• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• 제28권8호
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• pp.901-921
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate elementary teachers' views on the barriers in implementing inquiry-based instruction in science education. For this, semi-structured in-depth interviews were performed with 22 elementary school teachers who have served for more than five years in the Gyeonggi province. The interview questions were developed through triangulation of Seidman's phase to achieve reliability in the interview data, then interview questions were modified and completed through an analytic induction method in pre-interviews. In-depth interviews were performed individually and all the interviews were recorded. The data of teachers' views on the barriers were categorized and analyzed into external and internal factors of teachers. The study found that the external factors referred by teachers included the following; the lack of a unit time, lack of materials and equipments, too many students in a class, problems in science curriculum management, difficulty in the assessment of students' inquiry activities, the students' learning, lack of opportunities for teaching inquiry activities, harmfulness of accidents, and so on. Internal factors included the following; lack of preparation for inquiry activities, lack of self-confidence, lack of patience, and so on. The various barriers presented and their causes were analyzed in detail, and possible efforts in activating inquiry activities in elementary science education were suggested.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• 제34권4호
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• pp.185-193
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• 2024

In this study, NASICON-type Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ (x = 0.1, 0.3 and 0.4) solid-state electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries were synthesized through the sol-gel method. In addition, the influence on the ion conductivity of solid-state electrolytes when partially substituted for Ti⁴⁺ (0.61Å) site to Ga³⁺ (0.62Å) of trivalent cations was investigated. The obtained precursor was heat treated at 450 ℃, and a single crystalline phase of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ systems was obtained at a calcination temperature above 650 ℃. Additionally, the calcinated powders were pelletized and sintered at temperatures from 800 ℃ to 1,000 ℃ at 100 ℃ intervals. The synthesized powder and sintered bodies of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ were characterized using TG-DTA, XRD, XPS and FE-SEM. The ionic conduction properties as solid-state electrolytes were investigated by AC impedance. As a result, Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ was successfully produced in all cases. However, a GaPO₄ impurity was formed due to the high sintering temperatures and high Ga content. The crystallinity of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ increased with the sintering temperature as evidenced by FE-SEM observations, which demonstrated that the edges of the larger cube-shaped grains become sharper with increases in the sintering temperature. In samples with high sintering temperatures at 1,000 ℃ and high Ga content above 0.3, coarsening of grains occurred. This resulted in the formation of many grain boundaries, leading to low sinterability. These two factors, the impurity and grain boundary, have an enormous impact on the properties of Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃. The Li_1.3Ga_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ pellet sintered at 900 ℃ was denser than those sintered at other conditions, showing the highest total ion conductivity of 7.66 × 10^-5 S/cm at room temperature. The total activation energy of Li-ion transport for the Li_1.3Ga_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ solid-state electrolyte was estimated to be as low as 0.36 eV. Although the Li_1+XGa_XTi_2-X(PO₄)₃ sintered at 1,000 ℃ had a relatively high apparent density, it had less total ionic conductivity due to an increase in the grain-boundary resistance with coarse grains.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권3호
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• pp.1029-1036
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• 2024

