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Understanding Biotechnology: An Analysis of High School Students' Concepts (생명공학의 기본 개념에 대한 고등학생의 이해도 조사 및 개념 분석)

  • Chung, Young-Lan;Kye, Bo-Ah
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.18 no.4
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    • pp.463-472
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    • 1998
  • Biotechnology is the process of using biological system for the production of materials. Genetic engineering, a subset of biotechnology, is the process of altering biological systems by the purposeful manipulation of DNA It is a new field in biology and no topic in biology is more likely to impact our personal lives and is therefore more worthy of our attention and understanding. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' understanding of the concepts of biotechnology, and a test tool which is made up of 20 basic questions was developed for the study. The subject of this study was high school students and the sample size was 486. In order to find out the source of students' misunderstanding, we also analysed high school textbooks and teachers were given the same tool applied to students. Two-way ANOVA was used for the analysis. Major findings of this study are as following; 1. Mean score of students was 41, and there was a significant difference between the scores of boys and girls(p<0.05). Female students scored higher than male students. The variables "region" and "major" had no significant influence. 2. Students' the most misunderstood concepts were "monoclonal antibody" and "gene cloning". Many students thought that a plamid DNA originally has a useful DNA in it, which is apparently wrong. 3. Mean score of teachers was 82, and the variabes of gender and career did not have statistically significant influence on the result(p>0.05). 4. Teachers got the lowest scores on the concepts of "gene therapy", "the accomplishment of biotechnology in agriculture and medicine", and "plasmid DNA". The results of item analysis implied that teachers' misunderstanding might be a part of the sources of students' misunderstaning. 5. Out of 18 basic concepts selected in the study, only 10 concepts were explained well enough in most textbooks. The results of item analysis indicated that textbooks also could be a part of the source of students' misunderstanding.

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Teachers' Conceptions about the Genetic Determinism of Human Behaviors (교사들이 가지는 사람의 행동적 특징에 대한 유전자 결정론적 인식)

  • Youn, Se Jin;Seo, Hae-Ae
    • Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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    • v.34 no.4
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    • pp.407-415
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    • 2014
  • Genetic determinism of human behaviors is considered as a philosophical perspective that genes in humans determine biological as well as social traits. However, many biologists agree that human traits are determined by interactions between genes and genes, as well as between genes and environments. In this context, genetic determinism still affect ideas of the general public as well as research directions of biologists. According to Cl$\acute{e}$ment's KVP model (Cast$\acute{e}$ra & Cl$\acute{e}$ment, 2012), teachers' conceptions of genetic determinism influence students' concepts of genetics. This study intends to investigate teachers' conceptions on genetic determinism of human behaviors. For this end, a questionnaire adopted from a previous research (Cast$\acute{e}$ra & Cl$\acute{e}$ment, 2012) has been administered to 308 teachers including 151 pre-service and 157 in-service. Factor analysis has been conducted to extract major factors and one-way ANOVA has been employed to find out differences in extracted factors among different groups of teachers. Four factors have been extracted from 14 items of questionnaire, including factor 1, a perspective of genetic determinism of gender differences in intellectual ability, social status, and emotional traits; factor 2, a perspective of genetic determinism of individual differences in intellectual ability; factor 3, a perspective of genetic determinism of individual differences in biological immune function and behavioral trait; and factor 4, a perspective of genetic determinism of ethnic differences. From the results of One-way ANOVA among teacher groups on four factors, first, it has shown a significant difference in factor 1 (F=3.325, p=.006), factor 3 (F=3.320, p=.006) and factor 4 (F=4.325, p=.001) due to their subject matters. In post-hoc comparison there have been no significant difference between biology teachers and other teachers. It has also been found that there was a significant difference between pre-service and in-service teachers in factor 1 (t=-3.938, p=.000) and factor 4 (t=-3.121, p=.002) and in-service teachers are more genetic deterministic than pre-service teachers. Finally, different religions have no influence on teachers' conceptions of genetic determinism of human behaviors.

