This study investigated the impact of population aging on the relationship between exports and economic growth in Korea using the export-led growth hypothesis framework with an autoregressive ...distributed lag model and data for the period 1990-2021. We found that export positively influenced economic growth. However, the effect of export on economic growth was negative considering population aging. Furthermore, the negative effect of export increased with aging. Our results also show a positive effect of population aging on economic growth in the long run, which implies the dominance of the human capital effect over the negative productivity effect. Hence, our results indicate that developed countries seeking to achieve sustainable growth through exports should control the population aging problem. Our study suggests two possible policies for solving the population aging problem: promote births and encourage immigration growth.
A single SLM (spatial light modulator) full-color holographic 3-D display based on sampling and selective frequency-filtering methods is proposed. Spatially-sampled R(red), G(green) and ...B(blue)-holograms can provide periodic 3 × 3 arrays of their frequency spectrums. Thus, by allocating three groups of three spectrums to each color hologram, and selectively filtering out those spectrums with their own spectrum filtering masks (SFMs), frequency-filtered R, G and B-holograms can be obtained. These holograms are synthesized into a single color-multiplexed hologram, and optically reconstructed into a color distortion-free full-color 3-D object on the 4-f lens system, where color-dispersion due to the pixelated structure of the SLM can be removed with the optical versions of SFMs. Fourier-optical analysis and experiments with 3-D color objects in motion confirm the feasibility of the proposed system in the practical application.
Gut-microbial butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) of significant physiological importance than the other major SCFAs (acetate and propionate). Most butyrate producers belong to the ...Clostridium cluster of the phylum Firmicutes, such as
,
,
,
,
,
, and
. They metabolize carbohydrates
the butyryl-CoA: acetate CoA-transferase pathway and butyrate kinase terminal enzymes to produce most of butyrate. Although, in minor fractions, amino acids can also be utilized to generate butyrate
glutamate and lysine pathways. Butyrogenic microbes play a vital role in various gut-associated metabolisms. Butyrate is used by colonocytes to generate energy, stabilizes hypoxia-inducible factor to maintain the anaerobic environment in the gut, maintains gut barrier integrity by regulating Claudin-1 and synaptopodin expression, limits pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-12), and inhibits oncogenic pathways (Akt/ERK, Wnt, and TGF-β signaling). Colonic butyrate producers shape the gut microbial community by secreting various anti-microbial substances, such as cathelicidins, reuterin, and β-defensin-1, and maintain gut homeostasis by releasing anti-inflammatory molecules, such as IgA, vitamin B, and microbial anti-inflammatory molecules. Additionally, butyrate producers, such as
, produce anti-carcinogenic metabolites, such as shikimic acid and a precursor of conjugated linoleic acid. In this review, we summarized the significance of butyrate, critically examined the role and relevance of butyrate producers, and contextualized their importance as microbial therapeutics.
Abstract Objective The cholesterol-lowering effects of garlic as part of a healthy diet remain controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether supplementation with aged black garlic ...(ABG) could improve blood lipid profiles in patients with mild hypercholesterolemia. Methods We conducted a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to receive either ABG or placebo twice daily (total 6 g/d) before consumption of a meal every morning and evening for 12 wk. During the study, two participants dropped out of the ABG group, and three participants dropped out of the placebo group. Thus, the effects of AGB on fasting blood levels of lipids were evaluated in 28 participants and compared with the placebo group (n = 27). Results Among lipid components, no significant differences in triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, or free fatty acid levels were observed between the two groups. However, ABG increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with the placebo group at the end of the study. Moreover, a significant decrease in the levels of alipoprotein B and a significant increase in the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/alipoprotein B were observed in the ABG group. No adverse effects were reported in any of the patients. Conclusion ABG supplementation reduced atherogenic markers and thus may have a cardioprotective effect beyond the gold standard medication in patients with mild hypercholesterolemia.
In the present study, we carefully evaluate the role of high entropy alloy (HEA) characteristics on glass-forming ability (GFA) and mechanical responses in a newly developed Er-Gd-Y-Al-Co high ...entropy bulk metallic glass (HE-BMG) by comparison with the Er-Al-Co and Er-Y-Al-Co bulk metallic glasses (BMGs). The addition of multiple rare-earth elements (REs) to Er-Al-Co BMG results in both higher fragility according to Adam-Gibbs theory and slower crystallization kinetics according to confusion principle. Based on these mutual competitions, the Er18Gd18Y20Al24Co20 HE-BMG can be successfully fabricated up to 5 mm in diameter for glass formation. In particular, the HE-BMG exhibits unexpected structural bias and more fragile manner via preferential covalent bonding of Co-Al and various RE-Al clusters, which leads to larger deviation from the typical BMGs' behavior in the relation between fragility and elastic properties. Furthermore, the HE-BMG effectively retards crystallization kinetics, which was confirmed by exceptionally sluggish nanocrystallization of multi-precipitates from metastable liquid and longer post-recalescence plateau duration in cooling curve of solidification from stable liquid. Indeed, the increased structural instability due to HEA characteristics (preferential short-range order and sluggish crystallization) in HE-BMGs reduces cut-off size of self-organized shear avalanches and increases the number of chaotic shear avalanches, which can distribute the applied strain more homogeneously, resulting in enhanced intrinsic ductility. Consequently, these results provide a guideline on how to design HE-BMGs with promising properties by utilizing HEA characteristics, and thus can give us a strategy for bridging BMG and HEA.
