• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.339-352
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• 2015

Ancient masonry towers constitute a relevant part of the cultural heritage of humanity. Their earthquake protection is a topic of great concern among researchers due to the strong damage suffered by these brittle and massive structures through the history. The identification of the seismic behavior and failure of towers under seismic loading is complex. This strongly depends on many factors such as soil characteristics, geometry, mechanical properties of masonry and heavy mass, as well as the earthquake frequency content. A deep understanding of these aspects is the key for the correct seismic vulnerability evaluation of towers and to design the most suitable retrofitting measure. Recent tendencies on the seismic retrofitting of historical structures by means of prestressing are related to the use of smart materials. The most famous cases of application of prestressing in towers were discussed. Compared to horizontal prestressing, vertical post-tensioning is aimed at improving the seismic behavior of towers by reducing damage with the application of an overall distribution of compressive stresses at key locations.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.214-223
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• 2019

Objectives: Equity in financial protection against healthcare expenditures is one the primary functions of health systems worldwide. This study aimed to quantify socioeconomic inequality in facing catastrophic healthcare expenditures (CHE) and to identify the main factors contributing to socioeconomic inequality in CHE in Iran. Methods: A total of 37 860 households were drawn from the Households Income and Expenditure Survey, conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran in 2017. The prevalence of CHE was measured using a cut-off of spending at least 40% of the capacity to pay on healthcare services. The concentration curve and concentration index (C) were used to illustrate and measure the extent of socioeconomic inequality in CHE among Iranian households. The C was decomposed to identify the main factors explaining the observed socioeconomic inequality in CHE in Iran. Results: The prevalence of CHE among Iranian households in 2017 was 5.26% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.04 to 5.49). The value of C was -0.17 (95% CI, -0.19 to -0.13), suggesting that CHE was mainly concentrated among socioeconomically disadvantaged households in Iran. The decomposition analysis highlighted the household wealth index as explaining 71.7% of the concentration of CHE among the poor in Iran. Conclusions: This study revealed that CHE is disproportionately concentrated among poor households in Iran. Health policies to reduce socioeconomic inequality in facing CHE in Iran should focus on socioeconomically disadvantaged households.

• KNOM Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.10-17
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• 2018

With the popularization of smart devices and the development of wireless Internet, the consumption method of music contents is changing to streaming rather than downloading. In this paper, we analyze the meta data of the music source exposed on the network traffic for the 19 music streaming services in Korea and abroad. We propose a preventive measure. As a result of analysis, we found that all of the 19 services were exposed to the metadata of the music. We propose a music and metadata protection method such as certificate fixing method to prevent exposure of such music and metadata.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.84-90
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• 2019

Applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the military environment have become popular because they require minimum human contribution and can avoid accidents during missions. UAVs are employed in various missions such as reconnaissance, observation, aggression, and protection. Consequently, counter-measures, known as anti-drone technologies, have been developed as well. In order to protect against threats from anti-drone technologies and enhance the survivability of UAVs, this study proposes an evasive measure. The proposed bio-inspired evasive maneuver of a UAV mimics a dragonfly's irregular flight. The unpredictable UAV movement is able to confuse enemies and avoid threats, thereby enhancing the UAV's survivability. The proposed system has been implemented on a commercial UAV platform (AR Drone 2.0) and tested in a real environment. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed flight pattern has larger displacement values compared to a regular flight maneuver, thus making the UAV's position is difficult to predict.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.154-168
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the disaster safety awareness scale for high school students. For this purpose, the previously developed disaster safety awareness scale and related prior research was analyzed. Questionnaire data was collected from March 22 to May 25, 2021 from 1054 students (male: 569, female: 485) in the first, second, and third grades of 5 high schools in 3 cities. Through the process of revising, supplementing, and reviewing the items extracted through preliminary research and preliminary test together with experts and students, a final disaster safety awareness scale consisting of 24 items was developed. This scale consists of four sub-factors: 'disaster prevention', 'disaster response A', 'disaster response B', and 'disaster recovery'. Good reliability and validity were secured through exploratory and confirmatory analyses. The significance of this study is that it laid a basic and objective foundation for high school students' disaster safety awareness research by developing a validated scale in a situation where the development of disaster safety awareness scales for high school students was still insufficient. It can be used as useful data for fire safety education as well as a psychological measurement tool for fostering fire safety awareness.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.362-370
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• 2022

