Two-dimensional imaging of edge-localized modes in KSTAR plasmas unperturbed and perturbed by n=1 external magnetic fields

The temporal evolution of edge-localized modes (ELMs) has been studied using a 2-D electron cyclotron emission imaging system in the KSTAR tokamak. The ELMs are observed to evolve in three distinctive stages: the initial linear growth of multiple filamentary structures having a net poloidal rotation, the interim state of regularly spaced saturated filaments, and the final crash through a short transient phase characterized by abrupt changes in the relative amplitudes and distance among filaments. The crash phase, typically consisted of multiple bursts of a single filament, involves a complex dynamics, poloidal elongation of the bursting filament, development of a fingerlike bulge, and fast localized burst through the finger. Substantial alterations of the ELM dynamics, such as mode number, poloidal rotation, and crash time scale, have been observed under external magnetic perturbations with the toroidal mode number n = 1. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3694842]X1125sciescopu

Media construction of Korean transnational sporting masculinities

This study examined discursively produced transnational masculinities through mediated Korean-born sport celebrities playing in the major league baseball. Considering that studies of men and masculinity are more likely to offer richer, more in-depth analyses when they recognize the intersections of class, race, gender, sexuality, and nationality, this research explored diverse and plural conflations of contemporary masculinities in transnational contexts. In the process, I took into account a variety of theoretical approaches including post-colonial feminist theory, queer theory, critical race theory, new manism theory, and hegemonic theory in order to find a more appropriate theoretical framework for the analysis of transnational subjectivities. Linking theoretical frames with feminist critical discourse analysis and Fairclough's three dimensions of critical discourse analysis, I investigated multiple media sport texts including online newspapers and reader comments in US and South Korean contexts. Based on a total number of 108 media texts in online newspapers, six distinguishing thematic discourses were analyzed: athletic masculinities, heterosexual patriarchal masculinities, militarized masculinities, trans/nationalist masculinities, Korean Confucian masculinities, and color solidarity. Through analyzing a total number of 83 media texts in reader comments, also, four dominant discourse categories were identified: othering masculinities, regulating bodies, commodified transnational masculinities, and multifaceted androcentric nationalism. The results illustrate that diversely conflated transnational relationships and the intersectional factors including race, class, gender, sexuality, and nationality have an influence on shaping the hybridity of Korean sporting masculinities. Resisting a dominant dichotomous perception that the western males and masculinities are standardized as a norm but Asian/Korean males and masculinities are merely effeminate, the results of this study effectively illuminate newly racialized transnational subjects and the masculinities under the power of new imperialism

Optimizing Performance of Continuous-Time Stochastic Systems using Timeout Synthesis

We consider parametric version of fixed-delay continuous-time Markov chains (or equivalently deterministic and stochastic Petri nets, DSPN) where fixed-delay transitions are specified by parameters, rather than concrete values. Our goal is to synthesize values of these parameters that, for a given cost function, minimise expected total cost incurred before reaching a given set of target states. We show that under mild assumptions, optimal values of parameters can be effectively approximated using translation to a Markov decision process (MDP) whose actions correspond to discretized values of these parameters

In-Flight Transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Four persons with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection had traveled on the same flight from Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to Hong Kong, China. Their virus genetic sequences are identical, unique, and belong to a clade not previously identified in Hong Kong, which strongly suggests that the virus can be transmitted during air travel

Are lay people good at recognising the symptoms of schizophrenia?

©2013 Erritty, Wydell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the general public’s perception of schizophrenia symptoms and the need to seekhelp for symptoms. The recognition (or ‘labelling’) of schizophrenia symptoms, help-seeking behaviours and public awareness of schizophrenia have been suggested as potentially important factors relating to untreated psychosis. Method: Participants were asked to rate to what extent they believe vignettes describing classic symptoms (positive and negative) of schizophrenia indicate mental illness. They were also asked if the individuals depicted in the vignettes required help or treatment and asked to suggest what kind of help or treatment. Results: Only three positive symptoms (i.e., Hallucinatory behaviour, Unusual thought content and Suspiciousness) of schizophrenia were reasonably well perceived (above 70%) as indicating mental illness more than the other positive or negative symptoms. Even when the participants recognised that the symptoms indicated mental illness, not everyone recommended professional help. Conclusion: There may be a need to improve public awareness of schizophrenia and psychosis symptoms, particularly regarding an awareness of the importance of early intervention for psychosis

Study of B -> \rho \pi decays at Belle

This paper describes a study of B meson decays to the pseudoscalar-vector final state \rho\pi using 31.9\times 10^6 B\bar{B} events collected with the Belle detector at KEKB. The branching fractions B(B^+ \to \rho^0\pi^+) = (8.0^{+2.3+0.7}_{-2.0-0.7}) \times 10^{-6} and B(B^0 -> \rho^{+-} \pi^{-+}) = (20.8^{+6.0+2.8}_{-6.3-3.1}) \times 10^{-6} are obtained. In addition, a 90% confidence level upper limit of B(B^0 \to \rho^0\pi^0) < 5.3 \times 10^{-6}is reported.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Lett.

