• Herbal Formula Science
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.157-169
• /
• 2023

Gracilaria Verrucosa (GV), a seaweed used in traditional Korean medicine, was studied for its effects on MI-induced heart failure in rats. MI is caused by a blocked coronary artery, leading to severe cardiac dysfunction. The study used a rat model to assess cardiac changes over time and evaluate the impact of GV on heart failure. Ischemia was induced through LAD ligation surgery, and the extent of ischemic area was measured as a prognostic factor. GV extract administration significantly improved cardiac morphology and reduced cardiac weight compared to the MI group. GV treatment also improved cardiac function, as evidenced by positive effects on chamber dilation during MI-induced heart failure. Parameters such as ejection fraction (EF) and fractional shortening (FS) were measured. The MI group showed decreased EF and FS compared to the sham group, while these parameters improved in the GV group. GV treatment also reduced levels of LDH, CPK, and CK-MB in the serum, indicating reduced myocardial damage. Histological analysis revealed that GV treatment attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, with reduced collagen deposition in the myocardium. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed suppressed expression of TGF-β1 and collagen 1, involved in fibrosis. In conclusion, GV showed potential in improving cardiac function in a rat model of MI-induced heart failure. It alleviated myocardial damage, attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, and suppressed fibrotic markers. Further studies are needed to explore its clinical efficacy and underlying mechanisms in cardiac diseases beyond animal models.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.246-260
• /
• 2022

This study was conducted to analyze the creativity education contents of dance activities in physical education textbooks for the 3rd and 4th grades of elementary school. For this purpose, 16 types of textbooks and auxiliary data for physical education in the 3rd and 4th grades of elementary school were collected and analyzed using the creative education content analysis frame of the physical education textbook based on the 4P model. In order to secure the integrity of the research, expert consultation was operated. The results of this study are as follows. First, from the viewpoint of creative person, 'inquiry' was the most common in creative mind, and the rest of the elements appeared relatively evenly. As for the subject of activity, 'individual' and 'colleague (team)' showed similar frequencies. Second, from the viewpoint of the creative process, all activity areas appeared as 'learning', and most of the elements of the activity purpose appeared evenly, and the creative process was explored. Third, from the viewpoint of creative output, physical activity performance was the most common activity method, and two or three activity methods were used together. In the creativity factor, all factors appeared evenly, and sensitivity and sophistication were the most common with 4 factors. Fourth, from the viewpoint of the creative environment, most of the activity spaces were no restrictions, and the activity media consisted of many educational contents using the body. Through this study, it was requested that creativity education in dance activities should be expanded quantitatively and intensified in quality, and the necessity of spreading creativity education contents of dance activities to other areas was explored.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
• /
• v.16
• /
• pp.69-85
• /
• 2003

Death has been one of the basic objects in philosophy and religion. Why do people feel afraid about death? Maybe it is because they don't know the situation after death or because they have a wrong idea about it. Someone may think that he/she doesn't care the situation. But this attitude is wrong. We must understand that our attitude about life is shaped by our knowledge of the situation after death. A recurrent theme about death in popular thought is the idea that death is mysterious. As we have seen, it is difficult to formulate a satisfactory philosophical analysis of the concept of death. If it is impossible to analyse the concept of death, then it is impossible to explain precisely what we mean when we say that something dies. It might be said therefore that, in virtue of this fact, death is mysterious. Of course, death is not distinctively mysterious - all other unanalysable concepts are equally mysterious in this way. Reflection on death gives rise to a variety of philosophical questions. One of the deepest of these is a question about the nature of death. Typically, philosophers interpret this question as a call for an analysis or definition of the concept of death. Plato, for example, proposed to define death as the separation of soul from body. However, this definition is not acceptable to those who think that there are no souls. It is also unacceptable to anyone who thinks that plants and lower animals have no souls, but can nonetheless die. Others have defined death simply as the cessation of life. This too is problematic, since an organism that goes into suspended animation ceases to live, but may not actually die. The eastern philosophers proposed to define death as the nonduality of life and death. Taoists, for example, do not believe in the Wheel of Life of the Buddhists nor in the Heaven or Hell of Christianity. Taoists view existence as glorious. The whole Universe, they teach, is a marvelous, vibrant Unity wherein everything, visible and invisible, pulses with energy and changes. As being develops through the experience of existence, its vessels are swept onwards by the mighty stream of the eternal TAO to other forms of expression and activity. Man does not die; he merely extends into new fields. Taoists teach that the end of a person is the return to the Ultimate Reality. "Life is uncertain - Death is certain": This is a well known saying in Buddhism. Knowing very well that death is certain and it is a natural phenomenon that everyone has to face, we should not be afraid of death. Yet, instinctively, all of us fear death because we do not know how to think of its inevitability. We like to cling to our life and body and so develop too much craving and attachment.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.35-49
• /
• 2024

Video captioning technology, as a significant outcome of the integration between computer vision and natural language processing, has emerged as a key research direction in the field of artificial intelligence. This technology aims to achieve automatic understanding and language expression of video content, enabling computers to transform visual information in videos into textual form. This paper provides an initial analysis of the research trends in deep learning-based video captioning and categorizes them into four main groups: CNN-RNN-based Model, RNN-RNN-based Model, Multimodal-based Model, and Transformer-based Model, and explain the concept of each video captioning model. The features, pros and cons were discussed. This paper lists commonly used datasets and performance evaluation methods in the video captioning field. The dataset encompasses diverse domains and scenarios, offering extensive resources for the training and validation of video captioning models. The model performance evaluation method mentions major evaluation indicators and provides practical references for researchers to evaluate model performance from various angles. Finally, as future research tasks for video captioning, there are major challenges that need to be continuously improved, such as maintaining temporal consistency and accurate description of dynamic scenes, which increase the complexity in real-world applications, and new tasks that need to be studied are presented such as temporal relationship modeling and multimodal data integration.

• BMB Reports
• /
• v.57 no.6
• /
• pp.281-286
• /
• 2024

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis plays a pivotal role in maintaining cognitive brain function. However, this process diminishes with age, particularly in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. While small, non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial for hippocampal neural stem (HCN) cell maintenance, their involvement in neurodegenerative disorders remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms through which miRNAs regulate HCN cell death and their potential involvement in neurodegenerative disorders. We performed a comprehensive microarray-based analysis to investigate changes in miRNA expression in insulin-deprived HCN cells as an in vitro model for cognitive impairment. miR-150-3p, miR-323-5p, and miR-370-3p, which increased significantly over time following insulin withdrawal, induced pronounced mitochondrial fission and dysfunction, ultimately leading to HCN cell death. These miRNAs collectively targeted the mitochondrial fusion protein OPA1, with miR-150-3p also targeting MFN2. Data-driven analyses of the hippocampi and brains of human subjects revealed significant reductions in OPA1 and MFN2 in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our results indicate that miR-150-3p, miR-323-5p, and miR-370-3p contribute to deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis by modulating mitochondrial dynamics. Our findings provide novel insight into the intricate connections between miRNA and mitochondrial dynamics, shedding light on their potential involvement in conditions characterized by deficits in hippocampal neurogenesis, such as AD.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.108-117
• /
• 2024

In this study, simulations based on computational fluid dynamics were performed for self-propulsion performance prediction of a catamaran that has asymmetrical inside and outside hull form and numerous knuckle lines. In the simulations, the Moving Reference Frame (MRF) or Sliding Mesh (SDM) techniques were used, and the rotation angle of the propeller per time step was different to identify the difference using the analysis technique and condition. The propeller rotation angle used in the MRF technique was 1˚ and those used in the SDM technique were 1˚, 5˚, or 10˚. The torque of the propeller was similar in both the techniques; however, the thrust and resistance of the hull were computed lower when the SDM technique was applied than when the MRF technique was applied, and higher as the rotation angle of the propeller per time step in the SDM technique was smaller in the simulations for several revolutions of the propeller to estimate the self-propulsion condition. The revolutions, thrust, and torque of the propeller in the self-propulsion condition obtained using linear interpolation and the delivered power, wake fraction, thrust deduction factor, and revolutions of the propeller obtained using the full-scale prediction method showed the same trend for both the techniques; however, most of the self-propulsion efficiency showed the opposite trend for these techniques. The accuracy of the propeller wake was low in the simulations when the MRF technique was applied, and slight difference existed in the expression of the wake according to the rotation angle of the propeller per time step when the SDM technique was applied.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.1-35
• /
• 2011

The number of Frida Kahlo's works is 143, 55 of which are her own portraits. She spent a great deal of time on the production of her works, a large portion of which is taken up by her portraits. Art and creation by artist are the expressive process of artist's unconsciousness. Certain works express personal unconsciousness and collective, archetypal unconsciousness. These works evoke certain impressive image or unknown emotion in their mind impulsively. Artist could talk with their own work in this process. The producted symbolic images want to seek harmony with the artist's consciousness. This study has examined, from the viewpoint of analytical psychology, the psychological changes of Frida Kahlo by way of interpreting 4 of her own realistic portraits. These particular 4 works were finished in the most critical life time of Frida Kalho. We tried to find out what the purpose of her work would be. From the examination the following characteristics were gound. 1) Her portraits are not only concerned with her personal life and personal unconscious, but they also contain elements of the collective unconscious. 2) She experienced a psychological healing for herself in the process of transforming shocking events into painful portraits. 3) Her self portraits are the expression of the creative transformation she underwent.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.57 no.2
• /
• pp.196-210
• /
• 2024

