Menopause leads to ovarian hormone loss, which causes symptoms such as weight gain, hot flashes, and depression. Exploring nutraceuticals is important for treating menopausal symptoms that extensively impact women's quality of life. We hypothesized that a combination of Leonurus japonicus Houtt, Eclipta prostrata L., and Pueraria lobata Ohwi (LEPE) would alleviate menopausal symptoms in an ovariectomized menopausal rat model. Bilateral ovariectomy was performed and animals were assigned to five groups: (1) Sham, (2) Vehicle, (-) Control, (3) LEPE (100 mg/kg bw), (4) LEPE (200 mg/kg bw), and (5) Estradiol (3 μg/kg bw). LEPE was orally administered daily for 12 weeks. LEPE supplementation did not affect growth performance (body weight and feed intake) or body composition (lean mass and fat in tissue). LEPE did not cause deviations in aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, estradiol, and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, indicating no hepatotoxicity or endocrine disturbance. LEPE decreased type I collagen (CTX-1) but did not affect bone mineral density or osteocalcin. LEPE decreased tail temperature and increased rectal temperature, improving menopause-related vasomotor symptoms. Furthermore, LEPE ameliorated depression-related behavior, including in forced swimming and tail suspension tests. Thus, LEPE may improve menopausal symptoms by enhancing vasomotor symptoms and depression in an ovariectomized rat menopause model.

Silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori) is an edible insect that has been reported to contain high-quality proteins, lipids, minerals, and vitamins, and to possess high antioxidant activity. However, there have been no studies on the neuroprotective effects of silkworm pupae. Therefore, we investigated a water extract of silkworm pupae with protease (WSP) as a functional and therapeutic candidate for neurodegenerative disorders. First, we evaluated the effect of WSP on oxidative stress-induced mouse hippocampal neuronal cells (HT-22 cells). Cell viability diminished by addition of glutamate but was significantly recovered by WSP treatment. Furthermore, WSP significantly decreased the release of lactate dehydrogenase and generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species in oxidative stress-induced cells. In addition, in scopolamine-treated mice, WSP attenuated memory impairment, as demonstrated in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests, indicating protection of neuronal cells against oxidative damage. Moreover, WSP prevented scopolamine-induced increases in acetylcholinesterase activity and decreases in choline-acetyltransferase activity. Finally, treatment with WSP enhanced the antioxidant defense system by regulating the activities of antioxidant enzymes. Overall, this study showed that WSP exerted antioxidant and memory enhancing action against oxidative stress.

Polygonatum sibiricum (PS) rhizome, which contains glyceryl-1-monolinoleate as its primary active component, has been shown to improve insomnia in animal models. Based on these findings, we aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of PS rhizome extract in improving sleep quality in individuals with mild insomnia. Eighty individuals with mild insomnia were enrolled in a four-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of PS rhizome extract (500 mg/day, n = 40, PS group) or placebo (n = 40, placebo group). The primary outcome measure was change in total score on the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) to indicate sleep quality. The secondary outcome measures included change in actigraphy data and perfusion levels in the brain regions within the default mode network (DMN), which is known to play a key role in insomnia. The PS group showed greater improvement in the total AIS score with a significant increase in total sleep time, relative to the placebo group. In addition, significant group-by-visit interactions were observed in the perfusion level of the medial prefrontal cortex within the DMN. Findings of the current study provide first evidence that PS rhizome extract could be an effective natural ingredient for improving sleep in mild insomnia using a human model.

The problem of low fertility rate in a country gives rise to numerous other social and economic problems. Many solutions have been proposed for overcoming this issue, and immigration is one of the proposed solutions which may also entail opening up country for refuge, due to some unfortunate incidents in other countries. Working on these lines, we simulate the impact of rapid immigration influx on fertility rates in Korea, using real data and agent based modeling.

