bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
DC Flashover Performance of Ice-Covered Composite Insulators with Parallel Air Gaps
Authors: Hu Jianlin , Jiang Xingliang , Yin Fanghui , Zhang Zhijin
Published: May 2015

DC flashover performance of ice-covered composite insulators with a parallel air gap (CI/PAG) is an important technical consideration when such insulators are used to isolate ground wires for the purpose of DC ice-melting. Tests on tension and suspension types of CI/PAG were thus carried out in the artificial climate chamber to investigate their DC icing flashover performance. The influences of parallel air gap, ice thickness, pollution severity and air pressure on DC negative 50% flashover voltage (U50%) of CI/PAG were investigated. Test results show that the parallel air gap affected both the discharge path and U50%. With increasing ice thickness, U50% declined by up to 52%; this effect was more evident when the breakdown occurred in the air gap. The pollution severity affected U50% only when the flashover happened along insulator surface. With a decrease of atmospheric pressure, U50% decreased. U50% and the ratio of air pressure were in a power function relationship with a positive characteristic exponent which was relevant to the discharge path.
Single Cell Oil Producing Yeasts Lipomyces starkeyi and Rhodosporidium toruloides: Selection of Extraction Strategies and Biodiesel Property Prediction
Authors: Bonturi Nemailla , Matsakas Leonidas , Nilsson Robert , Christakopoulos Paul , Miranda Everson , Berglund Kris , Rova Ulrika
Published: May 2015

Single cell oils (SCOs) are considered potential raw material for the production of biodiesel. Rhodosporidium sp. and Lipomyces sp. are good candidates for SCO production. Lipid extractability differs according to yeast species and literature on the most suitable method for each oleaginous yeast species is scarce. This work aimed to investigate the efficiency of the most cited strategies for extracting lipids from intact and pretreated cells of Rhodosporidium toruloides and Lipomyces starkeyi. Lipid extractions were conducted using hexane or combinations of chloroform and methanol. The Folch method resulted in the highest lipid yields for both yeasts (42% for R. toruloides and 48% for L. starkeyi). Also, this method eliminates the cell pretreatment step. The Bligh and Dyer method underestimated the lipid content in the tested strains (25% for R. toruloides and 34% for L. starkeyi). Lipid extractability increased after acid pretreatment for the Pedersen, hexane, and Bligh and Dyer methods. For R. toruloides unexpected fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) composition were found for some lipid extraction strategies tested. Therefore, this work provides useful information for analytical and process development aiming at biodiesel production from the SCO of these two yeast species.
Review of HIV Testing Efforts in Historically Black Churches
Authors: Pichon Latrice , Powell Terrinieka
Published: May 2015

This paper aims to critically assess the state of HIV testing in African American churches. A comprehensive review of peer-reviewed publications on HIV testing in church-based settings was conducted by two independent coders. Twenty-six papers published between 1991 and 2015, representing 24 unique projects, were identified addressing at least one dimension of HIV testing. Thirteen faith-based projects have implemented HIV testing events or had clergy promote the importance of testing and knowing one’s HIV status, but empirical data and rigorous study designs were limited. Only eight papers reported onsite HIV testing in churches. Less than 5% of the studies reported the percentage of congregants who returned for their test results. Finally, no study has examined at baseline or post-intervention behavioral intentions to be screened for HIV. Future research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of HIV testing in churches and to explore the possibilities of the role of the church and leadership structure in the promotion of HIV treatment and care.
The Effect of Engagement in Everyday Occupations, Role Overload and Social Support on Health and Life Satisfaction among Mothers
Authors: Bar Michal , Jarus Tal
Published: May 2015

One of the founding assumptions underlying the health professions is the belief that there is a strong relationship between engagement in occupations, health, and wellbeing. The ability to perform everyday occupations (occupational performance) has a positive effect on health and wellbeing. However, there is also conflicting evidence indicating that participation in multiple roles or in certain occupations may lead to poorer health. Therefore, there is a need to better understand this relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine three possible theoretical models to explain mothers’ health and life satisfaction from the perspective of their occupational performance, their role load, and their social support. 150 married mothers, ages of 25–45, who had at least one child between the ages of one to ten years, participated in the study. Data were collected by using seven self-report questionnaires. The models were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that social support has a direct effect on mothers’ physical health and life satisfaction and an indirect effect, mediated through the occupational performance variables, on mothers’ mental health and life satisfaction. Role overload does not affect mothers’ health and life satisfaction. These results suggest that mothers could benefit from health programs that help them manage their occupational routines. Such programs should focus on improving the mother’s occupational performance and adapting her social environment to fit her occupational needs.
Cytotoxicity of the Urokinase-Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Carbamimidothioic Acid (4-Boronophenyl) Methyl Ester Hydrobromide (BC-11) on Triple-Negative MDA-MB231 Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Longo Alessandra , Librizzi Mariangela , Chuckowree Irina , Baltus Christine , Spencer John , Luparello Claudio
Published: May 2015