The assessment of specific impacts on the environment is a preventive measure for environmental protection which is based on the definition and proposal of measures that can prevent harmful effects, reduce or eliminate them. In the physical sense, vibration is the oscillating motion of an object with the effect of internal or external forces applied to it. People who touch a vibrating surface or object will feel these vibrations. In general, there are two types of vibration exposure. The first are the vibrations of the hands and arms transmitted by the held parts of tools or machinery. The second are whole-body vibrations transmitted from a seat or surface to a motorized car. The risk of injury to workers exposed to vibration varies depending on the size, frequency, type, duration of exposure, and organ affected. The purpose of this paper is to review the measurements of vibrations in the Kosovo Energy Corporation in the mine Sibovc Southwest, where coal with a rotary excavator is exploited and the evaluation of vibrations for working conditions for workers working in that environment and improving working conditions for the measurement of vibrations we have used the device Minimate DS 078, the purpose of such environmental impact assessment is to collect data and predict the harmful impacts on the environment, namely the impact on water, air, soil, life and health of as well as identify and propose measures that could prevent, reduce or eliminate altogether.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.161-171
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• 2022

Traditional tie-dyeing is widely implemented in the clothing handicraft culture in China, South Korea, and Japan. Since it was developed 2,000 years ago, it has become a popular method of fabric making in the world and is highly respected by fashion designers. Based on the existing traditional tie-dyeing methods, this study conducted specific research on the 3D printing technology of the SLS laser method and the micro tool design application method of the clamp-dyeing process. Through the experimental methods of this study, it proposes to use the "7000 Nylon" material, which is commonly used in 3D printing, to develop a new clamp-dyeing tool. This new tool can be widely used in the clamp-dyeing of fabrics, such as cotton, hemp, silk, and some chemical fibers. The applied method and principle can be consistent with the traditional clamp-dyeing method. Therefore, the innovation of tie-dyeing technology is the best protection measure for the development and inheritance of traditional fabric making. The continuation of artistic life needs originality, which is also the best response to market competition. At the same time, this new design of the clamp-dyeing tool has the characteristics of novelty, innovation, and rich changes, which aligns with the new fashion demands of current fabric design.

• Journal of Drive and Control
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the impact of engine load on the emission characteristics of excavator engines, with the aim of improving the method for calculating the emission inventory of construction machinery. The engine load in excavators is directly correlated with the operational workload, and variations in the load factor (LF) can significantly influence the emission inventory. Thus, on-board diagnostic (OBD) data from an excavator at a construction site were systematically collected to measure engine output and emissions. The results revealed discernible differences in emissions based on engine load, even when the average excavator engine performance remained constant. This highlights the significant influence of the type and characteristics of the work being carried out on emission characteristics. Making realistic adjustments to the LF used in emission calculation formulas emerges as a crucial strategy for environmental improvement. Moreover, the analysis of the effects of engine load on emissions from excavators provides valuable insights for enhancing environmental protection measures.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.572-582
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• 2023

Background: Free fatty acid-induced lipotoxicity is considered to play an important role in pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. The effect of ginsenosides on palmitic acid-induced pancreatic beta-cells cell death and failure of glucose-stimulated secretion of insulin (GSIS) was evaluated in this study. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for a rat insulin was used to quantify glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Protein expression was examined by western blotting analysis. Nuclear condensation was measured by staining with Hoechst 33342 stain. Apoptotic cell death was assessed by staining with Annexin V. Oil Red O staining was used to measure lipid accumulation. Results: We screened ginsenosides to prevent palmitic acid-induced cell death and impairment of GSIS in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells and identified protopanaxadiol (PPD) as a potential therapeutic agent. The protection effect of PPD was likely due to a reduction in apoptosis and lipid accumulation. PPD attenuated the palmitic acid-induced increase in the levels of B-cell lymphoma-2-associated X/B-cell lymphoma 2, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and cleaved caspase-3. Moreover, PPD prevented palmitic acid-induced impairment of insulin secretion, which was accompanied by an increase in the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, insulin receptor substrate-2, serine-threonine kinase, and pancreatic and duodenal homeobox-1. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the protective effect of PPD on lipotoxicity and lipid accumulation induced by palmitic acid in pancreatic β-cells.

• 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.