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This study investigates the impact of neighboring buildings on diaphragm wall deformation during deep excavation for building foundations. Prior numerical analyses predominantly utilized surface loading models, overlooking the influence of neighboring basements. Employing the finite-element method with PLAXIS 3D AE software, we assess the effects of neighboring structures on deep excavation. Our simulation adopts the top-down construction method, employing plate elements to represent diaphragm walls Temporary retaining support measures are implemented using H-shaped steel assemblies with preloaded anchors to simulate realistic excavation conditions. Neighboring building structures are accurately modeled using plate elements. Our findings reveal that the lateral displacement of the diaphragm wall varies with the depth of neighboring basements. At depths approximately half that of the excavation depth, the displacement significantly increases, reaching approximately 1.7 times the excavation depth and stabilizing thereafter. When neighboring buildings are about twice the excavation depth away, the deformation curve of the wall converges to that of ''no loading,'' suggesting negligible influence on diaphragm wall deformation beyond this distance. Additionally, within one excavation depth, the maximum lateral displacement depth tends to be closer to the surface as the distance to the diaphragm wall decreases. Beyond a distance of one excavation depth from the diaphragm wall, the maximum lateral displacement position is approximately at the excavation face. This study significantly contributes to the comprehension of neighboring structures' influence on diaphragm walls during deep excavation, providing crucial insights for enhancing safety measures.

Geopolymers (GPs) are gaining prominence due to their low carbon emissions and sustainable attributes. However, one challenge with GPs, particularly those made with ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS), is their significant shrinkage during the geopolymerization process, limiting its practical applicability. This study focuses on how the substitution ratio of metakaolin (MK) and the concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in the activator can influence the shrinkage and strength of a GGBFS-based GP. The experimental approach employed a 3 × 3 parameter matrix, which varied MK substitution ratios (0%, 50%, and 100%) and adjusted the NaOH concentration (6 M, 10 M, and 14 M). The results revealed that increasing MK substitution, particularly with 6 M NaOH activation, reduced the GP shrinkage but also diminished compressive strength, requiring higher NaOH concentrations for strength improvement. Statistical tools, including analysis of variance (ANOVA) and second-order response surface methodology (RSM), were employed for analysis. ANOVA results indicated the significant impacts of both the MK content and NaOH concentration on compressive strength, with no observable interaction. However, the shrinkage exhibited a clear interaction between MK content and NaOH concentration. The RSM model accurately predicted compressive strength and shrinkage, demonstrating a high predictive accuracy, for which the coefficients of determination (R2) were 0.99 and 0.98, respectively. The model provides a reliable method for determining the necessary compressive strength and shrinkage for GGBFS-based GP based on MK substitution and NaOH concentration. Within the optimization range, the RSM model compared with experimental results showed a 6.04% error in compressive strength and 0.77% error in shrinkage for one interpolated parameter set. This study establishes an optimized parameter range ensuring a GP performance that is comparable to or surpassing OPC, with a parameter set achieving a compressive strength of 34.9 MPa and shrinkage of 0.287% at 28 days.

In this study, comprehensive analyses were used to evaluate the physical and chemical properties of basalt fibers, employing a variety of instruments. Additionally, heat treatment and solvent treatment methods were used to eliminate the sizing present on fiber surfaces. The heat treatment process involved determining the optimal temperature and duration required to remove the sizing from the basalt fibers. The appearance, chemical composition, and crystal structure of the original fibers were examined, including those subjected to heat treatment and those treated with solvents. These treated fibers were then incorporated into concrete to create basalt fiber-reinforced concrete (BFRC) specimens for mechanical tests, which assessed their compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths. The results revealed that heat treatment at 300 °C for 180 min effectively removed the sizing on the basalt fibers, and the heat-treated basalt fibers exhibited uniform dispersion inside the BFRC specimens. In addition, solvent treatment primarily removed the soluble components of the sizing. The mechanical properties of specimens with sizing-removed basalt fibers were better than the specimens with original basalt fibers and the benchmark specimens. Crucially, the mechanical test results demonstrated that BFRC incorporating heat-treated basalt fibers exhibited a superior mechanical performance compared to BFRC incorporating original fibers or fibers subjected to the solvent treatment.

