• Carbon letters
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• v.24
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• pp.62-72
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• 2017

The aim of this work was to evaluate the dielectric properties of impregnated and activated palm kernel shells (PKSs) samples using two activating agents, potassium carbonate ($K_2CO_3$) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH), at three impregnation ratios. The materials were characterized by moisture content, carbon content, ash content, thermal profile and functional groups. The dielectric properties were examined using an open-ended coaxial probe method at various microwave frequencies (1-6 GHz) and temperatures (25, 35, and $45^{\circ}C$). The results show that the dielectric properties varied with frequency, temperature, moisture content, carbon content and mass ratio of the ionic solids. PKSK1.75 (PKS impregnated with $K_2CO_3$ at a mass ratio of 1.75) and PKSN1.5 (PKS impregnated with NaOH at a mass ratio of 1.5) exhibited a high loss tangent ($tan{\delta}$) indicating the effectiveness of these materials to be heated by microwaves. $K_2CO_3$ and NaOH can act as a microwave absorber to enhance the efficiency of microwave heating for low loss PKSs. Materials with a high moisture content exhibit a high loss tangent but low penetration depth. The interplay of multiple operating frequencies is suggested to promote better microwave heating by considering the changes in the materials characteristics.

• Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.385-397
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• 2016

Scaffolds are essential in bone tissue engineering, as they provide support to cells and growth factors necessary to regenerate tissue. In addition, they meet the mechanical function of the bone while it regenerates. Currently, the multiple methods for designing and manufacturing scaffolds are based on regular structures from a unit cell that repeats in a given domain. However, these methods do not resemble the actual structure of the trabecular bone which may work against osseous tissue regeneration. To explore the design of porous structures with similar mechanical properties to native bone, a geometric generation scheme from a reaction-diffusion model and its manufacturing via a material jetting system is proposed. This article presents the methodology used, the geometric characteristics and the modulus of elasticity of the scaffolds designed and manufactured. The method proposed shows its potential to generate structures that allow to control the basic scaffold properties for bone tissue engineering such as the width of the channels and porosity. The mechanical properties of our scaffolds are similar to trabecular tissue present in vertebrae and tibia bones. Tests on the manufactured scaffolds show that it is necessary to consider the orientation of the object relative to the printing system because the channel geometry, mechanical properties and roughness are heavily influenced by the position of the surface analyzed with respect to the printing axis. A possible line for future work may be the establishment of a set of guidelines to consider the effects of manufacturing processes in designing stages.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.354-364
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• 2012

In order to evaluate the physical properties of rock which might serve as a database for both mining and civil works, a lot of laboratory tests for Jecheon limestones were conducted to find unit weight, absorption ratio, porosity, elastic wave velocity, uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, poisson's ratio, tensile strength, shore hardness, friction angle and cohesion. On investigation of the mechanical properties of both the gray limestone and the clayey limestone distributed in the studied region, the clayey limestone turned out to have more weak mechanical properties which might come from low unit weight, high absorption ratio and high porosity of rocks. The failure criteria of Jecheon limestones were discussed by means of both Mohr-Coulomb criterion and Hoek-Brown criterion. Regression analyses of the physical properties obtained from a lot of laboratory tests were also conducted by means of both linear and multiple regression analyses.

• Proceedings of the Korea Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry Conference
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• 2006.06b
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• pp.271-278
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• 2006

We used polymers of alternating cationic and anionic nature to build up shells on fiber surfaces, strengthen the worn-out fibers and improve paper properties made from such fibers. OCC and ONP pulps were either dipped or salted out in the cationic polyallylamine, polyacrylamide and starch solutions. After centrifugal drying, these were followed by treatments in anionic polyacrylic acid, poly-acrylamide, and starch solutions, respectively. The shell-enhanced fibers were formed into handsheets and their physical properties evaluated. The results show that building multiple shells on worn-out fiber surfaces can strengthen the fibers and paper. The simpler and more practical impregnation-centrifuging treatment provided the desired effects, whereas salting out the polymers produced somewhat superior fibers. The latter process, were impractical, however. The first pair of polymeric shells imparted marked strength improvement, whereas later layers had diminishing efficacies. Overall, the methods can improve fiber quality, attaining paper strength requirements without resorting to expensive measures. Alternate cationic polymer and filler powders were also deposited on fiber surface based on the micriparticle system in an anticipation of stiffness gains. Platy minerals, such as montmorillonite, bentonite, sericite, clay and talc were added following cationic PAM. After dewatering of polymer-pigment shelled fiber of one to 3 pairs of layers, handsheets either calendered or uncalendered were evaluated. The results indicate that regardless of calendaring, stiffness of the handsheets did not improve appreciably while certain other strength properties showed gains. We also attempted the novel starch gel filler addition method wherein tapioca starch and filers (PCC, sericite or clay) were mixed at high solids content of 50% and cooked until gelatinized. The filled handsheets were dried under various conditions and then tested for their properties. Improvements in strengths of modified filled paper were observed.

