• Title/Summary/Keyword: the dynamic model

Search Result 11,208, Processing Time 0.042 seconds

A Study on the Development of Multimedia CAI in Smoking Prevention for Adolescents (청소년 흡연예방을 위한 멀티미디어 CAI 개발)

  • Lee, Sook-Ja;Park, Tae-Jin;Joung, Young-Il;Cho, Hyun
    • Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
    • /
    • v.20 no.2
    • /
    • pp.35-61
    • /
    • 2003
  • Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a structured and individualized smoking prevention program for adolescents by utilizing a multimedia computer-assisted instruction model and to empirically assess its effect. Method: For the purpose of this study, a guide book of smoking prevention program for middle and high school students was developed as the first step. The contents of this book were summarized and developed into an actual multimedia CAI smoking prevention program according to the Gane & Briggs instructional design and Keller's ARCS motivation design models as the second step. At the final step, the short-tenn effects of this program were examined by an experiment. This experiment were made for middle school and high school students and the quasi experimental design was the pretest - intervention - posttest. The measured data was attitude, belief, and knowledge about smoking, interest in the program, and learning motivation. Result: The results of this study were as follows: First, the guide book of a smoking prevention program was developed and the existing literature on adolescent smoking was analyzed to develop the content of the guide book. Then the curriculum was divided into three main domains on tobacco and smoking history, smoking and health, adolescent smoking and each main domain was divided into sub-domains. Second, the contents of the guide book were translated into a multimedia CAI program of smoking prevention througn Powerpoint software according to the instructional design theory. The characteristics of this program were interactive, learner controllable, and structured The program contents consisted of entrance(5.6%), history of tobacco(30%), smoking and health(38.9%), adolescent smoking(22.2%), video(4.7%), and exit(1.6%). Multimedia materials consisted of text(121), sound and music, image(still 84, dynamic 32), and videogram(6). The program took about 40 minutes to complete. Third, the results on analysis of the program effects were as follows: 1) There was significant knowledge increase between the pre-test and post-test with total mean difference 3.44, and the highest increase was in the 1st grade students of high school(p<0.001). 2) There was significant decrease in general belief on smoking between the pre-test and post-test with total mean difference 0.28. In subgroup analysis, the difference was significantly higher in the 1st grade of high school (p<0.001), low income class (p<0.001), and daily smokers (p<0.01). 3) There was no significant difference in attitudes on his personal smoking between the pre-test and post-test. 4) The interest in the program seemed to lower as students got older. The score of motivation toward this prevention program was the highest in the middle school 3rd grade. Among sub-domains of motivation, the confidence score was the highest. Conclusion: To be most effective, the smoking prevention program for adolescents should utilize the most up-to-date and accurate information on smoking, and then instructional material should be developed so that the learners can approach the program with enjoyment. Through this study, a guide book with the most up-to-date information was developed and the multimedia CAI smoking prevention program was also developed based on the guide book. The program showed positive effect on the students' knowledge and belief in smoking.

Study on Lead-Lag Relationship between Individual Spot and Futures of Communication Service Industries: Focused on KT and SK Telecom (통신서비스 업종 개별주식 현물과 선물 간 선도-지연 효과: 한국통신과 SK텔레콤을 중심으로)

  • Kim, Joo Il
    • Journal of Service Research and Studies
    • /
    • v.5 no.1
    • /
    • pp.91-103
    • /
    • 2015
  • We examine the information transmission between the KT Spot and the KT Futures Index, the SK Telecom Spot and the SK Telecom Futures Index, based on the returns data offered by the Korea Exchange. The data includes daily return data from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2014. Utilizing a dynamic analytical tool-the VAR model, Granger Causality test, Impulse Response Function and Variance Decomposition have been implemented. The results of the analysis are as follows. Firstly, results of Granger Causality test suggests the existence of mutual causality the KT Futures Index and the SK Telecom Futures Index precede and have explanatory power the KT Spot and the SK Telecom Spot However the results also identified a greater causality and explanatory power of the KT Spot and the SK Telecom Spot over the KT Futures Index and the SK Telecom Futures Index. Secondly, the results of impulse response function suggest that the KT Futures Index show immediate response to the KT Spot and are influenced by till time 4. From time 2, the impact gradually disappears. Also the SKT Futures Index show immediate response to the SKT Spot and are influenced by till time 4. From time 2, the impact gradually disappears. Lastly, the variance decomposition analysis shows that the changes of return of the KT Spot and SKT Spot are dependent on those of the KT Futures Index and the SK Telecom Futures Index. This implies that returns on the KT Spot and SKT Spot have a significant influence over returns on the KT Futures Index and the SK Telecom Futures Index. It contributes to the understanding of market price formation function through analysis of detached the KT Spot and the KT Futures Index, the SK Telecom Spot and the SK Telecom Futures Index.

