• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.13-17
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• 2015

Objectives : Taraxacum platycarpum H. Dahlstedt has been reported to have several biological properties such as skin hydration and antiinflammation. The purpose of this study was to examine the antidepressive effects of water extract of T. platycarpum (WTP) on an animal model of depression. Methods : In the present study, normal ICR mice (4 weeks) were used, and orally administered with WTP (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg). Depression-like behavior was monitored the forced swimming test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in mice. The locomotor activity was evaluated to eliminate the false-positive activity in the open field test (OFT). Fluoxetine, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, as a positive control was intraperitoneally administered at a dose of 15 mg/kg at 30 min before starting the behavioral test. Moreover, we evaluated the effects of WTP on the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/ cyclic AMP response-element binding protein (CREB) signaling pathway in the hippocampus using Western blot. Results : The administration of WTP (50 and 100 mg/kg) significantly (P < 0.05, respectively) reduced the immobility time during FST and TST without accompanying changes in locomotor activity by OFT. Furthermore, WTP at dose of 100 mg/kg increased the BDNF expression and the phosphorylation of ERK and CREB in the hippocampus region. Conclusions : These results suggest that WTP has a useful anti-depressant effect through the regulation of BDNF/ERK/CREB signaling pathway.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.145-152
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• 2008

A cell-based in vitro exposure system was developed to determine whether oxidative stress plays a role in the cytotoxic effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, xylene, and chlorobenzene, using human epithelial HeLa cells. Thin films based on cysteine-terminated synthetic oligopeptides were fabricated for immobilization of the HeLa cells on a gold (Au) substrate. In addition, an immobilized cell-based sensor was applied to the electrochemical detection of the VOCs. Layer formation and immobilization of the cells were investigated with surface plasmon resonance (SPR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The adhered living cells were exposed to VOCs; this caused a change in the SPR angle and the VOC-specific electrochemical signal. In addition, VOC toxicity was found to correlate with the degree of nitric oxide (NO) generation and EIS. The primary reason for the marked increase in impedance was the change of aqueous electrolyte composition as a result of cell responses. The p53 and NF-${\kappa}B $ downregulation were closely related to the magnitude of growth inhibition associated with increasing concentrations of each VOC. Therefore, the proposed cell immobilization method, using a self-assembly technique and VOC-specific electrochemical signals, can be applied to construct a cell microarray for onsite VOC monitoring.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.285-291
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• 2016

Background: Ginsenosides have been shown to exert beneficial pharmacological effects on the central nervous, cardiovascular, and endocrine systems. We sought to determine whether total ginsenosides (TG) inhibit monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Methods: MCT-intoxicated rats were treated with gradient doses of TG, with or without $N^G$-nitro-$\small{L}$-arginine methyl ester. The levels of molecules involving the regulation of nitric oxide and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways were determined. Results: TG ameliorated MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension in a dose-dependent manner, as assessed by the right ventricular systolic pressure, the right ventricular hypertrophy index, and pulmonary arterial remodeling. Furthermore, TG increased the levels of pulmonary nitric oxide, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Lastly, TG increased mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 expression and promoted the dephosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1/2, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase 1/2. Conclusion: TG attenuates MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension, which may involve in part the regulation of nitric oxide and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.83-100
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• 2007

목적 : 쥐의 콜라겐 유도 관절염에 대한 유근피 추출액의 면역 반응 효과 및 그 기전을 살펴보고자 하였다. 방법 : 유근피 추출액의 면역 반응을 관찰하기 위하여 콜라겐 유도 관절염 쥐가 사용되었다. 실험에 쓰인 쥐 뒷다리의 부종 용적은 volume meter로 측정하였고, lymphocyte 증식, 표1, 표2 및 TNF-${\alpha}$ 레벨은 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolirun bromide(MTT) assay에의해 측정하였다. 활막세포의 cAMP 레벨은 경쟁적 단백 결합검사 (CPBA)를 통하여 측정하였다. 2형 콜라겐에 대한 항체는 효소면역 협착검사법(ELISA)을 반복 사용하여 측정하였다. 결과 : 실험에서 유근피 추출액( 20， 80, 150mg/kg, ig ${\times}$ 7days)의 시술은 면역 반응을 억제하고 콜라겐 유도관절염 쥐의 체중과 면역 기관의 무게를 유지하였다. 콜라겐 유도 관절염 쥐에서 림프구의 증식과 IL-2의 생산은 복막의 대식세포 및 활막세포의 IL-1 , TNF-${\alpha}$와 함께 증가하였고, 유근피 추출액 (20, 80, 150mg/kg, ig ${\times}$ 7days)의 시술은 이러한 변화를 유의성 있게 감소시켰다. 0.5, 2.5, 12.5, 62.5, 125mg/l 농도에서의 유근피 추출액은 활막세포의 cAMP 레벨을 증가시킨데 반해 콜라겐 유도관절염 쥐에서의 시험관 실험결과에서는 감소시켰다. 유근피 추출액은 2형 콜라겐 항체의 농도에 대하여는 효과가 없었다. 결론 : 유근피 추출액은 항염증 작용과 면역조절 작용을 갖고 있고, 활막세포의 G protein-AC-cAMP transmembrane signal transduction 형질 도입 신호에의한 콜라겐 유도관절염 쥐의 치료 효과를 가지고 있는 것으로 여겨진다.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2001

We have studied the effects of excitatory amino acids on the expression of the c-fos and c-jun mRNA in rat C6 glioma cells. The glutamate, $N-methyl-_D-aspartate$ (NMDA), and kainic acid (KA) increased c-fos mRNA level in a concentration-dependent manner. However, they did not affect c-jun mRNA level. In addition, forskolin and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) increased c-fos mRNA level. Furthermore, PMA increased c-jun mRNA level whereas forskolin downregulated c-jun mRNA level. The glutamate, NMDA and KA, at a concentration of 0.25 mM, did not affect the basal c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels, and also did not affect forskolin- and PMA-induced responses. Furthermore, both forskolin and PMA itself increased the phosphorylation of ERK (extracellular signal regulated kinase) and CREB (cyclicAMP responsible element binding protein) proteins. The KA, NMDA, and glutamate did not affect forskolin- induced increase of ERK and CREB phosphorylation. The KA decreased PMA-induced increase of phosphorylation of ERK and CREB proteins, whereas glutamate and NMDA did not affect the phosphorylation of ERK and CREB proteins induced by PMA. These findings suggest that, in C6 glioma cells, c-fos mRNA induction induced by EAAs is not mediated by phosphorylation of ERK and CREB proteins.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.9 no.10
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• pp.4002-4014
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• 2015

ITU-R M.1842-1, as a well-known specification dedicated to maritime mobile applications, has standardized wireless transmission protocols according to the particular characteristics of a maritime communications scenario. A time division multiple access (TDMA) frame structure, along with modulation schemes to achieve a high data rate, has been described clearly in ITU-R M.1842-1. However, several specification items are still under "to be decided" status, which brings ambiguity to research works. In addition, the current version of ITU-R M.1842-1 is focused mainly on maritime transmissions in open-sea areas, where the cyclic prefix (CP) is set to zero and only 16-QAM is used in the multi-carrier (MC) system. System performance might be dramatically degraded in coastline areas due to the inter-symbol interference (ISI) caused by selective fading. This is because there is a higher probability that the signal will be reflected by obstacles in coastline areas. In this paper, we introduce the transmission resource block (TRB) dedicated to ITU-R M.1842-1 for a ship ad-hoc network (SANET), where the pilot pattern of TRB is based on the terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA). After that, we evaluated SANET performance under the maritime channel model in a coastline area. In order to avoid noise amplification and to overcome the ISI caused by selective fading, several strategies are suggested and compared in the channel estimation and equalization procedures, where the link-level simulation results finally validate our proposals.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.109-121
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• 2020

Objectives: Tanshinone I is a bioactive constituent in Salvia miltiorrhiza. At present, the anti-obesity effect and mechanism of tanshinone I are not fully understood. Here we investigated the effect of tanshinone I on lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and zebrafish. Methods: Lipid accumulation and triglyceride (TG) content in 3T3-L1 cells were determined by Oil Red O staining and AdipoRed assay, respectively. The expression and phosphorylation levels of adipogenic/lipogenic proteins in 3T3-L1 cells were evaluated by Western blotting. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of adipogenic/lipogenic markers and leptin in 3T3-L1 cells were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Lipid accumulation in zebrafish was assessed by LipidGreen2 staining. Results: Tanshinone I at 5 μM largely blocked lipid accumulation and reduced TG content in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, tanshinone I decreased the expression of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-α (C/EBP-α), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid synthase (FAS), acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), and perilipin A but also the phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. In addition, tanshinone I increased the phosphorylation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) while decreased the intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content with no change in the phosphorylation and expression of liver kinase-B1 in differentiating 3T3-L1 cells. Importantly, tanshinone I also reduced the extent of lipid deposit formation in developing zebrafish. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that tanshinone I has strong anti-adipogenic effects on 3T3-L1 cells and reduces adiposity in zebrafish, and these anti-adipogenic effect in 3T3-L1 cells are mediated through control of C/EBP-α, PPAR-γ, STAT-3, FAS, ACC, perilipin A, and AMPK.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.658-675
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• 2022

This paper presents a fast-simplified successive cancellation (SC) flipping (Fast-SSC-Flip) decoding algorithm for polar code. Firstly, by researching the probability distribution of the number of error bits in a node caused by channel noise in simplified-SC (SSC) decoder, a measurement criterion of node reliability is proposed. Under the guidance of the criterion, the most unreliable nodes are firstly located, then the unreliable bits are selected for flipping, so as to realize Fast-SSC-Flip decoding algorithm based on node reliability (NR-Fast-SSC-Flip). Secondly, we extended the proposed NR-Fast-SSC-Flip to multiple node (NR-Fast-SSC-Flip-ω) by considering dynamic update to measure node reliability, where ω is the order of flip-nodes set. The extended algorithm can correct the error bits in multiple nodes, and get good performance at medium and high signal-to-noise (SNR) region. Simulation results show that the proposed NR-Fast-SSC-Flip decoder can obtain 0.27dB and 0.17dB gains, respectively, compared with the traditional Fast-SSC-Flip [14] and the newly proposed two-bit-flipping Fast-SSC (Fast-SSC-2Flip-E2) [18] under the same conditions. Compared with the newly proposed partitioned Fast-SSC-Flip (PA-Fast-SSC-Flip) (s=4) [18], the proposed NR-Fast-SSC-Flip-ω (ω=2) decoder can obtain about 0.21dB gain, and the FER performance exceeds the cyclic-redundancy-check (CRC) aided SC-list (CRC-SCL) decoder (L=4).

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.24 no.9A
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• pp.1276-1284
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• 1999

We have evaluated the BER's and CLP's of Wireless ATM (WATM) cells employing the concatenated FEC code with pilot symbols for fading compensation through the simulation in indoor wireless channel modeled as a Rayleigh and a Rician fading channel, respectively. The results of the performance evaluation are compared with those obtained by employing the convolutional code in the same condition. In Rayleigh fading channel, considering the maximum tolerance BER ( $10^-3$) as a criterion of the voice service, it is blown that the performance improvement of about 4 dB is obtained in terms of $E_b/N_o$ by employing the concatenated FEC code with pilot symbols rather than the convolutional code with pilot symbols.When the values of K parameter which means the ratio of the direct signal to scattered signal power in Rician fading channel are 6 and 10, it is shown that the performance improvement of about 4 dB and 2 dB is obtained, respectively, in terms of $E_b/N_o$ by employing the concatenated FEC code with pilot symbols considering the maximum tolerance BER of the voice service. Also in Rician fading channel of K=6 and K= 10, considering CLP = $10^-3$ as a criterion, it is observed that the performance improvement of about 3.5 dB and1.5 dB is obtained, respectively, in terms of $E_b/N_o$ by employing the concatenated FEC code with pilot symbols.

• Journal of Broadcast Engineering
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.207-215
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• 2011

A signal passed through multi-path channel suffers ISI(Inter-Symbol Interference) and severe distortions caused by channel delay spread and noise components at the SC-FDE(Single Carrier with Frequency Domain Equalizer) transmission. Conventional UW(Unique-Word) based SC-FDE iterative channel estimation improves channel estimation performance by smoothing estimated CIR(Channel Impulse Response) of the noise components outside the channel length at time domain and restoring the broken cyclic property through UW reconstruction. In this paper, we propose channel estimation scheme through noise suppression within channel length. To suppress the noise, we estimate noise standard deviation as estimated CIR of the noise components outside the channel length and make criteria of the noise standard deviation gain that doesn't affect the original signal samples. When estimated CIR samples within channel length are less than the criteria value using the noise standard deviation and gain, the noise components are removed. Simulation results show that the proposed channel estimation scheme brings good channel MSE(Mean Square Error) and good BER(Bit Error Rate) performance.