• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.5-14
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• 2008

The target for the reduction of $CO_2$ emissions, as specified in the Kyoto Protocol, can only be achieved by an extended use of renewable fuels and the increasing of the energy efficiency. The energy generation from waste gases with a reasonable content of methane like biogas can significantly contribute to reach this target. A further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is possible by increasing the electrical efficiency using progressive technologies. Fuel cells can be highly energy conversion devices. Utilizing biogas as the fuel for fuel cell systems offers an option that is technically feasible, potentially economically attractive and greenhouse gas neutral. High temperature fuel cells that are able to operate with carbon monoxide in the feed are well suited to these applications. Furthermore, because they do not require noble metal catalysts, the cost of high-temperature fuel cells has the greatest potential to become competitive in the near future compared to other types of fuel cells.

• Transactions of Materials Processing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.181-186
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• 2015

Many in the industrial world that consume high amounts of energy are trying to reduce energy when manufacturing their products. Energy saving during manufacturing is a cost reduction. Reduced cost is necessary for profit improvement. The Piston Under Drive Brake used in the current study is an automotive transmission part. The original machining after hot forging was changed to machining after cold forging of a plate in order to save energy and cost. Two extrusion shapes along the outer diameter caused decreased tool life because of the interrupted cut during turning. Therefore, a thickness reduction of two extrusion areas in the outer diameter was needed. The current study suggests an effective way to reduce the thickness of interrupted cut by using progressive blanking.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.332-340
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• 2016

A design optimization is performed for the double-bolted joint in cylindrical composite structures by using a simplified analytical method. This method uses failure criteria for the major failure modes of the bolted composite joint. For the double-bolted joint with a zigzag arrangement, it is necessary to consider an interaction effect between the bolt arrays. This paper proposes another failure mode which is determined by angle and distance between two bolts in different arrays and define a failure criterion for the failure mode. The optimal design for the double-bolted joint is carried out by considering the interactive net-tension failure mode. The genetic algorithm (GA) is adopted to determine the optimized parameters; bolt spacing, edge distance, and stacking sequence of the composite laminate. A purpose of the design optimization is to maximize the burst pressure of the cylindrical structures by ensuring structural integrity. Also, a progressive failure analysis (PFA) is performed to verify the results of the optimal design for the double-bolted joint. In PFA, Hashin 3D failure criterion is used to determine the ply that would fail. A stiffness reduction model is then used to reduce the stiffness of the failed ply for the corresponding failure mode.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.715-722
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• 2016

Most of the domestic railroad tracks are ballast track and repetitive maintenance is required in this track. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize maintenance process for maintenance cost reduction and more effective maintenance. For this, it is important to develop a reasonable settlement progressive model of ballast layer. However, the behavior of ballast is different to that of soils, since ballast is composed of large coarse gravel. Thus, in this study, we carried out numerical analysis by using the discrete element method (PFC 2D) for better understanding of ballast settlement and development of reasonable settlement progressive model. And, we evaluated the settlement of ballast according to particles shape, porosity and loading conditions.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2011

The scalable extension of the H.264/AVC video coding standard (SVC) demonstrates superb adaptability in video communications. Joint source and channel coding (JSCC) has been shown to be very effective for such scalable video consisting of parts of different significance. In this paper, a new JSCC scheme for SVC transmission over packet loss channels is proposed which performs two-dimensional optimization on the quality layers of each frame in a rate-distortion (R-D) sense as well as on the temporal hierarchical structure of frames under dependency constraints. To compute the end-to-end R-D points of a frame, a novel reduced trellis algorithm is developed with a significant reduction of complexity from the existing Viterbi-based algorithm. The R-D points of frames are sorted under the hierarchical dependency constraints and optimal JSCC solution is obtained in terms of the best R-D performance. Experimental results show that our scheme outperforms the existing scheme of [13] with average quality gains of 0.26 dB and 0.22 dB for progressive and non-progressive modes respectively.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.151-161
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• 2021

Purpose : This study was to investigate the effectiveness of ESWT and plantar fascia-specific stretching exercise vs ESWT and high-load strengthening exercise in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. Methods : The subjects were randomized to extracorporeal shock wave therapy ( ESWT, for 3 weeks) and daily plantar-specific stretching (Group I: Stretch group) or ESWT and high-load progressive strength (Group II: Strength group) performed every second day. The main outcome measures were ultrasound, visual analogue scale (VAS), and Korean Foot Function Index (KFFI). The ultrasound (plantar fascia thickness), pain intensity I, II (the most painful of the day?, the pain when you first step in the morning?) and KFFI (functional performance) were compared between the groups. Results : No significant difference was observed between the groups in the plantar fascia thickness but pain intensity I, II was significantly lower in Group 2 than in Group 1 at only 12weeks and functional performance was also significantly increased in Group 2 compared to Group 1 at only 12 weeks. Conclusion : The high-load strengthening exercise consisting of the progressive exercise protocol, resulted in superior after 12 weeks compared with plantar-specific stretching. High-load strength exercise may aid in a quicker reduction in pain and improvements in functional performance.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.75-80
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• 2021