BC-11 is an easily synthesized simple thiouronium-substituted phenylboronic acid, which has been shown to be cytotoxic on triple negative MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells by inducing a perturbation of cell cycle when administered at a concentration equal to its ED50 at 72 h (117 μM). Exposure of cells to BC-11, either pre-absorbed with a soluble preparation of the N-terminal fragment of urokinase-plasminogen activator (uPa), or in co-treatment with two different EGFR inhibitors, indicated that: (i) BC-11 acts via binding to the N-terminus of the enzyme where uPa- and EGF receptor-recognizing sites are present, thereby abrogating the growth-sustaining effect resulting from receptor binding; and (ii) the co-presence of the EGFR inhibitor PD153035 potentiates BC-11’s cytotoxicity. Exposure of cells to a higher concentration of BC-11 corresponding to its ED75 at 72 h (250 μM) caused additional impairment of mitochondrial activity, the production of reactive oxygen species and promotion of apoptosis. Therefore, BC-11 treatment appears to show potential for the development of this class of compounds in the prevention and/or therapy of “aggressive” breast carcinoma.
A Programmable High-Voltage Compliance Neural Stimulator for Deep Brain Stimulation in Vivo
Authors: Gong Cihun-Siyong , Lai Hsin-Yi , Huang Sy-Han , Lo Yu-Chun , Lee Nicole , Chen Pin-Yuan , Tu Po-Hsun , Yang Chia-Yen , Lin James , Chen You-Yin
Published: May 2015

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is one of the most effective therapies for movement and other disorders. The DBS neurosurgical procedure involves the implantation of a DBS device and a battery-operated neurotransmitter, which delivers electrical impulses to treatment targets through implanted electrodes. The DBS modulates the neuronal activities in the brain nucleus for improving physiological responses as long as an electric discharge above the stimulation threshold can be achieved. In an effort to improve the performance of an implanted DBS device, the device size, implementation cost, and power efficiency are among the most important DBS device design aspects. This study aims to present preliminary research results of an efficient stimulator, with emphasis on conversion efficiency. The prototype stimulator features high-voltage compliance, implemented with only a standard semiconductor process, without the use of extra masks in the foundry through our proposed circuit structure. The results of animal experiments, including evaluation of evoked responses induced by thalamic electrical stimuli with our fabricated chip, were shown to demonstrate the proof of concept of our design.
The Coping with Cyberbullying Questionnaire: Development of a New Measure
Authors: Sticca Fabio , Machmutow Katja , Stauber Ariane , Perren Sonja , Palladino Benedetta , Nocentini Annalaura , Menesini Ersilia , Corcoran Lucie , Guckin Conor
Published: May 2015

Victims of cyberbullying report a number of undesirable outcomes regarding their well-being, especially those who are not able to successfully cope with cyber victimization. Research on coping with cyberbullying has identified a number of different coping strategies that seem to be differentially adaptive in cases of cyber victimization. However, knowledge regarding the effectiveness of these strategies is scarce. This scarcity is partially due to the lack of valid and reliable instruments for the assessment of coping strategies in the context of cyber victimization. The present study outlines the development of the Coping with Cyberbullying Questionnaire (CWCBQ) and tests of its reliability and construct validity over a total of five questionnaire development stages. The CWCBQ was developed in the context of a longitudinal study carried out in Switzerland and was also used with Italian and Irish samples of adolescents. The results of these different studies and stages resulted in a questionnaire that is composed of seven subscales (i.e., distal advice, assertiveness, helplessness/self-blame, active ignoring, retaliation, close support and technical coping) with a total of 36 items. The CWCBQ is still being developed, but the results obtained so far suggested that the questionnaire was reliable and valid among the countries where it was used at different stages of its development. The CWCBQ is a promising tool for the understanding of potential coping with experiences of cyber victimization and for the development of prevention and intervention programs.
Unlocking the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” of Corporate Water Stewardship in South Africa—Exploring Corporate Power and Legitimacy of Engagement in Water Management and Governance
Authors: Sojamo Suvi
Published: May 2015

Corporate water stewardship, i.e., proactive water-using corporate engagement in water management and governance, has been hailed as a solution to global water challenges. However, it has also aroused criticism and skepticism, as it has been feared to lead to private securitization of resources and institutional capture especially in locations with weak public institutions and regulation. This article tackles this “prisoner’s dilemma” of corporate water stewardship by exploring when and how it is legitimate considering the private nature of corporations and their power to change water management and governance processes and their outcomes. An analytical framework is constructed based on a literature review and applied into a case-study of corporations active in water stewardship initiatives in South Africa. The case-study findings suggest that the stewardship agenda would benefit from (1) a more open acknowledgement of power asymmetries between corporations and other parties; (2) more careful and systematic evaluation and enhancement of legitimacy of corporations to engage in public good and common pool water resources in the first place; and (3) stewardship actions should support stronger public institutions and especially civil society to equally participate. The research community is called in to scrutinize and facilitate the multi-actor water governance processes, which include corporations to assist in the effort.
Religion collective et religion privée
Authors: Scheid John
Published: May 2015

