• Molecules and Cells
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• 제45권11호
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• pp.846-854
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• 2022

Neurons make long-distance connections via their axons, and the accuracy and stability of these connections are crucial for brain function. Research using various animal models showed that the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the assembly and maintenance of neuronal circuitry are highly conserved in vertebrates. Therefore, to gain a deeper understanding of brain development and maintenance, an efficient vertebrate model is required, where the axons of a defined neuronal cell type can be genetically manipulated and selectively visualized in vivo. Placental mammals pose an experimental challenge, as time-consuming breeding of genetically modified animals is required due to their in utero development. Xenopus laevis, the most commonly used amphibian model, offers comparative advantages, since their embryos ex utero during which embryological manipulations can be performed. However, the tetraploidy of the X. laevis genome makes them not ideal for genetic studies. Here, we use Xenopus tropicalis, a diploid amphibian species, to visualize axonal pathfinding and degeneration of a single central nervous system neuronal cell type, the retinal ganglion cell (RGC). First, we show that RGC axons follow the developmental trajectory previously described in X. laevis with a slightly different timeline. Second, we demonstrate that co-electroporation of DNA and/or oligonucleotides enables the visualization of gene function-altered RGC axons in an intact brain. Finally, using this method, we show that the axon-autonomous, Sarm1-dependent axon destruction program operates in X. tropicalis. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that the visual system of X. tropicalis is a highly efficient model to identify new molecular mechanisms underlying axon guidance and survival.

• 한국수학교육학회지시리즈A:수학교육
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• 제62권3호
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• pp.417-433
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• 2023

2022 개정 수학과 교육과정에서 '점의 이동'에 대한 성취기준이 신설되었다. 이에 본 연구는 핀란드 수학 교과서에 제시된 점의 이동에 대한 내용을 공간 방향의 요소인 방향, 이동 거리, 이동 경로를 기준으로 분석하였다. 연구 결과, 핀란드 수학 교과서에서는 방향의 경우, 여러 방향을 언어적 표현, 시각적 표현, 코드적 표현 등으로 다양하게 제시하였다. 이동 거리의 경우, 칸의 수, 길이, 걸음, 순서쌍, 비율 등을 이용하여 거리만큼 이동하거나 이동 거리를 비교하는 활동들을 제시하였다. 이동 경로의 경우, 비조건적 이동과 조건적 이동을 이용하여 지시에 따라 이동하기, 이동 경로 만들기, 이동 경로 찾기, 이동 경로 수정하기 등의 활동들을 제시하였다. 특히 점의 이동은 수와 연산, 변화와 관계 등 여러 수학과 내용 영역뿐만 아니라 프로그래밍 교육과도 연결이 가능하였다. 이러한 연구 결과를 토대로, 점의 이동에 대한 활동을 어떻게 구성할 수 있는지 정보를 제공하여 2022 개정 수학 교과서 개발에 도움이 되길 기대한다.

• 한국축산식품학회지
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• 제43권5호
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• pp.859-876
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• 2023

It is known that animal-origin medicine could be one of effective treatment to remedy atopic dermatitis (AD) by controlling the cytokines. Cicadidae Periostracum (CP), the slough of Cryptotympana pustulata, has been frequently used for treating AD and skin affliction in traditional Korean Medicine. This study is aimed at investigating the ameliorating effects of CP on AD and its potential mechanism. The dinitrochlorobenzene sensitized mice were treated with CP for 2 weeks. The various biomarkers and the dermatitis scores presented that CP treatment can induce the visual and biological improvements of AD model. Pruritus, the most serious symptom of AD, which can cause repeated scratching behaviors and finally lead to lichenification, was reduced with CP treatment by regulating the inflammatory reactions. In addition, CP treatment diminished the number of mast cells that are known for causing inflammatory reactions. Moreover, it is proven that CP can decline secretion of interleukin-22, which means CP treatment has anti-inflammatory effects. CP treatment can correct the imbalance of helper T (Th)1 and Th2, downregulating thymic stromal lymphopoietin that leads to decrease of mRNA level of inflammatory cytokines. The crucial role of CP treatment is controlling of the Janus kinase 1/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 pathway. In addition, CP treatment has the inhibitory effects on kallikrein related peptidase (KLK) 5 and KLK7. Taken together, CP treatment can ameliorate most symptoms and problems caused by AD disease, improving the AD patients' life quality.

• Current Photovoltaic Research
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.16-22
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• 2022

The long-term stability of PSCs against visual and UV light, moisture, electrical bias and high temperature is an important issue for commercialization. In particular, since the operation temperature of solar cell can rise above 85℃, a study on thermal stability is required. In this study, the cause of thermal-induced degradation of PSCs was investigated using the SCAPS-1D simulation tool. First, PSCs of TiO₂/CH₃NH₃PbI₃/Spiro-OMeTAD/Au structure were exposed to a constant temperature of 85℃ to observe changes in conversion efficiency and quantum efficiency. Because the EQE reduction above 500 nm was remarkable, we simulated PSCs performance as a function of lifetime, doping density of perovskite and spiro-OMeTAD. Consequently, the main cause of thermal-induced degradation is considered to be the change in the perovskite doping concentration and lifetime due to ion migration of perovskite.

