• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.32 no.12A
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• pp.1286-1295
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• 2007

This paper proposes, based on a bandpass sampling theory, a novel method to find valid sampling frequency range and minimum sampling rate with low computational complexity for downconversion of N bandpass radio frequency(RF) signals, under application of all possible signal placements(full permutations) in a IF stage. Additionally, we have developed a complexity-reducing method to obtaine the opttimal and minimal sampling rate for supporting the user-wanted guard-band or spacing between adjacent downconverted signal spectrums. Moreover, we have verified through comparisons with other methods that the proposed methods have more advantageous properties.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.739-748
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• 2014

In this article, by using experimental studies and artificial neural network has been tried to investigate the use of nano-silica as concrete admixture to reduce alkali-silica reaction. If there are reactive aggregates and alkali of cement with enough moisture in concrete, a gel will be formed. Then with high reactivity between alkali of cement and existence of silica in aggregates, this gel will expand by absorption of water, and causes expansive pressure and cracks be formed. At the time passes, this gel will reduce both durability and strength of the concrete. By reducing the size of silicate to nano, specific surface area of particles and number of atoms on the surface will be increased, which causes more pozzolanic activity of them. Nano-silica can react with calcium hydroxide ($Ca(OH)_2$) and produces C-S-H gel. In this study, accelerated mortar bar specimens according to ASTM C 1260 and ASTM C 1567, with different mix proportions were prepared using aggregates of Kerman, such as: none admixture and plasticizer, different proportions of nano-silica separately. By opening the moulds after 24 hour and curing in water at $80^{\circ}C$ for 24 hour, then curing in (1N NaOH) at $80^{\circ}C$ for 14 days, length expansion of mortar bars were measured and compared. It was noted that, the lowest length expansion of a specimens shows the best proportion of admixture based on alkali-silica reactivity. Then, prediction of alkali-silica reaction of concrete has been investigated by using artificial neural network. In this study the backpropagation network has been used and compared with different algorithms to train network. Finally, the best amount of nano silica for adding to mix proportion, also the best algorithm and number of neurons in hidden layer of artificial neural network have been offered.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.249-259
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• 2018

This paper presents Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models for evaluating bond strength of deformed, plain and cold formed bars in low strength concrete. The ANN models were implemented using the experimental database developed by conducting experiments in three different universities on total of 138 pullout and 108 splitting specimens under monotonic loading. The key parameters examined in the experiments are low strength concrete, bar development length, concrete cover, rebar type (deformed, cold-formed, plain) and diameter. These deficient parameters are typically found in non-engineered reinforced concrete structures of developing countries. To develop ANN bond model for each bar type, four inputs (the low strength concrete, development length, concrete cover and bar diameter) are used for training the neurons in the network. Multi-Layer-Perceptron was trained according to a back-propagation algorithm. The ANN bond model for deformed bar consists of a single hidden layer and the 9 neurons. For Tor bar and plain bars the ANN models consist of 5 and 6 neurons and a single hidden layer, respectively. The developed ANN models are capable of predicting bond strength for both pull and splitting bond failure modes. The developed ANN models have higher coefficient of determination in training, validation and testing with good prediction and generalization capacity. The comparison of experimental bond strength values with the outcomes of ANN models showed good agreement. Moreover, the ANN model predictions by varying different parameters are also presented for all bar types.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.319-332
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• 2021

The performance of gene expression programming (GEP) in predicting the compressive strength of bacteria-incorporated geopolymer concrete (GPC) was examined in this study. Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), new bacterial strains, fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), metakaolin (MK), and manufactured sand were used as ingredients in the concrete mixture. For the geopolymer preparation, an 8 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution was used, and the ambient curing temperature (28℃) was maintained for all mixtures. The ratio of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) to NaOH was 2.33, and the ratio of alkaline liquid to binder was 0.35. Based on experimental data collected from the literature, an evolutionary-based algorithm (GEP) was proposed to develop new predictive models for estimating the compressive strength of GPC containing bacteria. Data were classified into training and testing sets to obtain a closed-form solution using GEP. Independent variables for the model were the constituent materials of GPC, such as FA, MK, SF, and Bacillus bacteria. A total of six GEP formulations were developed for predicting the compressive strength of bacteria-incorporated GPC obtained at 1, 3, 7, 28, 56, and 90 days of curing. 80% and 20% of the data were used for training and testing the models, respectively. R2 values in the range of 0.9747 and 0.9950 (including train and test dataset) were obtained for the concrete samples, which showed that GEP can be used to predict the compressive strength of GPC containing bacteria with minimal error. Moreover, the GEP models were in good agreement with the experimental datasets and were robust and reliable. The models developed could serve as a tool for concrete constructors using geopolymers within the framework of this research.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.151-168
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• 2024