Contrairement à ce que l’on prétendait longtemps, la religion des Romains n’était pas vide depuis la fin de la République. Fondée sur le ritualisme, qui était essentiellement transmis par la tradition orale généralement complétée par la jurisprudence, cette religion sans livre révélé et autorité dogmatique régissait la vie publique et privée des individus du monde romain. Vouloir lui appliquer la notion théologique de « religiosité », née au début du XIX e s. consiste à déformer les faits et à leur appliquer de force des concepts modernes. Cette approche utilise par ailleurs des notions comme la décadence des cités après le IV e s. av. J.-C. qui ne sont plus recevables de nos jours.
Religion privée et religion publique dans l’agglomération gallo-romaine secondaire d’Entrains-sur-Nohain (Nièvre)
Authors: Meissonnier Jacques
Published: May 2015

Entrains gallo-romain ( Intaranum ), par son importance (120 ha) et sa géologie calcaire favorable, a livré de nombreux témoignages sur la religion antique tant privée que publique. Les fouilles archéologiques qui, depuis plus de 40 ans, donnent un contexte à ces découvertes, en font un lieu d’étude privilégié de la religion gallo-romaine associant panthéon gaulois (Borvo, Épona, Grinovantis, Ucuetis), romain (Apollon, Jupiter, Mercure) et oriental (Mithra) aux divinités familiales qui demeurent anonymes. Jusqu’à présent, aucune trace véritable du culte impérial n’a été relevée à Intaranum qui n’est pas capitale de cité.
Sacra privata nell’Italia romana: lo stato degli studi archeologici in Italia
Authors: Santoro Sara
Published: May 2015

L’article illustre les derniers développements des études italiennes sur les équipements cultuels dans les espaces domestiques. Ces études sont principalement concentrées sur les témoignages de Pompéi et d’Herculanum, mais certaines recherches très récentes ont tenté d’étendre également à la Gaule Cisalpine ce modèle de lecture basé sur les indicateurs de cultes. Dans ce cas, cependant, la faible quantité de structures et de planimétries conservées ainsi que la dispersion des pièces de mobilier pourtant nombreuses (arulae, petites sculptures des divinités) qui forment les collections des musées empêche de reconstruire les contextes et le système religieux dont le fondement s’inscrivait dans les espaces domestiques.
La τρυφή ptolémaïque royale
Authors: Gouëssan Anthony
Published: May 2015

La τρυϕή est une pratique culturelle et cultuelle bien attestée dans les sources anciennes (grecques et romaines). Toutefois, la τρυϕή lagide présente des caractéristiques, très tôt définies, qui lui sont propres avec une base purement grecque et des ajouts orientaux. Elle ne peut être liée à l’ensemble des souverains lagides du fait de lacunes dans la documentation pour certains règnes. Dans cet article, il s’agira de mettre en lumière le décalage entre la manière dont les Lagides se présentaient en vertu de leur τρυϕή et la conception que pouvait se faire un témoin non averti (majoritaire dans les sources), afin de comprendre les spécificités de la τρυϕή lagide.
Le défi participatif : délibération et inclusion démocratique dans les budgets participatifs
Authors: Ganuza Ernesto , Francés Francisco , Garibay David
Published: May 2015

La théorie démocratique a connu ces dernières années un tournant communicationnel, qui a favorisé l’organisation d’expériences participatives reposant sur certains principes de la théorie délibérative, et notamment ceux d’inclusion et d’égalité des participants à la délibération. Le développement des budgets participatifs au cours des dix dernières années offre un excellent cadre analytique pour tester dans quelle mesure ces expériences mettent en œuvre les principes d’inclusion et de participation égalitaire à la délibération. Cet article cherche à contextualiser l’analyse des budgets participatifs, en prenant en compte leur signification et la façon dont ils se déroulent, à partir d’une recherche comparée au Brésil, en Espagne, en France et en Allemagne. Il s’agit en particulier d’interroger l’opposition ou la tension faite dans la théorie politique entre participation et délibération. Il est évident que la délibération demande des espaces de réflexion que les dispositifs participatifs ne peuvent pas offrir. À ce titre, les budgets participatifs visent à concilier ces deux dimensions. L’objectif de ce papier est ainsi de comprendre les différences entre ces dispositifs selon le contexte politique dans lequel ils se déploient. Les résultats de cette recherche permettent de mieux comprendre comment articuler les différentes procédures mises en œuvre et quelle est la relation entre participation et délibération.
La participation des associations d’anciens élèves aux politiques d’enseignement technique. Le cas du Nord de la France sous la III e République
Authors: Lembré Stéphane
Published: May 2015

À rebours d’une lecture de l’histoire de l’éducation centrée sur les « acteurs centraux » à l’échelle nationale, cet article utilise le cas du développement de l’enseignement technique en France pour montrer le rôle des usagers dans la conduite et la vie des institutions. Évoquée au début du xx e  siècle et affirmée dans les années 1920 et 1930, la reconnaissance de la légitimité des associations d’anciens élèves se fonde sur l’adaptation nécessaire de la politique d’enseignement technique aux besoins du commerce et de l’industrie. Groupements de sociabilité, ces associations d’anciens sont aussi des groupes d’intérêt parfois puissants.
Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks: Still with Us After All These Years
Authors: Ruderfer Daniel , Krilov Leonard R.
Published: May 2015

Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases continue to occur in the United States, and they have been occurring at increasing rates over the past decade. Factors contributing to these outbreaks include importation from abroad, under-vaccination of segments of the population, and incomplete protection or waning immunity with certain vaccines. This article reviews recent outbreaks of measles, mumps, and pertussis in the United States to highlight the extent to which outbreaks of these vaccine-preventable diseases are still occurring and even increasing. Appreciating the magnitude of these illnesses may help the physician in educating families who are hesitant about vaccines.

[
Pediatr Ann
. 2015;44(4):e76–e81.]
Platelet-Rich Plasma Does Not Decrease Blood Loss in Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Tingstad Edwin M. , Bratt Sarah N. , Hildenbrand Kasee J. , O’Malley Brittany A. , Mitchell Elisabeth R. , Gaddis Corinne E. , Jacobson Charles A.
Published: May 2015

This study was designed to assess the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The authors hypothesized that this would result in less blood loss and greater hemoglobin and hematocrit levels at discharge and would potentially decrease the length of hospital stay. Leukocyte rich PRP was used during the procedure and at wound closure. Two surgeons performed all procedures in a similar fashion. Two different TKA implants were used. Each surgeon used the same implant throughout the study. A limited medial parapatellar approach was used and drains were used at closure. No tranexamic acid preparations were used. Continuous passive motion machines were used in all patients during their hospital stay. A total of 102 consecutive TKAs were performed. The study group (n=46) consecutively received the PRP injections during the TKA, whereas the control group (n=47) did not. Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were obtained pre- and postoperatively. Estimated blood loss was recorded during surgery, and the auto-collection reinfusion drain system output was measured. The length of hospital stay was collected and recorded. The study showed that hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were not different when comparing study and control groups. Age and sex differences were insignificant. Finally, no statistical difference was seen for the estimated blood loss and hospital stay between the 2 groups. Platelet-rich plasma use during TKA does not decrease hospital stay or reduce estimated blood loss in the perioperative period. [Orthopedics.2015; 38(5):e434–e436.]
Bilateral Extensor Mechanism Disruption After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Two Morbidly Obese Patients
Authors: Goldstein Zachary H. , Yi Paul H. , Haughom Bryan D. , Hellman Michael D. , Levine Brett R.
Published: May 2015

Disruption of the extensor mechanism as a result of patellar tendon or quadriceps tendon rupture is an uncommon but devastating complication after total knee arthroplasty. Treating a disrupted extensor mechanism can be challenging, particularly in patients who are morbidly obese, due to an increased risk of postoperative complications. Therefore, despite the debilitating nature of extensor mechanism disruption, many community surgeons do not feel comfortable pursuing more complex cases like revision total knee arthroplasty with extensor mechanism allograft on morbidly obese patients, and consequently many of these patients are referred to tertiary-care centers for reconstruction secondary to the complexity of this patient cohort. The authors report 2 cases of bilateral extensor mechanism disruption after total knee arthroplasty in patients who are morbidly obese. One patient experienced trauma leading to her initial rupture; however, her contralateral atraumatic disruption was subsequently diagnosed at a later date. The second patient did not experience trauma leading to either of her extensor mechanism disruptions. Despite substantial medical comorbidities and morbid obesity, revision total knee arthroplasties with extensor mechanism allografts were recommended in both cases in a staged bilateral fashion. The surgical technique is described and the unique challenges afforded by the marked obesity are detailed. The current literature on this subject is reviewed. Despite early complications related to recumbency, this report serves as an example of successful repairs of extensor mechanism disruptions in patients who are morbidly obese, suggesting that extensor mechanism allograft is viable even in patients with high risk of complications. [
Orthopedics.
2015; 38(5):e443–e446.]
MRI EDGE DETECTION AND NOISE REDUCTION WITH HYBRID SYSTEM BASED ON WAVELET AND CURVELET
Authors: Zahmati Saba , Khalilzadeh Mohammad Mahdi , Foroughipour Mohsen
Published: May 2015

In recent years, multi-scale transform application in image processing especially for magnetic resonance (MR) images has been raised. Wavelet transform is introduced as a useful tool in image processing and it is capable of effectively removing noise from magnetic resonance images. The main problem with wavelet transform is that it is not able to distinguish one dimensional (1D) or higher dimentional discontinuities in images. In other words, since the wavelet transform is two dimensional (2D), it is considered as a separable transform, it is solely able to identify pointwise discontinuity in images. A proposed solution for this issue is an inseparable transform which is named curvelet. Time frequency transform based noise elimination methods, usually rely on thresholding. There are two important factors involved in thresholding: (1) a method to determine the threshold limit, (2) the implementation of the threshold. In curvelet method, by setting a hard threshold at low levels of noise the obtained similarity index is 0.9254. The proposed method for noise elimination and edge detection in this paper is applying curvelet transform in combination with wavelet transform, which on average leads to 10% improvement compared with wavelet method. The results show the efficiency of this method in different parts of image processing on simulated and actual MR images.
From Humble Beginning to Prosperity
Authors: Mosweunyane Dama , Montsho Cheneso Bolden
Published: May 2015

