• Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.1-9
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• 2018

US transportation agencies are dealing with shrinking budgets, limited work forces, and deteriorating infrastructure. In order to cope with funding uncertainty, state highway agencies are now looking into their own organizations and identifying programs, practices, and processes that have potential for cost saving. A quality assurance (QA) program is an integral part of highway construction and ensures a project's contracted level of quality. The cost of quality (conforming and nonconforming) can constitute a sizable part of total construction cost. As the quality assurance programs evolved, various practices and processes were developed over time and later adopted by state highway agencies. These practices and processes include different QA standards and specifications, varying testing methods, central testing lab vs. on site testing, performance based vs. prescribed quality assurance practices, implementation of innovative quality assurance practices, etc. Therefore, there is an opportunity to assess different QA strategies and recommend those practices that are effective and cost efficient. A national survey was conducted by the authors, which provided a detailed mapping of various QA practices and processes used as part of QA programs and identified areas where agencies can focus on for cost savings. The survey found that QA sampling and testing plans, optimization of sampling plans, optimization of QA standards and specifications, and implementation of innovative test methods and processes are the main areas the agencies should focus to lean the current QA programs.

• International Journal of Contents
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.1-5
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• 2011

Physics based fluid animation schemes need large computation cost due to tremendous degree of freedom. Many researchers tried to reduce the cost for solving the large linear system that is involved in grid-based schemes. GPU based algorithms and advanced numerical analysis methods are used to efficiently solve the system. Other groups studied local operation methods such as SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) and LBM (Lattice Boltzmann Method) for enhancing the efficiency. Our method investigates this efficiency problem thoroughly, and suggests novel paradigm in fluid animation field. Rather than physics based simulation, we propose a robust boundary handling technique for procedural fluid animation. Our method can be applied to arbitrary shaped objects and potential fields. Since only local operations are involved in our method, parallel computing can be easily implemented.

• 경영과학
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.85-99
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• 2004

The retention of customer is an increasingly pressing issue in today's competitive environment. The proposes of this paper is a personalized defection detection and the procedure of prevention based on economic analysis of customer defection possibility, and behaviour state transition cost. This procedure is based on the observation that potential defectors have a tendency to take a couple of months or weeks to gradually change their behaviour before their eventual withdrawal. In this procedure, the SOM(Self-Organizing Map) is used to determine the possible states of customer behaviour from past behaviour data, and to prevent the defection of potential defectors, the proposed procedure recommends the desirable behaviour state for the next period based on the analysis of transition cost. and likelihood of defection. The case study has been conducted for a Korean on-line game provider to evaluate of this procedure.

• 한국측량학회지
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• 제32권6호
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• pp.617-623
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• 2014

The rapid urbanization in developing countries has caused trasportation problems that need to be solved. For that reason, the study evaluates the potential of cycling in the densely populated part of Kathmandu valley. Slopes and existing roads have been applied as the input cost rasters for finding the shortest cost routes between stations. By taking the average cycling velocity, time to travel from station to destination were compared with the average commuting time in the public transportation. The result comes out as similar time with the public transportation. Although the cycling seems potential replacement for public transportation commuters, in fact, there are some setbacks needed to be supported by the government to make it reality in future.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• 제11권4호
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• pp.915-920
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• 2016

A power system designer may have difficulties in choosing a suitable multiple-input converter topology for a specific target application because each multiple-input converter topology presented in the literature has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this perspective, this paper presents a systematic topology selection method for multiple-input converters with three comparison criteria including cost-saving effect, modularity potential and flexibility. Based on these criteria, this paper proposes a strategic flow chart example for choosing a proper multiple-input converter topology. This flow chart will provide a powerful selection tool to a power system designer when he or she chooses a specific multiple-input converter for a given application.

• 센서학회지
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.71-75
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• 2021

Recently, transition-metal-based hydroxide materials have attracted significant attention in various electrochemical applications owing to their low cost, high stability, and versatility in composition and morphology. Among these applications, transition-metal-based hydroxides have exhibited significant potential in supercapacitors owing to their multiple redox states that can considerably enhance the supercapacitance performance. In this study, nanostructured Ni-Mn double hydroxide is directly grown on a conductive substrate using an electrodeposition method. Ni-Mn double hydroxide exhibits excellent electrochemical charge-storage properties in a 1 M KOH electrolyte, such as a specific capacitance of 1364 Fg-1 at a current density of 1 mAcm-2 and a capacitance retention of 94% over 3000 charge-discharge cycles at a current density of 10 mAcm-2. The present work demonstrates a scalable, time-saving, and cost-effective approach for the preparation of Ni-Mn double hydroxide with potential application in high-charge-storage kinetics, which can also be extended for other transition-metal-based double hydroxides.

