• Title/Summary/Keyword: special environments

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Supporting Context-Aware Applications for Eldercare

  • Bottazzi, Dario;Taleb, Tarik;Guizani, Mohsen;Hafid, Abdelhakim Senhaji
    • Journal of Communications and Networks
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    • v.13 no.2
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    • pp.95-101
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    • 2011
  • Extended life expectancy and a decrease in fertility rates are dramatically increasing the number of seniors who will eventually need professional care assistance. Although there is no clear technical solution to this problem, recent advances in ubiquitous computing offer opportunities to assist elders in their residence, thus reducing the need for professional assistance in special facilities. There have been several studies, but current solutions tend to address specific issues and cannot be easily extended, updated, and customized to meet the complex and evolving requirements of eldercare assistance. This study aims to bridge this gap, and this paper presents a context-management framework, called awareness for pervasive environments (APE), that provides easily customizable support for the development of ubiquitous eldercare services and applications.

walking mechanism design based on Jansen mechanism for moving slope/ obstacle/ special surface (경사/ 장애물/ 특수 표면을 이동할 수 있는 얀센 매커니즘 기반의 보행기구 설계)

  • Kim, So Won;Park, Young Cheol;Jeon, Eun Seo
    • Proceeding of EDISON Challenge
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    • 2016.03a
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    • pp.463-466
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    • 2016
  • This study has designed a walking mechanism that is able to pass by a variety of environments, such as slope, obstructions, special surface in there, the mechanism suggested by Janssen has shown an ideal bridge structure made of 11 joints. V in the study, these programs are use that is m-sketch, m-designer, Janssen mechanism optimization solver for the optimum design of m-sketch, 3D component reflecting the given strip dimension is used because there is a limit in the given. As a result, a stable mechanism for walking could be implemented.

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Laser surface cleaning of simulated radioactive contaminants in various technological environments

  • Maxim Cheban;Serafima Filatova;Yaroslav Kravchenko;Konstantin Scherbakov;Dmitry Mamonov;Sergey Klimentov;Maxim Savinov;Maxim Chichkov
    • Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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    • v.56 no.7
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    • pp.2775-2780
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    • 2024
  • Special methods for cleaning surfaces of stainless steel with a coating simulating radioactive contamination have been developed and studied. The removal of simulated surface contamination was performed using lasers in the micron spectral range with pulse durations of 8 ns and 270 fs. Optimal cleaning modes were determined for gas and liquid environments, achieving surface cleaning coefficient of over 90% in a single pass. A correlation between the degree of cleaning in liquids and the viscosity of the environment was discovered.

Fuzzy Logic Based Navigation for Multiple Mobile Robots in Indoor Environments

  • Zhao, Ran;Lee, Dong Hwan;Lee, Hong Kyu
    • International Journal of Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Systems
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    • v.15 no.4
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    • pp.305-314
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    • 2015
  • The work presented in this paper deals with a navigation problem for multiple mobile robot system in unknown indoor environments. The environment is completely unknown for all the robots and the surrounding information should be detected by the proximity sensors installed on the robots' bodies. In order to guide all the robots to move along collision-free paths and reach the goal positions, a navigation method based on the combination of a set of primary strategies has been developed. The indoor environments usually contain convex and concave obstacles. In this work, a danger judgment strategy in accordance with the sensors' data is used for avoiding small convex obstacles or moving objects which include both dynamic obstacles and other robots. For big convex obstacles or concave ones, a wall following strategy is designed for dealing with these special situations. In this paper, a state memorizing strategy is also proposed for the "infinite repetition" or "dead cycle" situations. Finally, when there is no collision risk, the robots will be guided towards the targets according to a target positioning strategy. Most of these strategies are achieved by the means of fuzzy logic controllers and uniformly applied for every robot. The simulation experiments verified that the proposed method has a positive effectiveness for the navigation problem.

Six Sigma in Non-Manufacturing Environments

  • Akpolat, Hasan
    • International Journal of Quality Innovation
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    • v.5 no.2
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    • pp.17-25
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    • 2004
  • Despite the fact that much has been published about Six Sigma in the business and academic press and on the Internet in recent years, there is still confusion among many people, particularly those who work in the transactional and service environments, about the nature of Six Sigma. It is true that Six Sigma like other process improvement programs before was first applied to manufacturing processes; however, many corporations including General Electric and Sony have successfully applied Six Sigma to their transactional and service processes as well. Six Sigma is used by many companies not only to improve the quality of their products and services but also to achieve quantifiable financial results, improve management style and communication, and achieve customer and employee satisfaction. Whether in manufacturing or non-manufacturing environments, the application of Six Sigma differs from organization to organization. Although there are many common elements between these applications, however, special care must be taken when customizing Six Sigma to suit the organizations' needs. In this paper, the author provides some practical and useful guidelines for Six Sigma deployment. This paper is not about the use of numerous statistical tools and techniques that can be found in a typical Six Sigma toolbox. The main emphasis has been placed both on the concept and the implementation of Six Sigma, particularly within the non-manufacturing areas of business.