Analysis of Sawmill Productivity and Optimum Combination of Production Factors (제재생산성(製材生産性)과 적정생산요소투입량(適正生産要素投入量) 계측(計測))

  • Cho, Woong Hyuk
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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    • v.32 no.1
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    • pp.29-35
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    • 1976
  • In order to estimate sawmill productivities, rates of technical change and optimum combination of production factors, Cobb-Douglas production functions have been derived using data obtained from 96 sample mills in Busan-Incheon, southwestern and northeastern areas. The results may be summarized as follows: 1. There is a tendency of expanding average sawmill size in the areas. The horse-power holdings per mill have been increased at the rates of 91 percent in Busan-Incheon, 7.7 percent in southwestern and 16.9 percent in northeastern areas. This implies that the mills around log-importing ports have made rapid development, compared with those in forest regions. 2. The regression coefficients (production elasticities) of the functions for the year of 1967 in the above three areas are much similar each other, but significant differencies are found in the production functions of 1975. In other words, sawmill productivity was mainly restricted by capital deficiencies in all areas in 1967, but this situation was succeeded only by N-E area in 1975. The range of sum of regression coefficients is 1.0437-1.4214, this indicates increasing rates of return to scale. 3. The annual rates of technical changes in B-I, S-W and N-E areas for the observed period are 17.6, 7.6 and 2.2 percents respectively. Busan-Incheon is the only area where labor productivity is higher than that of capital. 4. The best combination of production factors for maximizing firm's profit is subject to the changes of input and output prices. With some assumptions of prices and costs, the optimum levels of power and labor input in B-I, S-W and N-E areas are 57:17, 427:94 and 192:27.

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Consideration on Birth Sex Ratio in Human IVF-ET Program in Korea (인간의 체외수정 및 배아이식술에서 출생 성비에 대한 고찰)

  • Cha, Byung-Hun;Jun, Jin-Hyun;Lee, Jung-Ryeol;Choi, Young-Min
    • Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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    • v.37 no.1
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    • pp.33-39
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    • 2010
  • Objective: Birth sex ratio (BSR) with human IVF-ET program is an interesting subject of social and scientific issue but very little information is available in Korea. This study was performed to assess the BSR with IVF-ET and to suggest the effective factors on the BSR. Methods: The national data from 1991~2008 were obtained from governmental Statistics Korea and the delivery data of human IVF-ET program on 2007 and 2008 were provided from the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. The BSR were statistically analyzed according to methods of IVF and to transferred embryos from fresh or frozen-thawed cycles. Results: The BSRs of Korean populations were over 1.10 up to 2002, and then it declined and maintained to 1.06 as balance BSR on 2007 and 2008. In human IVF-ET program, the BSRs were 1.07 on 2007 and 1.06 on 2008, respectively. Conventional IVF on 2008 showed the highest BSR as 1.10, and ICSI the lowest on 2008 as 1.01. There was no significant difference of BSRs related to the methods of in vitro fertilization and the feature of transferred embryos. Conclusion: The BSR of Korea showed 1.06~1.07 as normal and balanced state on 2007 and 2008 both general populations and human IVF-ET program. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the BSR of human IVF-ET in Korea. There is a need to expand the further studies for national statistics and influencing factors on the BSR with IVF-ET.

International Legal Regulation for Environmental Contamination on Outer Space Activities (우주에서의 환경오염 방지를 위한 국제법적 규제)

  • Lee, Young-Jin
    • The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
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    • v.24 no.1
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    • pp.153-194
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    • 2009
  • The resources of outer space are for the common exploitation of mankind, and it is a common responsibility of mankind to protect the outer space environment. With the rapid development of space science and technology, and especially with the busy space activities of some major space powers, environmental contamination or space debris is steadily increasing in quantity and has brought grave potential threats and actual damage to the outer space environment and human activities in space. Especially We must mitigate and seek out a solution to remove space debris which poses a threat directly to man's exploitation and use of outer space activities in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in the Geostationary Orbit (GEO), through international cooperation and agreement in the fields of space science, economics, politics and law, in order to safeguard the life and property of mankind and protect the earth's environment. While the issue of space debris has been the subject of scientific study and discussion for some time now, it has yet to be fully addressed within the context of an international legal framework. During the earlier stages of the space age, which began in the late 1950s, the focus of international lawmakers and diplomats was the establishment of basic rules which sought to define the legal nature of outer space and set out the parameters for space activities and the nature and scope of activities carried out in outer space were quite limited. Consequently, environmental issues and the risks that might arise from the generation of space debris did not receive priority attention within the context of the development international space law. In recent years, however, the world has seen dramatic advances in technology and increases in the type and number of space-related activities which are being carried out. In addition, the number of actors in this field has exploded from two highly developed States to a vast array of different States, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, including private industry. Therefore, the number of artificial objects in the near-Earth space is continually increasing. As has been previously mentioned, COPUOS was the entity that created the existing five treaties, and five sets of legal Principles, which form the core of space law, and COPUOS is clearly the most appropriate entity to oversee the creation of this regulatory body for the outer space environmental problem. This idea has been proposed by various States and also at the ILA Conference in Buenos Aires. The ILA Conference in Buenos Aires produced an extensive proposal for such a regulatory regime, dealing with space debris issues in legal terms This article seeks to discuss the status of international law as it relates to outer space environmental problem and space debris and indicate a course of action which might be taken by the international community to develop a legal framework which can adequately cope with the complexity of issues that have recently been recognized. In Section Ⅱ,Ⅲ and IV of this article discuss the current status of international space law, and the extent to which some of the issues raised by earth and space environment are accounted for within the existing United Nations multilateral treaties. Section V and VI discuss the scope and nature of space debris issues as they emerged from the recent multi-year study carried out by the ILA, Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, Legal Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space ("COPUOS") as a prelude to the matters that will require the attention of international lawmakers in the future. Finally, analyzes the difficulties inherent in the future regulation and control of space debris and the activities to protect the earth's environment. and indicates a possible course of action which could well provide, at the least, a partial solution to this complex challenge.

