• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.147-155
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• 2022

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is the most widely used psychostimulant and has been known to exhibit reinforcing effects even after long abstinence. We showed the inhibitory effect of Korean Red Ginseng extract (RGE) on METH-induced addictive behaviors in animal models mimicking the human drug-use pattern. Methods: We first investigated the effect of RGE on the acquisition of METH-induced dependence using self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP) tests. Additionally, further experiments such as METH-induced motivational behavior and seeking behavior were conducted. To study the underlying mechanism, dopamine receptor, dopamine transporter, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor were assessed through Western blot analysis. Results: Treatment with RGE significantly reduced METH-induced self-administration on a fixed-ratio 1 schedule of reinforcement. It could be also decreased a progressive ratio schedule, and inhibited METH-primed reinstatement. In CPP, RGE significantly prevented the development of METH-induced CPP. Moreover, RGE not only shortened the withdrawal period clearly, but also prevented the reinstatement of CPP. RGE treatment also reversed METH-induced overexpression of dopamine transporter, dopamine receptor D1, and NMDA receptor in the nucleus accumbens. Conclusion: Our findings reflect that RGE has therapeutic potential to suppress METH-induced addictive behaviors by regulating dopaminergic and NMDAergic system.

• Journal of Software Assessment and Valuation
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.47-57
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• 2021

Neuromorphic technology is proposed to complement the shortcomings of existing artificial intelligence technology by mimicking the human brain structure and computational process with hardware. NA-IDE has also been proposed for developing neuromorphic hardware-based IoT applications. To implement an SNN model in NA-IDE, commonly used input data must be transformed for use in the SNN model. In this paper, we implemented a neural coding method encoder component that converts image data into a spike train signal and uses it as an SNN input. The decoder component is implemented to convert the output back to image data when the SNN model generates a spike train signal. If the decoder component uses the same parameters as the encoding process, it can generate static data similar to the original data. It can be used in fields such as image-to-image and speech-to-speech to transform and regenerate input data using the proposed encoder and decoder.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.283-288
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• 2023

Severe chronic neutropenia is classified as severe congenital, cyclic, autoimmune, or idiopathic. However, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the diagnosis of severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) and chronic idiopathic neutropenia, and this uncertainty affects further evaluations and treatments. A 20-year-old man presented with fever and knee abrasions after a bicycle accident. On admission, his initial absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was 30/µL. He had no medical history of persistent severe neutropenia with periodic oscillation of ANC. Although his fever resolved after appropriate antibiotic therapy, ANC remained at 80/µL. Bone marrow (BM) aspiration and biopsy were performed, and a BM smear showed myeloid maturation arrest. Moreover, genetic mutation test results showed a heterozygous missense variant in exon 4 of the neutrophil elastase ELANE: c597+1G>C (pV190-F199del). The patient was diagnosed with SCN. After discharge, we routinely checked his ANC level and monitored any signs of infection with minimum use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), considering its potential risk of leukemic transformation. Considering that SCN can be fatal, timely diagnosis and appropriate management with G-CSF are essential. We report the case of a patient with SCN caused by ELANE mutation who had atypical clinical manifestations. For a more accurate diagnosis and treatment of severe chronic neutropenia, further studies are needed to elucidate the various clinical features of ELANE.

• Journal of the Korea Society for Simulation
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.111-122
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• 2010

In this study, a length adjustment algorithm for cyclic signals in manufacturing process using Time Invariant Feature point Extraction and Matching(TIFEM) is proposed. In order to precisely compensate the length of cyclic signals which have irregular length in the middle of signal as well as in the full length more feature points are needed. The extracted feature must involve information about the pattern of signal and should have invariant properties on time and scale. The proposed TIFEM algorithm extracts features having the intrinsic properties of the signal characteristics at first. By using those extracted features, feature vector is constructed for each time point. Among those extracted features, the only effective features are filtered and are chosen such as basis for the length adjustment. And then the partial length adjustment is performed by matching feature points. To verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, the experiments were performed with the experimental data mimicking the three kinds of signals generated from the actual semiconductor process.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.227-234
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• 2022

