced human platelets are not known until now. This study investigated the effects of artemether on platelet activation and thrombus formation induced by collagen. As a result, cAMP level was significantly increased by artemether, and VASP and IP3R, substrates of cAMP-dependent kinase, were phosphorylated. IP3R phosphorylation by Artemether inhibited Ca²⁺ recruitment into the cytoplasm, and phosphorylated VASP inhibited fibrinogen binding by inactivating αIIb/β3 located on the platelet membrane. Consequently, artemether inhibited thrombin-induced fibrin clot formation. Therefore, we propose that artemether can act as an effective prophylactic and therapeutic agent for cardiovascular diseases caused by excessive platelet activation and thrombus formation.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.12
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• pp.886-895
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• 2022

Malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) is a highly aggressive pediatric malignancy with no effective therapy. Therefore, it is necessary to identify a target for the development of novel molecule-targeting therapeutic agents. In this study, we report the importance of the runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) and RUNX1-Baculoviral IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) Repeat-Containing 5 (BIRC5/survivin) axis in the proliferation of MRT cells, as it can be used as an ideal target for anti-tumor strategies. The mechanism of this reaction can be explained by the interaction of RUNX1 with the RUNX1-binding DNA sequence located in the survivin promoter and its positive regulation. Specific knockdown of RUNX1 led to decreased expression of survivin, which subsequently suppressed the proliferation of MRT cells in vitro and in vivo. We also found that our novel RUNX inhibitor, Chb-M, which switches off RUNX1 using alkylating agent-conjugated pyrrole-imidazole polyamides designed to specifically bind to consensus RUNX-binding sequences (5'-TGTGGT-3'), inhibited survivin expression in vivo. Taken together, we identified a novel interaction between RUNX1 and survivin in MRT. Therefore the negative regulation of RUNX1 activity may be a novel strategy for MRT treatment.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.91-101
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• 2023

Bacteriocins are antimicrobial peptides synthesized on ribosomes, produced by bacteria, that inhibit the growth of similar or closely related bacterial strains. Since the discovery of nisin, many bacteriocins with unique structures and various modes of antibacterial activity have been described, and genes encoding production, secretion, and immunity have been reported. Nisin is one of the bacteriocins applied in cheese, liquid eggs, sauces and canned foods. Many of the bacteriocins of the genus Bacillus belong to lantibiotics, which are modified peptides after translation. Other genus Bacillus also produce many non-lantibiotic bacteriocins. Bacteriocins of the genus Bacillus are sometimes becoming more important because of their broader antibacterial spectrum. Bacteriocins are considered attractive compounds in the food and pharmaceutical industries to prevent food spoilage and growth of pathogenic bacteria. Bacteriocins can be used as biological preservatives in a variety of ways in the food system. Biopreservation refers to extending shelf life and improving safety of foods using microorganisms and/or their metabolites. The demand for new antimicrobial compounds has generated great interest in new technologies that can improve food microbiological safety. Applications of bacteriocins are expanding from food to human health. Today, many researchers are shifting their interest in bacteriocins from food preservation to the treatment of bacteria that cause infections and antibiotic-resistant diseases. This exciting new era in bacteriocin research will undoubtedly lead to new inventions and new applications. In this review, we summarize the various properties and applications of bacteriocins produced by the genus Bacillus.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.249-255
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• 2022

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a major public health concern and has been identified as a research priority. Clinical research evidence supports that the core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for AD, including amyloid-β (Aβ42), total tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau (P-tau), reflect key elements of AD pathophysiology. Nevertheless, advances in the clinical identification of new indicators will be critical not only for the discovery of sensitive, specific, and reliable biomarkers of preclinical AD pathology, but also for the development of tests that facilitate the early detection and differential diagnosis of dementia and disease progression monitoring. The early detection of AD in its presymptomatic stages would represent a great opportunity for earlier therapeutic intervention. The chance of successful treatment would be increased since interventions would be performed before extensive synaptic damage and neuronal loss would have occurred. In this study, the importance of developing an early diagnostic method using cognitive decline biomarkers that can discriminate between normal, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD preclinical stages has been emphasized.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.324-331
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• 2023

