• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• 제53권10호
• /
• pp.3406-3412
• /
• 2021

A real-time digital time-stamp sorting algorithm used in the In-Beam positron emission tomography (In-Beam PET) is presented. The algorithm is operated in the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a small amount of registers, MUX and memory cells are used. It is developed for sorting the data of annihilation event from front-end circuits, so as to identify the coincidence events efficiently in a large amount of data. In the In-Beam PET, each annihilation event is detected by the detector array and digitized by the analog to digital converter (ADC) in Data Acquisition Unit (DAQU), with a resolution of 14 bits and sampling rate of 50 MS/s. Test and preliminary operation have been implemented, it can perform a sorting operation under the event count rate up to 1 MHz per channel, and support four channels in total, count rate up to 4 MHz. The performance of this algorithm has been verified by pulse generator and ²²Na radiation source, which can sort the events with chaotic order into chronological order completely. The application of this algorithm provides not only an efficient solution for selection of coincidence events, but also a design of electronic circuit with a small-scale structure.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제23권5호
• /
• pp.393-402
• /
• 2019

Aurora kinases inhibitors, including ZM447439 (ZM), which suppress cell division, have attracted a great deal of attention as potential novel anti-cancer drugs. Several recent studies have confirmed the anti-cancer effects of ZM in various cancer cell lines. However, there have been no studies regarding the cardiac safety of this agent. We performed several cytotoxicity, invasion and migration assays to examine the anti-cancer effects of ZM. To evaluate the potential effects of ZM on cardiac repolarisation, whole-cell patch-clamp experiments were performed with human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and cells with heterogeneous cardiac ion channel expression. We also conducted a contractility assay with rat ventricular myocytes to determine the effects of ZM on myocardial contraction and/or relaxation. In tests to determine in vitro efficacy, ZM inhibited the proliferation of A549, H1299 (lung cancer), MCF-7 (breast cancer) and HepG2 (hepatoma) cell lines with $IC_{50}$ in the submicromolar range, and attenuated the invasive and metastatic capacity of A549 cells. In cardiac toxicity testing, ZM did not significantly affect $I_{Na}$, $I_{Ks}$ or $I_{K1}$, but decreased $I_{hERG}$ in a dose-dependent manner ($IC_{50}$: $6.53{\mu}M$). In action potential (AP) assay using hiPSC-CMs, ZM did not induce any changes in AP parameters up to $3{\mu}M$, but it at $10{\mu}M$ induced prolongation of AP duration. In summary, ZM showed potent broad-spectrum anti-tumor activity, but relatively low levels of cardiac side effects compared to the effective doses to tumor. Therefore, ZM has a potential to be a candidate as an anti-cancer with low cardiac toxicity.

• Yonsei Medical Journal
• /
• 제59권9호
• /
• pp.1131-1137
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Previous reports have shown that hyperglycemia-induced inhibition of transient receptor potential vanilloid sub type 4 (TRPV4), a transient receptor potential ion channel, affects the severity of hearing impairment (HI). In this study, we explored the role of TRPV4 in HI using HEI-OC1 cells exposed to high glucose (HG). Materials and Methods: HEI-OC1 cells were cultured in a HG environment (25 mM D-glucose) for 48 hours, and qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to analyze the expression of TRPV4 at the mRNA and protein level. TRPV4 agonist (GSK1016790A) or antagonist (HC-067047) in cultured HEI-OC1 cells was used to obtain abnormal TRPV4 expression. Functional TRPV4 activity was assessed in cultured HEI-OC1 cells using the MTT assay and a cell death detection ELISA. Results: TRPV4 agonists exerted protective effects against HG-induced HI, as evidenced by increased MTT levels and inhibition of apoptosis in HEI-OC1 cells. TRPV4 overexpression significantly increased protein levels of phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-p38 MAPK), while TRPV4 antagonists had the opposite effect. Our results indicated that TRPV4 is a hyperglycemia-related factor that can inhibit cell proliferation and promote cell apoptosis by activating the MAPK signaling pathway in HEI-OC1 cells. Conclusion: Our results show that the overexpression of TRPV4 can attenuate cell death in HEI-OC1 cells exposed to HG.