Covert Underwater Communication (CUC) signals should not be detected by other unintended users. Similar to the method used in Radio Frequency (RF), covert communication technique sending information underwater is designed in consideration of the characteristics of Low Probability of Detection (LPD) and Low Probability of Intercept (LPI). These conventional methods, however, are difficult to be used in the underwater communications because of the narrow frequency bandwidth. Unlike the conventional methods of reducing transmission power or increasing the modulation bandwidth, a method of mimicking the acoustic signal of an underwater mammal is being studied. The biomimetic underwater acoustic communication mainly mimics the click or whistle sound produced by dolphin or whale. This paper investigates biomimetic communication method and introduces research trends to understand the potential for the development of such biomimetic covert underwater acoustic communication and future research areas.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.659-673
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• 2023

Compared to infant formula, breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants; it not only improves the neonatal intestinal function, but also regulates the immune system and gut microbiota composition. However, probiotic-fortified infant formula may further enhance the infant gut environment by overcoming the limitations of traditional infant formula. We investigated the probiotic formula administration for one month by comparing 118 Korean infants into the following three groups: infants in each group fed with breast milk (50), probiotic formula (35), or placebo formula-fed group (33). Probiotic formula improved stool consistency and defecation frequency compared to placebo formula-fed group. The probiotic formula helped maintaining the level of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), which had remarkably decreased over time in placebo formula-fed infants (compared to weeks 0 and 4). Moreover, probiotic formula decreased the acidity of stool and considerably increased the butyrate concentration. Furthermore, the fecal microbiota of each group was evaluated at weeks 0 and 4. The microbial composition was distinct between each groups, and the abundance of health-promoting bacteria increased in the probiotic formula compared to the placebo formula-fed group. In summary, supplementation of probiotic infant formula can help optimize the infant gut environment, microbial composition, and metabolic activity of the microbiota, mimicking those of breast milk.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2023

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is an acute febrile disease that mainly involves histiocytic necrotizing lymphadenitis in children and young adults. Diagnosis of KFD is even more difficult if image-guided percutaneous biopsy is technically challenging. We present a case of clinically diagnosed KFD in an 11-year-old boy who presented with fever, abdominal pain, and mesenteric lymphadenopathy, resulting in a diagnostic challenge. Additionally, we conducted a systematic review, and our goal was to describe the spectrum of disease, therapy, and outcomes. We identified 15 cases of KFD with symptoms that mimicked mesenteric lymphadenitis. Reports from the Americas, Europe, and Asia were also included. Most patients were male, exhibited leukopenia and elevated inflammatory markers, and recovered without significant sequelae or complications. A high index of suspicion of KFD should be maintained in children presenting with prolonged fever and unusual manifestations, such as mesenteric lymphadenitis.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2022.05a
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• pp.471-471
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• 2022

