• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.61-70
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• 2020

Background: This study aims to assess whether the TSI PortaCount (Model 8020) is a measuring instrument comparable with the flame photometer. This would provide an indication for the suitability of the PortaCount for determining the workplace protection factor for particulate filtering facepiece respirators. Methods: The PortaCount (with and without the N95-Companion^TM) was compared with a stationary flame photometer from Moores (Wallisdown) Ltd (Type 1100), which is a measuring instrument used in the procedure for determining the total inward leakage of the particulate filtering facepiece respirator in the European Standard. Penetration levels of sodium chloride aerosol through sample respirators of two brands (A and B) were determined by the two measuring systems under laboratory conditions. For each brand, thirty-six measurements were conducted. The samples were split into groups according to their protection level, conditioning before testing, and aerosol concentration. The relationship between the gauged data from two measuring systems was determined. In addition, the particle size distribution inside the respirator and outside the respirator was documented. Linear regression analysis was used to calculate the association between the PortaCount (with and without the N95-Companion^TM) and the flame photometer. Results: A linear relationship was found between the raw data scaled with the PortaCount (without N95-Companion^TM) and the data detected by the flame photometer (R² = 0.9704) under all test conditions. The distribution of particle size was found to be the same inside and outside the respirator in almost all cases. Conclusion: Based on the obtained data, the PortaCount may be applicable for the determination of workplace protection factor.

• 한국지반공학회논문집
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• 제21권5호
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• pp.207-214
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• 2005

말뚝 두부에서 응력파를 발생시키고 반사신호를 감지하여 말뚝의 건전도를 평가하는 충격반향기법은 말뚝 내 결함 및 주변 지반과의 상호 강성비에 따라 신호 특성이 달라질 수 있다. 실내모형실험과 수치해석만으론는 실제 지반의 복잡한 지층조건을 고려하여 지반-말뚝 간치 상호작용을 모사하기가 어려우므로, 현장시험이 필수적이라 할 수 있다. 이 연구에서는 암반층에 근입되는 현장타설말뚝의 건전도 검사를 위한 말뚝 내 신호 특성 분석을 위하여 인위적인 결함을 가진 실규모 모형 말뚝을 현장 지반에 시공하고, 결함의 종류 및 말뚝과 주변 지반의 강성비에 따른 충격반향 기법의 신호 특성을 분석하였다.

• 생물정신의학
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.218-225
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• 2010

Objectives : The potential association between choline acetyltransferase(CHAT) polymorphism and the risk of mild cognitive impairment(MCI) has not been investigated in Korea. We examined the main effect of CHAT polymorphism and its interaction with apolipoprotein E(APOE) polymorphism in the development of MCI in elderly Korean sample. Methods : We analyzed CHAT 2384G > A polymorphism and APOE polymorphism among 149 MCI subjects with MCI and 298 normal controls. We tested the association between MCI and CHAT A allele status using a logistic regression model. In addition, we employed generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction(GMDR) to investigate the interaction between CHAT and APOE with regard to the risk of MCI. Results : The CHAT A allele was associated with AD risk(OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.02-2.48, p = 0.042). No significant gene-gene interaction between CHAT and APOE was found in GMDR method(testing balanced accuracy = 0.540, p = 0.055). Conclusion : The CHAT A allele was associated with MCI risk in the Korean elderly. Its interaction with the APOE ${\varepsilon}4$ allele was not significant with regard to the development of MCI.

• 반도체디스플레이기술학회지
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.43-49
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• 2011

In this study, the dynamic characteristics of an air spring connected with an external chamber through a flexible tube are examined. The uncoupled dynamic parameters of the air spring are identified through experiments, followed by the suggestion of a model-based approach to obtain the remaining coupled dynamic parameters using the various frequency response functions derived in PART I paper [1]. To improve or control the damping characteristics of the air spring, this vibration isolation air spring system is physically established in laboratory scale. And we attempt to identify various parameters used to describe to air spring system by both theoretically [1] and experimentally, which is performed in this report. The damping parameter of the tube system is identified through experiments on the system incorporated with the air cylinder, and a nonlinear regression procedure is employed to find solutions. The resulting value is used to expect the frequency response function of dynamic pressure in the top chamber (air spring) with respect to that in the bottom chamber (external chamber). Comparison with the experimental data supports the validity of the present estimation procedures. Also, the dynamic mechanism of the damping effects particularly in a low frequency range is investigated through this experimental endeavor.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• 제13권6호
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• pp.351-360
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• 2021

