• Advances in environmental research
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.175-189
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• 2020

Municipal solid waste disposal is considered as one of the most important risks for environmental contamination which necessitates the development of strategies to reduce destructive consequences on the ecosystem as related especially to heavy metal accumulation. This study investigates heavy metal (i.e., As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) accumulation in the Tonekabon region, NW of Iran that is related to city waste disposal and evaluates the environmental impact in the Caspian Sea coastal region. For this purpose, after performing field studies and collecting 50 soil specimens from 5 sites of the study area, geochemical tests (i.e., inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, atomic absorption spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence) were conducted on the soil specimens collected from the 5 sites (named as Sites A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5) and the results were used to estimate the pollution indices (i.e., geo-accumulation index, normalized enrichment factor, contamination factor, and pollution load index). The obtained indices were utilized to assess the eco-toxicological risk level in the landfill site which indicated that the city has been severely contaminated by Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. These levels have been developed along the stream towards the nearshore areas indicating uptake of soil degradation. The heavy metal contamination was classified to range from unpolluted to highly polluted, which indicated serious heavy metal pollution in the study area as related to municipal solid waste disposal in Tonekabon.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.149-156
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• 2018

Traditional medicines (TM) in Korea, China, and Japan share most of the theories and therapeutic tools, but there are also differences due to their unique histories and cultures. Here, we aim to identify the differences in the utilization of TM theory between three countries by analyzing herb usage data in terms of the related traditional theories. Herb usage data of each country was collected from "Investigation of Korean medicine use and herbal medicine consumption survey" (Korea), "Analytical report on circulation of key Chinese medicinal materials" (China), and "Survey report on raw material crude drug usage" (Japan). Fifty five herbs with sixty features belonging to five theoretical categories (four properties, five tastes, targeting meridians, treatment strategies, and herbal parts) were selected and analyzed. Weight Sum Model (WSM) and Network-Based Group Features (NBGF) were used to compare the theoretical characteristics of TM between three countries. For the statistical evaluation, we developed and applied Herb Set Enrichment Analysis (HSEA) for WSM and NBGF results. HSEA for WSM results revealed the kidney meridian were targeted more in Korea than Japan, while the spleen meridian were targeted more in Japan than Korea. Herbs with sour taste were used more in Japan than China. HSEA for NBGF results found that NBGF including warm, neutral, sweet, and tonifying features were more dominant in Korea and than Japan, while NBGF including cold, bitter, heat-clearing features were more dominant in Japan than the others. These results suggest that TM in Korea, China, and Japan have unique aspects of practice patterns and theoretical utilization.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.312-320
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• 2020

Background: Ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is an essential source of pharmaceuticals and functional foods. Ginseng productivity has been compromised by high light (HL) stress, which is one of the major abiotic stresses during the ginseng cultivation period. The genetic improvement for HL tolerance in ginseng could be facilitated by analyzing its genetic and molecular characteristics associated with HL stress. Methods: Genome-wide analysis of gene expression was performed under HL and recovery conditions in 1-year-old Korean ginseng (P. ginseng cv. Chunpoong) using the Illumina HiSeq platform. After de novo assembly of transcripts, we performed expression profiling and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Furthermore, putative functions of identified DEGs were explored using Gene Ontology terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathway enrichment analysis. Results: A total of 438 highly expressed DEGs in response to HL stress were identified and selected from 29,184 representative transcripts. Among the DEGs, 326 and 114 transcripts were upregulated and downregulated, respectively. Based on the functional analysis, most upregulated and a significant number of downregulated transcripts were related to stress responses and cellular metabolic processes, respectively. Conclusion: Transcriptome profiling could be a strategy to comprehensively elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms of HL tolerance and susceptibility. This study would provide a foundation for developing breeding and metabolic engineering strategies to improve the environmental stress tolerance of ginseng.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.295-313
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• 2023

