Atmospheric Argon Free burning Arcs with a Simplified Unified Model Using CFD-Arc Modeling

Free burning arcs, where the work piece acts as an anode, are frequently used for a number of applications. Our investigation is exclusively concerned with a simplified unified model of arcs and their electrodes under steady state conditions at atmospheric pressure. The model is used to make predictions of arc and electrode temperatures and arc voltage for a 200 A arc in argon. The computed temperatures along the axis between the cathode tip and the anode surface compare well the measured data

Korea's developmental program for superconductivity

Superconductivity research in Korea was firstly carried out in the late 70's by a research group in Seoul National University (SNU), who fabricated a small scale superconducting magnetic energy storage system under the financial support from Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). But a few researchers were involved in superconductivity research until the oxide high Tc superconductor was discovered by Bednorz and Mueller. After the discovery of YBaCuO superconductor operating above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen (77 K)(exp 2), Korean Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) sponsored a special fund for the high Tc superconductivity research to universities and national research institutes by recognizing its importance. Scientists engaged in this project organized 'High Temperature Superconductivity Research Association (HITSRA)' for effective conducting of research. Its major functions are to coordinate research activities on high Tc superconductivity and organize the workshop for active exchange of information. During last seven years the major superconductivity research has been carried out through the coordination of HITSRA. The major parts of the Korea's superconductivity research program were related to high temperature superconductor and only a few groups were carrying out research on conventional superconductor technology, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) have led this research. In this talk, the current status and future plans of superconductivity research in Korea will be reviewed based on the results presented in interim meeting of HITSRA, April 1-2, 1994. Taejeon, as well as the research activity of KAERI

The 750 GeV Diphoton Excess May Not Imply a 750 GeV Resonance

We discuss non-standard interpretations of the 750 GeV diphoton excess recently reported by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations which do not involve a new, relatively broad, resonance with a mass near 750 GeV. Instead, we consider the sequential cascade decay of a much heavier, possibly quite narrow, resonance into two photons along with one or more invisible particles. The resulting diphoton invariant mass signal is generically rather broad, as suggested by the data. We examine three specific event topologies - the antler, the sandwich, and the 2-step cascade decay, and show that they all can provide a good fit to the observed published data. In each case, we delineate the preferred mass parameter space selected by the best fit. In spite of the presence of invisible particles in the final state, the measured missing transverse energy is moderate, due to its anti- correlation with the diphoton invariant mass. We comment on the future prospects of discriminating with higher statistics between our scenarios, as well as from more conventional interpretations.Comment: Discussion about the ATLAS Moriond EW2016 added. Matched to PRL accepted versio

Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Bangpungtongsung-San, a Traditional Herbal Prescription

Bangpungtongsung-san (BPTS), a traditional oriental herbal prescription, is widely used for expelling wind, draining heat, and providing general improvement to the immune system. In this study, we investigated the effects of BPTS on induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), proinflammatory cytokines, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in lipopolysaccharide- (LPS- ) stimulated Raw 264.7 cells, and on paw edema in rats. At concentrations of 0.5, 0.75, and 1 mg/mL, treatment with BPTS inhibited levels of expression of LPS-induced NF-κB and MAPKs (ERK, JNK, and p38) as well as production of proinflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by LPS. These results suggest that BPTS may exert anti-inflammatory effects via reduction of proinflammatory mediators, including NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6 through suppression of the signaling pathways of NF-κB and MAPKs in LPS-induced macrophages. In addition, using the carrageenan-induced paw edema assay, an antiedema effect of BPTS was observed in rats. These findings may provide scientific evidence validating the use of BPTS in treatment of patients with heat syndrome in Korean oriental medicine

Uterine Artery Doppler Velocimetry During Mid-second Trimester to Predict Complications of Pregnancy Based on Unilateral or Bilateral Abnormalities

