• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.598-604
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• 2006

In many conventional drug delivery systems in vogue, failure to deliver efficient drug delivery at the target site/organs; is evident as a result, less efficacious pharmacological response is elicited. Microspheres can be derived a remedial measure which can improve site-specific drug delivery to a considerable extent. As an application, Lung-targeting Ofloxacin-loaded gelatin microspheres (GLOME) were prepared by water in oil emulsion method. The Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to optimize the process of preparation, the appearance and size distribution were examined by scanning electron microscopy, the aspects such as in vitro release characteristics, stability, drug loading, loading efficiency, pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution in albino mice were studied. The experimental results showed that the microspheres in the range of $0.32-22\;{\mu}m$. The drug loading and loading efficiency were 61.05 and 91.55% respectively. The in vitro release profile of the microspheres matched the korsmeyer’s peppas release pattern, and release at 1h was 42%, while for the original drug, ofloxacin under the same conditions 90.02% released in the first half an hour. After i.v. administration (15 min), the drug concentration of microspheres group in lung in albino mice was $1048\;{\mu}g/g$, while that of controlled group was $6.77\;{\mu}g/g$. GLOME found to release the drug to a maximum extent in the target tissue, lungs.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.293-304
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• 2019

The optimum cost of a reinforced concrete plane and space frames have been found by using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) method. The design procedure is subjected to many constraints controlling the designed sections (beams and columns) based on the standard specifications of the American Concrete Institute ACI Code 2011. The design variables have contained the dimensions of designed sections, reinforced steel and topology through the section. It is obtained from a predetermined database containing all the single reinforced design sections for beam and columns subjected to axial load, uniaxial or biaxial moments. The designed optimum beam sections by using GAs have been unified through MATLAB to satisfy axial, flexural, shear and torsion requirements based on the designed code. The frames' functional cost has contained the cost of concrete and reinforcement of steel in addition to the cost of the frames' formwork. The results have found that limiting the dimensions of the frame's beams with the frame's columns have increased the optimum cost of the structure by 2%, declining the re-analysis of the optimum designed structures through GA.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.217-232
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• 2019

Modular steel buildings consist of prefabricated room-sized structural units that are manufactured offsite and installed onsite. The inter-module connections must fulfill the assembly construction requirements and soundly transfer the external loads. This work proposes an innovative assembled connection suitable for modular buildings with concrete-filled steel tube columns. The connection uses pretensioned strands and plugin bars to vertically connect the adjacent modular columns. The moment-transferring performance of this inter-module connection was studied through monotonic and cyclic loading tests. The results showed that because of the assembly construction, the connected sections were separated under lateral bending, and the prestressed inter-module connection performed as a weak semirigid connection. The moment strength at the early loading stage originated primarily from the contact bonding mechanism with the infilled concrete, and the postyield strength depended mainly on the tensioned strands. The connection displayed a self-centering-like behavior that the induced deformation was reversed during unloading. The energy dissipation originated primarily from frictional slipping of the plugin bars and steel strands. The moment transferring ability was closely related to the section dimension and the arrangements of the plugin bars and steel strands. A simplified strength calculation and evaluation method was also proposed, and the effectiveness was validated with the test data.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.435-441
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• 2015

In this study, a method for optimal design of impeller and diffuser blades in the centrifugal compressor using response surface method (RSM) and multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) was evaluated. A numerical simulation was conducted using ANSYS CFX with various values of impeller and diffuser parameters, which consist of leading edge (LE) angle, trailing edge (TE) angle, and blade thickness. Each of the parameters was divided into three levels. A total of 45 design points were planned using central composite design (CCD), which is one of the design of experiment (DOE) techniques. Response surfaces that were generated on the basis of the results of DOE were used to determine the optimal shape of impeller and diffuser blade. The entire process of optimization was conducted using ANSYS Design Xplorer (DX). Through the optimization, isentropic efficiency and pressure recovery coefficient, which are the main performance parameters of the centrifugal compressor, were increased by 0.3 and 5, respectively.

• Transactions of the Korean hydrogen and new energy society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.50-60
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• 2013

High temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) using phosphoric acid (PA) doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes have been concentrated as one of solutions to the limits with traditional low temperature PEMFCs. However, the amount of reported experimental data is not enough to catch the operational characteristics correlated with cell performance and durability. In this study, design of experiments (DOE) based operational optimization method for high temperature PEMFCs has been proposed. Response surface method (RSM) is very useful to effectively analyze target system's characteristics and to optimize operating conditions for a short time. Thus RSM using central composite design (CCD) as one of methodologies for design of experiments (DOE) was adopted. For this work, the statistic models which predict the performance and degradation rate with respect to the operating conditions have been developed. The developed performance and degradation models exhibit a good agreement with experimental data. Compared to the existing arbitrary operation, the expected cell lifetime and average cell performance during whole operation could be improved by optimizing operating conditions. Furthermore, the proposed optimization method could find different new optimal solutions for operating conditions if the target lifetime of the fuel cell system is changed. It is expected that the proposed method is very useful to find optimal operating conditions and enhance performance and durability for many other types of fuel cell systems.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.541-545
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• 2006

