Investigation of Enhanced Polygon Wall Boundary Model in PNU-MPS Method

With regard to demonstration of fluid flow, there are two descriptions which are Eulerian description and Lagrangian description. In the field of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics), a number of studies relevant to grid method based on Eulerian description have been conducted generally. However, when the grid method is employed to simulate flow field, it is inevitable to give consideration to convection term which generates severe numerical diffusion and fluctuation. To obtain the accuracy of solution, a different type of method based on Lagrangian description is come to the fore. Numerical approaches following Lagrangian description have been called meshfree or particle method. Even though particle method does not accompany convection term and fully satisfies conservation of mass, its studies have not been carried out extensively because it is difficult to implement the boundary conditions correctly due to insufficient number of particles in the vicinity of boundary. It affects directly the stability of flow field and accuracy in computation. In MPS (Moving Particle Semi-implicit) method [1], fixed-type of dummy particles are placed inside wall boundary. By placing extra particles as the wall, it seems to be not easy to satisfy the boundary condition for sharp-edged or extremely thin body configuration. In this study, the enhanced polygon wall boundary model, which was suggested originally by Mitsume et al. [2], is employed to the PNU-MPS (Pusan-National-University-modified MPS) method [3] to improve and stabilize the analysis of fluid flow with arbitrary-shaped body including sharp-edged body configuration without any additional particles. The developed simulation method, called as PNU-MPS-POLY, is adopted to the Couette flow and the lid-driven cavity flow with various corner angles. The present simulation results are validated through comparison with the analytic solutions, the experiments [4], and other simulation results [5,6]

Curcumin induces stabilization of Nrf2 protein through Keap1 cysteine modification

The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin, a representative chemopreventive phytochemical with pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on activation of Nrf2 and expression of its target protein heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in mouse skin in vivo and in cultured murine epidermal cells. Treatment of mouse epidermal JB6 cells with curcumin resulted in the induction of HO-1 expression, and this was abrogated in cells transiently transfected with Nrf2 siRNA. While curcumin treatment increased protein expression of Nrf2, it did not alter the steady-state level of the Nrf2 mRNA transcript. Treatment of cells with curcumin stabilized Nrf2 by inhibiting ubiquitination and subsequent 26S proteasomal degradation of this transcription factor. Tetrahydrocurcumin, a non-electrophilic analogue of curcumin that lacks the alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl group, failed to induce HO-1 expression as well as nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and its binding to the antioxidant/electrophile response elements. Cells transfected with a mutant Keap1 protein in which cysteine 151 (Cys151) is replaced by serine exhibited marked reduction in curcumin-induced Nrf2 transactivation. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed that curcumin binds to Keap1 Cys151, supporting that this amino acid is a critical target for curcumin modification of Keap1, which facilitates the liberation of Nrf2. Thus, it is likely that the alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl moiety of curcumin is essential for its binding to Keap1 and stabilization of Nrf2 by hampering ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation.

Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Acute Myocardial Infarction with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura: A Case Report

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is rare in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). We describe a case of an AMI during thrombocytopenia in a patient with chronic ITP. A 47-yr-old woman presented with anterior chest pain and a low platelet count (21,000/µL) at admission. Urgent coronary angiography revealed total occlusion of proximal right coronary artery and primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed successfully. This case suggests that primary PCI may be a therapeutic option for an AMI in patients with ITP, even though the patient had severe thrombocytopenia

Successful Treatment of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy Combined with Transarterial Chemolipiodolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Biliary Obstruction

Conventional radiation therapy (RT) is a widely recognized treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, conventional RT plays only a limited role in HCC treatment because of its low efficacy and the low tolerance of the liver for this modality. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was recently developed and represents the most advanced radiation therapy technique currently available. It can deliver a high dose in a short time to well-defined hepatic tumors, with rapid dose fall-off gradients. We believe that SBRT with transarterial chemolipiodolization (TACL) may prove promising as a combined treatment modality for HCC due to its precision and relative safety. Here we present a case of successful treatment of advanced HCC with obstructive jaundice using this combined modality

Simultaneous detection and subtyping of porcine endogenous retroviruses proviral DNA using the dual priming oligonucleotide system

The purpose of this study was to develop a multiplex PCR that can detect porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) proviral genes (pol, envA, envB, envC) and porcine mitochondrial DNA, using a dual priming oligonucleotide (DPO) system. The primer specifically detected the PERV proviral genes pol, envA, envB, envC, and porcine mitochondrial DNA only in samples of pig origin. The sensitivity of the primer was demonstrated by simultaneous amplification of all 5 target genes in as little as 10 pg of pig DNA containing PERV proviral genes and mitochondrial DNA. The multiplex PCR, when applied to field samples, simultaneously and successfully amplified PERV proviral genes from liver, blood and hair root samples. Thus, the multiplex PCR developed in the current study using DPO-based primers is a rapid, sensitive and specific assay for the detection and subtyping of PERV proviral genes

Phosphorus Regulated Cobalt Oxide@Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanowires for Flexible Quasi-Solid-State Supercapacitors

