• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.42-54
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• 2019

Biodegradation of an explosive compound, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), was studied with a denitrifying microbial culture grown in a sequencing batch reactor and a GTN acclimated denitrifying culture. The GTN acclimated culture, which were fed on GTN for 1 month, degraded GTN regioselectively via denitration on C1 position as compared to C2 position denitration by denitrifying culture that has never been exposed to GTN. Accumulation of two isomeric glyceryl dinitrates (GDNs) in both culture medium suggests that GDN denitration is the rate-limiting step in GTN biodegradation. The first order GTN degradation rate normalized to cell concentration of the acclimated culture was calculated to be 0.045 (${\pm}0.002$) L/g-hr. Increasing concentration of electron acceptor(nitrate) resulted in discouraged GTN degradation. According to microbial community analysis, prolonged GTN exposure resulted in 25% increase in the genus level of the GTN acclimated culture with the disappearance of two dominating denitrifying microbial species of Methyloversatilis universalis and Hyphomicrobium zavarzinii in the denitrifying culture.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.99-102
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• 2015

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is one of the most destructive viruses in chilli pepper. An isolate of CMV was obtained from the chilli pepper cv. Chungyang showing top necrosis symptom in 2013 and designated as CMV-GTN. CMV-GTN was compared with the well-characterized isolate, CMV-Ca-P1, by investigating their amino acid sequences of the coat protein (CP) and biological reactions in several host plants. The CP of CMV-Ca-P1 composed of 217 amino acids but that of CMV-GTN composed of 218 amino acids by including additional valine in the $57^{th}$ amino acid position. Amino acid sequence similarity of the CP gene among CMV-GTN and other CMV isolates recorded in the GeneBank database ranged from 96% to 99%. CMV-GTN was selected as a representative isolate to screen the resistance pepper cultivars to CMV because it was highly pathogenic to tomatoes and peppers upon biological assays. The virulence of CMV-GTN was tested on 135 pepper cultivars which has been bred in Korea and compared with that of CMV-Ca-P1. Only the cv. Premium was resistant and three cvs. Hot star, Kaiser, and Good choice were moderately resistant to CMV-GTN, whereas two cvs. Baerotta and Kaiser were resistant to CMV-Ca-P1.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.5037-5041
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• 2015

Background: An hCG regression curve has been used to predict the natural history and response to chemotherapy in gestational trophoblastic disease. We constructed hCG regression curves in high-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) treated with EMA/CO and identified an optimal hCG level to detect EMA/CO resistance in GTN. Materials and Methods: Eighty-one women with GTN treated with EMA/CO were classified as primary high-risk GTN (n = 65) and single agent-resistance GTN (n = 16). The hCG levels prior to each course of chemotherapy were plotted in the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles to construct the hCG regression curves. Diagnostic performance was evaluated for an optimal cut-off value. Results: The median hCG levels were 264,482 mIU/mL mIU/mL and 495.5 mIU/mL mIU/mL for primary high-risk GTN and single agent-resistance GTN, respectively. The 50th percentile of the hCG level in primary high-risk GTN and single agent-resistance turned to normal before the 4th and the 2nd course of chemotherapy, respectively. The 90th percentile of the hCG level in primary high-risk GTN and single agent-resistance turned to normal before the 9th and the 2nd course of chemotherapy, respectively. The hCG level of ${\geq}118.6mIU/mL$ mIU/mL at the 5thcourse of EMA/CO predicted the EMA/CO resistance in primary high-risk GTN patients with a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 100%. Conclusion: EMA/CO resistance in primary high-risk GTN can be predicted by using an hCG regression curve in combination with the cut-off value of 118.6 mIU/mL at the 5thcourse of chemotherapy.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3281-3287
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• 2016

Bioactive compounds extracted from leaves and twigs of Goniothalamus griffithii include pinocembrin (PCN) and goniothalamin (GTN). The objectives of this study were to investigate the cytotoxic activities of PCN and GTN and their influence on molecular signaling for cell death in several human cancer cell lines compared to normal murine fibroblast NIH3T3 cells. GTN exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity against MCF-7 > HeLa > HepG2 > NIH3T3 cells with $IC_{50}$ values of 7.33, 14.8, 37.1 and $65.4{\mu}M$, respectively, whereas PCN was cytotoxic only to HepG2 cells with $IC_{50}$ values of ${\sim}80{\mu}M$. Apoptotic cell death was confirmed by staining the cells with annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide (PI) employing flow cytometry. Apoptosis was shown by externalization of phosphatidylserine in goniothalamin-treated MCF-7 cells in a dose response manner. Positive PI-stained cells with the typical morphology of apoptotic cells were increased dose-dependently. Furthermore, reduction of mitochondrial transmembrane potential was found in goniothalamin-treated MCF-7, HepG2 and HeLa cells. GTN treatment in MCF-7 increased caspase-3, -8 and -9 activities while GTN-induced HeLa cells showed an increase of both caspase-3 and -9 activities. But an increased caspase-8 activity was demonstrated in GTN- and PCN-treated MCF-7 and HepG2 cells, respectively. Taken together, GTN- and PCN-induced human cancer cell apoptosis was through different molecular mechanisms or signaling pathways, which might be due to different machineries in different types of cancer cells, as evidenced by the compound-modulated caspase activities in both intrinsic and/or extrinsic pathways.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.363-370
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• 2009

We simulated large deformation and inelastic behavior of API-X80 steel linepipes using nonlinear finite element method. Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman(GTN) model is employed for the development of the constitutive model of the steel. The GTN model is implemented in the form of the user-supplied material subroutine(UMAT) for the commercial software of ABAQUS. To calibrate the model parameters, we simulated the behavior of the uniaxial tension test using ABAQUS equipped with the developed GTN model. Using the set of the model parameters, we were able to capture the characteristics of the plastic buckling of API-X80 steel linepipes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.925-928
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• 2014

Background: Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a spectrum of disease with abnormal trophoblastic proliferation. Treatment is based on FIGO stage and WHO risk factor scores. Patients whose score is 12 or more are considered as at extremely high risk with a high likelihood of resistance to first line treatment. Optimal therapy is therefore controversial. Objective: This study was conducted in order to summarize the regimen used for extremely high risk or resistant GTN patients in our institution the in past 10 years. Materials and Methods: All the charts of GTN patients classified as extremely high risk, recurrent or resistant during 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2011 were reviewed. Criteria for diagnosis of GTN were also assessed to confirm the diagnosis. FIGO stage and WHO risk prognostic score were also re-calculated to ensure the accuracy of the information. Patient characteristics were reviewed in the aspects of age, weight, height, BMI, presenting symptoms, metastatic area, lesions, FIGO stage, WHO risk factor score, serum hCG level, treatment regimen, adjuvant treatments, side effects and response to treatment, including disease free survival. Results: Eight patients meeting the criteria of extremely high risk or resistant GTN were included in this review. Mean age was 33.6 years (SD=13.5, range 17-53). Of the total, 3 were stage III (37.5%) and 5 were stage IV (62.5%). Mean duration from previous pregnancies to GTN was 17.6 months (SD 9.9). Mean serum hCG level was 864,589 mIU/ml (SD 98,151). Presenting symptoms of the patients were various such as hemoptysis, abdominal pain, headache, heavy vaginal bleeding and stroke. The most commonly used first line chemotherapeutic regimen in our institution was the VAC regimen which was given to 4 of 8 patients in this study. The most common second line chemotherapy was EMACO. Adjuvant radiation was given to most of the patients who had brain metastasis. Most of the patients have to delay chemotherapy for 1-2 weeks due to grade 2-3 leukopenia and require G-CSF to rescue from neutropenia. Five form 8 patients were still survived. Mean of disease free survival was 20.4 months. Two patients died of the disease, while another one patient died from sepsis of pressure sore wound. None of surviving patients developed recurrence of disease after complete treatment. Conclusions: In extremely high risk GTN patients, main treatment is multi-agent chemotherapy. In our institution, we usually use VAC as a first line treatment of high risk GTN, but since resistance is quite common, this may not suitable for extremely high risk GTN patients. The most commonly used second line multi-agent chemotherapy in our institution is EMA-CO. Adjuvant brain radiation was administered to most of the patients with brain metastasis in our institution. The survival rate is comparable to previous reviews. Our treatment demonstrated differences from other institutions but the survival is comparable. The limitation of this review is the number of cases is small due to rarity of the disease. Further trials or multicenter analyses may be considered.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.1696-1701
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• 2007

This paper presents a micro-mechanical model of ductile fracture for the API X65 steel using the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model. Experimental tests and FE damage simulations using the GTN model are performed for smooth and notched tensile bars, from which the parameters in the GTN model are calibrated. As application, the developed GTN model is applied to simulate small-sized, single-edge-cracked tensile and bend bars, via three-dimensional FE damage analyses. Comparison of FE damage analysis results with experimental test data shows overall good agreements.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.979-990
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• 2016

This study presents a nonlinear finite element procedure involving a phenomenological model to validate the tensile strain capacity of the X80 line pipe developed for the strain-based design purpose. The procedure is based on the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) model, which models nucleation, growth and coalescence of void volume fraction occurred inside a metal. In this study, the user-defined material module (UMAT) is implemented in the commercial finite element platform ABAQUS and is applied to the nonlinear damage analysis of steel specimens. Material parameters for the nonlinear damage analysis of base and weld metals are calibrated from numerical simulations for the tensile tests of round bar and full thickness specimens. They are then employed in the numerical simulations for SENT (Single Edge Notch Tension) test and CWPT (Curved Wide Plate Test) and in the simulations, the tensile strain capacities are naturally evaluated. Comparison of the numerical results with the experimental results and the conventional empirical formulae shows that the proposed numerical procedure can fairly well predict the tensile strain capacity of X80 line pipe. So, it is readily expected to be effectively applied to the strain-based design procedure.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.553-554
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• 2008

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.14
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• pp.5913-5916
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• 2015

Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is the malignant form of gestational trophoblastic disease. In non-metastatic GTN, the outcomes of treatment are impressive with methotrexate (MTX) or actinomycin D. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of non-metastatic GTN treated at our center from January, 1999 to December, 2013. One hundred and nine patients were recruited to the study. The median age was 33.1 years and over 90% were referral cases. Abnormal vaginal symptoms developed in 37.6% while 56.4% were asymptomatic. The most common antecedent pregnancy was a complete mole (92.7%) with the median interval time from antecedent pregnancy to GTN development being 2.0 months. The median pretreatment B-hCG was 5,624 mIu/ml. The most common first line treatment was methotrexate (MTX) and folinic acid (91.7%) followed by weekly MTX (4.6%), etoposide+ MTX+actinomycin D (EMA) (2.8%), and actinomycin D (0.9%), with the median number of cycles at 5.0. The positive response to first line chemotherapy was 73.8%. The patients were given subsequent chemotherapeutic regimens after resistance to the first line therapy and showed a final remission rate of 89.9%.The significant factor that was frequently found in patients who were non-responders to the first line treatment was a hysterectomy procedure. Two patients developed lung metastasis and brain metastasis at one and four years after the first treatment, respectively. In conclusion, the outcomes of non-metastatic GTN were excellent. However, the patients need long term follow up due to the possibility of developing multiple organ metastases.