• Journal of the Korean institute of surface engineering
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.53-61
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• 2021

The properties of tetrahedral amorphous Carbon (ta-C) film can be determined by multiple parameters and comprehensive effects of those parameters during a deposition process with filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA). In this study, Taguchi method was adopted to design the optimized FCVA deposition process of ta-C for improving deposition efficiency and mechanical properties of the deposited ta-C thin film. The influence and contribution of variables, such as arc current, substrate bias voltage, frequency, and duty cycle, on the properties of ta-C were investigated in terms of deposition efficiency and mechanical properties. It was revealed that the deposition rate was linearly increased following the increasing arc current (around 10 nm/min @ 60 A and 17 nm/min @ 100A). The hardness and I_D/I_G showed a correlation with substrate bias voltage (over 30 GPa @ 50 V and under 30 GPa @ 250 V). The scratch tests were conducted to specify the effect of each parameter on the resistance to plastic deformation of films. The analysis on variances showed that the arc current and substrate bias voltage were the most effective controlling parameters influencing properties of ta-C films. The optimized parameters were extracted for the target applications in various industrial fields.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.449-455
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• 2011

The luminescence properties of $In_{0.5}Ga_{0.5}As/In_{0.5}Al_{0.5}As$ multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown on $In_{0.4}Al_{0.6}As$ buffer layer have been investigated by using photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL measurements. A 1-${\mu}m$-thick $In_{0.4}Al_{0.6}As$ buffer layers were deposited at various temperatures from $320^{\circ}C$ to $580^{\circ}C$ on a 500-nm-thick GaAs layer, and then 1-${\mu}m$-thick $In_{0.5}Al_{0.5}As$ layers were deposited at $480^{\circ}C$, followed by the deposition of the InGaAs/InAlAs MQWs. In order to study the effects of $In_{0.4}Al_{0.6}As$ layer on the optical properties of the MQWs, four different temperature sequences are used for the growth of $In_{0.4}Al_{0.6}As$ buffer layer. The MQWs consist of three $In_{0.5}Al_{0.5}As$ wells with different well thicknesses (2.5-nm, 4.0-nm, and 6.0-nm-thick) and 10-nm-thick $In_{0.5}Al_{0.5}As$ barriers. The PL peaks from 4-nm QW and 6-nm QW were observed. However, for the MQWs on the $In_{0.4}Al_{0.6}As$ layer grown by using the largest growth temperature variation (320-$580^{\circ}C$), the PL spectrum only showed a PL peak from 6-nm QW. The carrier decay times in the 4-nm QW and 6-nm QW were measured from the emission wavelength dependence of PL decay. These results indicated that the growth temperatures of $In_{0.4}Al_{0.6}As$ layer affect the optical properties of the MQWs.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.221-237
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• 2005

