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The Effect of Participation Degree in Sports for all of People with Physical Disabilities on Positive Psychological Capital(PPC) (지체장애인의 생활체육 참여정도가 긍정심리자본(PPC)에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Dae-Kyung;Park, Jin-Woo;Kim, Hye-Min;Lee, Hyun-Su
    • 한국체육학회지인문사회과학편
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    • v.54 no.5
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    • pp.867-876
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    • 2015
  • This study was intended to closely examine an effect that the level of physically challenged person's participation in community sports had on positive psychological capital. In order to accomplish the purpose of study, data on 212 physically challenged persons who lived in B city and participated in community sports were analyzed. Korean version of positive psychological capital created by Taehong Lim (2014) through the reconstruction of scales developed by Luthans, Youssef and Avolio(2007) and Sangwan Jeon and Jonghun Yang's (2009) level of participation in community sports was reconstructed through modification·improvement as measurement instrument. An exploratory factor analysis, reliability test, paired difference test, and multiple regression analysis was carried out by using SPSS 18.0 program for data processing. First, It was shown that there was a significant difference in positive psychological capital according to gender, age, and disability grade among physically challenged persons' socio-demographic characteristics. Second, it was shown that, among sub-variables (period, frequency and intensity) of level of physically challenged persons' participation in community sports, the frequency of participation and the intensity of participation had a significant effect on self efficacy. On the other hand, it was shown that the period of participation didn't have a significant effect. Third, it was shown that the frequency of participation had a significant effect on optimism. On the other hand, it was shown that the period of participation and the intensity of participation didn't have a significant effect. Fourth, it was shown that the frequency of participation and the intensity of participation had a significant effect on hope. On the other hand, it was shown that no significant effect was produced on the period of participation. Fifth, it was shown that the frequency of participation had a significant effect on resilience. On the other hand, it was shown that no significant effect was produced on the period of participation and the intensity of participation. Sixth, it was shown that the frequency of participation and the intensity of participation had a significant effect on positive psychological capital. And it was shown that no significant effect was produced on the period of participation.

A Study on the Application of IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology Using Land Cover Map in Korea (토지피복지도를 활용한 IUCN 생태계유형분류 국내 적용)

  • Hee-Jung Sohn;Su-Yeon Won;Jeong-Eun Jeon;Eun-Hee Park;Do-Hee Kim;Sang-Hak Han;Young-Keun Song
    • Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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    • v.37 no.3
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    • pp.209-220
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    • 2023
  • Over the past few centuries, widespread changes to natural ecosystems caused by human activities have severely threatened biodiversity worldwide. Understanding changes in ecosystems is essential to identifying and managing threats to biodiversity. In line with this need, the IUCN Council formed the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (GET) in 2019, taking into account the functions and types of ecosystems. The IUCN provides maps of 10 ecosystem groups and 108 ecological functional groups (EFGs) on a global scale. According to the type classification of IUCN GET ecosystems, Korea's ecosystem is classified into 8 types of Realm (level 1), 18 types of Biome (level 2), and 41 types of Group (level 3). GETs provided by IUCN have low resolution and often do not match the actual land status because it was produced globally. This study aimed to increase the accuracy of Korean IUCN GET type classification by using land cover maps and producing maps that reflected the actual situation. To this end, we ① reviewed the Korean GET data system provided by IUCN GET and ② compared and analyzed it with the current situation in Korea. We evaluated the limitations and usability of the GET through the process and then ③ classified Korea's new Get type reflecting the current situation in Korea by using the national data as much as possible. This study classified Korean GETs into 25 types by using land cover maps and existing national data (Territorial realm: 9, Freshwater: 9, Marine-territorial: 5, Terrestrial-freshwater: 1, and Marine-freshwater-territorial: 1). Compared to the existing map, "F3.2 Constructed lacustrine wetlands", "F3.3 Rice paddies", "F3.4 Freshwater aquafarms", and "T7.3 Plantations" showed the largest area reduction in the modified Korean GET. The area of "T2.2 Temperate Forests" showed the largest area increase, and the "MFT1.3 Coastal saltmarshes and reedbeds" and "F2.2 Small permanent freshwater lakes" types also showed an increase in GET area after modification. Through this process, the existing map, in which the sum of all EFGs in the existing GET accounted for 8.33 times the national area, was modified so that the total sum becomes 1.22 times the national area using the land cover map. This study confirmed that the existing EFG, which had small differences by type and low accuracy, was improved and corrected. This study is significant in that it produced a GET map of Korea that met the GET standard using data reflecting the field conditions. 

