• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.493-500
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• 1994

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of neurotransmitters and the source of $Ca^{2+}$ in the effects of neurotransmitters on the motility of pig oviductal isthmic smooth muscle. The motility of the isolated smooth muscle was recorded by using physiological recording system. The results were summarized as follows; Acetylcholine, norepinephrine, histamine and prostaglandin $F_{2{\alpha}}(PGF_{2{\alpha}})$ caused the contraction and the contractile responses were increased in a dose-dependent manner from the concentration of $10^{-7}$ to $10^{-4}M$. The maximum contractility of acetylcholine, norepinephrine, histamine and $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ was 65.99, 28.66, 83.99 and 47.33% of 100 mM K contraction, respectively. The contractile response induced by acetylcholine$(10^{-6}M)$ was completely blocked by the pretreatment with cholinergic receptor blocker, atropine$(10^{-6}M)$, the contractile response induced by norepinephrine$(10^{-5}M)$ was blocked by the pretreatment with ${\alpha}$-adrenergic receptor blocker, phentolamine$(10^{-6}M)$ but was not blocked and rather increased by the pretreatment with ${\beta}$-adrenergic receptor blocker. propranolol$(10^{-6}M)$, the contractile response induced by histamine$(10^{-6}M)$ was completely blocked by the pretreatment with $H_1$-histaminergic receptor blocker, pyrilamine$(10^{-6}M)$ but was increased by the pretreatment with $H_2$-histaminergic receptor blocker, cimetidine$(10^{-6}M)$. The contractile response induced by acetylcholine$(10^{-6}M)$, norepinephrine$(10^{-5}M)$ and histamine$(10^{-6}M)$ was weakly contracted response in $Ca^{2+}$-free medium, but the contractile response induced by $PGF_{2{\alpha}}(10^{-6}M)$ was disappeared. The contractile response induced by acetylcholine$(10^{-6}M)$, norepinephrine$(10^{-5}M)$ and histamine$(10^{-6}M)$ was powerfully depressed by the pretreatment with $Ca^{2+}$-channel blocker, verapamil$(10^{-5}M)$ but the contractile response induced by $PGF_{2{\alpha}}(10^{-6}M)$ was completely inhibited.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 1998

Anti-phospholipid antihodies (aPL) have important roles in various pregnancy complications such as recurrent miscarrige, growth retardation, placental abruption and stillbirth. However, their biological actions on preimplantation development of oocytes are still unclear. In this study, we investigated whether either aPL containing sera or phospholipids could affect in vitro fertilization and development of mouse oocytes. Sera used in this study were collected from three patients and the presence of aPL in the sera was confirmed by enzymatic-linked immunosorbent assay. When mouse oocytes were cultured in a serum-free, Chatot, Ziomek and Bavister (CZB) medium (Experiment 1), addition of aPL-containing sera (10%) to CZB medium did not. significantly (P>0.05) influence sperm penetration of oocytes. However, development to the blastocyst stage was significantly (P<0.05) inhibited by serum addition, and formation of morulae (16-23% vs. 58%) and blastocysts (0-4% vs. 21%) was markedly reduced compared with no addition (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, pronuclear stage embryos were cultured for 96 h in GZB medium supplemented with 1 $\mu$g /ml phosphatidyl ethanolamine, 1 $\mu$g/ml phosphatidyl inositol or 1 $\mu$g /ml phosphatidyl choline. No increase in embryo development was found after addition of the phospholipids to CZB medium. These results suggest that 1) aPL have an inhibitory role in preimplantation development of mouse embryos, and that 2) the action of aPL may be related to a specific phospholid (s) rather than the tested phospholipids in the present study.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2001

Bucillamine is a novel cysteine derivative with two free intramolecular sulfhydryl groups, and has a preventive and therapeutic effect on adjuvant arthritis, suggesting its antirheumatic action. With respect to the effect on the immune system, bucillamine-exerted such immunoregulating actions are to nomalize an excessive reduction or acceleration in immune reaction. It is useful not only in patients with early stage of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but also in those with active RA retained for more than 10 years. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two bucillamine tablets, $Rimatil^{TM}$ (Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) and $Bucilin^{TM}$ (Kuhn Il Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Eighteen normal male volunteers, $23.67{\pm}2.09$ years in age and $65.03{\pm}6.73\;kg$ in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. After three tablets containing 100 mg of bucillamine per tablet were orally administered, blood was taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of bucillamine in serum were determined using GC/MS with mass selective detector. Pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_t$, $C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters. The results showed that the differences in $AUC_t$, $C_{max}\;and\;T_{max}$ between two tablets were -0.29%, -3.20% and 8.22%, respectively, when calculated against the $Rimatil^{TM}$ tablet. The powers $(1-{\beta})$ for $AUC_t\;and\;C_{max}$ were 84.31 % and 91.16%, respectively. Minimum detectable differences $({\Delta})$ at ${\alpha}=0.10$ and $1-{\beta}=0.8$ were less than 20% (e.g., 18.58% and 16.51% for $AUC_t\;and\;C_{max}$, respectively). The 90% confidence intervals were within ${\pm}20%$ (e.g.,$-12.77{\sim}12.20$ for $AUC_t$ and $-14.30{\sim}7.90$ for $C_{max}$). Two parameters met the criteria of KFDA for bioequivalence, indicating that $Bucilin^{TM}$ tablet is bioequivalent to $Rimatil^{TM}$ tablet.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.232-243
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• 2018

