• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.9
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• pp.3051-3057
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• 2021

The concrete is considered as an important radiation shielding material employed widely in nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, laboratory hot cells and other different radiation sources. The present research is dedicated to the shielding properties study of the ordinary concrete reinforced with different weight fractions of lead oxide micro/nano particles. Lead oxide particles were fabricated by chemical synthesis method and their properties including the average size, morphological structure, functional groups and thermal properties were characterized by XRD, FESEM-EDS, FTIR and TGA analysis. The gamma ray mass attenuation coefficient of concrete composites has been calculated and measured by means of the Monte Carlo simulation and experimental methods. The simulation process was based on the use of MCNP Monte Carlo code where the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) has been calculated as a function of different particle sizes and filler weight fractions. The simulation results showed that the employment of the lead oxide filler particles enhances the mass attenuation coefficient of the ordinary concrete, drastically. On the other hand, there are approximately no differences between micro and nano sized particles. The mass attenuation coefficient was increased by increasing the weight fraction of nanoparticles. However, a semi-saturation effect was observed at concentrations more than 10 wt%. The experimental process was based on the fabrication of concrete slabs filled by different weight fractions of nano lead oxide particles. The mass attenuation coefficients of these slabs were determined at different gamma ray energies using ²²Na, ¹³⁷Cs and ⁶⁰Co sources and NaI (Tl) scintillation detector. The experimental results showed that the HVL parameter of the ordinary concrete reinforced with 5 wt% of nano PbO particles was reduced by 64% at 511 keV and 48% at 1332 keV. Reasonable agreement was obtained between simulation and experimental results and showed that the employment of nano PbO particles is more efficient at low gamma energies up to 1Mev. The proposed concrete is less toxic and could be prepared in block form instead of toxic lead blocks.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2019

We investigated the effects of Al2O3 addition on (1-x)Li2B4O7-xAl2O3 (LBAO; x = 0, 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.07, and 0.1) glasses. The glasses were synthesized by a conventional melt-quench method. Structural transformations of the LBAO glasses were assessed via X-ray diffraction analysis. Estimations of ΔT, KGS = (Tc-Tg)/(Tm-Tc), activation energy, and the Avrami parameter were performed using differential thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. An interpretation of non-isothermal kinetics of the crystallization process is presented using the modified Ozawa equation. The activation energy E increased from 3.3 to 3.5 eV for the LBAO (x < 0.01) glasses whereas those of the LBAO (x > 0.05) glasses slightly increased from 3.75 to 4.05 eV. The exponent n was estimated to be 3.9 ± 0.1 for the LBAO (x < 0.01) glasses and 3.2 ± 0.02 for the LBAO (x > 0.05) glasses. Microstructural characterization of the glassy and crystalline phases using atomic force microscopy was investigated. The effects of Al2O3 on the LBAO glasses include a decreased nucleation rate in the crystallization process and a significantly reduced crystal size.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.115-123
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• 2008

The dispersive phase velocity of a wave propagating through multilayered systems such as a soil site is an important parameter and carries valuable information in non-destructive site characterization tests. The dispersive phase velocity of a wave can be determined using the phase spectrum, which is easily evaluated through the cross power spectrum. However, the phase spectrum determined using the cross power spectrum is easily distorted by background noise which always exists in the field. This causes distortion of measured signal and difficulties in the determination of the dispersive phase velocities. In this paper, a new method to evaluate the phase spectrum using the harmonic wavelet transform is proposed and the phase spectrum by the proposed method is applied to the determination of dispersion curve. The proposed method can successfully remove background noise effects. To evaluate the validity of the proposed method, numerical simulations of multi-layered systems were performed. Phase spectrums and dispersion curves determined by the proposed method were found to be in good agreement with the actual phase spectrums and dispersion curves biased by heavy background noise. The comparison manifests the proposed method to be a very useful tool to overcome noise effects.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.39.1-39.12
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• 2021