Remodeling and Damage of the Garden According to the Park Project in Deoksugung Palace During the Japanese Colonial Period (일제강점기 덕수궁(德壽宮) 공원화에 따른 정원의 개조와 훼손)

  • OH Junyoung
    • Korean Journal of Heritage: History & Science
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    • v.56 no.3
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    • pp.234-252
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    • 2023
  • This study looked at the modification of major gardens while making Deoksugung Palace (德壽宮) a park in the Japanese colonial era. This is because landscaping work was carried out in various places from 1932 to 1933 to open Deoksugung Palace, which used to be an imperial palace, as a public recreation space. In particular, major gardens such as the front yard of Seokjojeon Hall (石造殿), the back yard of Hamnyeongjeon Hall (咸寧殿), and the back yard of Jeukjodang Hall (卽阼堂) were greatly transformed into different shapes from the original. During the first phase of construction in 1932, a water tank was installed in Seokjojeon Hall Garden, creating the first water space. This water tank was originally a structure installed in the front yard of Injeongjeon Hall (仁政殿) of Changdeokgung Palace (昌德宮). Around 1909, a water tank installed in the front yard of Injeongjeon Hall was relocated to Seokjojeon Garden in the process of turning Deoksugung Palace into a park. The water tank moved from the front yard of Injeongjeon Hall was a factor that transformed the central area of Seokjojeon Garden into a water space, and a fountain installed to replace the water tank remains to this day. The backyard of Hamnyeongjeon Hall was also renovated into a new shape during the first phase of construction. Originally, there was a terraced flowerbed called Hwagye (花階) in the backyard of Hamyujae Hall (咸有齋) and Hamnyeongjeon Hall, and it was restored from the construction that took place after the Great Fire of Deoksugung Palace. In the process of turning Deoksugung Palace into a park, a three-stage stonework was built in the front yard of Jeonggwanheon Pavilion (靜觀軒) which renovated the Hwagye in the backyard of Hamyujae Hall and Hamnyeongjeon Halll. The stonework built at that time was used as a peony garden to provide visitors with attractions after the opening of Deoksugung Palace, and it remains today with the name Jeonggwanheon's Hwagye. The backyard of the Jeukjodang Hall area is a case of damage in the second phase of construction in 1933. Like the backyard of Hamnyeongjeon Hall, the backyard of Jeukjodang Hall, where the Hwagye was originally built, was converted into a Japanese-style garden in the process of turning Deoksugung Palace into a park. The site where the Hwagye was demolished was decorated with a Japanese-style garden centered on mounding, small roads, and landscaping stones, as well as topographic control and planting work. Although there have been minor changes since liberation, the backyard of the Jeukjodang Hall area is still based on a Japanese-style garden created by turning Deoksugung Palace into a park.

Efficient plant regeneration through callus induction from the hypocotyl of Perilla frutescens L var. Dayu ('다유들깨'품종의 하배축에서 캘러스를 통한 고효율 식물재분화)