PURPOSE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of occlusal and interproximal adjustments of single implant crowns (SIC), comparing a digital cast-free approach (CF) and a protocol using 3D printed casts (PC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. A titanium implant was inserted at position of lower right first molar in a typodont. The implant position was scanned using an intraoral scanner and SICs were fabricated accordingly. Ten crowns (CF; n = 10) were subject to a digital cast-free workflow without any labside occlusal and interproximal modifications. Ten other identical crowns (PC) were adjusted to 3D printed casts before delivery. All crowns were then adapted to the testing model, simulating chair-side adjustments during clinical placement. Adjustment time, quantity of adjustments, and contact relationship were assessed. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (P < .05). RESULTS. Median and interquartile range (IQR) of clinical adjustment time was 02:44 (IQR 00:45) minutes in group CF and 01:46 (IQR 00:21) minutes in group PC. Laboratory and clinical adjustment time in group PC was 04:25 (IQR 00:59) minutes in total. Mean and standard deviation (±SD) of root mean squared error (RMSE) of quantity of clinical adjustments was 45 ± 7 ㎛ in group CF and 34 ± 6 ㎛ in group PC. RMSE of total adjustments was 61 ± 11 ㎛ in group PC. Quality of occlusal contacts was better in group CF. CONCLUSION. Time effort for clinical adjustments was higher in the cast-free protocol, whereas quantity of modifications was lower, and the occlusal contact relationship was found more favourable.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제81권3호
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• pp.349-365
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• 2022

Steel fibre-reinforced concrete (SFRC) is an emerging class of composite for construction. However, a reliable method to assess the flexural behaviour of SFRC structural member is in lack. An analytical technique is proposed for determining the moment-curvature response of concrete beams reinforced with steel fibres and longitudinal bars (R/SFRC members). The behaviour of the tensile zone of such members is highly complex due to the interaction between the residual (tension softening) stresses of SFRC and the tension stiffening stresses. The current study suggests a transparent and mechanically sound method to combine these two stress concepts. Tension stiffening is modelled by the reinforcement-related approach assuming that the corresponding stresses act in the area of tensile reinforcement. The effect is quantified based on the analogy between the R/SFRC member and the equivalent RC member having identical geometry and materials except fibres. It is assumed that the resultant tension stiffening force for the R/SFRC member can be calculated as for the equivalent RC member providing that the reinforcement strain in the cracked section of these members is the same. The resultant tension stiffening force can be defined from the moment-curvature relation of the equivalent RC member using an inverse technique. The residual stress is calculated using an existing model that eliminates the need for dedicated mechanical testing. The proposed analytical technique was validated against test data of R/SFRC beams and slabs.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제28권6호
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• pp.599-611
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• 2022

Tendon reinforced cemented soil is applied extensively in foundation stabilisation and improvement, especially in areas with soft clay. To solve the deterioration problem led by steel corrosion, the glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) tendon is introduced to substitute the traditional steel tendon. The interface bond strength between the cemented soil matrix and GFRP tendon demonstrates the outstanding mechanical property of this composite. However, the lack of research between the influence factors and bond strength hinders the application. To evaluate these factors, back propagation neural network (BPNN) is applied to predict the relationship between them and bond strength. Since adjusting BPNN parameters is time-consuming and laborious, the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm is proposed. This study evaluated the influence of water content, cement content, curing time, and slip distance on the bond performance of GFRP tendon-reinforced cemented soils (GTRCS). The results showed that the ultimate and residual bond strengths were both in positive proportion to cement content and negative to water content. The sample cured for 28 days with 30% water content and 50% cement content had the largest ultimate strength (3879.40 kPa). The PSO-BPNN model was tuned with 3 neurons in the input layer, 10 in the hidden layer, and 1 in the output layer. It showed outstanding performance on a large database comprising 405 testing results. Its higher correlation coefficient (0.908) and lower root-mean-square error (239.11 kPa) were obtained compared to multiple linear regression (MLR) and logistic regression (LR). In addition, a sensitivity analysis was applied to acquire the ranking of the input variables. The results illustrated that the cement content performed the strongest influence on bond strength, followed by the water content and slip displacement.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제87권3호
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• pp.221-229
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• 2023

