• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.63-70
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• 2010

In this study, the response surface method and experimental design were applied as an alternative to conventional methods for the optimization of coagulation tests. A central composite design, with 4 axial points, 4 factorial points and 5 replicates at the center point were used to build a model for predicting and optimizing the coagulation process. Mathematical model equations were derived by computer simulation programming with a least squares method using the Minitab 15 software. In these equations, the removal efficiencies of turbidity and total organic carbon (TOC) were expressed as second-order functions of two factors, such as alum dose and coagulation pH. Statistical checks (ANOVA table, $R^2$ and $R^2_{adj}$ value, model lack of fit test, and p value) indicated that the model was adequate for representing the experimental data. The p values showed that the quadratic effects of alum dose and coagulation pH were highly significant. In other words, these two factors had an important impact on the turbidity and TOC of treated water. To gain a better understanding of the two variables for optimal coagulation performance, the model was presented as both 3-D response surface and 2-D contour graphs. As a compromise for the simultaneously removal of maximum amounts of 92.5% turbidity and 39.5% TOC, the optimum conditions were found with 44 mg/L alum at pH 7.6. The predicted response from the model showed close agreement with the experimental data ($R^2$ values of 90.63% and 91.43% for turbidity removal and TOC removal, respectively), which demonstrates the effectiveness of this approach in achieving good predictions, while minimizing the number of experiments required.

• Journal of Korean Society of Steel Construction
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.397-405
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• 2014

A shear-flexible beam element is presented for the flexural analysis of laminated composite T-beams with arbitrary lay-ups. Based on the first-order shear deformable beam theory, the derived element takes into account warping shear deformation and all coupling coming from material anisotropy. Three different types of beam elements, namely, the two-noded, three-noded, and four-noded beam elements with seven degree-of-freedom per node are developed to solve governing equations. To demonstrate the versatility and accuracy of the beam element formulated, numerical results are performed for symmetric and anti-symmetric angle-ply composite T-beams under the uniformly distributed and concentrated load. The effects of fiber angle and shear deformation are investigated for different laminated stacking sequence. The quadratic and cubic elements are shown to be applicable to the flexural analysis of composite T-beams.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.1444-1449
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• 2001

Two feeding trials were conducted to determine the effect of inclusion levels or deletion of vitamin-trace mineral (VM) premixes on growth performance and pork quality in finishing pigs. In exp. 1, a total of ninety-six crossbred pigs $(Landrace\;{\times}\;Yorkshire\;{\times}\;Duroc,\;85.09{\pm}3.12kg)$ were used for a 4-week feeding triaL Treatments were premix supplementation at the level of 50% (Control), 100%, 150%, and 200% of NRC (1998) requirements for vitamins and trace minerals. In exp. 2, a total of one hundred and eight crossbred pigs $(Landrace\;{\times}\;Yorkshire\;{\times}\;Duroc,\;84.76{\pm}0.58kg)$ were used for a 4-week feeding trial. Treatments were premix supplementation at the level of 0% (Control), 200% VM, and 200% vitamin E and Se listed in NRC (1998) requirements. Average daily gain (ADG) and feed/gain (F/G) were the highest at 150% VM addition level (quadratic, p<0.05) among treatments. Dressing percentage and backfat thickness in pigs were not affected by different addition levels of VM premixes. Pork stability in terms of TBARS was linearly (p<0.05) improved as dietary VM premix was increased (exp. 1). ADG, F/G and pork stability (TBARS) were also reduced (p<0.05) when VM premixes were deleted. However, supplementation of vitamin E and Se improved (p<0.05) ADG and pork stability when pigs were fed diets without VM premixes (exp. 2). In conclusion, deleting dietary VM premixes gave negative effects on growth performance and pork quality for the last 4 weeks of finishing period.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.929-934
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• 2000

