Skanda, The Multifaceted God: Skanda in Korean Buddhism and Beyond

This article focuses on the worship of Skanda in Korean Buddhism, particularly Skanda depicted in Sinjung t’aenghwa (the Paintings of the Guardian Deities). In order to contextualize this complex pan-Asian god, the article tackles two different and yet related issues: while it chronologically presents Skanda’s transformation in Korean Buddhsm, the discussion also weaves Skanda with other Asian traditions to explain the functional aspects of Skanda worship that are cross-culturally found across time. The article demonstrates that even though a sinified version of Skanda worship dominated in Korean Buddhism, Korean interpretations of Skanda made significant connections with the Indian leitmotif of Skanda while adding new local interpretations of the deity. It further shows that the dominant presence of Skanda also indicates the centrality of the celestial deities (Skt. deva) in the Korean Buddhist pantheon and beyond

Two-Dimensional Dirac Fermions Protected by Space-Time Inversion Symmetry in Black Phosphorus

We report the realization of novel symmetry-protected Dirac fermions in a surface-doped two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor, black phosphorus. The widely tunable band gap of black phosphorus by the surface Stark effect is employed to achieve a surprisingly large band inversion up to ~0.6 eV. High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectra directly reveal the pair creation of Dirac points and their moving along the axis of the glide-mirror symmetry. Unlike graphene, the Dirac point of black phosphorus is stable, as protected by spacetime inversion symmetry, even in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. Our results establish black phosphorus in the inverted regime as a simple model system of 2D symmetry-protected (topological) Dirac semimetals, offering an unprecedented opportunity for the discovery of 2D Weyl semimetals

Study of the Top-quark Pair Production in Association with a Bottom-quark Pair from Fast Simulations at the LHC

A large number of top quarks will be produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) for Run II period. This will allow us to measure the rare processes from the top sector in great details. We present the study of the top-quark pair production in association with a bottom-quark pair (ttbb) from fast simulations for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. The differential distributions of ttbb are compared with the top-quark pair production with two additional jets (ttjj) and with the production in association with the Higgs (ttH), where the Higgs decays to a bottom-quark pair. The significances of ttbb process in the dileptonic and semileptonic decay mode are calculated with the data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 10 fb-1, which is foreseen to be collected in the early Run II period. This study will be an important input in searching for new physics beyond the standard model as well as in searching for ttH process where the Yukawa coupling with the top quark can be directly measured.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

Computational modelling suggests dynamic interactions between Ca2+, IP3 and G protein-coupled modules are key to robust Dictyostelium aggregation

Under conditions of starvation, Dictyostelium cells begin a programme of development during which they aggregate to form a multicellular structure by chemotaxis, guided by propagating waves of cyclic AMP that are relayed robustly from cell to cell. In this paper, we develop and analyse a new model for the intracellular and extracellular cAMP dependent processes that regulate Dictyostelium migration. The model allows, for the first time, a quantitative analysis of the dynamic interactions between calcium, IP(3) and G protein-dependent modules that are shown to be key to the generation of robust cAMP oscillations in Dictyostelium cells. The model provides a mechanistic explanation for the transient increase in cytosolic free Ca(2+) concentration seen in recent experiments with the application of the calmodulin inhibitor calmidazolium (R24571) to Dictyostelium cells, and also allows elucidation of the effects of varying both the conductivity of stretch-activated channels and the concentration of external phosphodiesterase on the oscillatory regime of an individual cell. A rigorous analysis of the robustness of the new model shows that interactions between the different modules significantly reduce the sensitivity of the resulting cAMP oscillations to variations in the kinetics of different Dictyostelium cells, an essential requirement for the generation of the spatially and temporally synchronised chemoattractant cAMP waves that guide Dictyostelium aggregation

