• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제32권12호
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• pp.1537-1546
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• 2022

Staphylococcus aureus is a cause of high mortality in humans and therefore it is necessary to prevent its transmission and reduce infections. Our goals in this research were to investigate the frequency of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in Taif, Saudi Arabia, and assess the relationship between the phenotypic antimicrobial sensitivity patterns and the genes responsible for resistance. In addition, we examined the antimicrobial efficiency and application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) against MRSA isolates. Seventy-two nasal swabs were taken from patients; MRSA was cultivated on Mannitol Salt Agar supplemented with methicillin, and 16S rRNA sequencing was conducted in addition to morphological and biochemical identification. Specific resistance genes such as ermAC, aacA-aphD, tetKM, vatABC and mecA were PCR-amplified and resistance plasmids were also investigated. The MRSA incidence was ~49 % among the 72 S. aureus isolates and all MRSA strains were resistant to oxacillin, penicillin, and cefoxitin. However, vancomycin, linezolid, teicoplanin, mupirocin, and rifampicin were effective against 100% of MRSA strains. About 61% of MRSA strains exhibited multidrug resistance and were resistant to 3-12 antimicrobial medications (MDR). Methicillin resistance gene mecA was presented in all MDR-MRSA strains. Most MDR-MRSA contained a plasmid of > 10 kb. To overcome bacterial resistance, AgNPs were applied and displayed high antimicrobial activity and synergistic effect with penicillin. Our findings may help establish programs to control bacterial spread in communities as AgNPs appeared to exert a synergistic effect with penicillin to control bacterial resistance.

• 대한조선학회논문집
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.315-321
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• 2005

The effect of water depth on the wave making resistance performance is great where Froude number based on the water depth is close to one. The increase of wave making resistance due to the shallow water effect is evaluated by a numerical analysis in the present study. Three-dimensional Navier-Stokes and continuity equations are employed for the present study and the equations are discretized by finite difference method. The interface between water and air is determined by the level set method. In order to validate the numerical method, the change of resistance performance for Wigley hull according to the water depth is evaluated and the computed resistance coefficient is compared with measured one. The present numerical method is applied for the simulation of wave phenomena around a Ro-Pax hull form and the computed results are discussed in the resistance performance point of view.

• 대한기계학회논문집A
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• 제30권7호
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• pp.833-840
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• 2006

The paper presents a numerical solution to the problem of a hot rigid indenter sliding over a thermoelastic Winkler foundation with a thermal contact resistance at constant speed. It is shown analytically that no steady-state solution can exist for sufficiently high temperature or sufficiently small normal load or speed, regardless of the thermal contact resistance. However the steady state solution may exist in the same situation if the thermal contact resistance is considered. This means that the effect of the large values of temperature difference and small value of force or velocity which occur at no steady state can be lessened due to the thermal contact resistance. When there is no steady state, the predicted transient behavior involves regions of transient stationary contact interspersed with regions of separation regardless of the thermal contact resistance. Initially, the system typically exhibits a small number of relatively large contact and separation regions, but after the initial transient, the trailing edge of the contact area is only established and the leading edge loses contact, reducing the total extent of contact considerably. As time progresses, larger and larger numbers of small contact areas are established, unlit eventually the accuracy of the algorithm is limited by the discretization used.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.281-287
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• 1994

The effects of oleic acid, propylene glycol and 5% (w/w) oleic acid in propylene glycol on the electrical properties of hairless mouse skin were studied and the results were compared. The complex electrical impedance was measured as a function of frequency, and resistance and capacitance were determined from the Nyquist plot. Immediately after the treatment with oleic acid, resistance was 145% of the pretreatment value. However it decreased with time and, after 20 hours, it was about 25% of its pretreatment value. Capacitance increased; immediately after the treatment, it was about 125% of pretreatment value and it seemed to increase slowly with time. When the skin was treated with propylene glycol, resistance decreased about 5O% and capacitance increased about 65%. Similar results were observed when the skin was treated with 5% (w/w) oleic acid in propylene glycol, except that the magnitude of resistance drop was much larger. Oleic acid acted synergistically with propylene glycol. Together with the flux data in the literature, the results obtained in this work indicate that electrical resistance is closely related to the permeability of drug molecules through the skin. The results are discussed in terms of the mechanism of action of these penetration enhancers. Overall, this work provided further mechanistic insight into the role of SC lipids in skin resistance and capacitance.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.704-713
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• 2003

The effect of partial substitution of tungsten for molybdenum on the microstructure and corrosion resistance in 22Cr-5Ni-3Mo duplex stainless steel(DSS) aging heat treated in a temperature range of 600~$1000^{\circ}C$ has been investigated. Electrochemical tests were carried out for the evaluation of corrosion resistance. Aging treatment had hardly influenced the general corrosion resistance. With the increase of aging time, the pitting corrosion resistance of the DSS had decreased, After aging for 2min at 700~$900^{\circ}C$, the pitting potential of the 3Mo steel decreased remarkably, while that of the W-substituted steel hardly changed. During aging. the intermetallic $\sigma$ and secondary austenite ($\gamma_2$) phases were precipitated. and the pitting corrosion and intergranular corrosion resistance were significantly decreased after aging at 700~$750^{\circ}C$ for 10 h, which could be caused by the $\gamma_2$ formation. The ${\gamma}$$_2$ phase could affect the depletion of molybdenum and chromium in the $\gamma_2/\alpha and \gamma_2/\sigma$ boundaries.

• 한국전기전자재료학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국전기전자재료학회 2006년도 추계학술대회 논문집 Vol.19
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• pp.235-236
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• 2006

The contact resistance and grain boundary potential barrier of ceramic $BaTiO_3$ PTCR were investigated. The electroless plated Ni, evaporated Al, and Ag paste were chosen as electrode materials of PTCR device for comparison analysis before and after heat treatment. The contact resistance of electrode were measured by electrometer (dc), digital multimeter (dc), and LCR meter (ac). In the case of Al electroded samples, the heat treatment and protective oxide layer had high resistance and effect on the stability of PTCR effect against contact resistance degradation, but the Ag-paste had comparably high contact resistance before heat treatment and decreased after heat treatment with safe. On the other hand, the samples with electroless plated Ni electrode had good properties of contact resistance against aging.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• 제7권11호
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• pp.479-489
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• 2020

The purpose of this paper is to uncover whether and how contextual factors (information exchange, participation, trust in management, and training), relate to resistance to change. It also explores the mediating effect of perceived impact of change on the relations between contextual factors and resistance to change. This study is conducted in several manufacturing plants in food processing industry in Vietnam, which is implementing a top-down large-scale change - Lean transformation, adopting Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) program, to be specific. The findings suggest that all four contextual factors are negatively associated with resistance to change, in which training had the strongest impact. Also, the perceived change impact partially mediates the relationships between the four contextual factors and resistance to change. The practical implications of this paper are that employees who receive adequate, timely and useful information relating to change are less likely to show opposing behaviors towards change. Fostering trust in management among employees, and employee involvement in decision-making, also have a significant influence when addressing employee resistance to change. Employees who are well-trained, well-equipped with tools and knowledge about the change, are less likely to resist as they view the benefits of changes more significant than the risks.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.17-24
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• 2018

Background: Increasing the slip resistance of floor surfaces would be desirable, but there is a lack of evidence on whether traction properties are linearly correlated with the topographic features of the floor surfaces or what scales of surface roughness are required to effectively control the slipperiness of floors. Objective: This study expands on earlier findings on the effects of floor surface finishes against slip resistance performance and determines the operative ranges of floor surface roughness for optimal slip resistance controls under different risk levels of walking environments. Methods: Dynamic friction tests were conducted among three shoes and nine floor specimens under wet and oily environments and compared with a soapy environment. Results: The test results showed the significant effects of floor surface roughness on slip resistance performance against all the lubricated environments. Compared with the floor-type effect, the shoe-type effect on slip resistance performance was insignificant against the highly polluted environments. The study outcomes also indicated that the oily environment required rougher surface finishes than the wet and soapy ones in their lower boundary ranges of floor surface roughness. Conclusion: The results of this study with previous findings confirm that floor surface finishes require different levels of surface coarseness for different types of environmental conditions to effectively manage slippery walking environments. Collected data on operative ranges of floor surface roughness seem to be a valuable tool to develop practical design information and standards for floor surface finishes to efficiently prevent pedestrian fall incidents.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• 제48권4호
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• pp.34.1-34.12
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• 2023

This systematic review aimed to investigate whether minimally invasive root canal preparation ensures higher fracture resistance compared to conventional root canal preparation in endodontically treated teeth (ETT). A comprehensive search strategy was conducted on the "PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus" databases, alongside reference and hand searches, with language restrictions applied. Two independent reviews selected pertinent laboratory studies that explored the effect of minimally invasive root canal preparation on fracture resistance, in comparison to larger preparation counterparts. The quality of the studies was assessed, and the risk of bias was categorized as low, moderate, or high. The electronic search yielded a total of 1,767 articles. After applying eligibility criteria, 8 studies were included. Given the low methodological quality of these studies and the large variability of fracture resistance values, the impact of reduced apical size and/or taper on the fracture resistance of the ETT can be considered uncertain. This systematic review could not reveal sufficient evidence regarding the effect of minimally invasive preparation on increasing fracture resistance of ETT, primarily due to the inherent limitations of the studies and the moderate risk of bias.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• 제59권1호
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• pp.8-16
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• 2024

As regulations on greenhouse gas emission have strengthened globally, the demand for improved fuel efficiency in automobiles continues to rise. In response, the tire industry is actively conducting research to improve fuel efficiency by enhancing tire performance. In this study, silica-filled epoxidized natural rubber (ENR)/butadiene rubber (BR) blend compounds were manufactured according to ENR types and silica contents, and their physical properties and vulcanizate structure were evaluated. ENR-50, which has a higher epoxide content than ENR-25, exhibited stronger filler-rubber interaction, resulting in superior abrasion resistance. In addition, because of its high glass transition temperature (T_g), the wet grip performance of ENR-50 improved, even though the rolling resistance increased. Increasing the amount of silica had little effect on the abrasion resistance due to the increase in filler-rubber interaction and decrease in toughness. In addition, ENR-50 exhibited better wet grip performance; however, the rolling resistance increased. The results indicated that truck bus radial (TBR) tire tread compounds can be designed by applying ENR-50 to improve wear resistance and wet grip performance. In addition, by applying ENR-25 and reducing the silica contents improve fuel efficiency.