• Journal of Communications and Networks
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.296-311
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• 2007

Mobile multi-robot teams are useful in many critical applications such as search and rescue. Explicit communication among robots in such mobile multi-robot teams is useful for the coordination of such teams as well as exchanging data. Since many applications for mobile robots involve scenarios in which communication infrastructure may be damaged or unavailable, mobile robot teams frequently need to communicate with each other via ad hoc networking. In such scenarios, low-overhead and energy-efficient routing protocols for delivering messages among robots are a key requirement. Two important primitives for communication are essential for enabling a wide variety of mobile robot applications. First, unicast communication (between two robots) needs to be provided to enable coordination and data exchange. Second, in many applications, group communication is required for flexible control, organization, and management of the mobile robots. Multicast provides a bandwidth-efficient communication method between a source and a group of robots. In this paper, we first propose and evaluate two unicast routing protocols tailored for use in ad hoc networks formed by mobile multi-robot teams: Mobile robot distance vector (MRDV) and mobile robot source routing (MRSR). Both protocols exploit the unique mobility characteristics of mobile robot networks to perform efficient routing. Our simulation study show that both MRDV and MRSR incur lower overhead while operating in mobile robot networks when compared to traditional mobile ad hoc network routing protocols such as DSR and AODV. We then propose and evaluate an efficient multicast protocol mobile robot mesh multicast (MRMM) for deployment in mobile robot networks. MRMM exploits the fact that mobile robots know what velocity they are instructed to move at and for what distance in building a long lifetime sparse mesh for group communication that is more efficient. Our results show that MRMM provides an efficient group communication mechanism that can potentially be used in many mobile robot application scenarios.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.242-247
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• 2017

Humic acid (HA) is a complex organic matter found in the environments, especially in grassland soils with a high density. The bioactivity of HA to promote plant growth depends largely on its extraction sources. The quality-control of HA and the quality improvements via an artificial synthesis are thus challenging. We recently reported that a polymeric product from fungal laccase-mediated oxidation of catechol and vanillic acid (CAVA) displays a HA-like activity to enhance seed germination and salt stress tolerance in a model plant, Arabidopsis. Here, we examined whether HA or CAVA enhances the growth of Italian ryegrass seedling. Height and fresh weight of the plant with foliar application of HA or CAVA were bigger than those with only water. Interestingly, enhanced root developments were also observed in spite of the foliar treatments of HA or CAVA. Finally, we proved that HA or CAVA promotes the regrowth of Italian ryegrass after cutting. Collectively, CAVA acts as a HA mimic in Italian ryegrass cultivation, and both as a biostimulant enhanced the early growth and regrowth after cutting of Italian ryegrass, which could improve the productivity of forage crops.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.296-302
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• 2014

Objectives: It is difficult to achieve adhesion between resin cement and zirconia ceramics using routine surface preparation methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of $CO_2$ and Er:YAG laser treatment on the bond strength of resin cement to zirconia ceramics. Materials and Methods: In this in-vitro study 45 zirconia disks (6 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness) were assigned to 3 groups (n = 15). In control group (CNT) no laser treatment was used. In groups COL and EYL, $CO_2$ and Er:YAG lasers were used for pretreatment of zirconia surface, respectively. Composite resin disks were cemented on zirconia disk using dual-curing resin cement. Shear bond strength tests were performed at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min after 24 hr distilled water storage. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey's HSD tests. Results: The means and standard deviations of shear bond strength values in the EYL, COL and CNT groups were $8.65{\pm}1.75$, $12.12{\pm}3.02$, and $5.97{\pm}1.14MPa$, respectively. Data showed that application of $CO_2$ and Er:YAG lasers resulted in a significant higher shear bond strength of resin cement to zirconia ceramics (p < 0.0001). The highest bond strength was recorded in the COL group (p < 0.0001). In the CNT group all the failures were adhesive. However, in the laser groups, 80% of the failures were of the adhesive type. Conclusions: Pretreatment of zirconia ceramic via $CO_2$ and Er:YAG laser improves the bond strength of resin cement to zirconia ceramic, with higher bond strength values in the $CO_2$ laser treated samples.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.633-638
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• 2019

