• Wind and Structures
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.159-182
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• 2015

This study focuses on the amplitude dependency of damping of tall structures by the random decrement technique (RDT). Many researchers have adopted RDT to establish the amplitude dependency of damping ratios in super-tall buildings under strong wind loads. In this study, a series of simulated examples were analyzed to examine the reliability of this method. Results show that damping ratios increase as vibration amplitudes increase in several cases; however, the damping ratios in the simulated signals were preset as constants. This finding reveals that this method and the derived amplitude-dependent damping ratio characteristics are unreliable. Moreover, this method would obviously yield misleading results if the simulated signals contain Gaussian white noise. Full-scale measurements on a super-tall building were conducted during four typhoons, and the recorded data were analyzed to observe the amplitude dependency of damping ratio. Relatively wide scatter is observed in the resulting damping ratios, and the damping ratios do not appear to have an obvious nonlinear relationship with vibration amplitude. Numerical simulation and field measurement results indicate that the widely-used method for establishing the amplitude-dependent damping characteristics of super-tall buildings and the conclusions derived from it might be questionable at the least. More field-measured data must be collected under strong wind loads, and the damping characteristics of super-tall buildings should be investigated further.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.1390-1398
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• 1999

A numerical analysis for ROT sparger of PWR(Pressurized Water Reactor) is carried out. Computation is performed to investigate the flow characteristics as the change of design factor. As the result of this study, RDT sparger's flow resistance coefficient is K=3.53 at the present design condition if engineering mar&in is considered with 20%, and flow ratio into branch pipe is $Q_s/Q_i=0.41$. Velocity distribution at exit is not uniform because of separation in branch pipe. In the change of inlet flow rate and section area ratio of branch pipe for main pipe, flow resistance coefficient is increased as $Q_s/Q_i$ decreasing, but in the change of branch angle and outlet nozzle diameter of main pipe, flow resistance coefficient is decreased as $Q_s/Q_i$ decreasing. As the change rate of $Q_s/Q_i$ is the larger, the change rate of flow resistance coefficient is the larger. The change rate of pressure loss is the largest change as section area ratio changing. The optimal design condition of sparger is estimated as the outlet nozzle diameter ratio of main pipe is $D_s/D_i=0.333$, the section area ratio is $A_s/A_i=0.2$ and the branch angle is ${\alpha}=55^{\circ}$.

• The Journal of Society for e-Business Studies
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.13-31
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• 2013

This paper proposes a new concept of inter-organizational systems (IOS) visibility, considering the key role of IOS in IT-enabled supply chain (SC) cooperation. Further, antecedents and consequences IOS visibility have been studied. Antecedents of IOS visibility are identified from the two conflicting theories of inter-organizational relationships, i.e., RDT(resource dependence theory) and RV(relational view). Investigating SC cooperation from the perspectives of both partners (buyers and suppliers) is important, especially when channel partners depend on each other and when asymmetries in IOS visibility can exist. Hence, this study attempts to accommodate both partners' perspectives in IOS visibility and to look into the consequences of IOS visibility from each participant's perspective.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.309-324
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• 2005

Aerodynamic damping often plays an important role in estimations of wind induced dynamic responses of super high-rise buildings. Across- and along-wind aerodynamic damping ratios of a square super high-rise building with a height of 300 m are identified with the Random Decrement technique (RDT) from random vibration responses of the SDOF aeroelastic model in simulated wind fields. Parametric studies on effects of reduced wind velocity, terrain type and structural damping ratio on the aerodynamic damping ratios are further performed. Finally formulas of across- and along-wind aerodynamic damping ratios of the square super high-rise building are derived with curve fitting technique and accuracy of the formulas is verified.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.147-152
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• 2020

Malaria is a potent burden on public healthcare worldwide due to requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment. Nowadays, prompt diagnosis with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has been widely accepted as an effective diagnostic technique in malaria-endemic countries, primarily due to their easy operation, fast output, and straightforward interpretation. The global availability and use of RDTs have gradually grown over recent decades as field-applicable diagnostic tests for the reliable confirmation of malaria infection and proper case management. This study was conducted to evaluate diagnostic performance of 3 commercially available malaria RDT kits : BIOCREDIT^TM Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH), Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), and Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH) (where pLDH and pHRPII stand for plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase and histidine-rich protein 2, respectively) for the specific detection of Plasmodium falciparum. A total of 1,129 blood samples including 95 blood samples, confirmed as vivax malaria infection by microscopic examinations and a nested-PCR method, were tested for falciparum malaria infection. The overall sensitivity and specificity of Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH), and Pf(pLDH) for P. falciparum were 99.0% and 100%, 95.8% and 100%, and 100% and 100%, respectively. It is proposed that the 3 RDT kits perform reliable level of diagnostic accuracy of detection for P. falciparum parasites.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.87-92
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• 2017