Lithium (Li) is a key resource driving the rapid growth of the electric vehicle industry globally, with demand and prices continually on the rise. To address the limited reserves of major lithium sources such as rock and brine, research is underway on seawater Li extraction using electrodialysis and Li-ion selective membranes. Lithium lanthanum titanate (LLTO), an oxide solid electrolyte for all-solid-state batteries, is a promising Li-ion selective membrane. An important factor in enhancing its performance is employing the powder synthesis process. In this study, the LLTO powder is prepared using two synthesis methods: sol-gel reaction (SGR) and solid-state reaction (SSR). Additionally, the powder size and uniformity are compared, which are indices related to membrane performance. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy are employed for determining characterization, with crystallite size analysis through the full width at half maximum parameter for the powders prepared using the two synthetic methods. The findings reveal that the powder SGR-synthesized powder exhibits smaller and more uniform characteristics (0.68 times smaller crystal size) than its SSR counterpart. This discovery lays the groundwork for optimizing the powder manufacturing process of LLTO membranes, making them more suitable for various applications, including manufacturing high-performance membranes or mass production of membranes.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.111-119
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• 2019

The purpose of study was to evaluate the economic evaluation of Chuncheon curling stadium. In oder to estimate economic evaluation, benefit/cost ratio, net present value and internal rate of return were used. Additionally, in order to investigate the socio-economic spread effect, literature review and input-output analysis were used. The results of study were as follows. First, as a result of analyzing the demand for curling stadiums in Chuncheon, it was believed that the construction of the stadium will attract athletes from the Chuncheon region as well as athletes from Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and North Chungcheong Province. Second, economic validity analysis showed that the initial investment did not make sense, but the players' training and competitions and the advantages of the potential experience of curling events for citizens in nearby areas, including Chuncheon, make the construction and operation reasonable. Third, as a result of the review of the social and policy validity of the curling stadium, the project to build a curling stadium in Chuncheon was secured with a policy validity as a public sports facility necessary for both professional and living athletes. Finally, the analysis of socio-economic spread effect of curling stadiums had shown that it would have a positive effect on the level of satisfaction of the general public as well as the discovery of elite athletes.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2003.09a
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• pp.44-44
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• 2003

As a basic measurement tool in the areas of animal models of human disease, gene expression and therapy, and drug discovery and development, small animal PET imaging is being used increasingly. An ideal small animal PET should have high sensitivity and high and uniform resolution across the field of view to achieve high image quality. However, the combination of long narrow pixellated crystal array and small ring diameter of small animal PET leads to the degradation of spatial resolution for the source located at off center. This degradation of resolution can be improved by determining the depth of interaction (DOI) in the crystal and by taking into account the information in sorting the coincident events. Among a number of 001 identification schemes, dual layer phsowich detector has been widely investigated by many research groups due to its practicability and effectiveness on extracting DOI information. However, the effects of each crystal length composing dual layer phoswich detector on DOI measurements and image qualities were not fully characterized. In order to minimize the DOI effect, the length of each layer of phoswich detector should be optimized. The aim of this study was to perform simulations using a simulation tool, GATE to design the optimum lengths of crystals composing a dual layer phoswich detector. The simulated small PET system employed LSO front layer LuYAP back layer phoswich detector modules and the module consisted of 8${\times}$8 arrays of dual layer crystals with 2 mm ${\times}$ 2 mm sensitive area coupled to a Hamamatsu R7600 00 M64 PSPMT. Sensitivities and variation of radial resolutions were simulated by varying the length of LSO front layer from 0 to 10 mm while the total length (LSO + LuYAP) was fixed to 20 mm for 10 cm diameter ring scanner. The radial resolution uniformity was markedly improved by using DOI information. There existed the optimal lengths of crystal layers to minimize the variation of radial resolutions. In 10 cm ring scanner configuration, the radial resolution was kept below 3.4 mm over 8 cm FOV while the sensitivity was higher than 7.4% for LSO 5 mm : LuYAP 15 mm phoswich detector. In this study, the optimal length of dual layer phoswich detector was derived to achieve high and uniform radial resolution.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.159-172
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• 2023

In general, social problem-solving research aims to create important social value by offering meaningful answers to various social pending issues using scientific technologies. Not surprisingly, however, although numerous and extensive research attempts have been made to alleviate the social problems and issues in nation-wide, we still have many important social challenges and works to be done. In order to facilitate the entire process of the social problem-solving research and maximize its efficacy, it is vital to clearly identify and grasp the important and pressing problems to be focused upon. It is understandable for the problem discovery step to be drastically improved if current social issues can be automatically identified from existing R&D resources such as technical reports and articles. This paper introduces a comprehensive dataset which is essential to build a machine learning model for automatically detecting the social problems and solutions in various national research reports. Initially, we collected a total of 700 research reports regarding social problems and issues. Through intensive annotation process, we built totally 24,022 sentences each of which possesses its own category or label closely related to social problem-solving such as problems, purposes, solutions, effects and so on. Furthermore, we implemented four sentence classification models based on various neural language models and conducted a series of performance experiments using our dataset. As a result of the experiment, the model fine-tuned to the KLUE-BERT pre-trained language model showed the best performance with an accuracy of 75.853% and an F1 score of 63.503%.