Dancing Between Neoliberal and Nordic: Lifelong Learning in South Korea

The paper argues that the South Korean model is neither Nordic nor Neoliberal as many have claimed. The South Korean model may serve as a model for other Asian countries

Comparing carbon sequestration in an oil reservoir to sequestration in a brine formation-field study

Geologic sequestration of CO2 in an oil reservoir is generally considered a different class than sequestration in formations which contain only brine. In this paper, the significance and validity of this conceptualization is examined by comparing the performance of CO2 injected into a depleted oil reservoir with the performance of similar injection into non-oil bearing sandstones using a field test at Cranfield Field, Mississippi as a case study. The differences considered are: (1)Residual oil in the reservoir slightly reduces the CO2 breakthrough time and rate of pressure build up as compared to a reservoir containing only brine, because under miscible conditions, more CO2 dissolves into oil than in to brine. (2)Dense wells provide improved assessment of the oil reservoir quality leading to improved prediction as well as verification of CO2 movement in this reservoir as compared to the sparsely characterized brine leg. The value of this information exceeds the risk of leakage. Assessment of the difference made by the presence of residual oil requires a good understanding reservoir properties to predict oil and gas distribution. Stratal slicing, attribute analysis and petrographic analyses are used to define the reservoir architecture. Real-time pressure response at a dedicated observation well and episodic pressure mapping has been conducted in the reservoir under flood since mid-2008; comparison measurements are planned for 2009 in down-dip environments lacking hydrocarbons. Model results using GEM compositional simulator compare well in general to measured reservoir response under CO2 flood; imperfections in model match of flood history document uncertainties Time laps RST logging is underway to validate fluid composition and migration models. Monitoring assessing the performance of the wells during the injection of CO2 suggests that the value of wells to provide field data for characterization exceeds the risk of leakage.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Carrageenan induced phosphorylation of Akt is dependent on neurokinin-1 expressing neurons in the superficial dorsal horn

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Paw carrageenan induces activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K) and Akt in dorsal horn neurons in addition to induction of pain behavior. Spinal PI-3K activation is also thought to be required for inflammation-induced trafficking of GluA1, AMPA receptor subunits, into plasma membranes from cytosol. Phosphorylation of Akt has a unique time course. It occurs first in the superficial dorsal horn (0.75 h), then soon dissipates and is followed an hour later by Akt phosphorylation in deeper dorsal horn laminae, primarily lamina V. Initially, we wished to determine if Akt phosphorylation in the deeper laminae were dependent on the presence of lamina I, neurokinin receptor bearing projection neurons. As the study progressed, our aims grew to include the question, whether carrageenan-induced GluA1 subunit trafficking was downstream of Akt phosphorylation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Rats pretreated with spinal saporin conjugated to a stabilized form of substance P had substantial loss of neurons with neurokinin 1 receptors throughout their superficial, but not deep dorsal horns. Animals pre-treated with substance P-saporin exhibited no change in locomotor ability and a small, but significant decrease in carrageenan-induced mechanical allodynia when compared to animals pre-treated with spinal saporin alone. Importantly, carrageenan-induced phosphorylation of Akt was blocked, in the substance P-saporin treated group, throughout the spinal cord grey matter. In marked contrast, carrageenan induced-trafficking of the GluA1 receptor subunit increased equivalently in both treatment groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We infer from these data that 1) phosphorylation of Akt in the deep dorsal horn is dependent on prior activation of NK1 receptor bearing cells in superficial dorsal horn, and 2) there are parallel spinal intracellular cascades initiated by the carrageenan injection downstream of PI-3K activation, including one containing Akt and another involving GluA1 trafficking into neuronal plasma membranes that separately lead to enhanced pain behavior. These results imply that the two pathways downstream of PI-3K can be activated separately and therefore should be able to be inhibited independently.</p

Comparative Genomics Platform and Phylogenetic Analysis of Fungal Laccases and Multi-Copper Oxidases

Abstract Laccases (EC 1.10.3.2), a group of multi-copper oxidases (MCOs), play multiple biological functions and widely exist in many species. Fungal laccases have been extensively studied for their industrial applications, however, there was no database specially focused on fungal laccases. To provide a comparative genomics platform for fungal laccases, we have developed a comparative genomics platform for laccases and MCOs (http://laccase.riceblast.snu.ac.kr/). Based on protein domain profiles of characterized sequences, 3,571 laccases were predicted from 690 genomes including 253 fungi. The number of putative laccases and their properties exhibited dynamic distribution across the taxonomy. A total of 505 laccases from 68 genomes were selected and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. As a result, four clades comprised of nine subclades were phylogenetically grouped by their putative functions and analyzed at the sequence level. Our work would provide a workbench for putative laccases mainly focused on the fungal kingdom as well as a new perspective in the identification and classification of putative laccases and MCOs.Peer reviewe