  • Ruyue Xu;Ji-Hi Son;Hong-Gyu Kang;Hyeon-Jin Sun;Hyo-Yeon Lee
    • Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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    • v.50
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    • pp.248-254
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    • 2023
  • This study was conducted to establish an efficient plant regeneration system in 'Dayu', a Korean variety of Perilla frutescens developed for seed oil production, in conjunction with the previously studied variety 'Namcheon'. The healthiest callus was formed on the hypocotyl explants cultured on a medium containing 0.1 mg/L NAA and 0.5 mg/L BA, outperforming the leaf and cotyledon samples. In both dark and long-day conditions, Dayu consistently exhibited significantly higher shoot regeneration rates compared with Namcheon. The highest shoot regeneration rates in Dayu were observed from the hypocotyl explants cultured on 0.1 mg/L NAA and 0.5 mg/L BA media, with shoot regeneration rates of 84.4% and 86.7% under dark and long-day conditions, respectively. Various combinations of plant growth regulators were tested to establish the optimal shoot regeneration conditions for Dayu hypocotyl explants. The results demonstrated that the highest shoot regeneration rate (90%) was achieved when 0.5 mg/L of BA was added to the medium without NAA. Among the regenerated shoots, 70.5% were normal plants, while 19.3% were abnormal. The addition of NAA or an increase in its concentration led to a higher occurrence of abnormal plants. After the regenerated shoots were transferred to 1/2 MS medium, roots were observed within 10-15 days. By day 30, they had developed into complete plants. The results obtained from the regeneration experiments with the perilla variety Dayu can valuably inform molecular breeding reliant on transformation techniques such as genome-editing and genetic modification technology.

Research on the Soundscape for Excavation, Preservation and Promotion of Soundscape Resources in Hongdo Island (홍도의 소리경관 자원의 발굴, 보존 및 육성을 위한 사운드스케이프 조사연구)

  • Han, Myung-Ho;Oh, Yang-Ki;Roh, Tae-Hak
    • The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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    • v.28 no.4
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    • pp.343-355
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    • 2009
  • In order to restore the identity of sound environment and expand the sound culture of a region, the purpose of this study are to excavate the resources of soundscape and find out the plans for the preservation and promotion of soundscape resources peculiar to the region. For this purpose, this research is conducted through an interview survey of residents and an observation survey using listening walk in Hongdo, one of the southwesten island of Korea. The results of survey confirm that there are so many sounds to hear around Hongdo island, those are, natural sounds such as the song of the birds, the roar of the waves, the whistling sounds, the shriek of the seagulls, and the pebbles sounds washed away by the waves, and artificial sounds such as the steam-whistle signals, the ship's broadcasts, the voice of tourists, the sounds of church bells, lighthouse sirens etc. The results suggest that it is necessary to consider several ways for restoration of an unique soundscape in Hongdo island, those are, improvement for efficient management of a ship's broadcasts in public areas, removal of a ferry in Hongdo swimming beach, management of Dangsanje (a religious service), preservation of a lighthouse siren and a foghorn, restoration and improvement of underground stream, management and control of public fish market, restoration of brooklet, management of cooperative system for a fish market, restoration of PoongO-Gut (a ritual for a large harvest) and a skate festival, management of a Hongdo sports meeting, sound quality modification of a boat whistle, restoration of orientalia such as a funeral bier, ecosystem preservation activity of the shore and ocean, and promotion of amenity for fascination and vitality in a rural community. Also, a sound map is drawn up for many tourists so as to realize the importance of sound environment and identity of soundscape and to gain their experience at first hand in Hongdo island.

Analysis of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine-induced Gene Expression in Lung Cancer Cell Lines (폐암 세포주에서 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine 처치에 의해 발현되는 암항원 유전자 분석)