Objectives: This study analyzed the physical-chemical behavior of 2 bulk fill resin composites (BFCs; Filtek Bulk Fill [FBF], and Tetric-N-Ceram Bulk Fill [TBF]) used in 2- and 4-mm increments and compared them with a conventional resin composite (Filtek Z250). Materials and Methods: Flexural strength and elastic modulus were evaluated by using a 3-point bending test. Knoop hardness was measured at depth areas 0-1, 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 mm. The translucency parameter was measured using an optical spectrophotometer. Real-time polymerization kinetics was analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results: Flexural strength was similar among the materials, while TBF showed lower elastic modulus (Z250: 6.6 ± 1.3, FBF: 6.4 ± 0.9, TBF: 4.3 ± 1.3). The hardness of Z250 was similar only between 0-1 mm and 1-2 mm. Both BFCs had similar hardness until 2-3 mm, and showed significant decreases at 3-4 mm (FBF: 33.45 ± 1.95 at 0-1 mm to 23.19 ± 4.32 at 3-4 mm, TBF: 23.17 ± 2.51 at 0-1 mm to 15.11 ± 1.94 at 3-4 mm). The BFCs showed higher translucency than Z250. The polymerization kinetics of all the materials were similar at 2-mm increments. At 4-mm, only TBF had a similar degree of conversion compared with 2 mm. Conclusions: The BFCs tested had similar performance compared to the conventional composite when used in up to 2-mm increments. When the increment was thicker, the BFCs were properly polymerized only up to 3 mm.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1773-1793
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• 2023

Automated machine learning, often referred to as "AutoML," is the process of automating the time-consuming and iterative procedures that are associated with the building of machine learning models. There have been significant contributions in this area across a number of different stages of accomplishing a data-mining task, including model selection, hyper-parameter optimization, and preprocessing method selection. Among them, preprocessing method selection is a relatively new and fast growing research area. The current work is focused on the recommendation of preprocessing methods, i.e., feature subset selection (FSS) algorithms. One limitation in the existing studies regarding FSS algorithm recommendation is the use of a single learner for meta-modeling, which restricts its capabilities in the metamodeling. Moreover, the meta-modeling in the existing studies is typically based on a single group of data characterization measures (DCMs). Nonetheless, there are a number of complementary DCM groups, and their combination will allow them to leverage their diversity, resulting in improved meta-modeling. This study aims to address these limitations by proposing an architecture for preprocess method selection that uses ensemble learning for meta-modeling, namely AutoFE-Sel. To evaluate the proposed method, we performed an extensive experimental evaluation involving 8 FSS algorithms, 3 groups of DCMs, and 125 datasets. Results show that the proposed method achieves better performance compared to three baseline methods. The proposed architecture can also be easily extended to other preprocessing method selections, e.g., noise-filter selection and imbalance handling method selection.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.4
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• pp.389-403
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• 2023

In order to explore the influence of tooth root cracks on the dynamic characteristics of multi-stage planetary gear transmission systems, a concentrated parameter method was used to construct a nonlinear dynamic model of the system with 30-DOF in bending and torsion, taking into account factors such as crack depth, length, angle, error, time-varying meshing stiffness (TVMS), and damping. In the model, the energy method was used to establish a TVMS model with cracks, and the influence of cracks on the TVMS of the system was studied. By using the Runge- Kutta method to calculate the differential equations of system dynamics, a series of system vibration diagrams containing cracks were obtained, and the influence of different crack parameters on the vibration of the system was analyzed. And vibration testing experiments were conducted on the system with planetary gear cracks. The results show that when the gear contains cracks, the TVMS of the system will decrease, and as the cracks intensify, the TVMS will decrease. When cracks appear on the II-stage planetary gear, the system will experience impact effects with intervals of rotation cycles of the II-stage planetary gear. There will be obvious sidebands near the meshing frequency doubling, and the vibration trajectory of the gear will also become disordered. These situations will become more and more obvious as the degree of cracks intensifies. Through experiments, the theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental results, verifying the correctness of the theoretical model. This provides a theoretical basis for fault diagnosis and reliability research of the system.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1142-1151
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate microstructural damage in high myopia (HM) patients using 3T diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 30 HM patients and 33 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) with DKI. Kurtosis parameters including kurtosis fractional anisotropy (FA), mean kurtosis (MK), axial kurtosis (AK), and radial kurtosis (RK) as well as diffusion metrics including FA, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity derived from DKI were obtained. Group differences in these metrics were compared using tract-based spatial statistics. Partial correlation analysis was used to evaluate correlations between microstructural changes and disease duration. Results: Compared to HCs, HM patients showed significantly reduced AK, RK, MK, and FA and significantly increased AD, predominately in the bilateral corticospinal tract, right inferior longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and left thalamus (all p < 0.05, threshold-free cluster enhancement corrected). In addition, DKI-derived kurtosis parameters (AK, RK, and MK) had negative correlations (r = -0.448 to -0.376, all p < 0.05) and diffusion parameter (AD) had positive correlations (r = 0.372 to 0.409, all p < 0.05) with disease duration. Conclusion: HM patients showed microstructural alterations in the brain regions responsible for motor conduction and vision-related functions. DKI is useful for detecting white matter abnormalities in HM patients, which might be helpful for exploring and monitoring the pathogenesis of the disease.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.215-229
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• 2024

