• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.659-666
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• 2023

Characterized by boom-and-bust cycles, low entry barriers, and an almost perfectly competitive structure, the construction industry presents a unique challenge for the survival and growth of its constituent companies. A crucial aspect of this challenge is the ongoing monitoring of their financial health and business performance. To understand the typical financial and operational status of construction companies, this study analyzes the financial statements of 6,252 such companies, all of which have undergone at least one external audit between 2000 and 2019. These statements were used to develop combined financial profiles and derive industry averages. The findings indicate that the construction industry experiences limited growth in sales and profitability. High leverage ratios can jeopardize financial stability, pushing companies to seek production efficiency, such as enhancing gross asset turnover. This tendency has been particularly noticeable in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 2023

In the present work, a new global damage index is proposed for the seismic performance and failure analysis of concrete gravity dams. Unlike the existing indices of concrete structures, this index doesn't need scaling with an ultimate or an upper value. For this purpose, the Beni-Haroun dam in north-eastern Algeria, is considered as a case study, for which an average seismic capacity curve is first evaluated by performing several incremental dynamic analyses. The seismic performance point of the dam is then determined using the N2 method, considering multiple modes and taking into account the stiffness degradation. The seismic demand is obtained from the design spectrum of the Algerian seismic regulations. A series of recorded and artificial accelerograms are used as dynamic loads to evaluate the nonlinear responses of the dam. The nonlinear behaviour of the concrete mass is modelled by using continuum damage mechanics, where material damage is represented by a scalar field damage variable. This modelling, which is suitable for cyclic loading, uses only a single damage parameter to describe the stiffness degradation of the concrete. The hydrodynamic and the sediment pressures are included in the analyses. The obtained results show that the proposed damage index faithfully describes the successive brittle failures of the dam which increase with increasing applied ground accelerations. It is found that minor damage can occur for ground accelerations less than 0.3 g, and complete failure can be caused by accelerations greater than 0.45 g.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.60-61
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• 2004

Metabolic engineering is now a well established discipline, used extensively to determine and execute rational strategies of strain development to improve the performance of micro-organisms employed in industrial fermentations. The basic principle of this approach is that performance of the microbial catalyst should be adequately characterised metabolically so as to clearlyidentify the metabolic network constraints, thereby identifying the most probable targets for genetic engineering and the extent to which improvements can be realistically achieved. In order to harness correctly this potential, it is clear that the physiological analysis of each strain studied needs to be undertaken under conditions as close as possible to the physico-chemical environment in which the strain evolves within the full-scale process. Furthermore, this analysis needs to be undertaken throughoutthe entire fermentation so as to take into account the changing environment in an essentially dynamic situation in which metabolic stress is accentuated by the microbial activity itself, leading to increasingly important stress response at a metabolic level. All too often these industrial fermentation constraints are overlooked, leading to identification of targets whose validity within the industrial context is at best limited. Thus the conceptual error is linked to experimental design rather than inadequate methodology. New tools are becoming available which open up new possibilities in metabolic engineering and the characterisation of complex metabolic networks. Traditionally metabolic analysis was targeted towards pre-identified genes and their corresponding enzymatic activities within pre-selected metabolic pathways. Those pathways not included at the onset were intrinsically removed from the network giving a fundamentally localised vision of pathway functionality. New tools from genome research extend this reductive approach so as to include the global characteristics of a given biological model which can now be seen as an integrated functional unit rather than a specific sub-group of biochemical reactions, thereby facilitating the resolution of complexnetworks whose exact composition cannot be estimated at the onset. This global overview of whole cell physiology enables new targets to be identified which would classically not have been suspected previously. Of course, as with all powerful analytical tools, post-genomic technology must be used carefully so as to avoid expensive errors. This is not always the case and the data obtained need to be examined carefully to avoid embarking on the study of artefacts due to poor understanding of cell biology. These basic developments and the underlying concepts will be illustrated with examples from the author's laboratory concerning the industrial production of commodity chemicals using a number of industrially important bacteria. The different levels of possibleinvestigation and the extent to which the data can be extrapolated will be highlighted together with the extent to which realistic yield targets can be attained. Genetic engineering strategies and the performance of the resulting strains will be examined within the context of the prevailing experimental conditions encountered in the industrial fermentor. Examples used will include the production of amino acids, vitamins and polysaccharides. In each case metabolic constraints can be identified and the extent to which performance can be enhanced predicted

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.273-288
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• 2015

As one of the most common failure types of arch bridges, stability is one of the critical aspects for the design of arch bridges. Using 3D finite element model in ABAQUS, this paper has studied the stability performance of an arch bridge with inclined arch ribs and hangers, and the analysis also took the effects of geometrical and material nonlinearity into account. The impact of local buckling and residual stress of steel plates on global stability and the applicability of fiber model in stability analysis for steel arch bridges were also investigated. The results demonstrate an excellent stability of the arch bridge because of the transverse constraint provided by transversely-inclined hangers. The distortion of cross section, local buckling and residual stress of ribs has an insignificant effect on the stability of the structure, and the accurate ultimate strength may be obtained from a fiber model analysis. This study also shows that the yielding of the arch ribs has a significant impact on the ultimate capacity of the structure, and the bearing capacity may also be approximately estimated by the initial yield strength of the arch rib.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.37-54
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• 2020

