• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1825-1834
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• 2022

Performing high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (HF-CFD) to predict the flow and heat transfer state of the coolant in the reactor core is expensive, especially in scenarios that require extensive parameter search, such as uncertainty analysis and design optimization. This work investigated the performance of utilizing a multi-fidelity reduced-order model (MF-ROM) in PWR rod bundles simulation. Firstly, basis vectors and basis vector coefficients of high-fidelity and low-fidelity CFD results are extracted separately by the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) approach. Secondly, a surrogate model is trained to map the relationship between the extracted coefficients from different fidelity results. In the prediction stage, the coefficients of the low-fidelity data under the new operating conditions are extracted by using the obtained POD basis vectors. Then, the trained surrogate model uses the low-fidelity coefficients to regress the high-fidelity coefficients. The predicted high-fidelity data is reconstructed from the product of extracted basis vectors and the regression coefficients. The effectiveness of the MF-ROM is evaluated on a flow and heat transfer problem in PWR fuel rod bundles. Two data-driven algorithms, the Kriging and artificial neural network (ANN), are trained as surrogate models for the MF-ROM to reconstruct the complex flow and heat transfer field downstream of the mixing vanes. The results show good agreements between the data reconstructed with the trained MF-ROM and the high-fidelity CFD simulation result, while the former only requires to taken the computational burden of low-fidelity simulation. The results also show that the performance of the ANN model is slightly better than the Kriging model when using a high number of POD basis vectors for regression. Moreover, the result presented in this paper demonstrates the suitability of the proposed MF-ROM for high-fidelity fixed value initialization to accelerate complex simulation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.531-546
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• 2022

Ground displacements caused by the construction of overlapping twin shield tunnels with small turning radius are complex, especially under special geological conditions of construction. To investigate the ground displacements caused due to shield machines in the unique calcareous sand layers in Israel for the first time and determine the main factors affecting the ground displacements, field monitoring, laboratory geological analysis, theoretical calculations, and parameter studies were adopted. By using rod extensometers, inclinometers, total stations, and automatic segment-displacement monitors, subsurface tunneling-induced displacement, surface settlement, and displacement of the down-track tunnel segments caused by the construction of an up-track tunnel were analyzed. The up-track tunnel and the down-track tunnel pass through different stratum, resulting in different construction parameters and ground displacements. The laws of variation of thrust and torque, soil pressure in the chamber, excavated soil quantity, synchronous grouting pressure, and grout volume of the two tunnels from parallel to fully overlapping orientations were compared. The thrust and torque of the shield in the fine sand are larger than those in the Kurkar layer, and the grouting amount in fine sand is unstable. According to fuzzy statistics and Gaussian curve fitting of the shield tunneling speed, the tunneling speed in the Kurkar stratum is twice that in the fine-sand stratum.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.761-773
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• 2021

This study presents a 3D non-linear finite element (FE) assessment of dynamic soil-structure interaction (SSI). The numerical investigation has been performed on the time domain through a Finite Element (FE) system, while considering the nonlinear behavior of soil and the multi-directional nature of genuine seismic events. Later, the FE outcomes are analyzed to the recorded in-situ free-field and structural movements, emphasizing the numerical model's great result in duplicating the observed response. In this work, the soil response is simulated using an isotropic hardening elastic-plastic hysteretic model utilizing HSsmall. It is feasible to define the non-linear cycle response from small to large strain amplitudes through this model as well as for the shift in beginning stiffness with depth that happens during cyclic loading. One of the most difficult and unexpected tasks in resolving soil-structure interaction concerns is picking an appropriate ground motion predicted across an earthquake or assessing the geometrical abnormalities in the soil waves. Furthermore, an artificial neural network (ANN) has been utilized to properly forecast the non-linear behavior of soil and its multi-directional character, which demonstrated the accuracy of the ANN based on the RMSE and R² values. The total result of this research demonstrates that complicated dynamic soil-structure interaction processes may be addressed directly by passing the significant simplifications of well-established substructure techniques.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.697-711
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• 2021

