• Title/Summary/Keyword: Generic use

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Radiation tolerance of a small COTS single board computer for mobile robots

  • West, Andrew;Knapp, Jordan;Lennox, Barry;Walters, Steve;Watts, Stephen
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.54 no.6
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    • pp.2198-2203
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    • 2022
  • As robotics become more sophisticated, there are a growing number of generic systems being used for routine tasks in nuclear environments to reduce risk to radiation workers. The nuclear sector has called for more commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices and components to be used in preference to nuclear specific hardware, enabling robotic operations to become more affordable, reliable, and abundant. To ensure reliable operation in nuclear environments, particularly in high-gamma facilities, it is important to quantify the tolerance of electronic systems to ionizing radiation. To deliver their full potential to end-users, mobile robots require sophisticated autonomous behaviors and sensing, which requires significant computational power. A popular choice of computing system, used in low-cost mobile robots for nuclear environments, is the UP Core single board computer. This work presents estimates of the total ionizing dose that the UP Core running the Robot Operating System (ROS) can withstand, through gamma irradiation testing using a Co-60 source. The units were found to fail on average after 111.1 ± 5.5 Gy, due to faults in the on-board power management circuitry. Its small size and reasonable radiation tolerance make it a suitable candidate for robots in nuclear environments, with scope to use shielding to enhance operational lifetime.

A MULTI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION FOR CAPITAL STRUCTURE IN PRIVATELY-FINANCED INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS

  • S.M. Yun;S.H. Han;H. Kim
    • International conference on construction engineering and project management
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    • 2007.03a
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    • pp.509-519
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    • 2007
  • Private financing is playing an increasing role in public infrastructure construction projects worldwide. However, private investors/operators are exposed to the financial risk of low profitability due to the inaccurate estimation of facility demand, operation income, maintenance costs, etc. From the operator's perspective, a sound and thorough financial feasibility study is required to establish the appropriate capital structure of a project. Operators tend to reduce the equity amount to minimize the level of risk exposure, while creditors persist to raise it, in an attempt to secure a sufficient level of financial involvement from the operators. Therefore, it is important for creditors and operators to reach an agreement for a balanced capital structure that synthetically considers both profitability and repayment capacity. This paper presents an optimal capital structure model for successful private infrastructure investment. This model finds the optimized point where the profitability is balanced with the repayment capacity, with the use of the concept of utility function and multi-objective GA (Generic Algorithm)-based optimization. A case study is presented to show the validity of the model and its verification. The research conclusions provide a proper capital structure for privately-financed infrastructure projects through a proposed multi-objective model.

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Novel Heptaplex PCR-Based Diagnostics for Enteric Fever Caused by Typhoidal Salmonella Serovars and Its Applicability in Clinical Blood Culture

  • Hyun-Joong Kim;Younsik Jung;Mi-Ju Kim;Hae-Yeong Kim
    • Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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    • v.33 no.11
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    • pp.1457-1466
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    • 2023
  • Enteric fever is caused by typhoidal Salmonella serovars (Typhi, Paratyphi A, Paratyphi B, and Paratyphi C). Owing to the importance of Salmonella serovars in clinics and public hygiene, reliable diagnostics for typhoidal serovars are crucial. This study aimed to develop a novel diagnostic tool for typhoidal Salmonella serovars and evaluate the use of human blood for clinically diagnosing enteric fever. Five genes were selected to produce specific PCR results against typhoidal Salmonella serovars based on the genes of Salmonella Typhi. Heptaplex PCR, including genetic markers of generic Salmonella, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, and typhoidal Salmonella serovars, was developed. Typhoidal Salmonella heptaplex PCR using genomic DNAs from 200 Salmonella strains (112 serovars) provided specifically amplified PCR products for each typhoidal Salmonella serovar. These results suggest that heptaplex PCR can sufficiently discriminate between typhoidal and non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars. Heptaplex PCR was applied to Salmonella-spiked blood cultures directly and provided diagnostic results after 12- or 13.5-h blood culture. Additionally, it demonstrated diagnostic performance with colonies recovered from a 6-h blood culture. This study provides a reliable DNA-based tool for diagnosing typhoidal Salmonella serovars that may be useful in clinical microbiology and epidemiology.

