• School Mathematics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.139-154
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• 2008

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how sixth grade elementary school students react to the types of letters use, what levels of understanding letters students are in and what difficulties are in understanding letters, and to raise issues about instructional methods of algebra. A descriptive study through pencil-and- paper tests was conducted. The test instruments consisted of 18 questions with 6 types of letters use. According to the results of testing, students' types of letter use and the levels of understanding letters were classified. The conclusions from the results of this study were as follows: First, the higher the types of letters use, the more sixth grade elementary school students had low scores on the types. Therefore, teaching methodologies of letters and expressions in the classroom need to encourage for students to improve their ability of using and understanding letter. Second, approximately 40% of students were categorized in level 3. Accordingly it is necessary to have a program of teaching and learning to improve their understanding levels of letters. Third, approximately 15% of students were categorized in level 0. In order to develop understanding of letters, it is important that students use letter evaluated and letter used as an object. Fourth, students had the difficulties in understanding letters. It is informative for teachers to understand these students' difficulties and thinking processes. Finally, we must treat the different uses of letters and introduce them successively according to the student's understanding levels of letters.

• Journal of KIISE:Computing Practices and Letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.38-46
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• 2009

With the rapid increase in the number of Web documents, the problem of information overload is growing more serious in Internet search. In order to ease the problem, researchers are paying attention to personalization, which creates Web environment fittingly for users' preference, but most of search engines produce results focused on users' queries. Thus, the present study examined the method of producing search results personalized based on a user's understanding level. A characteristic that differentiates this study from previous researches is that it considers users' understanding level and searches documents of difficulty fit for the level first. The difficulty level of a document is adjusted based on the understanding level of users who access the document, and a user's understanding level is updated periodically based on the difficulty of documents accessed by the user. A Web search system based on the results of this study is expected to bring very useful results to Web users of various age groups.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.101-103
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• 2009

The hepatocyte nuclear factor-$4{\alpha}$ (HNF-$4{\alpha}$), transcription factor involved in the regulation of serum lipid and glucose levels, has recently been reported to be associated with type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we investigated the genotype for the rs1884614 of HNF-$4{\alpha}$ gene in Korean population and compared genotype of patients with control group. 100 patients (Male 63, Female 37), who previously underwent type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and 100 controls (Male 36, Female 64) participated in this study. According to our present study there was no association between rs1884614 polymorphism in HNF-$4{\alpha}$ gene and T2DM in Koreans although other reports showed that HNF-$4{\alpha}$ polymorphisms might be associated with the pathogenesis of T2DM in Pima Indians et al. We assume that this finding should contribute to understanding of type 2 diabetes in Korean population in detail at genetic level.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.35-41
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• 2014

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods have been used extensively in clinical steroid analyses. Evaluating the metabolic ratios of precursors to products by accurate quantification of individual steroid levels in biological samples can reveal the activities of enzymes associated with steroid metabolism. This review article discusses the impact of GC-MS-based steroid profiling on our understanding of the biochemical role of steroids and their metabolic enzymes in hormone-dependent diseases, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), cortisol-mediated hypertension, apparent mineralocorticoid excess (AME), male-pattern baldness, and breast and thyroid cancers. Steroid profiling is a comprehensive analytical technique that can be applied whenever the highest specificity is required and may be a reasonable initial diagnostic approach.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.65-70
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• 2001

We have carried out PCR reactions to investigate if cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes (1A1, 1A2, 2C8, 2E1 and 3A4), which are well hewn to be the key enzymes in detoxification process and/or synthesis of steroids in the liver, are expressed in the human brain, too. P450 1A1, 2C8 and 2E1 were expressed clearly. However, P450 1A2 and 3A4 were not detectable. Their expression levels in the human brain could be extremely low or they were not expressed at all. One base substitution at nucleotide 290 (A->G) was identified in P450 1A1. It is suspected to be an individual polymorphism. Our results should contribute to the better understanding of the role of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the human brain.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.215-219
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• 2016

The problems of tuberculosis and its drug resistance are very severe. Therefore, rapid and accurate drug susceptibility assay is required. Recently, there has been an increased understanding of the genetic mechanism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) drug resistance as well as advancement of molecular technologies. While many gene mutations correlate well with drug resistance, many genes do not show a strong correlation with drug resistance. For this reason, the current study assessed the utility of rpoB mRNA as a target to detect live mycobacteria. In this study, RT-PCR targeting of rpoB mRNA in BCG treated with rifampin was performed. Conventional RT-PCR and real-time PCR targeting rpoB mRNA as well as 85B mRNA was performed to determine whether these two methods could distinguish between viable and non-viable MTB. The levels of rpoB and 85B mRNA detected by RT- PCR were compared in parallel with colony forming unit counts of BCG that were treated with rifampin for different periods of time. The data suggests that that even though both mRNA levels of rpoB and 85B decreased gradually when rifampin-treatment increased, the rpoB mRNA seemed to represent live bacteria better than 85B mRNA. This study clearly indicates that RT-PCR is a good method to monitor viable cell counts in the liquid culture treated with the anti-tuberculosis drug.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.91-103
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• 2023