We performed this study to evaluate uterine artery Doppler velocimetry (UADV) measurement of unilateral or bilateral abnormalities as a predictor of complications in pregnancy during the mid-second trimester (20-24 weeks). We enrolled 1,090 pregnant women who had undergone UADV twice: once between the 20th and 24th week (1st stage) and again between the 28th and 32nd week (2nd stage) of pregnancy, and then delivered at Yonsei Medical Center. UADV was performed bilaterally. Follow-up UADV was performed between the 28th and 32nd week, and the frequencies of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and preterm delivery (before 34 weeks of gestation) were determined. Chi-squared and t-tests were used where appropriate, with p < .05 considered significant. According to the results of UADV performed between 20-24 weeks of gestation, 825 women (75.7%) were included in the normal group, 196 (18.0%) in the unilateral abnormality group, and 69 (6.3%) in the bilateral abnormality group. The incidences of FGR were 8.0%, 10.2%, and 26.1%, and the incidences of PIH were 0.1%, 3.6%, and 14.5%, respectively. The incidence of PIH was significantly lower in the normal group. The incidences of preterm delivery were 2.2%, 5.6%, and 8.7%, respectively. PIH developed in 46.7% of patients with bilateral abnormal findings in both the 1st and 2nd stage tests, and developed in none of the patients with normal findings in both tests. Abnormal results found by UADV performed between the 20-24th weeks of pregnancy, such as high S/D ratios regardless of placental location and the presence of an early diastolic notch, were associated with significant increases in the incidences of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and PIH. This was true for both bilateral and unilateral abnormalities. Abnormal findings in bilateral UADV during the second trimester especially warrant close follow up for the detection of subsequent development of pregnancy complications

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Wound Healing In Vivo via Early Activation of Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

We investigated the effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on wound healing using a three-dimensional (3D) collagen gel scaffold. Three circular full-thickness skin defects were created on the back of Sprague-Dawley rats. One site was covered with a 3D collagen gel containing 2 × 106 MSCs (MSCs+/3D collagen+). Another site was replaced with a 3D collagen gel without MSCs and the third site was left empty. The wound size was significantly reduced in the MSCs+/3D collagen+ sites. MSCs+/3D collagen+ sites exhibited the most neovascularization. FISH showed that Y-chromosome possessing cells were found within the dermis of MSCs+/3D collagen+ sites. Gelatin zymography revealed that the most intense expression of MMP-9 was detected early in the MSCs+/3D collagen+ sites. Our results indicate that MSCs upregulate the early expression of MMP-9 which induces the early mobilization of VEGF. Thus, MSCs appear to accelerate significantly wound healing via early activation of MMP-9 and VEGF

Optimal Multiuser Diversity in Multi-Cell MIMO Uplink Networks: User Scaling Law and Beamforming Design

We introduce a distributed protocol to achieve multiuser diversity in a multicell multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) uplink network, referred to as a MIMO interfering multiple-access channel (IMAC). Assuming both no information exchange among base stations (BS) and local channel state information at the transmitters for the MIMO IMAC, we propose a joint beamforming and user scheduling protocol, and then show that the proposed protocol can achieve the optimal multiuser diversity gain, i.e., KM log (SNR log N), as long as the number of mobile stations (MSs) in a cell, N, scales faster than SNRKM-L/1-epsilon for a small constant epsilon &gt; 0, where M, L, K, and SNR denote the number of receive antennas at each BS, the number of transmit antennas at each MS, the number of cells, and the signal-to-noise ratio, respectively. Our result indicates that multiuser diversity can be achieved in the presence of intra-cell and inter-cell interference even in a distributed fashion. As a result, vital information on how to design distributed algorithms in interference-limited cellular environments is provided

Vitamin D3 Supplementation Reduces the Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection during Winter Training in Vitamin D-Insufficient Taekwondo Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Vitamin D insufficiency may be associated with increased risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in athletes. This study examined the effects of vitamin D3 supplementation on salivary immune functions and symptoms of URTI in vitamin D-insufficient taekwondo athletes. Twenty-five male taekwondo athletes, aged 19–22 years with vitamin D insufficiency [serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D concentrations (25(OH)D, 31.3 ± 1.39 nmol/L)], participated in this study. They were randomized to receive 5000 IU/day of vitamin D3 (n = 13) or placebo capsule (n = 12) during 4 weeks of winter training. Blood samples were collected two times (pre- and post-tests) for analyzing serum 25(OH)D concentration while salivary samples were obtained three times (pre-, mid-, and post-tests) for secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) and lactoferrin analyses. The symptoms of URTI were reported daily during the intervention. Serum 25(OH)D concentration significantly increased by 255.6% in the vitamin D group, whereas in the placebo group it did not change (p \u3c 0.001). While the significant increase in SIgA was observed in both groups (p \u3c 0.001), elevated salivary lactoferrin level in response to winter training was found only in the placebo group (p = 0.011). The change in serum 25(OH)D concentration was negatively associated with total URTI symptoms (r = −0.435, p = 0.015). Vitamin D3 supplementation may be effective in reducing the symptoms of URTI during winter training in vitamin D-insufficient taekwondo athletes