Neuroligin-1 is a potent trigger for the de novo formation of synaptic connections, and it has recently been suggested that it is required for the maturation of functionally competent excitatory synapses. Despite evidence for the role of neuroligin-1 in specifying excitatory synapses, the underlying molecular mechanisms and physiological consequences that neuroligin-1 may have at mature synapses of normal adult animals remain unknown. By silencing endogenous neuroligin-1 acutely in the amygdala of live behaving animals, we have found that neuroligin-1 is required for the storage of associative fear memory. Subsequent cellular physiological studies showed that suppression of neuroligin-1 reduces NMDA receptor-mediated currents and prevents the expression of long-term potentiation without affecting basal synaptic connectivity at the thalamo-amygdala pathway. These results indicate that persistent expression of neuroligin-1 is required for the maintenance of NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission, which enables normal development of synaptic plasticity and long-term memory in the amygdala of adult animals.synaptic plasticity ͉ neuroligin ͉ autism S everal studies have found that synaptically localized cell adhesion molecules not only trigger synapse formation but also play a major role in regulating both basal synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity (1, 2). Among them, neurexins and neuroligins (NLs), which undergo a heterophilic interaction with each other, have emerged as important organizers of de novo synapse formation (3). Moreover, modifying the interaction of neuroligin-1 and PSD-95 alters the balance of neuronal excitation and inhibition required for normal brain function (4). The indispensable role of neuroligins for proper neuronal connectivity is further supported by the genetic linkage of neuroligin mutations with autism, a disease that is thought to be a disorder in social cognition that critically involves the amygdala (5, 6).Because neuroligins are present both during development and throughout adulthood (7,8), it is likely that neuroligins play roles other than that of an inducer of synaptogenesis in the adult brain. Indeed, a recent study of knockout (KO) mice deficient in neuroligin-1 demonstrated that neuroligin-1 regulates excitatory synaptic responses (9). Although neuroligin-1 has been suggested to be essential for maintaining normal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor-mediated currents (9), the underlying mechanism and its physiological consequence remain to be identified. Furthermore, because the regulation of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) is critical for long-term synaptic modification (10), alterations of NMDAR-dependent currents regulated by neuroligin-1 are likely to have effects on synaptic plasticity and long-term memory in adult animals.To address the functional role of neuroligin-1 at existing mature synapses, we used virus-mediated RNA interference to deplete endogenous neuroligin-1 in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) of adult animals. We investigated the actions...

Abstract.Forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, and the South Korean forests also contribute to this global C cycle. While the South Korean forest ecosystem was almost completely destroyed by exploitation and the Korean War, it has successfully recovered because of nationalscale reforestation programs since 1973. There have been several studies on the estimation of C stocks and balances over the past decades in the South Korean forests. However, a retrospective long-term study that includes biomass and dead organic matter C and validates dead organic matter C is still lacking. Accordingly, we estimated the C stocks and their changes of both biomass and dead organic matter C during the 1954-2012 period using a process-based model, the Korean Forest Soil Carbon model, and the 5th South Korean national forest inventory (NFI) report. Validation processes were also conducted based on the 5th NFI and statistical data. Simulation results showed that the biomass C stocks increased from 36.4 to 440.4 Tg C at a rate of 7.0 Tg C yr −1 during the period 1954-2012. The dead organic matter C stocks increased from 386.0 to 463.1 Tg C at a rate of 1.3 Tg C yr −1 during the same period. The estimates of biomass and dead organic matter C stocks agreed well with observed C stock data. The annual net biome production (NBP) during the period 1954-2012 was 141.3 g C m −2 yr −1 , which increased from −8.8 g C m −2 yr −1 in 1955 to 436.6 g C m −2 yr −1 in 2012. Because of the small forested area, the South Korean forests had a comparatively lower contribution to the annual C sequestration by global forests. In contrast, because of the extensive reforestation programs, the NBP of South Korean forests was much higher than those of other countries. Our results could provide the forest C dynamics in South Korean forests before and after the onset of reforestation programs.

A novel method for preparing nitrogen-doped graphite felts as positive electrodes in vanadium redox flow batteries was developed and studied. These materials were synthesized by directly coating a thin polypyrrole layer on the graphite felt surface followed by subsequent carbonization in the presence of Co (NGF-Co).

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Human joints have respective ranges of motion and joint forces corresponding to each kind of joint; this necessitates considerations of the characteristics of human joints to fabricate wearable strain sensors conformable to the human body, and capable of precisely monitoring complex motions of the human body. In the present study, the “all textile‐based highly stretchable structure” that is capable of precisely sensing motions (folding and rotation) of the human joints (finger, wrist, elbow, spine, and knee) is fabricated by optimizing patterns (straight, blind, and zigzag) of conductive yarns employed as the conductive part of the strain sensor, and several textile substrates (braided elastic fabric, knit fabric, and woven fabric), having preferable elasticity and conformability employed for the fabrication of strain sensors suitable for human joints. In particular, the technology, enabling the prestraining of textile substrate, is exploited to fabricate a strain sensor that is capable of outputting selective signals corresponding to the folding motion of the spinal joint over a predetermined angle of motion, and the gait pattern of the wearer of the sensor, attached to his or her knee joint doing folding and rotational motions, is analyzed.

Recently, downsized turbocharged direct-injection engines with high efficiency and power have drawn attention worldwide. However, abnormal combustion can occur when these engines are driven at low speeds with a high load, causing potentially fatal damage to these engines. This phenomenon pre-ignition is known to be caused by lubricant droplets, and the calcium, zinc, and molybdenum components of the lubricant affect the pre-ignition. We performed several experiments to determine the effects of these components, various fuels, and different coolant temperatures on the occurrence of pre-ignition. We also carried out a separate analysis to investigate and compare how each lubricant component affects the frequency and intensity of pre-ignition with each fuel.

Development of a fabric structure strain sensor has received considerable attention due to its broad application in healthcare monitoring and human-machine interfaces. In the knitted textile structure, it is critical to understand the surface structural deformation from a different body motion, inducing the electrical signal characteristics. Here, we report the electromechanical properties of the knitted glove sensing system focusing on the compressive strain behavior. Compared with the electrical response of the tensile strain, the compressive strain shows much higher sensitivity, stability, and linearity via different finger motions. Additionally, the sensor exhibits constant electrical properties after repeated cyclic tests and washing processes. The proposed knitted glove sensing system can be readily extended to a scalable and cost-effective production due to the use of a commercialized manufacturing system.