• Computers and Concrete
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2013

This paper presents an actual microstructure-based numerical method to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete at mesoscopic level. Digital image processing technique is used to capture the concrete surface image and generate the actual 3-phase microstructure of the concrete, which consists of aggregate, matrix and interfacial transition zones. The microstructure so generated is then transformed into a mesh or grid for numerical analysis. A finite difference code FLAC2D is used for the numerical analysis to simulate the mechanical responses and failure patterns of the concrete. Several cases of concrete with different degrees of material heterogeneity and under different compression loading conditions have been analysed. From the numerical results, the effects of the internal material heterogeneities as well as the external confining stresses are studied. It is shown that the material heterogeneities arising from the presence of different phases and the existence of interfacial transition zones have great influence on the overall mechanical behaviour of concrete and that the numerically simulated behaviour of concrete with or without confining stresses applied agrees quite well with the general observations reported in the literature.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.617-625
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• 2017

Prestress force identification (PFI) is crucial to maintain the safety of prestressed concrete bridges. A synergic identification method has been proposed recently by the authors that can determine the prestress force (PF) and the excitation force simultaneously in prestressed concrete beams with good accuracy. In this paper, the ability of this method in the application with prestressed concrete box-girder bridges is demonstrated. A reasonable assumption is made to capture the similarity of the dynamic behavior of the prestressed concrete box-girder bridge and a beam under a certain loading scenario, and the feasibility of this method for application in a prestressed box-girder bridge is affirmed. A comprehensive laboratory test program is conducted, and the effects of PF, excitation, measuring time and uncertainties are studied. Results show that the proposed method can predict the PF and the excitation force in a prestressed concrete box-girder accurately and has a great robustness against uncertainties.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.305-328
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• 1991

Pig breeding programs have been very successful in the improvement of animals by the simple expedient of focusing on a few traits of economic importance, particularly growth efficiency and leanness. Further reductions in leanness may become more difficult to achieve, due to reduced genetic variation, and less desirable, due to adverse correlated effects on meat and eating quality. Best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) of breeding values makes possible the incorporation of data from many sources and increases the value of including traits such as sow performance in the breeding objective. Advances in technology, such as electronic animal identification, electronic feeders, improved ultrasonic scanners and automated data capture at slaughter houses, increase the number of sources of information that can be included in breeding value predictions. Breeding program structures will evolve to reflect these changes and a common structure is likely to be several or many breeding farms genetically linked by A.i., with data collected on a number of traits from many sources and integrated into a single breeding value prediction using BLUP. Future developments will include the production of a porcine gene map which may make it possible to identify genes controlling economically valuable traits, such as those for litter size in the Meishan, and introgress them into nucleus populations. Genes identified from the gene map or from other sources will provide insight into the genetic basis of performance and may provide the raw material from which transgenic programs will channel additional genetic variance into nucleus populations undergoing selection.

• Journal of computational fluids engineering
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

Centrifugal pumps consume considerable amount of energy in various industrial applications. Therefore, improvement of the efficiency of these machines has become a major challenge. Cavitation is a phenomenon which decreases the pump efficiency and even causes structural demage. Hence, the goal of this paper is to investigate the cavitation problem in the single-stage and double-stage centrifugal pumps. The Volume of Fraction (VOF) method has been used for the numerical simulations together with Rayliegh-Plesset model for the gas-liquid two-phase flow inside the pump. In order to capture the turbulent phenomena, the standard k-${\varepsilon}$ turbulence model has been adopted, and the simulations have been done as unsteady cases. In addition, the motion of the rotating parts has been simulated using Multi Reference Frame(MRF) method. The results are presented and compared in terms of hydraulic head and NPSH for both the single-stage and double-stage pumps. The H-Q curves show the effects of cavitation on decreasing the pumps performances.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.663-672
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• 2018

This paper contains a consistent couple-stress theory to capture size effects in Euler-Bernoulli nano-beams made of three-directional functionally graded materials (TDFGMs). These models can degenerate into the classical models if the material length scale parameter is taken to be zero. In this theory, the couple-stress tensor is skew-symmetric and energy conjugate to the skew-symmetric part of the rotation gradients as the curvature tensor. The material properties except Poisson's ratio are assumed to be graded in all three axial, thickness and width directions, which it can vary according to an arbitrary function. The governing equations are obtained using the concept of minimum potential energy. Generalized differential quadrature method (GDQM) is used to solve the governing equations for various boundary conditions to obtain the natural frequencies of TDFG nano-beam. At the end, some numerical results are performed to investigate some effective parameter on buckling load. In this theory the couple-stress tensor is skew-symmetric and energy conjugate to the skew-symmetric part of the rotation gradients as the curvature tensor.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.125-130
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• 2006