Objectives : While treatments for cancer are advancing, the development of effective treatments for cancer metastasis, the main cause of cancer patient death, remains insufficient. Recent studies on Dichroae Radix have revealed that its active ingredients have the potential to inhibit cancer metastasis. This study aimed to investigate the cancer metastasis inhibitory effect of Dichroae Radix using network pharmacological analysis. Methods : The active compounds of Dichroae Radix have been identified using Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform. The UniProt database was used to collect each of information of all target proteins associated with the active compounds. To find the bio-metabolic processes associated with each target, the DAVID6.8 Gene Functional classifier tool was used. Compound-Target and Target-Pathway networks were analyzed via Cytoscape 3.40. Results : In total, 25 active compounds and their 62 non-redundant targets were selected through the TCMSP database and analysis platform. The target genes underwent gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis. The gene list applied to the gene ontology analysis revealed associations with various biological processes, including signal transduction, chemical synaptic transmission, G-protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways, response to xenobiotic stimulus, and response to drugs, among others. A total of eleven genes, including HSP90AB1, CALM1, F2, AR, PAKACA, PTGS2, NOS2, RXRA, ESR1, ESR2, and NCOA1, were found to be associated with biological pathways related to cancer metastasis. Furthermore, nineteen of the active compounds from Dichroae Radix were confirmed to interact with these genes. Conclusions : The results provide valuable insights into the mechanism of action and molecular targets of Dichroae Radix. Notably, Berberine, the main active ingredient of Dichroae Radix, plays a significant role in degrading AR proteins in advanced prostate cancer. Further studies and validations can provide crucial data to advance cancer metastasis prevention and treatment strategies.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.1021-1040
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• 2013

In order to explore the influences of coteaching through mentoring upon the teaching professionalism of beginning science-gifted education teachers, this case study deeply investigated the change processes in the aspects of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Two beginning teachers planned, performed and reflected together their science instructions for science-gifted students in secondary school during four 3-hour classes. Since the second instruction, pre-, during-, and post-mentoring were conducted, we collected various data related to teachers' planning processes, videotaped all coteaching science classes, and wrote field notes. We also recorded in-depth interviews with the teachers and the whole process of mentoring. All the data were analyzed by using the constant comparative method. The results of the analyses indicated that coteaching through mentoring positively changed the teachers' PCK. Above all, we found that coteaching and mentoring strategies generated a significant synergy effect through a mutually complementary relationship. The teachers developed deep practical knowledge about the enrichment curriculum, which placed more emphasis on developing cognitive and/or affective characteristics of science-gifted students. The teachers also improved their knowledge about the characteristics of science-gifted students and the instructional strategies appropriate for developing them. Moreover, practical knowledge about assessment domains and methods used in science-gifted education were improved. Knowledge on science content necessary for effective inquiry instruction was also improved.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.20 no.1 s.25
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• pp.117-145
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• 2006

Mathematically gifted children have creative curiosity about novel tasks deriving from their natural mathematical talents, aptitudes, intellectual abilities and creativities. More effect in nurturing the creative thinking found in brilliant children, letting them approach problem solving in various ways and make strategic attempts is needed. Given this perspective, it is desirable to select open-ended and atypical problems as a task for educational program for gifted children. In this paper, various types of open-ended problems were framed and based on these, teaming activities were adapted into gifted children's class. Then in the problem solving process, the characteristic of bright children's mathematical thinking ability and examples of problem solving strategies were analyzed so that suggestions about classes for bright children utilizing open-ended tasks at elementary schools could be achieved. For this, an open-ended task made of 24 inquiries was structured, the teaching procedure was made of three steps properly transforming Renzulli's Enrichment Triad Model, and 24 periods of classes were progressed according to the teaching plan. One period of class for each subcategories of mathematical thinking ability; ability of intuitional insight, systematizing information, space formation/visualization, mathematical abstraction, mathematical reasoning, and reflective thinking were chosen and analyzed regarding teaching, teaming process and products. Problem solving examples that could be anticipated through teaching and teaming process and products analysis, and creative problem solving examples were suggested, and suggestions about teaching bright children using open-ended tasks were deduced based on the analysis of the characteristic of tasks, role of the teacher, impartiality and probability of approaching through reflecting the classes. Through the case study of a mathematics class for bright children making use of open-ended tasks proved to satisfy the curiosity of the students, and was proved to be effective for providing and forming a habit of various mathematical thinking experiences by establishing atypical mathematical problem solving strategies. This study is meaningful in that it provided mathematically gifted children's problem solving procedures about open-ended problems and it made an attempt at concrete and practical case study about classes fur gifted children while most of studies on education for gifted children in this country focus on the studies on basic theories or quantitative studies.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems Conference
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• 1993.06a
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• pp.1051-1054
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• 1993