• 전력전자학회논문지
• /
• 제26권3호
• /
• pp.192-198
• /
• 2021

The battery's State of Health (SOH) is a critical parameter in the process of battery use, as it represents the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of the battery. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is a widely used technique in observing the state of the battery. The measured impedance at certain frequencies can be used to evaluate the state of the battery, as it is intimately tied to the underlying chemical reactions. In this work, a low-cost portable EIS instrument is developed on the basis of the ARM Cortex-M4 Microcontroller Unit (MCU) for measuring the impedance spectrum of Li-ion battery packs. The MCU uses a built-in DAC module to generate the sinusoidal sweep perturbation signal. Moreover, it performs the dual-channel acquisition of voltage and current signals, calculates impedance using a Digital Lock-in Amplifier (DLA), and transmits the result to a PC. By using LabVIEW, an interface was developed with the real-time display of the EIS information. The developed instrument was suitable for measuring the impedance spectrum of the battery pack up to 1000 V. The measurement frequency range of the instrument was from 1 hz to 1 Khz. Then, to prove the performance of the developed system, the impedance of a Samsung SM3 battery pack and a Bexel pouch module were measured and compared with those obtained by the commercial instrument.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제27권1호
• /
• pp.39-48
• /
• 2023

Spinal nerve injury causes mechanical allodynia and structural imbalance of neurotransmission, which were typically associated with calcium overload. Storeoperated calcium entry (SOCE) is considered crucial elements-mediating intracellular calcium homeostasis, ion channel activity, and synaptic plasticity. However, the underlying mechanism of SOCE in mediating neuronal transmitter release and synaptic transmission remains ambiguous in neuropathic pain. Neuropathic rats were operated by spinal nerve ligations. Neurotransmissions were assessed by whole-cell recording in substantia gelatinosa. Immunofluorescence staining of STIM1 with neuronal and glial biomarkers in the spinal dorsal horn. The endoplasmic reticulum stress level was estimated from qRT-PCR. Intrathecal injection of SOCE antagonist SKF96365 dose-dependently alleviated mechanical allodynia in ipsilateral hind paws of neuropathic rats with ED₅₀ of 18 ㎍. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that STIM1 was specifically and significantly expressed in neurons but not astrocytes and microglia in the spinal dorsal horn. Bath application of SKF96365 inhibited enhanced miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in a dosage-dependent manner without affecting miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents. Mal-adaption of SOCE was commonly related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in the central nervous system. SKF96365 markedly suppressed ER stress levels by alleviating mRNA expression of C/ EBP homologous protein and heat shock protein 70 in neuropathic rats. Our findings suggested that nerve injury might promote SOCE-mediated calcium levels, resulting in long-term imbalance of spinal synaptic transmission and behavioral sensitization, SKF96365 produces antinociception by alleviating glutamatergic transmission and ER stress. This work demonstrated the involvement of SOCE in neuropathic pain, implying that SOCE might be a potential target for pain management.

• 한국전기전자재료학회논문지
• /
• 제37권1호
• /
• pp.101-105
• /
• 2024

4H-SiC power metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) have been developed to achieve lower specific-on-resistance (R_on,sp), and the gate oxides have been thermally grown. The poor channel mobility resulting from the high interface trap density (D_it) at the SiO₂/4H-SiC interface significantly affects the higher switching loss of the power device. Therefore, the development of novel fabrication processes to enhance the quality of the SiO₂/4H-SiC interface is required. In this paper, NO post-oxidation annealing (POA) by using the conditions of N₂ diluted NO at a high temperature (1,300℃) is proposed to reduce the high interface trap density resulting from thermal oxidation. The NO POA is carried out in various NO ambient (0, 10, 50, and 100% NO mixed with 100, 90, 50, and 0% of high purity N₂ gas to achieve the optimized condition while maintaining a high temperature (1,300℃). To confirm the optimized condition of the NO POA, measuring capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V), and time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) are employed. It is confirmed that the POA condition of 50% NO at 1,300℃ facilitates the equilibrium state of both the oxidation and nitridation at the SiO₂/4H-SiC interface, thereby reducing the D_it.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
• /
• 제52권5호
• /
• pp.632-637
• /
• 2014