Drawing on the deep experience and understanding of the principles of nuclear safety, as well as many years of nuclear power plant design and operation, the EDF led NUWARD SMR Project is developing a design for a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) of 340 MWe composed of two 170 MWe independent units, that will supplement the offering of high-output nuclear reactors, especially in response to specific needs such as replacement of fossil-fuelled power plants. NUWARD SMR is a mix of proven and innovative design features that will make it more commercially competitive, while integrating safety features that comply with the highest international standards. Following the principles of redundancy and diversity and rigorous application of Defence in Depth (DID), with an international view on nuclear safety licensing, the Project also incorporates new safety approaches into its design development. The NUWARD SMR Project has been in development for a number of years, it entered conceptual design formally in mid-2019 and entered Basic Design in 2023. The objective of the concept design phase was to confirm the project technological choices and to define the first design configuration of the NUWARD SMR product, to document it, in order to launch pre-licensing with the French Safety Authority (ASN) and to define its estimated cost and its subsequent development and construction schedules. As a delivery milestone the Safety Options file (called the Dossier d'Options de Sûreté (DOS)) has been submitted to ASN in July 2023 for their opinion. An integral part of the NUWARD SMR Project, is not only to deliver a design suitable for France and to satisfy French regulation, but to develop a product suitable and indeed desirable, for the international market, with a first focus in Europe. In order to achieve its objectives and realise its market potential, the NUWARD SMR Project needs to define and realise its safety approach within an international environment and that is the key subject of this paper. The following paper: • Summarises the foundation principles and technological background which underpin the design; • Contextualises the key design features with regard to the international safety regulatory framework with particular emphasis on innovative passive safety aspects; • Illustrates the Project activities in preparation for first licensing in France, and also a wider international view via the ASN led Joint Early Review of the NUWARD SMR design, including Finnish and Czech Republic regulators, recently joined by the Swedish, Polish and Dutch regulators; • Articulates the collaborative approach to design development from involvement with the Project partners (the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Naval Group, TechnicAtome, Framatome and Tractebel) to the establishment of the International NUWARD Advisory Board (INAB), to gain greater international insight and advice; • Concludes with the focus on next steps into detailed design development, standardisation of the design and its simplification to enhance its commercial competitiveness in a context of further harmonisation of the nuclear safety and licensing requirements and aspirations.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• 제27권4호
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• pp.213-224
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• 2024

Betta rubra, classified as endangered fish species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has been successfully bred and raised in captivity for two generations under laboratory conditions. This study aimed to provide comprehensive information on the captive breeding of B. rubra, focusing on various parameters crucial for ex-situ conservation and domestication. The research involved breeding trials, embryo and larvae observation, first feeding experiments, larva and fry rearing trials, and the evaluation of growth and reproduction in two generations. The study revealed that the female B. rubra, with an average total length of 5.17 ± 0.15 cm and weight of 1.61 ± 0.06 g, produced an average of 73.67 ± 7.09 eggs, 34.33 ± 5.13 total larvae, and exhibited a hatching rate of 46.67 ± 5.77%. The embryogenesis process commenced on the day of spawning (dps) and continued until the eggs hatched at 6 dps. Larvae development and yolk absorption occurred from 0 to 6 days post-hatching (dph). The study also examined the impact of different initial feeding options, with chopped Tubifex resulting in the most significant in- crease (p < 0.05) in length. The growth pattern of B. rubra larvae showed slow initial growth during the first seven days, followed by a rapid exponential growth phase from day 8 to day 39. Two generations of B. rubra (G1 and G2) were successfully bred in captivity, with G2 showing a better tendency for growth in length and weight compared to G1. Notably, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in reproductive success between the wild-origin broodstock (G0), G1, or G2. This research contributes valuable insights into the captive breeding of B. rubra and its early life stages, offering critical information for the conservation and sustainable management of this endangered species. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of domestication on behavior, physiology, and phenotypic diversity.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.397-418
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• 2024

The Land Surface Temperature (LST) is a crucial parameter in identifying drought. It is essential to identify how LST can increase its accuracy, particularly in mountainous and hill areas. Increasing the LST accuracy can be achieved by applying early data processing in the correction phase, specifically in the context of topographic correction on the Lambertian model. Empirical evidence has demonstrated that this particular stage effectively enhances the process of identifying objects, especially within areas that lack direct illumination. Therefore, this research aims to examine the application of the Lambertian model in estimating LST using the Multi-Channel Method (MCM) across various physiographic regions. Lambertian model is a method that utilizes Lambertian reflectance and specifically addresses the radiance value obtained from Sun-Canopy-Sensor(SCS) and Cosine Correction measurements. Applying topographical adjustment to the LST outcome results in a notable augmentation in the dispersion of LST values. Nevertheless, the area physiography is also significant as the plains terrain tends to have an extreme LST value of ≥ 350 K. In mountainous and hilly terrains, the LST value often falls within the range of 310-325 K. The absence of topographic correction in LST results in varying values: 22 K for the plains area, 12-21 K for hilly and mountainous terrain, and 7-9 K for both plains and mountainous terrains. Furthermore, validation results indicate that employing the Lambertian model with SCS and Cosine Correction methods yields superior outcomes compared to processing without the Lambertian model, particularly in hilly and mountainous terrain. Conversely, in plain areas, the Lambertian model's application proves suboptimal. Additionally, the relationship between physiography and LST derived using the Lambertian model shows a high average R² value of 0.99. The lowest errors(K) and root mean square error values, approximately ±2 K and 0.54, respectively, were achieved using the Lambertian model with the SCS method. Based on the findings, this research concluded that the Lambertian model could increase LST values. These corrected values are often higher than the LST values obtained without the Lambertian model.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.648-652
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• 2010