For developing the site-specific fertilizer management strategies of crop, it is essential to know the spatial variability of soil factors and to assess their influence on the variability of crop growth and yield. In 2002 and 2003 cropping seasons within-field spatial variability of rice growth and yield was examined in relation to spatial variation of soil properties in the· two paddy fields having each area of ca. $6,600m^2$ in Suwon, Korea. The fields were managed without fertilizer or with uniform application of N, P, and K fertilizer under direct-seeded and transplanted rice. Stable soil properties such as content of clay (Clay), total nitrogen (TN), organic mater (OM), silica (Si), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and rice growth and yield were measured in each grid of $10\times10m$. The two fields showed quite similar spatial variation in soil properties, showing the smallest coefficient of variation (CV) in Clay $(7.6\%)$ and the largest in Si $(21.4\%)$. The CV of plant growth parameters measured at panicle initiation (PIS) and heading stage (HD) ranged from 6 to $38\%$, and that of rice yield ranged from 11 to $21\%$. CEC, OM, TN, and available Si showed significant correlations with rice growth and yield. Multiple linear regression model with stepwise procedure selected independent variables of N fertilizer level, climate condition and soil properties, explaining as much as $76\%$ of yield variability, of which $21.6\%$ is ascribed to soil properties. Among the soil properties, the most important soil factors causing yield spatial variability was OM, followed by Si, TN, and CEC. Boundary line response of rice yield to soil properties was represented well by Mitcherich equation (negative exponential equation) that was used to quantify the influence of soil properties on rice yield, and then the Law of the Minimum was used to identify the soil limiting factor for each grid. This boundary line approach using five stable soil properties as limiting factor explained an average of about $50\%$ of the spatial yield variability. Although the determination coefficient was not very high, an advantage of the method was that it identified clearly which soil parameter was yield limiting factor and where it was distributed in the field.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.693-699
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• 2001

An intracellular levansucrase gene, lscR from Rahnella aquatilis ATCC 15552, was cloned and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this gene revealed a 1,238 bp open reading frame coding for a protein of 415 amino acids. The levansucrase was expressed by using a T7 promoter in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the enzyme activity was detected in the cytoplasmic fraction. The optimum pH and temperature of this enzyme for levan formation was pH 6 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. The deduced amino acid sequence of the lscR gene showed a high sequence similarity (59-89%) with Gram-negative levansucrses, while the level of similarity with Gram-positive enzymes was less than 42%. Multiple alignments of levansucrase sequences reported from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria revealed seven conserved regions. A comparison of the catalytic properties and deduced amino acid sequence of lscR with those of other bacterial levansucrases strongly suggest that Gram-negative and Gram-positive levansucrases have an overall different structure, but they have a similar structure at the active site.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.1107-1132
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• 2015

A damage detection algorithm based on neuro fuzzy hybrid system is presented in this study for location and severity predictions of cracks in beam-like structures. A combination of eigenfrequencies and rotation deviation curves are utilized as input to the soft computing technique. Both single and multiple damage cases are considered. Theoretical expressions leading to modal properties of damaged beam elements are provided. The beam formulation is based on Euler-Bernoulli theory. The cracked section of beam is simulated employing discrete spring model whose compliance is computed from stress intensity factors of fracture mechanics. A hybrid neuro fuzzy technique is utilized to solve the inverse problem of crack identification. Two different neuro fuzzy systems including grid partitioning (GP) and subtractive clustering (SC) are investigated for the highlighted problem. Several error metrics are utilized for evaluating the accuracy of the hybrid algorithms. The study is the first in terms of 1) using the two models of neuro fuzzy systems in crack detection and 2) considering multiple damages in beam elements employing the fused neuro fuzzy procedures. At the end of the study, the developed hybrid models are tested by utilizing the noise-contaminated data. Considering the robustness of the models, they can be employed as damage identification algorithms in health monitoring of beam-like structures.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.12 no.2 s.29
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• pp.1-17
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• 2006

This study is to develop a viable measurement tool of crowdedness in restaurants. First, to measure customer’s awareness of crowdedness related to each different environmental factor in a restaurant, 49 factors of crowdedness awareness were selected based on the previous studies and then properties of each factor affecting customer’s satisfaction for crowdedness were analyzed. To analyze effects of each factor upon the satisfaction rate, a Multiple Regression Analysis was conducted with the crowdedness awareness as an independent variable and satisfaction of crowdedness as a dependent variable. The results showed that when an analysis of the environmental factors in the crowdedness awareness was conducted in an effort to develop a measurement tool of crowdedness awareness in restaurants, that would be fit for the domestic food service market, based upon 49 factors of restaurant environment. Focusing on expectation and satisfaction rate, it was found that rating the satisfaction level would be a much more effective tool to measure crowdedness awareness because satisfaction rate appeared to be more closely related to the awareness than the results obtained from the Multiple Regression Analysis with a difference between expectation and satisfaction scores as an independent variable.