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Why A Multimedia Approach to English Education\ulcorner

  • Keem, Sung-uk
    • Proceedings of the KSPS conference
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    • 1997.07a
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    • pp.176-178
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    • 1997
  • To make a long story short I made up my mind to experiment with a multimedia approach to my classroom presentations two years ago because my ways of giving instructions bored the pants off me as well as my students. My favorite ways used to be sometimes referred to as classical or traditional ones, heavily dependent on the three elements: teacher's mouth, books, and chalk. Some call it the 'MBC method'. To top it off, I tried audio-visuals such as tape recorders, cassette players, VTR, pictures, and you name it, that could help improve my teaching method. And yet I have been unhappy about the results by a trial and error approach. I was determined to look for a better way that would ensure my satisfaction in the first place. What really turned me on was a multimedia CD ROM title, ELLIS (English Language Learning Instructional Systems) developed by Dr. Frank Otto. This is an integrated system of learning English based on advanced computer technology. Inspired by the utility and potential of such a multimedia system for regular classroom or lab instructions, I designed a simple but practical multimedia language learning laboratory in 1994 for the first time in Korea(perhaps for the first time in the world). It was high time that the conventional type of language laboratory(audio-passive) at Hahnnam be replaced because of wear and tear. Prior to this development, in 1991, I put a first CALL(Computer Assisted Language Learning) laboratory equipped with 35 personal computers(286), where students were encouraged to practise English typing, word processing and study English grammar, English vocabulary, and English composition. The first multimedia language learning laboratory was composed of 1) a multimedia personal computer(486DX2 then, now 586), 2) VGA multipliers that enable simultaneous viewing of the screen at control of the instructor, 3) an amplifIer, 4) loud speakers, 5)student monitors, 6) student tables to seat three students(a monitor for two students is more realistic, though), 7) student chairs, 8) an instructor table, and 9) cables. It was augmented later with an Internet hookup. The beauty of this type of multimedia language learning laboratory is the economy of furnishing and maintaining it. There is no need of darkening the facilities, which is a must when an LCD/beam projector is preferred in the laboratory. It is headset free, which proved to make students exasperated when worn more than- twenty minutes. In the previous semester I taught three different subjects: Freshman English Lab, English Phonetics, and Listening Comprehension Intermediate. I used CD ROM titles like ELLIS, Master Pronunciation, English Tripple Play Plus, English Arcade, Living Books, Q-Steps, English Discoveries, Compton's Encyclopedia. On the other hand, I managed to put all teaching materials into PowerPoint, where letters, photo, graphic, animation, audio, and video files are orderly stored in terms of slides. It takes time for me to prepare my teaching materials via PowerPoint, but it is a wonderful tool for the sake of presentations. And it is worth trying as long as I can entertain my students in such a way. Once everything is put into the computer, I feel relaxed and a bit excited watching my students enjoy my presentations. It appears to be great fun for students because they have never experienced this type of instruction. This is how I freed myself from having to manipulate a cassette tape player, VTR, and write on the board. The student monitors in front of them seem to help them concentrate on what they see, combined with what they hear. All I have to do is to simply click a mouse to give presentations and explanations, when necessary. I use a remote mouse, which prevents me from sitting at the instructor table. Instead, I can walk around in the room and enjoy freer interactions with students. Using this instrument, I can also have my students participate in the presentation. In particular, I invite my students to manipulate the computer using the remote mouse from the student's seat not from the instructor's seat. Every student appears to be fascinated with my multimedia approach to English teaching because of its unique nature as a new teaching tool as we face the 21st century. They all agree that the multimedia way is an interesting and fascinating way of learning to satisfy their needs. Above all, it helps lighten their drudgery in the classroom. They feel other subjects taught by other teachers should be treated in the same fashion. A multimedia approach to education is impossible without the advent of hi-tech computers, of which multi functions are integrated into a unified system, i.e., a personal computer. If you have computer-phobia, make quick friends with it; the sooner, the better. It can be a wonderful assistant to you. It is the Internet that I pay close attention to in conjunction with the multimedia approach to English education. Via e-mail system, I encourage my students to write to me in English. I encourage them to enjoy chatting with people all over the world. I also encourage them to visit the sites where they offer study courses in English conversation, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, reading, and writing. I help them search any subject they want to via World Wide Web. Some day in the near future it will be the hub of learning for everybody. It will eventually free students from books, teachers, libraries, classrooms, and boredom. I will keep exploring better ways to give satisfying instructions to my students who deserve my entertainment.