Catalytic activities of the partial oxidation of methane (POM) to hydrogen were investigated over Pd(5)/Ti-SPK and Pd(5)/Zr-SPK in a fixed bed flow reactor (FBFR) under atmosphere, and the catalysts were characterized by BET, XPS, XRD. The BET surface areas, pore volume and pore width of Horvath-Kawaze, micro pore area and volume of t-plot of Pd(5)/Ti-SPK and Pd(5)/Zr-SPK were $284m^2/g$, $0.233cm^3/g$, 3.9 nm, $30m^2/g$, $0.015cm^3/g$ and $396m^2/g$, $0.324cm^3/g$, 3.7nm, $119m^2/g$, $0.055cm^3/g$, repectively. The nitrogen adsorption isotherms were type IV with hysteresis. XPS showed that Si 2p and O 1s core electronlevels of Ti-SPK and Zr-SPK substituted Ti and Zr shifted to slightly lower binding energies than SPK. The oxidation states of Pd on the surface of catalysts were $Pd^0$ and $Pd^{+2}$. XRD patterns showed that crystal structures of fresh catalyst changed amorphous into crystal phase after reaction. The conversion and selectivity of POM to hydrogen over Pd(5)/Ti-SPK and Pd(5)/Zr-SPK were 77, 84% and 78, 72%, respectively, at 973 K, $CH_4/O_2$ = 2, GHSV = $8.4{\times}10^4mL/g_{cat}{\cdot}h$ and were kept constant even after 3 days in stream. These results confirm superior activity, thermal stability, and physicochemical properties of catalyst in POM to hydrogen.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.119-132
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• 2014

This study analyzed the failure prediction model of the firms listed on the KOSDAQ by considering whether there are embezzlement, malpractice and the largest shareholder changes or not. This study composed a total of 166 firms by using two-paired sampling method. For sample of failed firm, 83 manufacturing firms which delisted on KOSDAQ market for 4 years from 2009 to 2012 are selected. For sample of normal firm, 83 firms (with same item or same business as failed firm) that are listed on KOSDAQ market and perform normal business activities during the same period (from 2009 to 2012) are selected. This study selected 80 financial ratios for 5 years immediately preceding from delisting of sample firm above and conducted T-test to derive 19 of them which emerged for five consecutive years among significant variables and used forward selection to estimate logistic regression model. While the precedent studies only analyzed the data of three years immediately preceding the delisting, this study analyzes data of five years immediately preceding the delisting. This study is distinct from existing previous studies that it researches which significant financial characteristic influences the insolvency from the initial phase of insolvent firm with time lag and it also empirically analyzes the usefulness of data by building a firm's fail prediction model which considered embezzlement/malpractice and the largest shareholder changes as dummy variable(non-financial characteristics). The accuracy of classification of the prediction model with dummy variable appeared 95.2% in year T-1, 88.0% in year T-2, 81.3% in year T-3, 79.5% in year T-4, and 74.7% in year T-5. It increased as year of delisting approaches and showed generally higher the accuracy of classification than the results of existing previous studies. This study expects to reduce the damage of not only the firm but also investors, financial institutions and other stakeholders by finding the firm with high potential to fail in advance.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.191-202
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• 2000

