• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1109-1119
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• 2011

In the present study, the pro-apoptotic effects of methanol extract of Prunus mume fruits (MEPM) in human leukemia U937 cells were investigated. It was found that exposure to MEPM resulted in growth inhibition in a concentration-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis. The induction of apoptotic cell death in U937 cells by MEPM was correlated with a down-regulation of inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, such as X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and survivin, anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, up-regulation of FasL and cleavage of Bid. MEPM treatment also induced the proteolytic activation of caspase-3, caspase-8 and caspase-9, and degradation of caspase-3 substrate proteins, such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and ${\beta}$-catenin. In addition, apoptotic cell death induced by MEPM was significantly inhibited by z-DEVD-fmk, a caspase-3 specific inhibitor, which demonstrates the important role of caspase-3 in the apoptotic process by MEPM in U937 cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that P. mume extracts may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the control of human leukemia cells and further studies will be needed to identify the active compounds.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.48-62
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• 1994

The acute irradiation effect on rat Purkinje cell was carried out. Anesthetized rats, weighing 200-250g each, were exposed their heads to the linear accelerator (ML-4MV) with the doses of 3,000 rads or 6,000 rads respectively. Irradiated rats were sacrificed by perfusion fixation under anesthesia, six hours, two days and six days following the irradiations. Rats were perfused with the fixative of 1% glutaraldehyde-1% paraformaldehyde solution (pH 7.4). Small pieces of cerebellar cortices were taken out. Tissue blocks were washed out, and were refixed in the 2% osmium tetroxide solution. After dehydration, tissues were embedded in the araldite mixture. Ultrathin sections stained with uranyl acetate-lead citrate solution, were examined with an electron microscope. The results observed were as follow; 1. Many dark Purkinje cells exhibited most severe cellular alterations on 6 hours. But after the 2 or 6 days, the cells exhibited only some alterations of cytoplasmic organelles. 2. Many granular and agranular endoplasmic reticula exhibited the fusion of cisterns. These reticular alterations were most severe on 6 hours following irradiation. But the alterations were hardly found on 6 days. 3. In the Golgi region, alterations including the adhesion of lamelliform cisterns, enlarged saccules, and increased number of vesicles, etc, were seen on 6 hours. But the Golgi complexes were almost recovered on 6 days. 4. Lysosomes were abundant on 6 hours or 2 days, but some residual bodies were found on 6 days. 5. Mitochondrial changes were also most severe at on hours, and they were recovered thereafter. From the results, it was concluded that the cerebellar Purkinje cells reacted to the high doses of irradiation by hyperactive protein synthesis, autolytic activities and energy metabolism. The reaction was most active in the early stage. It implies that motor-control function of Purkinje cells are severely disturbed in the early stage of irradiation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.249-255
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• 2015

Schisandrae fructus [Schizandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baillon] is a medicinal herb widely used for treating various inflammatory and immune diseases in East Asian countries. The Schisandrae Semen essential oil (SSeo) from this plant has pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antitumoral activities. Nevertheless, the biological activities and underlying molecular mechanisms of the potential anti-cancer effects of this oil remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the potential inhibition of apoptosis signaling pathways by SSeo in human leukemia U937 cells and evaluated the underlying molecular mechanism. Exposure to SSeo resulted in a concentration-dependent growth inhibition due to apoptosis, which was verified by DNA fragmentation, the presence of apoptotic bodies, and an increase in the sub-G1 ratio. Induction of apoptotic cell death by SSeo was correlated with the down-regulation of members of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family (including X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP), cIAP-1, and surviving) and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2, and with up-regulation of death receptor (DR) 4 and DR5, depending on dosage. SSeo treatment also induced Bid truncation, mitochondrial dysfunction, proteolytic activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9, and concomitant degradation of activated caspase-3 target proteins such as poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Taken together, these findings suggest that SSeo may be a potential chemotherapeutic agent for use in the control of human leukemia cells. Further studies are needed to identify its active compounds.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 1974

