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Obesity predisposes to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Potassium channel tetramerization domain-containing protein 17 (Kctd17) levels are increased in livers from obese mice and humans. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of increased Kctd17 and whether it is causal to obesity-induced metabolic complications.We transduced Rosa26-LSL-Cas9 knockin mice with AAV8-TBG-Cre (Control), AAV8-U6-Kctd17 sgRNA-TBG-Cre (L-Kctd17), AAV8-U6-Oga sgRNA-TBG-Cre (L-Oga), or AAV8-U6-Kctd17/Oga sgRNA-TBG-Cre (DKO). We fed mice a high-fat diet (HFD) and assessed for hepatic glucose and lipid homeostasis. We generated Kctd17, O-GlcNAcase (Oga), or Kctd17/Oga-knockout hepatoma cells by CRISPR-Cas9, and Kctd17-directed antisense oligonucleotide to test therapeutic potential in vivo. We analyzed transcriptomic data from patients with NAFLD.Hepatocyte Kctd17 expression was increased in HFD-fed mice due to increased Srebp1c activity. HFD-fed L-Kctd17 or Kctd17 antisense oligonucleotide-treated mice show improved glucose tolerance and hepatic steatosis, whereas forced Kctd17 expression caused glucose intolerance and hepatic steatosis even in lean mice. Kctd17 induced Oga degradation, resulting in increasing carbohydrate response element-binding protein (Chrebp) protein, so concomitant Oga knockout negated metabolic benefits of hepatocyte Kctd17 deletion. In patients with NAFLD, KCTD17 messenger RNA was positively correlated with expression of Chrebp target and other lipogenic genes.Srebp1c-induced hepatocyte Kctd17 expression in obesity disrupted glucose and lipid metabolism by stabilizing Chrebp, and may represent a novel therapeutic target for obesity-induced T2D and NAFLD.

In urban areas, deep excavation-induced ground deformation may damage adjacent existing structures and is conventionally evaluated by levelling at installed settlement points. However, a small number of measurements cannot represent the total change in ground deformation adjacent to excavation sites. Furthermore, significant local subsidence may occur in places where settlement points have not been installed and only noticed after an accident. For deep excavation sites located in urban areas, paved pedestrian sidewalks are often located adjacent to sites, and construction activity can cause these paving blocks to displace. This study introduces a method to detect paving block displacement adjacent to deep excavation sites using terrestrial photogrammetry. A digital camera creating point cloud data (PCD) and an acquisition method satisfying the frontal and side overlap requirements were demonstrated. To investigate the displacement detection and measurement capabilities by PCD analysis, an experimental program was conducted, including a PCD comparison containing the uplift, settlement, and horizontal paving block displacement and reference data. The cloud-to-cloud distance computation algorithm was adopted for PCD comparison. Paving block displacement was detected for displacements of 5, 7.5, and 10 mm in the uplift, settlement, and horizontal directions; however, the horizontal displacements were less clear. PCD analysis enabled satisfactory measurements between 0.024 and 0.881 mm for the vertical-displacement cases, but a significant error was observed for the horizontal-displacement cases owing to the cloud-comparison algorithm. The measurement blind spot of limited settlement points was overcome by the proposed method that detected and measured paving block displacement adjacent to excavation sites.

Purpose The social media industry has entered a new stage with intensifying competition and heightened uncertainty about future directions. The purpose of this paper is to provide analyses of the current challenges and to identify industry-wide trends that may offer a roadmap for the future. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on publicly available key performance metrics, company reports and press reports, this paper offers critical analyses of the challenges facing the major social media platforms and new trends in the social media industry. Findings This study identified five major trends in the current social media industry: 1) content is king, and that content is moving to visual; 2) artificial intelligence is key to competitive advantage; 3) network effects still matter, but business model innovation can overcome that barrier; 4) the need to broaden revenue sources; and 5) the strive for the everything app. In this changing environment, social media companies need to adapt and innovate their business models proactively to stay ahead. Originality/value This paper not only sheds light on the current challenges of individual social media platforms but also identifies industry-wide trends that may apply across all platforms. Taken together, these insights paint a comprehensive picture of the current industry landscape, as well as offer clues about its future directions.