본 논문은 가교제의 물질전달을 통한 실시간 생체고분자의 젤화 과정으로 단분산성을 갖는 구형의 알지네이트 하이드로젤을 미세유체 채널 내에서 제조하는 방법에 관한 연구이다. 먼저 미세유체 채널 내에서 단분산성 알지네이트 액적들을 형성하고 연속상에 분산된 염화칼슘 분자들의 물질전달 과정을 통해 실시간 젤화과정이 이루어지게 하여 알지네이트 하이드로젤 입자를 제조하였다. 이때, 미세유체 채널에서 형성되는 액적의 크기는 손쉽게 케필러리 수(capillary number)와 분산상의 유속 조절을 통하여 제어할 수 있다. 본 방법은 미세유체 채널 내에서 안정적인 액적을 형성할 수 있고 칼슘 가교제로 제조된 알지네이트 하이드로젤 입자들은 균일한 크기 분포를 가지며(C.V=2.71%) 유속, 점도, 및 계면장력의 조절을 통하여 $30{\mu}m$에서 $60{\mu}m$까지의 다양한 크기의 알지네이트 하이드로젤 입자를 제조할 수 있다. 본 논문에서 제시한 간단한 미세유체 접근방법을 통해 제조되는 단분산성을 갖는 알지네이트 하이드로젤 입자는 생체물질들을 손쉽게 함입(encapsulation)할 수 있으며 이는 식품, 화장품, 잉크 및 약물 등의 전달체로 활용이 가능하고 생체적합성이 뛰어나 세포이식 분야에도 활용될 가능성이 있다.

• 생명과학회지
• /
• 제25권8호
• /
• pp.953-959
• /
• 2015

광유전학은 생체 조직 및 세포에서 유전공학적으로 발현된 광민감성 단백질을 이용하여 목표로 하는 분자/세포 활동을 조절하기 위한 광학 및 분자적 전략들의 조합이다. 광유전학은 빛을 이용하여 신경세포의 발화 여부를 결정하는 세포막 채널을 빨리 열고 닫는 방법을 포함한다. 이 기술은 녹조류의 광민감성 단백질들을 특정 뇌세포에 넣는데서 시작되었다. 이렇게 하면 세포들은 파랑이나 노락색의 펄스로 켜지거나 꺼질 수 있다. 빨리 개폐되는 광민감성 양이온 채널인 자연계에 존재하는 조류 단백질인 channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2)를 이용하여 활동전위의 숫자와 빈번도를 조절할 수 있다. ChR2는 다른 세포들은 영향을 주지 않으면서 한 유형의 신경세포만 조작할 수 있는 길을 제시하는데, 이는 전례가 없는 특이성이다. 이 기술은 빛을 이용하여 단일 발화와 시냅스 사건 수준에서 신경신호전달을 변경시킬 수 있도록 하여 신경과학자와 의생명공학자들에게 널리 적용될 수 있는 도구를 제공한다. 녹조류와 레이저, 유전자 치료, 광섬유의 희한한 조합은 이전에 결코 불가능했던 정밀도로 뇌 속 깊은 곳의 신경 회로 지도를 그릴 수 있도록 해주었다. 이것은 우울증, 불안, 정신분열, 중독, 수면병, 그리고 자폐증 같은 질환의 원인을 밝히는데 도움을 줄 것이다. 광유전학은 파킨슨병, 강박장애, 그리고 전기 펄스가 있는 다른 질환들을 치료하는데 사용되는 기존 이식 도구들을 개선시킬 수 있다. 광유전학 장치는 상기 장치들이 할 수 있는 것보다 더 많이 뇌세포의 특정 세포들을 대상으로 할 수 있다. 신경세포 이외의 일반 세포들에도 광유전학 도구들을 적용하는 연구들이 증가하고 있다.