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A Study on Lyricism Expression of Color & Realistic Expression reflected in Oriental Painting of flower & birds (전통화조화의 사실적(寫實的) 표현과 시정적(詩情的) 색채표현)

  • Ha, Yeon-Su
    • Journal of Science of Art and Design
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    • v.10
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    • pp.183-218
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    • 2006
  • Colors change in time corresponding with the value system and aesthetic consciousness of the time. The roles that colors play in painting can be divided into the formative role based on the contrast and harmony of color planes and the aesthetic role expressed by colors to represent the objects. The aesthetic consciousness of the orient starts with the Civility(禮) and Pleasure(樂), which is closely related with restrained or tempered human feelings. In the art world of the orient including poem, painting, and music, what are seen and felt from the objects are not represented in all. Added by the sentiment laid background, the beauty of the orient emphasizes the beauty of restraint and temperance, which has long been the essential aesthetic emotion of the orient. From the very inception of oriental painting, colors had become a symbolic system in which the five colors associated with the philosophy of Yin and Yang and Five Forces were symbolically connected with the four sacred animals of Red Peacock, Black Turtle, Blue Dragon, and White Tiger. In this color system the use of colors was not free from ideological matters, and was further constrained by the limited color production and distribution. Therefore, development in color expression seemed to have been very much limited because of the unavailability and unreadiness of various colors. Studies into the flow in oriental painting show that color expression in oriental painting have changed from symbolic color expression to poetic expression, and then to emotional color expression as the mode of painting changes in time. As oriental painting transformed from the art of religious or ceremonial purpose to one of appreciation, the mast visible change in color expression is the one of realism(simulation). Rooted on the naturalistic color expression of the orient where the fundamental properties of objects were considered mast critical, this realistic color expression depicts the genuine color properties that the objects posses, with many examples in the Flower & Bird Painting prior to the North Sung dynasty. This realistic expression of colors changed as poetic sentiments were fused with painting in later years of the North Sung dynasty, in which a conversion to light ink and light coloring in the use of ink and colors was witnessed, and subjective emotion was intervened and represented. This mode of color expression had established as free and creative coloring with vivid expression of individuality. The fusion of coloring and lyricism was borrowed from the trend in painting after the North Sung dynasty which was mentioned earlier, and from the trend in which painting was fused with poetic sentiments to express the emotion of artists, accompanied with such features as light coloring and compositional change. Here, the lyricism refers to the artist's subjective perspective of the world and expression of it in refined words with certain rhythm, the essence of which is the integration of the artist's ego and the world. The poetic ego projects the emotion and sentiment toward the external objects or assimilates them in order to express the emotion and sentiment of one's own ego in depth and most efficiently. This is closely related with the rationale behind the long-standing tradition of continuous representation of same objects in oriental painting from ancient times to contemporary days. According to the thoughts of the orient, nature was not just an object of expression, but recognized as a personified body, to which the artist projects his or her emotions. The result is the rebirth of meaning in painting, completely different from what the same objects previously represented. This process helps achieve the integration and unity between the objects and the ego. Therefore, this paper discussed the lyrical expression of colors in the works of the author, drawing upon the poetic expression method reflected in the traditional Flower and Bird Painting, one of the painting modes mainly depending on color expression. Based on the related discussion and analysis, it was possible to identify the deep thoughts and the distinctive expression methods of the orient and to address the significance to prioritize the issue of transmission and development of these precious traditions, which will constitute the main identity of the author's future work.

