• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.293-300
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• 2002

Surface crack detection is an important aspect in the quality control process of egg markets. The acoustic vibration of an egg could be used as a critical factor in evaluating the eggshell quality. The mode shape indicates the egg vibration behavior at different locations with respect to the input impulse and provides important information for the optimum sensor location to obtain the desired acoustic measurements. Theoretical analysis and experimental measurements were conducted to determine the acoustic vibration modes in eggs. The resonant fiequencies of the first and second resonance mode of intact eggs were found to be distributed between 2kHz and 7kHz range. The measured mode shapes of an egg were similar to theoretical shapes of homogeneous, elastic spheres. An elliptical deformation at the equator ring of the egg was observed. The frequency peak of this mode was dominantly present in the frequency spectrum of an intact egg impacted at its sharp position. The mode shapes related to the first resonant frequency of an egg shelved that the optimum location for the measuring sensor was the 180 degrees position. A optimum location for the egg support was found to be the 90 degrees position having the smallest vibration magnitude.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.119-129
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• 2013

The study examined the effect of urbanization on the water quality of Nwaorie and Otamiri Rivers in Owerri metropolis, Imo State, South-East Nigeria. Water samples were collected from Nwaorie and Otamiri Rivers from four sampling stations up and down stream. Water parameters analyzed using standard procedures were: color, turbidity, temperature, pH, total hardness, total solids, metals (Iron and magnesium), anions (nitrate and ammonia) and Fecal coliform. Results showed increased levels of coloration, iron, ammonia, turbidity and fecal coliform which exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) permissible limits for drinking water. Increase in these parameters indicated influx of industrial effluent from the nearby industries and indiscriminate disposal of wastes at the bank of the rivers. Application of ANOVA showed various degree of variation in pollutants levels between the two rivers and at different sampling points. River Nwaorie was observed to be more impacted than River Otamiri. High values of iron observed from the study could be deleterious to human health if the river water is consumed without treatment. The study, therefore, recommended proper waste management and disposal as well as effluent treatments in Owerri municipal against pollution of surface water.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.215-225
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• 2001

Stress waves monitored on the surface of structures under various loading conditions can provide useful information on the structural health status. In this paper, stress waves are measured by several sensors when a steel beam is impacted by a ball drop. The sensors used include the piezo-electric film Sensor, the electrical strain gage, and the ultrasonic transducer, and special attention is given to the pieza film sensor. The wavelet transform is used for the time-frequency analysis of dispersive waves propagating in the beam. The velocities of the wave produced in the team due to the lateral impact is found to be frequency-dependent and identified as the flexural wave velocity based on the comparisons with the Timoshenko beam theory. A linear impact site identification method is developed using the flexural wave, and the impact sites of the beam can be accurately estimated by the piezo film sensors. It is found that the piezo film sensor is appropriate for sensing stress waves due to impact and for locating impact sites in the beam.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.149-158
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• 2010

Organosolv pretreatments which utilized sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide and ammonia as catalysts were conducted to screen the effective catalyst for organosolv pretreatment of Liriodendron tulipifera. The enzymatic hydrolysis was achieved effectively with sulfuric acid (74.2%) and sodium hydroxide (63.7%). They were thus considered as effective catalysts for organosolv pretreatment of L. tulipifera. The organosolv pretreatments with sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide showed a different behavior on the reaction mechanism. The pretreatment with sulfuric acid increased the biomass roughness and pore numbers. On the other hand, the pretreatment with sodium hydroxide enhanced the surface area due to the size reduction and minor defiberization which were caused by hemicellulose degradation at an initial stage and more defiberization by lignin degradation at a later stage. The organosolv pretreatment with sodium hydroxide was performed at several different conditions to evaluate effectiveness of sodium hydroxide as a catalyst for organosolv pretreatment. According to the results of enzymatic digestibility, the changes of chemical composition and the morphological analysis of pretreated biomass, it was suggested that the pretreatment time impacted primarily on enzymatic hydrolysis. Increase in surface area during the pretreatment was a major cause for improvement in enzymatic digestibility when sodium hydroxide was used as a catalyst.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.543-553
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• 2017

Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an important oil seed crop of Asia. Yields can be negatively impacted by various factors, including disease, particularly those caused by fungi which create problems in both production and storage. Foliar diseases of sesame such as Alternaria leaf blight may cause significant yield losses, with reductions in plant health and seed quality. The work reported here determined the incidence of Alternaria species infecting sesame seeds grown in the Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 428 Alternaria isolates were obtained from 105 seed samples and grouped into 36 distinct taxonomic groups based on growth pattern and morphological characters. Isolation frequency and relative density of surface sterilized and non-surface sterilized seeds showed that three isolates (A13, A47 and A215) were the most common morphological groups present. These isolates were further identified using sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the Alternaria major allergen gene (Alt a 1). Whilst ITS of rDNA did not resolve the isolates into Alternaria species, the Alt a 1 sequences exhibited > 99% homology with Alternaria alternata (KP123850.1) in GenBank accessions. The pathogenicity and virulence of these isolates of Alternaria alternata was confirmed in inoculations of sesame plants resulting in typical symptoms of leaf blight disease. This work confirms the identity of a major source of sesame leaf blight in Pakistan which will aid in formulating effective disease management strategies.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.461-467
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• 2009

This paper provides two case studies of environmental impacts with socio-economic values. The first case is on flood protection levees conducted from 2003 to 2004 in Phu Tan district, An Giang province. The impacts were found by comparing full flood protection levees area (FFPL) to non-full flood protection levees area (NFFPL). Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools per each group of rich, middle, and poor people were used to list the impacts. Then, major impacts were selected by ranking and interviewing 60 households per site, and assessed by Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) in rice production from 1996 to 2002 between two areas. The tested research indicated moving system of NFFPL to that of FFPL lost about 11 million VND/ha/year. The second case is on impacts of Penaeid shrimp farming conducted in Duyen Hai District, Tra Vinh Province in 2004-2005. Ninety households and 12 local officials were interviewed. Four PRAs were conducted and 36 water samples were taken inside and outside shrimp pond to measure values of DO, COD, Fe total, TSS, N-$NO_3{^-}$, N-$NH_4{^+}$, P-$PO{_4}^{3-}$, and Chlorophyll-a. Research results showed only 36.7% of the households got profit from shrimp farming. Highest financial efficiency was 0.72 for the semi-intensive system. Tested water indicators showed surface water quality did not match Vietnamese standard for surface water in coastal area (TCVN 5943-1995) and in rain. The water was very muddy and contaminated by organic aluminum. Summarily, the impacts were clarified more obviously via adding socio-economic values to assessment. Importantly, the values were transformed to household's income which is an indicator for policy-makers to consider the impacts obviously. Besides, data of different group of people impacted are cases contributing to consideration of the impacts in an appropriate social level.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.8-14
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• 2007

Water quality in Lake Rotorua, New Zealand, deteriorated since the 1960s because of excessive phytoplankton growths due principally to increasing nitrogen and phosphorus in the lake waters. Nutrient concentrations in eight of the nine major streams feeding Lake Rotorua have increased since 1965. The groundwater system has a key role in the hydrology of the Lake Rotorua catchment and the groundwater system is probably the control on the time delay between intensification of agricultural land use and response of surface water quality. All major, and many minor streams, in the catchment are fed by springs. Two lithological units are most important to groundwater flow in the Lake Rotorua catchment: Mamaku Ignimbrite, erupted in about 200,000 years ago and Huka Formation sediments which filled the caldera left by the Mamaku Ignimbrite eruption. Rainfall recharge to groundwater in the groundwater catchment of Lake Rotorua is estimated as approximately 17300 L/s. A calibrated steady-state groundwater flow model estimates that approximately 11100 L/s of this flow discharges into streams and then into the lake and the balance travels directly to Lake Rotorua as groundwater discharge through the lake bed. Land use has impacted on groundwater quality. Median Total Nitrogen (TN) values for shallow groundwater sites are highest for the dairy land use (5.965 mg/L). Median TN values are also relatively high for shallow sites with urban-road and cropping land uses (4.710 and 3.620 mg/L, respectively). Median TN values for all other uses are in the 1.4 to 1.5 mg/L range. Policy development for Lake Rotorua includes defining regional policies on water and land management and setting an action plan for Lake Rotorua restoration. Aims in the action plan include: definition of the current nutrient budget for Lake Rotorua, identification of nutrient reduction targets and identification of actions to achieve targets. Current actions to restore Lake Rotorua water quality include: treatment of Tikitere geothermal nitrogen inputs to Lake Rotorua, upgrade of Rotorua City sewage plant, new sewage reticulation and alum dosing in selected streams to remove phosphorus.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.363-376
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• 2024