Waves, which are the main source of ship motions in a seaway, considerably affect the performance of a ship. The study of waves and their impact on ship motions within harbors is an important aspect of the design and operation of harbors. The prediction of incoming groups of waves is particularly important for evaluating ship motion within a harbor. Such a prediction makes it possible to evaluate ship safety more accurately. The wave transformation model reported here is applied to actual ports based on Boussinesq wave equations both non-linear and dispersive wave processes be considered in order to capture physical effects such as wave shoaling, refractions, reflection and diffraction in variable depth environments. The prediction of incoming groups of waves is particularly important for evaluating ship motion within a harbor, Such a prediction makes it possible to evaluate ship safety more accurately and provide safe wave informations for navigation. Furthermore, a wave information support system is proposed for entering ships as one technique for improving the safety of ship operations. This system predicts the run of waves and reduces the danger by identifying the most dangerous point near the harbor entrance at the small wave groups.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.31 no.1B
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• pp.56-70
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• 2006

This study attempts to estimate the size of economic value that could be created by the adoption of a new internet protocol, IPv6. The existence of externality and diffusion effects in the adoption of a new platform technology makes it difficult to capture the exact costs and benefits of IPv6 adoption. Hence, this study employed multiple evaluation methods rather than relying on single method to increase the validity of results by averaging the value of different methods. Futhermore, the proposed evaluation model includes qualitative variables such as expert opinions, as well as quantitative variables, to incorporate various stakeholders' perspectives. Finally, the policy implications for IPv6 adoption and the limitations of this study are discussed.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers D
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.468-476
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• 2002

Digital images are easily corrupted by noise during the data transmission, data capture and data processing. A technical method of noise analyzing and adaptive filtering for reducing of quantum noise in medical radio-fluoroscopy images is presented. By adjusting the characteristics of the filter according to local statistics around each pixel of the image as moving windowing, it is possible to suppress noise sufficiently while preserve edge and other significant information required in diagnosis. We proposed adaptive weighed median(AWM) filters based on local statistics. We showed two ways of realizing the AWM filters. One is a simple type of AWM filter, which is constructed by Homogeneous factor(HF). Homogeneous factor(HF) from the noise models that enables the filter to recognize the local structures of the image is introduced, and an algorithm for determining the HF fitted to the diagnostic systems with various inner statistical properties is proposed. We show by the experimented that the performances of proposed method is superior to these of other filters and models in preserving small details and suppressing the noise at homogeneous region. The proposed algorithms were implemented by Visual C++ language on a IBM-PC Pentium 550 for testing purposes and the effects and results of the filter in the various levels of noise and images were proposed by comparing the values of NMSE(normalized mean square error) with the value of the other existing filtering methods.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2012

The aim of the present study was to investigate effect of running speed conditions on the kinematic pattern of the metatarsus, mid-foot, calcaneus. Twenty-two healthy young adults were made to run on treadmill at three different running speeds(normal speed, 9.2; slow speed, 7.4; fast speed, 11.1km/hr.) and the trajectories of the 10 reflective markers for each subject were recorded by an eight-camera motion capture system at 200 Hz. Three-dimensional angles for the foot segment in the support phase during running were calculated according to Euler's technique. Results showed that running speed did not affect the peak of the dorsi/plantar flexion, inversion/eversion, and adduction/abduction or their range of motion for each foot segment. However, when the running speed was fast, significant differences were found in the peak of the plantar flexion, eversion, and adduction and ROM(range of motion) of the dorsi/plantar flexion, inversion/eversion, and adduction/abduction between the foot segments, metatarsus, mid-foot, and calcaneus. It was proposed that the foot segment should be analyzed from a multi-segment system point of view on the basis of anatomical reference during locomotion.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.181-184
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• 2014

The aim of the present study was to examine whether motor imagery (MI) practice in conjunction with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to stroke patients could improve theirgait ability. This study was conducted with 29 subjects diagnosed with hemiparesis due to stroke.The experimental group consisted of 15 members who were performed MI practice in conjunction with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, while the control group consisted of 14 members who were performed MI practice and sham therapy. Both groups received traditional physical therapy for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for 6 weeks; additionally, they received mental practice for 15 minutes. The experimental group was instructed to perform rTMS and the control group was instructed to apply sham stimulation for 15 minutes. Gait analysis was performed using a three-dimensional motion capture system, which is a real-time tracking device that delivers data via infrared reflective markers using six cameras. Results showed that the velocity, step length, and cadence of both groups were significantly improved after the practice (p<0.05). Significant differences were found between the groups in velocity and cadence (p<0.05) as well as with respect to the change rate (p<0.05) after practice. The results showed that MI practice in conjunction with rTMS is more effective in improving gait ability than MI practice alone.