Artificial life (ALife) examines systems related to natural life, its processes, and its evolution, using simulations with computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. In this article, we focus on the computer modeling, or "soft," aspects of ALife and prepare a framework for scientists and modelers to be able to support such experiments. The framework is designed and built to be a parallel as well as distributed agent-based modeling environment, and does not require end users to have expertise in parallel or distributed computing. Furthermore, we use this framework to implement a hybrid model using microsimulation and agent-based modeling techniques to generate an artificial society. We leverage this artificial society to simulate and analyze population dynamics using Korean population census data. The agents in this model derive their decisional behaviors from real data (microsimulation feature) and interact among themselves (agent-based modeling feature) to proceed in the simulation. The behaviors, interactions, and social scenarios of the agents are varied to perform an analysis of population dynamics. We also estimate the future cost of pension policies based on the future population structure of the artificial society. The proposed framework and model demonstrates how ALife techniques can be used by researchers in relation to social issues and policies.

Agent-based modeling has recently gained popularity in the field of simulation and modeling. Due to their characteristic properties, agent-based models (ABMs) allow for an improved and flexible way of modeling complex systems. Social dynamics is one such a complex system, which has complex components, such as demography, sociology, economics, psychology, health, and so on. Demography is one of the bigger and more important sub-systems of this complex system. In this paper, we have focused on utilizing the potential of ABM techniques to analyze the underlying processes in social demography. We propose and implement a holistic ABM that can be used for analysis, understanding, and prediction of socio-demographic processes as well as a tool for policy design and evaluation. The proposed model incorporates well-known factors affecting demography and provides ease and flexibility of adding newer factors. In this paper, we considered the use case of Korea and utilized the Korean census data for model development. Many ABMs have been proposed for demography but most of them not only have limited functionalities, but also lack the suitable usage of agent-based modeling itself. The proposed approach is wide-ranging, flexible, and general and can be reused by simply making changes in the initial data set for the analysis of the target society. We exhibit the validation of the proposed model, as well as its usage by executing virtual experiments for socio-demographic analysis and prediction.

The sleep-promoting effects of the water extract of Nelumbo nucifera seeds (NNE) were investigated in an invertebrate model. The effects of NNE on the subjective nighttime activity, sleep episodes, and sleep time were determined using Drosophila melanogaster and locomotor activity monitoring systems in basal and caffeine-induced arousal conditions. The movements of fruit flies were analyzed using the Noldus EthoVision-XT system, and the levels of neuromodulators were analyzed using HPLC. Expression of neuromodulator receptors was analyzed using real-time PCR. NNE was shown to contain neurotransmission-related components; γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (2.33±0.22 mg/g), tryptophan (2.00±0.06 mg/g), quinidine (0.55±0.33 mg/g), and neferine (0.16±0.01 mg/g). The total activity of flies during nighttime was decreased by 52% with 1.0% NNE treatment. In the individual and collective conditions, the subjective nighttime activities (45/38%) and sleep bouts (20/14%) of flies was significantly decreased with NNE treatment, while total sleep times (10/27%) were significantly increased. This sleep-promoting effect is more pronounced in caffeine-treated conditions; the nighttime activity of flies was reduced by 53%, but total sleep time was increased by 60%. Our video-tracking analysis showed a significant decrease of the moving distance and velocity of flies by NNE. This NNE-mediated sleep-promoting effect was associated with up-regulation of GABAA/GABAB and serotonin receptors. The NNE-mediated increase of GABA content was identified in flies. These results demonstrate that NNE effectively promotes sleep in flies by regulating the GABAergic/serotonergic neuromodulators, and could be an alternative agent for sleep promotion.