Alluvial beds are intimately associated with electrical properties related to soil types, including clay mineral content, porosity, and water content. The hydraulic property governs water movement and storage in alluvial beds. This study revealed electrical resistivity and hydraulic properties in space and time in relation to the hydrogeological data, groundwater pumping, and rainfall infiltration into the alluvial bed located in Daesan-myeon, Changwon City. An electrical resistivity survey with electrode spacings of 2 and 4m using a dipole-dipole array indicates that electrical resistivity changes in the alluvial bed depend on groundwater pumping and rainfall events. Additionally, rainfall infiltration varies with hydraulic conductivity in the shallow zone of the alluvial bed. The 2 m electrode spacing survey confirms that electrical resistivity values decrease at shallow depths, corresponding with rainfall and increased water content in the soil, indicating rainfall infiltration approximately 1-2 m below the land surface. The 4m electrode spacing survey reveals that hydraulic conductivity (K) values and electrical resistivity (ρ) values display an inverse relationship from the surface to the water table (approximately 9 m) and at deeper levels than the water table. Notably, ρ values are impacted by pumping around the depth of the water table at 9 m. This study suggests that time-lapsed electrical resistivity surveys in space and time could be effective tools for detecting the impact of rainfall and pumping, as well as hydraulic conductivity in shallow alluvial beds.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.59-66
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• 2024

This study evaluated the performance of a membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) for nitrogen removal from a high-strength ammonia nitrogen-containing wastewater. The experimental setup consisted of four compartments that are sequentially anaerobic and aerobic to achieve complete nitrogen removal. The last compartment of the reactor setup contained a membrane bioreactor (MBR) to reduce sludge production in the system and to obtain a better-quality effluent. Continuous experiment over a period of 47 days showed that MABR exhibited excellent NH₄⁺-N removal efficiency (99.5%) compared to the control setup without MABR (56.5%). The final effluent NH₄⁺-N concentration obtained in the MABR was 2.99±1.56 mg/L. In contrast to NH₄⁺-N removal, comparable TOC removal values in the MABR and the control reactor (99.2% and 99.3%, respectively) showed that air supply through MABR is much more critical for denitrification than for organic removal. Further study to understand the effect of air supply rate and holding pressure on NH₄⁺-N removal in MABR revealed that an increase in both these parameters positively impacted reactor performance. These parameters are related to oxygen supply to the biofilm formed over the membrane surface, which in turn influenced NH₄⁺-N removal in MABR. Among the two different strategies to control biofilm over the membrane surface, results showed that scouring for a duration of 10 min on a weekly basis, along with mixing air supply, could be an effective method.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.337-342
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to analyze cells from human dental pulp tissue of impacted supernumerary teeth as stem cells with flow cytometry. Human dental pulp cells from 15 supernumerary teeth were identified their characteristics as stem cells by expression of mesenchymal stem cell markers through flow cytometry analysis at passage 3 and passage 10. Cluster of differentiation (CD) 73, CD 90, CD 34, CD 45 and STRO-1 cell surface markers were used to figure out characteristics of dental pulp stem cells from supernumerary teeth. At passage 3, the cell population showed positive expression of CD 73, CD90 and STRO-1, lacked expression of CD 34 and CD 45. At passage 10, CD 73, CD 90 and STRO-1 showed positive expression while CD 34 and CD 45 showed negative expression. This study indicated that dental pulp stem cells of supernumerary teeth had the properties of mesenchymal stem cells at both early and late passage. Impacted supernumerary teeth could be considered as a noble source of stem cells because of rapid growth and maintaining characteristics of stem cells until late passage.