The construction, development and maintenance of an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable campus involves the integration of measuring tools and technical information that invites and encourages the community to know the actual state to generate positive actions for reducing the negative impacts over the local environment. At the Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Campus $Bogot{\acute{a}}$, a public area with daily traffic of more than 25000 people, the Environmental Management Bureau has committed with the monitoring of the noise pollution and air quality, as support to the campaigns aiming to reduce the pollutant emissions associated to the student's activities and campus operation. The target of this study is based in the implementation of mobile air quality and sonometry monitoring equipment, the mapping of the actual air quality and noise pollution inside the university campus as a novel methodology for a sub-area inside a megacity. This results and mapping are proposed as planning tool for the institution administrative sections. A mobile Kunak$^{(R)}$ Air & OPC air monitoring station with the capability to measure particulate matter $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$, Ozone ($O_3$), Sulfur Oxide ($SO_2$), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Nitrogen Oxide ($NO_2$) as well as Temperature, Relative Humidity and Latitude and Longitude coordinates for the data georeferenciation; and a sonometer Cirrus$^{(R)}$ 162B Class 2 were used to perform the measurements. The measurements took place in conditions of academic activity and without it, with the aim of identify the impacts generated by the campus operation. Using the free code geographical information software QGIS$^{(R)}$ 2.18, the maps of each variable measured were developed, and the impacts generated by the operation of the campus were identified qualitative and quantitively. For the measured variables, an increase of around 21% for the $L_{Aeq}$ noise level and around 80% to 90% for air pollution were detected during the operation period.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.373-380
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• 1996

Recently we reported that GS 386, 1-(4'-methoxybenzyl)-6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-dihydroisoquinoline, inhibited amplitude of the $Ca^{2+}$ current by reducing the probability of $Ca^{2+}$ channel opening without changing channel kinetics in isolated rabbit atrial myocyte. In the present study, further investigation of the mechanism of action of GS 386 was performed using isolated rat trachealis. GS 386 concentration-dependently relaxed rat trachealis contracted by carbachol $(0.3{\mu}M)$ and high $K^+$(65.4 mM) with $IC_{50}$ 5.24 and 5.67 ${\mu}M$, respectively. Verapamil inhibited more effectively the high $K^+-contracted$ tissues than those with carbachol in the rat trachealis muscle. In $Ca^{2+}-free$ media, $Ca^{2+}-induced$ contraction was inhibited by GS 386. Furthermore, high concentration of GS 386 $(100{\mu}M)$ but not verapamil, attenuated a phasic contraction induced not only by carbachol but also caffeine, indicating that GS386 can enter into the cytoplasm where it may exert secondary actions on internal sites of the muscle, such as sarcoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, GS 386 showed verapamil-resistant component of relaxation and increased cAMP levels in rat trachal smooth muscle. These results suggest that the mechanism of action of GS 386 attributes to not only $Ca^{2+}$ antagonistic action but also weak phosphodiesterase inhibitory action.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.680-694
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between communication skills and self-esteem of the elderly living in public institutions, this study divided the communication skill of the aged into 5 subsidiary factors such as self-understanding, attentive listening, clear expression of intention, expression of personal feeling, and self-disclosure so as to grasp the relation between each variables and self-esteem and to search suggestions. For the methodology, senior citizens aged above 65 living in public institutions in Gangwon province (1 in Chuncheon, 1 in Wonjoo and 1 in Gangneung) were surveyed totaling 123 documents were analyzed for this study. The following are the results: First, the difference in communication skills, in the demographic and sociological characteristics are found to show significant difference in hobbies, religion, allowance and the most reliable person. Second, self-esteem, in the demographic and sociological characteristics, showed significant difference according to religion, whether the person pays his/her living expenses, hobbies and health conditions. Third, communication skills tend to influence self-esteem that an elderly with more self-esteem is shown to have higher communication skills. In order to elders living in public institutions, the following actions are suggested. They should be recommended with religion life, hobbies life and providing sufficient allowance, pay his/her own life expenses.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.307-312
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• 1997

As a preliminary experiment to investigate the antitumor activity of colored rice in vivo, inhibitory effect of solvent extracts from colored rice brans on DNA strand scission and tumor promotion was examined in vitro. Two colored rice cultivars, Sanghaehyanghyulla and Suwon 415 were compared with Chuchung as a control. The antimutagenic activity of each rice cultivars increased in order of Chuchung

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-50
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• 1984