Background: Physical activity (PA) and functional fitness (FF) are crucial for promoting independent living and healthy aging in older adults. However, there is a lack of normative values for the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) among older adults (aged 55–90) living in southern rural Taiwan, particularly in the Chiayi region, which has been relatively underserved in terms of health-related resources compared to northern Taiwan. Purpose: This study aimed to determine the age- and gender-specific normative fitness scores for a large representative population of community-dwelling older adults in southern rural Taiwan. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted to obtain normative FF scores for 3332 community-dwelling elderly people (1057 men and 2275 women) in Chiayi, through the implementation of functional fitness tests across 72 Chiayi communities. The developed normative data served as a reference for exercise prescription for the elderly in southern Taiwan. Results: The study showed that the average normative values of all functional fitness tests declined significantly with increasing age (p < 0.05). Sex differences were also found in all measures of FF tests, with elderly women scoring significantly better than men on flexibility (scratch back: −1.34 ± 9.03 vs. −6.54 ± 11.07; chair sit and reach: 6.56 ± 9.44 vs. 0.56 ± 10.40) (p < 0.05), while men scored significantly higher than women on strength (grip strength: 30.83 ± 8.06 vs. 21.82 ± 5.32; bicep curl: 19.25 ± 5.44 vs. 17.64 ± 4.98) (p < 0.05). Furthermore, four FF normative scores in southern rural Taiwan were found to be significantly higher than their counterparts living in northern Taiwan. Conclusion: These findings contribute positively to the evaluation of fitness levels among older adults in southern rural Taiwan and provide a concrete reference for developing sound PA programs for this population. The results suggest that strategies aimed at promoting increased participation in PA among older adults need to consider age-, sex-, and region-specific factors.

In this study, the original basalt fiber (BF), and the sizing-removed BF through the heat treatment were pneumatically dispersed by using an air compressor and then were added into normal strength concrete to produce BF reinforced concrete (BFRC). The compressive test, splitting tensile test, and flexural test of BFRC specimens with two types of BF, three types of BF weight ratios, and three different BF lengths were performed. The test results show that the strength of sizing-removed BFRC specimens with 10‰ weight ratio was the highest compared to the other BFRC specimens. The sizing-removed BFRC specimens with 6 mm BF exhibit the maximum compressive strength, and sizing-removed BFRC specimens with 24 mm BF have the maximum splitting tensile strength and flexural strength. The sizing-removed BF with 10‰ weight ratio and three different types of fiber lengths were used in the impact test; the BFRC specimens with mixed 12 and 24 mm lengths have the best impact resistance performance compared to the BFRC specimens with fixed BF length. From SEM observation of the BFRC specimens after the impact test, the 24 mm BF in the BFRC specimen tends to breakage failure due to its higher bonding force.

The 3D printing process is different from traditional construction methods of formwork casting due to the use of additive manufacturing. This study develops a suitable 3D-printed carbon fiber-reinforced cement mortar (CFRCM) considering the extrudability, fluidity, setting time, and buildability of the CFRCM. The difference in compressive strength and flexural strength between 3D-printed specimens and conventional cast specimens was investigated by varying the amount of carbon fiber added (carbon fiber to cement ratio, 2.5 vol.‰, 5 vol.‰, 7.5 vol.‰, and 10 vol.‰) and the curing times (7th day and 28th day). The results of the experiments indicate that the addition of 6 wt.% cement accelerators to the cementitious mortar allows for a controlled initial setting time of approximately half an hour. The fluidity of the CFRCM was controlled by adjusting the dosage of the superplasticizer. When the slump was in the range of 150 mm to 190 mm, the carbon fiber to cement ratio 2.5 vol.‰ could be incorporated into the cementitious mortar, enabling the printing of hollow cylinders with a height of up to 750 mm. Comparing the 3D-printed specimens with the traditionally cast specimens, it was found that the addition of a carbon fiber to cement ratio of 7.5 vol.‰, and 10 vol.‰ resulted in the optimal compressive strength and flexural strength, respectively.