Indoor air quality underground facilities are not equipped for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and they are usually treated by diffusion methods such as ventilation. In this study, an adsorption filter was prepared using various coating methods such as carbon nano fiber (CNF) and dip coating. As a result, the adsorption performance was improved by 2 to 20 times or more compared to that of using the metal foam support. This is maybe due to the enhancement of pore distribution which was confirmed by SEM. In addition, the adsorption performance was 13.95 mg/g by adding lignin, and also an average adsorption performance of 13.25 mg/g was maintained after washing indicating that a highly durable adsorption filter material was prepared. It can be suggested that the developed adsorption filter material can be a potential solution that can fundamentally control VOCs, not via the concentration reduction of mechanical ventilation in underground facilities.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.727-741
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• 2018

To mitigate vibrations, tuned mass dampers(TMD) are widely used for long span bridges or high-rise buildings. Due to some durability concerns, such as fluid degradation, oil leakage, etc., the alternative solutions, such as the non-contacted eddy current damping (ECD), are proposed for mechanical devices in small scales. In the present study, a new eddy current damping TMD (ECD-TMD) is proposed and developed for large scale civil infrastructure applications. Starting from parametric study on finite element analysis of the ECD-TMD, the new design is enhanced via using the permanent magnets to eliminate the power need and a combination of a copper plate and a steel plate to improve the energy dissipation efficiency. Additional special design includes installation of two permanent magnets at the same side above the copper plate to easily adjust the gap as well as the damping. In a case study, the proposed ECD-TMD is demonstrated in the application of a steel arch bridge to mitigate the wind-induced vibrations of the flexible hangers. After a brief introduction of the configuration and the installation process for the damper, the mitigation effects are measured for the ambient vibration and forced vibration scenarios. The results show that the damping ratios increase to 3% for the weak axis after the installation of the ECD-TMDs and the maximum vibration amplitudes can be reduced by 60%.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.183-194
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• 2019

The consumption of fresh vegetables has been related to recurrent outbreaks of foodborne diseases (FBD) worldwide. Therefore, the development of effective alternative technologies is necessary to improve the safety of these products. This study aimed to isolate and identify epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from fresh fruits and leafy vegetables and characterize their antagonistic capacity due to their ability to produce bacteriocins or antibacterial compounds. For this, 92 LAB isolates from fruits and leafy vegetables were screened for antagonistic activity. Two strains with the highest and broadest antagonistic activities were selected for further characterization; one from cantaloupe melon (strain CM175) and one from cilantro leaves (strain C15). The cell-free supernatants (CFS) of CM175 and C15 were found to exhibit antagonistic activity against FBD-causing pathogens. The CM175 and C15 strains were identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus graminis, respectively. Notably, the P. pentosaceus CM175 CFS stopped the growth of Salmonella Typhimurium, Salmonella Saintpaul, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes, and delayed Escherichia coli O157:H7 growth. Moreover, L. graminis C15 CFS delayed the growth of all indicator pathogens, but did not completely stop it. Organic acids and bacteriocin-like molecules were determined to be possibly exerting the observed antagonistic activity of the identified LAB strains. Thus, application of the antagonistic compounds produced by Pediococcus pentosaceus and Lactobacillus graminis could be a novel and ecological strategy in developing antimicrobial biopreservatives for the food industry and mitigating FBD by reducing the biological contamination in fruit and vegetable orchards, mainly via their potential in controlling both gram-negative and gram-positive pathogenic bacteria.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.104-112
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effects of consecutive whole body vibration through heel raise posture on the center of pressure and electromyography of anterior tibial muscle, lateral gastrocnemius and soleus muscles during single-leg stance. Method: The subjects of this study included 30 healthy males in their 20's, with the following inclusion criteria: no history of orthopaedic medical history, no participation in regular exercises, no history of whole body vibration exercise, and right leg being the dominant leg. The experimental procedure involved pretreatment measurement of eye open single-leg stance, application of whole body vibration for 30 seconds, post-treatment measurement (3 measurements in total). Static and dynamic movements have been measured over 2 separate experiments, with 72 hours gap between the experiments. Static movement involved maintaining single-leg heel raise posture for 30 seconds while applying whole body vibration, and dynamic movement involved heel raise (15 repetitions over 30 seconds) while applying whole body vibration. The strength of applied whole body vibration was 35 Hz frequency and 2~4 mm amplitude. Results: As the single-leg posture after static heel raise posture, mediolateral velocity of the center of pressure at post 2 and post 3 were significantly reduced compared to the pre-treatment measurement. In addition, the percentage for reference voluntary contraction in anterior tibial muscle and soleus and median frequency at anterior tibial muscle and lateral gastrocnemius muscle at post 3 were significantly decreased compared to the pre-treatment value. As the single-leg posture after dynamic heel raise posture, the mediolateral 95% edge frequency of the center of pressure and median frequency at anterior tibial muscle, lateral gastrocnemius muscle, and soleus muscle at post 3 were significantly reduced compared to the pre-treatment value. Conclusion: Acute whole body vibration via static and dynamic heel raise posture have positive effect on mediolateral posture control during single-leg stance.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.273-284
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• 2023