Urbanization and industrialization have significantly increased the amount of solid waste produced in recent decades, posing considerable disposal problems and environmental burdens. The practice of waste utilization in concrete has gained popularity among construction practitioners and researchers for the efficient use of resources and the transition to the circular economy in construction. This study employed Lytag aggregate, an environmentally friendly pulverized fuel ash-based lightweight aggregate, as a substitute for natural coarse aggregate. At the same time, fly ash, an industrial by-product, was used as a partial substitute for cement. Concrete mix M20 was experimented with using fly ash and Lytag lightweight aggregate. The percentages of fly ash that make up the replacements were 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%. The Compressive Strength (CS), Split Tensile Strength (STS), and deflection were discovered at these percentages after 56 days of testing. The concrete cube, cylinder, and beam specimens were examined in the explorations, as mentioned earlier. The results indicate that a 10% substitution of cement with fly ash and a replacement of coarse aggregate with Lytag lightweight aggregate produced concrete that performed well in terms of mechanical properties and deflection. The cementitious composites have varying characteristics as the environment changes. Therefore, understanding their mechanical properties are crucial for safety reasons. CS, STS, and deflection are the essential property of concrete. Machine learning (ML) approaches have been necessary to predict the CS of concrete. The Artificial Fish Swarm Optimization (AFSO), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Harmony Search (HS) algorithms were investigated for the prediction of outcomes. This work deftly explains the tremendous AFSO technique, which achieves the precise ideal values of the weights in the model to crown the mathematical modeling technique. This has been proved by the minimum, maximum, and sample median, and the first and third quartiles were used as the basis for a boxplot through the standardized method of showing the dataset. It graphically displays the quantitative value distribution of a field. The correlation matrix and confidence interval were represented graphically using the corrupt method.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.8-16
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• 2024

This study conducts numerical modeling and eigen-analysis of a rod-fastened rotor, which is mainly used in aircraft gas turbine engines in which multiple disks are in contact through curvic coupling. Nayak's theory is adopted to calculate surface parameters measured from the tooth profile of the curvic coupling gear. Surface parameters are important design parameters for predicting the stiffness between contact surfaces. Based on the calculated surface parameters, elastoplastic contact analysis is performed according to the interference between two surfaces based on the Greenwood-Williamson model. The equivalent bending stiffness is predicted based on the shape and elastoplastic contact stiffness of the curvic coupling. An equation of motion of the rod-fastened rotor, including the bending stiffness of the curvic coupling, is developed. Methods for applying the bending stiffness of a curvic coupling to the equation of motion and for modeling the equation of motion of a rotor that includes both inner and outer rotors are introduced. Rotordynamic analysis is performed through one-dimensional finite element analysis, and each element is modeled based on Timoshenko beam theory. Changes in bending stiffness and the resultant critical speed change in accordance with the rod fastening force are predicted, and the corresponding mode shapes are analyzed.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.33-48
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• 2024

This paper presents the detailed experimental and analytical investigation on the evolution of static (E_s) and dynamic modulus of elasticity (E_d) of concrete having 0%, 35%, and 50% FA used as partial cement replacement. Destructive and non-destructive tests were conducted on cylindrical specimens to evaluate the compressive strength and MoE of concrete in compression at the age of 28, 56, 90, and 150 days for all mixes. Experimental results show that the concrete having 35% FA achieved compressive strength and MoE similar to plain concrete at the age of 90 days, while 50% FA concrete attained satisfactory compressive strength and MoE at the age of 150 days. The comprehensive statistical analysis has been carried out in two ways on the basis of the experimental results. Firstly, the 28-day crushing strength of plain concrete in compression was used to design the models for the prediction of E_s and E_d of fly ash concrete at any age and percentage replacement of FA. Secondly, using the values of UPV and RHN, models have been developed to predict the age or time-dependent E_s and E_d of fly ash concrete. These models will be helpful in assessing the E_s and E_d of fly ash concrete without knowing the 28-day crushing strength of plain concrete in compression in the laboratory. Hence, the suggested models in the present study will be beneficial in conducting the health assessment of fly ash based concrete structures.