• Mood & Emotion
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.13-21
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• 2012

Suicide is a complex behavior associated with various neurobiological and psychosocial factors. It is considered that genetic polymorphism combined with environmental stress such as child-adolescent trauma make differences in neurobiological systems, which cause psychiatric disorders or pessimistic personality, impulse-aggressive behaviors, lack of judgment, and finally result in suicidal behavior. Much progress in the neurobiology of suicide has been made over the several decades. There seems to be a hereditary disposition to suicide independent of psychiatric disorder. The changes in neurotransmitters, neurohormones, neurotrophic factors, cytokines, lipid metabolisms related with their genetic polymorphism can contribute to disturbance of signal transductions and neuronal circuits vulnerable to suicide. It is likely that the main factors are dysfunctions of serotonin (5-HT) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Our understanding about the neurobiology of suicide is still limited. However, clinical practice could be assisted by neurobiological findings capable of making the detection of risk populations with higher sensitivity and the development of new treatment interventions. The settlement of biological markers in suicidal behaviors and their relationships is required.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.454-464
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• 2023

This paper proposes a low-power 8-bit asynchronous SAR ADC with a sampling rate of 1 MS/s for sensor node applications. The ADC uses bootstrapped switches to improve linearity and applies a VCM-based CDAC switching technique to reduce the power consumption and area of the DAC. Conventional synchronous SAR ADCs that operate in synchronization with an external clock suffer from high power consumption due to the use of a clock faster than the sampling rate, which can be overcome by using an asynchronous SAR ADC structure that handles internal comparisons in an asynchronous manner. In addition, the SAR logic is designed using dynamic logic circuits to reduce the large digital power consumption that occurs in low resolution ADC designs. The proposed ADC was simulated in a 180-nm CMOS process, and at a 1.8 V supply voltage and a sampling rate of 1 MS/s, it consumed 46.06 𝜇W of power, achieved an SNDR of 49.76 dB and an ENOB of 7.9738 bits, and obtained a FoM of 183.2 fJ/conv-step. The simulated DNL and INL are +0.186/-0.157 LSB and +0.111/-0.169 LSB.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2024

The digital phase-locked loop(DPLL) is one of the circuits composed of a digital detector, digital loop filter, voltage-controlled oscillator, and divider as a fundamental circuit, widely used in many fields such as electrical and circuit fields. A state estimator using various mathematical algorithms is used to improve the performance of a digital phase-locked loop. Traditional state estimators have utilized Kalman filters of infinite impulse response state estimators, and digital phase-locked loops based on infinite impulse response state estimators can cause rapid performance degradation in unexpected situations such as inaccuracies in initial values, model errors, and various disturbances. In this paper, we propose a two-layer Frobenius norm-based finite impulse state estimator to design a new digital phase-locked loop. The proposed state estimator uses the estimated state of the first layer to estimate the state of the first layer with the accumulated measurement value. To verify the robust performance of the new finite impulse response state estimator-based digital phase locked-loop, simulations were performed by comparing it with the infinite impulse response state estimator in situations where noise covariance information was inaccurate.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.139-145
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• 2024

This paper presents the design of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) which is one of the key building blocks in modern wireless communication systems with small VCO gain (K_vco) variation. To compensate conventional large K_vco variation, a series varactor bank has been added to the conventional LC-tank with parallel capacitor bank array. And also, in order to achieve excellent phase noise performance while maintaining wide tuning range, a mixed coarse/fine tuning scheme(series varactor array and parallel capacitor array) is chosen. The switched varactor array bank is controlled by the same digital code for switched capacitor array without additional digital circuits. For use at a low voltage of 1.2V, the proposed current reference circuit in this paper used a current reference circuit for safety with the common gate removed more safely. Implemented in a TSMC 0.13㎛ CMOS RF technology, the proposed VCO can be tuned from 4.4GH to 5.3GHz with the K_vco (VCO gain ) variation of less than 9.6%. While consuming 3.1mA from a 1.2V supply, the VCO has -120dBc/Hz phase noise at 1MHz offset from the carrier of the 5.3 GHz.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.333-341
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• 2023