QCA-Based Majority Gate Design under Radius of Effect-Induced Faults

This paper presents reliable QCA cell structures for designing single clock-controlled majority gates with a tolerance to radius of effect-induced faults, for use as a basic building component for carry look-ahead adder. Realizable quantum computing is still well in the future due to the complexity of the quantum mechanics that govern them. In this regard, QCA-based system design is a challenging task since each cell\u27\u27s state must interact with all the cells that are in its energy-effective range in its clocking zone, referred to as its radius of effect. This paper proposes a design approach for majority gates to overcome the constraints imposed by the radius of effect of each cell with respect to clock controls. Radius of effect induces faults that lead to constraints on the clocking scheme of majority gates. We show majority gate structures that operate with multiple radius of effect-induced faults under a single clock control. The proposed design approach to a single clock controlled majority gate ultimately facilitate more efficient and flexible clocking schemes for complex QCA designs

Enhanced overall efficiency of GaInN-based light-emitting diodes with reduced efficiency droop by Al-composition-graded AlGaN/GaN superlattice electron blocking layer

AlxGa1-xN/GaN superlattice electron blocking layers (EBLs) with gradually decreasing Al composition toward the p-type GaN layer are introduced to GaInN-based high-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs). GaInN/GaN multiple quantum well LEDs with 5- and 9-period Al-composition-graded AlxGa1-xN/GaN EBL show comparable operating voltage, higher efficiency as well as less efficiency droop than LEDs having conventional bulk AlGaN EBL, which is attributed to the superlattice doping effect, enhanced hole injection into the active region, and reduced potential drop in the EBL by grading Al compositions. Simulation results reveal a reduction in electron leakage for the superlattice EBL, in agreement with experimental results. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.open1133sciescopu

Coordinated Motion Planning for On-Orbit Satellite Inspection using a Swarm of Small-Spacecraft

This paper addresses the problem of how to plan optimal motion for a swarm of on-orbit servicing (OOS) small-spacecraft remotely inspecting a non-cooperative client spacecraft in Earth orbit. With the goal being to maximize the information gathered from the coordinated inspection, we present an integrated motion planning methodology that is a) fuel-efficient to ensure extended operation time and b) computationally-tractable to make possible on-board re-planning for improved exploration. Our method is decoupled into first offline selection of optimal orbits, followed by online coordinated attitude planning. In the orbit selection stage, we numerically evaluate the upper and lower bounds of the information gain for a discretized set of passive relative orbits (PRO). The algorithm then sequentially assigns orbits to each spacecraft using greedy heuristics. For the attitude planning stage, we propose a dynamic programming (DP) based attitude planner capable of addressing vehicle and sensor constraints such as attitude control system specifications, sensor field of view, sensing duration, and sensing angle. Finally, we validate the performance of the proposed algorithms through simulation of a design reference mission involving 3U CubeSats inspecting a satellite in low Earth orbit

Coordinated Motion Planning for On-Orbit Satellite Inspection using a Swarm of Small-Spacecraft

This paper addresses the problem of how to plan optimal motion for a swarm of on-orbit servicing (OOS) small-spacecraft remotely inspecting a non-cooperative client spacecraft in Earth orbit. With the goal being to maximize the information gathered from the coordinated inspection, we present an integrated motion planning methodology that is a) fuel-efficient to ensure extended operation time and b) computationally-tractable to make possible on-board re-planning for improved exploration. Our method is decoupled into first offline selection of optimal orbits, followed by online coordinated attitude planning. In the orbit selection stage, we numerically evaluate the upper and lower bounds of the information gain for a discretized set of passive relative orbits (PRO). The algorithm then sequentially assigns orbits to each spacecraft using greedy heuristics. For the attitude planning stage, we propose a dynamic programming (DP) based attitude planner capable of addressing vehicle and sensor constraints such as attitude control system specifications, sensor field of view, sensing duration, and sensing angle. Finally, we validate the performance of the proposed algorithms through simulation of a design reference mission involving 3U CubeSats inspecting a satellite in low Earth orbit