도시화로 인한 하천 건천화가 심각해짐에 따라 생태계 종 다양성 감소와 서식처 파괴 등 다양한 생태학적 문제가 발생한다. 건강한 하천 생태계를 유지하기 위해서는 유량 감소로 인한 수생태계 건강성 회복을 위해서는 어류 종에 따른 적합한 생태 유량을 산정해야 한다. 특히 발전방류로 인한 유량 변화는 하류에 서식하는 어류에 직접적인 영향을 미치므로 댐 방류량에 의한 서식처 면적 변화에 대한 연구가 필요하다. 이에 본 연구에서는 1) 낙동강 상류 구담교 유역을 대상으로 안동댐과 임하댐 유입량을 활용한 BBM (Building Block Methodology)을 구축하고, 2) 대상 하천의 River2D 모형을 구축하여, 3) 대표·대리 어종에 대한 자연유황과 BBM에 따른 가중가용면적(Weighted Usable Area, WUA)을 산정하였다. 2006년 ~ 2020년 자료를 기반으로, 시나리오1은 실측 유량을 활용하였으며, 시나리오2는 전체기간, 홍수년, 갈수년 그리고 평수년으로 구분하여 댐 유입량을 기반으로 산정한 BBM을 활용하였다. 시나리오 분석 결과, 가중가용면적이 감소하는 일부 기간도 존재하였으나, 전반적으로 BBM을 반영한 시나리오 2에서 서식처 면적이 증가하는 것으로 나타났다. 대표 어종 피라미의 경우 최대 약 18% 가중가용면적이 감소하는 기간이 존재하였으나, 최대 79%의 서식처 향상 효과가 나타났다. 대리어종 모래무지의 경우 마찬가지로 최대 약 18%의 서식처 감소 효과가 나타나는 기간이 존재하였으나, 최대 78%의 서식처 향상 효과가 나타나는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 자연유황을 모방하여 댐 방류 패턴을 변경하는 것이 하류에 서식하는 어류의 서식처 개선에 더 효과적인 것으로 판단된다. 다만 서식처에 영향을 주는 물리적 요인(댐 방류량 등) 외에도 생물·화학적 요인이 존재하므로, 향후 다양한 요인을 고려한 연구를 통해 효과적인 서식처 개선 방안을 모색할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.28-33
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• 2019

[Purpose] Recent studies have shown that glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI)-which is a glycolysis interconversion enzyme-reduces oxidative stress. However, these studies are limited to tumors such as fibrosarcoma, and there are no studies that have examined the effects of exercise on GPI expression in mice skeletal muscle. Furthermore, GPI acts in an autocrine manner thorough its receptor, autocrine motility factor receptor (AMFR); therefore, we investigated expression level changes of secreted GPI from skeletal muscle in in vitro study to examine the potential role of GPI on skeletal muscle. [Methods] First, we performed an in vitro study, to identify the condition that upregulates GPI levels in skeletal muscle cells; we treated C2C12 muscle cells with an exercise-mimicking chemical, AICAR. AICAR treatment upregulated GPI expression level in C2C12 cell and its secretomes. To confirm the direct effect of GPI on skeletal muscle cells, we treated C2C12 cells with GPI recombinant protein. [Results] We found that GPI improved the viability of C2C12 cells. In the in vivo study, the exercise-treated mice group showed upregulated GPI expression in skeletal muscle. Based on the in vitro study results, we speculated that expression level of GPI in skeletal muscle might be associated with muscle function. We analyzed the association between GPI expression level and the grip strength of the all mice group. The mice group's grip strengths were upregulated after 2 weeks of treadmill exercise, and GPI expression level positively correlated with the grip strength. [Conclusion] These results suggested that the exercise-induced GPI expression in skeletal muscle might have a positive effect on skeletal muscle function.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.72-83
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• 2024

Most of the slags generated from steel-making industry in Korea are recycled into media-contact aggregates such as fill and cover materials. For their use as media-contact aggregates, the slags must meet not only the waste quality criteria, but also the Daphnia magna acute toxicity test criteria. In this study, Korean Leaching Test ES 06150.e (Korea), Japanese Leaching Test JIS K 0058-1(Japan), Detuch Leaching Test DIN 19529 (Germany), Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (USA) were conducted for batch leaching test of slags from 6 Korean steel-making companies. In addition, Korean Standard up-flow percolation test (ES 06151.1) mimicking field conditions was conducted to assess the impact of the slag leachate on the surrounding environment indirectly. Heavy metals such as Cr⁶⁺ and Zn²⁺ were detected from both extractant and leachate samples, but all of them did not exceed waste quality criteria of each country. However, Daphnia magna acute toxicity tests using the leachate samples from up-flow percolation test with slag alone and slag/natural soil conditions exceeded ecotoxicity standard (TU=2) due to their high pH (11.3-12.5). After neutralizing the pH of the slag leachate to 6.5~8.5, the Daphnia magna mortality and immobilization were reduced to satisfy ecotoxicity standard. As the reducing pH of slag leachate would be extremely difficult, appropriate recycling management considering the physicochemical characteristics of he slags should be stuided further.