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Weight Loss Correlates with Macrophage Inhibitory Cytokine-1 Expression and Might Influence Outcome in Patients with Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

  • Lu, Zhi-Hao;Yang, Li;Yu, Jing-Wei;Lu, Ming;Li, Jian;Zhou, Jun;Wang, Xi-Cheng;Gong, Ji-Fang;Gao, Jing;Zhang, Xiao-Tian;Li, Jie;Li, Yan;Shen, Lin
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.15
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    • pp.6047-6052
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    • 2014
  • Background: Weight loss during chemotherapy has not been exclusively investigated. Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1) might play a role in its etiology. Here, we investigated the prognostic value of weight loss before chemotherapy and its relationship with MIC-1 concentration and its occurrence during chemotherapy in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Materials and Methods: We analyzed 157 inoperable locally advanced or metastatic ESCC patients receiving first-line chemotherapy. Serum MIC-1 concentrations were assessed before chemotherapy. Patients were assigned into two groups according to their weight loss before or during chemotherapy:>5% weight loss group and ${\leq}5%$ weight loss group. Results: Patients with weight loss>5% before chemotherapy had shorter progression-free survival period (5.8 months vs. 8.7 months; p=0.027) and overall survival (10.8 months vs. 20.0 months; p=0.010). Patients with weight loss >5% during chemotherapy tended to have shorter progression-free survival (6.0 months vs. 8.1 months; p=0.062) and overall survival (8.6 months vs. 18.0 months; p=0.022), and if weight loss was reversed during chemotherapy, survival rates improved. Furthermore, serum MIC-1 concentration was closely related to weight loss before chemotherapy (p=0.001) Conclusions: Weight loss both before and during chemotherapy predicted poor outcome in advanced ESCC patients, and MIC-1 might be involved in the development of weight loss in such patients.

Effects of vitamin C as antioxidant on recovery of left ventricular function after ischemia and reperfusion in isolated rat heart (항산화제로서 비타민 C가 적출된 쥐심장에서 허혈 및 재관류후 좌심실 기능회복에 미치는 영향)

  • 류한영;이철주
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.29 no.6
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    • pp.593-598
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    • 1996
  • The large number of past investigation on extended myocardial protection clearly indicates that cold potassium cardioplegia and topical cooling have limited capabilities. Accordingly, more recent experimen- tal approaches have focused on the modalities of reperfusion and their implication on postischemic myo- cardial recovery. Oxygen may play a crucial role in the development of ischemic and reperfusion injury. Reactive oxygen radicals may be produced during ischemia or reperfusion after incomplete reduction of molecular oxygen or from other pathway and then induce fatal injury of the heart. The important obser- vation of oxygen-induced myocardial damage during reperfusion has led to the concept of applying oxy- gen free radical scavengers. So, this study is on dietary vitamin C supplementation as antioxidant in rats to determine whether or not they have a higher tolerance against cardiac ischemia-reperf'usion injury under Langendorff system. Male or female Sprague-Dawley rats (190-33Og) were randomly separated into two groups. Group A was not treated(n=10). Group B received vitamin C supplement (n=10). Experiment was performed 24 hours after vitamin C 200mg fed orally as injectable ascorbic acid. There were significant differences in contractile parameters between control and vitamin C-treated group. The RLVP (r te of post/preischemic left ventricular pressure) and Rdp/dt (rate of post/preischemic dp/dt) were significant statistically between two groups (p<0.05). But, RHR (rate of post/preischemic heart rate), time to first beat and sta'utilization were not significant. In conclusion, pretreatment with the antioxidant, ascorbic acid, was found to preserve left ventricular contractile function. But the precise mechanism of action of ascorbic acid has not as yet been determined, so further study will be required.

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The Effects of Vitamin C on Lipid Contents and Fatty Acid Compositions of Serum and Liver in Rats Treated with Radiation or Aflatoxin B1 (Vitamin C가 방사선과 Aflatoxin B1을 투여한 흰쥐의 혈청과 간장의 지질성분 및 지방산 조성에 미치는 영향)

