• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1067-1085
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• 2016

Nonstationary features existing in tropical storms have been frequently captured in recent field measurements, and the applicability of the stationary theory to the analysis of wind characteristics needs to be discussed. In this study, a tropical storm called Nakri measured at Taizhou Bridge site based on structural health monitoring (SHM) system in 2014 is analyzed to give a comparison of the stationary and nonstationary characteristics. The stationarity of the wind records in the view of mean and variance is first evaluated with the run test method. Then the wind data are respectively analyzed with the traditional stationary model and the wavelet-based nonstationary model. The obtained wind characteristics such as the mean wind velocity, turbulence intensity, turbulence integral scale and power spectral density (PSD) are compared accordingly. Also, the stationary and nonstationary PSDs are fitted to present the turbulence energy distribution in frequency domain, among which a modulating function is included in the nonstationary PSD to revise the non-monotonicity. The modulated nonstationary PSD can be utilized to unconditionally simulate the turbulence presented by the nonstationary wind model. The results of this study recommend a transition from stationarity to nonstationarity in the analysis of wind characteristics, and further in the accurate prediction of wind-induced vibrations for engineering structures.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.64 no.1
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• pp.117-133
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• 2018

This article examines Laurence Sterne's Sentimental Journey in the context of eighteenth-century British travel literature. While literary critics generally read Sterne's work as a sentimental novel, contemporary readers initially interpreted the text as a travel narrative. It is my argument that travel writing, particularly the motion entailed in travelling, plays a significant role in Sterne's critical examination of sympathy and its cultural function during this period. By narrating in great detail his narrator Yorick's mobility and the effects it has on his sentimental encounters, Sterne illustrates how sympathy is not only difficult to activate and therefore requires added stimulation in the form of motion, but also does not necessarily result in charitable actions, a moral failure that is dramatized by the literal distance Yorick maintains from the objects of his sympathy. Calling to mind the figurative distance that constitutes an integral part of Adam Smith's formulation of sympathy in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, the distance Yorick establishes through his travels indicates sympathy's failure to bridge the emotional and socioeconomic distance between individuals, thereby highlighting sympathy's limitations as a moral instrument. I argue that by using Yorick's repeated acts of sympathy to explore the problems of sentimentalism, Sterne both draws from and innovates the tradition of employing imaginary voyages to engage in philosophical inquiries.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.2B
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• pp.169-175
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• 2008

The clear-water scour experiments were conducted to shed light on the unsteadiness of the horseshoe vortex around a bridge pier since the fluctuations of velocity components and unsteadiness of the horseshoe vortex can be considered as one of the main factors on local scour. The characteristics of the flow speed and turbulence around a bridge pier was examined using an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and the flow visualization with kaolin clay particles upstream of a bridge pier. The outcomes of this study on the turbulence characteristics related with scour mechanism were presented with the quadrant analysis, the integral time scales, and the bed shear stresses before and after scouring, respectively. The bed shear stress before scouring was approximately quadruple times higher than that of the equilibriums state. It implies that the unsteadiness of the horseshoe vortex would play a significant role in the initial development of scour depth. Therefore, the bimodal distribution of flow velocity was identified as one of the mechanical properties of the horseshoe vortex and the unsteadiness of horseshoe vortex can be one of the major characteristics to understand the flow sturucture and local pier scour.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.94-101
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• 2009

A novel method for the reconstruction of 3D shape and texture from elemental images has been proposed. Using this method, we can estimate a full 3D polygonal model of objects with seamless triangulation. But in the triangulation process, all the objects are stitched. This generates phantom surfaces that bridge depth discontinuities between different objects. To solve this problem we need to connect points only within a single object. We adopt a segmentation process to this end. The entire process of the proposed method is as follows. First, the central pixel of each elemental image is computed to extract spatial position of objects by correspondence analysis. Second, the object points of central pixels from neighboring elemental images are projected onto a specific elemental image. Then, the center sub-image is segmented and each object is labeled. We used the normalized cut algorithm for segmentation of the center sub-image. To enhance the speed of segmentation we applied the watershed algorithm before the normalized cut. Using the segmentation results, the subdivision process is applied to pixels only within the same objects. The refined grid is filtered with median and Gaussian filters to improve reconstruction quality. Finally, each vertex is connected and an object-based triangular mesh is formed. We conducted experiments using real objects and verified our proposed method.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.802-808
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• 2019

DC motors are used extensively on shipboard, including as the ship's winch operating motor, owing to their simple speed control and excellent output torque characteristics. Moreover, they were used as propulsion motors in the early days of electric propulsion ships. However, mechanical rectifiers, such as brushes, used in DC motors have certain disadvantages. Hence, brushless DC (BLDC) motors are increasingly being used instead. While the electrical characteristics of both types of motors are similar, BLDC motors employ electronic rectifying devices, which use semiconductor elements, instead of mechanical rectifying devices. The inverter system for driving conventional BLDC motors uses a two-phase excitation method so that the waveform of the back electromotive force becomes trapezoidal. This causes harmonics and torque ripple in the phase current switching period in which the winding wire through which the current flows is changed. Researchers have studied and presented various methods to reduce the harmonics and torque ripple. This study applies a cascaded H-bridge multilevel inverter, which implements a proportional-integral speed current controller algorithm in the driving circuit of the BLDC motor for electric propulsion ships using a power analysis program. The simulation results of the modeled BLDC motor show that the driving method of the proposed BLDC motor improves the voltage waveform of the input side of the motor and remarkably reduces the harmonics and torque ripple compared with the conventional driving method.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 2003