This study is centered on the combined use of LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging) and AR(Augmented Reality) technologies during vertical and horizontal frame measurements in construction projects. The intention is to enhance the quality control procedure, elevate accuracy, and curtail manual labor along with time expenditure. Present methods for accuracy inspection in frame construction often grapple with reliability concerns due to subjective interpretation and the scope for human error. This research recommends the application of LiDAR and AR technologies to counter these issues and augment the efficiency of the inspection process, along with facilitating the dissemination of results. The suggested technique involves the collection of 3D point cloud data of the frame utilizing LiDAR and leveraging this data for checks on construction accuracy. Furthermore, the inspection outcomes are fed into a BIM (Building Information Modeling) model, and the results are visualized via AR. Upon juxtaposing this methodology with the current approach, it is evident that it offers benefits in terms of objective inspection, speed, precise result sharing, and potential enhancements to the overall quality and productivity of construction projects.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

In order to secure the reliability of the power system and to increase the penetration level of distributed energy resources (DERs), requirements such as IEEE 1547 have been revised to strengthen the grid connection standards for DER. This paper proposes a control scheme for smart inverter functions based on IEEE 1547-2018 that satisfy these standards, and introduces a power HILS-based test platform built for verification of smart inverter. Among the smart inverter functions, Volt-var and Frequency-watt allow the curve to be set from the upper level to comply with the interoperability and operation time of enable signals for each function are controlled by references from the upper level. According to the requirement, Volt-var and Frequency-watt are performed via power HILS platform and verified through the measurement results that all of the specified type tests were satisfied.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.215-224
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• 2023

Nonlinearity plays an important role in control systems and the application of design. For this reason, in addition to linear vibrations, nonlinear vibrations of the stepped nanobeam are also discussed in this manuscript. This study investigated the vibrations of stepped nanobeams according to Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory. Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory was used to capture the nanoscale effect. The nanoscale stepped Euler Bernoulli beam is considered. The equations of motion representing the motion of the beam are found by Hamilton's principle. The equations were subjected to nondimensionalization to make them independent of the dimensions and physical structure of the material. The equations of motion were found using the multi-time scale method, which is one of the approximate solution methods, perturbation methods. The first section of the series obtained from the perturbation solution represents a linear problem. The linear problem's natural frequencies are found for the simple-simple boundary condition. The second-order part of the perturbation solution is the nonlinear terms and is used as corrections to the linear problem. The system's amplitude and phase modulation equations are found in the results part of the problem. Nonlinear frequency-amplitude, and external frequency-amplitude relationships are discussed. The location of the step, the radius ratios of the steps, and the changes of the small-scale parameter of the theory were investigated and their effects on nonlinear vibrations under simple-simple boundary conditions were observed by making comparisons. The results are presented via tables and graphs. The current beam model can assist in designing and fabricating integrated such as nano-sensors and nano-actuators.