• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.25-31
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• 2008

It is well known that temporal information, i.e speech onset, about input speech can be represented to the response nerve signal of auditory nerve better depending on the adaptation effect occurred in the auditory nerve synapse. In addition, the performance of a speech processor of cochlear implant can be improved by the adaptation effect. In this paper, we observed the emphasis characteristic of speech onset in the recently proposed adaptation algorithm, analyzed the characteristic of performance change according to the variation of parameters and compared with transient emphasis spectral maxima (TESM) is the previous typical strategy. When observing false peaks which are generated everywhere except speech onset, in the case of the proposed model, the false peak were generated much less than in the case of the TESM and it is more distinguishable under noise.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.655-664
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• 2018

Retina transforms the external light into electrical signal that stimulates visual cortex of the brain. Electrical modeling of the retina is useful to understand its structure and action that is a prerequisite to implement the retina as a hardware device. This paper introduces a 2-D electrical network model of vertebrate's retina considering signal pathway of retinal cells and synapses. We implemented a simulator of the retina based on the electrical network model to analyze its operation under various circumstances. Compared to the prior studies, It might contribute designing of artificial retina device in terms of that this study specifically observed input and output reactions of each cell and synapse node under various light intensity on the retina.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.34.1-34.9
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• 2019

Objectives: Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics (Restor Dent Endod; RDE) is an English-language journal published by the Korean Academy of Conservative Dentistry, and it has been online since 2012 with quarterly publications. The purpose of this paper was to review and analyze the publications in this journal since its inception and over the 7-year period from 2012 to 2018. Materials and Methods: This paper assessed the number, type, and subject of articles published, as well as authorship patterns and article citations of the journal over a 7-year period. The citation indicator for the journal (h-index) was assessed using Google Scholar. Results: The number of articles per issue has remained relatively consistent in the 7 years that were analyzed. An analysis of the article types revealed various categories of review articles. Original research articles accounted for the most articles per volume. Twice as many articles per volume were on endodontic topics than on restorative subjects. Articles published in RDE have been widely cited in Synapse, Crossref, and PubMed Central. A country-wise mapping of authors' institutions revealed significant contributions from authors around the world. With an h-index of 24, RDE ranks third among journals in its specialty. The most cited articles were open lectures on statistics and research articles on recent concepts, technology, and materials. Conclusion: Over the last 7 years, RDE has served as a platform for a large number of manuscripts in the field of restorative dentistry and endodontics.

• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.304-311
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• 2019

The cytoplasmic FMR1-interacting protein family (CYFIP1 and CYFIP2) are evolutionarily conserved proteins originally identified as binding partners of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a messenger RNA (mRNA)-binding protein whose loss causes the fragile X syndrome. Moreover, CYFIP is a key component of the heteropentameric WAVE regulatory complex (WRC), a critical regulator of neuronal actin dynamics. Therefore, CYFIP may play key roles in regulating both mRNA translation and actin polymerization, which are critically involved in proper neuronal development and function. Nevertheless, compared to CYFIP1, neuronal function and dysfunction of CYFIP2 remain largely unknown, possibly due to the relatively less well established association between CYFIP2 and brain disorders. Despite high amino acid sequence homology between CYFIP1 and CYFIP2, several in vitro and animal model studies have suggested that CYFIP2 has some unique neuronal functions distinct from those of CYFIP1. Furthermore, recent whole-exome sequencing studies identified de novo hot spot variants of CYFIP2 in patients with early infantile epileptic encephalopathy (EIEE), clearly implicating CYFIP2 dysfunction in neurological disorders. In this review, we highlight these recent investigations into the neuronal function and dysfunction of CYFIP2, and also discuss several key questions remaining about this intriguing neuronal protein.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.231-242
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• 2022

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ), which is a synapse for signal transmission from motor neurons to muscle cells, has emerged as an important region because of its association with several peripheral neuropathies. In particular, mutations in GARS that affect the formation of NMJ result in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and distal hereditary motor neuropathy. These disorders are mainly considered to be caused by neuronal axon abnormalities; however, no treatment is currently available. Therefore, in order to determine whether the NMJ could be targeted to treat neurodegenerative disorders, we investigated the NMJ recovery effect of HDAC6 inhibitors, which have been used in the treatment of several peripheral neuropathies. In the present study, we demonstrated that HDAC6 inhibition was sufficient to enhance movement by restoring NMJ impairments observed in a zebrafish disease model. We found that CKD-504, a novel HDAC6 inhibitor, was effective in repairing NMJ defects, suggesting that treatment of neurodegenerative diseases via NMJ targeting is possible.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.84-92
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• 2022