Many of studies on the transovarial transmission of occult virus and their activation due to various stresses such as cold or heat treatment, chemical feeding, and nutritional deficiency, etc., in the silkworm, Bombyx mori L. have been made, but any attempts have been not made to control virus diseases by detection of the occult virus-carried moths in the production of silkworm egg of hybrids, because of difficulty to detect occult virus in any stage. Therefore, it may be worth while to disclose whether a sublethal infection of the moths from which active virus are detectable, has the same level of induction rate as that of occult virus activation, thus to apply its results for the reduction of the occurence of virus diseases in silkworm rearing. For these purposes, the following experiment was conducted as one of preliminary steps. In this study, investigations on the generation-to-generation transmission of occult virus and a sublethal infection, and the role of chromosomal gene of the host, Jam 103 and Jam 104 in the Previous generation, and Jam 103 x Jam 103 and Jam 104 f Jam 104 in the next generation were made for the induction of virus diseases due to the transmitted virus. The frequency of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis due to the induction in the F$_1$ generation was markedly higher in the cross-batches, male$\times$female and male$\times$female in which inoculated individuals were used as fem ale parents than in the cross-batches, male$\times$female and male$\times$female in which virus has been not inoculated or inoculated only to male in the previous generation. The tendency of increasing rate was observed in any treatments; such as the inoculations of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (10$\^$5/, 10$\^$6/ 10$\^$7, and 10$\^$8//ml ill different concentration of inocula) , cold-treatment (5$^{\circ}C$, 12hrs or 24hrs), and formalin-feeding treatment (2％ or 3％). The shape of polyhedra (tetragonal in outline) examined in the F, larvae was identified as that of the inoculated polyhedra with partial application of immunofluorescent techniques. These results suggests that the cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus in B. meri L. are transmitted to the next generation through the egg, apparently in the occult state. And the experimental results of various cross-batches revealed the egg cytoplasm plays an important part i the transmission of the occult virus of the cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus,

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.586-597
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• 1999

Background: Many diagnostic tests have developed to diagnose tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases but the diagnosis of tuberculosis relies largely on radiological findings and acid-fast staining of sputum and/or culture. Recently, new serologic diagnostic methods, which are safe and easy to use have been introduced into Korea. In this study, the usefulness of serologic diagnosis for tuberculosis and the disease pattern induced variation of the test were evaluated. Methods: Serological assay was performed upon 108 patients with two test kits, the ICT tuberculosis and the BioSign$^{TM}$TB, which are based upon a rapid immunochromatographic assay technique, capable of being interpreted within 15 minutes. The case groups consisted of 61 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis(36 patients), extrapulmonary tuberculosis(3 patients), or both(22 patients). Control groups consisted of 47 patients with inactive old pulmonary tuberculosis(17 patients), nontuberculous pulmonary disease(16 patients) and nonpulmonary cardiac disease(14 patients). Results : The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value(PPV) and negative predictive value(NPV) of the ICT tuberculosis were 64.3%, 91.5%, 90.0% and 68.3% respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the BioSign$^{TM}$TB were 76.5%, 95.3%, 94.1 % and 78.8% respectively. Differences in sensitivity were not significant between patients with previous history of tuberculosis or patients without prior history of tuberculosis. The ICT tuberculosis test showed higher sensitivity in pulmonary tuberculosis patients(76.5%) than extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients(33.3%). There was no difference in sensitivity between patients with or without cavitary lesion by chest X-ray. Conclusion: Considering high specificity and PPV, serologic diagnosis using a rapid immunochromatographic assay device is another helpful diagnostic method in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, when combined with previous diagnostic methods such as chest X-ray, microbiologic study but it has limitation in terms of confirming the diagnosis for tuberculosis as the only diagnostic method because of relatively low sensitivity and NPV.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.60-71
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• 1976