  • 김창수;이해영;김종인;장희경;박종욱;조성래
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.37 no.12
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    • pp.967-977
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    • 2004
  • Background: DNA methylation is one of the important gene expression mechanisms of the cell. When cytosine of CpG dinucleotide in promotor is hypomethylated, expression of some genes that is controlled by this promoter is altered. In this study, the author investigated the effect of DNA demethylating agent, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (ADC), on the expressions of cancer antigen genes, MHC and B7 in 4 lung cancer cell lines, NCIH1703, NCIH522, MRC-5, and A549. Material and Method: After treatment of cell lines, NCIH1703, NCIH522, MRC-5 and A549 with ADC (1 uM) for 48 hours, RT-PCR was performed by using the primers of MAGE, GAGE, NY-ESO-1, PSMA, CEA, and SCC antigen gene. In order to find the optimal ADC treatment condition for induction of cancer antigen, we studied the effect of ADC treatment time and dose on the cancer antigen gene expression. To know the effect of ADC on the expression of MHC or B7 and cell growth, cells were treated with 1 uM of ADC for 72 hours for FACS analysis or cells were treated with 0.2, 1 or 5 uM of ADC for 96 hours for cell counting. Result: After treatment of ADC (1 uM) for 48 hours, the expressions of MAGE, GAGE, NY-ESO-1, and PSMA genes increased in some cell lines. Among 6 MAGE isotypes tested, and gene expression of MAGE-1, -2, -3, -4 and -6 could be induced by ADC treatment. However, CEA gene expression did not change and SCC gene expression was decreased by ADC treatment. Gene expression was generally induced 24 - 28 hours after ADC treatment and expression of MAGE, GAGE, and NY-ESO-1 was maintained at least 14 days after ADC ADC teatment, and expression of MAGE, GAGE, and NY-ESO-1 was maintained at least 14 days after ADC teatment in ADC-Free medium. Most gene expression could be induced at 0.2 uM of ADC, but gene expression increased dependently on ADC treatment dose. The expression of MHC and B7 was not increased by ADC treatment in all four cell lines, and the growth rate of 4 cell lines decreased significantly with the increase of ADC concentrations. Conclusion: Treatment of lung cancer cell lines with ADC increases the gene expression MAGE, GAGE and NY-ESO-1 that are capable of induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte response. We suggest that treatment with 1 uM of ADC for 48 hours and then culturing in ADC-free medium is optimal condition for induction of cancer antigen. However, ADC has no effect on MHC and B7 induction, additional modification for increase of expression of MHC, B7 and cytokine will be needed for production of efficient cancer cell vaccine.

Studies on the Nutritional Effects of Locally Produced Dried Formula Milk and Fermented Milk -1. Comparative Studies on the Nutrients Content of Dried Formula Milk and Fermented Milk- (국산(國産) 조제분유(調製粉乳)와 발효유(醱酵乳)의 영양효과(營養效果)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究) - 1. 유제품(乳製品)의 영양소(營養素) 함량비교(含量比較)를 위한 연구(硏究) -)

  • Paik, Jeong-J.;Han, In-K.
    • Journal of Nutrition and Health
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    • v.9 no.1
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    • pp.84-91
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    • 1976
  • Chemical determination were made to analyze the concentration of nutrients including proximate composition, vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids in three kinds of locally produced infantile formula milk(DFM) and one fermented milk(FM). An attempt was also made to compare the analytical values of nutrients against guaranteed values. The results obtained are summarized as follows; 1. The analyzed value of protein and fat content in DFM-A.B.C was slightly lower than that of guaranteed values and a reverse trend was observed in the case of total carbohydrate. There were no differences in proximate composition among the three kinds of DFM. It was found that the FM contained less protein and fat than the fresh milk, but it seemed that a considerable amount of sugar was added to FM. 2. The analyzed values of vitamin $A(2{\sim}3\;times)$ and $E(4{\sim}6\;times)$ contents in DFMS were higher than those of the guaranteed values except niacin. There were a little differences in vitamin contents among DFMS analyzed. 3. In the case of minerals, the analyzed values were similar to the guaranteed values except the calcium concentration that analyzed value was much higher than guaranted value. When the DFMS were diluted to 15% by adding water to compare with the human and fresh cow milk, it was found that the diluted DFMS resembled the human milk rather than cow milk in the content of energy, carbohydrates, protein and ash. The higher contents of iron and most vitamins in the diluted DFMS than the human milk or cow milk would indicate that they were fortificated with these nutrients. When these diluted DFMS were compared with the Korean R.D.A. for infant, it was clear that they could supply sufficient amount of the nutrients required by R.D.A. except the niacin which failed to reach the recommended level. The fact that iron content of DFM-C was not sufficient while vitamin A supply was excessive by 6 fold would indicate that further studies for the improvement may be necessary. 4. There was a little difference among DFMS in amino acid composition. The similarity of the essential amino acids composition between DFMS and cow milk indicated that there was no modification of the essential amino acids. However, present data showed that the amino acid compositon of FM was similar to that of the cow milk. 5. There was no difference among DFMS in the degree of saturation of fatty acids. The similar or higher levels of essential fatty acids contents of DFMS as compared with human milk revealed that essential fatty acids were added to DFMS during the course of process. From the experimental results described above, it may be concluded that the nutritive effects of three kinds of locally produced DFMS were much alike. It was also found that macro and micro nutrient composition except amino acid composition of locally produced dried formula milk was very much similar to that of the human milk. Moreover, fortification of iron and vitamins resulted in improving their nutritive values as the single form of infantile food, but it seemed that more consideration should be given on the fortification of some nutrients.

