• Title/Summary/Keyword: innovative Tools

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Application of digital polymerase chain reaction technology for noninvasive prenatal test

  • Lee, Seung Yong;Hwang, Seung Yong
    • Journal of Genetic Medicine
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    • v.12 no.2
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    • pp.72-78
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    • 2015
  • Recently, noninvasive prenatal test (NIPT) has been adopted as a primary screening tool for fetal chromosomal aneuploidy. The principle of NIPT lies in isolating the fetal fraction of cell-free DNA in maternal plasma and analyzing it with bioinformatic tools to measure the amount of gene from the target chromosome, such as chromosomes 21, 18, and 13. NIPT will contribute to decreasing the need for unnecessary invasive procedures, including amniocentesis and chorionic villi sampling, for confirming fetal aneuploidy because of its higher positive predictive value than that of the conventional prenatal screening method. However, its greater cost than that of the current antenatal screening protocol may be an obstacle to the adoption of this innovative technique in clinical practice. Digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) is a novel approach for detecting and quantifying nucleic acid. dPCR provides real-time diagnostic advantages with higher sensitivity, accuracy, and absolute quantification than conventional quantitative PCR. Since the groundbreaking discovery that fetal cell-free nucleic acid exists in maternal plasma was reported, dPCR has been used for the quantification of fetal DNA and for screening for fetal aneuploidy. It has been suggested that dPCR will decrease the cost by targeting specific sequences in the target chromosome, and dPCR-based noninvasive testing will facilitate progress toward the implementation of a noninvasive approach for screening for trisomy 21, 18, and 13. In this review, we highlight the principle of dPCR and discuss its future implications in clinical practice.

Guideline for managing research facilities and LMOs for R&D by the Act on transboundary movement of LMOs, etc,. (LMO법에 따른 연구시설의 운영 및 시험연구용 LMO의 관리)

  • Jang, Ho-Min
    • Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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    • v.35 no.1
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    • pp.5-12
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    • 2008
  • The transgenic technologies and their product (living modified organisms) have been developed and commercialized enough to get much attention in terms of their potentials to solve the current global difficulties such as shortage of food and energy. Furthermore, they are expected to make a big role in improving human health levels and creating bio-economy as innovative tools to pursue environmentally sound economic development. However, for the technologies and products to be developed and used in such a way that they continuously give a good impact to human society, first and foremost safety issues surrounding them should be dealt with. Every stage from in-house R&D, pilot field application to on the shelves should be managed to ensure safety following them because many consumers tend to have fear before they get the right or needed information on the modern biotechnology. In this sense, managing research facilities and LMOs for R&D from the point of safety is very crucial in that they are in the early stage of technology or product development. This paper especially deals with those to be complied with by researchers according to the Act on transboundary movement of LMOs, etc, entered into the effect from Jan. 1 2008.

Operation of a Networked Virtual Manufacturing System using Quasi-Procedural Method

  • Noh, Sang-Do;Sheen, Dong-Mok;Hahn, Hyung-Sang;Lee, Kyoil
    • 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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    • 1999.10a
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    • pp.177-180
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    • 1999
  • Nowadays, one of the major technical issues in manufacturing is to create an environment to promote collaboration among diverse engineering activities. Collaborative engineering is an innovative approach integrating widely distributed engineering activities through promoting information sharing and actual collaboration. It requires close interactions among developers, suppliers and customers, and consideration of entire product life cycle from concept to disposal. A carefully-designed operating system is crucial for successful collaboration of many different activities in a Networked Virtual Manufacturing System(NVMS). High extensibility, flexibility and efficiency ale the key characteristics requested of an operating system to handle the complexity of the NVMSs. In this paper, we propose a model of the operating system for collaborative engineering using concurrent quasi-procedural method(QPM). QPM is a goal-driven data management technique for distributed and parallel computing environments. It is to be applied to the evaluation of activities to be executed, validities of input data, execution path of activities for a needed output, and expected to greatly improve the productivity of operations by preventing redundant evaluations. Collaboration among many different engineering activities in NVMSs is to be performed by the network of agents that encapsulate the capabilities of both users and their tools.