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Preferential Flow as Tested by Breakthrough Curves of Cl- and Cu2+ from Saturated Undisturbed Soil Core Samples under Steady Flow Conditions (포화 불교란 토양시료의 Cl- 및 Cu2+ 출현곡선에 의한 preferential flow의 검증)

  • Yoo, Sun-Ho;Han, Kyung-Hwa;Ro, Hee-Myong;Han, Gwang-Hyun
    • Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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    • v.33 no.2
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    • pp.71-78
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    • 2000
  • Preferential flow has recently been the subject of increasing interest because these phenomena contribute to solute transport in soils. Commonly, preferential flow paths are associated with macropores or highly structured soils. We presented an analysis of the measured breakthrough curves (BTCs) of $Cl^-$ and $Cu^{2+}$ ions to test the occurrence of preferential flow in soils using miscible displacement technique under steady flow conditions. We also analyzed soil water retention curves and from this curves induced cumulative pore size distribution of undisturbed soils, which sampled from Ap1, B1, and C horizons of Songjeong series soils (the fine loamy, mesic family of Typic Hapludults). In this study, miscible displacement experiment on C horizon was excluded, because it is structureless sandy loam with saturated hydraulic conductivity of $5.2cmhr^{-1}$. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of Ap1 horizon was $2.0cmhr^{-1}$, which was about 7 times higher than that of B1 horizon ($0.27cm hr^{-1}$). Cumulative pore size distribution predicted that Ap1 horizon had more macropores (pore diameter larger than $49{\mu}m$, equivalent to -6 kpa of soil matric potential) than B1 horizon. The hydrodynamic dispersion coefficient from chloride BTCs was estimated as $1.3cm^2hr^{-1}$ for B1 and $34cm^2hr^{-1}$ for Ap1 horizon. However the retardation factors of B1 and Ap1 horizon were significantly different, i.e. 1 and 0.6, respectively, which means that there was distinct partition between mobile water and immobile phase in Ap1 horizon. The copper retardation effect of Ap1 horizon was less than that of B1 horizon, even though cation exchange capacity of Ap1 horizon was higher than that of B1 horizon. Thus, breakthrough curves of $Cl^-$ and $Cu^{2+}$ obviously showed the probability that preferential flow would occur in Ap1 horizon.

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Usefulness of Rotation for Toric Soft Lenses Using Objective Refraction (타각적 굴절검사를 이용한 토릭 소프트 렌즈 회전 평가의 유용성)

