Information Network Villages A community--focused digital divide reduction policy in rural Korea

This study examines South Korea's Information Network Village (INVIL) project as an exemplary policy of building sustainable communities through a digital divide policy implemented in small rural areas. INVIL project has three objectives: to close the digital gap between urban and rural areas, to create new sources of revenues from existing industries, and to build sustainable local communities. The conception was that rural digital divide can only be resolved by addressing deep rooted rural issues that influence the provision and adoption of ICT. While the INVIL programs may not remedy the gap in the short term, it provides a future vision to the communities. Due to this multi-layered and long term approach, the villages have been successful in narrowing the digital divide, not only in terms of access but also in effectively utilising broadband to enhance the local economy and building sustainable communities. This paper introduces the INVIL project, the plans and outcomes, as well as a qualitative evaluation of the process across a decade. Following a general description of the project, an in-depth case study of three successful INVILs is provided. The uniqueness of the program is that it emphasises investment in human capital rather than on infrastructure and includes a tailored vision of each local community. This motivates local residents to be active participants, which is the key to the success of the policy

Isolated Three-port DC-DC Converter Employing ESS to Obtain Voltage Balancing Capability for Bipolar LVDC Distribution System

A bipolar low-voltage DC (LVDC) distribution system used in residential and building applications requires AC-DC converters and voltage balancers that balance the two DC bus polarities. The bipolar DC bus voltage level only relies on the voltage balancer tied with the AC grid. An isolated DC-DC converter for an energy storage system (ESS) with the voltage balancing capability is proposed to prevent the bipolar voltage level collapse caused by the failure of the grid-tied voltage balancer. The proposed converter topology is an enhanced three-port dual-active-bridge (DAB) converter which can balance the bipolar DC voltage level without complex control. Furthermore, it has less current stress in power switches than that of the conventional three-port DAB converter. The effectiveness of the proposed converter is verified with a 3-kW prototype converter

Impact of Stock Market on Monetary Policy in The SEACEN Countries

This paper examines the relationship between stock market and monetary policy. It is noted that the empirical results show that the returns of Dow Jones are leading "causing" variable to the domestic stock market. Exchange rate also plays a significant part, implying to a large extent the high degree of market integration.

Anoikis Resistance: An Essential Prerequisite for Tumor Metastasis

Metastasis is a multistep process including dissociation of cancer cells from primary sites, survival in the vascular system, and proliferation in distant target organs. As a barrier to metastasis, cells normally undergo an apoptotic process known as “anoikis,” a form of cell death due to loss of contact with the extracellular matrix or neighboring cells. Cancer cells acquire anoikis resistance to survive after detachment from the primary sites and travel through the circulatory and lymphatic systems to disseminate throughout the body. Because recent technological advances enable us to detect rare circulating tumor cells, which are anoikis resistant, currently, anoikis resistance becomes a hot topic in cancer research. Detailed molecular and functional analyses of anoikis resistant cells may provide insight into the biology of cancer metastasis and identify novel therapeutic targets for prevention of cancer dissemination. This paper comprehensively describes recent investigations of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying anoikis and anoikis resistance in relation to intrinsic and extrinsic death signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, growth factor receptors, energy metabolism, reactive oxygen species, membrane microdomains, and lipid rafts

Effects of Hyul-Bu-Chuke-Tang on Erythrocyte Deformability and Cerebrovascular CO2 Reactivity in Normal Subjects

Aim. Hyul-bu-chuke-tang (HCEt) is a well-known traditional herbal medicine that is used for the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disorders. We investigated the acute effects of HCEt on erythrocyte deformability and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity (CVR) in healthy male subjects. Materials and Methods. We examined erythrocyte deformability in an HCEt group (n = 14) and a control group (n = 10). CVR was measured using hyperventilation-induced CO2 reactivity of the middle cerebral artery and transcranial Doppler (TCD) in the HCEt group (n = 11). A historical control group (n = 10) of CVR measurements was also created from our previous study. All measurements were performed prior to and 1, 2, and 3 hours after HCEt administration. Results. HCEt significantly improved erythrocyte deformability 1 hour after administration compared to the control group (2.9 ± 1.1% versus −0.6 ± 1.0%, P = 0.034). HCEt significantly improved the CVR 2 hours after administration compared to the historical control group (9.1 ± 4.0% versus −8.1 ± 4.1%, P = 0.007). The mean blood pressure and pulse rate did not vary from baseline values in either group. Conclusions. We demonstrated that HCEt improved erythrocyte deformability and CVR. Our findings suggest that an improvement in erythrocyte deformability contributes to HCEt's effect on cerebral microcirculation

Dietary Intake and Serum Levels of Iron in Relation to Oxidative Stress in Breast Cancer Patients

Iron may induce oxidative stress via production of reactive oxygen species, facilitating mammary carcinogenesis. This study investigated the role of iron in relation to oxidative stress as a potential risk factor in the development of breast cancer (BC). BC patients (n = 121) and healthy age-matched controls (n = 149) were entered into the study. Iron and antioxidant vitamins intakes were estimated using a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Thirty one subjects from each group provided blood samples for measurement of serum iron, plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP). Total and non-heme iron intake of BC patients were lower than those of the controls. However, the serum iron level was significantly higher in BC patients. Plasma MDA levels were also significantly higher in BC patients whereas no significant difference in FRAP values were observed between the two groups. Log-transformed serum iron concentration showed no significant correlation with MDA or FRAP. These results suggest that serum iron overload may be a breast cancer risk factor possibly due to increased oxidative stress