• Design & Manufacturing
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.19-25
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• 2021

The bending process of a press die is to bend a flat blank to the required angle. There are V-bending, U-bending, Z-bending, O-bending etc. for bending processing, and the basic principle of calculating the unfolding length of die processing is used as the neutral plane length. Since the constant of the length value of the neutral surface is different depending on the type of bending, it is impossible to accurately calculate it. In particular, Z-bending processing is performed twice, and it is set on the upper and lower surfaces of the blank, and bending processing occurs at the same time as the upward and downward bending, and the elongation of the material occurs and the material increases. It is not possible to check with the calculated value, and it occurs in many cases where the mold is modified after start-up. This study aims to minimize die modification by developing a formula to calculate the development length of Z-bend.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.429-454
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• 2016

In this paper, a shear deformation plate theory based on neutral surface position is developed for free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) plates. The material properties of the FGM plates are assumed to vary through the thickness of the plate by a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. During manufacture, defects such as porosities can appear. It is therefore necessary to consider the vibration behavior of FG plates having porosities in this investigation. The proposed theory is based on assumption that the in-plane and transverse displacements consist of bending and shear components, in which the bending components do not contribute toward shear forces and, likewise, the shear components do not contribute toward bending moments. The neutral surface position for a functionally graded plate which its material properties vary in the thickness direction is determined. The equation of motion for FG rectangular plates is obtained through Hamilton's principle. The closed form solutions are obtained by using Navier technique, and then fundamental frequencies are found by solving the results of eigenvalue problems. Numerical results are presented and the influences of the volume fraction index and porosity volume fraction on frequencies of FGM plates are clearly discussed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.357-386
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• 2016

In this research work, an exact analytical solution for thermal stability of solar functionally graded rectangular plates subjected to uniform, linear and non-linear temperature rises across the thickness direction is developed. It is assumed that the plate rests on two-parameter elastic foundation and its material properties vary through the thickness of the plate as a power function. The neutral surface position for such plate is determined, and the efficient hyperbolic plate theory based on exact neutral surface position is employed to derive the governing stability equations. The displacement field is chosen based on assumptions that the in-plane and transverse displacements consist of bending and shear components, and the shear components of in-plane displacements give rise to the quadratic distribution of transverse shear stress through the thickness in such a way that shear stresses vanish on the plate surfaces. Therefore, there is no need to use shear correction factor. Just four unknown displacement functions are used in the present theory against five unknown displacement functions used in the corresponding ones. The non-linear strain-displacement relations are also taken into consideration. The influences of many plate parameters on buckling temperature difference will be investigated. Numerical results are presented for the present theory, demonstrating its importance and accuracy in comparison to other theories.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 1999

The present study describes histochemical properties of the mucosubstances in the pedal sole of abalone, in relation to two main additional functions known to date. Only neutral mucosubstances were demonstrated in the lateral epithelium of the pedal sole of the abalone, however, two distinct types of cells, one containing neutral and the other containing acidic mucosubstances, were identified in the ventral epithelium. The epithelial mucocytes distributed throughout both epithelial and subepithelial glands located in the ventral subepithelial region showed a mixture of neutral and acidic mucosubstances. However, acidic mucosubstances were found in larger amounts than neutral ones in epithelial mucocytes, and vice versa in subepithelial glands. Among these acidic mucosubstances, sulphated substances were dominant. Lesser amounts of carboxylated substances also occurred together with low levels of neuramic and sialic acid. Collectively, the notable morphological differences between abalone and other gastropoda were observed in the ventral surface of the foot, which showed a tall columnar epithelium, peripherally concentrated mucocytes, and subepithelial glands. Mucosubstances are presumably produced by these cells and may also play a role in clinging to some substances to support abalones in addition to the main functions of lubrication and protection.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.311-316
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• 2017

Purpose: Flatfeet are one of the risk factors of foot dysfunction and postural imbalance. The purpose of this study was to compare the limitation of stability (LOS) for the center of gravity (COG) between flatfeet and neutral feet on stable and unstable support surfaces. Methods: The study included 26 healthy, adult male participants: 14 with normal feet and 12 with flatfeet. The subjects were asked to incline the trunk maximumly to the left, right, anterior, and posterior directions and were asked to keep their feet on the floor with the knee extension. The subjects had 30 seconds of rest time between the tasks. The LOS (anterior, posterior, left, right) of COG was measured by Balance Trainer (BT4, Hur-labs, Tampere, Finland). An independent t- test was used to compare the LOS of COG between flatfeet and normal feet on stable and unstable support surfaces, respectively. Results: The LOS of the flatfeet group was generally decreased on stable support surfaces as compared to that of neutral feet, but it was not significantly different (p>0.05), while the LOS of the flatfeet group was significantly decreased compared to that of neutral feet on unstable support surfaces (p<0.05). Conclusion: This study suggested that the LOS of individuals with flatfeet may be decreased on unstable support surfaces and the postural balance of the flatfeet group may easily be disturbed on an unstable support surface.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine how the position of tibial rotation affects peak force and hamstring muscle activation during isometric knee flexion in healthy women. Methods: Seventeen healthy women performed maximum isometric knee flexion at 30˚ with three tibial rotation positions (tibial internal rotation, neutral position, and tibial external rotation). Surface electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the medial hamstring (MH) and lateral hamstring (LH) muscles. The strength of the knee flexor was measured with a load-cell-type strength-measurement sensor. Data were analyzed using one-way repeated analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that MH and LH activities and peak force were significantly different among the three tibial rotation conditions (p < 0.01). The post-hoc comparison revealed that the MH EMG activity in tibial neutral and internal rotation positions were significantly greater than tibial external rotation (p < 0.01). The LH activity in tibial external rotation was significantly greater than the tibial neutral position and internal rotation (p < 0.01). The peak force of the knee flexor was also greater in the external tibial rotation position compared with the tibial neutral and internal rotation positions (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that hamstring muscle activation could be changed by tibial rotation.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.151-155
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• 2023