Korean red ginseng has been widely used as an herbal medicine. Red ginseng dietary fiber (RGDF) is a residue of the processed ginseng product but still contains bioactive constituents that can be applied as prebiotics. In this study, we evaluated changes on fermentation profiles and probiotic properties of strains that belong to family Lactobacillaceae with RGDF supplementation. Metabolomic analyses were performed to understand specific mechanisms on the metabolic alteration by RGDF and to discover novel bioactive compounds secreted by the RGDF-supplemented probiotic strain. RGDF supplementation promoted short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, carbon source utilization, and gut epithelial adhesion of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and inhibited attachment of enteropathogens. Intracellular and extracellular metabolome analyses revealed that RGDF induced metabolic alteration, especially associated with central carbon metabolism, and produced RGDF-specific metabolites secreted by L. plantarum, respectively. Specifically, L. plantarum showed decreases in intracellular metabolites of oleic acid, nicotinic acid, uracil, and glyceric acid, while extracellular secretion of several metabolites including oleic acid, 2-hydroxybutanoic acid, hexanol, and butyl acetate increased. RGDF supplementation had distinct effects on L. plantarum metabolism compared with fructooligosaccharide supplementation. These findings present potential applications of RGDF as prebiotics and bioactive compounds produced by RGDF-supplemented L. plantarum as novel postbiotic metabolites for human disease prevention and treatment.

This paper proposes the design process of an ultra-high-speed surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor for a fuel-cell electric vehicle air compressor. Proposed design process enables ultra-high-speed motor design while considering mechanical stresses of the rotor materials according to the temperature. In the rotor design stage, the worst temperature condition of the permanent magnet and retaining sleeve on mechanical stress is investigated and reflected using analytical method. Rotor dimension such as permanent magnet and retaining sleeve thickness is determined considering both electromagnetic performance and mechanical characteristics. Then, from the initially designed model, the eddy current loss according to the shape ratio (SR) and torque density (TD) is analytically derived using proportional equation and finite-element analysis result. Then, SR and TD to reduce the eddy current loss and maximize the efficiency are determined while considering the first bending critical speed. Finally, to verify the proposed design process, the prototype is fabricated and tested. Test results show good agreement with the finite-element analysis results, and it is confirmed that the rotor is operated at the highest rotational speed without mechanical failure.

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is characterized by high purity and excellent mechanical properties; however, its production is constrained by low yield. Therefore, efforts aimed at improving its yield and material properties are imperative. This study investigated the effect of adding different concentrations (0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%) of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) in Hestrin–Schramm modified medium on the yield and properties of BNC produced by Komagataeibacter sp. SFCB22-18. The BNC yield increased as following an increase in added CNC concentration. Also, the morphology, structure, crystallinity, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of BNC improved after CNC incorporation. A low CNC concentration (0.1%) favored mechanical strength, whereas 0.5% gave the optimum morphology, structural, and thermal stability. These results showed that modifying BNC with CNC could help increase yield and improve its properties, and thus; the potentiality of BNC in various applications would be much enhanced.

Chronic hypernutrition promotes lipid accumulation in the body and excessive lipid accumulation leads to obesity. An increase in the number and size of adipocytes, a characteristic of obesity is closely associated with adipose dysfunction. Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that probiotics may prevent this dysfunction by regulating lipid metabolism. However, the mechanisms of action of probiotics in obesity are not fully understood and their usage for treating obesity remains limited.Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis IDCC 4301 was selected for its anti-obesity potential after evaluating inhibitory activity of pancreatic lipase and cholesterol reducing activity. Next, we investigated the roles of B. lactis IDCC 4301 on lipid metabolism in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes and high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. B. lactis IDCC 4301 inhibited cell differentiation and lipid accumulation by suppressing the expression of adipogenic enzymes in 3T3-L1 cells. Moreover, the administration of B. lactis IDCC 4301 resulted in decreased body and adipose tissue weight, improvement in serum lipid levels, and downregulated adipogenic mRNA expression in HFD-fed mice. Additionally, metabolomic analysis suggested that 2-ketobutyrate should be a possible target compound against obesity.B. lactis IDCC 4301 might be used as an alternative treatment for obesity. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