The first Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan in 1976 and then emerged in West Africa in 2014 with a total of 27,741 cases and 11,284 deaths. The fever is caused by the Ebola virus, which belongs to the Filoviridae family and contains a ssRNA genome. The known subtypes of the virus are Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Reston ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, $Ta\ddot{i}$ Forest ebolavirus, and Zaire ebolavirus. The Ebola outbreak was historically originated majorly from the East and Central African tropical belt. The current outbreaks in West Africa caused numerous deaths and spread fear in global society. In the absence of effective treatment strategies and any vaccine, accurate diagnosis is the most important contributing factor in the management and control of the epidemic disease. WHO (World Health Organization) has announced emergency guidance for the selection and use of Ebola in in vitro diagnostic assays. Numerous companies and research institutions have studied the various diagnosis methods and identified four WHO procurement approved as diagnosis kits: RealStar Ebolavirus Screen RT-PCR kit 1.0 (Altona), Liferiver-Ebola Virus (EBOV) Real time RT-PCR kit, Xpert Ebola Assay, and ReEBOV Antigen Rapid Test Kit. The efficiency of novel diagnostic kits such as Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT) is currently being evaluated.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.417-434
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• 2002

This paper explores the possibility of using a combination of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and the Hilbert transform (HT), termed the Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) method, to identify the modal damping ratios of the structure with closely spaced modal frequencies. The principle of the HHT method and the procedure of using the HHT method for modal damping ratio identification are briefly introduced first. The dynamic response of a two-degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) system under an impact load is then computed for a wide range of dynamic properties from well-separated modal frequencies to very closely spaced modal frequencies. The natural frequencies and modal damping ratios identified by the HHT method are compared with the theoretical values and those identified using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) method. The results show that the HHT method is superior to the FFT method in the identification of modal damping ratios of the structure with closely spaced modes of vibration. Finally, a 36-storey shear building with a 4-storey light appendage, having closely spaced modal frequencies and subjected to an ambient ground motion, is analyzed. The modal damping ratios identified by the HHT method in conjunction with the random decrement technique (RDT) are much better than those obtained by the FFT method. The HHT method performing in the frequency-time domain seems to be a promising tool for system identification of civil engineering structures.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.66-77
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• 1995

It is possible to distinguish X-ray events from non X-ray events in proportional conters using the method of rise time discrimination (RTD). In order to subtract non X-ray background, we have developed a simple RTD circuit which will be applied to the proportional counter planned for a sounding rocket experiment. The entire circuit consists of two parts ; the rise time measurement circuit and the time to amplitude conversion circuit which includes the self-calibration mode. From the test with X-ray detecting system, we obtained that the background can be rejected more than 80% in the energy band 2∼12 keV. However we confirmed that the RDT method is not proper to be used for the energy range above 12kV.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.377-381
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• 2014

Microscopy is considered as the gold standard for malaria diagnosis although its wide application is limited by the requirement of highly experienced microscopists. PCR and serological tests provide efficient diagnostic performance and have been applied for malaria diagnosis and research. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of nested PCR and a recently developed an ELISA-based new rapid diagnosis test (RDT), NovaLisa test kit, for diagnosis of malaria infection, using microscopic method as the gold standard. The performance of nested-PCR as a malaria diagnostic tool is excellent with respect to its high accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and ability to discriminate Plasmodium species. The sensitivity and specificity of nested-PCR compared with the microscopic method for detection of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, and P. falciparum/P. vivax mixed infection were 71.4 vs 100%, 100 vs 98.7%, and 100 vs 95.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA-based NovaLisa test kit compared with the microscopic method for detection of Plasmodium genus were 89.0 vs 91.6%, respectively. NovaLisa test kit provided comparable diagnostic performance. Its relatively low cost, simplicity, and rapidity enables large scale field application.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2011

Prompt and accurate diagnosis of malaria is the key to prevent disease morbidity and mortality. This study was carried out to evaluate diagnostic performance of 3 commercial rapid detection tests (RDTs), i.e., Malaria Antigen Pf/Pan$^{TM}$, Malaria Ag-Pf$^{TM}$, and Malaria Ag-Pv$^{TM}$ tests, in comparison with the microscopic and PCR methods. A total of 460 blood samples microscopically positive for Plasmodium falciparum (211 samples), P. vivax (218), mixed with P. falciparum and P. vivax (30), or P. ovale (1), and 124 samples of healthy subjects or patients with other fever-related infections, were collected. The sensitivities of Malaria Ag-Pf$^{TM}$ and Malaria Antigen Pf/Pan$^{TM}$ compared with the microscopic method for P. falciparum or P. vivax detection were 97.6% and 99.0%, or 98.6% and 99.0%, respectively. The specificities of Malaria Ag-Pf$^{TM}$, Malaria Ag-Pv$^{TM}$, and Malaria Antigen Pf/Pan$^{TM}$ were 93.3%,98.8%, and 94.4%, respectively. The sensitivities of Malaria Ag-Pf$^{TM}$, Malaria Antigen Pf/Pan$^{TM}$, and microscopic method, when PCR was used as a reference method for P. falciparum or P. vivax detection were 91.8%, 100%, and 96.7%, or 91.9%,92.6%, and 97.3%, respectively. The specificities of Malaria Ag-Pf$^{TM}$, Malaria Ag-Pv$^{TM}$, Malaria Antigen Pf/Pan$^{TM}$, and microscopic method were 66.2%, 92.7%, 73.9%, and 78.2%, respectively. Results indicated that the diagnostic performances of all the commercial RDTs are satisfactory for application to malaria diagnosis.