Battery-type materials are promising candidates for achieving high specific capacity for supercapacitors. However, their slow reaction kinetics hinders the improvement in electrochemical performance. Herein, a hybrid structure of P-doped Co3 O4 (P-Co3 O4 ) ultrafine nanoparticles in situ encapsulated into P, N co-doped carbon (P, N-C) nanowires by a pyrolysis-oxidation-phosphorization of 1D metal-organic frameworks derived from Co-layered double hydroxide as self-template and reactant is reported. This hybrid structure prevents active material agglomeration and maintains a 1D oriented arrangement, which exhibits a large accessible surface area and hierarchically porous feature, enabling sufficient permeation and transfer of electrolyte ions. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the P dopants in P-Co3 O4 @P, N-C could reduce the adsorption energy of OH- and regulate the electrical properties. Accordingly, the P-Co3 O4 @P, N-C delivers a high specific capacity of 669 mC cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2 and an ultralong cycle life with only 4.8% loss over 5000 cycles at 30 mA cm-2 . During the fabrication of P-Co3 O4 @P, N-C, Co@P, N-C is simultaneously developed, which can be integrated with P-Co3 O4 @P, N-C for the assembly of asymmetric supercapacitors. These devices achieve a high energy density of 47.6 W h kg-1 at 750 W kg-1 and impressive flexibility, exhibiting a great potential in practical applications

Electrically focus-tuneable ultrathin lens for high-resolution square subpixels.

Owing to the tremendous demands for high-resolution pixel-scale thin lenses in displays, we developed a graphene-based ultrathin square subpixel lens (USSL) capable of electrically tuneable focusing (ETF) with a performance competitive with that of a typical mechanical refractive lens. The fringe field due to a voltage bias in the graphene proves that our ETF-USSL can focus light onto a single point regardless of the wavelength of the visible light-by controlling the carriers at the Dirac point using radially patterned graphene layers, the focal length of the planar structure can be adjusted without changing the curvature or position of the lens. A high focusing efficiency of over 60% at a visible wavelength of 405 nm was achieved with a lens thickness of <13 nm, and a change of 19.42% in the focal length with a 9% increase in transmission was exhibited under a driving voltage. This design is first presented as an ETF-USSL that can be controlled in pixel units of flat panel displays for visible light. It can be easily applied as an add-on to high resolution, slim displays and provides a new direction for the application of multifunctional autostereoscopic displays

Deep Learning for Simulating Harmful Algal Blooms Using Ocean Numerical Model

In several countries, the public health and fishery industries have suffered from harmful algal blooms (HABs) that have escalated to become a global issue. Though computational modeling offers an effective means to understand and mitigate the adverse effects of HABs, it is challenging to design models that adequately reflect the complexity of HAB dynamics. This paper presents a method involving the application of deep learning to an ocean model for simulating blooms of Alexandrium catenella. The classification and regression convolutional neural network (CNN) models are used for simulating the blooms. The classification CNN determines the bloom initiation while the regression CNN estimates the bloom density. GoogleNet and Resnet 101 are identified as the best structures for the classification and regression CNNs, respectively. The corresponding accuracy and root means square error values are determined as 96.8% and 1.20 [log(cells L-1)], respectively. The results obtained in this study reveal the simulated distribution to follow the Alexandrium catenella bloom. Moreover, Grad-CAM identifies that the salinity and temperature contributed to the initiation of the bloom whereas NH4-N influenced the growth of the bloom.&lt;/p&gt

Novel intronic microRNA represses zebrafish myf5 promoter activity through silencing dickkopf-3 gene

A strong, negative cis-element located at the first intron +502/+835 (I300) of zebrafish myf5 has been reported. To elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying this repression network, we microinjected zebrafish single-cell embryos with I300 RNA, resulting in the dramatic reduction of luciferase activity driven by the myf5 promoter. Within this I300 segment, we identified an intronic microRNA (miR-In300) located at +609/+632 and found that it was more highly expressed in the older mature somites than those newly formed, which negatively correlated with the distribution of zebrafish myf5 transcripts. We proved that miR-In300 suppressed the transcription of myf5 through abolishing myf5 promoter activity, and we subsequently identified the long isoform of the Dickkopf-3 gene (dkk3) as the target gene of miR-In300. We further found that injection of the dkk3-morpholinos (MOs) resulted in downregulation of myf5 transcripts in somites, whereas co-injection of myf5 mRNA with dkk3-MO1 enabled rescue of the defects induced by dkk3-MO1 alone. Finally, injection of miR-In300-MO enhanced both myf5 transcripts in somites and the level of Dkk3 protein in zebrafish embryos. Based on these findings, we concluded that miR-In300 binds to its target gene dkk3, which inhibits the translation of dkk3 mRNA and, in turn, suppresses zebrafish myf5 promoter activity

Epidemiology of Traumatic Head Injury in Korean Children

The aim of this study was to elucidate the epidemiology of traumatic head injury (THI) among Korean children. A prospective, in-depth trauma survey was conducted in five teaching hospitals. Data from all of the children who attended the emergency department (ED) were analyzed. From June 2008 to May 2009, 2,856 children with THI visited the 5 EDs. The average age of the subjects was 5.6 (SD ± 4.9) yr old, and 1,585 (55.5%) were 0-4 yr old. The male-to-female ratio was 2.3 to 1 (1,979 vs 877). Consciousness levels of the subjects were classified according to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and 99.1%, 0.6%, and 0.4% were determined as mild, moderate, or severe injury, respectively, according to the GCS categorization. Most injuries occurred at home (51.3%), and the most common mechanism of injury was collision (43.2%). With regard to outcome, 2,682 (93.9%) patients were sent home, and 35 (1.2%) were transferred to another hospital. A total of 133 (4.7%) patients were hospitalized, and 38 (1.3%) underwent surgery. The incidence and characteristics of pediatric THI in Korea are affected by sex, location and injury mechanism