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Experimental Study on Multi-Stage Cold Forging for an Outer Race of a CV Joint (등속조인트용 외륜의 다단 냉간 단조공정에 관한 실험적 연구)

  • Kang, B.S.;Ku, T.W.
    • Transactions of Materials Processing
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    • v.23 no.4
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    • pp.221-230
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    • 2014
  • This study deals with a series of experimental investigations on multi-stage cold forging of an outer race used for a constant velocity (CV) joint with six inner ball grooves. The multi-stage cold forging, which consists of forward extrusion, upsetting, backward extrusion, and combined sizing-necking including ironing, was used to produce a prototype of the outer race. The cold forging tools such as forging punches and dies required in this multi-stage cold forging were also designed and fabricated. For the combined sizing-necking, especially, the longitudinally six-segmentallized punches were developed to easily eject from the necked inner groove of the outer race with consideration of the operating mechanism. Spheroidized SCr420H billet was used in the experimental study. To verify the suitability of the proposed process, the obtained parts were obtained from each forging operation, and the geometries were compared with the target dimensions. It was confirmed that the outer race with six inner ball grooves was well forged by adopting the proposed multi-stage cold forging, and the dimensional accuracy of the forged outer race matched well with the requirements.

Process Modification and Numerical Simulation for an Outer Race of a CV Joint using Multi-Stage Cold Forging (등속조인트용 외륜의 다단 냉간 단조공정을 위한 공정개선 및 유한요소 해석)

  • Kang, B.S.;Ku, T.W.
    • Transactions of Materials Processing
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    • v.23 no.4
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    • pp.211-220
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    • 2014
  • The outer race of a constant velocity (CV) joint having six inner ball grooves has traditionally been manufactured by multi-stage warm forging, which includes forward extrusion, upsetting, backward extrusions, necking, ironing and sizing, and machining. In the current study, a multi-stage cold forging process is examined and an assessment for replacing and modifying the conventional multi-stage warm forging is made. The proposed procedure is simplified to the backward extrusion of the conventional process, and the sizing and necking are combined into a single sizing-necking step. Thus, the forging surface of the six ball grooves can be obtained without additional machining. To verify the suitability of the proposed process, a 3-dimensional numerical simulation on each operation was performed. The forging loads were also predicted. In addition, a structural integrity evaluation for the tools was carried out. Based on the results, it is shown that the dimensional requirements of the outer race can be well met.

Computational study of the wind load on a free-form complex thin shell structure

  • Rodrigues, A. Moret;Tome, Ana;Gomes, M. Gloria
    • Wind and Structures
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.177-193
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    • 2017
  • The accelerated development of new materials, technologies and construction processes, in parallel with advances in computational algorithms and ever growing computational power, is leading to more daring and innovative architectural and structural designs. The search for non-regular building shapes and slender structures, as alternative to the traditional architectural forms that have been prevailing in the building sector, poses important engineering challenges in the assessment of the strength and mechanical stability of non-conventional structures and systems, namely against highly variable actions as wind and seismic forces. In case of complex structures, laboratory experiments are a widely used methodology for strength assessment and loading characterization. Nevertheless, powerful numerical tools providing reliable results are also available today and able to compete with the experimental approach. In this paper the wind action on a free-form complex thin shell is investigated through 3D-CFD simulation in terms of the pressure coefficients and global forces generated. All the modelling aspects and calibrating process are described. The results obtained showed that the CFD technique is effective in the study of the wind effects on complex-shaped structures.

New Materials Based Lab-on-a-Chip Microreactors: New Device for Chemical Process

  • Kim, Dong-Pyo
    • Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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    • 2012.05a
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    • pp.51-51
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    • 2012
  • There is a growing interest in innovative chemical synthesis in microreactors owing to high efficiency, selectivity, and yield. In microfluidic systems, the low-volume spatial and temporal control of reactants and products offers a novel method for chemical manipulation and product generation. Glass, silicon, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), and plastics have been used for the fabrication of miniaturized devices. However, these materials are not the best due to either of low chemical durability or expensive fabrication costs. In our group, we have recently addressed the demand for economical resistant materials that can be used for easy fabrication of microfluidic systems with reliable durability. We have suggested the use of various specialty polymers such as silicon-based inorganic polymers and fluoropolymer, flexible polyimide (PI) films that have not been used for microfluidic devices, although they have been used for other areas. And inexpensive lithography techniques were used to fabricate Lab-on-a-Chip type of microreactors with differently devised microchannel design. These microreactors were demonstrated for various synthetic reactions: liquid, liquid-gas organic chemical reactions in heterogeneous catalytic processes, syntheses of polymer and non-trivial inorganic materials. The microreactors were inert, and withstand even harsh conditions, including hydrothermal reaction. In addition, various built-in microstructures inside the microchannels, for example Pd decorated peptide nanowires, definitely enhance the uniqueness and performance of microreactors. These user-friendly Lab-on-a-Chip devices are useful alternatives for chemist and chemical engineer to conventional chemical tools such as glass.