The author reviewed the medical records of 96 typhoid fever patients who were diagnosed, admitted, and treated at Sea grave Memorial Hospital from January 1 , 1973 through August 31, 1975. Diagnosis was determined by clinical observation, aerology and bacteriology, eighty patients were treated medically, the remaining 16 patients required surgical intervention. The following results were obtained: 1) The age distribution of the patients revealed that 33.3% wert between 10 and 19 years old 21.9% were between 20 and 29, and 19.8% were between 30 and 39. The majority of patients were from these more active age groups. Male to female sex ratio was 1.3 : 1 2) Seasonal distribution was observed. Most illness occurred in the summer and autumn month 5. 3) 84. 3%of the patients came from farm families. 4) Duration between onset and admission averaged 16.0 days. The group without compilations was admitted after an average of 15. 1 days; The group with complications was ad-matted after an average of 19.4 days. 5) Methods of treatment before admission were as follows: 10.4% at medical clinics, 61, 5% at pharmacies (antibiotics 47.9%, other. drugs 13.5%), 7.3% by herb medications, 20.8% had no treatment. 6) Main clinical symptoms were as follows: fever 93.8%, headache 47.9%, abdominal pain 47.9%, chills 38.5%, cough 36.5%, general weakness 26.0%, nausea e vomiting 24.0% and generalized pain 21.9%. 7) Temperature of patients on admission: 22.9% were 39f or more, 67.6% were between 37℃ and 38℃, and 9.4% were 37℃ or less. 8) Occurrence of intensional bleeding after onset of disease averaged 9.3 days; perforation occurred at an average of 19. 1 days. 9) Interval between onset of major complication and surgical intervention averaged 2.8 days. 10) Among the 68 patients who underwent the bacteriological test the positive rate was 44.1% (30). The positive ,ales to, each separate culture method were as follows: 20.4% in the blood culture, 40.4% in the stool culture and 6.7% in the urine culture. Among these bacteriological positive patients 15 patients had a negative results or less than 160 titer of vidal reaction. 11) The initial vidal test of the total group showed a counts of 160 titer or more in 60.4% and less than 160 titer in 39.6%, 12) W. B. C. Counts in the uncomplicated group indicated that 32.5% were 6,000/㎣ or less, 47.5% were between 6,000 and 10,000, arid 20.0% were 10,000/㎣ or more. In the complicated group, 37.6% were 6,000/㎣ or less, 25,0% were 6,000-10,000/㎣ and 37.6% were 10,000/㎣ or more. 13) Duration of hospital stay of the patients averaged 6.4 days in the uncomplicated group and 12.7 days in the complicated group. 14) Subdiaphragmatic free air simple X-ray was found in 91.7% of the perforated cases. 15) Duration of antibiotic therapy until an febrile state was attained averaged 4.8 days in the uncomplicated group and 6.5 days in the complicated group. 16) Operative procedures were as follows: one layer simple closure of their perforation with or without debasement in 56.3%, drainage only in 6.3%, small bowel resection with primary anastomosis in 18.8% , externalization in 6.3%, cholecystectomy in 6.3%, The clinical findings of this study suggest the following recommendations. According to Top's report; 1% of typhoid fever patients treated with chlorarnphenicol and 2% of patients treated with other drugs become chronic carriers. Therefore, importance should be given to the strict control of these carriers. Immunization, improvement of sanitation and living standards are all needed for the prevention and treatment of disease, but a more serious problem is a lack of knowledge on the part of patients and their families. Thus it is most urgent to enlighten the citizens about the transmission and hygiene related to contagious disease. Legal restriction of sale of antibiotics at drug stores without a physician's prescription is an urgent matter for public health administrators. An even more important nursing responsibility is the reemphasis on health education both in the clinical setting and in the home.

• Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.179-192
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• 2014

Keeping in line with the recent changes in the information technology environment, the online learning environment that supports multiple users' participation such as MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) has become important. One of the largest professional associations in Information Technology, IEEE Computer Society, announced that "Supporting New Learning Styles" is a crucial trend in 2014. Popular MOOC services, CourseRa and edX, have continued to build active learning environment with a large number of lectures accessible anywhere using smart devices, and have been used by an increasing number of users. In addition, collaborative web services (e.g., blogs and Wikipedia) also support the creation of various user-uploaded learning materials, resulting in a vast amount of new lectures and learning materials being created every day in the online space. However, it is difficult for an online educational system to keep a learner' motivation as learning occurs remotely, with limited capability to share knowledge among the learners. Thus, it is essential to understand which materials are needed for each learner and how to motivate learners to actively participate in online learning system. To overcome these issues, leveraging the constructivism theory and collective intelligence, we have developed a social bookmarking system called WeStudy, which supports learning material sharing among the users and provides personalized learning material recommendations. Constructivism theory argues that knowledge is being constructed while learners interact with the world. Collective intelligence can be separated into two types: (1) collaborative collective intelligence, which can be built on the basis of direct collaboration among the participants (e.g., Wikipedia), and (2) integrative collective intelligence, which produces new forms of knowledge by combining independent and distributed information through highly advanced technologies and algorithms (e.g., Google PageRank, Recommender systems). Recommender system, one of the examples of integrative collective intelligence, is to utilize online activities of the users and recommend what users may be interested in. Our system included both collaborative collective intelligence functions and integrative collective intelligence functions. We analyzed well-known Web services based on collective intelligence such as Wikipedia, Slideshare, and Videolectures to identify main design factors that support collective intelligence. Based on this analysis, in addition to sharing online resources through social bookmarking, we selected three essential functions for our system: 1) multimodal visualization of learning materials through two forms (e.g., list and graph), 2) personalized recommendation of learning materials, and 3) explicit designation of learners of their interest. After developing web-based WeStudy system, we conducted usability testing through the heuristic evaluation method that included seven heuristic indices: features and functionality, cognitive page, navigation, search and filtering, control and feedback, forms, context and text. We recruited 10 experts who majored in Human Computer Interaction and worked in the same field, and requested both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the system. The evaluation results show that, relative to the other functions evaluated, the list/graph page produced higher scores on all indices except for contexts & text. In case of contexts & text, learning material page produced the best score, compared with the other functions. In general, the explicit designation of learners of their interests, one of the distinctive functions, received lower scores on all usability indices because of its unfamiliar functionality to the users. In summary, the evaluation results show that our system has achieved high usability with good performance with some minor issues, which need to be fully addressed before the public release of the system to large-scale users. The study findings provide practical guidelines for the design and development of various systems that utilize collective intelligence.

• The Southeast Asian review
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.37-76
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• 2017