Guyed mast structures exhibit characteristics such as high flexibility, low mass, small damping ratio, and large aspect ratio, leading to a complex wind-induced vibration response mechanism. This study analyzed the time- and frequency-domain characteristics of the wind-induced response of a guyed mast structure using measured acceleration response data obtained from the Shenzhen Meteorological Gradient Tower (SZMGT). Firstly, 734 sets of 1-hour acceleration samples measured from 0:00 October 1, 2021, to 0:00 November 1, 2021, were selected to study the vibration shapes of the mast and the characteristics of the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. Secondly, six sets of typical samples with different vibration intensities were further selected to explore the Gaussian property and modal parameter characteristics of the mast. Finally, the modal parameters of the SZMGT are identified and the identification results are verified by finite element analysis. The findings revealed that the guyed mast vibration shape exhibits remarkable diversity, which increases nonlinearly along the height in most cases and reaches a maximum at the top of the tower. Moreover, the GEV distribution characteristics of the 734 sets of samples are closer to the Weibull distribution. The probability distribution of the structural wind vibration response under strong wind is in good agreement with the Gaussian distribution. The structural response of the mast under wind loading exhibits multiple modes. As the structural response escalates, the first three orders of modal energy in the tower display a gradual increase in proportion.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.135-141
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• 1997

Purpose: To assess the usefulness of breath-hold fast MR imaging of liver with fat suppression (FS) by application of chemical saturation technique in the diagnosis of regional fatty changes suspected in sonography. Materials and Methods: Thirteen patients who had focal lesions with diffuse, homogeneous signal changes after FS through chemical saturation technique without additional changes of imaging parameter during MR imaging of liver were selected. T1-weighted fast low-angle shot and T2-weighted turbo spin-echo sequences were obtained with or without FS during each single breath-holding session. Subjective changes of signal intensity between the pre-FS and the FS images were compared with the sonographic findings in each lesion. Results: Seven lesions of decreased signal intensity after FS on T1 or T2-weighted images, including three lesions only at FS T1 images, were regarded as focal fat infiltration. All seven lesions had compatible sonographic findings as homogenously echogenic areas. Another six lesions of subjectively increased signal intensity including two lesions only at FS T2 images were regarded as focal fat sparing. All six lesions had sonographic findings as homogenous echo poor areas suggesting focal fat sparing. In cases regarded as fat infiltration, score changes were more prominent at FS T1 images than FS T2 images(p=0.0002). In cases regarded as fat sparing, score changes were more prominent at FS T2 images than FS T1 images(p=0.042). Conclusion: Breath-hold fast T1 and T2-weighted MR imaging with and without chemical saturation pre-pulse may be sufficient for characterization of regional fatty changes in the differential diagnosis of focal hepatic lesion found at sonography.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.39-48
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• 2016

In this paper, we propose thermal resistance compact model of FinFET structure that has hexagon shaped source/drain. The heating effect and thermal properties were increased by reduced size of the device, and thermal resistance is an important factor to analyze the effect and the properties. The heat source and each contact that is moved heat out were set up in transistor, and domain is divided by the heat source and the four parts of contacts : source, drain, gate, substrate. Each contact thermal resistance model is subdivided as a easily interpretable structure by analyzing the temperature and heat flow of the TCAD simulation results. The domains are modeled based on an integration or conformal mapping method through the structure parameters according to its structure. First modeled by analyzing the thermal resistance to a single fin, and applying the change in the parameter of the channel increases to improve the accuracy of the thermal resistance model of the multi-fin/ finger. The proposed thermal resistance model was compared to the thermal resistance by analyzing results of the 3D Technology CAD simulations, and the proposed total thermal resistance model has an error of 3 % less in single and multi-finl. The proposed thermal resistance model can predict the thermal resistance due to the increase of the fin / finger, and the circuit characteristics can be improved by calculating the self-heating effect and thermal characterization.