This study critically examined the effectiveness of English medium instruction (EMI) policy within the context of Korean higher education, putting a special focus on its implementation strategy. The ...data for this study were mainly drawn from student opinion surveys and focus group interviews conducted by the CTL (Center for Teaching and Learning) at KU. The research teams also carried out supplementary interviews with both professors and students. The results indicate that, although the EMI policy seems to have produced, in general, positive outcomes (i.e., with the overall satisfaction level with EMI or its overall effectiveness in improving students' English proficiency), the compulsory enforcement of EMI without regard to students'/instructors' language proficiency, the lack of a much-needed support system and appropriate instructors to conduct EMI classes, and the unilateral implementation of EMI across academic disciplines have brought about a number of side effects. Based on these findings, the study recommends for future EMI policy implementation (1) a more flexible approach, considering students' language proficiency and career plans and the characteristics of various academic disciplines and (2) more thorough preparation to implement the EMI policy (i.e., examination of the human and financial resources available for the institution concerned). (HRK / Abstract übernommen).
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is one of the most famous vegetables worldwide, rich in essential metabolites for various health benefits. It is a valuable plant source that has the potential to be a ...nutraceutical. This study aimed to evaluate the single characteristic marker compound to establish the validation of HPLC-DAD methods applied to the development of a nutraceutical using spinach samples. Six metabolites (1–6) were identified from the spinach samples such as freeze-dried spinach (FDS) and spinach extract concentrate (SEC) by LC-Q-TOF/MS analysis. Among the six metabolites, 3′,4′,5-trihydroxy-3-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxyflavone 4′-glucuronide (TMG) was selected as a marker compound due to its highest abundance and high selectivity. The specificity, accuracy, linearity, precision, repeatability, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantification (LOQ) of TMG in the spinach samples (FDS and SEC) were validated according to AOAC international guideline. The specificity was confirmed by monitoring the well separation of the marker compound from other compounds of spinach samples in the base peak intensity (BPI) and ultraviolet (UV) chromatogram. The calibration curve of TMG (15.625~500 μg/mL) had reasonable linearity (R2 = 0.999) considered with LOD and LOQ values, respectively. Recovery rate of TMG was 93–101% for FDS and 90–95% for SEC. The precision was less than 3 and 6% in the intraday and interday. As a result, the HPLC-DAD validation method of TMG in the spinach samples (FDS and SEC) was first established with AOAC and KFDA regulations for approving functional ingredients in functional foods.
New compounds with 1H-pyrazolo 3,4-dpyrimidin-6-amine core scaffolds were synthesized and characterized in vitro to determine their affinity for human A2A and A1 receptors. Among the tested ...compounds, a few compounds displayed nanomolar binding affinities for both receptors. One particular compound, 11o, showed high binding activities (hA2A Ki = 13.3 nM; hA1 Ki = 55 nM) and full antagonism (hA2A IC50 = 136 nM; hA1 IC50 = 98.8 nM) toward both receptors. Further tests showed that 11o has low hepatic clearance and good pharmacokinetic properties in mice, along with high bioavailability and a high brain plasma ratio. In addition, 11o was associated with very low cardiovascular risk and mutagenic potential, and was well-tolerated in rats and dogs. When tested in an MPTP-induced mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, 11o tended to improve behavior. Moreover, 11o dose-dependently reversed haloperidol-induced catalepsy in female rats, with graded ED50 of between 3 and 10 mg/kg. Taken together, these results suggest that this potent dual A2A/A1 receptor antagonist, 11o, is a good candidate for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease with an excellent metabolic and safety profile.
To investigate the accuracy and interobserver variability of a standardized evaluation system for endorectal three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopic imaging of the prostate.