For applications of microorganisms as probiotics in the food industry, safety evaluation has increasingly become important to ensure the health of consumers. Although people have been using various lactic acid bacteria for different purposes, some studies have reported that certain lactic acid bacteria exhibit properties of virulence and produce toxic compounds. Thus, it is necessary to examine the characteristics associated with lactic acid bacteria that are safe for use as probiotics. This research aimed to assess the safety of Lactococcus lactis IDCC 2301 isolated from homemade cheese using in vitro and in vivo assays, including antibiotic resistance, hemolytic activity, toxin production, infectivity, and metabolic activity in immune‐compromised animal species. The results demonstrated that the strain was susceptible to nine antibiotics suggested by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Whole‐genome analysis revealed that L. lactis IDCC 2301 neither has toxigenic genes nor harbors antibiotic resistance. Moreover, L. lactis IDCC 2301 showed neither hemolytic nor β‐glucuronidase activity. Furthermore, none of the D‐lactate and biogenic amines were produced by L. lactis IDCC 2301. Finally, it was demonstrated that there was no toxicity and mortality using single‐dose oral toxicity tests in rats. These results indicate that L. lactis IDCC 2301 can be safely used as probiotics for human consumption., Safety assessment of Lactococcus lactis IDCC 2301 isolated from homemade cheese was performed. It was proven that L. lactis IDCC 2301 can be safely used as probiotics for human consumption through in vitro and in vivo experiments about safety.

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a biocompatible material with a lot of potential. To make BNC commercially feasible, improvements in its production and surface qualities must be made. Here, we investigated the in situ fermentation and generation of BNC by addition of different cellulosic substrates such as Avicel and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and using Komagataeibacter sp. SFCB22-18. The addition of cellulosic substrates improved BNC production by a maximum of about 5 times and slightly modified its structural properties. The morphological and structural properties of BNC were investigated by using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, a type-A cellulose-binding protein derived from Clostridium thermocellum, CtCBD3, was used in a novel biological analytic approach to measure the surface crystallinity of the BNC. Because Avicel and CMC may adhere to microfibrils during BNC synthesis or crystallization, cellulose-binding protein could be a useful tool for identifying the crystalline properties of BNC with high sensitivity.

The present study aimed to evaluate the safety of

LiDAR is a useful technology for gathering point cloud data from its environment and has been adapted to many applications. We use a cost-efficient LiDAR system attached to a moving object to estimate the location of the moving object using referenced linear structures. In the stationary state, the accuracy of extracting linear structures is low given the low-cost LiDAR. We propose a merging scheme for the LiDAR data frames to improve the accuracy by using the movement of the moving object. The proposed scheme tries to find the optimal window size by means of an entropy analysis. The optimal window size is determined by finding the minimum point between the entropy indicator of the ideal result and the entropy indicator of the actual result of each window size. The proposed indicator can describe the accuracy of the entire path of the moving object at each window size using a simple single value. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme can improve the linear structure extraction accuracy.

Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) is a valuable material with wide industrial applications, particularly for the food and cosmetics industries, owing to its excellent physiochemical properties. Here, we prepared high-solid microfibrillated cellulose (HMFC) from the centrifugation of

Melanogenesis is responsible for skin pigmentation and the enzymatic browning of foods. Tyrosinases play a major role in melanin synthesis, and many attempts have been made to identify new natural tyrosinase inhibitors, but few have sought to do in microbes. Postbiotics are bioactive compounds produced by the metabolism of probiotics and have been reported to be safe and effective. In this study, we evaluated the tyrosinase inhibitory effects of culture supernatants of probiotics and discovered novel bacterial metabolites that can be used as a potent tyrosinase inhibitor based on metabolomics. Cultures of