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Pilot-scale Applications of a Well-type Reactive Barrier using Autotrophic Sulfur-oxidizers for Nitrate Removal (독립영양 황탈질 미생물을 이용한 관정형 반응벽체의 현장적용성 연구)

  • Lee, Byung-Sun;Um, Jae-Yeon;Lee, Kyu-Yeon;Moon, Hee-Sun;Kim, Yang-Bin;Woo, Nam-C.;Lee, Jong-Min;Nam, Kyoung-Phile
    • Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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    • v.14 no.3
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    • pp.40-46
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    • 2009
  • The applicability of a well-type autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing reactive barrier (L $\times$ W $\times$ D = $3m\;{\times}\;4\;m\;{\times}\;2\;m$) as a long-term treatment option for nitrate removal in groundwater was evaluated. Pilot-scale (L $\times$ W $\times$ D = $8m\;{\times}\;4\;m\;{\times}\;2\;m$) flow-tank experiments were conducted to examine remedial efficacy of the well-type reactive barrier. A total of 80 kg sulfur granules as an electron donor and Thiobacillus denitrificans as an active bacterial species were prepared. Thiobacillus denitrificans was successfully colonized on the surface of the sulfur granules and the microflora transformed nitrate with removal efficiency of ~12% (0.07 mM) for 11 days, ~24% (1.3 mM) for 18 days, ~45% (2.4 mM) for 32 days, and ~52% (2.8 mM) for 60 days. Sulfur granules attached to Thiobacillus denitrificans were used to construct the well-type reactive barrier comprising three discrete barriers installed at 1-m interval downstream. Average initial nitrate concentrations were 181 mg/L for the first 28 days and 281 mg/L for the next 14 days. For the 181 mg/L (2.9 mM) plume, nitrate concentrations decreased by ~2% (0.06 mM), ~9% (0.27 mM), and ~15% (0.44 mM) after $1^{st}$, $2^{nd}$, and $3^{rd}$ barriers, respectively. For the 281 mg/L (4.5 mM) plume, nitrate concentrations decreased by ~1% (0.02 mM), ~6% (0.27 mM), and ~8% (0.37 mM) after $1^{st}$, $2^{nd}$, and $3^{rd}$ barriers, respectively. Nitrate plume was flowed through the flow-tank for 49 days by supplying $1.24\;m^3/d$ of nitrate solution. During nitrate treatment, flow velocity (0.44 m/d), pH (6.7 to 8.3), and DO (0.9~2.8 mg/L) showed little variations. Incomplete destruction of nitrate plume was attributed to the lack of retention time, rarely transverse dispersion, and inhibiting the activity of denitrification enzymes caused by relatively high DO concentrations. For field applications, it should be considered increments of retention time, modification of well placements, and intrinsic DO concentration.

Effect of xylazine hydrochloride on histamine release (Xylazine이 histamine 유리에 미치는 영향)