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Statute in Article III.A.5 allows it“to establish and administer safeguards designed to ensure that special fissionable and other materials, services, equipment, facilities and information made available by the Agency or at its request or under its supervision or control are not used in such a way as to further any military purpose; and to apply safeguards, at the request of the parties, to any bilateral or multilateral arrangement, or at the request of a State, to any of that State's activities in the field of atomic energy”. Safeguards are essentially a technical means of verifying the fulfilment of political obligations undertaken by States and given a legal force in international agreements relating to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The main political objectives are: to assure the international community that States are complying with their non-proliferation and other peaceful undertakings; and to deter (a) the diversion of afeguarded nuclear materials to the production of nuclear explosives or for military purposes and (b) the misuse of safeguarded facilities with the aim of producing unsafeguarded nuclear material. It is clear that no international safeguards system can physically prevent diversion. The IAEA safeguards system is basically a verification measure designed to provide assurance in those cases in which diversion has not occurred. Verification is accomplished by two basic means: material accountancy and containment and surveillance measures. Nuclear material accountancy is the fundamental IAEA safeguards mechanism, while containment and surveillance serve as important complementary measures. Material accountancy refers to a collection of measurements and other determinations which enable the State and the Agency to maintain a current picture of the location and movement of nuclear material into and out of material balance areas, i. e. areas where all material entering or leaving is measurab e. A containment measure is one that is designed by taking advantage of structural characteristics, such as containers, tanks or pipes, etc. To establish the physical integrity of an area or item by preventing the undetected movement of nuclear material or equipment. Such measures involve the application of tamper-indicating or surveillance devices. Surveillance refers to both human and instrumental observation aimed at indicating the movement of nuclear material. The verification process consists of three over-lapping elements: (a) Provision by the State of information such as - design information describing nuclear installations; - accounting reports listing nuclear material inventories, receipts and shipments; - documents amplifying and clarifying reports, as applicable; - notification of international transfers of nuclear material. (b) Collection by the IAEA of information through inspection activities such as - verification of design information - examination of records and repo ts - measurement of nuclear material - examination of containment and surveillance measures - follow-up activities in case of unusual findings. (c) Evaluation of the information provided by the State and of that collected by inspectors to determine the completeness, accuracy and validity of the information provided by the State and to resolve any anomalies and discrepancies. To design an effective verification system, one must identify possible ways and means by which nuclear material could be diverted from peaceful uses, including means to conceal such diversions. These theoretical ways and means, which have become known as diversion strategies, are used as one of the basic inputs for the development of safeguards procedures, equipment and instrumentation. For analysis of implementation strategy purposes, it is assumed that non-compliance cannot be excluded a priori