• Molecules and Cells
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.685-695
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• 2017

Obesity and the metabolic disorders that constitute metabolic syndrome are a primary cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Nonetheless, the changes in the proteins and the underlying molecular pathways involved in the relevant pathogenesis are poorly understood. In this study a proteomic analysis of the visceral adipose tissue isolated from metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese patients was used to identify presence of altered pathway(s) leading to metabolic dysfunction. Samples were obtained from 18 obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and were subdivided into two groups based on the presence or absence of comorbidities as defined by the International Diabetes Federation. Two dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was carried out. A total of 28 proteins were identified with a statistically significant difference in abundance and a 1.5-fold change (ANOVA, $p{\leq}0.05$) between the groups. 11 proteins showed increased abundance while 17 proteins were decreased in the metabolically unhealthy obese compared to the healthy obese. The differentially expressed proteins belonged broadly to three functional categories: (i) protein and lipid metabolism (ii) cytoskeleton and (iii) regulation of other metabolic processes. Network analysis by Ingenuity pathway analysis identified the $NF{\kappa}B$, IRK/MAPK and PKC as the nodes with the highest connections within the connectivity map. The top network pathway identified in our protein data set related to cellular movement, hematological system development and function, and immune cell trafficking. The VAT proteome between the two groups differed substantially between the groups which could potentially be the reason for metabolic dysfunction.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.289-300
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• 2016

Non-genotoxic carcinogens are substances that induce tumorigenesis by non-mutagenic mechanisms and long term rodent bioassays are required to identify them. Recent studies have shown that transcription profiling can be applied to develop early identifiers for long term phenotypes. In this study, we used rat liver expression profiles from the NTP (National Toxicology Program, Research Triangle Park, USA) DrugMatrix Database to construct a gene classifier that can distinguish between non-genotoxic carcinogens and other chemicals. The model was based on short term exposure assays (3 days) and the training was limited to oxidative stressors, peroxisome proliferators and hormone modulators. Validation of the predictor was performed on independent toxicogenomic data (TG-GATEs, Toxicogenomics Project-Genomics Assisted Toxicity Evaluation System, Osaka, Japan). To build our model we performed Random Forests together with a recursive elimination algorithm (VarSelRF). Gene set enrichment analysis was employed for functional interpretation. A total of 770 microarrays comprising 96 different compounds were analyzed and a predictor of 54 genes was built. Prediction accuracy was 0.85 in the training set, 0.87 in the test set and increased with increasing concentration in the validation set: 0.6 at low dose, 0.7 at medium doses and 0.81 at high doses. Pathway analysis revealed gene prominence of cellular respiration, energy production and lipoprotein metabolism. The biggest target of toxicogenomics is accurately predict the toxicity of unknown drugs. In this analysis, we presented a classifier that can predict non-genotoxic carcinogenicity by using short term exposure assays. In this approach, dose level is critical when evaluating chemicals at early time points.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.44-52
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• 1996

Acoustical characteristics of internal pipe structures and a loudspeaker of the thermoacoustic refrigerator are analyzed by using the transfer matrix method. The resonator system is dismantled into verious basic acoustic elements, and then linearized transfer matrices are serially combined with the dynamical system of linearized loudspeaker model, that the total system of thermoacoustic refrigerator can be analyzed in terms of frequency characteristics and acoustic field shape. Additionally, by using equations for energy flow through the capillary stack, the temperature distribution over the stack is numerically estimated. After expressing the acoustic work flow, thermoacoustic flow, and energy loss per unit length in a single capillary duct by using the transverse functional variations, overall energy flow rate and energy balance are obtained for the whole capillary stack. The final expression for energy flow through the stack is numerically evaluated by varying physical parameters obtained from the sound field analysis. After confirming good agreements between predicted and experimental results for the interior sound field of a refrigerator model, the thermoacoustic characteristics of Hofler's apparatus is analyzed by the proposed method and it is observed that the results agree well with Hofler's experimental results.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.27-32
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• 2004