As one of the most common mood disorders, numerous studies have shown depression is the main risk factor for non-suicidal self-harm. The pathogenesis of depression is complex, and a comprehensive and rapid measurement of monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites will be very helpful in understanding the pathogenesis of depression. Therefore, a rapid and sensitive underivatized liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the simultaneous monitoring of the levels of ten neurotransmitters and their metabolites in rat serum and limbic system and successfully applied to quantify the changes of neurotransmitter levels in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced rats. The analytes studied were mainly involved in tyrosine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, and glutamate cycling pathways, which are important in the pathogenesis of depression. It had been verified the method was sensitive and effective, with satisfactory linearity, and met the requirements of biological sample determination. Levels of neurotransmitters in rat serum, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, striatum, and hypothalamus were determined via the method. The results showed serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and their metabolites were decreased, glutamine was increased, and glutamate was disturbed in chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depression rats. This method provides a new approach to studying the pathogenesis of depression and other neurological disorders.

• Journal of The Geomorphological Association of Korea
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.29-36
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• 2013

This article focuses on the contents of physical geography described in elementary Manguk-Gygi, in the period commonly regarded as the Enlightenment Period in Korea. During this period, this textbook contains wide-range of facts and knowledges of worlds. The results are as follows. First, in written korean-chinese letters, people can easily interpret the contents of geography. Second, people can know conceptual understanding of difficult geomorphic words in accord with people's levels. Third, many information of world nations can be introduced by this book. Fourth, this book made a major contribution in overcoming traditional natural perspectives, by introducing foreign cultures, consists of contents of physical geography aimed at rational and objective perception of the nature. But it is possible to conclude that pro-Japanese education acted on the educational authorities could be carried out in Korea from the late of Nineteenth century.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.426-429
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• 2018

Chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL) is characterized by eosinophilia and organ damage. Imatinib is widely used for treating CEL, chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Unfortunately, the cancer cells gain resistance against the drug after prolonged molecular-targeted therapies. Imatinib-resistant EoL-1 (EoL-1-IR) cells were produced from chronic eosinophilic leukemia cells (EoL-1) after treatment with imatinib for a long duration. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis revealed numerous protein variations in the EoL-1 and EoL-1-IR sub-types. Compared to the EoL-1 cells, expression levels of TIP49, RBBP7, ${\alpha}$-enolase, adenosine deaminase, C protein, galactokinase, eukaryotic translation initiation factor, $IFN-{\gamma}$, and human protein homologous to DROER were increased, whereas core I protein, proteasome subunit p42, heterogeneous ribonuclear particle protein, chain B, and nucleoside diphosphate were decreased in the EoL-1-IR cells. Taken together, these results contribute to understanding the pathogenic mechanism of drug-resistant diseases.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.162-167
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• 2014

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major global health problems and it has been estimated that in 5~10% of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-infected individuals, the infection progresses to an active disease. Numerous cytokines and chemokines regulate immunological responses at cellular level including stimulation and recruitment of wide range of cells in immunity and inflammation. In the present study, the mRNA expression levels of eight host immune markers containing of IFN-${\gamma}$, TNF-${\alpha}$, IL-2R, IL-4, IL-10, CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in whole blood cells from active pulmonary TB patients were measured after T-cell mitogen (PHA) and MTB specific antigens (ESAT-6, CFP-10, and TB7.7). Among the TH1-type factors, IFN-${\gamma}$ mRNA expression was peaked at 4 h, TNF-${\alpha}$ and IL-2R mRNA expression was significantly high at the late time points (24 h) in active TB patients, TH2-type cytokine (IL4 and IL10) mRNA expression levels in both active TB and healthy controls samples did not changed significantly, and the mRNA expression of the three IFN-${\gamma}$-induced chemokines (CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) were peaked at the late time points (24 h) in active TB patients after MTB specific antigen stimulation. In conclusion, the mRNA expression patterns of the TB-related immune markers in response to the T-cell mitogen (PHA) differed from those in response to MTB specific antigens and these findings may helpful for understanding the relationship between MTB infection and host immune markers in a transcripts level.