Zhong Hua Zi Jing is Chinese teaching material promoted nationwide and overseas for the purpose of “fast literacy and early reading”, which covers Level 4 Chinese characters specified in the HSK exam outline. Its content includes knowledge of fifty major categories, including astronomy, geography, human relations, history, and the like. Therefore, this study is based on Xu Tongqiang’s sinogram-based theory. This paper proposes a teaching plan using the Zhong Hua Zi Jing in teaching Chinese as a foreign language in order to achieves positive results in vocabulary and Chinese character learning. A survey was first conducted on Korean students in years three and four of the Chinese language major to demonstrate their level of understanding of Chinese characters included in Zhong Hua Zi Jing, and to elucidate the level of understanding of Chinese characters Zhong Hua Zi Jing. Then, the necessity and specific solutions of using Zhong Hua Zi Jing to teach vocabulary mainly based on Chinese characters was explored.

Countries in the Chinese character cultural sphere share the Chinese Zodiac that assigns twelve animals to each year a person is born based on the order of arrival, so-called Tti. The twelve animals reflect the psychological characteristics of human life and are regarded as more special than other animals. Thus, the animals are used in idiomatic expressions as a vehicle to more properly describe human feelings and thought. This study therefore analyzed the semantic features of the twelve animals to explore the Chinese perception about the animals. The study result can be summarized as below: The representative semantic features of the twelve animals are as follows: [Villain], [Thief], [Misdeed], [Harmful], and [Heinous] for Rat; [Big] for Ox; [Villain], [Ferocious], [Cruel], [Heinous], [Foe], [Causing Fear], [Causing Risk], [Harmful], [Aggressor], and [Predator] for Tiger; [Agile] and [Quick] for Rabbit; [Emperor], [King], [High Status], [Authority], and [General] for Dragon; [Villain], [Aggressor], [Greedy], [Cunning], [Heinous], and [Vicious] for Snake; [War] and [Military] for Horse; [Weak], [Sacrifice], and [Dangerous Situation] for Sheep; [Nominal] for Monkey; [Small], [Slight], [Trifling], and [Useless] for Rooster; [Shabby], [Vulgar], [Bad], and [Foolish] for Dog; and [Shabby], [Vulgar], and [Wicked] for Pig. The negative semantic features were dominant in all animals except the dragon, which is consistent with a tendency that the animals are generally used to emphasize the negative aspects of a person. The semantic features of the animals are also presented in various domains of action, psychology, personality, morality, size, episode, speed, status, position, geographical features, attitude, shape, living, means, situation, etc.

This study was performed to develop and evaluate cookies prepared with various amounts (0 g, 12.5 g, 25 g and 37.5 g) of mealworm powder to serve as not only sports snacks but also for the general population as a new protein source. In the chromaticity of mealworm cookies, lightness and yellowness decreased whereas redness increased with more mealworm powder. The hardness of the mealworm cookies increased as more mealworm powder was added. In sensory evaluation, higher preference was shown with the measure of color, taste, and overall preference for mealworm cookies prepared with 50% mealworm powder (MP2). For the general composition of MP2, the moisture, carbohydrate, crude protein, crude fat and crude ash were higher compared with the control cookie. For the mineral contents of MP2, the contents of Ca (33.44 mg/100 g), P (225.13 mg/100 g), Mg (82.21 mg/100 g), Na (246.22 mg/100 g), and K (503.49 mg/100 g) were higher compared with the control cookie. The essential amino acids (valine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, threonine, phenylalanine, and histidine) in MP2 were also higher compared with the control cookie. It was concluded that MP2 can be used as a new protein source for not only the maintenance of muscle but also for the prevention of muscle loss in old people.

This study investigated the potential associations of dog characteristics with serum serotonin (5HT) concentration in dogs with degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD). Client-owned dogs were prospectively recruited at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Chungnam National University between 2010 and 2011. Forty-two dogs (22 females and 20 males) were enrolled in this study. DMVD dogs included Maltese (n=12), followed by Shih-tzu (n=10), mixed breed (n=5), Chihuahua (n=4), Miniature schnauzer (n=3), Miniature poodle (n=3), Miniature pinscher (n=1), Pomeranian (n=1), Yorkshire terrier (n=2), and Spitz (n=1). As inclusion criteria for the study, dogs had to show either direct or echocardiographic evidence of DMVD. Platelet count significantly differed among the three groups, as the moderate (P<0.05) and severe groups (P<0.05) showed significantly higher platelet counts than the mild DMVD group. Additionally, significantly higher LVIDd, LVIDs, fractional shortening (FS), and LA:Ao ratios were observed in dogs with moderate (P<0.05) and severe (P<0.05) DMVD compared to the mild group, respectively. Significant positive correlations between serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) concentration and platelet count (r=0.273, P=0.03), LA:Ao ratio (r=0.459, P=0.001), and LVIDd (r=0.319, P=0.013) were observed in DMVD dogs. Therefore, serum 5HT concentration may be a potential cause of DMVD progression.

This work was performed to confirm the molecular discrimination through the nrITS1 sequences among 3 taxa of Scirpus L. sensu lato (s.l.) species. S. planiculmis represented only 2 base sequence variations with S. maritimus in spite that they showed different morphological features. The nucleotide sequences of the ITS1 region from S. planiculmis were shown to have 99.1% homology with S. maritimus and 60.4% homology with S. triqueter. Although the morphology of S. planiculmis is similar with S. triqueter, molecular basis of the size and sequences on ITS1 region were shown to have distinctive differences. For divergency investigation on same sites and metapopulation, sequencing was conducted on ITS1 region with partial 5.8S and 18S regions. All plants of each species collected at the same site had identical band size pattern and sequences. Intraspecific molecular divergency was not identified in spite that these species live in different wetland sites. The ITS1 sequences described here provided a powerful genetic tool for phylogenetic studies which was difficult by morphological identification as high rate of morphological plasticity