This study aims to develop technology for testing and verifying the space radiation environment of miniature space components using the facilities of the domestic 100 MeV proton accelerator and the Space Component Test Facility at the Space Testing Center. As advancements in space development progress, high-performance satellites increasingly rely on densely integrated circuits, particularly in core components components like memory. The application of semiconductor components in essential devices such as solar panels, optical sensors, and opto-electronics is also on the rise. To apply these technologies in space, it is imperative to undergo space environment testing, with the most critical aspect being the evaluation and testing of space components in high-energy radiation environments. Therefore, the Space Testing Center at the Korea testing laboratory has developed a radiation testing device for memory components and conducted radiation impact assessment tests using it. The investigation was carried out using 100 MeV protons at a low flux level achievable at the Gyeongju Proton Accelerator. Through these tests, single event upsets observed in memory semiconductor components were confirmed.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.69-77
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• 2024

Due to the miniaturization and multifunctionality of electronic devices, a surface mount technology in the form of molded interconnect devices (MID), which directly forms electrodes and circuits on the plastic injection parts and mounts components and parts on them, is being introduced to overcome the limitations in the mounting area of electronic components. However, when using plastic injection parts with low thermal stability, there are difficulties in mounting components through the conventional reflow process. In this study, we developed a process that utilizes induction heating, which can selectively heat specific areas or materials, to melt solder and mount components without causing any thermal damage to the plastic. We designed the shape of an induction heating Cu coil that can concentrate the magnetic flux on the area to be heated, and verified the concentration of the magnetic flux and the degree of heating on the pad part through finite element method (FEM). LEDs, capacitors, resistors, and connectors were mounted on a polycarbonate substrate using induction heating to verify the mounting process, and their functionality was confirmed. We presented the applicability of a selective heating process through magnetic induction that can overcome the limitations of the reflow method.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.175-183
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• 2024

Research into optical signal processing using photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has been actively pursued in various fields, including optical communication, optical sensors, and quantum optics. Among the materials used in PIC fabrication, polymers have attracted significant interest due to their unique characteristics. To fabricate polymer-based PICs, establishing an accurate manufacturing process for the cross-sectional structure of an optical waveguide is crucial. For stable device performance and high yield in mass production, a process with high reproducibility and a wide tolerance for variation is necessary. This study proposes an efficient method for fabricating polymer optical-waveguide devices by introducing the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. Compared to conventional photoresist or metal-film deposition methods, the ALD process enables more precise fabrication of the optical waveguide's core structure. Polyimide optical waveguides with a core size of 1.8 × 1.6 ㎛² are fabricated using the ALD process, and their propagation losses are measured. Additionally, a multimode interference (MMI) optical-waveguide power-splitter device is fabricated and characterized. Throughout the fabrication, no cracking issues are observed in the etching-mask layer, the vertical profiles of the waveguide patterns are excellent, and the propagation loss is below 1.5 dB/cm. These results confirm that the ALD process is a suitable method for the mass production of high-quality polymer photonic devices.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.59-59
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• 2015

Cryptococcus neoformans causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis in humans, but the treatment of cryptococcosis remains challenging. To develop novel therapeutic targets and approaches, signaling cascades controlling pathogenicity of C. neoformans have been extensively studied but the underlying biological regulatory circuits remain elusive, particularly due to the presence of an evolutionarily divergent set of transcription factors (TFs) in this basidiomycetous fungus. In this study, we constructed a high-quality of 322 signature-tagged gene deletion strains for 155 putative TF genes, which were previously predicted using the DNA-binding domain TF database (http://www.transcriptionfactor.org/). We tested in vivo and in vitro phenotypic traits under 32 distinct growth conditions using 322 TF gene deletion strains. At least one phenotypic trait was exhibited by 145 out of 155 TF mutants (93%) and approximately 85% of the TFs (132/155) have been functionally characterized for the first time in this study. Through high-coverage phenome analysis, we discovered myriad novel TFs that play critical roles in growth, differentiation, virulence-factor (melanin, capsule, and urease) formation, stress responses, antifungal drug resistance, and virulence. Large-scale virulence and infectivity assays in insect (Galleria mellonella) and mouse host models identified 34 novel TFs that are critical for pathogenicity. The genotypic and phenotypic data for each TF are available in the C. neoformans TF phenome database (http://tf.cryptococcus.org). In conclusion, our phenome-based functional analysis of the C. neoformans TF mutant library provides key insights into transcriptional networks of basidiomycetous fungi and ubiquitous human fungal pathogens.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartC
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• v.18C no.5
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• pp.343-360
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• 2011