  • 김영환;박준형
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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    • v.25 no.1
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    • pp.53-73
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    • 2002
  • It has been reported that degranulation of mast cells in rats, rabbits and dog was observed after dosing xylazine hydrochloride(Xh) which has been widely used as sedative, analgesic and muscular relaxant. Therefore, this experiment was conducted to examine the relations between Xh and histamine release and to identify the action of ${\alpha}$-adrenoceptors which exists on the suface of mast cells. 1. The content of histamine within serum was measured with HPLC by performing the O-phthalaldehyde(OPA) fluorescent derivation. The pretreatment method had a little modification from the conventional method. The pretreament was carried out in the following method. 0.2$m\ell$ of serum and 1$m\ell$ of butanol were added to mixed together and then the liquid was centrifugally separated at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 2,000 rpm for 3 minutes. 0.4$m\ell$ of 0.1N HCl and 1.6$m\ell$ of heptane were added to 0.8$m\ell$ of supernatant taken from the liquid, and they were mixed together. This mixture was also centrifugally separated at 4$^{\circ}C$ and 2,000 rpm for 5 minutes. The supernatant was thrown away and the OPA fluorescent derivation was carried out with 0.2$m\ell$ of the lower liquid then, 5 minutes after mixing 400${\mu}\ell$ of 0.1N HCl, 120${\mu}\ell$ of 1N NaOH and 40${\mu}\ell$ of 0.1% OPA in the 0.2$m\ell$ of the lower liquid,120${\mu}\ell$ of 3.57N H$_3$PO$_4$ was added to the mixed liquid, and the liquid, was mixed again and syringe-filtered. Then, the measurement was done with HPLC in the 30 : 70(ν/ν) ratio of 0.004M KH$_2$PO$_4$: CH$_3$CN, flow rate of 1.0$m\ell$/min., and a wavelength of λex= 350nm and λem=444nm at the column temperature of 27$^{\circ}C$, using the fluorescence detector. 2. The content of histamine in each laboratory animal appeared to be higher in such an order as rabbit, rat, guinea pig, dog, Korean indigenous goat, swine, Korean indigenous cattle, Holstein, and mouse, of which the individual mean values${\pm}$standard deviation were 2.0668 ${\pm}$ 0.6049. 0.4999 ${\pm}$ 0.2278, 0.4241 ${\pm}$ 0.1974, 0.1054 ${\pm}$ 0.0556, 0.1028 ${\pm}$ 0.0276, 0.0972 ${\pm}$ 0.0513, 0.0872 ${\pm}$ 0.0373, 0.0717 ${\pm}$ 0.0379, and 0.0706 ${\pm}$ 0.0366, respectively. 3. The content of histamine was measured at the moments of 15-, 30-, 60-, 120-minutes after inoamuscular injection of 20mg/100kg Xh into two to 4 years old Holstein weighing 600∼700kg. The result showed that there was a significant increase at the times of 30- and 90-minutes after injection(p<0.05). 4. Intramuscular injection of 3mg/10kg Xh was given to crossbred pug dogs weighing 2.5∼4.3kg. The content of histamine was measured at the times of 30-, 60-, 90- and 120-minutes after injection. The result revealed that there was a significant increase at the times of 60-and 90-minutes after injection(p<0.05). 5. Intramuscular injection of 10mg/$m\ell$∼25mg/$m\ell$ Xh in concentration of 0.1$m\ell$ was applied to Korean indigenous goat over 5 months old. Then, the content of histamine was measured at the times of 15-, 30-, 60- and 90-minutes after injection. A significant increase was shown at the times of 30- and 60-minutes after injection(p<0.05). 6. The content of histamine was measured at the moments of 30- and 60-minutes after intramuscular injection of 0.1-0.2$m\ell$ Xh (20mg/$m\ell$) into male rabbits weighting 2.5-4kg. A significant increase was found at the moment of 60 minutes after injection(p<0.001). 7. After administering Xh to the mast cell taken from the abdominal cavity of mouse, the content of histamine was measured. The result showed that the higher the concentration, the more significantly the content of histamine was increased(p<0.05). 8. Compound 48/80 was administered in concentration of 5$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ and 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ to the mast cell picked from the abdominal cavity of mouse. The result showed that there was a significant increase in the content of histamine in case of the concentration of 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$(p<0.05). It was found to be about 10,000 to 500,000 times stronger than the Xh. 9. After premedication of 1mg/kg of yohimbine hydrochloride as ${\alpha}$$_2$-adrenergic antagonist to rabbits, the Xh was administered to them. The result was that the value of histamine within serum was decreased significantly(p<0.001). 10. After premeditation of 1mg/kg of prazosin hydrochloride as ${\alpha}$$_1$-adrenergic antagonist to rabbits, the Xh was administered to them. It was found that the value of histamine within serum was decreased significantly(p<0.005). 11, Prazosin hydrochloride and yohimbine hydrochloride as ${\alpha}$$_1$-adrenergic antagonist, respectively, and ${\alpha}$$_2$-adrenergic antagonist were administerd. In this case, the value of histamine within serum was decreased significantly(p<0.0001). As the results, when the Xh is administered to various kinds of animals, the amount of histamine release within serum is increased. In view of the results so far achieved, it is concluded that Xh acted on both a$_1$-adrenoreceptor and ${\alpha}$$_2$-adrenoreceptor induces the degranulation of mast cell.

