• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.569-573
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• 2020

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella infections and humans usually contract this disease from close contact with infected animals or their products, usually via the ingestion of cheese or crude milk. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines play an important role in susceptibility/resistance and the immunopathogenesis of Brucella infection. These cytokines are crucial factors in the initiation and progression of protective immunity against Brucella infection but the role of MIF has not been well studied in the human response to intracellular microbes. This study was designed to investigate the effect of MIF expression on Brucella susceptibility. A total of 85 positive rose Bengal tests and 24 samples from healthy individuals were collected for this study and subjected to polymerase chain reaction assays (PCR) of the bcsp31 diagnostic gene. MIF concentrations were evaluated using Enzyme-Linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the results showed that 46 (54%) of the rose Bengal test samples were positive and 39 (46%) were negative for bcsp31 (p ≤ 0.05) and used as the gold standard for all of the comparisons in this study. The ELISA results indicate that the mean concentration of MIF was significantly higher in patients with positive rose Bengal tests when compared to the control groups and that its concentration increases with increasing age in both the patient and control groups (p ≤ 0.05).

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.505-518
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• 2021

The present paper has been carried out to understand the effects of impact loading on the rock tunnels, constructed in different region corresponding to varying unconfined compressive strength (UCS), through finite element method. The UCS of rockmass has substantial role in the stability of rock tunnels under impact loading condition due to falling rocks or other objects. In the present study, Dolomite, Shale, Sandstone, Granite, Basalt, and Quartzite rocks have been taken into consideration for understanding of the effect of UCS that vary from 2.85 MPa to 207.03 MPa. The Mohr-Coulomb constitutive model has been considered in the present study for the nonlinear elastoplastic analysis for all the rocks surrounding the tunnel opening. The geometry and boundary conditions of the model remains constant throughout the analysis and missile has 100 kg of weight. The general hard contact has been assigned to incorporate the interaction between different parts of the model. The present study focuses on studying the deformations in the rock tunnel caused by impacting load due to missile for tunnels having different concrete grade, and steel grade. The broader range of rock strength depicts the strong relationship between the UCS of rock and the extent of damage produced under different impact loading conditions. The energy released during an impact loading simulation shows the variation of safety and serviceability of the rock tunnel.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.73-87
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• 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in our daily lives and in industries as a whole. The most notable change was the spread of the untact culture to minimize face-to-face contact. The spread of the untact culture has changed the use of public transportation. Looking at the results of previous SARS and MERS studies, it was found that as the pandemic spreads, the use of public transportation decreased. Recently, the mobility sharing service is attracting attention as a personalized means of transportation instead of public transportation. Therefore, in this study, the factors affecting the intention to use the mobility sharing service were to be identified by the actual users. In this study, economic benefit, convenience, sustainability, and sense of belonging were set as independent variables based on previous studies. In addition, the relationship between the perceived usefulness and perceived pleasure of these factors of use on intention to use was empirically analyzed through PLS-SEM. As a result of the study, it was found that economic benefits, convenience, sustainability, and sense of belongingness had a significant effect on intention to use through perceived usefulness and enjoyment. This study was meaningful in that it was verified through the study that economic benefits, convenience, sustainability, and a sense of belongingness were significant variables affecting the intention to use through usefulness and pleasure.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.357-373
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• 2022

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor pebble-bed module project is the first commercial Generation-IV NPP(Nuclear Power Plant) in China. A new joint is used for the vertical support of RPV(Reactor Pressure Vessel). The steel corbel is integrally embedded into the reactor-cabin wall through eight asymmetrically arranged pre-stressed high-strength bolts, achieving the different path transmission of shear force and moment. The vertical monotonic loading test of two specimens is conducted. The results show that the failure mode of the joint is bolt fracture. There is no prominent yield stage in the whole loading process. The stress of bolts is linearly distributed along the height of corbel at initial loading. As the load increases, the height of neutral axis of bolts gradually decreases. The upper and lower edges of the wall opening contact the corbel plate to restrict the rotation of the corbel. During the loading, the pre-stress of some bolts decreases. The increase of the pre-stress strength ratio of bolts has no noticeable effect on the structure stiffness, but it reduces the ultimate bearing capacity of the joint. A simplified calculation model for the elastic stage of the joint is established, and the estimation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.77-83
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• 2022

When carbon dioxide in a liquid becomes supersaturated, carbon dioxide gas bubbles are generated in the liquid, and they ascend to the surface as they develop further. At this time, the inner wall of the cup with carbon gas attached is known as the entrapped gas cavity (EGS); once an EGS is established, it does not disappear and will continuously create carbon bubbles. This bubbling phenomenon can be activated or suppressed by changing the properties of the solid surface in contact with the carbonated liquid. In this study, the foaming of carbonated liquid is promoted or suppressed by modifying the wettability of the surface. A micro/nano surface structure is formed on the surface of an aluminum cup to produce a superhydrophilic surface, and a superhydrophobic surface similar to a lotus leaf is synthesized via fluorination. Experiment results show that the amount of carbon dioxide bubble generated differs significantly in the first few seconds depending on the surface, and that the amount of gas generated after it enters the stabilization period is the same regardless of the wettability of the cup surface.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.209-217
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• 2022