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) has been used for seismic retrofitting and structural reinforcement over recent decades. Numerous researchers have created stress–strain models based on experimental data to predict the mechanical properties of FRP-confined concrete. In this study, circular and square cross-section specimens with different design concrete strength were prepared, and the compressive strength of the specimens confined with different layers of aramid FRP (AFRP) were measured in compressive tests. A constitutive model was proposed to simulate the uniaxial compressive stress–strain relationship of the AFRP-confined concrete, which was derived from the Mohr–Coulomb failure envelope theory, and the corresponding axial strain was determined from the regression analysis. The internal friction angle of the proposed constitutive model was determined for the cylindrical concrete specimens confined with one and two layers of AFRP. The compressive strength of one and two layers of AFRP-confined concrete specimens were used to obtain the parameters of the constitutive model; the absolute average error between experimental and predicted compressive strength was 7.01%. Then, the constitutive model was used to predict the strength of a three-layer AFRP-confined concrete specimen, and the absolute average error was 4.95%. The cross-sectional shape coefficient of the square concrete specimen was obtained analytically. Substituting the cross-sectional shape coefficient into the proposed constitutive model, the average absolute error of the square cross-section concrete specimen was about 3.84%. The results indicated that the proposed constitutive model can predict the compressive strength of circular and square cross-section concrete specimens confined with AFRP.

This manuscript delineates an innovative artificial intelligence-based methodology for forecasting the displacement of retaining walls due to extensive deep excavation processes. In our selection of 17 training cases, we strategically chose a wall configuration that was not influenced by the corner effects. This careful selection was conducted with the intention of ensuring that each deep excavation instance included in our study was supported symmetrically, thereby streamlining the analysis in the ensuing phases. Our proposed multilayer functional-link network demonstrates superior performance over the traditional backpropagation neural network (BPNN), excelling in the precise prediction of displacements at predetermined observation points, peak wall displacements, and their respective locations. Notably, the predictive accuracy of our advanced model surpassed that of the conventional BPNN and RIDO assessment tools by a substantial 5%. The network process model formulated through this research offers a valuable reference for future implementations in diverse geographical settings. Furthermore, by utilizing local datasets for the training, testing, and validation phases, our system ensures the effective and accurate execution of displacement predictions.

Concrete is a brittle material due to its poor tensile strength; consequently, concrete tends to crack or peel under an applied external load. Previous studies have investigated the effect of incorporating fiber into concrete, which can improve its tensile strength. In this study, the static and dynamic mechanical characteristics of three types of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) were examined: carbon-fiber-reinforced concrete (CFRC); Kevlar-fiber-reinforced concrete (KFRC); and a combination of both, known as carbon/Kevlar-hybrid-fiber-reinforced concrete (HFRC). This study created concrete specimens by pneumatically dispersing carbon and Kevlar fibers and mixing them with cement to comprise 1% of the weight. The mixture was then combined with aggregates and water to form the concrete specimens. When compared with the benchmark concrete specimens, it was found that the compressive strength of the CFRC, KFRC, and HFRC specimens increased by about 19% to 50%, the bending strength increase by about 8% to 32%, and the splitting strength increased by about 4% to 36%. Specifically, the HFRC made with the 24 mm carbon and Kevlar fibers displayed the most significant mechanical strength in a static state. Furthermore, the HFRC showed superior resistance to impact compared to the benchmark concrete specimens across various impact energies, with the 24 mm carbon and Kevlar fiber HFRC showing the highest resistance. The inclusion of fibers in the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test demonstrated a notable increase in the maximum strength, particularly in the case of the 12 mm carbon fiber combined with the 24 mm Kevlar fiber in the HFRC specimen.

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of utilizing geopolymer for repairing reinforced concrete beams. Three types of beam specimens were fabricated: benchmark specimens without any grooves, rectangular-grooved beams, and square-grooved beams. The repair materials employed included geopolymer material, and epoxy resin mortar, while carbon fiber sheets were used as reinforcement in select cases. The repair materials were applied to the rectangular and square-grooved specimens, with the carbon fiber sheets attached to the tension side of the specimens. To evaluate the flexural strength of the concrete specimens, a third-point loading test was conducted. The test results indicated that the geopolymer exhibited higher compressive strength and shrinkage rate compared to the epoxy resin mortar. Furthermore, the specimens reinforced with carbon fiber sheets demonstrated even greater strength than the benchmark specimens. In terms of flexural strength under cyclic third-point loading tests, the carbon fiber-reinforced specimens exhibited the ability to withstand over 200 cycles of repeated loading at 0.8 times the ultimate load. In contrast, the benchmark specimens could only withstand seven cycles. These findings highlight that the use of carbon fiber sheets not only enhances compressive strength but also improves resistance to cyclic loading.