Recent Progress in Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Research : A Review of Papers Published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering in 2013 (설비공학 분야의 최근 연구 동향 : 2013년 학회지 논문에 대한 종합적 고찰)

  • Lee, Dae-Young;Kim, Sa Ryang;Kim, Hyun-Jung;Kim, Dong-Seon;Park, Jun-Seok;Ihm, Pyeong Chan
    • Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
    • /
    • v.26 no.12
    • /
    • pp.605-619
    • /
    • 2014
  • This article reviews the papers published in the Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering during 2013. It is intended to understand the status of current research in the areas of heating, cooling, ventilation, sanitation, and indoor environments of buildings and plant facilities. Conclusions are as follows. (1) The research works on the thermal and fluid engineering have been reviewed as groups of fluid machinery, pipes and relative parts including orifices, dampers and ducts, fuel cells and power plants, cooling and air-conditioning, heat and mass transfer, two phase flow, and the flow around buildings and structures. Research issues dealing with home appliances, flows around buildings, nuclear power plant, and manufacturing processes are newly added in thermal and fluid engineering research area. (2) Research works on heat transfer area have been reviewed in the categories of heat transfer characteristics, pool boiling and condensing heat transfer and industrial heat exchangers. Researches on heat transfer characteristics included the results for general analytical model for desiccant wheels, the effects of water absorption on the thermal conductivity of insulation materials, thermal properties of Octadecane/xGnP shape-stabilized phase change materials and $CO_2$ and $CO_2$-Hydrate mixture, effect of ground source heat pump system, the heat flux meter location for the performance test of a refrigerator vacuum insulation panel, a parallel flow evaporator for a heat pump dryer, the condensation risk assessment of vacuum multi-layer glass and triple glass, optimization of a forced convection type PCM refrigeration module, surface temperature sensor using fluorescent nanoporous thin film. In the area of pool boiling and condensing heat transfer, researches on ammonia inside horizontal smooth small tube, R1234yf on various enhanced surfaces, HFC32/HFC152a on a plain surface, spray cooling up to critical heat flux on a low-fin enhanced surface were actively carried out. In the area of industrial heat exchangers, researches on a fin tube type adsorber, the mass-transfer kinetics of a fin-tube-type adsorption bed, fin-and-tube heat exchangers having sine wave fins and oval tubes, louvered fin heat exchanger were performed. (3) In the field of refrigeration, studies are categorized into three groups namely refrigeration cycle, refrigerant and modeling and control. In the category of refrigeration cycle, studies were focused on the enhancement or optimization of experimental or commercial systems including a R410a VRF(Various Refrigerant Flow) heat pump, a R134a 2-stage screw heat pump and a R134a double-heat source automotive air-conditioner system. In the category of refrigerant, studies were carried out for the application of alternative refrigerants or refrigeration technologies including $CO_2$ water heaters, a R1234yf automotive air-conditioner, a R436b water cooler and a thermoelectric refrigerator. In the category of modeling and control, theoretical and experimental studies were carried out to predict the performance of various thermal and control systems including the long-term energy analysis of a geo-thermal heat pump system coupled to cast-in-place energy piles, the dynamic simulation of a water heater-coupled hybrid heat pump and the numerical simulation of an integral optimum regulating controller for a system heat pump. (4) In building mechanical system research fields, twenty one studies were conducted to achieve effective design of the mechanical systems, and also to maximize the energy efficiency of buildings. The topics of the studies included heating and cooling, HVAC system, ventilation, and renewable energies in the buildings. Proposed designs, performance tests using numerical methods and experiments provide useful information and key data which can improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. (5) The field of architectural environment is mostly focused on indoor environment and building energy. The main researches of indoor environment are related to infiltration, ventilation, leak flow and airtightness performance in residential building. The subjects of building energy are worked on energy saving, operation method and optimum operation of building energy systems. The remained studies are related to the special facility such as cleanroom, internet data center and biosafety laboratory. water supply and drain system, defining standard input variables of BIM (Building Information Modeling) for facility management system, estimating capability and providing operation guidelines of subway station as shelter for refuge and evaluation of pollutant emissions from furniture-like products.