Wearable light-emitting diode (LED)-based phototherapeutic devices have recently attracted attention as skin care tools for wrinkles, acne, and hyperpigmentation. However, the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of LED stimulators are still controversial due to their inefficient light transfer, high heat generation, and non-uniform spot irradiation. Here, a wearable surface-lighting micro-LED (SµLED) photostimulator is reported for skin care and cosmetic applications. The SµLEDs, consisting of a light diffusion layer (LDL), 900 thin film µLEDs, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), achieve uniform surface-lighting in 2 × 2 cm

PurposeThis study examines what motivates firms to go and remain abroad despite uncertain profit potential. In a departure from probing traditional market-seeking, profit-driven motives, the authors explore how domestically driven, sociocultural motivations may shape the foreign market entry decisions of Korean commercial banks (KCBs). The authors argue that, due to the power imbalance between KCBs and their chaebol clients within the historical and cultural contexts of their relationships, KCBs' foreign market entries may depend more on their clients' presence in these markets than on their profit potential.Design/methodology/approachThe authors focus on the foreign market entries of KCBs and their client firms. Using the data of 8 KCBs and their client firms belonging to the 60 business groups (chaebols) of Korea, the authors analyze 6,577 observations involving the dyadic relationship between a KCB and its client firm in 15 host countries from 2005 to 2014.FindingsThe authors find that the number of clients' subsidiaries operating in foreign markets may increase the likelihood of KCBs entering these markets. Moreover, when KCBs earn more domestic profit from client firms, the potential Korean market in the host country is greater, and the institutional distance between the host country and Korea is smaller.Practical implicationsIn addition to the critical role of a bank-centered financing system in advancing a developing country and its firms, the authors’ findings suggest that firms should pay attention to the local diaspora and the institutional distance between the host and home countries in order to manage power-imbalanced relationships and make them sustainable.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature on foreign market entry by demonstrating how the home country's sociocultural factors may worsen the power imbalance, thereby pushing firms to make seemingly irrational decisions to go and stay abroad. That is, KCBs' foreign operations may be a way of seeking relational benefits with client firms, which would serve as a source of long-term domestic market profits. The authors’ findings thus highlight the need to consider how sociocultural factors may also shape firms' decision-making in their international business.

To improve electric vehicle (EV) mileage, motors must be designed for higher power density and efficiency. Winding technology with a high fill factor decreases the motor volume by reducing the unnecessary area of the slot. A motor conductor with a large cross-sectional area generates additional losses due to ac resistance, reducing the efficiency of the motor. Traction motors designed under these conditions can adversely affect EV fuel economy. Therefore, a design method is proposed to reduce the ac resistance of a traction motor by applying winding technology with a high fill factor to increase the fuel economy of the EVs. First, the characteristics and manufacturing process of the maximum slot occupation (MSO) coil, which is a winding technology with a high fill factor, are introduced. An ac resistance reduction method for a motor using an MSO coil is then proposed. Additionally, a motor designed using the proposed method is presented, and its electrical performance is compared with that of an initial motor. Next, the effect of the fuel economy improvement of the presently designed traction motor is verified through a vehicle simulation, and the validity of this article is experimentally confirmed using this motor.

Identification of probiotics is crucial to ensure the quality of food products manufactured at the industrial scale. Although various techniques have been introduced for bacterial identification, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) is generally accepted as a conventional method for bacterial identification. In this study, RAPD-PCR method was evaluated for the identification of eighteen commercial probiotic strains. In results, cellular and product (lyophilized) forms of each probiotic strain were successfully identified based on band intensities and size of the amplified genes. Therefore, RAPD-PCR method may be applied for the identification of lyophilized probiotics commercially available.

