• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.141-189
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• 2014

As urbanization and its consequences become the issue of modern cities, the concept of Smart City comes as the solution. Though a lot of researches on the topic is done, still no clear definition is given for both: Smart City itself and the factors of a successful Smart City. While most of the literature centers the role of ICT it is not a sufficient condition for a city to become Smart; the role of intellectual capital is underestimated. Using a collection of Smart City definitions across the time and providing concrete cases, this research seeks to bridge definition gaps and creates a tool for understanding Smart Cities. Drawing on the findings of several case studies, this research derives several explanatory factors. The citizen's engagement and governance are identified as the two key success factors of Smart City Projects along with ICT and other factors as enablers. The research has purpose as follows: 1) To bridge definition gaps of the "Smart City" by defining the term "Smart City," based on existing concepts and characteristic mechanisms across times.; 2) To develop an analytical tool for Smart City success factors through Explanatory Variables.; and 3) To identify major challenges and barriers of Smart City Projects implementations and to provide recommendations and solutions, based on existing governmental initiatives and pilot projects. The research contributes to the knowledge of smart cities and ICT integration for urbanization issues solution. By applying the findings of this research at the managerial level stakeholders may benefit by getting higher efficiency of the Smart City Projects and by utilizing knowledge and values of a Smart City Projects in a prioritized way.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.451-463
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate booklets and video clips to prevent children from picky eating. Methods: Based on a survey conducted on food preferences of preschool children aged 2 to 5 years, 14 kinds of less preferred vegetables were selected. Accordingly, educational videos, activity books, and teaching-learning guides were produced for preschool children using the 'food bridge' theory, and the educational materials were named "Friendly vegetables". Educational materials were distributed to childcare institutions, and their effectiveness was investigated for preschool children who were instructed on these materials once every 30 days from March to November, 2019. The children were examined for changes in their knowledge of names, colors, taste/texture, methods of cultivation, and preferences for vegetables before and after the instructional course. Results: The awareness of vegetables increased significantly in younger children and the picky eating group. When the assessment was carried out in terms of vegetable knowledge, it was observed that the younger the age or the pickier the in eating food, the more effective the education is compared to the counter part. The preference for vegetables also increased after the instruction compared to the pre-instruction period, but significant changes were seen only in the 2~3 year age group for boys and girls. Also, only the picky group of girls showed changes in preference. The children's average interest in the education materials was 3.85 points out of 5 points. Conclusions: Through this study, we have developed educational materials for standalone use in childcare facilities and confirmed that they have a significant effect on improving awareness and preferences related to vegetables. In summary, the younger the age or the pickier the child in eating food, the more effective the education. It is believed that additional education on mealtime guidance is needed which can alter the eating behavior of preschool children and improve their diet. It is proposed to widen the scope of use of the materials by collecting diverse opinions from child care teachers.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.124-133
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• 1998

This paper describes a research work of developing a computer-aided design of blanking and piercing for irregular-shaped sheet metal products. An approach to the development of compact and practical CAB system is based on the knowledge-based rules. Knowledge for the CAD system is formulated from plasticity theories, experimental results and the empirical knowledge of field experts. The system has been written in AutoLISP on the AutoCAD with a personal computer. Based on knowledge-based rules, the system, STRT-DES, is designed by considering several factors, such as complexities of blank geometry and punch profile, availability of press equipment and standard parts, utilization ratio which minimizes the scrap in a single or a pairwise operation, bridge width, grain orientation and design requirements which maximize the strength of the part when subsequent bending is involved. This system checks a forming feasibility with both internal and external features, a dimension of blanked hole, and a corner and a fillet radius for irregualrly shaped sheet metal products. Therefore this system can carry out a die design for each process which is obtained from results of an automated blank layout drawing with a best utilization ratio for irregular shape of product that was successful in production feasibility check module and those of an automated strip layout drawing and generate part drawings and the assembly drawing of die set in graphic forms.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.3 no.6
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• pp.439-454
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• 2006

This paper develops an artificial neural network (ANN) model for uniformly loaded restrained reinforced concrete (RC) slabs incorporating membrane action. The development of membrane action in RC slabs restrained against lateral displacements at the edges in buildings and bridge structures significantly increases their load carrying capacity. The benefits of compressive membrane action are usually not taken into account in currently available design methods based on yield-line theory. By extending the existing knowledge of compressive membrane action, it is possible to design slabs in building and bridge decks economically with less than normal reinforcement. The processes involved in the development of ANN model such as the creation of a database of test results from previous research studies, the selection of architecture of the network from extensive trial and error procedure, and the training and performance validation of the model are presented. The ANN model was found to predict accurately the ultimate strength of fully restrained RC slabs. The model also was able to incorporate strength enhancement of RC slabs due to membrane action as confirmed from a comparative study of experimental and yield line-based predictions. Practical applications of the developed ANN model in the design process of RC slabs are also highlighted.