and that consequently there is a low but non-zero probability that a diversion could be attempted in all safeguards ituations. An important element of diversion strategies is the identification of various possible diversion paths; the amount, type and location of nuclear material involved, the physical route and conversion of the material that may take place, rate of removal and concealment methods, as appropriate. With regard to the physical route and conversion of nuclear material the following main categories may be considered: - unreported removal of nuclear material from an installation or during transit - unreported introduction of nuclear material into an installation - unreported transfer of nuclear material from one material balance area to another - unreported production of nuclear material, e. g. enrichment of uranium or production of plutonium - undeclared uses of the material within the installation. With respect to the amount of nuclear material that might be diverted in a given time (the diversion rate), the continuum between the following two limiting cases is cons dered: - one significant quantity or more in a short time, often known as abrupt diversion; and - one significant quantity or more per year, for example, by accumulation of smaller amounts each time to add up to a significant quantity over a period of one year, often called protracted diversion. Concealment methods may include: - restriction of access of inspectors - falsification of records, reports and other material balance areas - replacement of nuclear material, e. g. use of dummy objects - falsification of measurements or of their evaluation - interference with IAEA installed equipment.As a result of diversion and its concealment or other actions, anomalies will occur. All reasonable diversion routes, scenarios/strategies and concealment methods have to be taken into account in designing safeguards implementation strategies so as to provide sufficient opportunities for the IAEA to observe such anomalies. The safeguards approach for each facility will make a different use of these procedures, equipment and instrumentation according to the various diversion strategies which could be applicable to that facility and according to the detection and inspection goals which are applied. Postulated pathways sets of scenarios comprise those elements of diversion strategies which might be carried out at a facility or across a State's fuel cycle with declared or undeclared activities. All such factors, however, contain a degree of fuzziness that need a human judgment to make the ultimate conclusion that all material is being used for peaceful purposes. Safeguards has been traditionally based on verification of declared material and facilities using material accountancy as a fundamental measure. The strength of material accountancy is based on the fact that it allows to detect any diversion independent of the diversion route taken. Material accountancy detects a diversion after it actually happened and thus is powerless to physically prevent it and can only deter by the risk of early detection any contemplation by State authorities to carry out a diversion. Recently the IAEA has been faced with new challenges. To deal with these, various measures are being reconsidered to strengthen the safeguards system such as enhanced assessment of the completeness of the State's initial declaration of nuclear material and installations under its jurisdiction enhanced monitoring and analysis of open information and analysis of open information that may indicate inconsistencies with the State's safeguards obligations. Precise information vital for such enhanced assessments and analyses is normally not available or, if available, difficult and expensive collection of information would be necessary. Above all, realistic appraisal of truth needs sound human judgment.