  • Kang, Jin-Soon;Kim, So-Young;Kim, Hee-Suk;Cho, Heung-Lae;Chai, Gyu-Young;Chung, Duck-Hwa
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.36 no.2
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    • pp.163-173
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    • 2007
  • Lipid peroxidation is one of the main manifestations of oxidative damage and has been found to play an important role in the toxicity and carcinogenesis of many carcinogens. This study was carried out to determine the effects of vitamin C on lipid contents and fatty acid compositions of serum and liver in male rats treated with radiation or aflatoxin $B_1\;(AFB_1)$. Six week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 7 groups; control group, radiation exposed group, $AFB_1$ treated group, X-ray and $AFB_1$ co-treated group. Three groups, except control group, were each further divided into vitamin C administered group and not administered groups. For this study, vitamin C was injected with 10 mg/kg of body weight by intraperitoneal injection and 1 hr later, 0.4 mg/kg of $AFB_1$ was injected by the same method. These administrations were repeated every 3 days over a period of 15 days. Only one time, X-ray was irradiated on whole liver with 1,500 cGy. Then vitamin C and AFB1 were administered by the same level and same method described above. On the 16th day of treatments, the animals were sacrificed. From the analysis of the serum lipid patterns, significant decrease (p<0.01) in triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol levels were observed in X-ray and $AFB_1$ co treated group administered with vitamin C (group 7). In liver lipids, the levels of free cholesterol and total cholesterol were also decreased in X-ray and $AFB_1$ co treated group administered with vitamin C (group 7). The levels of serum free cholesterol and hepatic TG were not significantly different among all groups according to vitamin C administrations. The high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol level of serum was significantly (p<0.01) increased while the low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol level was decreased in X-ray and $AFB_1$ co treated group administered with vitamin C (group 7). In the phospholipid fatty-acid compositions of serum and liver tissue, group 3, 5 and 7 showed an increase in polyunsaturated fatty-acid (PUFA) but a decrease in saturated fatty acid (SFA) when compared to the control group. The composition ratio of fatty acid varied according to vitamin C administration. These results suggested that vitamin C has partly suppressive effects on lipid contents and fatty acid composition of serum and liver in rats treated by radiation and $AFB_1$.

Effect of Iron Excess-induced Oxidative Stress on Platelet Aggregation (과잉 철로 유도된 산화적 스트레스가 혈소판 활성화에 미치는 작용)

  • Seo, Geun-Young;Park, Hyo-Jin;Jang, Sung-Geun;Park, Young-Hyun
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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    • v.35 no.8
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    • pp.979-984
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    • 2006
  • Although iron is essential for many physiological processes, excess iron can lead to tissue damage by promoting the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). There is increasing evidence that ROS might play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of iron excess on platelet function and the thrombotic response to vascular injury are not well understood. We examined the effects of iron excess-induced oxidative stress and the antioxidants on platelet aggregation. Oxidative stress was accessed by either free iron $(Fe^{+2})$ or hydrogen peroxide $(H_2O_2)$, as well as their combination on washed rabbit platelets (WPs) in vitro. When WPs were stimulated with either $Fe^{+2}$ alone or a subthreshold concentration of collagen, which gave an aggregatory curve with a little effect, and a dose dependent increase in platelet aggregation was observed by increasing concentrations of $Fe^{+2}$ with $H_2O_2$. This aggregation was associated with the iron-catalyzed formation of hydroxyl radicals from $H_2O_2$, and were inhibited by NAD/NADP (proton acceptor), catalase $(H_2O_2\;scavenger)$, tiron (iron chelator), mannitol (hydroxyl radical scavenger), and indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor), but not by NADH/NADPH (proton donor), superoxide mutase, and aspirin. However, NADH/NADPH, an essential cofactor for the antioxidant capacity by the supply of reducing potentials, showed the effect of an enhanced radical formation, suggesting a role for NADH/NADPH-dependent oxidase. These results suggest that iron $(Fe^{+2})$ can directly interact with washed rabbit platelets and this aggregation be mediated by OH formation as in the Fenton reaction, inhibited by radical scavengers.

Effects of Controlling the Pine Needie Gall Midaes by Salicylic Acid Content in Needles of Some Pinus spp. (소나무류(類) 침엽내(針葉內)의 salicylic acid에 의한 솔잎혹파리의 방제효과(防除效果))

  • Son, Doo-Sik;Eom, Tae-Jin;Choi, Chang-Ok;Zhang, Ruo Ming
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.88 no.1
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    • pp.31-37
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    • 1999
  • The frequency of gall formation by pine needle gall midges ranged from 35% to 40% in both P. densiflora and P. thunbergii species. However, there was no indication of gall development from larva on both P. virgiana and P. rigida species suggesting that some specific compounds might play role in preventing gall formation of larva. The susceptible species to pine needle gall midges including P. densiflora and P. thunbergii contained a little salicylic acid under the free phenolic compound conditions while the resistant species against such insects including P. virginiana and P. rigida species contained about 37ppm to 50ppm of salicylic acid. Thus, this compound might have important roles in insect resistance. The contents of internal salicylic acid in the needles of susceptible pines increased from 9.5ppm to 20.6ppm after direct external irrigation of salicylic acid solution and flour treatment on roots. As a result, the frequency of gall formation decreased dramatically 17~19 times lower when compared with that of control. According to our results, the application of salicylic acid for effective prevention against insect damages should be performed before hatching eggs. The frequency of gall formation in the hybrid pines of P. thunbergii(susceptible) and P. virginiana(resistant) showed approximately 24% as average value of those in both species. In the case of specific individuals, it ranged from 2.8% to 11.5% in hybrids of both species. Therefore, effective production of insect resistant pines can be obtained through hybrids by crossing between susceptible and resistant species including P. thunbergii and P. virginiana by increasing internal salicylic acid contents of the needles.