A Study about the Mediating Effects of Website Attitude and Trust in Continuously using the Website (웹사이트의 계속적 이용에 있어 신뢰와 태도의 매개효과 연구)

  • Lee Kook-Yong;Hyung Sung-Woo;Park Kyung-Soo
    • Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.81-104
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    • 2005
  • In the past days, most of studies about users' behavior in online environments have been mainly focused on the adoption of website and internet shopping or shopping mall. But the generic model of website usage behavior has not been made and the leading theory of website usage behavior has not been existed. The purpose of this study consists of two parts: (1) to find the determinant variables of the website users' continuous using Intention in a certain website, (2) to examine the relative influences of the variables influencing the users' behavior in online environments. The framework of this study is based on the combination of some theories - Davis(1989)'s TAM, Fishbein(1975)'s TRA, Hoffman et al.(1997), Schneiderman(2000), Yoon(2002), Lee and Turban(2001), Sultan et al.(2002), Shankar et al.(2002a, 2002b), McKnight et al.(2002), Chen and Dhillon(2003), Heijden(2003) and so on. Major findings of this research are summarized as fellows: First, determinant of website continuous using intention was affected by 1) the-attitude and 2) the trust of the website except of perceived usefulness. Second, the website attitude was affected by the perceived usefulness, design, experience, reputation. But perceived ease of use did not affect the website attitude. Third, the website trust was affected by the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, design, experience of website. But the reputation of website did not determine the trust of Website in this research model.

Human-Induced Vibrations in Buildings

  • Wesolowsky, Michael J.;Irwin, Peter A.;Galsworthy, Jon K.;Bell, Andrew K.
    • International Journal of High-Rise Buildings
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.15-19
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    • 2012
  • Occupant footfalls are often the most critical source of floor vibration on upper floors of buildings. Floor motions can degrade the performance of imaging equipment, disrupt sensitive research equipment, and cause discomfort for the occupants. It is essential that low-vibration environments be provided for functionality of sensitive spaces on floors above grade. This requires a sufficiently stiff and massive floor structure that effectively resists the forces exerted from user traffic. Over the past 25 years, generic vibration limits have been developed, which provide frequency dependent sensitivities for wide classes of equipment, and are used extensively in lab design for healthcare and research facilities. The same basis for these curves can be used to quantify acceptable limits of vibration for human comfort, depending on the intended occupancy of the space. When available, manufacturer's vibration criteria for sensitive equipment are expressed in units of acceleration, velocity or displacement and can be specified as zero-to-peak, peak-to-peak, or root-mean-square (rms) with varying frequency ranges and resolutions. Several approaches to prediction of floor vibrations are currently applied in practice. Each method is traceable to fundamental structural dynamics, differing only in the level of complexity assumed for the system response, and the required information for use as model inputs. Three commonly used models are described, as well as key features they possess that make them attractive to use for various applications. A case study is presented of a tall building which has fitness areas on two of the upper floors. The analysis predicted that the motions experienced would be within the given criteria, but showed that if the floor had been more flexible, the potential exists for a locked-in resonance response which could have been felt over large portions of the building.

Zolpidem Use and Risk of Fracture in Elderly Insomnia Patients

  • Kang, Dong-Yoon;Park, So-Young;Rhee, Chul-Woo;Kim, Ye-Jee;Choi, Nam-Kyong;Lee, Joong-Yub;Park, Byung-Joo
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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    • v.45 no.4
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    • pp.219-226
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    • 2012
  • Objectives: To evaluate the risk of fractures related with zolpidem in elderly insomnia patients. Methods: Health claims data on the entire South Korean elderly population from January 2005 to June 2006 were extracted from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service database. We applied a case-crossover design. Cases were defined as insomnia patients who had a fracture diagnosis. We set the hazard period of 1 day length prior to the fracture date and four control periods of the same length at 5, 10, 15, and 20 weeks prior to the fracture date. Time independent confounding factors such as age, gender, lifestyle, cognitive function level, mobility, socioeconomic status, residential environment, and comorbidity could be controlled using the case-crossover design. Time dependent confounding factors, especially co-medication of patients during the study period, were adjusted by conditional logistic regression analysis. The odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for the risk of fracture related to zolpidem. Results: One thousand five hundred and eight cases of fracture were detected in insomnia patients during the study period. In our data, the use of zolpidem increased the risk of fracture significantly (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.72; 95% CI, 1.37 to 2.16). However, the association between benzodiazepine hypnotics and the risk of fracture was not statistically significant (aOR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.21). Likewise, the results were not statistically significant in stratified analysis with each benzodiazepine generic subgroup. Conclusions: Zolpidem could increase the risk of fracture in elderly insomnia patients. Therefore zolpidem should be prescribed carefully and the elderly should be provided with sufficient patient education.

A Polyphonic Approach to French Proverbs and the Readings of the Combination ′Opinion Verb + Proverb′ (다성적 관점에서 본 프랑스어 속담과 ′의견동사+속담′ 구문의 해독)

  • 황경자
    • Lingua Humanitatis
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    • v.1 no.1
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    • pp.275-294
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    • 2001
  • This article aims to define the nature of proverbs from a polyphonic point of view and examine different readings of the complement involved in the combination of a proverb with a verb of personal opinion. An utterer of a proverb is not himself the author of the proverb. He may well be a 'speaker' of a proverb, but from a polyphonic view point he is not an 'enunciator' of the principle that underlies it. When we say that a speaker of a proverb is not its enunciator, we do not simply mean that he is not the author of the 'content' of the proverb he speaks: we mean that he is not the author of its 'form' either. The fact that a proverb loses its proverbial character when one paraphrases it proves that its form is not at the speaker's disposal. But a single factor cannot be held responsible for what a proverb is. As an indicator of the 'wisdom of the nation,' or vox populi, a proverb is the achievement of the 'collective enunciator.' The polyphony inherent in the proverb pits a particular speaker against a collective enunciator. This collective character of the proverb as a vox populi comes from its character as a phrasal denomination. Given that a proverb reflects a collective judgment and not a personal opinion, how do we interpret the combination of a proverb with a verb of personal opinion such as I think that ...\ulcorner Such a combination gives rise to readings at distinct levels: two types of metalinguistic reading and a reading based on the content of the proverb. The first level of reading, being applicative in nature, can be local or general, depending on the speaker's opinion as to the applicability of the proverb to a situation, particular or general. These applicative readings always involve polyphonic dissociation between the speaker and the enunciator. The second level of reading, which depends on the content of the proverb, is the result of the operation of deproverbialization, which makes the proverb lose its denominative status to preserve only its status as a generic phrase. The proverb, thus deproverbialized, looks like the series 'NP + VP.' For this reading, the speaker of the proverb takes into consideration the possibility of attributing a predicate to a nominal syntagm. Here occurs an identity between the speaker and the enunciator. It is not the case, however, that one can deproverbialize just any proverbs. In approaching to a locally typifying generic phrase, a proverb admits of being deproverbialized by an opinion verb only when its form does not render it difficult, either syntactically or metaphorically, to incorporate that proverb into the relevant combination, and when the proverb intrinsically possesses the traits that meet the conditions for the use of the opinion verb at hand. One can also maintain, based on the notion of deproverbialization, that a proverb expresses a collective judgment, a deproverbialized individual judgment.

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Technical Review on Methodology of Generating Exposure Scenario in eSDS of EU REACH (유럽 신화학물질관리제도의 eSDS에 첨부되는 노출시나리오 작성법 개발 동향)

  • Choe, Eun-Kyung;Kim, Jong-Woon;Kim, Sang-Hun;Byun, Sung-Won
    • Clean Technology
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    • v.17 no.4
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    • pp.285-299
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    • 2011
  • As one of the REACH obligations, the extended safety data sheet (eSDS) should be communicated within the supply chain under the REACH Regulation. Based on technical guidance documents published on the ECHAs website and survey of EU's recent REACH-related informations, this paper includes a study on details of how to develop exposure scenarios (ES) such as structure of ES, process of ES develpoment, standard workflows and key input data to develop ES with an introduction of eSDS concept. This paper also contains an overview on operational conditions (OCs) and risk management measures (RMMs) that are what to consider when building an ES. The structure of Chesar (Chemical Safety Assessment and Report tool) developed by European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is studied with a review of the available exposure estimation tools for workers, environment and consumers. Case example of generic exposure scenario (GES) for organic solvent is presented. To guide Korean EU-exporting companies, their participating roles in three steps of preparing ES are addressed.

A Study on the Medium Designator In Non-book Materials (비도서자료의 매체표시에 관한 연구)

  • Nam Tae Woo
    • Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science
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    • v.15
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    • pp.119-140
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    • 1988
  • This paper is the study on the Medium Designator in Non-book materials. Main contents of this study were as follows; 1. The medium designator serves to indicate the class of material to which an item belongs. This is used to give an 'early warning' ;to the catalogue user. 2. This medium designator may be further divided into two elements ; a general material designation (GMD), for example video-recording, and a specific material designation (SMD), for example, videodisc. 3. GMD: In cataloging, a term indicating the broad class of material to which a bibliographic item belongs, such as 'motion picture', and SMD : In descriptive cataloging, a term indicating the special class of material (usually the class of physical object) to which a biblographic item belongs, such as videocassette. 4. Locating the medium designator after the title proper was not prescribed until ISBD(G) and AACR2. In pre-ISBD(G) codes, the ,early, warning type of medium designator was placed after all title information. But in AACR2, the medium designator is placed after the title proper, but before parellel title and other title information. 5. In Terminology, Two separate lists of designations are given in AACR2, l.1C1, one for British and one for North American use. The British list contains fewer terms, and uses generic categories to group together some of the North American list. 6. The problem of where to place the medium designator might be circumvented by using some kind of early alerting device other than a formal element of biblliographic description. Various alternatives have been suggested. A more popular device is the provision of symbols or 'media code' which are part of the call number and indicate the porticular medium type. 'Colour-coding' the use of used by some libraries but is now longly discouraged. 7. According to Frost. The medium designatorhas been generally reeognized as serving three functions; 1) as a statement of the nature or basic format of the item cataloged and thus as a meant of informing the user as to the type of material at hand; 2) as a description of the physical charaetistics of medium and as a means of alerting the user to equipment needed to make use of the item. 3) as a device to distinguish different physical formats which share the same title. 8. AACR2 raises some problems which decision makers have neet had to face preriously It provides a GMD for every item in the collection including books and it makes the application of any or all GMD's optional.

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Study on The Customer Service of Hospitals and Clinics According to Franchised Form or Not

  • Lee, Kyung-Soo;Nam, Seok-Woo;Choi, Young-Soo
    • Journal of Korean Clinical Health Science
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    • v.2 no.2
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    • pp.148-157
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    • 2014
  • Purpose. This study compares and analyzes customer service on customer satisfaction and customer royalty on customer satisfaction targeting the customers visiting a hospital or a clinic which is franchised or not. And it aims at helping business rationalization for a medical institution. Methods. This paper conducts a survey and selects a sample of 670 customers except the missing value targeting the customers of 4 primary health care institutions and 4 bigger health care institutions in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. It conducts frequency analysis for the purpose of investigating the respondents' generic characteristic and factor of their medical institution selection, and factor analysis, reliability analysis and regression analysis for the hypothesis testing. Results. The first hypothesis testing result is significant in level of significance of 0.01. The second one is the same as the first one, but the dummy variable shows a negative regression coefficient(-0.479). The third one is significant in level of significance of 0.01, but the forth one is not significant. And the respondents prioritize website(Home page) and convenience in use of a hospital procedure for selecting a hospital or a clinic. Conclusions. The additional analysis finds that the franchised group has more satisfaction than none franchised group. But in case of their royalty, the average of franchised and none franchised groups are not significantly different. Therefore, the results of this paper reveal to support the results of the advanced researches.