  • Yu, Dong-Sik;Moon, Byeong-Yeon;Son, Jeong-Sik
    • Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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    • v.16 no.3
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    • pp.265-272
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    • 2011
  • Purpose: The clinical usefulness of rotation evaluation using objective refraction in toric soft lenses fitting was investigated. Methods: Toric soft lenses were fitted for 32 subjects (64 eyes; mean age of 24.69 ${\pm}$ 1.65 years) with astigmatism and both eyes of each subject were fitted with toric soft lenses. Objective refraction-based lenses rotation was evaluated from refraction and over-refraction data by indirect calculating technique. These calculated data were compared with the measured data from slit lamp with direct measuring technique. Results: Orientation of toric soft lenses around zero position (within ${\pm}$ 5$^{\circ}$ vertical line) was investigated. The orientations to the direction of nose of measured and calculated values were 69.78% and 63.64%, respectively, which showed similar values between two techniques. Agreement frequency between measured and calculated values in the magnitude of lenses rotation 54.69% and 82.82% for 10$^{\circ}$ and 20$^{\circ}$ of vertical line, respectively. The 95% limits of agreement between calculation and measurement were from -10.08$^{\circ}$ to 12.65$^{\circ}$, and mean difference was 1.29$^{\circ}$ within ${\pm}$ 10$^{\circ}$. The result showed there was no significant difference (p = 0.1984) and high correlation (r = 0.56, p = 0.0004) between two techniques. But the 95% limits of agreement was widen in ${\pm}$ 20$^{\circ}$ of vertical line. The magnitude of lens rotation between two methods was 9.66 ${\pm}$ 6.16$^{\circ}$, 16.17 ${\pm}$ 12.38$^{\circ}$ and 10.58 ${\pm}$ 12.02$^{\circ}$ for normal, loose and tight fitted conditions. Conclusions: From the results with smaller difference between two techniques, it was found that higher availability of subjective over-refraction data can be used as a supplementary tool for subjective refraction. An application using objective refraction with direct measuring could be provide high success in prescription on toric soft lenses.

A Survey on the Consumer Attitude Toward Health Food in Korea (II) -Consumer Perception on Health Foods- (건강식품에 대한 소비자 인식 연구 (II) -건강식품에 관한 소비자 의식구조-)

  • Lee, Eun-Joo;Ro, Seung-Ok;Lee, Cherl-Ho
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.487-495
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    • 1996
  • The consumer perception on health and food habit, the experience of health food use and the discrimination between health food and drug of Korean consumer were surveyed by using a questionnaire containing 20 items in order to obtain the basic data for the assessment of the benefit and risk of health foods in Korea. A total of 1,000 people over 20 years of age living in Seoul and the vicinities were interviewed and asked to fill out the questionnaire during the period from the October 1995 to the February 1996. Among the 882 answers collected 23 was incomplete data, and 859 answers were used for the statistical analysis by using SAS program. The survey revealed a strong interest of the consumer on health food by showing that more than a half of the subjects (58.8%) had the experience of actual use of health food, and 68.2% believed the effectiveness. What the consumer expect most from health food was to have beneficial effect to maintain overall health condition (59.8%), and the most negative aspect of health food was the overstatement on the effectiveness by the producers (52.1%). The most important source of information for the purchase of health food was the suggestion of friends and relatives (30.6%). Among the health foods registered and regulated by the food law, royal jelly (22.7%), squalene (16.0%), refined fish oil (15.1%), lactic acid bacteria (10.6%) and aloe (8.8%) were relatively well aware. Although 84% of the subjects perceived that health food is different from drug or traditional medicine, the largest percentage of the subject selected ginseng as the most well known type of health food (22.7%) as well as the most well known drug (or traditional medicine) (41.7%). Ginseng was also chosen as the most frequently used health food (17.0%), and vitamin tablets the third (13.0%). The vague definition of health food and unambiguous discrimination of it from medicine by the consumers were problematic for the correct use and reasonable purchasing behavior. The clear definition and proper regulation on the manufacture and distribution of health food, more strict control of labelling and advertisement, and a wide consumer education on health food were recommended.

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A Study on the Aesthetic Art Marketing Communication of Luxury Brand Using Storytelling (스토리텔링을 이용한 명품 브랜드의 미학적 아트마케팅 커뮤니케이션에 관한 연구)