Appearance and Dynamics of Helical Flux Tubes under Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating in the Core of KSTAR Plasmas

Dual (or sometimes multiple) flux tubes (DFTs) have been observed in the core of sawtoothing KSTAR tokamak plasmas with electron cyclotron resonance heating. The time evolution of the flux tubes visualized by a 2D electron cyclotron emission imaging diagnostic typically consists of four distinctive phases: (1) growth of one flux tube out of multiple small flux tubes during the initial buildup period following a sawtooth crash, resulting in a single dominant flux tube along the m/n = 1/1 helical magnetic field lines, (2) sudden rapid growth of another flux tube via a fast heat transfer from the first one, resulting in approximately identical DFTs, (3) coalescence of the two flux tubes into a single m/n = 1/1 flux tube resembling the internal kink mode in the normal sawteeth, which is explained by a model of two currentcarrying wires confined on a flux surface, and (4) fast localized crash of the merged flux tube similar to the standard sawtooth crash. The dynamics of the DFTs implies that the internal kink mode is not a unique prerequisite to the sawtooth crash, providing a new insight on the control of the sawtooth.X112217Ysciescopu

HUWE1 E3 ligase promotes PINK1/PARKINindependent mitophagy by regulating AMBRA1 activation via IKKa

The selective removal of undesired or damaged mitochondria by autophagy, known as mitophagy, is crucial for cellular homoeostasis, and prevents tumour diffusion, neurodegeneration and ageing. The pro-autophagic molecule AMBRA1 (autophagy/beclin-1 regulator-1) has been defined as a novel regulator of mitophagy in both PINK1/PARKIN-dependent and -independent systems. Here, we identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase HUWE1 as a key inducing factor in AMBRA1-mediated mitophagy, a process that takes place independently of the main mitophagy receptors. Furthermore, we show that mitophagy function of AMBRA1 is post-translationally controlled, upon HUWE1 activity, by a positive phosphorylation on its serine 1014. This modification is mediated by the IKKα kinase and induces structural changes in AMBRA1, thus promoting its interaction with LC3/GABARAP (mATG8) proteins and its mitophagic activity. Altogether, these results demonstrate that AMBRA1 regulates mitophagy through a novel pathway, in which HUWE1 and IKKα are key factors, shedding new lights on the regulation of mitochondrial quality control and homoeostasis in mammalian cells

Calcium Homeostasis in Myogenic Differentiation Factor 1 (MyoD)-Transformed, Virally-Transduced, Skin-Derived Equine Myotubes

Dysfunctional skeletal muscle calcium homeostasis plays a central role in the pathophysiology of several human and animal skeletal muscle disorders, in particular, genetic disorders associated with ryanodine receptor 1 (RYR1) mutations, such as malignant hyperthermia, central core disease, multiminicore disease and certain centronuclear myopathies. In addition, aberrant skeletal muscle calcium handling is believed to play a pivotal role in the highly prevalent disorder of Thoroughbred racehorses, known as Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis. Traditionally, such defects were studied in human and equine subjects by examining the contractile responses of biopsied muscle strips exposed to caffeine, a potent RYR1 agonist. However, this test is not widely available and, due to its invasive nature, is potentially less suitable for valuable animals in training or in the human paediatric setting. Furthermore, increasingly, RYR1 gene polymorphisms (of unknown pathogenicity and significance) are being identified through next generation sequencing projects. Consequently, we have investigated a less invasive test that can be used to study calcium homeostasis in cultured, skin-derived fibroblasts that are converted to the muscle lineage by viral transduction with a MyoD (myogenic differentiation 1) transgene. Similar models have been utilised to examine calcium homeostasis in human patient cells, however, to date, there has been no detailed assessment of the cells’ calcium homeostasis, and in particular, the responses to agonists and antagonists of RYR1. Here we describe experiments conducted to assess calcium handling of the cells and examine responses to treatment with dantrolene, a drug commonly used for prophylaxis of recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis in horses and malignant hyperthermia in humans