• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.84 no.1
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• pp.77-83
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• 2022

In the last ten years, many researchers have studied the vibrations of carbon nanotubes using different beam theories. The nano- and micro-scale systems have wavy shape and there is a demand for a powerful tool to mathematically model waviness of those systems. In accordance with the above mentioned lack for the modeling of the waviness of the curved tiny structure, a novel approach is employed by implementing the Timoshenko-beam model. Owing to the small size of the micro beam, these structures are very appropriate for designing small instruments. The vibrations of double walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) are developed using the Timoshenko-beam model in conjunction with the wave propagation approach under support conditions to calculate the fundamental frequencies of DWCNTs. The frequency influence is observed with different parameters. Vibrations of the double walled carbon nanotubes are investigated in order to find their vibrational modes with frequencies. The aspect ratios and half axial wave mode with small length are investigated. It is calculated that these frequencies and ratios are dependent upon the length scale and aspect ratio.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.13-20
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• 2023

In connected vehicles, drivers are exposed to attacks when they communicate with unauthenticated peers. This occurs when a vehicle relies on outdated information resulting in interactions with vehicles that have expired or revoked certificates claiming to be legitimate nodes. Vehicles must frequently receive or query an updated revoked certificate list to avoid communicating with suspicious vehicles to protect themselves. In this paper, we propose a scheme that works on a highway divided into clusters and managed by roadside units (RSUs) to ensure authenticity and preserve hidden identities of vehicles. The proposed scheme includes four main components each of which plays a major role. In the top hierarchy, we have the authority that is responsible for issuing long-term certificates and managing and controlling all descending intermediate authorities, which cover specific regions (e.g., RSUs) and provide vehicles with short-term pseudonyms certificates to hide their identity and avoid traceability. Every certificate-related operation is recorded in a blockchain storage to ensure integrity and transparency. To regulate communication among nodes, security managers were introduced to enable authorization and access right during communications. Together, these components provide vehicles with an immediately revoked certificate list through RSUs, which are provided with publish/subscribe brokers that enable a controlled messaging infrastructure. We validate our work in a simulated smart highway environment comprising interconnected RSUs to demonstrate our technique's effectiveness.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.455-467
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• 2023

Impact damper is a passive damping system that controls undesirable vibration with mass block impacting with stops fixed to the excited structure, introducing momentum exchange and energy dissipation. However, harmful momentum exchange may occur in the random excitation increasing structural response. Based on the mechanism of impact damping system, a semi-active impact damper (SAID) with controllable impact timing as well as a semi-active control strategy is proposed to enhance the seismic performance of engineering structures in this paper. Comparative experimental studies were conducted to investigate the damping performances of the passive impact damper and SAID. The extreme working conditions for SAID were also discussed and approaches to enhance the damping effect under high-intensity excitations were proposed. A numerical simulation model of SAID attached to a frame structure was established to further explore the damping mechanism. The experimental and numerical results show that the SAID has better control effect than the traditional passive impact damper and can effectively broaden the damping frequency band. The parametric studies illustrate the mass ratio and impact damping ratio of SAID can significantly influence the vibration control effect by affecting the impact force.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.133-154
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• 2023

Obscured structural members are mostly under-evaluated during condition assessment due to lack of visual inspection capability. Insufficient information about the integrity of these structural members poses a significant risk for public safety. Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is a novel approach in structural health monitoring (SHM). Ordinary coaxial cables "as is" without a major modification are not suitable for SHM with TDR. The objective of this study is to propose a practical and cost-effective modification approach to commercially available coaxial cables in order to use them as a "cable sensor" for damage detection with the TDR equipment for obscured structural members. The experimental validation and assessment of the proposed modification approach was achieved by conducting 3-point bending tests of the model piles as a representative obscured structural member. It can be noted that the RG59/U-6 and RG6/U-4 cable sensors expose higher strain sensitivity in comparison with non-modified "as is" versions of the cables used. As a result, the cable sensors have the capability of sensing both the presence and the location of a structural damage with a maximum aberration of 3 cm. Furthermore, the crack development can be monitored by the RG59/U-6 cable sensor with a simple calibration.

• Advances in concrete construction
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.243-254
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• 2023

Microtubules in the cell are influenced by internal and external stimulation and play an important part in conveying protein substances and in carrying out medications to the intended targets. Waves are produced during these functions and in order to control the biological cell functions, it is important to know the wave velocities of microtubules. Owing to cylindrical shell shaped and mechanically elastic and orthotropic, cylindrical shell model based on gradient elasticity theory has been used. Wave velocities of the protein microtubule are carried out by considering Love's thin shell theory and Navier solution. Also the effect of size parameter and other variables on the results are investigated.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.87-106
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• 2024

Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) and Home Centralized Photovoltaic (HCPV) systems can address various energy storage issues and enhance demand response programs. Renewable energy, such as solar energy and wind turbines, address the energy gap. However, no energy management system is currently available to regulate the uncertainty of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, and appliance consumption within a smart microgrid. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, electric vehicles, and Micro-Grid (MG) storage on maximum solar radiation hours. Several Deep Learning (DL) algorithms were applied to account for the uncertainty. Moreover, a Reinforcement Learning HCPV (RL-HCPV) algorithm was created for efficient real-time energy scheduling decisions. The proposed algorithm managed the energy demand between PV solar energy generation and vehicle energy storage. RL-HCPV was modeled according to several constraints to meet household electricity demands in sunny and cloudy weather. Simulations demonstrated how the proposed RL-HCPV system could efficiently handle the demand response and how V2H can help to smooth the appliance load profile and reduce power consumption costs with sustainable power generation. The results demonstrated the advantages of utilizing RL and V2H as potential storage technology for smart buildings.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.54-63
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• 2024

This work investigated the influence of concentration and applied potential on the characteristics of zinc powder (purity, apparent density, morphology, particle size distribution, and particle zeta potential) produced by the electrochemical process from waste brass. High-purity zinc powder is obtained using selective leaching of industrial brass waste in acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions. The free immersion method with and without voltage using linear polarization technique is used. In the electrochemical process, hydrochloric acid HCl in three different concentrations (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) M is used. The time and the distance between the electrodes are set to be 30 min and 3 cm, respectively. It has been found that the percentage purity is 98%, 96%, and 94% for the acidic, neutral, and alkaline solutions, respectively. In addition, the morphology of zinc powder analyzed by SEM was dendritic and mossy. It has been recorded that the purity of zinc increases with the increase of the concentration and applied potential. The highest value of purity for zinc powder was %98.58 in 1000 mV and 0.3M concentration for graphite cathode.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 2014

Objectives: Recurrent caries was partly ascribed to lack of antibacterial properties in composite resin. Silver and zinc nanoparticles are considered to be broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antibacterial properties of composite resins containing 1% silver and zinc-oxide nanoparticles on Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus. Materials and Methods: Ninety discoid tablets containing 0%, 1% nano-silver and 1% nano zinc-oxide particles were prepared from flowable composite resin (n = 30). The antibacterial properties of composite resin discs were evaluated by direct contact test. Diluted solutions of Streptococcus mutans (PTCC 1683) and Lactobacillus (PTCC 1643) were prepared. 0.01 mL of each bacterial species was separately placed on the discs. The discs were transferred to liquid culture media and were incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 8 hr. 0.01 mL of each solution was cultured on blood agar and the colonies were counted. Data was analyzed with Kruskall-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: Composites containing nano zinc-oxide particles or silver nanoparticles exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The effect of zinc-oxide on Streptococcus mutans was significantly higher than that of silver (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the antibacterial activity against Lactobacillus between composites containing silver nanoparticles and those containing zinc-oxide nanoparticles. Conclusions: Composite resins containing silver or zinc-oxide nanoparticles exhibited antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.165-168
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge of oral cancer and its associated factors among university students in Malaysia. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 200 university students in Malaysia. A self administered questionnaire was used to collect data. It included questions on sociodemographic data, awareness and knowledge of oral cancer. Results: Mean age of the respondents was $21.5{\pm}2.5$ and the age ranged from 18 to 27 years. The majority of the respondents were aware of oral cancer (92.0%) and recognized the followings as signs and symptoms of oral cancer: ulcer and oral bleeding (71.0%), followed by swelling (61.5%). A satisfactory knowledge was observed on the following risk factors; smoking (95.5%), poor oral hygiene (90.5%), family history (90.0%), alcohol (84.5%) and poor fitting dentures (83.0%). However, unsatisfactory knowledge was observed about hot/spicy food (46.5%), obesity (36.0%), old age (31.5%), dietary factor (29.0%) and smokeless tobacco (25.5%). Knowledge of oral cancer was associated significantly with age (p<0.01), year of study (p<0.01) and course of study (p<0.01). Conclusion: Instead of satisfactory awareness and knowledge of oral cancer and its clinical presentations, inadequate knowledge was observed about its risk factors. There is a need to introduce oral cancer education among university students.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.385-396
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• 2017

The recent advancements in sensing technologies allow us to record measurements from target structures at multiple locations and with relatively high spatial resolution. Such measurements can be used to develop data-driven methodologies for condition assessment, control, and health monitoring of target structures. One of the state-of-the-art technologies, Fiber Optic Strain Sensors (FOSS), is developed at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, and is based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These strain sensors are accurate, lightweight, and can provide almost continuous strain-field measurements along the length of the fiber. The strain measurements can then be used for real-time shape-sensing and operational load-estimation of complex structural systems. While several works have demonstrated the successful implementation of FOSS on large-scale real-life aerospace structures (i.e., airplane wings), there is paucity of studies in the literature that have investigated the potential of extending the application of FOSS into civil structures (e.g., tall buildings, bridges, etc.). This work assesses the feasibility of using FOSS to predict operational loads (e.g., wind loads) on chain-like structures. A thorough investigation is performed using analytical, computational, and experimental models of a 4-story steel building test specimen, developed at the University of Southern California. This study provides guidelines on the implementation of the FOSS technology on building-like structures, addresses the associated technical challenges, and suggests potential modifications to a load-estimation algorithm, to achieve a robust methodology for predicting operational loads using strain-field measurements.