  • Cho, Hye-Duk;Hwang, Jae-Kwang;Lee, Sang-Youn
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.9 no.3
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    • pp.73-82
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    • 2011
  • This study presents an effective and distinctive marketing strategy through the implementation of the aesthetic art marketing communication technique of storytelling. The reason applying art to marketing is effective is that it gives "class" and aesthetic beauty to the brand's image, which will lead to an increase in revenue and loyalty of consumers. The story stands in for the brand's subject of "desire." Luxury brand customers not only consume high-quality products, require the utmost in service, and value of the brand, they also appreciate the story the brand is telling. The story, combined with art, is called art marketing communication; it makes the brand more unique through its enhanced visual elements. The study discusses art collaboration, art exhibition, a transforming architecture project, art advertisement, a flagship store, and a human resource training center. Based on the "desire," I adopted the element and principle of storytelling. By visualizing the brand with a symbol, the company is able to relate to consumers' sentimentality. Through storytelling art marketing communication, and the strategy using relevance of brand and artist's popularity, the research shows efficient art marketing influences to the brand's image. The results of the research indicate that by using adequate art marketing communication that best reflects the identity and story of the luxury brand, it produces great results; the research also demonstrated, in various ways, that art marketing will succeed. The case showed the following outcomes. First, consumers have a tendency to choose a brand that is associated with an empathizing story. World renowned brands see through the market's "desires" for unique stories, and they also provide the ability to amuse consumers. The story in a product will become an important competitive element in future markets. Second, the art marketing communication applying a story rendered a brand with distinction. The most effective art marketing communications are art collaboration, art exhibition, locomotive architecture project, and others that are adopted as various means. Third, the brand's products were considered as an art piece, which led to not only strengthening the loyalty of consumers but also an increase in sales. In addition, the company could sustain a premium price for the goods sold. By adapting art to a brand's tradition, an innovative and creative new product provides consumer satisfaction, and producing goods in limited editions creates enthusiastic collectors. Fourth, this study suggests an abridged report, implication, limitation of the study, and directions for further research. Referring to the case for the adaptation of luxury brands, efficient art marketing strategies considering Korean company brand and efficiently study preceding Korean company brand art marketing strategy could be proposed.

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Earthquake impacts on hydrology: a case study from the Canterbury, New Zealand earthquakes of 2010 and 2011

  • Davie, Tim;Smith, Jeff;Scott, David;Ezzy, Tim;Cox, Simon;Rutter, Helen
    • Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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    • 2011.05a
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    • pp.8-9
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    • 2011
  • On 4 September 2010 an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale occurred on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. The Canterbury Plains are an area of extensive groundwater and spring fed surface water systems. Since the September earthquake there have been several thousand aftershocks (Fig. 1), the largest being a 6.3 magnitude quake which occurred close to the centre of Christchurch on 22February 2011. This second quake caused extensive damage to the city of Christchurch including the deaths of 189 people. Both of these quakes had marked hydrological impacts. Water is a vital natural resource for Canterburywith groundwater being extracted for potable supply and both ground and surface water being used extensively for agricultural and horticultural irrigation.The groundwater is of very high quality so that the city of Christchurch (population approx. 400,000) supplies untreated artesian water to the majority of households and businesses. Both earthquakes caused immediate hydrological effects, the most dramatic of which was the liquefaction of sediments and the release of shallow groundwater containing a fine grey silt-sand material. The liquefaction that occurred fitted within the empirical relationship between distance from epicentre and magnitude of quake described by Montgomery et al. (2003). . It appears that liquefaction resulted in development of discontinuities in confining layers. In some cases these appear to have been maintained by artesian pressure and continuing flow, and the springs are continuing to flow even now. In spring-fed streams there was an increase in flow that lasted for several days and in some cases flows remained high for several months afterwards although this could be linked to a very wet winter prior to the September earthquake. Analysis of the slope of baseflow recession for a spring-fed stream before and after the September earthquake shows no change, indicating no substantial change in the aquifer structure that feeds this stream.A complicating factor for consideration of river flows was that in some places the liquefaction of shallow sediments led to lateral spreading of river banks. The lateral spread lessened the channel cross section so water levels rose although the flow might not have risen accordingly. Groundwater level peaks moved both up and down, depending on the location of wells. Groundwater level changes for the two earthquakes were strongly related to the proximity to the epicentre. The February 2011 earthquake resulted in significantly larger groundwater level changes in eastern Christchurch than occurred in September 2010. In a well of similar distance from both epicentres the two events resulted in a similar sized increase in water level but the slightly slower rate of increase and the markedly slower recession recorded in the February event suggests that the well may have been partially blocked by sediment flowing into the well at depth. The effects of the February earthquake were more localised and in the area to the west of Christchurch it was the earlier earthquake that had greater impact. Many of the recorded responses have been compromised, or complicated, by damage or clogging and further inspections will need to be carried out to allow a more definitive interpretation. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to provisionally conclude that there is no clear evidence of significant change in aquifer pressures or properties. The different response of groundwater to earthquakes across the Canterbury Plains is the subject of a new research project about to start that uses the information to improve groundwater characterisation for the region. Montgomery D.R., Greenberg H.M., Smith D.T. (2003) Stream flow response to the Nisqually earthquake. Earth & Planetary Science Letters 209 19-28.

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