This chapter examines the role that the Botswana Christian council served to empower the marginalised population of Etsha villages. A distinctive feature of the empowerment processes in this case was a ‘collective and inclusive' principle. Collectiveness and inclusiveness implies that people at the grassroots levels were actively involved. Perhaps this involvement was particularly facilitated by the fact that the villagers used what they were familiar with, natural resources and indigenous expertise. This project constituted a major strategy for promoting sustainable development and empowering local communities to make use of local resources for their economic empowerment. Indeed, the case illustrated that the Etsha villages' transformation/empowerment was realised through this project. They attracted monetary rewards from their production of handicrafts and services offered through the museum. These villages gained not only economically, they even transformed the processes of decision-making, which is one of the key aspects of political empowerment.
I Stand with Henry
Authors: Loutzenhiser Kirsten , Cropf Robert A.
Published: May 2015

This study investigates a virtual ad-hoc organization known as “I Stand With Henry” (ISWH). It features an individual middle school student with autism practicing self-advocacy. His mission is to support inclusion and get his school district to sanction his ability to be included in the general education setting instead of a separate school for students with special needs. While ISWH is not an official not-for-profit organization, is performs similar functions. Through an in-depth analysis of the ISWH Facebook page, virtual ad-hoc organizations redefine what it means to be a not-for-profit organization. This study analyzes how social media gives voice to the voiceless and how social media equalizes marginalized voices for all students with disabilities to exercise their rights. The chapter employs analyzes conversations within a single case to construct a virtual advocacy model that explains the success of ISWH.
Triple A Leadership Dynamics of a Self-Empowering Women Group
Authors: Pheko Bolelang C.
Published: May 2015

From the Triple A Leadership model, this chapter shares a story of four women who gained economic empowerment through a bakery project whose success can be attributed to the application of the three tenets of this model, namely; accountable, attitude and approach. The first A denotes that ‘Accountability' is an indispensable aspect of leadership while ‘Attitude' is the other basic element. The theory further highlights that ‘approach' is fundamental to good leadership. The four women displayed self-reinforcing attitude that gave rise to increased interest in the project resulting in self- empowerment. It is clear that when people' personalities display leadership skills such as awareness of individual differences, responsibility, conflict resolution, tensions can be avoided as was the case with women who owned the bakery. In reality different situations call for different leadership styles, different actions, different strategies and this case illustrates that Triple A leadership was the appropriate approach.
A Case Study on a Fire Disaster in a Textile Factory
Authors: Lin Cherng Shing , Wu Min Gen , Tsai Sheng Min
Published: May 2015

A large number of factories have been sequentially established in Taiwan following the economic take-off several decades ago. However, this growth in number has led to the prevalence of fire hazards. Factory fires typically cause substantial casualties and property losses, and have therefore become a focal point for research. In the present study, the researchers employed the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to simulate and evaluate a factory fire scene in Taiwan. The fire continued for approximately 74 h, rendering this outbreak the single longest building fire and rescue in Taiwan. By analyzing relevant data, the researchers established a numerical model of the fire scene to simulate, evaluate, and analyze the influences that temperature, smoke conditions, and smoke layer height parameters had on the fire scene. The findings enabled the researchers to better understand the damage conditions that occur during fire outbreaks. The results of this case study can serve as a reference for designing and improving future fire prevention and safety plans.
A Study on a Primary Suspension for Improvement of Curving Performance of an Active Steering Bogie
Authors: Sim Kyung Seok , Park Tae Won , Hwang In Kyeong , Kim Myeong Jun , Hur Hyun Moo
Published: May 2015

Two main factors for design of railway vehicles are stability and curving performance. Running performances, result from stiffness design of a primary suspension, between stability and curving are contrary to each other. The more longitudinal stiffness of a primary suspension stiff, the better straight performance is outstanding, however, curving performance is degenerated. Also, if the less longitudinal stiffness stiff, running performance has opposite characteristics. Curving performance of railway vehicles should be outstanding on small curved track which is in cities. If curving performance is improved, lateral contact force (i.e. flange contact force) of wheel and rail is decreased by improved spring so, wear and noise of wheels are decreased. Derailment risk from wheel and rail contact, of course, is decreased. Thus, it's important to design an axle spring of a primary suspension. The design of ensuring stability performance, of course, should be precede. An axle spring is designed using FEM tool which is ABAQUS also, rubber like material is modeled by Mooney-Rivlin model. Developed FE-axle spring model is analyzed and is produced also, this model is validated by test results of a load tester.
A New Procedure for Structural Fault Estimation Using a Prescribed Eigen-Structure
Authors: Chen Kun Nan , Ueng Wen Der , Hwang Yunn Lin
Published: May 2015