Purpose: There are many methods for the reconstruction of the facial defect after an excision of a skin cancer; such as skin graft, local flap, free flap, etc... Skin graft has its' limitations; it could remain in different color with in regards of the recipient to donor, with an unfavorable scar. Free flap can lead to big donor site morbidity with long operation time and uncontrolled scar as a disadvantage factor. Compared to the prior, local flap offers several merits; sufficient blood supply, good tissue quality and short operation time. We revised 'V-Y-S flap' for the facial defect, which proved to have favorable outcomes. Methods: Total 7 V-Y-S flaps were performed to patients with skin cancers(six squamous cell carcinoma and one basal cell carcinoma). Two of these flaps were combined with composite grafts, one with full thickness skin graft. Six patients were female and one male. The average diameter of defects after excision was 2.3 cm. The follow-up period was 18 months maximally. Results: We treated seven facial skin cancers with 'V-Y-S flap'. There were no flap necrosis, cancer recurrence and scar contracture as a result. Furthermore, this method also offers a favorable central scar line that is parallel to the nasolabial fold and the nasojugal groove, especially in the nasolabial area and superomedial side of the cheek. With this method, we could cover a maximum diameter of 4cm facial defect. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is suggested that V-Y-S flap is a useful method to cover facial defects after the excision of a skin cancer.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.63-70
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• 2010

In this study, the response surface method and experimental design were applied as an alternative to conventional methods for the optimization of coagulation tests. A central composite design, with 4 axial points, 4 factorial points and 5 replicates at the center point were used to build a model for predicting and optimizing the coagulation process. Mathematical model equations were derived by computer simulation programming with a least squares method using the Minitab 15 software. In these equations, the removal efficiencies of turbidity and total organic carbon (TOC) were expressed as second-order functions of two factors, such as alum dose and coagulation pH. Statistical checks (ANOVA table, $R^2$ and $R^2_{adj}$ value, model lack of fit test, and p value) indicated that the model was adequate for representing the experimental data. The p values showed that the quadratic effects of alum dose and coagulation pH were highly significant. In other words, these two factors had an important impact on the turbidity and TOC of treated water. To gain a better understanding of the two variables for optimal coagulation performance, the model was presented as both 3-D response surface and 2-D contour graphs. As a compromise for the simultaneously removal of maximum amounts of 92.5% turbidity and 39.5% TOC, the optimum conditions were found with 44 mg/L alum at pH 7.6. The predicted response from the model showed close agreement with the experimental data ($R^2$ values of 90.63% and 91.43% for turbidity removal and TOC removal, respectively), which demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach in achieving good predictions, while minimizing the number of experiments required.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.39-46
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• 2017

In this paper, a model updating procedure based on the response surface method combined with the multi-objective optimization was proposed and applied for updating of the FE models representing a low-rise reinforced concrete building before and after the seismic retrofit. The dynamic properties to be matched were obtained from vibration tests using a small shaker system. By varying the structural parameters according to the central composite design, analysis results from the initial FE model using a commercial software were collected and used to produce two regression functions each of which representing the errors in the natural frequencies and mode shapes. The two functions were used as the objective functions for multi-objective optimization. Final solution was determined by examining the Pareto solutions with one iteration. The parameters representing the stiffnesses of existing concrete, masonry, connection stiffness in expansion joint, new concrete, retrofitted members with steel section jacketing were selected and identified.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.73-85
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• 2007

In this study, the experiment of solid-phase microextraction (SPME) technique using GC/FID was conducted as a possible alternative to liquid-liquid extraction for the analysis of EGBE, DGBE, DBM and TGME in water, and also, an optimization condition of trace analysis for disel oxygenates including EGBE by the design of experiment (DOE) was described. Experiments used a fractional factorial design method followed by central composite design allowing optimization of a number of factors as well as statistical analysis of the results. The response surface analysis showed that the extraction efficiency could be represented by a second-order polynomial equation in which the salts concentration, extraction temperature, extraction time and sonication time are the major influences. Using DOE method, a new datadependent method was developed to improve the quantity of confidently analyzed disel oxygenates in water samples.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.703-713
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• 2011

In this study, to minimize trial and error in the design and manufacturing processes of a high-precision large-surface micro-grooving machine which is able to fabricate the molds for 42 inch LCD light guide panels, the effects of the structural deformation of the micro-grooving machine according to the positions of the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis feed systems were examined on the tool tip displacement errors associated with the machining accuracy. The virtual prototype (finite element model) of the micro-grooving machine was constructed to include the joint stiffnesses of the hydrostatic bearings, hydrostatic guideways and linear motors, and then the tool tip displacement errors were measured from the virtual prototype. Especially, to establish the prediction model of the tool tip displacement errors, which was constructed using the positions of the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis feed systems as independent variables, the response surface method based on the central composite design was introduced. The reliability of the prediction model was verified by the fact that the tool tip displacement errors obtained from the prediction model coincided well those measured from the virtual prototype. And the causes of the tool tip displacement errors were identified through the analysis of interactions between the positions of the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis feed systems.