STRAIN AND TEMPERATURE CHANGES DURING THE POLYMERIZATION OF AUTOPOLYMERIZING ACRYLIC RESINS

  • Ahn Hyung-Jun;Kim Chang-Whe;Kim Yung-Soo
    • The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
    • /
    • v.39 no.6
    • /
    • pp.709-734
    • /
    • 2001
  • The aims of this experiment were to investigate the strain and temperature changes simultaneously within autopolymerzing acrylic resin specimens. A computerized data acquisition system with an electrical resistance strain gauge and a thermocouple was used over time periods up to 180 minutes. The overall strain kinetics, the effects of stress relaxation and additional heat supply during the polymerization were evaluated. Stone mold replicas with an inner butt-joint rectangular cavity ($40.0{\times}25.0mm$, 5.0mm in depth) were duplicated from a brass master mold. A strain gauge (AE-11-S50N-120-EC, CAS Inc., Korea) and a thermocouple were installed within the cavity, which had been connected to a personal computer and a precision signal conditioning amplifier (DA1600 Dynamic Strain Amplifier, CAS Inc., Korea) so that real-time recordings of both polymerization-induced strain and temperature changes were performed. After each of fresh resin mixture was poured into the mold replica, data recording was done up to 180 minutes with three-second interval. Each of two poly(methyl methacrylate) products (Duralay, Vertex) and a vinyl ethyl methacrylate product (Snap) was examined repeatedly ten times. Additionally, removal procedures were done after 15, 30 and 60 minutes from the start of mixing to evaluate the effect of stress relaxation after deflasking. Six specimens for each of nine conditions were examined. After removal from the mold, the specimen continued bench-curing up to 180 minutes. Using a waterbath (Hanau Junior Curing Unit, Model No.76-0, Teledyne Hanau, New York, U.S.A.) with its temperature control maintained at $50^{\circ}C$, heat-soaking procedures with two different durations (15 and 45 minutes) were done to evaluate the effect of additional heat supply on the strain and temperature changes within the specimen during the polymerization. Five specimens for each of six conditions were examined. Within the parameters of this study the following results were drawn: 1. The mean shrinkage strains reached $-3095{\mu}{\epsilon},\;-1796{\mu}{\epsilon}$ and $-2959{\mu}{\epsilon}$ for Duralay, Snap and Vertex, respectively. The mean maximum temperature rise reached $56.7^{\circ}C,\;41.3^{\circ}C$ and $56.1^{\circ}C$ for Duralay, Snap, and Vertex, respectively. A vinyl ethyl methacrylate product (Snap) showed significantly less polymerization shrinkage strain (p<0.01) and significantly lower maximum temperature rise (p<0.01) than the other two poly(methyl methacrylate) products (Duralay, Vertex). 2. Mean maximum shrinkage rate for each resin was calculated to $-31.8{\mu}{\epsilon}/sec,\;-15.9{\mu}{\epsilon}/sec$ and $-31.8{\mu}{\epsilon}/sec$ for Duralay, Snap and Vertex, respectively. Snap showed significantly lower maximum shrinkage rate than Duralay and Vertex (p<0.01). 3. From the second experiment, some expansion was observed immediately after removal of specimen from the mold, and the amount of expansion increased as the removal time was delayed. For each removal time, Snap showed significantly less strain changes than the other two poly(methyl methacrylate) products (p<0.05). 4. During the external heat supply for the resins, higher maximum temperature rises were found. Meanwhile, the maximum shrinkage rates were not different from those of room temperature polymerizations. 5. From the third experiment, the external heat supply for the resins during polymerization could temporarily decrease or even reverse shrinkage strains of each material. But, shrinkage re-occurred in the linear nature after completion of heat supply. 6. Linear thermal expansion coefficients obtained from the end of heat supply continuing for an additional 5 minutes, showed that Snap exhibited significantly lower values than the other two poly(methyl methacrylate) products (p<0.01). Moreover, little difference was found between the mean linear thermal expansion coefficients obtained from two different heating durations (p>0.05).