As consumption of healthy foods continues to garner remarkable public attention, ensuring probiotic safety has become a priority. In this study, the safety of Lactobacillus acidophilus IDCC 3302 was assessed in vitro and in vivo. L. acidophilus IDCC 3302 showed negative results for hemolytic and β-glucuronidase activities. The whole-genome analysis (WGA) revealed that L. acidophilus IDCC 3302 did not possess antibiotic resistance or virulence genes. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of L. acidophilus IDCC 3302 confirmed its safety concerning antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, L. acidophilus IDCC 3302 was demonstrated to be nontoxic in the oral toxicity test in rats. Therefore, the results suggested that L. acidophilus IDCC 3302 might be safe for human consumption.

In this study, a series of three-dimensional finite element simulations of a geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankment design was conducted. The effects of subsoil stiffness, friction and dilation angles of the fill, fill height, pile spacing, surcharge load on the embankment, and anisotropic tensile stiffness of the geosynthetic reinforcement (GR), ground reaction curve, and interfacial responses between the fill material and GR were scrutinized. Numerical results showed how transfer of the vertical load towards the piles (load part A) and the related soil arches change with subsoil stiffness, geometric parameters, and vertical pressure on the embankment. Furthermore, the vertical load transferred through the GR (load part B) is reduced significantly with increasing subsoil stiffness, while the load part carried by the subsoil (load part C) increases. The numerical results showed that the vertical stress distribution on the GR changes from an inverse-triangular shape for low subsoil stiffness to a uniform shape for high subsoil stiffness. This matches perfectly with the Concentric Arches model. For low subsoil stiffness, the tensile strains of the GR are concentrated at the corner of a square pile cap.

Nowadays, a growing number of firms utilize corporate lobbying to advocate for more environmentally friendly policies and regulations, deviating from the traditional lobbying mainly used to minimize regulatory burdens. In this study, we investigate what motivates firms to engage in such an unusual type of lobbying—environmental lobbying. Focusing on the product strategy of firms, we suggest that firms with greater green product intensity are more likely to engage in environmental lobbying. When environmental lobbying raises environmental hurdles in the market, firms with an intensive focus on green products can bear adjustment costs with little effort, leaving other “less green” firms relatively disadvantaged under the newly regulated market conditions. Moreover, those firms can address demand-side issues more easily by lobbying the government to provide greater incentives for purchasing green products or to request subsidies that can be used to improve their cost structure. Our analyses based on the US light vehicle market indicate that, indeed, the more electric vehicles automakers sell relative to their total sale volumes, the more they will engage in environmental lobbying. We also find that this relationship becomes more salient when a firm has greater market share or originally comes from a foreign country with more stringent environmental regulations than the United States.

This study evaluated the safety of Lactobacillus johnsonii IDCC 9203 and investigated its anti-inflammatory activity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Genomic analysis revealed that this strain has no virulence and antibiotic resistance gene except tetW, which is a tetracycline resistance gene. Minimum inhibitory concentration data showed that the strain is resistant to tetracycline and aminoglycosides. Further analysis indicated that the transferability of the tetW gene is extremely low, and resistance to aminoglycosides is due to the intrinsic resistance of L. johnsonii IDCC 9203. Phenotypic safety assessment showed that the strain has neither β-hemolytic nor β-glucuronidase activity, and no biogenic amine production. When LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells were treated with L. johnsonii IDCC 9203, the level of nitric oxide and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines significantly decreased (p 0.05). Therefore, L. johnsonii IDCC 9203 strain is considered as safe and beneficial probiotic for human consumption.

This article proposes a design method of the high-speed multilayer interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (HSML IPMSM) employing the ferrite permanent magnet (PM). Since the maximum speed of the traction motor in this article is 15 kr/min, the mechanical stability must be considered. Additionally, in the case of the HSML IPMSM, as the number of the PM layers increases, the thickness of the PMs must be reduced to be mechanically stable. On the other hand, because the ferrite PM has a relatively low coercive force compared with the Nd PM, an irreversible demagnetization of the ferrite PM of the HSML IPMSM is likely to occur. Therefore, the mechanical stability and irreversible demagnetization must be considered at all design steps. As the irreversible demagnetization and mechanical stability can be confirmed only by the finite-element analysis (FEA), the proposed method in this article is a design method that considers the irreversible demagnetization and mechanical characteristics at all design steps using the FEA. After the design of the traction motor is completed using this design method, the designed motor is manufactured. To verify the validity of the design method, experiments are conducted on the manufactured motor, and the test results are compared with FEA results.