• Communications of Mathematical Education
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.235-257
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• 2010

Contemporary belief is that the creative talented can create new knowledge and lead national development, so lots of countries in the world have interest in Gifted Education. As we well know, U.S.A., England, Russia, Germany, Australia, Israel, and Singapore enforce related laws in Gifted Education to offer Gifted Classes, and our government has also created an Improvement Act in January, 2000 and Enforcement Ordinance for Gifted Improvement Act was also announced in April, 2002. Through this initiation Gifted Education can be possible. Enforcement Ordinance was revised in October, 2008. The main purpose of this revision was to expand the opportunity of Gifted Education to students with special education needs. One of these programs is, the opportunity of Gifted Education to be offered to lots of the Gifted by establishing Special Classes at each school. Also, it is important that the quality of Gifted Education should be combined with the expansion of opportunity for the Gifted. Social opinion is that it will be reckless only to expand the opportunity for the Gifted Education, therefore, assessment on the Teaching and Learning Program for the Gifted is indispensible. In this study, 3 middle schools were selected for the Teaching and Learning Programs in mathematics. Each 1st Grade was reviewed and analyzed through comparative tables between Regular and Gifted Education Programs. Also reviewed was the content of what should be taught, and programs were evaluated on assessment standards which were revised and modified from the present teaching and learning programs in mathematics. Below, research issues were set up to assess the formation of content areas and appropriateness for Teaching and Learning Programs for the Gifted in mathematics. A. Is the formation of special class content areas complying with the 7th national curriculum? 1. Which content areas of regular curriculum is applied in this program? 2. Among Enrichment and Selection in Curriculum for the Gifted, which one is applied in this programs? 3. Are the content areas organized and performed properly? B. Are the Programs for the Gifted appropriate? 1. Are the Educational goals of the Programs aligned with that of Gifted Education in mathematics? 2. Does the content of each program reflect characteristics of mathematical Gifted students and express their mathematical talents? 3. Are Teaching and Learning models and methods diverse enough to express their talents? 4. Can the assessment on each program reflect the Learning goals and content, and enhance Gifted students' thinking ability? The conclusions are as follows: First, the best contents to be taught to the mathematical Gifted were found to be the Numeration, Arithmetic, Geometry, Measurement, Probability, Statistics, Letter and Expression. Also, Enrichment area and Selection area within the curriculum for the Gifted were offered in many ways so that their Giftedness could be fully enhanced. Second, the educational goals of Teaching and Learning Programs for the mathematical Gifted students were in accordance with the directions of mathematical education and philosophy. Also, it reflected that their research ability was successful in reaching the educational goals of improving creativity, thinking ability, problem-solving ability, all of which are required in the set curriculum. In order to accomplish the goals, visualization, symbolization, phasing and exploring strategies were used effectively. Many different of lecturing types, cooperative learning, discovery learning were applied to accomplish the Teaching and Learning model goals. For Teaching and Learning activities, various strategies and models were used to express the students' talents. These activities included experiments, exploration, application, estimation, guess, discussion (conjecture and refutation) reconsideration and so on. There were no mention to the students about evaluation and paper exams. While the program activities were being performed, educational goals and assessment methods were reflected, that is, products, performance assessment, and portfolio were mainly used rather than just paper assessment.

• Journal of Gifted/Talented Education
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.801-828
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• 2011

In this study, we analyzed the characteristics of Pedagogical Content knowledge(PCK)'s components through actual course of teachers of science gifted students in the middle school. For this study, four middle school science teachers of gifted students belonging to the gifted education professional organizations in a metropolis were selected, each of them was physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science teacher. Two of them were full-time teachers to teach only gifted students and two were part-time teachers who had taught general students in ordinary time and specially had taught the gifted students once a week. Qualitative data were collected through classroom observations, interviews, and documents. As a result, some unique characteristics of PCK's components were identified. The teachers' orientations to teaching science were closely correlated with PCK's components. The teachers' knowledges of science curriculum were different individually. But the decisions about type of teaching(acceleration or enrichment) were connected with the objectives of gifted education and lesson objectives. Also, the teachers' knowledges of science curriculum were influenced by the knowledge of students' understanding. Teachers used different instructional strategies according to the knowledge of science curriculum and the knowledge of students' understanding. We found that PCK's components were so closely connected and could show the direction of relationships among those PCK's components. We suggested teachers' PCK model which was named "Tetrahedron Model of PCK", to explain the characteristics and relationships of PCK's components.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.249-263
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics of 'best practire' in mathematics and suggest some solutions to several problems emerging in mathematics classes of secondary schools. The study was carried out by using qualitative research methods such as class observations and in-depth interviews with six teachers. Based on the collected data, we could sort out the major patterns which characterize 'the good mathematics teaching' at schools in Korea. The common characteristics of best practice in mathematics are drawn out from the six cases. The common characteristics include revising the curriculum and text books, realistic mathematics education, using ICT and meta-cognition, introduction with motivation and interest, performance assessment and managing differentiated small group. Results implied that six teachers used a variety of instructional methods and strategies which is related with the common characteristics of good mathematics teaching. Also these teachers not only improved their own classroom practices but also participated in various professional community of mathematics education and shared their practical knowledge. In conclusion assorted efforts from the government and the school principals as well as the teachers are prerequisite for practicing and spreading good mathematics teaching across the classrooms.