Endothellial cells are subjected to hemodynamic shear stress, the dragging force generated by blood flow. Shear stress regulates endothelial cell shape, structure, and function, including gene expression. Since endothelial cells must be anchored to their extracellular matrices(ECM) for their survival and growth, we hypothesized that ECMs are crucial for shear-dependent activation of extracellular signalactivated regulated kinase(ERK) that is important for cell proliferation. Shear stress-dependent activation of ERK was observed in cells plated on two different matrices, fibronectin and vitronectin(the two most physiologically relevant ECM in endothelial cells). We then treated bovine aortic endothelial cells(BAECs) with Arg-Gly-Asp(RGD) peptides that block the functional activation of integrin binding to fibronectin and vitronectin, and a nonfunctional peptide as a control. Treatment of cells with the RGD peptides, but not the control peptide, significantly inhibited ERK activity in a concentration-dependent manner. This supports the idea that integrin adhesion to the ligands, fibronectin and vitronectin, mediates shear stress-dependent activation of ERK. Subsequently, whereas antagonists of vitronectin(LM 609, an antibody for integrin ${\alpha}_{\gamma}$/${\beta}_3$ and XT 199, an antagonist specific for integrin ${\alpha}_{\gamma}$/${\beta}_3$) did not have any effect on shear-dependent activation of ERK, antagonists of fibronectin(a neutralizing antibody for integrin ${\alpha}_5$/${\beta}_1$or ${\alpha}_4$${\beta}_1$ and SM256) had an inhibitory effect. These results clearly demonstrate that mechanoactivation of ERK requires anchoring of endothelial cells to fibronectin through integrins.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.273-280
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to establish a three dimensional (3D) culture system of endometrial cells and to examine the plasminogen activators (PAs) activity in porcine uterine. The 3D culture system in porcine endometrial cells was composed to mixture 3D gel, stromal cells and epithelial cells. The 3D culture system was used to identify normal structure search as uterine tissue and PAs expression in this study. In results, porcine endometrium epithelial cells forming a top monolayer and endometrium stromal cells developed as fibroblast-like within 3D matrix scaffold. Expression of urokinase-type PA (uPA) and tissue-type PA (tPA) were observed during the 3D culture using immunofluorescence. PA activity in 3D-cultured endometrial cells was no significant difference between the tissue type, but 2D culture system were significantly lower than in 3D-cultured endometrial cells (P<0.05). Therefore, basic system and functional aspect of 3D culture could be established with similar system of endometrium tissue. We suggest that this study was assumed applicable as baseline data to investigate mechanism between porcine uterus cells in vitro.

• Carbon letters
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.114-122
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• 2009

Crushed, depitted peach stones were impregnated activated with 50% $H_3PO_4$ followed by pyrolysis at $500^{\circ}C$. Two activated carbons were produced, one under its own evolved gases during pyrolysis, and the second conducted with air flow throughout the carbonization stage. Physicochemical properties were investigated by several procedures; carbon yield, ash content, elemental chemical analysis, TG/DTG and FTIR spectra. Porosity characteristics were determined by the conventional $N_2$ adsorption at 77 K, and data analyzed to get the major texture parameters of surface area and pore volume. Highly developed activated carbons were obtained, essentially microporous, with slight effect of air on the porous structure. Oxygen was observed to be markedly incorporated in the carbon matrix during the air treatment process. Cation exchange capacity towards Cu (II) and Cd (II) was tested in batch single ion experimental mode, which proved to be slow and a function of carbon dose, time and initial ion concentration. Copper was up taken more favorably than cadmium, under same conditions, and adsorption of both cations was remarkably enhanced as a consequence of the air treatment procedure. Sequestration of the metal ions was explained on basis of the combined effect of the oxygen functional groups and the phosphorous-containing compounds; both contributing to the total surface acidity character.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 1991