This research aimed to appraise the effectiveness of four optimization approaches - cuckoo optimization algorithm (COA), multi-verse optimization (MVO), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) - that were enhanced with an artificial neural network (ANN) in predicting the bearing capacity of shallow foundations located on cohesionless soils. The study utilized a database of 97 laboratory experiments, with 68 experiments for training data sets and 29 for testing data sets. The ANN algorithms were optimized by adjusting various variables, such as population size and number of neurons in each hidden layer, through trial-and-error techniques. Input parameters used for analysis included width, depth, geometry, unit weight, and angle of shearing resistance. After performing sensitivity analysis, it was determined that the optimized architecture for the ANN structure was 5×5×1. The study found that all four models demonstrated exceptional prediction performance: COA-MLP, MVO-MLP, PSO-MLP, and TLBO-MLP. It is worth noting that the MVO-MLP model exhibited superior accuracy in generating network outputs for predicting measured values compared to the other models. The training data sets showed R² and RMSE values of (0.07184 and 0.9819), (0.04536 and 0.9928), (0.09194 and 0.9702), and (0.04714 and 0.9923) for COA-MLP, MVO-MLP, PSO-MLP, and TLBO-MLP methods respectively. Similarly, the testing data sets produced R² and RMSE values of (0.08126 and 0.07218), (0.07218 and 0.9814), (0.10827 and 0.95764), and (0.09886 and 0.96481) for COA-MLP, MVO-MLP, PSO-MLP, and TLBO-MLP methods respectively.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.247-265
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• 2024

Measuring the fracture toughness of concrete in laboratory settings is challenging due to various factors, such as complex sample preparation procedures, the requirement for precise instruments, potential sample failure, and the brittleness of the samples. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop innovative and more effective tools to overcome these limitations. Supervised learning methods offer promising solutions. This study introduces seven machine learning algorithms for predicting concrete's effective fracture toughness (K-eff). The models were trained using 560 datasets obtained from the central straight notched Brazilian disc (CSNBD) test. The concrete samples used in the experiments contained micro silica and powdered stone, which are commonly used additives in the construction industry. The study considered six input parameters that affect concrete's K-eff, including concrete type, sample diameter, sample thickness, crack length, force, and angle of initial crack. All the algorithms demonstrated high accuracy on both the training and testing datasets, with R² values ranging from 0.9456 to 0.9999 and root mean squared error (RMSE) values ranging from 0.000004 to 0.009287. After evaluating their performance, the gated recurrent unit (GRU) algorithm showed the highest predictive accuracy. The ranking of the applied models, from highest to lowest performance in predicting the K-eff of concrete, was as follows: GRU, LSTM, RNN, SFL, ELM, LSSVM, and GEP. In conclusion, it is recommended to use supervised learning models, specifically GRU, for precise estimation of concrete's K-eff. This approach allows engineers to save significant time and costs associated with the CSNBD test. This research contributes to the field by introducing a reliable tool for accurately predicting the K-eff of concrete, enabling efficient decision-making in various engineering applications.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.457-465
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• 2017

The Taiwanese liquid crystal display (LCD) industry has traditionally produced a huge amount of waste glass that is placed in landfills. Waste glass recycling can reduce the material costs of concrete and promote sustainable environmental protection activities. Concrete is always utilized as structural material; thus, the concrete compressive strength with a variety of mixtures must be studied using predictive models to achieve more precise results. To create an efficient waste LCD glass concrete (WLGC) design proportion, the related studies utilized a multivariable regression analysis to develop a compressive strength waste LCD glass concrete equation. The mix design proportion for waste LCD glass and the compressive strength relationship is complex and nonlinear. This results in a prediction weakness for the multivariable regression model during the initial growing phase of the compressive strength of waste LCD glass concrete. Thus, the R ratio for the predictive multivariable regression model is 0.96. Neural networks (NN) have a superior ability to handle nonlinear relationships between multiple variables by incorporating supervised learning. This study developed a multivariable prediction model for the determination of waste LCD glass concrete compressive strength by analyzing a series of laboratory test results and utilizing a neural network algorithm that was obtained in a related prior study. The current study also trained the prediction model for the compressive strength of waste LCD glass by calculating the effects of several types of factor combinations, such as the different number of input variables and the relevant filter for input variables. These types of factor combinations have been adjusted to enhance the predictive ability based on the training mechanism of the NN and the characteristics of waste LCD glass concrete. The selection priority of the input variable strategy is that evaluating relevance is better than adding dimensions for the NN prediction of the compressive strength of WLGC. The prediction ability of the model is examined using test results from the same data pool. The R ratio was determined to be approximately 0.996. Using the appropriate input variables from neural networks, the model validation results indicated that the model prediction attains greater accuracy than the multivariable regression model during the initial growing phase of compressive strength. Therefore, the neural-based predictive model for compressive strength promotes the application of waste LCD glass concrete.