Display omitted
Background and Purpose
3′‐Sialyllactose (3′‐SL) is a safe compound that is present in high levels in human milk. Although it has anti‐inflammatory properties and supports immune homeostasis, its ...effect on collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) is unknown. In this study, we investigated the prophylactic and therapeutic effect of 3′‐SL on the progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in in vitro and in vivo models.
Experimental Approach
The anti‐arthritic effect of 3′‐SL was analysed with fibroblast‐like synoviocytes in vitro and an in vivo mouse model of CIA. RT‐PCR, Western blotting and ELISA were performed to evaluate its effects in vitro. Histological analysis of ankle and knee joints of mice with CIA was performed using immunohistochemistry, as well as safranin‐O and haematoxylin staining.
Key Results
3′‐SL markedly alleviated the severity of CIA in the mice by reducing paw swelling, clinical scores, incidence rate, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and autoantibody production. Moreover, 3′‐SL reduced synovitis and pannus formation and suppressed cartilage destruction by blocking secretion of chemokines, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases and osteoclastogenesis via NF‐κB signalling. Notably, phosphorylation of p65, which is a key protein in the NF‐κB signalling pathway, was totally blocked by 3′‐SL in the RA models.
Conclusions and Implications
3′‐SL ameliorated pathogenesis of CIA by suppressing catabolic factor expression, proliferation of inflammatory immune cells and osteoclastogenesis. These effects were mediated via blockade of the NF‐κB signalling pathway. Therefore, 3′‐SL exerted prophylactic and therapeutic effects and could be a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of RA.
Quantitative and well-targeted design of modern alloys is extremely challenging due to their immense compositional space. When considering only 50 elements for compositional blending the number of ...possible alloys is practically infinite, as is the associated unexplored property realm. In this paper, we present a simple property-targeted quantitative design approach for atomic-level complexity in complex concentrated and high-entropy alloys, based on quantum-mechanically derived atomic-level pressure approximation. It allows identification of the best suited element mix for high solid-solution strengthening using the simple electronegativity difference among the constituent elements. This approach can be used for designing alloys with customized properties, such as a simple binary NiV solid solution whose yield strength exceeds that of the Cantor high-entropy alloy by nearly a factor of two. This study provides general design rules that enable effective utilization of atomic level information to reduce the immense degrees of freedom in compositional space without sacrificing physics-related plausibility.
In this study, we investigate the impact of agricultural trade openness on horizontal agricultural income inequality in South Korea during the period 1993-2018 using the Kuznets curve hypothesis of ...the openness-income inequality nexus and autoregressive distributed lag model. We find an inverted-U relationship between agricultural openness and horizontal agricultural income inequality. Further, our results indicate that financial development reduces income inequality within the sub-sectors of agriculture in the country. From these results, the inverted-U relationship between agricultural openness and income inequality should be monitored, and the agricultural sector should be provided with financial support to sustain domestic agricultural production to buffer price volatilities attributed to world agricultural supply shocks.
Cancer cachexia is a highly debilitating condition characterized by weight loss and muscle wasting that contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of pancreatic cancer. The factors that ...induce cachexia in pancreatic cancer are largely unknown. We previously showed that pancreatic adenocarcinoma upregulated factor (PAUF) secreted by pancreatic cancer cells is responsible for tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we analyzed the relation between pancreatic cancer-derived PAUF and cancer cachexia in mice and its clinical significance. Body weight loss and muscle weight loss were significantly higher in mice with Panc-1/PAUF tumors than in those with Panc-1/Mock tumors. Direct administration of rPAUF to muscle recapitulated tumor-induced atrophy, and a PAUF-neutralizing antibody abrogated tumor-induced muscle wasting in Panc-1/PAUF tumor-bearing mice. C2C12 myotubes treated with rPAUF exhibited rapid inactivation of Akt-Foxo3a signaling, resulting in Atrogin1/MAFbx upregulation, myosin heavy chain loss, and muscle atrophy. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and body weight loss were significantly higher in pancreatic cancer patients with high PAUF expression than in those with low PAUF expression. Analysis of different pancreatic cancer datasets showed that PAUF expression was significantly higher in the pancreatic cancer group than in the nontumor group. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas data found associations between high PAUF expression or a high DNA copy number and poor overall survival. Our data identified tumor-secreted circulating PAUF as a key factor of cachexia, causing muscle wasting in mice. Neutralizing PAUF may be a useful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia.
PDF