In this work, a simple quasi 3-D parabolic shear deformation theory is developed to examine the bending response of antisymmetric cross-ply laminated composite plates under different types of mechanical loading. The main feature of this theory is that, in addition to including the transverse shear deformation and thickness stretching effects, it has only five-unknown variables in the displacement field modeling like Mindlin's theory (FSDT), yet satisfies the zero shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate without requiring a shear correction factor. The static version of principle of virtual work was employed to derive the governing equations, while the bending problem for simply supported antisymmetric cross-ply laminated plates was solved by a Navier-type closed-form solution procedure. The adequacy of the proposed model is handled by considering the impact of side-to-thickness ratio on bending response of plate through several illustrative examples. Comparison of the obtained numerical results with the other shear deformation theories leads to the conclusion that the present model is more accurate and efficient in predicting the displacements and stresses of laminated composite plates.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.525-534
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• 2022

This investigation used two different geophysical logging techniques to confirm the depth to which a sheet pile was driven. Depth was estimated through analysis of the movement speed and three-component movement directions of a P-wave transmitted through the ground. It was also estimated by pole-pole and pole-dipole methods using electrical data logging to measure apparent resistivity. The two methods' respective results were 9.0 m (±1.5 m) and 7.5 m. As field ground conditions will include mixtures of various materials, electrical data logging is judged to be suitable for assessing depth due to its low signal-to-noise ratio.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.39-45
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• 2022

Background: The current guidelines for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis (APN) recommend that APN be diagnosed based on the clinical features and the presence of pyuria. However, we observed that some of the patients who are diagnosed with APN do not have characteristic clinical features or pyuria at the initial examination. We performed this study to investigate the characteristics of APN without pyuria. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on 391 patients diagnosed with APN based on clinical and radiologic findings, between 2015 and 2019. The clinical features, laboratory results, and computed tomography (CT) findings were compared between patients with normal white blood cell (WBC) counts and those with abnormal WBC counts (WBC of 0-5/high power field [HPF] vs. >5/HPF) in urine. Results: More than 50% of patients with APN had no typical urinary tract symptoms and one-third of them had no costovertebral angle (CVA) tenderness. Eighty-eight patients (22.5%) had normal WBC counts (0-5/HPF) on urine microscopy. There was a negative correlation between pyuria (WBC of >5/HPF) and previous antibiotic use (odds ratio, 0.249; 95% confidence interval, 0.140-0.441; p<0.001), and the probability of pyuria was reduced by 75.1% in patients who took antibiotics before visiting the emergency room. Conclusion: The diagnosis of APN should not be overlooked even if there are no typical clinical features, or urine microscopic examination is normal. If a patient has already taken antibiotics at the time of diagnosis, imaging studies such as CT should be performed more actively, regardless of the urinalysis results.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.7-19
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• 2023

Purpose: Mobility impairment persons are all people who experience mobility difficulties in their daily lives, which makes up about 30% of the population in Seoul Metropolitan City; this number is expected to increase with population aging. As the number of mobility impairment persons in need of vision correction increases, it is necessary to create the Universal Design guidelines and to provide the foundation to access convenience facilities at the entrance of optical shops, a health and medical institution. Methods: Of the 2,282 optical shops located in Seoul, 252 optical shops were chosen for data collection of actual photos, from April 10, 2022 to September 4, 2022. Based on the photographs, the height difference between the entrance and the sidewalk, safety handles, and opening and closing methods of entrances were investigated, as these factors correspond to the accessibility and the mobility of the mobility impairment persons. Results: Of the 252 optical shops surveyed, 114 (45.2%) have resolved the problems of height difference through improving horizontal accessibility (61) or using ramps (53). 36 (14.3%) optical shops chose automatic doors for opening and closing methods of the entrance. Implications: The rate of installation of access convenience facilities for the entrance of optical shops is slightly lower than the rate of installation of ramps, surveyed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It is necessary to apply the Universal Design to access convenience facilities for the entrance of optical shops for not only the mobility impairment persons but all people, regardless of age or ability, to conveniently access healthcare services.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.439-452
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• 2022

