• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.195-207
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• 2022

Computational drawbacks associated with regular predictive models have motivated engineers to use hybrid techniques in dealing with complex engineering tasks like simulating the compressive strength of concrete (CSC). This study evaluates the efficiency of tree potential metaheuristic schemes, namely shuffled complex evolution (SCE), multi-verse optimizer (MVO), and beetle antennae search (BAS) for optimizing the performance of a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) system. The models are fed by the information of 1030 concrete specimens (where the amount of cement, blast furnace slag (BFS), fly ash (FA1), water, superplasticizer (SP), coarse aggregate (CA), and fine aggregate (FA2) are taken as independent factors). The results of the ensembles are compared to unreinforced MLP to examine improvements resulted from the incorporation of the SCE, MVO, and BAS. It was shown that these algorithms can considerably enhance the training and prediction accuracy of the MLP. Overall, the proposed models are capable of presenting an early, inexpensive, and reliable prediction of the CSC. Due to the higher accuracy of the BAS-based model, a predictive formula is extracted from this algorithm.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.266-275
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• 2024

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a rare subpopulation of cancer cells that exhibit stem cell-like characteristics, including self-renewal and differentiation in a multi-stage lineage state via symmetric or asymmetric division, causing tumor initiation, heterogeneity, progression, and recurrence and posing a major challenge to current anticancer therapy. Despite the importance of CSCs in carcinogenesis and cancer progression, currently available anticancer therapeutics have limitations for eradicating CSCs. Moreover, the efficacy and therapeutic windows of currently available anti-CSC agents are limited, suggesting the necessity to optimize and develop a novel anticancer agent targeting CSCs. Ginseng has been traditionally used for enhancing immunity and relieving fatigue. As ginseng's long history of use has demonstrated its safety, it has gained attention for its potential pharmacological properties, including anticancer effects. Several studies have identified the bioactive principles of ginseng, such as ginseng saponin (ginsenosides) and non-saponin compounds (e.g., polysaccharides, polyacetylenes, and phenolic compounds), and their pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antifatigue, and neuroprotective effects. Notably, recent reports have shown the potential of ginseng-derived compounds as anti-CSC agents. This review investigates the biology of CSCs and efforts to utilize ginseng-derived components for cancer treatment targeting CSCs, highlighting their role in overcoming current therapeutic limitations.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.981-994
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• 2018

The present study aimed at evaluating the utilization possibility of encapsulated probiotic Bifidobacterium longum for production of functional fermented sausages. The B. longum isolated from the feces samples of healthy Korean infants encapsulated with glycerol as a cryprotectant was used for fermented sausages production as a functional bacterial ingredient, and its effect was also compared with those inoculated with commercial starter culture (CSC). Results showed that most inoculated encapsulated B. longum (initial count, 5.88 Log CFU/g) could survive after 4 days fermentation (5.40 Log CFU/g), and approximately a half (2.83 Log CFU/g) of them survived in the products after 22 days of ripening. The products inoculated with encapsulated B. longum presented the lowest lipid oxidation level, while had higher total unsaturated fatty acid content and more desirable n-6/n-3 fatty acids than those inoculated with CSC or non-inoculated control. Moreover, the odor and taste scores in the samples made with B. longum were comparable to those in the treatment with CSC. The inoculation with the B. longum had no effects on the biogenic amine contents as well as did not cause defects in color or texture of the final products. Thus, the encapsulation could preserve the probiotic B. longum in the meat mixture, and the encapsulated B. longum could be used as a functional ingredient for production of healthier fermented meat products.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2012

