• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.253-261
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• 2007

Light is a synchronizing stimulus to regulate the circadian rhythms and neuroendocrine activities in both humans and animals. The retinohypothalamic tract is involved in the day/night cycle and neuroendocrine activities. In particular, melatonin secretion has been known to be affected by light and correlated with many aspects of health problems. This review introduces the role of the light in the biological rhythm and neuroendocrine activities, its relationship with health problems, and the characteristics of retinohypothalamic tract.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 2006

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the anterior hypothalamus is the circadian pacemaker entrained to the 24-hr day by environmental time cues. Major circadian genes such as mPeriod ($mPer1{\sim}3$) and mCryptochrome ($mCry1{\sim}2$) are actively transcribed by the action of CLOCK/BMAL heterodimers, and in turn, these are being suppressed by the mPER/mCRY complex. In the study, the locomotor activity rhythms of mPer1 Knockout (KO) mice are measured, and the expression profiles of Heat Shock Protein 105kDa (HSP 105) genes in the SCN were measured by in situ hybridization. In agreement with previous reports, the locomotor activity rhythm of mPer1 KO mice was much shorter than that of wildtype. In addition, the total bout of activity of mPer1 KO was less in comparison to control mice. The expression of HSP 105 in the SCN of mPer1 KO mice was ranged from CT6 to CT22, with a peak level at CT14, implying that the gene are under the control of circadian clock. However, the expression of HSP 105 in the SCN of wildtype could not be detected in our study. Further analysis will reveal the direct or indirect regulation by mPer1 on the expression in the SCN and the role of the gene in the circadian clock.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.138-143
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• 2001

Red sea bream, Pagrus major a fish species characterized by its dualistic feeding pattern, was investigated to study the synchronizing effect of light and food on the demand-feeding rhythm. Nocturnal and diurnal red sea bream, both in groups and individually, were exposed to restricted-feeding and Light-Dark cycles of different periods. The phase relationship between both zeitgebers was also studied. In some cases, food availability restricted to the light or dark phase contrary to that of the previous feeding phase changed a diurnal feeding pattern into nocturnal and vice versa, suggesting that food can be one of the switching factors that decides whether the circadian system of red sea bream is diurnal or nocturnal. However, the fact that the feeding pattern of some fish was unrelated with the phase in which food was available suggests that other internal and/or external-factors could be involved in the temporal flexibility of red sea bream.

• Journal of Satellite, Information and Communications
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.85-89
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• 2014

Electrocardiogram (ECG) is a diagnostic test which records the electrical activity of the heart, shows abnormal rhythms and detects heart muscle damages. With this ECG signal, medical centers diagnose patients' heart disease symptoms. A normal resting heart rate for adults rages from 60 to 100 beats a minute. An irregular heartbeat is called "arrhythmia", and arrhythmia is also called "cardiac dysrhythmia". In an arrhythmia, the heartbeat maybe too slow(slower than 60beats), too rapid(faster than 100beats), too irregular, etc. Among these symptoms of arrhythmia, if the heart beat is slower than the normal range, the symptom is called "bradycardia", and if it is faster than the range, it is called "tachycardia" In this letters, we proposed the detection algorithm of cardiac arrhythmia in ECG signal using R-R interval through the detection of R-peak.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2006

Biofeedback training to increase the amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia(RSA) maximally increases the amplitude of heart rate variability(HRV) only in respiratory rate at approximately 0.1Hz. To perform this task, people slow their breathing to this rate to point where resonance occur between respiratory sinus arrhythmia(RSA) and oscillation that naturally occur at this rate, probably triggered in part by baroreflex activity. The biofeedback technique allows each individual to breathe at a rate that is specifically adapted to the rhythms of his or her own body. A manual is presented for carrying out this method.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.355-359
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• 1995