Resolving the 'Gray sheep' Problem Using Social Network Analysis (SNA) in Collaborative Filtering (CF) Recommender Systems (소셜 네트워크 분석 기법을 활용한 협업필터링의 특이취향 사용자(Gray Sheep) 문제 해결)

  • Kim, Minsung;Im, Il
    • Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.137-148
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    • 2014
  • Recommender system has become one of the most important technologies in e-commerce in these days. The ultimate reason to shop online, for many consumers, is to reduce the efforts for information search and purchase. Recommender system is a key technology to serve these needs. Many of the past studies about recommender systems have been devoted to developing and improving recommendation algorithms and collaborative filtering (CF) is known to be the most successful one. Despite its success, however, CF has several shortcomings such as cold-start, sparsity, gray sheep problems. In order to be able to generate recommendations, ordinary CF algorithms require evaluations or preference information directly from users. For new users who do not have any evaluations or preference information, therefore, CF cannot come up with recommendations (Cold-star problem). As the numbers of products and customers increase, the scale of the data increases exponentially and most of the data cells are empty. This sparse dataset makes computation for recommendation extremely hard (Sparsity problem). Since CF is based on the assumption that there are groups of users sharing common preferences or tastes, CF becomes inaccurate if there are many users with rare and unique tastes (Gray sheep problem). This study proposes a new algorithm that utilizes Social Network Analysis (SNA) techniques to resolve the gray sheep problem. We utilize 'degree centrality' in SNA to identify users with unique preferences (gray sheep). Degree centrality in SNA refers to the number of direct links to and from a node. In a network of users who are connected through common preferences or tastes, those with unique tastes have fewer links to other users (nodes) and they are isolated from other users. Therefore, gray sheep can be identified by calculating degree centrality of each node. We divide the dataset into two, gray sheep and others, based on the degree centrality of the users. Then, different similarity measures and recommendation methods are applied to these two datasets. More detail algorithm is as follows: Step 1: Convert the initial data which is a two-mode network (user to item) into an one-mode network (user to user). Step 2: Calculate degree centrality of each node and separate those nodes having degree centrality values lower than the pre-set threshold. The threshold value is determined by simulations such that the accuracy of CF for the remaining dataset is maximized. Step 3: Ordinary CF algorithm is applied to the remaining dataset. Step 4: Since the separated dataset consist of users with unique tastes, an ordinary CF algorithm cannot generate recommendations for them. A 'popular item' method is used to generate recommendations for these users. The F measures of the two datasets are weighted by the numbers of nodes and summed to be used as the final performance metric. In order to test performance improvement by this new algorithm, an empirical study was conducted using a publically available dataset - the MovieLens data by GroupLens research team. We used 100,000 evaluations by 943 users on 1,682 movies. The proposed algorithm was compared with an ordinary CF algorithm utilizing 'Best-N-neighbors' and 'Cosine' similarity method. The empirical results show that F measure was improved about 11% on average when the proposed algorithm was used

    . Past studies to improve CF performance typically used additional information other than users' evaluations such as demographic data. Some studies applied SNA techniques as a new similarity metric. This study is novel in that it used SNA to separate dataset. This study shows that performance of CF can be improved, without any additional information, when SNA techniques are used as proposed. This study has several theoretical and practical implications. This study empirically shows that the characteristics of dataset can affect the performance of CF recommender systems. This helps researchers understand factors affecting performance of CF. This study also opens a door for future studies in the area of applying SNA to CF to analyze characteristics of dataset. In practice, this study provides guidelines to improve performance of CF recommender systems with a simple modification.