  • PDF

THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE UNDER RATIONAL EXPECTATION (이성적(理性的) 기대하(期待下)의 환율행태분석(換率行態分析))

  • Yu, Il-Seong
    • The Korean Journal of Financial Management
    • /
    • v.6 no.1
    • /
    • pp.31-62
    • /
    • 1989
  • By using deterministic dynamic models, we observe the behavior of the foreign exchange rate of a small open economy with rational expectation formation and different restrictions on the international economic integrations. First, an economy connected to the world by purchasing power parity and uncovered interest parity is studied in the next section. In both sections, financial assets available in the economy are domestic money and bonds. Stocks are added as a financial instrument in the next section, and real capital accumulation is also taken into account. Furthermore, the economy concerned there is fairly autonomous, and not directly governed by either purchasing power parity or uncovered interest parity. The expectation formation used throughout the whole paper is complete perfect foresight, which is the certainty version of rational expectation and free from any forecast errors. It is found that upon monetary expansion the short run depreciation of the foreign exchange rate is a fairly robust result regardless of the degree of the international economic integration, while it is not true for fiscal expansion. The expectation on the long run state significantly affects the short run response of the exchange rate. All of our models postulate that the current account should be balanced eventually. As the result, the short run behavior of the exchange rate is affected by the expectation on the long run balance and may well be a blend of the traditional flow view and modem asset view. The initial overshooting of the exchange rate is easily observed even in the fairly autonomous economy Furthermore, the initial overshooting is not reduced over time, but augmented for some time before it is eventually eliminated. As long as we maintain rational expectaion, introducing time delay in the adjustment of the foreign goods price to the foreign exchange rate does not make much difference.

  • PDF

Study on Interrelation between the Service Industrial Production Index and the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index (서비스업생산지수와 서비스업도소매지수와의 상호연관성에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Joo Il
    • Journal of Service Research and Studies
    • /
    • v.6 no.1
    • /
    • pp.83-95
    • /
    • 2016
  • We examine the information transmission between the Service Industrial Production Index and the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index, based on the returns data offered by the Korea Bank. The data includes daily return data from January 2000 to September 2015. Utilizing a dynamic analytical tool-the VAR model, Granger Causality test, Impulse Response Function and Variance Decomposition have been implemented. The results of the analysis are as follows. Firstly, results of Granger Causality test suggests the existence of mutual causality the Service Industrial Production Index precede and have explanatory power the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index However the results also identified a greater causality and explanatory power of the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index over the Service Industrial Production Index. Secondly, the results of impulse response function suggest that the Service Industrial Production Index show immediate response to the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index and are influenced by till time 5 From time 2, the impact gradually disappears. Also the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index show immediate response to the Service Industrial Production Index and are influenced by till time 2.5, the impact gradually disappears. Lastly, the variance decomposition analysis shows that the changes of return of Service Industrial Production Index are dependent on those of the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index. This implies that returns on the Service Industrial Production Index have a significant influence over returns on the Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index. It contributes to the understanding of market price formation function through analysis of detached the Service Industrial Production Index and Service Industrial Wholesale and Retail Index. Finally, our results can be used as a guide by the Korea Bank and Republic of Korea and as well as Statistics Korea.

Analysis of Landslide Occurrence Characteristics Based on the Root Cohesion of Vegetation and Flow Direction of Surface Runoff: A Case Study of Landslides in Jecheon-si, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea (식생의 뿌리 점착력과 지표유출의 흐름 조건을 고려한 산사태의 발생 특성 분석: 충청북도 제천지역의 사례를 중심으로)