This paper presents a novel multilevel PWM inverter employing series-connected transformers in order to improve the waveshape of output voltage and to reduce its harmonics. The proposed 11-level inverter consists of three full-bridge inverter modules and their corresponding transformers. Among their inverter modules, one is used as PWM operation and the others as level generation. From a suitable selection of turns ratio of transformer, continuous output voltage levels were generated appearing an integral ratio to input DC source. Because of their series connection of transformers, output filter inductor is not necessary. The operational principles and analysis are explained, and it is compared with a conventional multilevel PWM inverter. The validity of the proposed system Is verified through the experimental results using a prototype.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.123-130
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• 2002

A general formulation for shape design sensitivity analysis over three dimensional beam structure is developed based on a variational formulation of the beam in linear elasticity. Sensitivity formula is derived based on variational equations in cartesian coordinates using the material derivative concept and adjoint variable method for the displacement and Von-Mises stress functionals. Shape variation is considered for the beam shape in general 3-dimensional direction as well as for the orientation angle of the beam cross section. In the sensitivity expression, the end points evaluation at each beam segment is added to the integral formula, which are summed over the entire structure. The sensitivity formula can be evaluated with generality and ease even by employing piecewise linear design velocity field despite the bending model is fourth order differential equation. For the numerical implementation, commercial software ANSYS is used as analysis tool for the primal and adjoint analysis. Once the design variable set is defined using ANSYS language, shape and orientation variation vector at each node is generated by making finite difference to the shape with respect to each design parameter, and is used for the computation of sensitivity formula. Several numerical examples are taken to show the advantage of the method, in which the accuracy of the sensitivity is evaluated. The results are found excellent even by employing a simple linear function for the design velocity evaluation. Shape optimization is carried out for the geometric design of an archgrid and tilted bridge, which is to minimize maximum stress over the structure while maintaining constant weight. In conclusion, the proposed formulation is a useful and easy tool in finding optimum shape in a variety of the spatial frame structures.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.240-263
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• 2021

One of the biggest challenges that the software industry is facing today is to create highly efficient applications without affecting the quality of healthcare system software. The demand for the provision of software with high quality protection has seen a rapid increase in the software business market. Moreover, it is worthless to offer extremely user-friendly software applications with no ideal security. Therefore a need to find optimal solutions and bridge the difference between accessibility and protection by offering accessible software services for defense has become an imminent prerequisite. Several research endeavours on usable security assessments have been performed to fill the gap between functionality and security. In this context, several Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches have been implemented on different usability and security attributes so as to assess the usable-security of software systems. However, only a few specific studies are based on using the integrated approach of fuzzy Analytic Network Process (FANP) and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) technique for assessing the significant usable-security of hospital management software. Therefore, in this research study, the authors have employed an integrated methodology of fuzzy logic, ANP and TOPSIS to estimate the usable - security of Hospital Management System Software. For the intended objective, the study has taken into account 5 usable-security factors at first tier and 16 sub-factors at second tier with 6 hospital management system softwares as alternative solutions. To measure the weights of parameters and their relation with each other, Fuzzy ANP is implemented. Thereafter, Fuzzy TOPSIS methodology was employed and the rating of alternatives was calculated on the foundation of the proximity to the positive ideal solution.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2022.06a
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• pp.992-1000
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• 2022

Heritage buildings (HBs) as structures with historical and architectural relevance that form an integral part of contemporary society. HBs deserve to be protected for as long as possible to retain their significance. Therefore, prioritizing HB maintenance management (HBMM) is pertinent. However, the decision-making process of HBMM can be relatively daunting. The decision-making challenge may be attributed to the multiple 'stakeholders' expectation and requirement which needs to be met. To this end, professionals in the built environment have identified the need to apply the strategic concept of facilities management (FM) in decision making. However, studies exploring the application of FM in decision-making seem lacking. To bridge this gap, this study focuses on developing a framework for strategic decision-making HBMM, which helps achieve HBMM sustainability. At the study's inception, relevant works of literature in the domains of HBMM and FM were conducted. This review helped identify contemporary maintenance practices and their applicability to HBMM. Afterward, a conceptual framework to aid decision-making in HBMM was developed. This framework integrated the concept of FM scope (people, place, process, and technology) while ensuring that decisions and plans were made at strategic, tactical, and operational levels. The conceptual framework presents a holistic guide for professionals in HBMM to ensure that decision processes and outcomes are practical and efficient. It also contributes to the existing body of knowledge on the integration of FM in HBMM. Furthermore, it will help achieve HB sustainability through an effective decision-making process.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2024

The zonula occludens (ZO) protein serves as a scaffolding protein, providing structural support at the junctions between cells and the cytoplasmic surface. It acts as a bridge between integral membrane proteins and the cytoskeleton. Besides its structural role, it also participates in regulating cell growth and proliferation. Recent studies have highlighted the involvement of ZO protein in various diseases, including cancer. Specifically, research has indicated that ZO protein influences the cancer microenvironment surrounding cancer cells, thereby facilitating their growth and development. ZO proteins exert diverse functions in the cancer microenvironment, impacting processes such as angiogenesis, inflammatory responses, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and interactions with mesenchymal stem cells. The specific mechanisms vary depending on the type of cancer and environmental conditions. Recent research unveiled several signaling pathways involving ZO protein, which could potentially impede cancer progression in the tumor microenvironment. Consequently, these insights open avenues for novel treatment strategies. While the numerous physiological, structural, and morphological roles of ZO protein have been observed at the cellular and in vivo levels, understanding the signaling mechanisms it operates in vivo and how these mechanisms influence the cancer microenvironment remains a challenge. In this review, we delineate the characteristics and regulatory mechanisms of ZO protein in the context of the cancer microenvironment. Additionally, we propose leveraging the properties of ZO protein to devise defense mechanisms within the cancer cell environment and provide an overview of its in vivo role.