Purpose: This study investigated the anti-obesity effects of a combination of Syzygium aromaticum L. and Sorbus commixta Hedl. (SS) in vitro and in vivo. Methods: The extracts of Syzygium aromaticum extract (SA) and Sorbus commixta extract (SC) were prepared individually using distilled water. They were mixed in a 1:2 ratio for use in the experiment. To assess the anti-obesity potential of SS in vitro, we examined cell proliferation, cellular triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) levels, as well as lipogenesis and β-oxidation in 3T3-L1 cells. To confirm its anti-obesity potential in vivo, C57BL/6J mice were fed a 60% high-fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity. SA alone, SC alone, and their combination compound, SS (at a dosage of 200 mg/kg) were orally administered for 6 weeks. Thereafter, to conduct a comparative evaluation, serum analysis, western blotting of liver tissues, and histopathological analysis were performed. Results: Both SS200 and SS400 significantly inhibited the cellular TG and TC contents in the 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, treatment of the cells with SS (at a dose 200 and 400 ㎍/mL) also led to a noticeable regulation of key lipogenic and β-oxidation factors. Treatment of obese mice with SS resulted in a greater reduction in serum leptin and TG levels compared to treatment with the individual compounds (SA and SC). Furthermore, activation of AMP-activated protein kinase α by SS treatment resulted in the suppression of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP)-1, leading to the inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) expression. Conclusion: Our results suggest that SS may have the potential to prevent obesity through a reduction in the TG and TC levels and regulation of lipogenesis and β-oxidation.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.627-637
• /
• 2023

Background: Damage to the healthy intestinal epithelial layer and regulation of the intestinal immune system, closely interrelated, are considered pivotal parts of the curative treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Plant-based diets and phytochemicals can support the immune microenvironment in the intestinal epithelial barrier for a balanced immune system by improving the intestinal microecological balance and may have therapeutic potential in colitis. However, there have been only a few reports on the therapeutic potential of plant-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (PENs) and the underlying mechanism in colitis. This study aimed to assess the therapeutic effect of PENs from Panax ginseng, ginseng-derived exosome-like nanoparticles (GENs), in a mouse model of IBD, with a focus on the intestinal immune microenvironment. Method: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of GENs on acute colitis, we treated GENs in Caco2 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -induced RAW 264.7 macrophages and analyzed the gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 by real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Furthermore, we further examined bacterial DNA from feces and determined the alteration of gut microbiota composition in DSS-induced colitis mice after administration of GENs through 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Result: GENs with low toxicity showed a long-lasting intestinal retention effect for 48 h, which could lead to effective suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 production through inhibition of NF-κB in DSS-induced colitis. As a result, it showed longer colon length and suppressed thickening of the colon wall in the mice treated with GENs. Due to the amelioration of the progression of DSS-induced colitis with GENs treatment, the prolonged survival rate was observed for 17 days compared to 9 days in the PBS-treated group. In the gut microbiota analysis, the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota was decreased, which means GENs have therapeutic effectiveness against IBD. Ingesting GENs would be expected to slow colitis progression, strengthen the gut microbiota, and maintain gut homeostasis by preventing bacterial dysbiosis. Conclusion: GENs have a therapeutic effect on colitis through modulation of the intestinal microbiota and immune microenvironment. GENs not only ameliorate the inflammation in the damaged intestine by downregulating pro-inflammatory cytokines but also help balance the microbiota on the intestinal barrier and thereby improve the digestive system.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
• /
• v.43 no.3
• /
• pp.446-459
• /
• 2024

This study aims to examine the development and learning process of the argumentative abilities in elementary school students with regards to learning science. Toward this end, the SSI argumentation education program was implemented in conjunction with the science curriculum for sixth-grade students across 10 months. In this process, the scoring criteria in terms of formal and content aspects were developed and used to assess their argumentative text analysis and expression abilities. The results were as follows: First, the type of SSI influenced their ability to analyze argumentative texts. However, their formal and content aspects improved as learning progressed. Second, with regards to the formal aspect associated with the ability to express argumentative texts, reasons were initially most frequently cited. Over time, incorporating evidence to support these reasons and the use of rebuttal also increased. Third, in terms of content aspect, the level of use of all elements increased as learning progressed; however, level of acknowledgments and rebuttal elements exhibited a relatively slower progress. In summary, ability of the students to analyze and express argumentative texts improved as they increasingly gained experience in learning about argumentation. The study deduced that elementary school students can develop their argumentative abilities through appropriate learning support, such as teacher feedback, along with implementation of the SSI argumentation education program over an extended period. Based on these results, the study proposes the development of SSI materials and incorporation of SSI argumentative writing in the science curriculum.