• Acta Via Serica
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.25-52
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• 2023

The astronomic observatory of Graw Village is located on Mount Dari Lolikan, facing the village. Graw is located in the foothills of Mount Ser-i-Rash, 25 km northeast of Erbil Governorate, Iraq. This study attempts to clarify the foundations of this observatory, its components, as well as the founder and the date of its establishment. The study made efforts to clarify the benefits of this calendar to local residents in their daily lives. The database for this study is based on direct observation of the observatory station. The observation included the recording date and position of sunset and the appearance of stars throughout the year. Observation and documentation for both sunset and stars were performed over several years due to weather conditions since observation was not possible on foggy and rainy days and nights. Each observation took five to ten minutes depending on the clarity of the sky. The observatory consists of a group of stone cones. Each cone was built by stones in a specific location after careful and long observation of the sunset. Efforts were made to observe the disappearance and reappearance of the stars based on the change in the position of the Earth in relation to the sun. Graw's calendar helped to recognize important times of the year, such as the winter and summer forties, which were very important, especially when snow covered the roads, transportation stopped, crops spoiled, and pets stayed in their barn. The most important features of the winter forties are the memories, experiences, and minds of the villagers' ancestors. The forties were associated with the arrival of cold and heavier rain throughout the year, which is consistent with modern science, as the angle at which the Earth rotates increases the number and activity of weather depressions that affect the study area during this period. This observatory has a close connection with the daily life of the villagers, especially in the past centuries. It helped the people of the area in their appointments to carry out their work in the field of agriculture. The observatory was also of great importance in the field of education in the past centuries, especially in traditional religious schools. It also appears from this research that the calendar has ancient roots, which extend back thousands of years, as evidenced by the Ezidis who follow an ancient religion whose roots extend back thousands of years and who fast during both the winter and summer forties annually, with the participation of people in various regions of the world. It is not known who made this astronomic observatory but most of the oral information that has been passed down to us by word of mouth agrees on both Mullah Abdullah Al-Kurdi and Mullah Omar. Likely, this astronomic observatory was built around the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.911-920
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• 2022

Objective: ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL is a novel prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting tracer based on Glu-Urea-Lys derivatives conjugated to a 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N,N',N''-triacetic acid (NOTA) chelator via a thiourea-type short linker. This phase I clinical trial of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL was conducted to evaluate the safety and radiation dosimetry of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL in healthy volunteers and the lesion detection rate of ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL in patients with prostate cancer. Materials and Methods: We designed a prospective, open-label, single-arm clinical trial with two cohorts comprising six healthy adult men and six patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Safety and blood test-based toxicities were monitored throughout the study. PET/CT scans were acquired at multiple time points after administering ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL (2 MBq/kg; 96-165 MBq). In healthy adults, absorbed organ doses and effective doses were calculated using the OLINDA/EXM software. In patients with prostate cancer, the rates of detecting suspicious lesions by ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT and conventional imaging (CT and bone scintigraphy) during the screening period, within one month after recruitment, were compared. Results: All 12 participants (six healthy adults aged 31-32 years and six prostate cancer patients aged 57-81 years) completed the clinical trial. No drug-related adverse events were observed. In the healthy adult group, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL was rapidly distributed, with the highest uptake in the kidneys. The median effective dose coefficient was calculated as 0.025 mSv/MBq, and cumulative activity in the bladder had the highest contribution. In patients with metastatic prostate cancer, 229 suspicious lesions were detected using either ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT or conventional imaging. Among them, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL PET/CT detected 199 (86.9%) lesions and CT or bone scintigraphy detected 114 (49.8%) lesions. Conclusion: ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL can be safely applied clinically and has shown a higher detection rate for the localization of metastatic lesions in prostate cancer than conventional imaging. Therefore, ⁶⁸Ga-NGUL is a valuable option for prostate cancer imaging.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.66
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• pp.477-483
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• 2023

The flowers of Carthamus tinctorius (Safflower) were extracted with 80% aqueous methanol (CTex) and the concentrates were partitioned into EtOAc (CTE), n-BuOH (CTB), and H₂O (CTW) fractions. Repeated silica gel (SiO₂) and octadecyl silica gel column chromatographies for the EtOAc and n-BuOH fractions led to isolation of four flavonol glycosides. Nuclear magnetic resornance, infrarad spectroscopy, and mass spectroscopy revealed the chemical structure of the isolated compounds, astragalin (1), isoquercetin (2), nicotiflorin (3), and rutin (4). Quantitative analysis of four isolated compounds in CTex was performed by HPLC. CTex was found to contain 1 at 0.107, 2 at 0.367, 3 at 6.752, and 4 at 0.991 mg/g, respectively. Through this study, an experiment was conducted to evaluate the protective effect on pancreatic islets of the extract, solvent fractions, and all isolated compounds using a zebrafish larvae damaged by alloxan. Pancreatic islet size treated with EtOAc (CTE), n-BuOH (CTB), and H₂O (CTW) fractions and compounds 1-4 significantly increased compared to the alloxan-induced group. These results indicate that C. tinctorius flowers and its isolated compounds are used as potential anti-diabetic agents.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.915-922
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• 2024