Purpose: This study examined the effect of the degree of neck flexion on the muscle activity of the upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles in the sitting position. Methods: Twenty-five healthy young adults participated in this study. The study was designed to compare the muscle activity of the upper trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles according to the neck flexion angle under the three conditions (neutral position, 15° neck flexion, and 45° neck flexion) in the sitting position. During the neck position of three conditions in sitting, the electromyography (EMG) data (% maximum voluntary isometric contraction) of the muscles were recorded using a wireless surface EMG system. Results: The muscle activity of the upper trapezius muscle and the sternocleidomastoid muscles showed a significant difference according to the three-neck position conditions (p<0.05), and in the post-hoc test results, both muscles showed significant differences between the neutral position and 15° flexion, the neutral position and 45° flexion, and the 15° flexion and 45° flexion, respectively. Conclusion: The load on the muscles around the neck and shoulders increased as the neck flexion angle increased. This suggests that performing various daily activities and tasks with the neck as neutral as possible can prevent muscle fatigue or musculoskeletal disorders.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.407-412
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• 2016

The neutral zone technique is an alternative approach for the construction of complete dentures on highly atrophic ridges with history of denture instability. This technique achieves two objectives. First, the teeth will not interfere with the normal muscle function, and second, the force exerted by the musculature against the denture is more favorable for stability and retention. In this case of a 78-years-old female patient with severely atrophic ridges who had been using unstable complete dentures, the neutral zone impression technique was used to increase the stability and the retention of dentures. The neutral zone for both arch was located with modeling compound. After the arrangement of artificial teeth within the neutral zone, the external impression was taken to determine the tissue surface. The final dentures showed enhanced stability and retention and the patient was satisfied with the new dentures with respect to functional and esthetic aspects.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.379-389
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• 2019

Purpose: This study examined the effects of wheelchair handle directions on the trunk muscle activity of adult males when climbing ramps. It also evaluated the wheelchair attendant's physical discomfort during tasks. Methods: Healthy males aged over 20 years were chosen and the direction of wheelchair handle grip was randomly selected. The grips included a general grip with ulnar deviation, a medial grip with wrist pronation, and a neutral grip with a neutral wrist. The trunk muscle activity was measured using surface electromyography. Furthermore, the physical discomfort of wheelchair attendants was subjectively evaluated using the Borg CR-10 Scale, which rates the perceived exertion. In addition, the SPSS 18.0 program was used perform repeated measure ANOVA to compare muscle activity and subjective discomfort during the interventions. The contrast test was also conducted with a significance level (α) of 0.05. Results: There was significant difference between the general grip and the medial grip in the rhomboid major muscle and the lumbar erector spinae muscle (p<0.05). In addition, there was significant difference between the general grip and the neutral grip in the rhomboid major muscle and the lumbar erector spinae muscle (p<0.05). Further, there was significant difference between the general grip and the neutral grip in subjective discomfort (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, adult male trunk muscle activity and subjective discomfort were lowest when using the neutral grip while climbing ramps. Accordingly, we suggest that neutral grips will help improve the function of the musculoskeletal system and reduce the subjective discomfort by putting less strain on the trunk muscles and maximizing efficiency with less force.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.415-424
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effects of various wheelchair handling directions on the upper limb muscle activities of wheelchair attendants while climbing a ramp. Methods: For the study participants, healthy males over 20 years of age were chosen, and the order of the direction of wheelchair handle grip was determined using a randomized method. The handling directions for pushing the wheelchair up a ramp included a general grip with ulnar deviation, a medial grip with wrist pronation, and a neutral grip with a neutral wrist. The muscle activities in the participants' upper limbs were measured using surface electromyography. For statistical data processing, SPSS 18.0 was used to perform repeated measures ANOVA in order to compare the muscle activity among the intervention groups. A contrast test was also conducted among the participants. The significance level (${\alpha}$) was set to 0.05. Results: There was a significant difference between groups using a general grip and a medial grip in the biceps brachii, triceps brachii, and flexor carpi radialis muscles (p<0.05). There was also a significant difference between using a general grip and a neutral grip in the biceps brachii and flexor carpi radialis muscles (p<0.05), and there was a significant difference between using a medial grip and a neutral grip in the biceps brachii and extensor carpi radialis brevis muscles (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, the wheelchair assistants' wrist muscle activity was the lowest with a neutral grip while ascending a ramp. Accordingly, this study proposes that wheelchair assistants push wheelchairs up ramps with a neutral grip.