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Olive leaves are rich in oleuropein, which has been shown to have beneficial effects on dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. However, we previously found no significant health benefits of olive leaf tea (OLT) on nonobese and nondiabetic individuals. Thus, we performed this study to further explore the health benefits of OLT in individuals with prediabetes and compare the health benefits between low-concentration OLT (LOLT) and OLT. We hypothesized that OLT will have a more pronounced effect on abdominal obesity as well as glucose and lipid metabolism in prediabetic individuals. Individuals between 40 and 70 years of age with a body mass index of 23.0-29.9 kg/m2 and prediabetes status were recruited and randomly assigned to the OLT or the LOLT group. The intervention, which was the consumption of 330 mL of the test beverage 3 times daily during mealtime, lasted for 12 weeks. After the intervention, serum levels of log-transformed triglycerides (P

In this paper, we study the waste haven hypothesis, which predicts that waste materials will be exported from high-income developed countries with stringent environmental regulations to developing countries with less rigorous environmental protection. Using data on Japanese export of recyclable waste resources (plastic waste, waste paper, iron and steel scrap, and nonferrous metal scraps), we find evidence from our econometric analysis that Asian countries provide a waste haven for Japan. In particular, Japan exports waste materials to Asian countries with low per capita incomes and large markets. We suggest that environmental regulation should be tightened to reduce waste trade in Asia.

The natto containing high levels of gamma-polyglutamic acid (&gamma, PGA) was recently developed. We investigated the effect of &gamma, PGA-rich natto consumption on postprandial glycemic excursion in humans. A randomized crossover meal test study was performed on healthy volunteers aged 20&ndash, 64 years using the following test meals: (1) white rice (WR), (2) low-&gamma, PGA natto meal (WR + low-&gamma, PGA natto), and (3) high-&gamma, PGA natto meal (WR + high-&gamma, PGA natto). Blood samples were obtained at each visit before and for 120 min after loading. The incremental area under the curve (IAUC) of blood glucose and insulin levels was calculated and compared among the test meals. The blood glucose&rsquo, s IAUC at 0&ndash, 120 min, the primary endpoint, was 20.1% and 15.4% lower for the high- and low-&gamma, PGA natto meal than for the WR, with a significant difference only between the high-&gamma, PGA natto meal and WR (p &lt, 0.05). The blood glucose&rsquo, 15, 0&ndash, 30, and 0&ndash, 45 min was lower for the high-&gamma, PGA natto meal than for the low-&gamma, PGA natto meal (all p &lt, 0.05). The possibility that high-&gamma, PGA natto might suppress blood glucose elevations in the early phase after eating is indicated.

The LaFeO3 and CaFeOX layers are grown using highly dense target prepared by Pechini method, with which accurate growth rate is achieved. Since the LaFeO3demonstrates the obvious RHEED oscillation until the end of growth, constant growth rate, and the step-terraces structure, the LFO is employed as a buffer and/or reference layer to determine the required pulses to deposit the thickness we desire in the superlattice. Superlattices show the clear satellite peaks and Laue oscillation in the XRD spectra as well as the oscillations caused by the film thickness with a flat surface and superstructure with a flat interface in the x-ray reflection spectrum. The streaky RHEED patterns and step-terraces surface are consistent with the results of spectra using x-ray.

Countries excluded from a regional trade agreement face disadvantages in tariffs when exporting to member countries. In this context, previous studies found that such excluded countries, i.e., outsiders, lower their export prices. In contrast, this study aims to examine not only prices but also the quality of outsiders' exports. Specifically, we first estimate the quality of products exported from each country to Thailand under certain tariff schemes. In addition to our estimates on cross-price elasticity, we use this measure to compute the potential magnitude of trade diversion for outsiders. Then, we investigate the relationship between this trade diversion and changes in the quality of exports from outsiders. Consequently, we found that only outsiders exporting higher quality products exhibited a greater improvement in quality to decrease the negative effect of tariff disadvantages. Length: 22 pages

The [CaMnO3 (CMO)/REMO3] (RE = Bi, La M = Fe, Fe0.8Mn0.2) superlattices show semiconducting behavior with transition temperatures (TEg) of 71, 127, and 151 K in the [CMO/BiFe0.8Mn0.2O3], [CMO/BiFeO3], and [CMO/LaFeO3] superlattices. The formation of a magnetic polaron is expected in the CMO layer of the superlattices at TEg, where carrier density drops. A weak ferromagnetic interaction at the interface is expected at room temperature, because the sheet resistance RS and the Hall resistance Rh show a quadratic behavior and anomalous Hall effect as a function of magnetic field. The mobility also drops at the temperatures where both the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions are expected to coexist. With decreasing temperature, the mobility is still low but stable. We consider that the electron transfer took place owing to the cation intermixing, not to the polar/nonpolar discontinuity, at the interface in the prepared superlattices.

In this study, we aim to synthesize novel materials that show ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties with the magnetoelectric effect at room temperature. Nine types of superlattice were fabricated by stacking [7 units — ABO3/7 units — REMO3] for 14 times by pulsed laser deposition. From all reciprocal space mappings (RSMs) of the CaMnO3 (CMO) superlattices, the satellite peaks were clearly observed. The calculated in-plain lattice parameter was 0.382 nm longer than 0.3732 nm, which is the bulk CMO and in-plain lattice parameter of the CMO thin film grown on SrTiO3 (001) substrate. All the CaFeO3 (CFO) series superlattices showed that the satellite peaks and Laue oscillations were clearly observed from the XRD 2θ–θ spectra. In the case of [CFO/BiFeO3 (BFO)] superlattices, the number of deposited units of CFO in [CFO/BFO] one cycle was 6.94, which was quite close to the seven units that we aimed. The in-plain lattice constant of all the CFO series superlattices was fitted to that of the substrate. From RSMs of the [LaMnO3 (LMO)/BFO] superlattice, the lattice parameter of the superlattice was fitted to that of the substrate in-plain. The cube-on-cube growth was confirmed in these LMO series superlattices