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we evaluated the efficacy of deer bone extract (DBE) in participants with knee osteoarthritis (OA). We enrolled 50 participants aged 50-70 years, having knee OA with a Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score ≥5.0. The participants were assigned to the placebo or DBE group (550 mg/day) for 12 weeks. The outcome measures were as follows: pain score on the visual analog scale (VAS); WOMAC score; and blood and urine biomarkers. In the DBE group, VAS scores, WOMAC total scores, and WOMAC subscores (for pain, stiffness, and physical function) improved significantly compared with the baseline values. However, there was no significant difference in outcomes between the DBE and placebo groups. The present findings suggest that DBE may mildly reduce joint pain and stiffness and improve joint function in patients with painful knee OA.

Chemotherapeutics are often used to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. However, they can also harm healthy cells and cause side effects such as immunosuppression. Especially traditional oriental medicines long used in Asia, may be beneficial candidates for the alleviation of immune diseases. Cervus nippon mantchuricus extract (NGE) is currently sold in the market as coffee and health drinks. However, NGE was not widely investigated and efficacy remain unclear and essentially nothing is known about their potential immune-regulatory properties. As a result, NGE induced the differentiation of RAW264.7 macrophage cells. NGE-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells elevated cytokines levels and NO production. NGE-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells activated MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways. NGE encouraged the immuno-enhancing effects in immunosuppressed short-term treated with NGE mice model. NGE or Red ginseng encouraged the immuno-enhancing effects in immunosuppressed long-term treated with NGE mice model. Our data clearly show that NGE contains immune-enhancing activity and can be used to treat immunodeficiency.

Agent based modeling is no stranger to the research community these days. The characteristic properties of agent based models (ABMs) make them suitable for modeling complex systems. One such complex system is demography. In this paper, we propose and implement a holistic ABM for demography in which we try to incorporate generally accepted and understood factors concerning demography. Many ABMs have been proposed for demography but most of them are limited not only in functioning, but also in the suitable usage of ABM itself. The use case of the proposed model is Korea and we make use of actual census data to initialize our simulation. We demonstrate model validation and its usage by performing virtual experiments for population prediction and analysis.

We evaluated the sleep enhancement activity of the medicinal herbs valerian (Valeriana officinalis), jujube (Ziziphus jujube), lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera), Gastrodia elata, Polygonatum sibiricum, and baekbokryung (Poria cocos), which can relieve insomnia in a Drosophila model. Locomotor activity was measured in the Drosophila model to evaluate the sleep activity of Korean medicinal herbs traditionally used as sleep aids. The group treated with lotus seed extract showed less nocturnal activity. Treatment with 10 or 20 mg/mL of P. sibiricum significantly reduced nocturnal activity compared to the control group (P<0.05). The activity and sleep bouts of fruit flies were significantly decreased by a high-dose treatment (10 mg/mL) of lotus or P. sibiricum extracts at night. Caffeine-treated Drosophila showed increased nocturnal activity and decreased total sleep time (P<0.05). Flies receiving the 10 mg-doses of lotus seed or P. sibiricum extract showed significantly different nocturnal locomotor activity and total sleep time compared to caffeine-treated Drosophila. Lotus seed and P. sibiricum extracts are attractive and valuable sleep-potentiating nutraceuticals.

Iris recognition for biometric personnel identification has gained much interest owing to the increasing concern with security today. The image quality plays a major role in the performance of iris recognition systems. When capturing an iris image under uncontrolled conditions and dealing with non-cooperative people, the chance of getting non-ideal images is very high owing to poor focus, off-angle, noise, motion blur, occlusion of eyelashes and eyelids, and wearing glasses. In order to improve the accuracy of iris recognition while dealing with non-ideal iris images, we propose a novel algorithm that improves the quality of degraded iris images. First, the iris image is localized properly to obtain accurate iris boundary detection, and then the iris image is normalized to obtain a fixed size. Second, the valid region (iris region) is extracted from the segmented iris image to obtain only the iris region. Third, to get a well-distributed texture image, bilinear interpolation is used on the segmented valid iris gray image. Using contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) enhances the low contrast of the resulting interpolated image. The results of CLAHE are further improved by stretching the maximum and minimum values to 0-255 by using histogram-stretching technique. The gray texture information is extracted by 1D Gabor filters while the Hamming distance technique is chosen as a metric for recognition. The NICE-II training dataset taken from UBRIS.v2 was used for the experiment. Results of the proposed method outperformed other methods in terms of equal error rate (EER).

