• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.60-68
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• 2022

In this study, we developed and validated a sensitive analytical method to quantify baphicacanthin A in mouse plasma using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The standard calibration curves for baphicacanthin A ranged from 0.5 to 200 ng/mL and were linear, with an r² of 0.985. The inter- and intra-day accuracy and precision and the stability fell within the acceptance criteria. Besides, we investigated the pharmacokinetics of baphicacanthin A following its intravenous (5 mg/kg) and oral administration (30 mg/kg). Intravenously injected baphicacanthin A showed biphasic elimination kinetics with high clearance and volume of distribution values. Furthermore, baphicacanthin A showed a rapid absorption but low aqueous solubility (182.51±0.20 mg/mL), resulting in low plasma concentrations and low oral bioavailability (2.49 %). Thus, we successfully documented the pharmacokinetic properties of baphicacanthin A using this newly developed sensitive LC-MS/MS quantification method, which could be used in future lead optimization and biopharmaceutic studies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.85 no.6
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• pp.765-780
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• 2023

In this work, a novel combined logarithmic, secant and tangential 2D and quasi-3D refined higher order shear deformation theory is proposed to examine the buckling analysis of simply supported uniform functionally graded plates under uniaxial and biaxial loading. The proposed formulations contain a reduced number of variables compared to others similar solutions. The combined function employed in this study ensures automatically the zero-transverse shear stresses at the free surfaces of the structure. Various models of the material distributions are considered (linear, quadratic, cubic inverse quadratic and power-law). The differentials stability equations are derived via virtual work principle with including the stretching effect. The Navier's approach is applied to solve the governing equations which satisfying the boundary conditions. Several comparative and parametric studies are performed to illustrates the validity and efficacity of the proposed model and the various factors influencing the critical buckling load of thick FG plate.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.9
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• pp.3383-3387
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• 2023

A new dyed polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film dosimeter based on 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MMT) tetrazolium dye is proposed in this study for measuring high gamma radiation dose. Gamma cell irradiator that contains Co-60 gamma-ray source was used to expose the novel MMT-PVA films to different doses up to 25 kGy. The changed in optical property of irradiated and unirradiated films were characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results show that the dose sensitive and the linear range of irradiated films were increased considerably with increase of MMT concentration from 1 to 5 mM. The dose response of dyed PVA film changed substantially with changing relative humidity (12-74%) as well as irradiation temperature (10-40 ℃). The absorbance of the unirradiated films does not change up to 10 days in dark while a significant increase in their absorbance was reported for similar films under fluorescent light. The irradiated dosimeters that kept in dark showed a perfect stability for 54 days. It was found that no obvious impact of dose rate on the irradiated MMT-PVA film dosimeters.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.437-454
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• 2023

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS), which has the advantages of a substructure pseudo-dynamic test, is widely used to investigate the rate-dependent mechanical response of structures under earthquake excitation. However, time delay in RTHS can cause inaccurate results and experimental instabilities. Thus, this study proposes a model-based adaptive control strategy using a Kalman filter (KF) to minimize the time delay and improve RTHS stability and accuracy. In this method, the adaptive control strategy consists of three parts-a feedforward controller based on the discrete inverse model of a servohydraulic actuator and physical specimen, a parameter estimator using the KF, and a feedback controller. The KF with the feedforward controller can significantly reduce the variable time delay due to its fast convergence and high sensitivity to the error between the desired displacement and the measured one. The feedback control can remedy the residual time delay and minimize the method's dependence on the inverse model, thereby improving the robustness of the proposed control method. The tracking performance and parametric studies are conducted using the benchmark problem in RTHS. The results reveal that better tracking performance can be obtained, and the KF's initial settings have limited influence on the proposed strategy. Virtual RTHSs are conducted with linear and nonlinear physical substructures, respectively, and the results indicate brilliant tracking performance and superb robustness of the proposed method.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.63-86
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• 2022

A refined projection-based purely Lagrangian meshfree method is presented towards reliable numerical analysis of fluid flow interactions with saturated/unsaturated porous media of uniform/spatially-varying porosities. The governing equations are reformulated on the basis of two-phase mixture theory with incorporation of volume fraction. These principal equations of mixture are discretized in the context of Incompressible SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) method. Associated with the consideration of governing equations of mixture, a new term arises in the source term of PPE (Poisson Pressure Equation), resulting in modified source term. The linear and nonlinear force terms are included in momentum equation to represent the resistance from porous media. Volume increase of fluid particles are taken into consideration on account of the presence of porous media, and hence multi-resolution ISPH framework is also incorporated. The stability and accuracy of the proposed method are thoroughly examined by reproducing several numerical examples including the interactions between fluid flow and saturated/unsaturated porous media of uniform/spatially-varying porosities. The method shows continuous pressure field, smooth variations of particle volumes and regular distributions of particles at the interface between fluid and porous media.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.55.2-55.2
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• 2019