Background: Bronchial asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness(BHR) and inflammation. The cyclooxygenase(COX) is believed to be one of the important enzymes in these inflammatory reactions. Recently, the COX was divided into two isoforms, COX1 and COX2. COX2 is induced by lipopolysaccharide and some cytokines at the inflammation site. Prostaglandin E2(PGE2), produced from COX2, may affect airway inflammation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of COX2 inhibitor on COX2 expression, plasma PGE2, airway resistance and histologic finding in an animal asthma model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups. The normal control group did not receive any treatment, but the asthma control group was sensitized by ovalbumin but not treated with the COX2 inhibitor(nimesulide, Mesulid$^{(R)}$). The treatment group was sensitized and treated with nimesulide. Specific airway resistance(sRaw) before and after nimesulide ingestion was investigated. The PGE2 level in the plasma was examined and COX2 immunogold-silver stain on lung tissue was performed. Results: sRaw and eosionophilic infiltration on airway, which increased in the asthma control group, was compared to normal control(p=0.014). However, there was no difference in eosinophilic infiltration between asthma control and treatment groups(p=0.408) and no difference in COX2 expression on bronchiolar epithelium among the three groups. Plasma PGE2 levels were not statically different among the three groups. Conclusion: The role of COX2 in the allergen-induced BHR was not significant The effect of nimesulide was not observed on BHR, COX2 expression, and plasma PGE2 level. Therefore, COX2 may not be a major substance of allergic asthma.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.437-444
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• 2009

${\gamma}-Aminobutyric$ acid (GABA) producing lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus RMK567 was cultivated in 50 L of sterilized MRS broth using a fermenter at $40^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. The cell number was increased to $10.04{\pm}0.13$ Log CFU/mL with a growth rate constant (k) of 0.454 generation/h and a generation time (g) of 2.303 h after a lapse of a lag phase (L) of 5.16 h. A total of 487 g of cell paste with 40.5% moisture was harvested with viable cell number of 12.48 Log CFU/g cell paste. The cell pastes after preparation with glycerol, glucose, and polydextrose as cryo-protectants were lyophilized under a vacuum of 84 m torr. A total of 408 g of freeze dried (FD) cell powders were mixed with a commercial strain of Streptococcus thermophilus to prepare of three types FD starter cultures with the viable cell numbers of 12.42 (FDA-GY), 12.60 (FDBGG) and 12.91 (FDC-GP) Log CFU/g. During preservation the FD cultures at -$18^{\circ}C$, the cell viability of the FD starter cultures were rapidly dropped to below 3.24% of the day of storage. No significant difference was found in the cell viabilities among three types of FD starters cultures, but significant difference (p<0.01) was found in storage periods. Yoghurts fermented through FD starter culture of L. acidophilus RMK567 were determined to contain $155.16{\pm}8.53$ ppm, $243.82{\pm}4.27$ ppm, and $198.64{\pm}23.46$ ppm of GABA, respectively. This study shows that GABA production activity of L. acidophilus RMK567 is not affected during the freeze drying process and would be available for commercial production of yoghurt containing high GABA content.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.80-87
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• 2011

Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) present the important advantage of being able to approach the seafloor more closely than surface vessel surveys can. To collect bathymetric data, bottom material information, and sub-surface images, multibeam echosounder, sidescan sonar (SSS) and subbottom profiler (SBP) equipment mounted on an AUV are powerful tools. The 3000m class AUV URASHIMA was developed by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). After finishing the engineering development and examination phase of a fuel-cell system used for the vehicle's power supply system, a renovated lithium-ion battery power system was installed in URASHIMA. The AUV was redeployed from its prior engineering tasks to scientific use. Various scientific instruments were loaded on the vehicle, and experimental dives for science-oriented missions conducted from 2006. During the experimental cruise of 2007, high-resolution acoustic images were obtained by SSS and SBP on the URASHIMA around the northern Kumano Basin off Japan's Kii Peninsula. The map of backscatter intensity data revealed many debris objects, and SBP images revealed the subsurface structure around the north-eastern end of our study area. These features suggest a structure related to the formation of the latest submarine fan. However, a strong reflection layer exists below ~20 ms below the seafloor in the south-western area, which we interpret as a denudation feature, now covered with younger surface sediments. We continue to improve the vehicle's performance, and expect that many fruitful results will be obtained using URASHIMA.