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Photoprotection and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Chinese Medical Plants (약용식물추출물의 광보호 효과와 항염증 효과 연구)

  • Jin-Hwa, Kim;Sung-Min, Park;Gwan-Sub, Sim;Bum-Chun , Lee;Hyeong-Bae, Pyo
    • Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.227-233
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    • 2004
  • Chronic exposure to solar radiation, particularly ultraviolet (UV) light, causes a variety of adverse reactions on human skin, such as sunburn, photoaging and photocarcinogenesis. Free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by UV exposure or other environmental facts play critical roles in cellular damage. And, repeated-UV irradiation activated the expression of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and induced skin irritation. Therefore, the development of effective and safe photoprotectants that can reduce and improve the skin damage has been required. The purpose of this study was to investigate the photo-protective effect of several chinese medical plants (Juniperus chinensis) on the UV -induced skin cell damages. We tested free radical and superoxide scavenging effect in vitro. Fluorometric assays of the proteolytic activities of MMP-1 (collagenase) were performed using fluorescent collagen substrates. UVA induced MMP-1 synthesis and activity were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and gelatin-based zymography in skin fibroblasts. We also examined anti-inflammatory effects by the determination test of proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin 6 in HaCaT keratinocytes. Expression of prostaglandin E$_2$ (PGE$_2$) after UVB irradiation was measured by competitive enzyme immunoassay(EIA) using PGE$_2$ monoclonal antibody. In the human skin we tested anti-irritation effect on the SLS-induced damage skin after appling the extract containing emulsion. We found that Juniperus chinensis extract had potent radical scavenging effect by 98% at 100$\mu\textrm{g}$/mL. The extract of Juniperus chinensis showed strong inhibitory effect on MMP-1 activities by 97% at 100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/mL and suppressed the UVA induced expression of MMP-1 by 79% at 25$\mu\textrm{g}$/mL. This extract also showed strong inhibition on MMP-2 activity in UVA irradiated fibroblast by zymography. In the test of proinflammatory cytokines of human keratinocytes Juniperus chinensis extract decreased expression of interleukin 6 about 30%. The amount of PGE$_2$ by HaCaT keratinocytes was significantly increased at the doses of above 10 mJ/$\textrm{cm}^2$ of UVB (p < 0.05). At the concentrations of 3.2-25$\mu\textrm{g}$/mL of this extract, the production of PGE$_2$ by HaCaT keratinocytes (24 h after 10mJ/$\textrm{cm}^2$ UVB irradiation) was significantly inhibited in culture supernatants (p < 0.05). In SLS-induced skin irritation model in vivo, we found to reduce skin erythema and improve barrier recovery after appling Juniperus chinensis extract containing emulsion when compared to irritated non-treated and placebo-treated skin. Our results suggest that Juniperus chinensis extract can be effectively used for the prevention of UV and SLS-induced adverse skin reactions and applied as anti-aging and anti-irritation cosmetics.

The Importance of Kant's 'Sensus Communis' in the Contemporary Practical Philosophy : Focused on the Relation between Autonomy and Solidarity (현대 실천철학에서 칸트 공통감 이론의 중요성 - 자율성과 연대성을 중심으로 -)