Objective Enhancing subjective well-being is an effective way to improve mental health. This study aimed to validate a virtual realitybased interactive feedback program as an intervention tool for promoting subjective well-being.Methods Thirty-six males participated in this program, consisting of three tasks constructed based on the theories of positive psychology: ‘Experience-based problem recognition task’, ‘Future self-based success story expression task’, and ‘Strength expression task’. Participants rated visual analog scores associated with each of the tasks’ contents. The concurrent validity of task scores was evaluated by correlations with the psychological scale scores.Results The total task score was positively correlated with scores of Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF) emotional wellbeing and psychological well-being, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, Dispositional Hope Scale agency dimension and pathways dimension, and Life Orientation Test Revised, but not with MHC-SF social well-being scores. After controlling for the effects of the other task scores, the task scores had linear relationships with certain psychological assessments.Conclusion Since the task scores are closely related to indicators of well-being, self-esteem, hope, and optimism, the program contents are well associated with certain aspects of subjective well-being and thus may be available for training that improves subjective well-being through interactive feedback.

Light electric vehicles (LEVs) are usually used as neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) for the second vehicle or car-sharing service. For LEVs, it is important to reduce energy consumption to have greater mileage at the same battery capacity. One of the direct ways to decrease energy consumption is the efficiency improvement of the traction motor, which is the main propulsion system. Also, the weight reduction of the traction motor can be a solution to energy usage mitigation. This paper suggested the design process of a traction motor for LEV considering material properties to minimizing the energy consumption of the vehicle. During the design process, vehicle simulation was adopted to calculate energy consumption. In addition, traction motor and battery which are the key components of LEV were mathematically modeled and used in the simulation. Using them, energy consumption was estimated within the change of stack length of the traction motor for some drive cycles. Finally, from these simulations, optimum power density is determined which minimizes energy consumption.

Safety evaluation of probiotics has become increasingly important for human consumption in food industry. The aims of this study were to assess safety of Streptococcus thermophilus IDCC 2201 through in vitro and in vivo tests. In results, this strain was found to be negative for hemolytic and β‐glucuronidase activity. In addition, thermophilus IDCC 2201 was susceptible to nine antibiotics suggested by EFSA. In accordance with MIC tests, whole‐genome analysis indicated that S. thermophilus IDCC 2201 neither harbors antibiotic resistance nor toxigenic genes. Furthermore, none of the biogenic amines including tyramine and histamine was produced and negligible amounts of D‐lactate were produced by S. thermophilus IDCC 2201. Finally, it was confirmed that there was no mortality and toxicity throughout single‐dose oral toxicity tests in rats. Therefore, we report that S. thermophilus IDCC 2201 is considered to be safe for human consumption as probiotics.

In order to broaden the usability of the two‐spotted cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus De Geer) as a food ingredient, we investigated the effects of freeze‐drying and hot air‐drying, as well as the effects of storage at various temperatures (4–40°C), on the quality of cricket powder during short‐term storage. We found that the water absorption index values of freeze‐dried and hot air‐dried powder were 3.6 and 3.0 g/g, respectively, while the pH and color values of the powders were similar for the two drying methods. During storage at various temperatures over 14 days, water absorption and pH remained similar regardless of the drying method and storage temperature. However, freeze‐dried powder showed more color change compared to air‐dried powder according to their chroma values. In total bacteria and Escherichia coli detection tests, Escherichia coli was not detected under all storage conditions, whereas total bacteria were observed (~4 Log CFU/g) only in freeze‐dried powder stored for 14 days at 40°C. Therefore, our results suggest that the quality characteristics of two‐spotted cricket powder can be affected by the drying method applied, but these powders can be maintained for 14 days, largely without changes, at storage temperatures up to 40°C.