A new method using an incomplete measurement set to locate and identify structural damage is proposed. The method is iterative yet computationally efficient and requires no sensitivity calculations. Mass and stiffness matrices, established by finite element method, are partitioned and measured partial eigenvectors are expanded to full modes. Stiffness reduction coefficients for structural elements are defined and then solved by a nonnegative least-squares solution scheme. With much less measured degrees of freedom and even less measured modes than the finite element analysis degrees of freedom, the proposed approach can still identify the damaged locations and extent of the damage in a structure. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated by solving a numerically simulated example on the GARTEUR SM-AG19 structure.
Thermal Process of Drilling for Metal Thin Films Using Femtosecond Laser
Authors: Ho Ching Yen , Ma Chung , Tsai Yu Hsiang
Published: May 2015

The femtosecond laser drilling for metal thin film is theoretically investigated in this paper. Femtosecond laser patterning of metal thin films is of technological significance because the fabrication of electrodes or metallization lines is a key process commonly required in the manufacturing of modern electronic devices. A femtosecond pulsed laser has a temporally short pulse that does not cause significant heat conduction in the material. This property of femtosecond laser pulse drilling makes sub-micron machining achievable with laser irradiation. Considering vaporization as the mechanism of the material removal, this paper employs two-temperature model to analyze the thermal process for femtosecond laser drilling of metal thin film. The variations of the drilling rate and squared diameter with laser fluence are compared with the available experimental data. This study also analytically validates that the drilling depth per pulse is governed by the optical penetration depth for low laser fluences and the squared crater diameter is linearly in proportion to the logarithm of laser fluence.
A Study on Shear Strength of the Perfobond Rib Shear Connector for Composite Beam
Authors: Cho Doo Yong , Choi Jin Woong , Park Sun Kyu
Published: May 2015

For safe and efficient use of the Perfobond Rib shear connector, it is essential to investigate mechanical behaviors and evaluate performance of shear resistance. When the Perforbond Rib shear connectors are to be used for a structure, they show flexural-shear behavior due to external force rather than direct shear behavior. Therefore, this study performed a direct shear test and proposed the equation for the shear resistance assessment. Also, a flexural shear test was conducted. Through the direct shear test, main factors that affect directly shear resistance were found. The flexural shear stress and the direct shear stress were calculated and it is revealed that the flexural shear stress is approximately 6% stronger than the direct shear stress.
An Experimental Study on Residual Strength and Deformation Recovery of RC Beams Strengthened with FRP Plate
Authors: Han Kyoung Bong , Cho Doo Yong
Published: May 2015

In the recent construction industry, Fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) have been considered to be an innovative material to repair and strengthen damaged structures. It is because FRPs have many beneficial characteristics, such as corrosion resistance, a high tensile strength-to-weight ratio, non-conductivity and design flexibility. As a demand of FRPs has increased, many researches on behavior of the structures which were externally strengthened with FRPs have been conducted. However, researches on time-dependant behavior of the structures have not been conducted yet. In order to provide improved serviceability to reinforced concrete (RC) members, the behavior of the RC members strengthened with FRPs under sustained loads should be investigated. This paper presents a series of long-term experiments and deformation-recovery experiments. For the long-term experiments, three RC beams were fabricated and two of the beams were strengthened with a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) plate and a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) plate respectively. The beams were placed under sustained loads for about 550 days. After the 550 days, all of the beams were unloaded for the measurement of deformation recovery. The deflection and strains of rebar and FRP reinforcements were measures for about 60 days. As the result of long-terms experiment, the beams strengthened with CFRP plate showed a better performance in terms of deflection and strains of rebar and CFRP plate. Moreover, the beam with CFRP plate showed a higher deformation recovery and residual strength than the other beams.
Damage Diagnosis of a Structure in Time-Frequency Domain
Authors: Su Wei Chih , Huang Chiung Shiann , Chen Liane Jye
Published: May 2015

This work proposes a simple and efficient approach to locating the storeys whose stiffness change in the life cycle of a structure. The storeys that may be damaged are determined by comparing the unitary stiffness matrix in different stages in the life cycle of a building. An appropriate ARX (autoregressive with exogenous input) model of structure in established from the structural dynamic responses in terms of acceleration or velocity. The parameters in an ARX model are identified through the short time Fourier transform, and the natural frequency and damping ratio of structure are estimated directly through these identified parameters. The effectiveness of the proposed procedure is verified using the numerically simulated earthquake acceleration responses of a six-storey structure that is damaged at one or two storeys. The proposed scheme is compared to the DLV approach (flexibility-based damage locating vector approach) in identifying damage storeys.
Debris as Resources Applied in Wild Creeks Remediation Work
Authors: Su Miau Bin , Lin Yu Shu , Chen Jun Yang
Published: May 2015