In the present research, Ficus religiosa Bark (FRB) is used as an adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal Cr (VI) ions. This Ficus religiosa Bark was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope, Fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy, Thermo Gravimetric Analyzer and the results showed that activated adsorbent have high adsorption capacity and withstand even in high temperature. Batch and Continuous experiments were conducted to determine the effect of various parameters such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dose and initial metal concentration. The biosorption followed pseudo first order kinetic model. The adsorption isotherms of Cr (VI) on Ficus religiosa fitted well with the Temkin model. In Batch study, maximum biosorption capacity of Cr (VI) was found to be 37.97 mg g^-1 (at optimal pH of 2, adsorbent dosage of 0.3 grams and concentration of Cr (VI) is100 mg L^-1). The Continuous mode of study shows that 97% of Cr (VI) ion removal at a flow rate of 15 ml min^-1. From the results, selected Ficus religiosa Bark has the higher adsorption capacity for the removal of Cr (VI) ions from wastewater.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.173-181
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• 2022

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) flat sheet hydrophobic membranes were prepared using 16 wt% PVDF in Dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) by phase inversion technique for desalination application using Membrane Distillation (MD). In this work, the effect of coagulation mediums such as ethanol and water as well their synergistic behavior on the fabricated PVDF membrane morphology was studied using SEM. Moreover, other characteristics required for the membrane distillation applications namely porosity, hydrophobicity and tensile strength were measured using the gravimetric method, sessile drop method and universal testing machine respectively. It was observed that the membrane morphology paradigm shifted from the finger-like structure to the sponge-like structure on increasing the ethanol concentration in coagulant. The porosity of the fabricated membrane was under the required MD range and found to be 57.3% at 16 weight % of PVDF in DMAc solvent under a pure ethanol coagulant bath. Moreover, the top surface contact angle ranges from 85° to 115° on increasing the bath concentration from CBC 0 to CBC 100 at 16 weight % of PVDF in DMAc solvent.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.390-411
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• 2022

Any design engineer or coating formulator's primary objective is to protect metals. Large investments in terms of money, time, labour, and other resources are necessary for constructing large-scale machinery and structures. In terms of economy, the structure's lifespan should be as long as feasible to create revenue. It is becoming essential to protect metal substrates from corrosion to prolong the lifespan of such huge structures. One of the most exciting, durable, useful, and effective methods to protect metals from corrosion is the application of corrosion-resistant coating. Graphene is a novel material with a wide range of applications because of its extraordinary features. The use of graphene in coating creates an obstacle and complicates the path for corrosive medium to reach the metal. As the path to the metal elongates, the corrosion medium takes longer to reach the metal. Thus, metal corrosion can be avoided. In this paper, the importance of graphene in coating formulation is discussed, including chemical modifications of graphene, the effect of graphene concentration on corrosion inhibition, and the contact angle of coating. This review also highlights the significance of water-based corrosion-resistant coating for preventing environmental damage.

• International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.198-205
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• 2022

Along with a variety of coding education, physical computing education for controlling various sensors is being actively conducted for elementary, middle, and high school students in line with the era of the fourth industrial revolution. A problem with physical computing education using Arduino is pin connection errors between Arduino and various sensors. Most of the students who come into contact with the Arduino for the first time often do not know the purpose of the Arduino pin and the connection position of the pin. Also, hardware built with incorrect pin connections to the Arduino board often does not work properly. If this case continues, students will lose interest in coding education. Therefore, in this paper, we implemented an augmented reality application that informs the connection process of the Arduino board and the sensor during physical computing coding education using Arduino, and designed and implemented educational content for the Arduino pin position and connection process. First, we explain the role of the Arduino board and the sensor and the location of the pins. After that, the students run the educational augmented reality educational content using their smartphones and check the correct pin connection process between the Arduino and the sensor. In the physical computing education, augmented reality content is used to increase the understanding and immersion of the class. It is expected that the educational effect will also increase by inducing fun and interest in physical computing coding education.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.121-128
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• 2022

A tremendous amount of energy resources is being wasted in cleaning wastewater to save the environment across the globe. Several different procedures are commercially available to process wastewater. In this work, membrane filtration technique is used to treat the textile wastewater because of its cost effectiveness and low environmental impacts. Mixed Matrix Membrane (MMM) consist of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) in which Graphene Oxide (GO) was added as a filler material. Five different membranes by varying the quantity of GO were prepared. The prepared membrane has been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Water Contact Angle (WCA). The prepared membranes have been utilized to treat textile wastewater. The synthesized membranes are used for the elimination of total dissolve solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), Methylene blue (MB) dye and copper metallic ions from textile wastewater. It is concluded that amount of GO has direct correlation with the quality of wastewater treatment. The maximum removal of TDS, TSS, MB and copper ions are found to be 7.42, 23.73, 50.53 and 64.5% respectively and are achieved by 0.02 wt% PVA-GO membrane.