• 센서학회지
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.31-38
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• 2023

Three-dimensional (3D) micro/nanostructures based on soft elastomers have received extensive attention in recent years, owing to their potential and advanced applicability. Designing and fabricating 3D micro/nanostructures are crucial for applications in diverse engineering fields, such as sensors, harvesting devices, functional surfaces, and adhesive patches. However, because of their structural complexity, fabricating soft-elastomer-based 3D micro/nanostructures with a low cost and simple process remains a challenge. Bio-inspired designs that mimic natural structures, or replicate their micro/nanostructure surfaces, have greatly benefited in terms of low-cost fabrication, scalability, and easy control of geometrical parameters. This review highlights recent advances in 3D micro/nanostructures inspired by nature for diverse potential and advanced applications, including flexible pressure sensors, energy-harvesting devices based on triboelectricity, superhydrophobic/-philic surfaces, and dry/wet adhesive patches.

• 플랜트 저널
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.51-59
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• 2009

The global plant construction market has grown dramatically since 2000. As the market grows, domestic EPC contractors are expanding to meet its needs and have made great strides in terms of economic indicators from a decade ago. Larger projects involve a number of risk factors, such as volatile oil prices, however, and thus require quantitative and elaborate project management techniques for the ultimate success of a project's profitability. In addition, many Korean companies face difficulties in predicting potential risks and problems due to a lack of experience in dealing with the global market trend toward projects based on the Cost-re(Cost Reimbursable) contract as opposed to those based on the LSTK(Lumpsum Turnkey) contract. This study will examine methods and types of man-hour management according to plant project contract types. Further, it will explore the man-hour management system for successful completion of projects by satisfying the client's needs and enhancing the convenience in engineers' using the system. Additionally, this study will analyze the current system and identify its problems to address potential problems.

• 전기학회논문지P
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• 제58권4호
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• pp.410-415
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• 2009

With the implementation of electric power industry reform, the utilities are looking for effective ways to improve the economic efficiency. One area in particular, the equipment maintenance, is being scrutinized for reducing costs while keeping a reasonable level of the reliability in the overall system. Here the conventional RCM requires the tradeoff between the upfront maintenance costs and the potential costs of losing loads. In this paper we describe the issues related to applying so-called the "Reliability-centered Maintenance" (RCM) method in managing electric power distribution equipment. The RCM method is especially useful as it explicitly incorporates the cost-tradeoff of interest, i.e. the upfront maintenance costs and the potential interruption costs, in determining which equipment to be maintained and how often. In comparison, the "Time-based Maintenance" (TBM) method, the traditional method widely used, only takes the lifetime of equipment into consideration. In this paper, the modified Markov model for maintenance is developed. First, the existing Markov model for maintenance is explained and analyzed about transformer and circuit breaker, so on. Second, developed model is introduced and described. This model has two different points compared with existing model: TVFR and nonlinear customer interruption cost (CIC). That is, normal stage at the middle of bathtub curve has not CFR but the gradual increasing failure rate and the unit cost of CIC is increasing as the interruption time is increasing. The results of case studies represent the optimal maintenance interval to maintain the equipment with minimum costs. A numerical example is presented for illustration purposes.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.57-67
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• 2021

Photocatalytic green energy H2 production utilizing inexhaustible solar energy has been considered as a potential solution to problems of energy scarcity and environmental contamination. However, the design of a cost-effective photocatalyst using simple synthesis methodology is still a grand challenge. Herein, a low-cost transition metal, Cu-loaded one-dimensional TiO2 nanorods (Cu/TNR) were fabricated using an easy-to-use synthesis methodology for significant H2 production under simulated solar light. X-ray photoelectron spectral studies and electron microscopy measurements provide evidence to support the successful formation of the Cu/TNR catalyst under our experimental conditions. UV-vis DRS studies further demonstrate that introducing Cu on the surface of TNR substantially increases light absorption in the visible range. Notably, the Cu/TNR catalyst with optimum Cu content, achieved a remarkable H2 production with a yield of 39,239 µmol/g after 3 h of solar light illumination, representing 7.4- and 27.7-fold enhancements against TNR and commercial P25, respectively. The notably improved H2 evolution activity of the target Cu/TNR catalyst was primarily attributed to its excellent separation and efficiently hampered recombination of photoexcited electron-hole pairs. The Cu/TNR catalyst is, therefore, a potential candidate for photocatalytic green energy applications.