• 한국광물학회지
• /
• 제28권1호
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2015

파키스탄 북부 Gilgit-Baltistan에서 산출된 천연 아쿠아머린의 다른 산지와 구별되는 내포물과 분광학적 특성을 표준 보석 감정 장비와 XRF, ICP-AES, XRD, FT-IR, Raman 등을 이용해 분석한 결과 보석 광물학적 특성에 있어서는 페그마타이트 환경에서 생성되는 Mn과 결합한 탄탈라이트 결정내포물이 특징적으로 관찰되었고 분광학적 방법에 있어서는 채널 속 $H_2O$ 타입이 파키스탄과 함께 아쿠아머린 산지로 유명한 베트남, 브라질, 중국, 마다가스카르 지역의 $H_2O$ 타입-II에 비해서 타입-I에 더 근접했으며 알칼리 이온과 관련이 있는 타입-II도 다소 관찰되었다. 또한 $Na_2O$ 함량을 성분 분석한 결과 0.137 wt%로써 이 결과는 Schmetzer와 Kiefert (1990)의 에머럴드 연구에서 제안한 FT-IR 특정 피크들의 상대적 강도에 의한 알칼리 이온의 함량에 따른 분류표를 기준했을 때 $Na_2O$ 함량이 0.06-0.4 wt%이었으므로 이 $Na_2O$ 함량은 그 분류표에 없는 함량으로 그룹 II와 그룹 III 사이에 해당되므로 채널 속 Na는 주로 $H_2O-Na-H_2O$의 배열 형태를 가진 것으로 예측된다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제1권6호
• /
• pp.717-730
• /
• 1997

$Mg^{2+}$ is the fourth most abundant cation in cellular organisms. Although the biological chemistry and the physiological roles of the magnesium ion were well known, the regulation of intracellular $Mg^{2+}$ in mammalian cells is not fully understood. More recently, however, the mechanism of $Mg^{2+}$ mobilization by hormonal stimulation has been investigated in hearts and in myocytes. In this work we have investigated the regulation mechanism responsible for the $Mg^{2+}$ mobilization induced by ${\alpha}1-adrenoceptor$ stimulation in perfused guinea pig hearts or isolated myocytes. The $Mg^{2+}$ content of the perfusate or the supernatant was measured by atomic absorbance spectrophotometry. The elimination of $Mg^{2+}$ in the medium increased the force of contraction of right ventricular papillary muscles. Phenylephrine also enhanced the force of contraction in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$-free medium. ${\alpha}1-Agonists$ such as phenylephrine were found to induce $Mg^{2+}$ efflux in both perfused hearts or myocytes. This was blocked by prazosin, a ${\alpha}1-adrenoceptor$ antagonist. $Mg^{2+}$ efflux by phenylephrine was amplified by $Na^+$ channel blockers, an increase in extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ or a decrease in extracellular $Na^+$. By contrast, the $Mg^{2+}$ influx was induced by verapamil, nifedipine, ryanodine, lidocaine or tetrodotoxin in perfused hearts, but not in myocytes. $W_7$, a $Ca^{2+}/calmodulin$ antagonist, completely blocked the pheylephrine-, A23187-, veratridine-, $Ca^{2+}-induced$ $Mg^{2+}$ efflux in perfused hearts or isolated myocytes. In addition, $Mg^{2+}$ efflux was induced by $W_7$ in myocytes but not in perfused heart. In conclusion, An increase in $Mg^{2+}$ efflux by ${\alpha}1-adrenoceptor$ stimulation in hearts can be through $IP_3$ and $Ca^{2+}-calmodulin$ dependent mechanism.