The objective of this paper is to analyze and characterize to simulate routing observations on end-to-end routing circuits and a ping experiment of a virtual network after modeling, such as IPv6 migration, an OSPFv3 routing experiment based on an IPv6 environment, and a ping experiment for IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack networks and IPv6 network for OSPFv3 routing using IPv6 planning and operations in an OPNET Modeler. IPv6 deployment based largely on the integrated wired and wireless network was one of the research tasks at hand. The previous studies' researchers recommended that future research work be done on the explicit features of both OSPFv3 and EIGRP protocols in the IPv4/IPv6 environment, and more research should be done to explore how to improve the end-to-end IPv6 performance. Also, most related work was performed with an IPv4 environment but lacked studies related to the OSPFv3 virtual network based on an end-to-end IPv6 environment. Hence, this research continues work in previous studies in analyzing IPv6 migration, an OSPFv3 routing experiment based on IPv6, and a ping experiment for IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack networks and IPv6 network for OSPFv3 routing. In the not too distant future, before enabling the default IPv6, it would help to understand network design and deployment based on an IPv6 environment through IPv6 planning and operations for the end-user perspective such as success or failure of connection on IPv6 migration, exploration of an OSPFv3 routing circuit based on an end-to-end IPv6 environment, and a ping experiment for IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack networks and IPv6 network for OSPFv3 routing. We were able to observe an optimal route for modeling of an end-to-end virtual network through simulation results as well as find what appeared to be a fast ping response time VC server to ensure Internet quality of service better than an HTTP server.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2000

Estrogen can influence on the expression of behaviors not associated directly with reproduction, including learning and memory. Recently estrogen has received considerable attention for its effects on neuroprotection and neural circuits in brain areas associated with cognition. Although estrogen replacement therapy may be helpful to postmenopausal women, it also results in a number of harmful side effects. Ginseng also has steroidal qualities and contains several ginsenoside components which have similar backbone structure to estrogen. The objectives of this experiment were 1) to examine the effects of estrogen and 2) to investigate the effects of ginsenosides as estrogenic agent on learning and memory using the Morris water maze, a traditional experimental task for spatial memory. In the experiments designed here, ovariectomized mice were implanted subcutaneously with Sila, itic capsules containing 17${\beta}$-estradiol (100∼250 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$), panaxadiol (PD) and panaxatriol (PT) saponins (15∼100 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$) diluted with sesame oil. In the first set of experiment, the effects of estradiol on learning and memory during the Morris water maze was examined. When estradiol was delivered via Silastic capsules following training improved spatial memory performance in ovariectomized female mice. In the second set of experiment, three different PD and PT saponin concentrations were delivered via Silastic implants to ovariectomized female mice and their effects were compared with estrogenic effects. Results of three separate experiments demonstrated that estradiol, PD and PT administrated by Silastic implants for 2 weeks prior to water maze training significantly improved spatial memory performance compared to ovariectomized (OVX) mice, as indicated by lower escape latency over trial. The positive effect of estradiol suggests that estrogen can affect performance on learning and memory. In addition, the positive effect of PD and PT saponins suggest that ginsenosides have an estrogen-like effects in mediating learning and memory related behavior action.