The ...human research committee approved the study, and all patients provided written informed consent. Endorectal MR imaging and MR spectroscopic imaging were performed in 37 patients before they underwent radical prostatectomy. For the 22 patients with good or excellent MR spectroscopic imaging data, step-section histopathologic tumor maps were used to identify spectroscopic voxels of unequivocally benign (n = 306) or malignant (n = 81) peripheral zone tissue. Two independent spectroscopists, unaware of all other findings, scored the spectra of the selected voxels by using a scale of 1 (benign) to 5 (malignant) that was based on standardized metabolic criteria. Descriptive statistical, receiver operating characteristics (ROC), and kappa statistical analyses of the data obtained by both readers were performed by using two definitions of cancer: one based on a voxel score of 3-5 and the other based on a score of 4 or 5.
The scoring system had good accuracy (74.2%-85.0%) in the differentiation between benign and malignant tissue voxels, with areas under the ROC curve of 0.89 for reader 1 and 0.87 for reader 2. Specificities of 84.6% and 89.3% were achieved when a voxel score of 4 or 5 was used to identify cancer, and sensitivities of 90% and 93% were achieved when a score of 3-5 was used to identify cancer. Readers demonstrated excellent interobserver agreement (kappa values, 0.79 and 0.80).
The good accuracy and excellent interobserver agreement achieved by using the standardized five-point scale to interpret peripheral zone metabolism demonstrate the potential effectiveness of using metabolic information to identify prostate cancer, and the clinical usefulness of this system warrants testing in prospective clinical trials of MR imaging combined with MR spectroscopic imaging.
Maximizing productivity is one of the most critical factors for competitiveness in the manufacturing industry. Needless to say, the semiconductor industry, in which the automation rate is relatively ...high and the manufacturing process continues 24 h a day, requires high productivity to be maintained. This paper is about a model that analyzes the cause of an increase in time needed for the whole photolithography process and automatically classifies it in real-time by machine learning. The time analytics model based on a k-means algorithm divides the processing time into four hundred detailed time steps and classifies causes through normalizing and clustering processes. Further, true/false measures of performance were employed based on the confusion matrix. To increase the accuracy of the model, the classified cause becomes a source for creating a new algorithm that can detect problems quickly and accurately. A small number of wafers that the system has failed to classify has accumulated in the database to increase the frequency of occurrence. As a result of evaluating the time analytics model in the photolithography extreme ultraviolet (EUV) equipment, the model has classified 98.6% of the wafers that exceed the limitation. Continuous updates of new phenomena that will be generated from advanced technologies will be more important than the current classification ability. We are accumulating unclassified data for a sustainable system and will continue to classify by synthesizing new phenomena. Data classified in real-time with high accuracy become a steppingstone for maintaining high productivity. Production equipment and processes are developed to enhance individual characteristics. Nevertheless, a data mining method that divides the process time can also be widely used in manufacturing processes of other fields.
This paper presents a hierarchical control framework with power flow controller for state of charge (SOC) equalization of the embedded storage systems among different active power distribution ...nodes(APDNs) in a communications power plant that uses local distributed generation resources. Communications power plant configured with APDNs can provide numerous advantages in DC enabled microgrids. A multi-input multi-output (MIMO) structure of APDN and an embedded storage system directly connected to the common DC link provide enhanced flexibility and availability. To improve the life cycle of batteries, a power flow controller is proposed for SOC equalization of the embedded battery system among different APDNs. The proposed control method is described, and the performance of the control framework is verified by experiments.
More adventures of tin–tin: The stereospecific synthesis of 2‐stannylvinyl‐1,3‐diols was achieved through a one‐pot allylic transfer/distannation/allylic transfer reaction sequence (see scheme). The ...method was applied to the concise asymmetric syntheses of (−)‐avenaciolide and (−)‐isoavenaciolide.
This paper improves the design of a previously proposed multiple-input SEPIC by providing bi-directional power flow capabilities in order to integrate energy storage devices with distributed ...generation sources. In this work an ultra-capacitor bank is considered as the multiple-input SEPIC energy storage input and auxiliary power source. When the main source generates enough power to regulate the output voltage by itself, energy is stored in the ultra-capacitor bank in order to provide auxiliary power for periods when the main generation source is insufficient. The proposed converter is described by its fundamental equations in both charging and discharging modes. Analysis evaluation through simulation and hardware experiments is also performed.