Many countries of the world have seen fertility rate declines. Sincere efforts have been made by the governments to change this trend. But still, countries like Korea & Japan are facing the problem of fertility rates well below the replacement fertility rates. Modeling and simulation offer a good way of understanding the dynamics of population. Of late, agent based modeling (ABM) has gained quite a lot of popularity in the field of simulation. We propose an actual population data fed agent based model whereby the agents in the simulation would take as input the actual census data and simulate the population fertility dynamics. Fertility rates are the main measures of population change. We will try and understand how fertility evolves by taking into various factors such as age, income, expenditure, social benefits; from the micro to macro level. The decisions of the agents, such as to get married and then have certain number of children, would be based on these factors. The fertility is predicted by accessing number of children a couple would have in the child bearing age. We hope to analyze and understand the effect of factors such as social benefits by this model.

Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) has attracted social scientists and demographers in the field of social simulation. Due to large number of computer simulation technologies, ABMS approaches have been proposed with majority applications. ABMS composed of heterogeneous interacting agents, with several features which turn them into a significantly attractive modeling approach to simulate complex social systems. In this paper, first we explore the underlying social theories for ABMS, its simulation and modeling techniques, and computational frameworks. Second, our paper concentrate on the potential need of ABM techniques in the context of social simulation. An alternative ABM approach that is getting popularity is to inject data into agent-based simulation. To validate our model, we compare our results with actual-data. Our results closely matched with actual-data results in the case of mean-age at the demographic transition of first childbirth. Our work encourage ABM modelers to promote this trend while designing their models. Further, our paper is an attempt to merge the microsimulation approach into the agent-based simulation through injecting data into ABM approach

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial examined whether the administration of ganglioside, an active ingredient of deer bone extract, can improve working memory performance by increasing gray matter volume and functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) in individuals with subjective cognitive impairment. Seventy-five individuals with subjective cognitive impairment were chosen to receive either ganglioside (330[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/day or 660[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]g/day) or a placebo for 8 weeks. Changes in working memory performance with treatment of either ganglioside or placebo were assessed as cognitive outcome measures. Using voxel-based morphometry and functional connectivity analyses, changes in gray matter volume and functional connectivity in the DMN were also assessed as brain outcome measures. Improvement in working memory performance was greater in the ganglioside group than in the placebo group. The ganglioside group, relative to the placebo group, showed greater increases in gray matter volume and functional connectivity in the DMN. A significant relationship between increased functional connectivity of the precuneus and improved working memory performance was observed in the ganglioside group. The current findings suggest that ganglioside has cognitive-enhancing effects in individuals with subjective cognitive impairment. Ganglioside-induced increases in gray matter volume and functional connectivity in the DMN may partly be responsible for the potential nootropic effects of ganglioside. The clinical trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT02379481).

In this paper, we propose a data-driven agent-based modeling approach that boosts the strength of agent-based models (ABM) in the dynamics of family formation. The proposed model analyzes the impact of socioeconomic factors on individual decisions about family formations. The key features of our model are the heterogeneous nature regarding agent's age and socioeconomic factors: income and education. Based on these attributes, agents take decisions about acceptable partners and transition to family formation. One of our objectives is to fill the gap that exists between the methodologies of demography and agent-based social simulation. Making such a connection between these two approaches, this model attempts to incorporate empirical data into agent-based social simulation which enables us to analyze the transition of family formation effectively. Further, our simulated results depict the patterns of the hazards of family formation that are observed at micro-level dynamics and explains how marriage patterns change overtime. The proposed work gives a strong insight to strengthen the extent of demographic analysis through data-driven agent-based approach.