A clinical analysis was performed on 48 cases with mitral stenosis who received open mitral commissurotomy from December 1983 to June 1991 at the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital. Fifteen patients were men and 33 were women. the mean age was 35.6 years with the range of 16 to 61 years. The distribution of preoperative NYHA Functional Classes was as follows; class II, 25 patients; class III, 20 patients; class IV, 3 patients. Three patients had cerebral emboli preoperatively, all of whom were in atrial fibrillation. The preoperative electrocardiographic studies revealed that 32 patients had sinus rhythms and 16 had atrial fibrillations. Twenty-six patients had open mitral commissurotomy alone and 22 patients had additional cardiac procedures. Intraoperatively, there were 6 cases of left atrial thrombosis. There was no perioperative death but early postoperative complications were found in 3 cases. The patients were followed up from 2 to 99 months[mean 33.7 months . There was one case of late unexplained sudden death. There was a case of late postoperative cerebral infarction, 5 cases of mitral restenosis and 3 cases of congestive heart failure and/or arrhythmia. Mitral valve replacements were required in 3 patients.But, it is evident that open mitral commissurotomy has many advantages beyond mitral valve replacement concerning the results of the mitral valve replacement underwent during the same period at the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, Chungnam National University Hospital.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.357-365
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• 2012

We have examined the effect of circadian disturbances induced by night shifts (NSs) on the phenotypes of the tibiae and abdominal adipose tissues (ADTs) in a mouse model by using in vivo micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). We found that the volumes of total and visceral ADTs in the night-shifted group of mice were significantly larger (69 and 92%, respectively) than those in the control. The mean polar moment of inertia, cross-sectional thickness, and bone mineral density of the cortical bone in the night-shifted group of mice were less (13, 5, and 3%, respectively) than those in the control. Moreover, the volume and the thickness of growth plates (GPs) of the tibiae in the night-shifted mice were significantly smaller (22 and 20%, respectively) than those in the control. Taken together, our results indicate that disturbances in the mouse circadian rhythms induced by NSs affect the morphological characteristics of cortical bone, the volume and the thickness of GPs, and the volume of ADTs.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2009

Mammalian hibernation is a type of natural adaptation that allows organisms to avoid harsh environment and to increase the possibility of survival. To investigate the molecular link between circadian and hibernating rhythms in the greater tube-nosed bats, Murina leucogaster, we set out to identify circadian genes that are expressed in bats, with specific focus on the PAS domain by using PCR-based screens. We could isolate a eDNA clone, designated as LPAS1, that encodes a protein of 521 amino acid residues. LPAS1 is closely related with CLOCK family with the highest homology to human CLOCK. Based on RT-PCR analyses, LPAS1 transcripts are ubiquitously present in tissues from both summer active and winter dormant periods. Given that LPAS1 is a member of the bHLH-PAS protein superfamily but lacks polyglutamine transactivation domains, it is likely to function as a repressor for endogenous CLOCK to hinder its roles in promoting transcription. Our result will open a new avenue to further examine the functional interconnection between the circadian clock and the circannual clock such as mammalian hibernation.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.865-871
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• 2012

In this study, ambulatory electrocardiogram(ECG) signal and the rhythms of heart beats are visualized in terms of R-R intervals and Heart Rate Variability(HRV) in the environment of an android plaform. With this aim, Graphical User Interface(GUI) is implemented by executing multi-thread Java programming modules including ECG, heart-beats, tachogram and visualization unit. ECG signals are acquired in an android device by receiving the data from ambulatory ECG sensory system. Finite Impulse Response(FIR) filters are implemented to eliminate the baseline wandering noises contained in the ambulatory signals and DC-offset level in R-R interval data. With simulating the normal or stress emotional state of a subject, we can find the fact that HRV can be successfully estimated and visualized in an android smart phone platform.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.22-26
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• 2006

Circadian rhythms have been observed to be disturbed in mood disorders, especially seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Clock related gene variants also have been suggested to be associated with seasonality (seasonal variations in mood and behavior). This study tested the potential association between a length polymorphism of Period3 gene and seasonal variations in mood and behavior. 297 Korean college students were genotyped for the Period3 polymorphism and were for evaluated the seasonal variation by Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). The genotype frequencies were 0.76 for 4R/4R, 0.22 for 4R/5R and 0.013 for 5R/5R. The global seasonality score was not different among Period3 gene variants (4R/4R, 4R/5R and 5R/5R) except for 'sleep length' subscore. The 5R/5R genotype showed the higher 'sleep length' subscore than others (p=0.024). The comparison between seasonals (syndromal plus subsyndromal SAD determined by SPAQ) and non-seasonals did not show any significant difference in frequencies of genotypes. These findings suggest that there is a possibility that the investigated Period3 polymorphism may play a partial role in the susceptibility of seasonal variations in a Korean population.