The effects of $Ca^{++}$ and its antagonists (verapamil and $La^{+++}$) upon the spontaneous contraction and the contracture induced by 60 mM K-Tyrode solution were studied in the isolated uterine muscle. Longitudinal muscle strips were prepared from the rat uteri at estrous stage. All experiments were performed in tris-buffered Tyrode solution which was aerated with 100% $O_2$ and kept at 35^{\circ}$. The results obtained were as follows: 1) In the uterine strips contracting spontaneously, both the amplitude of peak tension and the area of contraction curve increased dose-dependently in the range of $0.5${\sim}8$ mM $Ca^{++}$. The frequency of contraction increased as the concentration of $Ca^{++}$ increased up to 2 mM, but above this concentration the frequency decreased. In $Ca^{++}-free$ media, however, contraction did not develop. In the contracture induced by 60 mM K-Tyrode solution, the developed tension increased dose-dependently as the concentration of external $Ca^{++}$ increased to 8 mM. In the absence of external $Ca^{++}$ K-contracture appeared, but it was not sustained. 2) The spontaneous contraction of rat uterus was suppressed by verapamil in proportion to an increase of its concentration and totally abolished at the concentration of $3{\times}10^{-4}\;g/l$, but the spontaneous contraction re-appeared by addition of $Ca^{++}$. The amplitude of peak tension recovered completely but the recovery of frequency was incomplete. K-contracture decreased in a dose-dependent manner after the treatment with verapamil and totally disappeared at its concentration of $3{\times}10^{-4}\;g/l$. Even in this case contracture developed again by extra $Ca^{++}$. 3) The spontaneous contractile activity was inhibited by $La^{+++}$. At the concentration of $10^{-4}$M $La^{+++}$, fibrillation appeared. In the strip inhibited by $10^{-5}M\;La^{+++}$, contractility recovered completely by extra $Ca^{++}$ while in the $10^{-4}M\;La^{+++}$ treated preparation, the rhythmic spontaneous contraction did not develop even at the concentration of 16 mM $Ca^{++}$. After the initial transient depression of contracture tension by $10^{-3}M$ of $La^{+++}$, the strip stowed considerably large size of contracture, hardly influenced by external $Ca^{++}$ or verapamil. The results obtained in this experiment suggest that in the rat uterine muscle there would be some competitive actions between $Ca^{++}$ and its antagonists. It is speculated that $Ca^{++}$ plays an important role in the conduction of excitation, and $La^{+++}$ influences upon cellular $Ca^{++}$ mobilization and re-uptake process as well as transmembrane $Ca^{++}$ transport in a K-depolarized state.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.9B no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2002

The robot soccer simulation game is a dynamic multi-agent environment. In this paper we suggest a new reinforcement learning approach to each agent's dynamic positioning in such dynamic environment. Reinforcement learning is the machine learning in which an agent learns from indirect, delayed reward an optimal policy to choose sequences of actions that produce the greatest cumulative reward. Therefore the reinforcement learning is different from supervised learning in the sense that there is no presentation of input-output pairs as training examples. Furthermore, model-free reinforcement learning algorithms like Q-learning do not require defining or learning any models of the surrounding environment. Nevertheless these algorithms can learn the optimal policy if the agent can visit every state-action pair infinitely. However, the biggest problem of monolithic reinforcement learning is that its straightforward applications do not successfully scale up to more complex environments due to the intractable large space of states. In order to address this problem, we suggest Adaptive Mediation-based Modular Q-Learning (AMMQL) as an improvement of the existing Modular Q-Learning (MQL). While simple modular Q-learning combines the results from each learning module in a fixed way, AMMQL combines them in a more flexible way by assigning different weight to each module according to its contribution to rewards. Therefore in addition to resolving the problem of large state space effectively, AMMQL can show higher adaptability to environmental changes than pure MQL. In this paper we use the AMMQL algorithn as a learning method for dynamic positioning of the robot soccer agent, and implement a robot soccer agent system called Cogitoniks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 2004

Green tea, which is high in polyphenols, is thought to have hypocholesterolemic effects. The present study was performed to further elucidate the hypocholesterolemic actions of green tea, specially the catechin and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for their effects on the diet-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with green tea-free diet (control), diets containing 4% green tea powder (GTP), 1.0% green tea catechin (catechin) or 0.5% epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for 7 wks. All diets that were provided green tea contained approximately 0.5% EGCG Hypercholesterolemia was induced by adding 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid to all diets. There were no differences in food intake among groups. The green tea treatments showed significant improvement in the serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triacylglycerides and atherogenic index in the following order; EGCG>Catechin>GTP (p<0.05). The serum HDL-cholesterol level was highest in the EGCG-treated group. The catechin or EGCG diet up-regulated by 5 times the enzyme activity of hepatic cholesterol 7$\alpha$ -hydroxylase (CYP7Al) compared to control diet (p<0.05). Hepatic CYP7Al mRNA level paralleled tile increases in the CYP7Al activity. These results suggest that the EGCG in the green tea may account for the hypocholesterolemic effect by the induction of CYP7Al gene expression.