Currently, in Korea, there is a growing interest in improving the learning ability of the education target group due to the low birth rate and aging population. The dilemma of a shrinking population ultimately causes the burden of having to come up with a plan to efficiently maximize the use of available population resources. Accordingly, this study explores the impact of learning motivation (activity-oriented motivation, learning-oriented motivation) on learner characteristics (learning value, learning efficacy) and learning satisfaction, and as a result, intention to continue participating in lifelong learning (recommendation intention, relationship continuation intention). As a results of the analysis, it shows that learning motivation had a significant effect on learning satisfaction, and the emotions formed in this way had a positive effect on recommendation intention and relationship continuation intention. In addition, the results show that learning-oriented motivation had a significant effect on both learning satisfaction and learner characteristics, but that learning efficacy had no effect on recommendation intention. This study is significant in that it presents the basis for an educational system based on relationship maintenance and learner characteristics by considering the learner's orientation, individual achievement direction, recommendation intention, and relationship continuation intention.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.29-35
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• 2024

Objectives : Obesity is an imbalance between energy intake and consumption due to overeating and lack of exercise, and if it persists, it increases non-infectious diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. In this study, we tried to investigate the possibility of using Chamaeneron angustifolia (CA) as a material for anti-obesity by confirming the effect of inhibiting lipid differentiation. Methods : We measured the effects of CA extract on oil-red-o staining, cell cytotoxicity evaluation activity using 3T3-L1 cells. Additionally, we assessed fat decomposition and metabolism-related protein expression through Western blot analysis. Results : In this study, the anti-obesity effects of CA extract were experimentally assessed. Results showed significant inhibition of adipocyte differentiation and accumulation at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mg/ml of oil-red-o staining, with reductions of 80% or more. CA notably increased the phosphorylation of AMPK protein expression compared to the control group across all concentrations. Additionally, phosphorylation of ACC significantly increased at a concentration of 0.2 mg/ml compared to the control. PPAR-γ, which regulates adipogenesis, exhibited a significant decrease compared to the control, while protein expression of CPT-1, involved in fatty acid oxidation, showed a concentration-dependent increase across all groups. Therefore, CA extract demonstrates potential as a functional material for anti-obesity by increasing the expression of proteins related to fat decomposition and synthesis while decreasing others. Conclusions : These results suggest that CA may also be useful as an anti-obesity functional substance.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.34
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• pp.15.1-15.9
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• 2022

Background: Most previous longitudinal studies on lifestyle and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have focused on physical activity rather than sitting time. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between prolonged sitting time and the development of erosive esophagitis (EE). Methods: A self-report questionnaire was used for measuring sitting time in the Kangbuk Samsung Health Study. Sitting time was categorized into four groups: ≤ 6, 7-8, 9-10, and ≥ 11 hours/day. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) was performed by experienced endoscopists who were unawared of the aims of this study. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the development of EE were estimated using Cox proportional hazards analyses with ≤ 6 hours/day sitting time as the reference. Results: There were 6,524 participants included in the study. During a mean follow-up of 3.14 years, 2,048 incident cases developed EE. In age- and sex-adjusted models, the HR in the group sitting ≥ 11 hours per day compared ≤ 6 hours per day was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.76-0.99). After further adjusting for alcohol intake, smoking status, educational level, history of diabetes, and history of dyslipidemia, sitting time was still significantly related to the risk of EE (HR, 0.87; 95% CI: 0.76-0.98). After further adjustment for exercise frequency, this association persisted (HR, 0.86; 95% CI: 0.76-0.98). In subgroup analysis by obesity, the relationship between sitting time and EE was only significant among participants with body mass index < 25 kg/m² (HR, 0.82; 95% CI: 0.71-0.95). Conclusions: Generally, prolonged sitting time is harmful to health, but with regard to EE, it is difficult to conclude that this is the case.

• Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.47-60
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine students' experiences in the dietary life class using traditional Korean desserts in middle school home economics classes. Participatory observation, in-depth interview, and site data collected in this study were analyzed through emic coding, and the results are as follows. First, students had 'expectations about Han-gwa lab classes.' Students were always positive about lab classes, looking forward to eating delicious food and eagerly awaiting their first lab class since entering middle school. Additionally, there were many students who were experiencing Han-gwa for the first time, so expectations about learning about Han-gwa were high. Second, students engaged in 'self-directed learning through the Han-gwa project.' In other words, while creating an activity book about Han-gwa, the students realized self-directed learning about the differences between Han-gwa and Yang-gwa (Western-style sweets), and the scientific principles of cooking Han-gwa. Third, students had 'instilled pride in Han-gwa through lab classes.' The students learned that there was sufficient awareness and change in values to cherish Han-gwa and to inherit its traditions. Fourth, there was a 'potential curriculum effect.' Students who did not experience face-to-face group activities for three years in middle school due to COVID-19 came to recognize the importance of collaboration and even tried making Han-gwa at home. In order for students to have pride in Han-gwa, it was confirmed that it was necessary for home economics teachers at school to actively teach classes on traditional foods and provide students with many opportunities to encounter them.

• CELLMED
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.12.1-12.13
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• 2024

This study investigated the psychological effects of the creative music fairy tale 'I am a music creator' education program, which was implemented as the convergence educational program of the Seocho Innovation Education District in 2021 for a total of 8 weeks for elementary school students, on Musical Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem. Before verifying the effects after conducting the education program for a total of 8 weeks, a homogeneity verification of the group composition was conducted through a pre-measurement, and it was confirmed that the composition by gender and grade was homogeneous. The results of this study are as follows. First, the results of the pre-test/post-test by research subject showed that the post-test scores in Musical-Interest and Self-Efficacy were slightly higher than the pre-test scores, but there was no significant difference. When Self-Esteem was considered, There was a significant difference, and the post-test scores showed a higher average than the pre-test scores. Second, the results of the pre-test/post-test by gender of the research subject showed that the post-test scores in Musical-Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem for male students were slightly higher than the pre-test scores, but there was no significant difference. The post-test scores in Musical-Interest and Self-Efficacy for female students were slightly higher than the pre-test scores, but there was no real significant difference. Self-Esteem showed a significant difference, and the post-test scores showed a higher average than the pre-test scores. Third, the results of the pre-test/post-test by grade of the research subject showed that the post-test scores in Musical-Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem for second graders were slightly higher than the pretest scores, but there was no real significant difference. In the 3rd grade, there was a significant difference in the sub-factors of Musical-Interest, interest in music classes, and Self-Esteem, and the post-score showed a higher average than the pre-score. In the 4th grade, the post-scores were slightly higher than the pre-scores in Musical-Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem, but there was no significant difference. Through these results, it was confirmed that the integrated music activity approach has a positive influence on elementary school students' Musical-Interest, Self-Efficacy, and Self-Esteem, which are formed in the process of growth and development.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.114-124
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• 2024

Purpose: This study analyzed raw data from the 2022 Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) to explore the relationship between physical activities and the mental health of middle-aged individuals, and examined factors influencing chewing discomfort. Materials and Methods: Data pertaining to 104,500 middle-aged people aged between 40 and 64 were analyzed. The variables analyzed included general characteristics, perceived level of health, level of oral health, physical activities, mental health (PHQ-9), and status of chewing discomfort. Cross-analysis was conducted to explore the differences in general characteristics, physical activities, mental health factors, and chewing discomfort status. Meanwhile, logistic regression analysis was performed on factors influencing chewing discomfort. Results: It was observed that chewing discomfort was more severe for middle-aged individuals who reported that their oral health level was neither good nor poor compared with those who reported that their oral health was good (OR: 8.443, P < 0.001), those who reported that their perceived level of health was poor (OR: 49.173, P < 0.001), those who reported not performing the walking exercise (OR: 1.354, P < 0.001), those who reported that they had suicidal ideation compared with those who did not (OR: 2.543, P < 0.001), those who reported that they had made a suicidal attempt compared with those who had not (OR: 4.456, P < 0.001), and those who reported that their level of depression was severe or more serious (OR: 4.624, P < 0.001). Conclusion: In middle-aged individuals, physical activities and mental health needs to be considered as a risk factor in the improvement of oral health.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.9
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• pp.287-297
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to develop a design thinking-based program to enhance the core competencies of creative problem-solving, collaboration, and communication for college students and to verify its effectiveness. To this end, a design thinking-based program was developed according to the instructional systems design (ISD) model consisting of learning content analysis, class activity design, evaluation tool development, implementation, evaluation and revision. After applying to the target (88 college students), competencies in creative problem-solving, collaboration, and communication were tested to verify quantitative effectiveness and the collected data was analyzed by t-test. In order to verify the qualitative effectiveness, the reflective logs submitted by each group as a final project report were analyzed. The results of the t-test conducted to verify the change in students' means in the pre-post competency test, showed that there were statistically significant increase in creative problem solving skill (t=-4.955, p<.01), collaboration skill (t=-3.179, p<.01), and communication skills(t=- 4.293, p<.01). And the design thinking-based program enabled students to have optimal learning experiences. Especially, learners in the program positively appreciated the experience of sharing various ideas with other members, strengthening cognitive flexibility, and acquiring performance.