Nuclear Power Plants' Main Control Room Case analysis for Specialized Space Design (원자력 발전소 주제어실 사례를 통한 특수공간 디자인에 관한 기초적 연구)

  • Lee, Seung-Hoon;Back, Seong-Kyung;Lee, Sang-Ho
    • Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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    • v.16 no.5
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    • pp.81-88
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    • 2007
  • Energy consumption has been increased world widely, and the energy retain is one of the most important economic alternatives. These tendencies expand the nuclear power plants not only quantitatively but also qualitatively. Despite of the increasing construction of nuclear power plants and related facilities, every system in main control room(MCR) has been designed and administered solely based on the safety-first principles because of the specificity of nuclear industry. However, recent main control rooms started with the concept that the operators' performance could be optimized though the organic interrelation between human, machine, and environments. Now, it has been recognised in the scope of Ergonomics and Space Design which acknowledge our living spaces as Man-Environment Interface and this change connotes the MCR spaces should be special spaces rather than ordinary spaces. This research investigated domestic and foreign nuclear power plants' MCRs to suggest basic alternatives which can be applied to future MCR. With the review of characteristics of MCR, an integration of interior design, lighting and Ergonomics was explored and classified as types. Futhermore, the classification of environmental characteristics within the relationships between human, machine, and environments was developed through the case analysis of nuclear power plants. The results of this study will provide a basis of space design for system environments that the high level of safety and function are extremely important.

Landscape Design for the Buchon Special School (부천특수학교 조경설계)

  • 김신원;이시영
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.30 no.3
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    • pp.57-63
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    • 2002
  • This landscape design was proposed for the Buchon Special School Competition, held by the Kyonggi Province Office of Education. The authors collaborated on this design and won first prize in November of 2001. In the design proposal, on the basis of the knowledge of; mentally retarded children the children's activities, nature and health, and the healing gardens, the special school outdoor spaces were designed to meet the particular needs of the users. The school outdoor spaces are design for various types of users-children, adolescents, parents, siblings, staff, volunteers and visitors. The following are some of the basis concerns in the design of the school outdoor spaces : garden site planning, garden location, security, microclimate, entering and exiting, accessibility, usability, user group territories, supervision, attracting trained volunteers, a range of high-quality social settings, accommodation of different student types, accommodation of needs for both challenge and rest, child nature interaction, diversity of natural settings, hands-on activity, integrating the arts, and maintenance. The following are some of the major features in the design of school outdoor spaces : pleasant and inviting entry areas, sports grounds with different levels of challenge, gardens with plants having strong fragrances and/or tactile qualities, resting places with many types and forms of seating and weather-mitigating features, play grounds for all student types, roof gardens for users to experience nature in man-made environments, and walkways and winding paths with various trees, shrubs and flowers. In the special school outdoor spaces, people would perceive a unique sense of place through the various types of spaces and features described above. An example of the true meaning of a playing and resting place and a restorative and therapeutic environment is provided in the school outdoor spaces.

Evaluation of the Possibility of Developing Organic Matter Indicators in Coastal Environments: Utilization of Dissolved Organic Carbon and Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter (연안환경에서 유기물 지표 개발을 위한 가능성 평가: 용존유기탄소와 형광용존유기물질 활용)