• 항공우주시스템공학회지
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.111-119
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• 2023

본 논문에서 제안하는 스토리지 박스의 내부 상황에 대한 실시간 식별 시스템은 오버헤드 빈의 내부 보관 상태, 무게 정보 및 무게 중심 계산 값을 시각화하는 시스템이다. 제안된 시스템은 로드 셀과 스위치 어레이를 사용하여 각 측정값을 동기화하고 시각적 센서를 통해 의미 있고 필요한 정보를 제공한다. 이 시스템은 C 언어 기반 임베디드 시스템으로 구축되며 1) 내부 가용공간 파악, 2) 무게중심 계산, 3) 실시간 시각 정보 제공이 주요 기능이다. 이러한 기능을 통해 스마트 오버헤드 빈을 개발하고, 향후 화물 적재 자동화 시스템 개발에 기여할 수 있는 실시간 화물 적재 모니터링 기술을 개발하였다.

• 전자공학회논문지SC
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.117-122
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• 2008

맥진은 한의 진단에 있어 중요한 요소이나 맥진 교육에 있어서 수련자와 교육자 간에 언어적 표현 외에는 적절한 교육 정보 소통의 도구가 없어 정량적이며 과학적 교육이 어려운 실정이다. 이에 본 논문에서는 맥진 시 한의사가 세 손가락을 통해 맥진 부위에 가하는 가압력 프로파일을 정량적으로 측정할 수 있는 하드웨어와 이를 기반으로 맥진 동작을 트레이닝할 수 있는 프로그램을 개발하였다. 가압력 프로파일 측정 하드웨어는 인조 팔 속 맥진 위치에 놓인 3개의 로드셀과 맥진 가압력 신호를 증폭하는 증폭부 및 상용 A/D 변환 모듈인 NI-USB 6009로 구성하였으며, 3채널 가압력 신호는 200Hz로 샘플링하였다. 하드웨어 출력 신호를 질량 값으로 교정할 수 있도록 $50{\sim}500g$ 범위의 8개 추를 인조 팔에 올려놓았을 때의 질량 대비 출력전압 테이블을 작성하였다 또한, 이 시스템을 통해 한방 전문의 3명의 맥진 가압 프로파일을 각 3회씩 측정해 보았으며, 이를 통해 한의사의 맥진은 크게 3개의 구간으로 나눌 수 있고 최대 가압력이 약 $500g{\cdot}f$인 것 등을 알 수 있게 되었다. 맥진 가압트레이닝 프로그램은 LabView를 통해 구현하였으며, 수련자가 미리 저장된 목표 맥진 가압 프로파일과 유사하도록 인조 팔을 맥진할 때의 가압 프로파일이 목표 가압 프로파일과 유사한 정도를 평가하여 일정 범위를 벗어나면 경고하고, 실습이 끝나면 목표 프로파일과 유사도 점수를 화면에 표시하도록 하였다. 더 나아가 유사도 점수의 추이를 통해 숙련 추이를 관찰 할 수 있도록 하였다. 이 시스템을 맥진 교육에 활용한다면 보다 정량적이며 과학적인 교육이 가능해질 뿐만 아니라 교육의 효율도 크게 향상될 것으로 기대된다.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.16-26
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• 2007

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a serine protease catalyzing the proteolytic conversion of plasminogen into plasmin, which is involved in thrombolysis. During last two decades, the role of tPA in brain physiology and pathology has been extensively investigated. tPA is expressed in brain regions such as cortex, hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum, and major neural cell types such as neuron, astrocyte, microglia and endothelial cells express tPA in basal status. After strong neural stimulation such as seizure, tPA behaves as an immediate early gene increasing the expression level within an hour. Neural activity and/or postsynaptic stimulation increased the release of tPA from axonal terminal and presumably from dendritic compartment. Neuronal tPA regulates plastic changes in neuronal function and structure mediating key neurologic processes such as visual cortex plasticity, seizure spreading, cerebellar motor learning, long term potentiation and addictive or withdrawal behavior after morphine discontinuance. In addition to these physiological roles, tPA mediates excitotoxicity leading to the neurodegeneration in several pathological conditions including ischemic stroke. Increasing amount of evidence also suggest the role of tPA in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis even though beneficial effects was also reported in case of Alzheimer's disease based on the observation of tPA-induced degradation of $A{\beta}$ aggregates. Target proteins of tPA action include extracellular matrix protein laminin, proteoglycans and NMDA receptor. In addition, several receptors (or binding partners) for tPA has been reported such as low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) and annexin II, even though intracellular signaling mechanism underlying tPA action is not clear yet. Interestingly, the action of tPA comprises both proteolytic and non-proteolytic mechanism. In case of microglial activation, tPA showed non-proteolytic cytokine-like function. The search for exact target proteins and receptor molecules for tPA along with the identification of the mechanism regulating tPA expression and release in the nervous system will enable us to better understand several key neurological processes like teaming and memory as well as to obtain therapeutic tools against neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제16권11호
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• pp.1699-1705
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• 2006