$Nguy{\tilde{\hat{e}}}n$ Cư Trinh has two faces in the history of territorial expansion of Vietnam into the Mekong delta. One is his heroic contribution to the $Nguy{\tilde{\hat{e}}}n$ family gaining control over the large part of the Mekong delta. The other is his role to make the eyes of readers of Vietnamese history be fixed only to the present territory of Vietnam. To the readers, $Nguy{\tilde{\hat{e}}}n$ Cư Trinh's achievement of territorial expansion was the final stage of the nam $ti{\acute{\hat{e}}n$ of Vietnam. In fact, however, his achievement was partial. This study pays attention to the King $V{\tilde{o}}$ instead of $Nguy{\tilde{\hat{e}}}n$ Cư Trinh in the history of the territorial expansion in the Mekong delta. King's goal was more ambitious. And the ambition was propelled by his dream to build a new world, and its order, in which his new capital, $Ph{\acute{u}}$ $Xu{\hat{a}}n$ was to be the center with his status as an emperor. To improve my assertion, three elements were examined in this article. First is the nature of $V{\tilde{o}}$ Vương's new kingship. Second is the preparation and the background of the military operation in the Mekong Delta. The nature of the new territory is the third element of the discussion. In 1744, six years after this ascending to the throne, $V{\tilde{o}}$ Vương declared he was a king. Author points out this event as the departure of the southern kingdom from the traditional dynasties based on the Red River delta. Besides, the government system, northern custom and way of dressings were abandoned and new southern modes were adopted. $V{\tilde{o}}$ Vương had enough tributary kingdoms such as Cambodia, Champa, Thủy $X{\tilde{a}}$, Hoả $X{\tilde{a}}$, Vạn Tượng, and Nam Chưởng. Compared with the $L{\hat{e}}$ empire, the number of the tributary kingdoms was higher and the number was equivalent to that of the Đại Nam empire of the 19th century. In reality, author claims, the King $V{\tilde{o}}^{\prime}s$ real intention was to become an emperor. Though he failed in using the title of emperor, he distinguished himself by claiming himself as the Heaven King, $Thi{\hat{e}}n$ Vương. Cambodian king's attack on the thousands of Cham ethnics in Cambodian territory was an enough reason to the King $V{\tilde{o}}^{\prime}s$ military intervention. He considered these Cham men and women as his amicable subjects, and he saw them a branch of the Cham communities in his realm. He declared war against Cambodia in 1750. At the same time he sent a lengthy letter to the Siamese king claiming that the Cambodia was his exclusive tributary kingdom. Before he launched a fatal strike on the Mekong delta which had been the southern part of Cambodia, $V{\tilde{o}}$ Vương renovated his capital $Ph{\acute{u}}$ $Xu{\hat{a}}n$ to the level of the new center of power equivalent to that of empire for his sake. Inflation, famine, economic distortion were also the features of this time. But this study pays attention more to the active policy of the King $V{\tilde{o}}$ as an empire builder than to the economic situation that has been told as the main reason for King $V{\tilde{o}}^{\prime}s$ annexation of the large part of the Mekong delta. From the year of 1754, by the initiative of $Nguy{\tilde{\hat{e}}}n$ Cư Trinh, almost whole region of the Mekong delta within the current border line was incorporated into the territory of $V{\tilde{o}}$ Vương within three years, though the intention of the king was to extend his land to the right side of the Mekong Basin beyond the current border such as Kampong Cham, Prey Vieng, and Svai Rieng. The main reason was $V{\tilde{o}}$ Vương's need to expand his territory to be matched with that of his potential empire with the large number of the tributary kingdoms. King $V{\tilde{o}}^{\prime}s$ strategy was the variation of 'silkworm nibbling' and 'to strike barbarians by barbarians.' He ate the land of Lower Cambodia, the region of the Mekong delta step by step as silkworm nibbles mulberry leave(general meaning of $t{\acute{a}}m$ thực), but his final goal was to eat all(another meaning of $t{\acute{a}}m$ thực) the part of the Mekong delta including the three provinces of Cambodia mentioned above. He used Cham to strike Cambodian in the process of getting land from Long An area to $Ch{\hat{a}}u$ Đốc. This is a faithful application of the Dĩ Man $C{\hat{o}}ng$ Man (to strike barbarians by barbarians). In addition he used Chinese refugees led by the Mạc family or their quasi kingdom to gain land in the region of $H{\grave{a}}$ $Ti{\hat{e}}n$ and its environs from the hand of Cambodian king. This is another application of Dĩ Man $C{\hat{o}}ng$ Man. In sum, author claims a new way of looking at the origin of the imperial world order which emerged during the first half of the 19th century. It was not the result of the long history of Đại Việt empires based on the Red River delta, but the succession of the King $V{\tilde{o}}^{\prime}s$ new world based on $Ph{\acute{u}}$ $Xu{\hat{a}}n$. The same ways of Dĩ Man $C{\hat{o}}ng$ Man and $T{\acute{a}}m$ Thực Chi $K{\acute{\hat{e}}}$ were still used by $V{\tilde{o}}^{\prime}s$ descendents. His grandson Gia Long used man such as Thai, Khmer, Lao, Chinese, and European to win another man the '$T{\hat{a}}y$ Sơn bandits' that included many of Chinese pirates, Cham, and other mountain peoples. His great grand son Minh Mạng constructed a splendid empire. At the same time, however, Minh Mạng kept expanding the size of his empire by eating all the part of Cambodia and Cham territories.