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are often characterized by the elevated expression of drug-resistance related stem-cell surface markers, such as CD133 and ABCG2. Recently, we reported that CSCs have a high level of expression of the IL-6 receptor (IL-6R). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of anticancer drugs on the expression of the drug resistance-related cancer stem cell markers, ABCG2, IL-6R, and CD133 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines. A549, H460, and H23 NSCLC cell lines were treated with the anticancer drugs 5-fluorouracil (5-FU; $25{\mu}g/ml$) and methotrexate (MTX; $50{\mu}g/ml$), and the expression of putative CSC markers was analyzed by fluorescent activated cell sorter (FACS) and the gene expression level of abcg2, il-6r and cd133 by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We found that the fraction of ABCG2-positive(+) cells was significantly increased by treatment with both 5-FU and MTX in NSCLC cells, and the elevation of abcg2, il-6r and cd133 expressions in response to these drugs was also confirmed using RT-PCR. Also, the number of IL-6R(+) cells was increased by MTX in the 3 cell lines mentioned and increased by 5-FU in the H460 cell line. The number of CD133(+) cells was also significantly increased by both 5-FU and MTX treatment in all of the cell lines tested. These results indicate that 5-FU and MTX considerably enhance the expression of drug-resistance related CSC markers in NSCLC cell lines. Thus, we suggest that antimetabolite cancer drugs, such as 5-FU and MTX, can lead to the propagation of CSCs through altering the expression of CSC markers.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.143-150
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• 1995

In order to find a way to utilize paper mill sludge, its composting was conducted with anaerobic waste of kraft paper sludge, raw kraft paper sludge, and CMC sludge(CMC : Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose) under aerobic condition at $50^{\circ}C$. It took 3 days for initial fermentation with anaerobic waste and CMC sludge, and six days with raw kraft paper sludge. Each compost was applied to radish(Rhaphanus Stativus L.), and absorption rate of staple nutrients increased 6.7~9.3 times higher in N, 17~21 times in P and 2~3 times in K than control at the harvesting stage. Also, organic matter contents were increased 1.5~2.3 times 4.5~5.3 times in CEC compared to control soil.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.499-508
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• 2019

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are primarily responsible for metastasis and recurrence, have self-renewal, differentiation, therapeutic resistance, and tumor formation abilities. Numerous studies have demonstrated the signaling pathways essential for the acquisition and maintenance of CSC characteristics, such as WNT/${\beta}$-catenin, Hedgehog, Notch, B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 homolog (BMI1), Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), and TGF-${\beta}$ signals. However, few therapeutic strategies have been developed that can selectively eliminate CSCs. Recently, neutralizing antibodies against Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), have shown promising outcomes in clinical trials of melanoma, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer, as well as in hematologic malignancies. ICIs are considered to outperform conventional anticancer drugs by maintaining long-lasting anti-cancer effects, with less severe side effects. Several studies reported that ICIs successfully blocked CSC properties in head and neck squamous carcinomas, melanomas, and breast cancer. Together, these findings suggest that novel and effective anticancer therapeutic modalities using ICIs for selective elimination of CSCs may be developed in the near future. In this review, we highlight the origin and characteristics of CSCs, together with critical signaling pathways. We also describe progress in ICI-mediated anticancer treatment to date and present perspectives on the development of CSC-targeting ICIs.

• Computational Structural Engineering : An International Journal
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.97-106
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• 2001

Safety and serviceability of a planar steel frame are assessed. Attention is turned to the individual main steps in the assessment procedure, i.e., to the definition of loads, selection of transformation model, determination of the response of the structure to the loading, and to the definition of the limiting values (considering safely and serviceability of the structure). The potential of the method using direct Monte Carlo technique as a powerful tool is emphasized.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.297-300
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• 2001

This paper describes case studies for UPFC installation, The studies include UPFC at Inez, KT, CSC at Marcy, NY, and UPFC at Kangjin, Korea. For each case, engineering about problem of power system and benefits of UPFC installation are presented. And operation policy of Kangjin UPFC will be established by engineering of power system.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2015

Over several decades, a hierarchical cancer stem cell (CSC) model has been established in development of solid cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). In terms of this concept, HCCs originate from liver CSCs. Clinically HCCs show a wide range of manifestations from slow growth to very aggressive metastasis. One of the reasons may be that liver CSCs originate from different cells. This review describes the basic concept of CSCs and the cellular origin of liver CSCs.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.491-492
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• 2009

We present the result of our research on the tumorigenic ability of single cell clones isolated from an aggressive murine breast cancer cell line in a matched allografting mouse model. Tumor formation is basically dependent on the cell numbers injected per location. We argue that in vivo tumor formation from single cell clones, isolated in vitro from cancer cell lines, may not provide conclusive evidence to disprove the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory without additional data.