Optimum stand density of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) varies with locations and climates. Stand density is one of the factors that determines herbage yield, forage quality and persistence of alfalfa. As establishment costs increase, the question arises whether present population densities are optimum for obtaining maximum herbage yield and forage quality. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the optimum plant density for highest herbage yield and forage quality for the dehydrated alfalfa industry under Edmontons climatic conditions in Alberta, Canada; 2) to compare herbage yield and forage quality of the cultivars 'Algonquin' and 'Vernal' grown at a range of stand densities. Alfalfa seedlings of both cultivars were either transplanted at spacings of 6, 10, 15 and 25 cm or direct seeded at the 4.5 cm plant spacings, providing population densities of 494, 278, 100, 45 and $16plants/m^2$. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with a split-plot arrangement having three replicates; the main plots consisted of two alfalfa cultivars Algonquin and Vernal, and the sub-plots were the five population densities. The cultivar Vernal had significantly higher annual yield than did the cultivar Algonquin. There was no significant effect of plant density on herbage yield. There was no difference in crude protein (CP) between the two cultivars. At the first cut, there was a significant quadratic effect of plant density on CP content and the greatest CP occurred at the 100 plants/m2 density. Crude protein was not affected by plant density at the second cut. Acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were not affected by plant density. The cultivar Algonquin usually had a lower ADF and NDF than cultivar Vernal. In conclusion, high population densities ($278plants/m^2$ or more) of alfalfa did not improve herbage yield and forage quality compared with low plant population densities ($100plants/m^2$ or less) of alfalfa.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.1142-1147
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• 2011

Lysine intake during gestation has a major impact on subsequent reproductive performance. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of lysine intake from mid-gestation until farrowing on the reproductive performance of multiparous sows. On day 30 of gestation, 200 Landrace${\times}$Large White sows were randomly assigned to one of four groups based on body weight and parity (n = 50). The gestation diets contained 0.46, 0.56, 0.65 or 0.74% lysine. Increasing dietary lysine concentration improved sow body condition at farrowing and increased litter weights (p<0.05). Dietary lysine level also had a significant effect on the dry matter (p<0.05) and protein content (p<0.05) of colostrum. Increased lysine intake increased serum insulin concentration (p<0.05) and there was a trend towards increased serum prolactin content (linear, p = 0.07). However, increased lysine tended to decrease blood urea N (quadratic, p = 0.05). These results suggest that higher lysine levels (0.65-0.75%) than those recommended by the National Research Council improved reproductive performance for multiparous gestating sows and this increase may be partially mediated through blood metabolites or metabolic hormone levels.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.1749-1754
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• 2006

Two slaughter experiments were conducted to determine the effects of rumen escape starch, by altering dietary starch concentration and corn particle size, on ${\alpha}$-amylase activity in the pancreas and the small intestinal digesta of lambs. In experiment 1, 18 wether lambs (28.5${\pm}$1.6 kg) were fed low, medium or high starch diets for 35 d and slaughtered. Dietary starch concentrations linearly increased rumen escape starch (p<0.05). Pancreatic ${\alpha}$-amylase activity was lower (p<0.05) in lambs fed the low starch diet. When expressed per gram of digesta, ${\alpha}$-amylase activity was lower in lambs fed the low starch diet. However, expressed as total activity, ${\alpha}$-amylase in the digesta was greater in lambs fed the medium starch diet. In experiment 2, 12 wether lambs (23.5${\pm}$0.3 kg) were fed diets with finely cracked corn, coarsely cracked corn and whole corn. These dietary treatments continued for 35 d before tissue collection. Rumen escape starch increased with increasing corn particle size (p<0.05). ${\alpha}$-amylase activity in the pancreas and the small intestinal digesta was significantly greater (p<0.05) in lambs fed the coarsely cracked corn. These data suggest that increasing rumen escape starch results in a quadratic increase in total ${\alpha}$-amylase activity in the pancreas and the small intestinal digesta. Maximum ${\alpha}$-amylase activity is reached when rumen escape starch is about 100-120 g/d in 25-30 kg lambs.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.294-300
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• 2009