  • Jae-Uk Lee;Yong-Chan Cho;Sukwoo Kim;Minseok Kim;Hyun-Joo Oh
    • Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
    • /
    • v.112 no.4
    • /
    • pp.426-441
    • /
    • 2023
  • This study investigated the predictive accuracy of a model of landslide displacement in Jecheon-si, where a great number of landslides were triggered by heavy rain on both natural (non-clear-cut) and clear-cut slopes during August 2020. This was accomplished by applying three flow direction methods (single flow direction, SFD; multiple flow direction, MFD; infinite flow direction, IFD) and the degree of root cohesion to an infinite slope stability equation. The application assumed that the soil saturation and any changes in root cohesion occurred following the timber harvest (clear-cutting). In the study area, 830 landslide locations were identified via landslide inventory mapping from satellite images and 25 cm resolution aerial photographs. The results of the landslide modeling comparison showed the accuracy of the models that considered changes in the root cohesion following clear-cutting to be improved by 1.3% to 2.6% when compared with those not considered in the area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) analysis. Furthermore, the accuracy of the models that used the MFD algorithm improved by up to 1.3% when compared with the models that used the other algorithms in the AUROC analysis. These results suggest that the discriminatory application of the root cohesion, which considers changes in the vegetation condition, and the selection of the flow direction method may influence the accuracy of landslide predictive modeling. In the future, the results of this study should be verified by examining the root cohesion and its dynamic changes according to the tree species using the field hydrological monitoring technique.

Analysis and Evaluation of Frequent Pattern Mining Technique based on Landmark Window (랜드마크 윈도우 기반의 빈발 패턴 마이닝 기법의 분석 및 성능평가)

  • Pyun, Gwangbum;Yun, Unil
    • Journal of Internet Computing and Services
    • /
    • v.15 no.3
    • /
    • pp.101-107
    • /
    • 2014
  • With the development of online service, recent forms of databases have been changed from static database structures to dynamic stream database structures. Previous data mining techniques have been used as tools of decision making such as establishment of marketing strategies and DNA analyses. However, the capability to analyze real-time data more quickly is necessary in the recent interesting areas such as sensor network, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Landmark window-based frequent pattern mining, one of the stream mining approaches, performs mining operations with respect to parts of databases or each transaction of them, instead of all the data. In this paper, we analyze and evaluate the techniques of the well-known landmark window-based frequent pattern mining algorithms, called Lossy counting and hMiner. When Lossy counting mines frequent patterns from a set of new transactions, it performs union operations between the previous and current mining results. hMiner, which is a state-of-the-art algorithm based on the landmark window model, conducts mining operations whenever a new transaction occurs. Since hMiner extracts frequent patterns as soon as a new transaction is entered, we can obtain the latest mining results reflecting real-time information. For this reason, such algorithms are also called online mining approaches. We evaluate and compare the performance of the primitive algorithm, Lossy counting and the latest one, hMiner. As the criteria of our performance analysis, we first consider algorithms' total runtime and average processing time per transaction. In addition, to compare the efficiency of storage structures between them, their maximum memory usage is also evaluated. Lastly, we show how stably the two algorithms conduct their mining works with respect to the databases that feature gradually increasing items. With respect to the evaluation results of mining time and transaction processing, hMiner has higher speed than that of Lossy counting. Since hMiner stores candidate frequent patterns in a hash method, it can directly access candidate frequent patterns. Meanwhile, Lossy counting stores them in a lattice manner; thus, it has to search for multiple nodes in order to access the candidate frequent patterns. On the other hand, hMiner shows worse performance than that of Lossy counting in terms of maximum memory usage. hMiner should have all of the information for candidate frequent patterns to store them to hash's buckets, while Lossy counting stores them, reducing their information by using the lattice method. Since the storage of Lossy counting can share items concurrently included in multiple patterns, its memory usage is more efficient than that of hMiner. However, hMiner presents better efficiency than that of Lossy counting with respect to scalability evaluation due to the following reasons. If the number of items is increased, shared items are decreased in contrast; thereby, Lossy counting's memory efficiency is weakened. Furthermore, if the number of transactions becomes higher, its pruning effect becomes worse. From the experimental results, we can determine that the landmark window-based frequent pattern mining algorithms are suitable for real-time systems although they require a significant amount of memory. Hence, we need to improve their data structures more efficiently in order to utilize them additionally in resource-constrained environments such as WSN(Wireless sensor network).