In recent years, especially after typhoon Morakot, extreme torrential rain has resulted in large amounts of landslides in Taiwan. Debris that accumulated downslope blocked the drainage way and induced debris flow very often. The large amount of debris transported to wild creeks downstream may caused elevated riverbeds and channel siltation. All nearby villages and utilities are under this threat. The cleanout work of aggregated debris is of great priority after a disaster. In processing the cleanout work for wildcreek, debris can be treated as useful resources. This is very important in the watershed management and rehabilitation work. In solving the debris blockage problem, cleanout of debris so as to recover the drainage capability of watershed and at the same time, use the earth material to form the protecting measures can meet the carbon reduction requirement. Cleanout of the debris can be used in filling low-lying land in the upstream catchment area. By applying feasible methods to improve engineering properties of the debris can be used to make a variety of protective measures, to resolve the loss of land, roads, damaged buildings and other issues. In planning, the first is to consider the location and the protected object, etc., can be planned establish of embankment, bank protection, slope protection, and berms.
Seismic Response for a One-Third Scale-Down Vertical Cylindrical Cask Specimen Using Shaking Table Testing
Authors: Lin Wei Ting , Wu Yuan Chieh
Published: May 2015

This study is aimed to investigate the seismic behavior of the freestanding dry storage cask for spent fuel, several shaking table tests were conducted using a scaled cask model for a real assessment of the characteristics of the seismic response of the cask. First, the harmonic excitation test on the pedestal of the cask was performed to estimate the friction coefficient at the interface between the cask and the pad according to the sliding acceleration response of the pedestal. Then, tests for the seismic response of the cask were conducted for two different setups, the vertical cylindrical concrete cask (VCC) and the concrete cask with an add-on shield which has a square pedestal (VCC+AOS), respectively, using the artificial earthquakes compatible to the design spectrum. In order to verify the often-used analysis method for the seismic response of the cask in engineering practice, the explicit finite element software LS-DYNA was adopted to generate the finite element model of the scale cask with the cask/pad interface modeled by Coulomb’s law of friction and to simulate the shaking table tests. Results indicate that the utilized method gave reasonable cask responses if the variation of the friction coefficient at the cask/pad interface was small during the sliding process.
Seismic Testing and Verification of a 1/25 Scaled-Down Reinforced Concrete Specimen for the Reactor Building
Authors: Lin Wei Ting , Wu Yuan Chieh , Cheng An , Hsu Hui Mi
Published: May 2015

A 1/25 scale-down specimen was constructed of a reinforced concrete reactor building used in the nuclear power plant. The non-demoulding technology and self-consolidating concrete were used to cast the specimen with a length of 2.9 m, width of 2.9 m, height of 2.9 m and weight of 28 tons. The entirety struc-ture was composed of a primary containment (thickness of 10 cm), a secondary containment (thickness of 7.5 cm) and three floors (thickness of 30 and 15 cm). Shaking table tests were conducted on it in the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering. Testing results indicated that the scale-down specimen kept the structural integrity under a 0.6 g specific seismic wave hit. In addition, the ETABS model accurately represented the dynamic characteristics of the scale-down specimen by numerical method obtained the conservative results.
Effective Critical Section Evaluation of a Reinforced Concrete Flat-Plate Slab with Openings for its Punching Shear Strength Estimation
Authors: Kim Dae Jin , Park Jong Hwan , Ha Tae Hun
Published: May 2015

Most of current concrete design codes require that critical sections should be reduced in the presence of openings near columns to consider their effects on the punching shear strength of reinforced concrete flat-plate slabs. For example, ACI 318-11 stipulates that a part of the perimeter enclosed by two projection lines from the centroid of the column to the boundaries of the openings shall be considered ineffective. However, the direct application of this rule to practical cases may be rather complicated depending on the geometrical layout and shape of columns and openings. In this paper, simple mathematical formulations are proposed to evaluate the ineffective part of critical sections due to openings. This approach can be applied to the design of reinforced concrete flat-plate slabs based on ACI 318-11. A numerical algorithm is also developed to handle general cases where the ineffective parts of multiple openings overlap with each other.
Fracture Analysis of a Semi-Elliptical Surface Crack in Hollow Cylinders
Authors: Her Shiuh Chuan , Chang Hao Hsi
Published: May 2015

In this investigation, the weight function method was employed to calculate the stress intensity factors for semi-elliptical surface crack in a hollow cylinder. An uniform stress and a linear stress distributions were used as the two references to determine the weight function. The weight function was then applied to a wide range of semi-elliptical surface cracks subjected to non-linear loadings. The stress intensity factors obtained by the weight function were compared with literature results. Good agreement demonstrates the accuracy of the present approach.
Wind Oscillation Analysis for Suspension Bridge
Authors: Jeoung Chan , Park Soo Bong , Kim Woo Seok
Published: May 2015