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) is performed by artificial ventilation and thoracic compression for the patient under emergent situation to maintain at least the minimum level of respiration and blood circulation for life survival. Quality of the pre-hospital CPR not only significantly affects the patient's survival rate but also minimizes side effects caused by CPR. Good quality CPR requires monitoring respiration, however, traditional respiratory air flow transducers cannot be used because the transducer elements are located on the flow axis. The present study developed a new technique with no physical object on the flow stream but enabling the air flow measurement and easily incorporated with the CPR devices. A turbulence chamber was formed in the middle of the respiratory tube by locally enlarging the cross-sectional area where the flow related turbulence was generated inducing energy loss which was in turn converted into pressure difference. The turbulence chamber was simply an empty enlarged air space, thus no physical object was placed on the flow stream, but still the flow rate could be evaluated. Both inspiratory and expiratory flows were obtained with symmetric measurement characteristics. Quadratic curve fitting provided excellent calibration formula with a correlation coefficient>0.999 (P<0.0001) and the mean relative error<1 %. The present results can be usefully applied to accurately monitor the air flow rate during CPR.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.111-121
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• 2007

The experimental design and response surface methodologies haven been applied to the investigation of the chemical coagulation of livestock wastewater. The chemical coagulation reactions were mathematically described as a function of parameters raping mixing (rpm) of chemical coagulation ($X_1$), slow mixing (rpm) of chemical coagulation ($X_2$), $FeCl_3 $ concentration (mg/L) ($X_3$) and pH ($X_4$) being modeled by use of the central composite design. Empirical models were developed to describe relationship between the experimental variables and response. Statistical analysis indicates that three factors ($X_1$: raping mixing (rpm), $X_2$: slow mixing (rpm), $X_3$: $FeCl_3 $ concentration (mg/L) on the linear term (main effect), slow mixing (rpm) (${X_2}^2$) on the non-linear term (quadratic), and two factors ($X_1-X_3$, $X_2-X_3$) on the non-linear term (cross-product) had significant effects, respectively. The estimated ridge of maximum responses and optimal conditions for CODcr using canonical analysis was 87.44% ($X_1$: 229 rpm, $X_2$: 51 rpm, $X_3$: 877 mg/L, $X_4$: 4.3). To confirm this optimum condition, three additional experiments were performed and the mean CODcr removal (%) and concentration (mg/L) with a standard deviation of $87{\pm}1.2%$ ($576{\pm}34ppm$) were obtained.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.317-322
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• 2003

Cytogenetic and hematological analysis was performed in peripheral blood from the Korean native goat bred in the nuclear power plant (Wolsong and Uljin) and control area. The frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes from goat was used as a biomarker of radiobiological effects resulting from exposure to environmental radiation. An estimated dose of radiation was calculated by best fitting linear-quadratic model based on the radiation-induced MN data over the range from 0 to 4 Gy from the goat lymphocytes with in vitro irradiation. MN rates in goats from the Wolsong and Uljin nuclear power plant, and control area were 9.60/1000, 6.83/1000 and 9.88/1000, respectively. There were no significant differences in MN frequencies and hematological values in goats between nuclear power plant and control area. High level of platelet in the goat from Uljin nuclear power plant was observed, which seemed to be related to the goat management.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.100-114
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• 2015

This paper deploys optimization techniques to obtain the optimum hull form of KSUEZMAX at the conditions of full-load draft and design speed. The processes have been carried out using a RaPID-HOP program. The bow and the stern hull-forms are optimized separately without altering neither, and the resulting versions of the two are then combined. Objective functions are the minimum values of wave-making and viscous pressure resistance coefficients for the bow and stern. Parametric modification functions for the bow hull-form variation are SAC shape, section shape (U-V type, DLWL type), bulb shape (bulb height and size); and those for the stern are SAC and section shape (U-V type, DLWL type). WAVIS version 1.3 code is used for the potential and the viscous-flow solver. Prior to the optimization, a parametric study has been conducted to observe the effects of design parameters on the objective functions. SQP has been applied for the optimization algorithm. The model tests have been conducted at a towing tank to evaluate the resistance performance of the optimized hull-form. It has been noted that the optimized hull-form brings 2.4% and 6.8% reduction in total and residual resistance coefficients compared to those of the original hull-form. The propulsive efficiency increases by 2.0% and the delivered power is reduced 3.7%, whereas the propeller rotating speed increases slightly by 0.41 rpm.