In response to the recent decline in the school-age population, universities have made attracting foreign students a major policy task for universities. As a result, the number of foreign students increased rapidly in terms of quantity, but in terms of quality, the risk is inevitable. Accordingly, the government presented education and internationalization competency certification system indicators on the basis of which quality control of students was systematized. Based on the above certification system, this study focused on analyzing the multiple factors that are actually given to the academic adaptation (performance) of the 2200 students who entered a certain university. In addition, factors other than the certification system index were discovered to comprehensively track how they affect the academic performance of students studying abroad. The researcher found the multi-reciprocal model analysis showed that the difference between the learner and the moderator was significant, and whether or not they had the Korean proficiency test (TOPIK) was significant. It also said that it could have a direct impact on Chinese University Entrance Exams (高考) are significant. If a model that is very effective in selecting students is established by each university and used as an indicator through this study, it will serve as a basis for efficient selection of students.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.84-90
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• 2010

This paper presents the shape optimization process for the automotive wheel bearing seal lip using the finite element method and the response surface method. First, to predict performance of the bearing seal lip, we used the non-linear finite element analysis. And then, we compared the analysis results with the test results to verify the finite element model. The objective function in optimizing process was obtained from results of the mud slurry test, which is one of many tests for evaluating performance of wheel bearing. After the mud slurry test for the four models which have the similar cross-sectional shape, we measured the wear area of the seal lip and the moisture content in grease. The objective function has been chosen by comparing the results of mud slurry test and characteristics of seal lip, such as contact force, contact area, contact pressure, and interference. Finally, within limited design parameters, we suggested the optimized shape of seal lip, which is expected to improve the wear and the sealing effect of it.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.15-23
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• 2014

Purpose - This study is one of a series of studies on the successful Sextic industry, which was conceived because of the urgency of transforming agriculture to cope with global market-opening pressures as well as to solve domestic difficulties facing Korean rural areas. Research design, data, and methodology - This study involved constructing a questionnaire based on evaluation standards proposed by prior research. Further, this study intended to lay the groundwork for the development of the Sextic industry through the use of IPA. It also sought to explore the possibility of developing scales capable of performing causality analysis. We conducted 149 effective questionnaires, and applied the paired t-test and IPA for the analysis. Results - The results of the analysis indicated that the degrees of producers' perceptions regarding the importance and performance with respect to five variables of the performance indicators were different. Conclusion - It was suggested that the implementing subjects of the Sextic industry should prevent possible problems relating to several factors by building close cooperative relationships with the interested parties of each industry.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1179-1185
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• 2013

In this study, the design optimization of the automotive side member is performed to maximize the crash energy absorption efficiency per unit weight. Design parameters which seriously influence on the frontal crash performance are selected through the sensitivity analysis using the Plackett-Burman design method. And also the design variables, which are determined from the sensitivity analysis, are optimized by two methods. One is conventional approximate optimization method which uses the statistical design of experiments (DOE) and response surface method (RSM). The other is a methodology derived from previous work by the authors, which is called sequential design of experiments (SDOE), to reduce a trial and error procedure and to find an appropriate condition for using micro-genetic algorithm. The proposed optimization technique shows that the automotive side member structure can be designed considering the frontal crash performance.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.209-219
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• 2022

Offshore platforms in seismically active areas must be designed to survive in the face of intense earthquakes without a global structural collapse. This paper scrutinizes the seismic performance of a newly designed and established jacket type offshore platform situated in the entrance of the Gulf of Suez region based on the API-RP2A normalized response spectra during seismic events. A nonlinear finite element model of a typical jacket type offshore platform is constructed taking into consideration the effect of structure-soil-interaction. Soil properties at the site were manipulated to generate the pile lateral soil properties in the form of load deflection curves, based on API-RP2A recommendations. Dynamic characteristics of the offshore platform, the response function, output power spectral density and transfer functions for different elements of the platform are discussed. The joints deflection and acceleration responses demands are presented. It is generally concluded that consideration of the interaction between structure, piles and soil leads to higher deflections and less stresses in platform elements due to soil elasticity, nonlinearity, and damping and leads to a more realistic platform design. The earthquake-based analysis for offshore platform structure is essential for the safe design and operation of offshore platforms.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.451-468
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• 2020

Although model updating has been widely applied using a specific optimization algorithm with a single objective function using frequencies, mode shapes or frequency response functions, there are few studies that investigate hybrid optimization algorithms for real structures. Many of them did not take into account the sensitivity of the updating parameters to the model outputs. Therefore, in this paper, optimization algorithms and sensitivity analysis are applied for model updating of a real cable-stayed bridge, i.e., the Kien bridge in Vietnam, based on experimental data. First, a global sensitivity analysis using Morris method is employed to find out the most sensitive parameters among twenty surveyed parameters based on the outputs of a Finite Element (FE) model. Then, an objective function related to the differences between frequencies, and mode shapes by means of MAC, COMAC and eCOMAC indices, is introduced. Three metaheuristic algorithms, namely Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO) and hybrid PSOGSA algorithm, are applied to minimize the difference between simulation and experimental results. A laboratory pipe and Kien bridge are used to validate the proposed approach. Efficiency and reliability of the proposed algorithms are investigated by comparing their convergence rate, computational time, errors in frequencies and mode shapes with experimental data. From the results, PSO and PSOGSA show good performance and are suitable for complex and time-consuming analysis such as model updating of a real cable-stayed bridge. Meanwhile, GSA shows a slow convergence for the same number of population and iterations as PSO and PSOGSA.