Novel twin-roll-cast Ti/Al clad sheets with excellent tensile properties

Pure Ti or Ti alloys are recently spot-lighted in construction industries because they have excellent resistance to corrosions, chemicals, and climates as well as various coloring characteristics, but their wide applications are postponed by their expensiveness and poor formability. We present a new fabrication process of Ti/Al clad sheets by bonding a thin Ti sheet on to a 5052 Al alloy melt during vertical-twin-roll casting. This process has merits of reduced production costs as well as improved tensile properties. In the as-twin-roll-cast clad sheet, the homogeneously cast microstructure existed in the Al alloy substrate side, while the Ti/Al interface did not contain any reaction products, pores, cracks, or lateral delamination, which indicated the successful twin-roll casting. When this sheet was annealed at 350 degrees C-600 degrees C, the metallurgical bonding was expanded by interfacial diffusion, thereby leading to improvement in tensile properties over those calculated by a rule of mixtures. The ductility was also improved over that of 5052-O Al alloy (25%) or pure Ti (25%) by synergic effect of homogeneous deformation due to excellent Ti/Al bonding. This work provides new applications of Ti/Al clad sheets to lightweight-alloy clad sheets requiring excellent formability and corrosion resistance as well as alloy cost saving.112Ysciescopu

Exploring a Framework for Consequential Validity for Performance-Based Assessments

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2017. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Mistilina Sato. 1 computer file (PDF); ix, 121 pages.This study explores a new comprehensive framework for understanding elements of validity, specifically for performance assessments that are administered within specific and dynamic contexts. The adoption of edTPA is a good empirical case for examining the concept of consequential validity because this assessment has been implemented at the state level over several years in Minnesota, adding a much needed large-scale case to the literature on situated assessment validity (Moss, 1996). By drawing on the work of several measurement theorists (Frederiksen & Collins, 1989; Linn, Baker, & Dunbar, 1991; Uhlenbeck, Verloop, & Beijaard, 2002), I have constructed a framework of six dimensions for exploring the concept of consequential validity: 1) educational consequence, 2) meaningfulness, 3) directness, 4) transparency, 5) fairness, and 6) usability. This framework serves both as an analytic frame for data analysis and as our effort to further define and synthesize what is meant by consequential validity within the measurement and assessment field. This study used three data collection strategies: individual and group interviews with teacher candidates and teacher educators and a survey of teacher educators. 23 teacher candidates and 11 teacher educators were interviewed and they represented the edTPA participants at the University of Minnesota. In addition, 22 teacher educators from other institutions participated in a survey across Minnesota. Findings from this study indicate that teacher candidates and teacher educators identify both positive and negative consequences of edTPA based on its design and expectations. However, the consequences of edTPA were strongly affected by local implementation contexts. By using the six dimensions within the proposed framework, this study uncovers links between consequences and contexts. This suggests that implementation of a new assessment that is meant to be educative may also rely on developing a particular “assessment culture” in which data interpretation and use is a more commonly accepted practice

Transcending Locality, Creating Identity: Shinra Myojin, a Korean Deity in Japan

This dissertation is about Shinra Myojin, a god of Silla that was worshipped in medieval Japanese Buddhism. It analyzes the various networks with which the deity was involved, namely, networks of Silla immigrants, Silla shrines and temples, and a variety of gods. Through examining the worship of Shinra Myojin from several different angles, each chapter has different, and yet related arguments. In the first chapter, I argue that the emergence of Shinra Myojin's cult can be fully understood when viewed within the context of the "East Asian Mediterranean" trade network, in which Silla merchants, immigrants, and Buddhist monks played a prominent role. In the second chapter, while focusing on a pivotal moment of the Shinra Myojin cult--a process of sedentarisation in which he changed from a sea deity into a mountain deity, I argue that Shinra Myojin was the central deity of Onjoji, as well as the entire Jimon tradition. The third chapter explains how the Japanese imaginaire of Silla was evolved, encoded and had effects in medieval Japan, and how Shinra Myojin functioned as a god of pestilence. Another pivotal point of Shinra Myojin's career was his mythological transformation from 'a god of Silla' to 'a god who conquered Silla.' In the last chapter, I analyze the visual representation of Shinra Myojin within this larger religious context, and argue that Shinra Myojin is best understood when we consider the deity in this network of other Silla-related deities, represented as an old man. The examination of Shinra Myojin's cult from an interdisciplinary angle serves as a gateway for exploring other understudied associations between medieval Japanese religiosity and those religious ideas and practices that were either continental in origin or were at least perceived to be so by medieval Japanese. My findings from interdisciplinary research contribute to elucidating those connections existing across the boundaries of religion, history, mythology, literature, and visual culture, all of which describes broader dynamics of East Asian religion as a whole