A forecast of slope behavior during catastrophic events, such as earthquakes is crucial to recognize the risk of slope failure. This paper endeavors to eliminate the significant supposition of predefined slip surfaces in the slope stability analysis, which questions the relevance of simple conventional methods under seismic conditions. To overcome such limitations, a methodology dependent on the slip line hypothesis, which permits an automatic generation of slip surfaces, is embraced to trace the extreme slope face under static and seismic conditions. The effect of earthquakes is considered using the pseudo-static approach. The current outcomes developed from a parametric study endorse a non-linear slope surface as the extreme profile, which is in accordance with the geomorphological aspect of slopes. The proposed methodology is compared with the finite element limit analysis to ensure credibility. Through the design charts obtained from the current investigation, the stability of slopes can be assessed under seismic conditions. It can be observed that the extreme slope profile demands a flat configuration to endure the condition of the limiting equilibrium at a higher level of seismicity. However, a concurrent enhancement in the shear strength of the slope medium suppresses this tendency by offering greater resistance to the seismic inertial forces induced in the medium. Unlike the traditional linear slopes, the extreme slope profiles mostly exhibit a steeper layout over a significant part of the slope height, thus ensuring a more optimized solution to the slope stability problem. Further, the susceptibility of the Longnan slope failure in the Huining-Wudu seismic belt is predicted using the current plasticity approach, which is found to be in close agreement with a case study reported in the literature. Finally, the concept of equivalent single or multi-tiered planar slopes is explored through an example problem, which exhibits the appropriateness of the proposed non-linear slope geometry under actual field conditions.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.477-488
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• 2022

Pile composite foundation (PCF) has been commonly applied in practice. Existing research has focused primarily on semi-infinite media having equal pile lengths with little attention given to the effects of inclined bedrock and dissimilar pile lengths. This investigation considers the effects of inclined bedrock on vertical loaded PCF with dissimilar pile lengths. The pile-soil system is decomposed into fictitious piles and extended soil. The Fredholm integral equation about the axial force along fictitious piles is then established based on the compatibility of axial strain between fictitious piles and extended soil. Then, an iterative procedure is induced to calculate the PCF characteristics with a rigid cap. The results agree well with two field load tests of a single pile and numerical simulation case. The settlement and load transfer behaviors of dissimilar 3-pile PCFs and the effects of inclined bedrock are analyzed, which shows that the embedded depth of the inclined bedrock significantly affects the pile-soil load sharing ratios, non-dimensional vertical stiffness N₀/wdE_s, and differential settlement for different length-diameter ratios of the pile l/d and pile-soil stiffness ratio k conditions. The differential settlement and pile-soil load sharing ratios are also influenced by the inclined angle of the bedrock for different k and l/d. The developed model helps better understand the PCF characteristics over inclined bedrock under vertical loading.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.17-25
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• 2023

The alarming global prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) has catalyzed an urgent need for robust, early diagnostic methodologies. This study unveils a pioneering approach to predicting T2DM, employing the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm, renowned for its predictive accuracy and computational efficiency. The investigation harnesses a meticulously curated dataset of 4303 samples, extracted from a comprehensive Chinese research study, scrupulously aligned with the World Health Organization's indicators and standards. The dataset encapsulates a multifaceted spectrum of clinical, demographic, and lifestyle attributes. Through an intricate process of hyperparameter optimization, the XGBoost model exhibited an unparalleled best score, elucidating a distinctive combination of parameters such as a learning rate of 0.1, max depth of 3, 150 estimators, and specific colsample strategies. The model's validation accuracy of 0.957, coupled with a sensitivity of 0.9898 and specificity of 0.8897, underlines its robustness in classifying T2DM. A detailed analysis of the confusion matrix further substantiated the model's diagnostic prowess, with an F1-score of 0.9308, illustrating its balanced performance in true positive and negative classifications. The precision and recall metrics provided nuanced insights into the model's ability to minimize false predictions, thereby enhancing its clinical applicability. The research findings not only underline the remarkable efficacy of XGBoost in T2DM prediction but also contribute to the burgeoning field of machine learning applications in personalized healthcare. By elucidating a novel paradigm that accentuates the synergistic integration of multifaceted clinical parameters, this study fosters a promising avenue for precise early detection, risk stratification, and patient-centric intervention in diabetes care. The research serves as a beacon, inspiring further exploration and innovation in leveraging advanced analytical techniques for transformative impacts on predictive diagnostics and chronic disease management.