In order to see the possible effect of the functional load-bearing after osseointegration of the titanium root form implant in dog a histologic study was conducted. One side of lower jaw was surgically prepared edentulousness and titanium implants were inserted. Some implants were functionally loaded through fixed detachable prosthesis and some are isolated and unloaded. The dog was sacrificed four months later and bone sections with implants were processed for histologic evaluation and the results were as follows ; (1) The bone to implant interface after four months of load bearing presented no mobility and no marginal bone loss radiographically and histologically. (2) The interface zone between compact bone and implant revealed a direct bone to implant contact and in some areas marrow tissue contacts were examined at the light microscopic level. (3) At the ultrastructural level the interface of surrounding compact bone matrix and implant, three types of superficial layers were found ; one with moderate electron dense amorphous granular substance layer, other with high electron dense fine granular substance layer, and another type of amorphous granular substance covered with high electron dense line of minute granules. (4) The osteoblasts in the marrow tissue neighboring implants and osteocytes in compact bone showed typical normal characteristics and in the marrow tissues some of lymphocytes and mast cells were observed. (5) The abscence of abnormal tissue reactions at a cellular level indicates a high degree of biocompatibility for the experimental titanium implant and basically no difference was found between functionally loaded and unloaded implants.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.2345-2351
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• 2014

Lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2), a member of the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, is a copper-dependent enzyme that catalyzes oxidative deamination of lysine residues on protein substrates. LOXL2 was found to be overexpressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in our previous research. We later identified a LOXL2 splicing variant LOXL2-delta72 and we overexpressed LOXL2-delta72 and its wild type counterpart in ESCC cells following microarray analyses. First, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of LOXL2 and LOXL2-delta72 compared to empty plasmid were applied to generate protein-protein interaction (PPI) sub-networks. Comparison of these two sub-networks showed hundreds of different proteins. To reveal the potential specific roles of LOXL2- delta72 compared to its wild type, the DEGs of LOXL2-delta72 vs LOXL2 were also applied to construct a PPI sub-network which was annotated by Gene Ontology. The functional annotation map indicated the third PPI sub-network involved hundreds of GO terms, such as "cell cycle arrest", "G1/S transition of mitotic cell cycle", "interphase", "cell-matrix adhesion" and "cell-substrate adhesion", as well as significant "immunity" related terms, such as "innate immune response", "regulation of defense response" and "Toll signaling pathway". These results provide important clues for experimental identification of the specific biological roles and molecular mechanisms of LOXL2-delta72. This study also provided a work flow to test the different roles of a splicing variant with high-throughput data.

• Composites Research
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.39-43
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• 2011

For the last twenty years, nanocomposites composed of polymer matrices reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been an active research area. Also, the polymeric nanocomposites reinforced with CNTs are being investigated to be used matrices of carbon fiber composites. Carbon tiber composites have achieved advanced properties in the direction of carbon fibers due to enhanced carbon fiber properties. However, the matrix dominated properties need to be improved further to fully utilize the advanced carbon fiber properties. In particular, delamination is a typical and critical reason for fracture of carbon fiber composites. Mode I fracture toughness test which is also often called double cantilever beam (DCB) test shows the resistance to delamination of carbon fiber composites and this test is performed on carbon fiber composite samples incorporated with carbon nanotubes functionalized with various functional groups. The specimens with mat-like CNT layers showed the increased fracture toughness by 10.6%.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.323-328
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• 2009

In this paper, a decentralized fuzzy output feedback controller for the nonlinear networked control system is proposed for wireless sensor network. Especially, it is assumed that the networked control system has the output packet loss and the input transmission failure. For the fuzzy control of the nonlinear subsystem, it presents Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model of each subsystem and it designs the decentralized fuzzy output feedback controller. The stability condition of the closed-loop system with the proposed controller is obtained by Lyapunov functional. The obtained stability condition is represented to the linear matrix inequality (LMI) form, and the control gain is obtained by LMI. An example is given to show the verification discussed throughout the paper.