Quantitative Analysis of Magnetization Transfer by Phase Sensitive Method in Knee Disorder (무릎 이상에 대한 자화전이 위상감각에 의한 정량분석법)

  • Yoon, Moon-Hyun;Sung, Mi-Sook;Yin, Chang-Sik;Lee, Heung-Kyu;Choe, Bo-Young
    • Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
    • /
    • v.10 no.2
    • /
    • pp.98-107
    • /
    • 2006
  • Magnetization Transfer (MT) imaging generates contrast dependent on the phenomenon of magnetization exchange between free water proton and restricted proton in macromolecules. In biological materials in knee, MT or cross-relaxation is commonly modeled using two spin pools identified by their different T2 relaxation times. Two models for cross-relaxation emphasize the role of proton chemical exchange between protons of water and exchangeable protons on macromolecules, as well as through dipole-dipole interaction between the water and macromolecule protons. The most essential tool in medical image manipulation is the ability to adjust the contrast and intensity. Thus, it is desirable to adjust the contrast and intensity of an image interactively in the real time. The proton density (PD) and T2-weighted SE MR images allow the depiction of knee structures and can demonstrate defects and gross morphologic changes. The PD- and T2-weighted images also show the cartilage internal pathology due to the more intermediate signal of the knee joint in these sequences. Suppression of fat extends the dynamic range of tissue contrast, removes chemical shift artifacts, and decreases motion-related ghost artifacts. Like fat saturation, phase sensitive methods are also based on the difference in precession frequencies of water and fat. In this study, phase sensitive methods look at the phase difference that is accumulated in time as a result of Larmor frequency differences rather than using this difference directly. Although how MT work was given with clinical evidence that leads to quantitative model for MT in tissues, the mathematical formalism used to describe the MT effect applies to explaining to evaluate knee disorder, such as anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear and meniscal tear. Calculation of the effect of the effect of the MT saturation is given in the magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) which is a quantitative measure of the relative decrease in signal intensity due to the MT pulse.

  • PDF

The Effect of Surface Defects on the Cyclic Fatigue Fracture of HEROShaper Ni-Ti rotary files in a Dynamic Model: A Fractographic Analysis (Fractographic 분석을 통한 HEROShaper 니켈티타늄 전동 파일의 피로파절에 미치는 표면결함의 역할)

  • Lee, Jung-Kyu;Kim, Eui-Sung;Kang, Myoung-Whai;Kum, Kee-Yeon
    • Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
    • /
    • v.32 no.2
    • /
    • pp.130-137
    • /
    • 2007
  • This in vitro study examined the effect of surface defects on cutting blades on the extent of the cyclic fatigue fracture of HEROShaper Ni-Ti rotary files using fractographic analysis of the fractured surfaces. A total of 45 HEROShaper (MicroMega) Ni-Ti rotary flies with a #30/.04 taper were divided into three groups of 15 each. Group 1 contained new HEROShapers without any surface defects. Group 2 contained HEROShapers with manufacturing defects such as metal rollover and machining marks. Croup 3 contained HEROShapers that had been clinically used for the canal preparation of 4-6 molars A fatigue-testing device was designed to allow cyclic tension and compressive stress on the tip of the instrument whilst maintaining similar conditions to those experienced in a clinic. The level of fatigue fracture time was measured using a computer connected the system. Statistical analysis was performed using a Tukey's test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for fractographic analysis of the fractured surfaces. The fatigue fracture time between groups 1 and 2, and between groups 1 and 3 was significantly different (p<0.05) but there was no significant difference between groups 2 and 3 (p>0.05). A low magnification SEM views show brittle fracture as the main initial failure mode At higher magnification, the brittle fracture region showed clusters of fatigue striations and a large number of secondary cracks. These fractures typically led to a central region of catastrophic ductile failure. Qualitatively, the ductile fracture region was characterized by the formation of microvoids and dimpling. The fractured surfaces of the HEROShapers in groups 2 and 3 were always associated with pre-existing surface defects. Typically, the fractured surface in the brittle fracture region showed evidence of cleavage (transgranular) facets across the grains, as well as intergranular facets along the grain boundaries. These results show that surface defects on cutting blades of Ni-Ti rotary files might be the preferred sites for the origin of fatigue fracture under experimental conditions. Furthermore this work demonstrates the utility of fractography in evaluating the failure of Ni-Ti rotary flies.