This study performed 2D analysis for suspension bridge to predict the bridge superstructure oscillation induced by wind load. Previous studies exhibited that a large torsional mode can be generated by continuous vertical modes in suspension bridge. However, the previous studies did not consider torsional resistance of the superstructure and unrealistic results were shown as wind speeds increasing. Therefore, this study developed a new model considering torsional resistances and predicted responses of a suspension bridge. Analysis results exhibited that vertical oscillations were transformed to the torsional oscillations. With varying torsional resistances, vertical responses were stabilized over a time. However, the rotational response amplified at resonance points. Also, it was found that the resonance of the rotational mode depended on the torsional resistance.
Design of a Two-Photon Single-Laser Optical Data Storage System in a Multilayer Structure
Authors: Hao Qun , Cheng Xue Min , Hou Xin Nan , Ma Jian She
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we investigate the two-photon recording system in a 50-layer structure with each recording layer contains 4.7GB of data, similar to the capacity of a single layer Digital Versatile Disc, as the total capacity is 235GB/disc. We present a single-laser system to realize recording and reading and propose a new multilayer disc structure in which the groove structure is set on the substrate for servo control, the laser is separated by a PBS to two parts, one for recording and the other for servo in the optical system. Our research shows the feasibility of high density optical data storage using a single laser in a multilayer structure.
Photoluminescence Properties of Eu2+ Activated CaAlSiN3 Red Phosphors with Various Eu2+ Contents
Authors: Chung Shyan Lung , Huang Shu Chi
Published: May 2015

A combustion synthesis method has been developed for synthesis of Eu2+ doped CaAlSiN3 phosphor and its photoluminescence properties were investigated. Ca, Al, Si, and Eu2O3 powders were used as the Ca, Al, Si and Eu sources. NaN3 is added as the nitrogen source in the interior part of reactants and also as a reducing agent. While NH4Cl is added for catalysis of the synthesis reaction. These powders were mixed and pressed into a compact which was then wrapped up with an igniting agent (i.e.,Mg+Fe3O4). The compact was ignited by electrical heating under a N2 pressure of 0.2-1.0MPa. Effects of these experimental parameters on the photoluminescence properties and product yield were investigated. The synthesized CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ phosphor absorbs light in the region of 200-600 nm and shows a broad band emission in the region of 500-800 nm due to the 4f65d1→4f7 transition of Eu2+. The peak emission intensity is ~106 % of a commercially available phosphor, YAG:Ce3+(P46-Y3), and the peak emission wavelength ranges from 610 to 680 nm depending on the Eu2+ concentration upon excitation at 460nm.The synthesized phosphor also shows excellent thermal and chemical stability and thus has a potential application as a red phosphor for white LED lighting.
A Real-Time NCC-Based Template Matching on Modern CPUs
Authors: Chen Chin Sheng , Huang Chien Liang , Yeh Chun Wei
Published: May 2015

This paper proposes an optimal method for NCC-based template matching on modern CPUs for time-critical applications. In order to achieve the superior computation efficiency, the brand-and-bound (BB) scheme and the streaming SIMD extensions 2 (SSE2) instructions are employed to quickly find out the target object with rotation, translation and scaling in monochrome or color image. And we show how to reject unpromising image location very quickly using BB scheme in search process. Furthermore, an efficient implementation for similarity coefficient calculation is also pointed out by using the integration SSE2 instructions. Finally, the results show that the proposed method is very powerful when dealing with the NCC-based template matching in monochrome and color images.
Multimodal Sensor Fusion for Indoor Occupancy Determination
Authors: Hsiao Rong Shue , Lin Ding Bing , Lin Hsin Piao , Zhou Jin Wang
Published: May 2015

Pyroelectric infrared (PIR) sensors can detect the presence of human without the need to carry any device, which are widely used for human presence detection in home/office automation systems in order to improve energy efficiency. However, PIR detection is based on the movement of occupants. For occupancy detection, PIR sensors have inherent limitation when occupants remain relatively still. Multisensor fusion technology takes advantage of redundant, complementary, or more timely information from different modal sensors, which is considered an effective approach for solving the uncertainty and unreliability problems of sensing. In this paper, we proposed a simple multimodal sensor fusion algorithm, which is very suitable to be manipulated by the sensor nodes of wireless sensor networks. The inference algorithm was evaluated for the sensor detection accuracy and compared to the multisensor fusion using dynamic Bayesian networks. The experimental results showed that a detection accuracy of 97% in room occupancy can be achieved. The accuracy of occupancy detection is very close to that of the dynamic Bayesian networks.
A Height Measurement Based on Laser Triangulation Probe and a Two Dimensional Image Measurement System for Smart Manufacturing
Authors: Chen Pen Han , Liu Chien Hung , Chen Yu Fen , Chiu Hung Sheng , Liu Yu Chi
Published: May 2015

This paper integrated a laser triangulation probe with a two-dimensional image measurement system to measure the height of an object using the auto-focusing method. In the laser triangulation probe, the laser diode was used as the light source and one-dimensional position sensitive detector was adopted to receive the position of the laser spots to detect the height. The laser triangulation probe was used for small height measurement and the auto-focusing method was used for large height measurement. Two standard gauges with thicknesses of 8mm and 8.5mm were used to verify our proposed method. With height difference of 500μm, the experiment results showed the measuring error was within ±3μm and standard deviation was about 0.1μm.