• International Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology Speciallssue:Selected Papers
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.44-50
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• 2003

If the accelerometers are used in measuring the response, the absolute values of the velocity and displacement are not usually obtainable because their initial values are not accounted for in the integration of the acceleration response. A new dynamic response conversion algorithm of both the time domain and the frequency domain is proposed for the problem in estimating the displacement data by defining the transformed responses. In this algorithm, the displacement response can be obtained from the measured acceleration records by integration without requiring the knowledge of the initial velocity and displacement information. The applicability of the technique is tested by an example problem using the real bridge's superstructure under several cases of moving load. In the response conversion procedure of the frequency domain, the identified response according to the frequency can be estimated by changing over the limits of integration. If the reliability of the identified responses is ensured, it is expected that the proposed method for estimating the impact factor can be useful in the bridge's dynamic test. This method can be useful in those practical cases when the direct measurement of the displacement is difficult as in the dynamic studies of huge structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.215-244
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• 2004

There is an ever-increasing demand for assessment of earthquake effects on transportation structures, emphasised by the crippling consequences of recent earthquakes hitting developed countries reliant on road transportation. In this work, vulnerability functions for RC bridges are derived analytically using advanced material characterisation, high quality earthquake records and adaptive inelastic dynamic analysis techniques. Four limit states are employed, all based on deformational quantities, in line with recent development of deformation-based seismic assessment. The analytically-derived vulnerability functions are then compared to a data set comprising observational damage data from the Northridge (California 1994) and Hyogo-ken Nanbu (Kobe 1995) earthquakes. The good agreement gives some confidence in the derived formulation that is recommended for use in seismic risk assessment. Furthermore, by varying the dimensions of the prototype bridge used in the study, and the span lengths supported by piers, three more bridges are obtained with different overstrength ratios (ratio of design-to-available base shear). The process of derivation of vulnerability functions is repeated and the ensuing relationships compared. The results point towards the feasibility of deriving scaling factors that may be used to obtain the set of vulnerability functions for a bridge with the knowledge of a 'generic' function and the overstrength ratio. It is demonstrated that this simple procedure gives satisfactory results for the case considered and may be used in the future to facilitate the process of deriving analytical vulnerability functions for classes of bridges once a generic relationship is established.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.12 no.3_4
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• pp.427-440
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• 2013

A growing need has developed in the United States to obtain more specific knowledge on the structural integrity of infrastructure due to aging service lives, heavier and more frequent loading conditions, and durability issues. This need has spurred extensive research in the area of structural health monitoring over the past few decades. Several structural health monitoring techniques have been developed that are capable of locating damage in structures using modal strain energy of mode shapes. Typically in the past, bending strain energy has been used in these methods since it is a dominant vibrational mode in many structures and is easily measured. Additionally, there may be cases, such as pipes, shafts, or certain bridges, where structures exhibit significant torsional behavior as well. In this research, torsional strain energy is used to locate damage. The damage index method is used on two numerical models; a cantilevered steel pipe and a simply-supported steel plate girder bridge. Torsion damage indices are compared to bending damage indices to assess their effectiveness at locating damage. The torsion strain energy method is capable of accurately locating damage and providing additional valuable information to both of the structures' behaviors.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15-28
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• 2021

Digging well foundation has been widely used in railway bridges due to its good economy and reliability. In other instances, bridges with digging well foundation still have damage risks during earthquakes. However, there is still a lack of knowledge of lateral behavior of digging well foundation considering the soil-foundation interaction. In this study, scaled models of bridge pier-digging well foundation system are constructed for quasi-static test to investigate their lateral behaviors. The failure mechanism and responses of the soil-foundation-pier interaction system are analyzed. The testing results indicate that the digging foundations tend to rotate as a rigid body under cyclic lateral load. Moreover, the depth-width ratio of digging well foundation has a significant influence on the failure mode of the interaction system, especially on the distribution of foundation displacement and the failure of pier. The energy dissipation capacity of the interaction system is discussed by using index of the equivalent viscous damping ratio. The damping varies with the depth-width ratio changing. The equivalent stiffness of soil-digging well foundation-pier interaction system decreases with the increase of loading displacement in a nonlinear manner. The absolute values of the interaction system stiffness are significantly influenced by the depth-width ratio of the foundation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.2
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• pp.227-238
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• 2024

Sparse regularization methods have proven effective in addressing the ill-posed equations encountered in moving force identification (MFI). However, the complexity of vehicle loads is often ignored in existing studies aiming at enhancing MFI accuracy. To tackle this issue, a double 𝑙₁ regularization method is proposed for MFI based on a response spectrum-based weighted dictionary in this study. Firstly, the relationship between vehicle-induced responses and moving vehicle loads (MVL) is established. The structural responses are then expanded in the frequency domain to obtain the prior knowledge related to MVL and to further construct a response spectrum-based weighted dictionary for MFI with a higher accuracy. Secondly, with the utilization of this weighted dictionary, a double 𝑙₁ regularization framework is presented for identifying the static and dynamic components of MVL by the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) method successively. To assess the performance of the proposed method, two different types of MVL, such as composed of trigonometric functions and driven from a 1/4 bridge-vehicle model, are adopted to conduct numerical simulations. Furthermore, a series of MFI experimental verifications are carried out in laboratory. The results shows that the proposed method's higher accuracy and strong robustness to noises compared with other traditional regularization methods.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.53-64
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• 2018

Nondestructive testing methods are required to assess the condition of civil structures and formulate their maintenance programs. Axial force identification is required for several structural members of truss bridges, pipe racks, and space roof trusses. An accurate evaluation of in situ axial forces supports the safety assessment of the entire truss. A considerable redistribution of internal forces may indicate structural damage. In this paper, a novel compressive force identification method for prismatic members implemented using static deflections is applied to steel beams. The procedure uses the Euler-Bernoulli beam model and estimates the compressive load by using the measured displacement along the beam's length. Knowledge of flexural rigidity of the member under investigation is required. In this study, the deflected shape of a compressed steel beam is subjected to an additional vertical load that was short-term measured in several laboratory tests by using fiber Bragg grating-differential settlement measurement (FBG-DSM) sensors at specific cross sections along the beam's length. The accuracy of midspan deflections offered by the FBG-DSM sensors provided excellent force estimations. Compressive load detection accuracy can be improved if substantial second-order effects are induced in the tests. In conclusion, the proposed method can be successfully applied to steel beams with low slenderness under real conditions.