Recent studies have suggested that oral bacteriotherapy with probiotics might be useful for preventing and managing childhood atopic dermatitis (AD). The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral treatment with probiotics for adolescent and adult AD patients as well as for childhood AD patients. Sixty-four patients with mild to moderate AD were recruited for treatment with a mixture of four probiotic strains (Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei, and Biftdobacterium lactis) twice daily for 8 weeks. The degree of pruritus was determined by a 10-point visual analog scale every other week, and the patients' global assessments of their clinical responses (i.e., better, unchanged, or worse) was done at the end of intervention. The clinical severity of the eczema was evaluated by eczema area and severity index (EASI) score every other week. As laboratory markers, total immunoglobulin E (IgE), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in the serum, and cytokine production [interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and $interferon-{\gamma}\;(IFN-{\gamma})$ by the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured at the beginning and at the end of intervention. Of the 64 enrolled AD patients, only 50 patients finally completed the 8-week study. After 8-week treatment with probiotics, the EASI score was significantly improved (p<0.0001), 50% of the patients experienced improvement of their eczema, and significant improvement of the pruritus was also observed (p=0.0002). The effect was more pronounced for the patients with very high IgE levels (>1,000 ku/l) or for the patients with moderate disease severity. There was no significant difference in the therapeutic effects between the childhood AD and adolescent and adult AD patients. There were no significant changes of cytokines, as well as the total IgE and ECP levels, in the patients' serum. Treatment with the mixture of four probiotic strains was generally well tolerated. Our results suggest that the treatment with the mixture of four probiotic strains is beneficial for the management of the adolescent and adult AD patients, as well as for the childhood AD patients.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.175-180
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• 2013

Resveratrol is a phytoalexin found in grapes, red wine, and berries. Resveratrol has been known to have many beneficial health effects, such as anti-cancer, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and life-prolonging effects. However, relatively little is known about the effects of resveratrol on the regulation of ligand-gated ion channels. We have previously reported that resveratrol regulates subsets of homomeric ligand-gated ion channels such as those of 5-$HT_{3A}$ receptors. The ${\gamma}$-aminobutyric $acid_C$($GABA_C$) receptor is mainly expressed in retinal bipolar cells and plays an important role in visual processing. In the present study, we examined the effects of resveratrol on the channel activity of homomeric $GABA_C$ receptor expressed in Xenopus oocytes injected with cRNA encoding human $GABA_C$ ${\rho}$ subunits. Our data show that the application of GABA elicits an inward peak current ($I_{GABA}$) in oocytes that express the $GABA_C$ receptor. Resveratrol treatment had no effect on oocytes injected with $H_2O$ or with $GABA_C$ receptor cRNA. Co-treatment with resveratrol and GABA inhibited $I_{GABA}$ in oocytes with $GABA_C$ receptors. The inhibition of $I_{GABA}$ by resveratrol was in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner. The $IC_{50}$ of resveratrol was $28.9{\pm}2.8{\mu}M$ in oocytes expressing $GABA_C$ receptor. The inhibition of $I_{GABA}$ by resveratrol was in voltage-independent and non-competitive manner. These results indicate that resveratrol might regulate $GABA_C$ receptor expression and that this regulation might be one of the pharmacological actions of resveratrol on the nervous system.

• 한국가시화정보학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국가시화정보학회 2002년도 마이크로/바이오 가시화기술부문 학술강연회
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• pp.51-78
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• 2002

A number of research groups worldwide are studying electronic implants that can be mounted on retinal optic nerve/visual cortex to restore vision of patients suffering from retinal degeneration. The implants consist of a neural interface made of biocompatible materials, one or more integrated circuits for stimuli generation, a camera, an image processor, and a telemetric channel. The realization of these classes of neural prosthetic devices is largely due to the explosive development of micro- and nano-electronics technologies in the late $20^{th}$ century and biotechnologies more recently. Animal experiments showed promise and some human experiments are in progress to indicate that recognition of images can be obtained and improved over time. We, at NBS-ERC of SNU, have started our own retinal implant project in 2000. We have selected polyimide as the biomaterial for an epi-retinal stimulator. In-vitro and in-vivo biocompatibility studies have been performed on the electrode arrays. We have obtained good affinity to retinal pigment epithelial cells and no harmful effect. The implant also showed very good stability and safety in rabbit eye for 12 weeks. We have also demonstrated that through proper stimulation of inner retina, meaning vision can be obtained.