Purpose: Appendicitis is the most frequent urgency in pediatric age; the aim of this study was to investigate the association of quarantine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic and the incidence of pediatric appendicitis in a specific macro area. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of consecutive patients who underwent surgical exploration for acute appendicitis in the period March-April since 2014. This specific quarantine period was divided into two phases as indicated by National government. Patient data, demographics, characteristics and outcomes were studied and evaluated comparing patients treated during quarantine especially phase 1 vs. phase 2 (March-April 2020). Results: After reviewing medical charts following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 155 patients were studied; focusing on the final outcome, it is possible to show a decreased amount of appendicitis during phase 1 and a progressive increase during phase 2; respect to previous years, there was a statistical increase in severity of appendicitis during quarantine (gangrenous vs. phlegmonous appendicitis). Conclusion: During this specific quarantine there was a reduction in appendicitis and a progressive increase during phase 2. These results offer new perspective among disease incidences during lockdown.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.310-319
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• 2023

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a combination of progressive scapular stabilization exercises, neck and thoracic spine mobilization, and thermoelectric physical therapy on pain, range of motion, muscle strength, and function in patients with acute whiplash injury. Design: A randomized controlled trial design. Methods: A total of 24 subjects were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=12) that performed scapular stabilization exercises, neck and thoracic spine mobilization, and physiotherapy, and a control group (n=12) that only performed neck and thoracic spine mobilization and physiotherapy. The pre-test was conducted before the intervention and consisted of a total of 12 treatment sessions of 60 minutes each, three times a week. A posttest was conducted 4 weeks later. Pain, range of motion, muscle strength, and function were assessed before and after intervention. Results: The results of the study showed that there was a significant difference in pain reduction and range of motion and muscle strength improvement in the experimental group, and a significant difference was also found between the experimental group and the control group in terms of functional evaluation. Conclusions: The combination of exercise therapy and joint mobilization technique and physical therapy resulted in greater improvements in pain, range of motion, strength, and function assessment, contributing to improved overall function.

• Journal of Korean Port Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.19-36
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• 1993

In this study for relieving traffic congestion on the main arterial in Pusan using TSM Techniques, the travel system, roadway system and signal system analyses were dine. Through these above analyses, it was shown that the peak-time periods on the main arterial were shaped between 10 : 00 and 11 : 00 in the morning and between 15 : 00 and 16 : 00 in the afternoon for the business and shopping trips. Especially, there appeared to be about 23% reduction in the average delay when roadway system management including left-turn links increased were done, about 29% reduction in the average delay when signal system management including the signal phases and timings readjusted were conducted, and about 48% reduction in average delay when roadway system and signal system management were taken into consideration simultaneously. Based upon these results, it was concluded that there might be considerably better results in the average delay if the progressive signal system analyses on the arterial were applied with the land and road widths balanced, the difference on the turning vehicles and mid-block volumes readjusted, and roadside parking traffic prohibited.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2013

Objective: All patients who have the disc displacement with reduction (DDwR) are always not progressive but some of them with significant catching or locking progress to disc displacement without reduction (DDw/oR). In this study, we suggest opening exercise therapy using Locking-free Appliance (LA) to be helpful to prevent progressive derangement. Methods: Retrospectively, a total 37 patients who received exercise treatment using LA was analyzed from January 2010 to December 2011. Patients had been instructed in proper exercise technique to practise for opening and closing of mouth wearing the appliance 30 times a day in locking-free position. Results: None of the patients took a turn for worse to DDw/oR (37 patients). The 16 patients (43.2%, locking-free group) of them could open their mouth without intermittent condylar locking. Measurement of data was analyzed using and Mann-Whitney test. There was no statistically significant difference for age, gender, presence of palpational pain, locking period, VAS quantitative pain score between locking-free group and locking group. Conclusions: In this study, some patients could open their mouth without intermittent locking and did not take a turn for worse to DDw/oR after opening exercise therapy with LA. Furthermore, LA had advantages which were short wearing time, low costs and minimizing patients' uncomfortable compared to conventional treatment method. This therapy can be more appropriate new treatment to prevent progress to DDw/oR.