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A Investigation into Tool State Monitoring by Sensing Changes according to Groove (홈의 형상에 따른 센서 감지거리 변화를 이용한 공구상태 모니터링에 관한 연구)

  • Son, Gil-Ho;Kim, Mi-Ru;Lee, Seung-Jun;Jeong, Jae-Ho;Lew, Kyung-Hee;Lee, Deug-Woo
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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    • v.16 no.5
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    • pp.31-39
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    • 2017
  • Research in the machine tool industry has focused on ICT-based smart machines rather than hardware technologies related to machine tools. Real-time tool-status monitoring is representative of this type of technology and has become important for measuring sensors during cutting processes. In this paper, we studied several research areas and used a round bar to conduct fundamental research into the axial displacement of the main spindle of a tool when it was subjected to a machining load. We were able to use the gap sensor to detect the axial displacement indirectly by using grooves with various shapes on the round bar and sensing the gaps between the grooves. We then determined the optimal groove shape for monitoring the tool state.

Investigation of blasting impact on limestone of varying quality using FEA

  • Dimitraki, Lamprini S.;Christaras, Basile G.;Arampelos, Nikolas D.
    • Geomechanics and Engineering
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    • v.25 no.2
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    • pp.111-121
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    • 2021
  • Large deformation and rapid pressure propagation take place inside the rock mass under the dynamic loads caused by the explosives, on quarry faces in order to extract aggregate material. The complexity of the science of rock blasting is due to a number of factors that affect the phenomenon. However, blasting engineering computations could be facilitated by innovative software algorithms in order to determine the results of the violent explosion, since field experiments are particularly difficult to be conducted. The present research focuses on the design of a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) code, for investigating in detail the behavior of limestone under the blasting effect of Ammonium Nitrate & Fuel Oil (ANFO). Specifically, the manuscript presents the FEA models and the relevant transient analysis results, simulating the blasting process for three types of limestone, ranging from poor to very good quality. The Finite Element code was developed by applying the Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state to describe the thermodynamic state of ANFO and the pressure dependent Drucker-Prager failure criterion to define the limestone plasticity behavior, under blasting induced, high rate stress. A progressive damage model was also used in order to define the stiffness degradation and destruction of the material. This paper performs a comparative analysis and quantifies the phenomena regarding pressure, stress distribution and energy balance, for three types of limestone. The ultimate goal of this research is to provide an answer for a number of scientific questions, considering various phenomena taking place during the explosion event, using advanced computational tools.

Innovation and investment strategies to intensify the potential modernization and to increase the competitiveness of microeconomic systems

  • Tulchynska, Svitlana;Vovk, Olha;Popelo, Olha;Saloid, Stanislav;Kostiunik, Olena
    • International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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    • v.21 no.6
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    • pp.161-168
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    • 2021
  • Within the article, strategic guidelines for the modernization of microeconomic systems are identified. Modernization levels of the potential implementation are formalized for enterprises: contractile, extensive technical, technological, progressive, adaptive, steady, intensive, creative, absolute and leader modernization. This allowed to specify the directions and tasks of the enterprise modernization at different management levels. Accordingly, the conditions and criteria for selecting resource tools are set. It is proved that the strategies of the potential modernization of enterprises must be carried out at four main management levels: first, at the enterprise level; secondly, for a particular type of product / service; third, by functional directions of modernization of separate spheres of the enterprise activity or responsibility, fourth, at the level of structural units of the enterprise. It is substantiated that in the processes due to the activation of the potential modernization, the resources are transformed into the results of the innovation implementation and the investment strategies modernization. A system of tasks for the corporate strategies implementation in order to modernize microeconomic systems has been formed. Key vectors of the activation determine the nature and properties of investment resources and necessary innovations to enhance the modernization potential. Therefore, the system of innovation and investment strategies' modernization, based on the vector and resource provision of the modernization process, is specified: