• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.24 no.4 s.175
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• pp.830-838
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• 2000

The paper addresses an application of molecular dynamics technique for fracture mechanics. Molecular dynamics simulation is an atomistic approach, while typical numerical methods such as finite element methods are macroscopic. Using the potential functions, which express the energy of a molecular system, a virtual specimen with molecules is set up and the trajectory of every molecule can be calculated by Newton's equation of motion. Several three-dimensional models with various types of cracks are considered. The stress intensity factors, the sizes of plastic zone as well as the dislocation emission are sought to be compared with the analytical solutions, which result in good agreement.

• Bioinformatics and Biosystems
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2006

Recent progress in the development of non-invasive imaging technologies continues to strengthen the role of molecular imaging biological research. These tools have been validated recently in variety of research models, and have been shown to provide continuous quantitative monitoring of the location(s), magnitude, and time-variation of gene delivery and/or expression. This article reviews the use of radionuclide, magnetic resonance, and optical imaging technologies as they have been used in imaging gene delivery and gene expression for molecular imaging applications. The studies published to date demonstrate that noninvasive imaging tools will help to accelerate pre-clinical model validation as well as allow for clinical monitoring of human diseases.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.96-105
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• 2006

Molecular imaging has its root in nuclear medicine and gene therapy monitoring. Therefore, recent progress in the development of non-invasive imaging technologies, particularly nuclear medicine, should allow molecular imaging to play a major role in the field of gene therapy. These tools have recently been validated in gene therapy models for continuous quantitative monitoring of the location, magnitude, and time-variation of gene delivery and/or expression. This article reviews the use of radionuclide imaging technologies as they have been used in imaging gene delivery and gene expression for gene therapy applications. The studios published to date lend support that noninvasive imaging tools will help to accelerate pre-clinical model validation as well as allow for clinical monitoring of human gene therapy.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.67-86
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• 2014

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Animal models have been used to elucidate the details of the molecular mechanisms of various cancers. However, most inbred strains of mice have resistance to gastric carcinogenesis. Helicobacter infection and carcinogen treatment have been used to establish mouse models that exhibit phenotypes similar to those of human gastric cancer. A large number of transgenic and knockout mouse models of gastric cancer have been developed using genetic engineering. A combination of carcinogens and gene manipulation has been applied to facilitate development of advanced gastric cancer; however, it is rare for mouse models of gastric cancer to show aggressive, metastatic phenotypes required for preclinical studies. Here, we review current mouse models of gastric carcinogenesis and provide our perspectives on future developments in this field.

• BMB Reports
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.32-42
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• 2023

Heart disease is one of the major life-threatening diseases with high mortality and incidence worldwide. Several model systems, such as primary cells and animals, have been used to understand heart diseases and establish appropriate treatments. However, they have limitations in accuracy and reproducibility in recapitulating disease pathophysiology and evaluating drug responses. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) cardiac tissue models produced using tissue engineering technology and human cells have outperformed conventional models. In particular, the integration of cell reprogramming techniques with bioengineering platforms (e.g., microfluidics, scaffolds, bioprinting, and biophysical stimuli) has facilitated the development of heart-on-a-chip, cardiac spheroid/organoid, and engineered heart tissue (EHT) to recapitulate the structural and functional features of the native human heart. These cardiac models have improved heart disease modeling and toxicological evaluation. In this review, we summarize the cell types for the fabrication of cardiac tissue models, introduce diverse 3D human cardiac tissue models, and discuss the strategies to enhance their complexity and maturity. Finally, recent studies in the modeling of various heart diseases are reviewed.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.207-243
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• 2016

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and communication impairments, as well as repetitive and restrictive behaviors. The phenotypic heterogeneity of ASD has made it overwhelmingly difficult to determine the exact etiology and pathophysiology underlying the core symptoms, which are often accompanied by comorbidities such as hyperactivity, seizures, and sensorimotor abnormalities. To our benefit, the advent of animal models has allowed us to assess and test diverse risk factors of ASD, both genetic and environmental, and measure their contribution to the manifestation of autistic symptoms. At a broader scale, rodent models have helped consolidate molecular pathways and unify the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying each one of the various etiologies. This approach will potentially enable the stratification of ASD into clinical, molecular, and neurophenotypic subgroups, further proving their translational utility. It is henceforth paramount to establish a common ground of mechanistic theories from complementing results in preclinical research. In this review, we cluster the ASD animal models into lesion and genetic models and further classify them based on the corresponding environmental, epigenetic and genetic factors. Finally, we summarize the symptoms and neuropathological highlights for each model and make critical comparisons that elucidate their clinical and neurobiological relevance.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.147-155
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• 2017

Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (APE1) is an enzyme responsible for the initial step in the base excision repair pathway and is known to be a potential drug target for treating cancers, because its expression is associated with resistance to DNA-damaging anticancer agents. Although several inhibitors already have been identified, the identification of novel kinds of potential inhibitors of APE1 could provide a seed for the development of improved anticancer drugs. For this purpose, we first classified known inhibitors of APE1. According to the classification, we constructed two distinct pharmacophore models. We screened more than 3 million lead-like compounds using the pharmacophores. Hits that fulfilled the features of the pharmacophore models were identified. In addition to the pharmacophore screen, we carried out molecular docking to prioritize hits. Based on these processes, we ultimately identified 1,338 potential inhibitors of APE1 with predicted binding affinities to the enzyme.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.625-633
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• 2015

The effect of altitude on thermal conduction, surface temperature, and thermal radiation of partial arc was investigated on the basis of molecular gas dynamics to facilitate a deep understanding of the pollution surface discharge mechanism. The DC flashover model was consequently modified at high altitude. The validity of the modified DC flashover model proposed in this paper was proven through a comparison with the results of high-altitude simulation experiments and earlier models. Moreover, the modified model was found to be better than the earlier modified models in terms of forecasting the flashover voltage. Findings indicated that both the thermal conduction coefficient and the surface thermodynamics temperature of partial arc had a linear decrease tendency with the altitude increasing from 0 m to 3000 m, both of which dropped by approximately 30% and 3.6%, respectively. Meanwhile, the heat conduction and the heat radiation of partial arc both had a similar linear decrease of approximately 15%. The maximum error of DC pollution flashover voltage between the calculation value according to the modified model and the experimental value was within 6.6%, and the pollution flashover voltage exhibited a parabola downtrend with increasing of pollution.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.423-429
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• 2011

B13 analogues are being considered as therapeutic agents for cancer cells, since B13 is a ceramide analogue and inhibits ceramidase to promote apoptosis in cancer cells. B13 sulfonamides are assumed to have biological activity similar to B13, since they are made by bioisosterically substituting the carboxyl moiety of B13 with sulfone group. Twenty B13 sulfonamides were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicities against human colon cancer HT-29 and lung cancer A549 cell lines using MTT assays. Replacement of the amide group with a sulfonamide group increased cytotoxicity in both cancer cell lines. The sulfonamides with long alkyl chains exhibited activities two to three times more potent than that of B13 and compound (15) had the most potent activity with $IC_{50}$ values of 27 and $28.7{\mu}M$ for HT-29 and A549, respectively. The comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) were used to carry out QSAR molecular modeling of these compounds. The predictive CoMSIA models for HT-29 and A549 gave cross-validated q2 values of 0.703 and 0.830, respectively. From graphical analysis of these models, we suppose that the stereochemistry of 1,3-propandiol is not important for activity and that introduction of a sulfonamide group and long alkyl chains into B13 can increase cytotoxicity.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.20 no.1 s.24
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• pp.7-10
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• 2005

We have calculated 2448 interstellar cloud models to investigate the formation and destruction of high rotational level $H_2$ according to the combinations of five physical conditions: the input UV intensity, the $H_2$ column density, cloud temperature, total density, and the $H_2$ formation rate efficiency. The models include the populations of all the accessible states of $H_2$ with the rotational quantum number J < 16 as a function of depth through the model clouds, and assume that the abundance of $H_2$ is in a steady state governed primarily by the rate of formation on the grain surfaces and the rates of destruction by spontaneous fluorescent dissociation following absorption in the Lyman and Werner band systems. The high rotational levels J = 4 and J = 5 are both populated by direct formation into these levels of newly created molecules, and by pumping from J = 0 and J = 1, respectively The model results show that the high rotational level ratio N(4)/N(0) is proportional to the incident UV intensity, and is inversely proportional to the $H_2$ molecular fraction, as predicted in theory.