To understand the microcircuitry of the brain, the anatomical and functional connectivity among neurons must be resolved. One of the technical hurdles to achieving this goal is that the anatomical connections, or synapses, are often smaller than the diffraction limit of light and thus are difficult to resolve by conventional microscopy, while the microcircuitry of the brain is on the scale of 1 mm or larger. To date, the gold standard method for microcircuit reconstruction has been electron microscopy (EM). However, despite its rapid development, EM has clear shortcomings as a method for microcircuit reconstruction. The greatest weakness of this method is arguably its incompatibility with functional and molecular analysis. Fluorescence microscopy, on the other hand, is readily compatible with numerous physiological and molecular analyses. We believe that recent advances in various fluorescence microscopy techniques offer a new possibility for reliable synapse detection in large volumes of neural circuits. In this minireview, we summarize recent advances in fluorescence-based microcircuit reconstruction. In the same vein as these studies, we introduce our recent efforts to analyze the long-range connectivity among brain areas and the subcellular distribution of synapses of interest in relatively large volumes of cortical tissue with array tomography and superresolution microscopy.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.62-74
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• 2023

In response to diverse external stimuli, sensory receptors generate spiking nerve signals. These generated signals are transmitted to the brain along the neural pathway to advance to the stage of recognition or perception, and then they reach the area of discrimination or judgment for remembering, assessing, and processing incoming information. We review research trends in neuromorphic sensory perception technology inspired by biological sensory perception functions. Among the various senses, we consider sensory nerve decoding technology based on sensory nerve pathways focusing on touch and smell, neuromorphic synapse elements that mimic biological neurons and synapses, and neuromorphic processors. Neuromorphic sensory devices, neuromorphic synapses, and artificial sensory memory devices that integrate storage components are being actively studied. However, various problems remain to be solved, such as learning methods to implement cognitive functions beyond simple detection. Considering applications such as virtual reality, medical welfare, neuroscience, and cranial nerve interfaces, neuromorphic sensory recognition technology is expected to be actively developed based on new technologies, including combinatorial neurocognitive cell technology.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.165-181
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• 2024

The slow and regular pacemaking activity of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons requires proper spatial organization of the excitable elements between the soma and dendritic compartments, but the somatodendritic organization is not clear. Here, we show that the dynamic interaction between the soma and multiple proximal dendritic compartments (PDCs) generates the slow pacemaking activity in DA neurons. In multipolar DA neurons, spontaneous action potentials (sAPs) consistently originate from the axon-bearing dendrite. However, when the axon initial segment was disabled, sAPs emerge randomly from various primary PDCs, indicating that multiple PDCs drive pacemaking. Ca²⁺ measurements and local stimulation/perturbation experiments suggest that the soma serves as a stably-oscillating inertial compartment, while multiple PDCs exhibit stochastic fluctuations and high excitability. Despite the stochastic and excitable nature of PDCs, their activities are balanced by the large centrally-connected inertial soma, resulting in the slow synchronized pacemaking rhythm. Furthermore, our electrophysiological experiments indicate that the soma and PDCs, with distinct characteristics, play different roles in glutamate-induced burst-pause firing patterns. Excitable PDCs mediate excitatory burst responses to glutamate, while the large inertial soma determines inhibitory pause responses to glutamate. Therefore, we could conclude that this somatodendritic organization serves as a common foundation for both pacemaker activity and evoked firing patterns in midbrain DA neurons.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.21-36
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• 2015

This study is a descriptive study to examine how poem causes effects of literary treatment for the contemporary people and how to improve therapeutic effect with poem by illustrating the process of therapeutic effect by poem. Each poem in the poetry book has a well-organized flow. While those poems are mixed, it can be synapsed into the cognitive system of readers by their taste in the form of introduction, development, turn, and conclusion.' The poetry book is structured with the transition of literary treatment. Such transition structure is embodied in a circle. If poetic contents are positive and creative in such transitive structure, it gives more comfort and excitement to readers increasing therapeutic effect. Therefore, it is very important to progress literatherapy narrative with such creative works.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.158-163
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• 2013

Cholestatic liver is associated with hepatic inflammation and elevated proinflammatory cytokines. Recent studies indicate that certain cytokines can modulate bile secretion. In the present study, we have examined the role of interleukin (IL-2) on the bile secretion by a combination of study models. To examine the relevance of IL-2 on bile secretion, the expression of IL-2 and IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) of isolated normal and bile duct ligated (BDL) rats cholangiocytes was first measured by RT-PCR. In BDL rats, the expression of IL-2 and IL-2R was significantly increased compared with normal rats. To study the effect of IL-2 on bile secretion, bile flow was measured in normal and BDL rats. At the level of cholangiocytes, secretory responses of isolated bile duct unit (IBDU)s were quantified by videomicroscopy. The administrations of IL-2 had no significant effect on basal bile secretion in normal and BDL rats. There was no significant effect of IL-2 on basal bile ductular secretion as evidenced by no significant difference in luminal area of the IBDUs perfusedwith 100 pM of IL-2 from those of albumin carrier control. However, the secretin-stimulated bile ductular secretion was significantly (P < 0.01) inhibited by $34{\pm}4%$ (normal, n = 12), $21{\pm}5.3%$ (BDL 2 wk, n = 12) and $15{\pm}5.2%$ (BDL 4 wk, n = 12) with the co-administration of IL-2. As with other cytokines, physiologically relevant concentration of IL-2 can significantly inhibit secretin-stimulated bile ductular secretion. These findings support the important roles of cytokines in modulating bile secretion and may contribute to the cholestasis seen in cholestatic liver diseases.