  • Kim, Suk-soo
    • Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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    • v.123
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    • pp.57-86
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    • 2012
  • Many contemporary philosophers argue that modern philosophy is only the philosophy being imprisoned in subject and consciousness without communicating other subjects with language. They criticize that it is solipsistic. Today, those who are taking part in the communication theory, hermeneutics, and de-constructivism are trying to overcome this problem. The practical philosophers, especially those who advocate communintarianism criticize that modern libertarianism is not free from the isolated autonomy and breaks the solidarity of the traditional community with treating formally others. They criticize Kant's philosophy in the same way. But it is unreasonable. Because Kant was not the philosopher who pursued the same philosophy of subjectivity and liberalism as the earlier modern philosophers pursued. He tried to criticize its limits and overcome them. Especially he did not remain within the modern subjectivity, but rather tried to come up with the inter-subjectivity communicating between subjects. He showed this side through the 'sensus communis'. He thought of a judgement of taste as an effect resulting from the free play between imagination and understanding, and postulated the 'sensus communis' as a ground of the universal validity of this judgement. Therefore this 'sensus communis' is the subjective principle of a judgement of taste. Furthermore, he did not treat this 'sensus communis' merely as a self-relation of a subject, but rather developed it into an communicative relation among subjects. This position of Kant enables us to seek the harmony between the aesthetic sphere and social-moral sphere, and to overcome the conflicts between the autonomy of the liberalism and the solidarity of the communitarianism. Especially, his 'sensus communis' can be developed into the 'critical hermeneutics' and the 'relational autonomy'. Therefore his 'sensus communis' has the possibility to overcome the negative points of the traditional community and the modern community, and to overcome the conflicts among the isolated selves occurring in today's society. Hence Kant's 'sensus communis' has still the important values in the contemporary philosophy, especially in the practical philosophy being now discussed over the relation between autonomy and solidarity.

EFFECT OF OCTANOL, THE GAP JUNCTION BLOCKER, ON THE REGULATION OF FLUID SECRETION AND INTRACELLULAR CALCIUM CONCENTRATION IN SALIVARY ACINAR CELLS (흰쥐 악하선 세포에서 gap junction 봉쇄제인 octanol이 타액분비 및 세포내 $Ca^{2+}$ 농도 조절에 미치는 영향)

  • Lee, Ju-Seok;Seo, Jeong-Taeg;Lee, Syng-Il;Lee, Jong-Gap;Sohn, Heung-Kyu
    • Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.399-415
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    • 1999
  • From bacteria to mammalian cells, one of the most important mediators of intracellular signal transduction mechanisms which regulate a variety of intracellular processes is free calcium. In salivary acinar cells, elevation of intracellular calcium concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) is essential for the salivary secretion induced by parasympathetic stimulation. However, in addition to $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, gap junctions which couple individual cells electrically and chemically have also been reported to regulate enzyme secretion in pancreatic acinar cells. Since the plasma membrane of salivary acinar cells has a high density of gap junctions, and these cells are electrically and chemically coupled with each other, gap junctions may modulate the secretory function of salivary glands. In this respect, I planned to investigate the role of gap junctions in the modulation of salivary secretion and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, using mandibular salivary glands of rats. In order to measure the salivary flow rate, fluid was collected from the cannulated duct of the isolated perfused rat mandibular glands at 2 min intervals. $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, was measured from the cells loaded with fura-2 by spectrofluorometry. The results obtained were as follows: 1. CCh-induced salivary secretion was reversibly inhibited by 1 mM octanol, a gap junction blocker. 2. CCh-induced increase in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, was also reversed by the application of 1 mM octanol. 3. Octanol did not block the initial increase in $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ caused by CCh, which suggested that the reduction of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, caused by gap junction blockade was not resulted from the inhibition of $Ca^{2+}$ release from intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ stores. 4. Addition of octanol during stimulation with $1{\mu}M$ thapsigargin, a potent microsomal ATPase inhibitor, reduced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$, to the basal level. This suggested that inhibition of gap junction permeability closed plasma membrane $Ca^{2+}$ channels. 5. 2,5-di-tert-butyl-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) generated $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ oscillations resulting from periodic influx of $Ca^{2+}$ via plasma membrane. The TBQ-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ oscillations were stopped by the application of 1mM octanol which implicated that gap junctions modulate the permeability of plasma membrane $Ca^{2+}$ channels. 6. Glycyrrhetinic acid, another well known gap junction blocker, also inhibited CCh-induced salivary secretion from rat mandibular glands. These results suggested that gap junctions play an important role in the modulation of fluid secretion from the rat mandibular glands and this was probably due to the inhibition of $Ca^{2+}$ influx through the plasma membrane $Ca^{2+}$ channels.

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