  • Lee, Min-Young;Yang, Kyungsun;Kim, Sunchan;Kim, Tae-Hoon
    • Ocean and Polar Research
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    • v.43 no.2
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    • pp.65-72
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    • 2021
  • In order to evaluate the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM), as indicators of organic matter in the coastal environments, we measured the concentrations of DOC, FDOM, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in saline groundwater (Woljeong, Pyoseon, and Hwasun beaches) and coastal seawater (Haengwon, Gwideok, Pyoseon, and Yeongnak) in Jeju, Korea. The highest concentrations of DOC and COD in groundwater were found in Woljeong and Pyoseon, and those in coastal water were observed in Haengwon and Pyoseon, indicating that the higher concentrations of DOC and COD seem to be associated with saline groundwater-driven dissolved organic matter (DOM) and/or biogeochemical processes. According to origin and optical properties of DOM using FDOM as a tracer, proportion of humic-like FDOM, more refractory DOM, was relatively greater in the groundwater than in the coastal water. With regard to this result, there was no relationship between DOC and COD in groundwater, while DOC showed a good positive correlation (r2 = 0.66) with COD in coastal water. This result indicates that COD as an indicator of assessment of DOM has a limitation in which it is difficult to quantify refractory DOM. Although DOC is a potential alternative to COD in the coastal environments, particulate organic carbon cannot be negligible due to relatively higher concentration compared to the open ocean. Therefore, the use of total organic carbon (TOC) as a replacement of COD in the coastal ocean is important, and the evaluation criterion of the TOC is necessary in order to evaluate of organic matter indicator in the various coastal environments.

Analysis of the Response of School Food Service Operations to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020-2021 (2020~2021년 코로나바이러스감염증-19 대응을 위한 학교급식 운영 현황)

  • Jin-Uk Kwon;Hae-Lim Cho;Chang-Geun Lee;Seo-Jin Kim;Hae-Young Lee;Soo-Youn Kim
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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    • v.38 no.3
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    • pp.163-175
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    • 2023
  • This study aimed to examine the operations of school food services to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in schools nationwide. The survey data on school food service operations targeting nutrition teachers and nutritionists at 1,023 schools in 2020 and 1,177 schools in 2021 were used. The year 2021 saw an increase compared to 2020 in the following: 'average days to be served with meals for a year (144.5 vs. 184.7)', 'provided meals to all students (92.3% vs. 96.6%)', 'utilization of additional staff for foodservice assistance (33.4% vs. 38.8%)', 'installation of partitions (61.2% vs. 83.8%)', 'provision of general diet (96.1% vs. 99.1%)', and 'use of kitchen utensils (91.3% vs. 95.1%)', 'use of cafeteria water cup (9.9% vs. 31.0%)' and 'use of drinking water in school (46.8% vs. 52.1%)'. Compared to 2020, in 2021, it was confirmed that the school food service operations stabilized due to the increase in the normal school attendance rate and that systems were in place for operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the future, it will be necessary to develop manuals and special recipes necessary for responding to infectious diseases, and to operate a manpower pool that can quickly find replacement personnel if required.

Genetic factors influencing milk and fat yields in tropically adapted dairy cattle: insights from quantitative trait loci analysis and gene associations

  • Thawee Laodim;Skorn Koonawootrittriron;Mauricio A. Elzo;Thanathip Suwanasopee;Danai Jattawa;Mattaneeya Sarakul
    • Animal Bioscience
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    • v.37 no.4
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    • pp.576-590
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    • 2024
  • Objective: The objective of this study was to identify genes associated with 305-day milk yield (MY) and fat yield (FY) that also influence the adaptability of the Thai multibreed dairy cattle population to tropical conditions. Methods: A total of 75,776 imputed and actual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 2,661 animals were used to identify genomic regions associated with MY and FY using the single-step genomic best linear unbiased predictions. Fixed effects included herd-year-season, breed regression, heterosis regression and calving age regression effects. Random effects were animal additive genetic and residual. Individual SNPs with a p-value smaller than 0.05 were selected for gene mapping, function analysis, and quantitative trait loci (QTL) annotation analysis. Results: A substantial number of QTLs associated with MY (9,334) and FY (8,977) were identified by integrating SNP genotypes and QTL annotations. Notably, we discovered 17 annotated QTLs within the health and exterior QTL classes, corresponding to nine unique genes. Among these genes, Rho GTPase activating protein 15 (ARHGAP15) and catenin alpha 2 (CTNNA2) have previously been linked to physiological traits associated with tropical adaptation in various cattle breeds. Interestingly, these two genes also showed signs of positive selection, indicating their potential role in conferring tolerance to trypanosomiasis, a prevalent tropical disease. Conclusion: Our findings provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of MY and FY in the Thai multibreed dairy cattle population, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of tropical adaptation. The identified genes represent promising targets for future breeding strategies aimed at improving milk and fat production while ensuring resilience to tropical challenges. This study significantly contributes to our understanding of the genetic factors influencing milk production and adaptability in dairy cattle, facilitating the development of sustainable genetic selection strategies and breeding programs in tropical environments.