The firehose instability is driven by a pressure anisotropy in a magnetized plasma when the temperature along the magnetic field is higher than the perpendicular temperature. Such condition occurs commonly in astrophysical and space environments, for instance, when there are beams aligned with the background magnetic field. Recently, it was argued that, in weak quasi-perpendicular shocks in the high-β intracluster medium (ICM), shock-reflected electrons propagating upstream cause the temperature anisotropy. This electron temperature anisotropy can trigger the electron firehose instability (EFI), which excites oblique waves in the shock foot. Scattering of electrons by these waves enables multiple cycles of shock drift acceleration (SDA) in the preshock region, leading to the electron injection to diffusive shock acceleration (DSA). In the study, the kinetic properties of the EFI are examined by the linear stability analysis based on the kinetic Vlasov-Maxwell theory and then further investigated by 2D Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations, especially focusing on those in high-β (β~100) plasmas. We then discuss the basic properties of the firehose instability, and the implication of our work on electron acceleration in ICM shock.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.52.2-52.2
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• 2020

At quasi-perpendicular shocks in the high-�� (��=Pgas/Pmag~100) intracluster medium (ICM), various microinstabilities occur by the temperature anisotropies and/or drift motions of plasma. In the downstream, the Alfvén ion cyclotron instability (AIC) due to the ion temperature anisotropy (Ti⊥>Ti║) is triggered by shock-reflected ions, the whistler instability (WI) is driven by the electron temperature anisotropy (Te⊥>Te║) as a consequence of the shock compression of magnetic fields, and the mirror instability is generated due to the ion and/or electron temperature anisotropy. At the shock foot, the modified two stream instability (MTSI) is possibly excited by the cross-field drift between ions and electrons. In the upstream, electron firehose instability (EFI) is driven by the electron temperature anisotropy or the relative drift between incoming and reflected electrons. These microinstabilities play important roles in the particle acceleration in ICM shocks, so understanding of the microinstabilities and the resultant plasma waves is essential. In this study, based on a linear stability analysis, the basic properties of the microinstabilities in ICM shocks and the ion/electron scale fluctuations are described. We then discuss the implication of our work on the electron pre-acceleration in ICM shocks.

• Advances in Energy Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.41-57
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• 2022

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) based on solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) have gained an immense recognition in the present world due to their unique properties. This study is about preparing and characterizing EDLCs using a natural rubber (NR) based SPE with natural graphite (NG) electrodes. NR electrolyte was consisted with 49% methyl grafted natural rubber (MG49) and zinc trifluoromethanesulfonate ((Zn(CF₃SO₃)₂-ZnTF). It was characterized using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) test, dc polarization test and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) test. NG electrodes were made using a slurry of NG and acetone. EIS test, cyclic voltammetry (CV) test and galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) test have been done to characterize the EDLC. Optimized electrolyte composition with NR: 0.6 ZnTF (weight basis) exhibited a conductivity of 0.6 x 10^-4 Scm^-1 at room temperature. Conductivity was predominantly due to ions. The electrochemical stability window was found to be from 0.25 V to 2.500 V. Electrolyte was sandwiched between two identical NG electrodes to fabricate an EDLC. Single electrode specific capacitance was about 2.26 Fg^-1 whereas the single electrode discharge capacitance was about 1.17 Fg^-1. The EDLC with this novel NR-ZnTF based SPE evidences its suitability to be used for different applications with further improvement.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.269-282
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• 2023

This study investigates a rocking seismic isolation (RSI) system as a seismic protection measure against narrow-band ground-motions generated by earthquakes. Structures supported over RSIs are considered capable of reducing the lateral demands and damage of the main structural system through lifting and rocking. This lifting and rocking during earthquake activity is provided by free-standing columns. A single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system supported on a RSI system is subjected to narrow-band seismic motions and its response is compared to an analog system without RSI. The comparison is then extended to reinforced concrete linear frames with and without RSI; three-bay frames with 11 and 17 storeys are considered. It is found that the RSI systems significantly reduce acceleration and displacement demands in the main structural frames, more noticeably if the first structural mode dominates the response and for ratios of the predominant frequency of the ground motion to the predominant frequency of the main frame near one. It is also found that the RSI system is more effective in reducing lateral accelerations and displacements of the main structure when the aspect ratio, b/h, and size, R, of the free-standing columns decrease, although the rocking stability of the RSI system is also reduced.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.53-63
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• 2024

Submerged breakwaters can be installed underneath floating structures to reduce the external wave loads acting on the structure. The objective of this study was to establish an optimization analysis framework to determine the corresponding shape and position of the submerged breakwater that can minimize or maximize the external forces acting on the floating structure. A two-dimensional frequency-domain boundary element method (FD-BEM) based on the linear potential theory was developed to perform the hydrodynamic analysis. A metaheuristic algorithm, the advanced particle swarm optimization, was newly coupled to the FD-BEM to perform the optimization analysis. The optimization analysis process was performed by calling FD-BEM for each generation, performing a numerical analysis of the design variables of each particle, and updating the design variables using the collected results. The results of the optimization analysis showed that the height of the submerged breakwater has a significant effect on the surface piercing body and that there is a specific area and position with an optimal value. In this study, the optimal values of the shape and position of a single submerged breakwater were determined and analyzed so that the external force acting on a surface piercing body was minimum or maximum.