Thermoset glass fiber-reinforced polymers (GFRP) have been widely used in manufacturing and construction for nearly half a century, but the large amount of waste produced by this material is difficult to dispose of. In an effort to address this issue, this research investigates the reuse of thermoset GFRP waste in normal strength concrete (NSC) and controlled low-strength materials (CLSM). The mechanical performance and workability of the resulting concrete were also evaluated. To prepare the concrete specimens, the thermoset GFRP waste was first pulverized into granular pieces, which were then mixed with cement, fly ash, and water to form cylindrical concrete specimens. The results showed that when the proportion of thermoset GFRP waste aggregate in the concrete increased, the compressive strengths of NSC and CLSM would decrease. However, when incorporating 5% GFRP waste into CLSM, the compressive strength was 7% higher than concrete without GFRP. However, the workability of CLSM could be improved to meet engineering standards by adding an appropriate amount of superplasticizer. This finding suggests that the use of various combinations of proportions in the mixture during production could allow for the production of CLSM with different compressive strength needs. In addition, the use of recycled thermoset GFRP waste as a new aggregate replacement for traditional aggregates in CLSM was found to be a more sustainable alternative to the current CLSM combinations used in the market.

Abstract Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic disorder characterized by disabling fatigue. Several studies have sought to identify diagnostic biomarkers, with varying results. Here, we innovate this process by combining both mRNA expression and DNA methylation data. We performed recursive ensemble feature selection (REFS) on publicly available mRNA expression data in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 93 ME/CFS patients and 25 healthy controls, and found a signature of 23 genes capable of distinguishing cases and controls. REFS highly outperformed other methods, with an AUC of 0.92. We validated the results on a different platform (AUC of 0.95) and in DNA methylation data obtained from four public studies on ME/CFS (99 patients and 50 controls), identifying 48 gene-associated CpGs that predicted disease status as well (AUC of 0.97). Finally, ten of the 23 genes could be interpreted in the context of the derailed immune system of ME/CFS.

This study aimed to investigate the mechanical performance of early-strength carbon fiber-reinforced concrete (ECFRC) by incorporating original carbon fiber (OCF), recycled carbon fiber (RCF), and sizing-removed carbon fiber (SCF). Compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strength were tested under three fiber-to-cement weight ratios (5‰, 10‰, and 15‰). The RCF was produced from waste bicycle parts made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) through microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP). The sizing-removed fiber was obtained through a heat-treatment method applied to the OCF. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) indicated the successful removal of sizing and impurities from the surface of the RCF and SCF. The mechanical test results showed that ECFRC with a 10‰ fiber-to-cement weight ratio of carbon fiber had the greatest improvement in its mechanical strengths. Moreover, the ECFRC with 10‰ RCF exhibited higher compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strength than that of benchmark specimen by 14.2%, 56.5%, and 22.5%, respectively. The ECFRC specimens with a 10‰ fiber-to-cement weight ratio were used to analyze their impact resistance under various impact energies in the impact test. At 50 joules of impact energy, the impact number of the ECFRC with SCF was over 23 times that of the benchmark specimen (early-strength concrete without fiber) and was also greater than that of ECFRC with OCF and RCF.

Abstract Low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) applying on knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients has shown positive outcomes in analgesic effect and functional recovery. However, few studies applied such therapy on large area of quadriceps muscle in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate immediate effect of multi‐focal LLLT on quadriceps of knee OA patients in pain and functional performance. Fifty‐one participants with knee OA were enrolled and evaluated before (T1) and immediately after intervention (T2) by knee joint pain in numeric rating scale (NRS), walking speed, timed five‐chair stands, and quadriceps strength by isokinetic dynamometer. Intervention with two multi‐focal Gallium‐Aluminum‐Arsenide laser devices, each device with 36 laser diodes (wavelength 808 ± 10 nm, continuous, mean power 50 mW, 30 minutes), applied simultaneously over bilateral quadriceps with a total dose of 180 J for each thigh. The multi‐focal LLLT significantly improved knee joint pain as measured by the NRS (54% reduction), timed five‐chair stands, and walking speed (P

The successful design of a structure requires not only the proper analysis of the structure but also the careful consideration of the environment that the structure is situated in. For many waterfront structures such as those near harbors, lakes, streams, and creeks, water is especially an engineering problem. To alleviate this problem, a sheet-pile wall made of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) was introduced in a pioneering stream bank stabilization (revetment) project at the Nan-Zi-Gou creek in the Shihmen Reservoir watershed of Taiwan. This paper presents the project as a case study and describes the material experiments and the finite-element analysis of revetment stability. The final construction of the GFRP sheet-pile wall was completed successfully. It is said that this pioneering work brought many positive features of GFRP to construction and could serve as a model for future replication.

Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) has been used for over a century to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. Kevlar ® 29 fiber (KF) is one of the most popular aramid fibers used in industrial products. This research investigated the effect of the fiber length, the weight ratio of fiber to cement, the mix-proportion of two fiber lengths, and the sizing on the fiber surface on the mechanical properties of Kevlar fiber-reinforced concrete (KFRC) under static, dynamic, and shock wave loadings. Two lengths of chopped KF and three different weight ratios of fiber to cement were mixed in the KFRC specimens for comparison. Moreover, this study also compared how the five mix-proportions of two fiber lengths affected the mechanical properties of mix-proportion KFRC. KF was dispersed by the pneumatic method first, and then, the separated KF was mixed into the concrete to make KFRC. The results indicated that the KFRC specimens with a 10‰ weight ratio of fiber to cement exhibited the maximum compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths, regardless of whether the fiber length was 12 mm or 24 mm. The main finding showed that the specimen mixed with 24 mm KF could endure the highest impact resistance under different impact energies. From the shock wave test, the external damage on the front and rear faces of all KFRC slabs and the KFRC slab reinforced with two layers of KF sheets was less than that of the benchmark slab. The testing results showed that KF greatly enhanced the static and dynamic mechanical performances of concrete, and the KFRC specimen with a 10‰ weight ratio and 24 mm length KF with sizing exhibited the best performance.

Geopolymer (GP) has been considered a potential material to replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC) because of its excellent mechanical properties and environmentally friendly process. However, the promotion of GP is limited due to the large shrinkage and the different operating procedures compared to cement. This study aims to reduce the shrinkage of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) based GP by the hydration expansion properties of activated magnesium oxide (MgO). The slurry of GP was blended from GGBFS, MgO, and activator; and the compositions of the activator are sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), and alumina silicate(NaAlO2). Herein, the GGFBS and MgO were a binder and a shrinkage compensation agent of GP, respectively. After unmolding, the GP specimens were cured under four types of environments and the lengths of the specimens were measured at different time intervals to understand the length change ratio of GP. In this study, two groups of GP specimens were made by fixing the activator to binder (A/B) ratio and the fluidity. The test results show that adding MgO will reduce the shrinkage of GP as A/B ratio was fixed. However, fixing the fluidity exhibited the opposite results. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to check the Mg(OH)2 that occurred due to the MgO hydration under four curing conditions. Three statistical and machine learning methods were used to analyze the length change of GP based on the test data. The testing and analysis results show that the influence of curing environments is more significant for improving the shrinkage of GP than additive MgO.

Abstract Background Breastfeeding benefits both mothers and infants. Even though Taiwan national policy promotes exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), the rates in Taiwan are below those in other developed countries. This study aimed to investigate factors associated with EBF cessation at 1 and 2 months postpartum. Methods This study was conducted in a community hospital in southern Taiwan between December 2016 and June 2017. Birth mothers (n = 1077) were interviewed by telephone at 1 and 2 months postpartum to collect information on infant feeding patterns (EBF since birth or not) and reasons for EBF cessation. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine risk factors associated with EBF cessation at 1 and 2 months. Results At 1 month, 432 participants (40.1%) maintained EBF. Factors associated with cessation were lack of tertiary education, primiparity, perceived low milk quantity, mother/infant separation, medical condition in mother, inconvenience/fatigue due to breastfeeding, and baby-centered factors. At 2 months, 316 participants (29.3%) maintained EBF. Factors associated with cessation were lack of tertiary education, primiparity, perceived low milk quantity, and return to work. Conclusions Education level, primiparity, perceived low milk quantity, and return to work are associated with premature cessation of EBF in Taiwan. Strategies about health education, family support, and baby-mother friendly environment can be used to achieve higher EBF rate.

In this paper, the all-FRP composite pedestrian bridge of Taijiang National Park was investigated for its flexural-torsional behaviour under half-surface loading conditions. The bridge, which consists of four GFRP I-girders separated by three GFRP diaphragms, was loaded on half of its longitudinal surface and analysed numerically for its induced shear and flexural deformation. From finite element simulations, the parts of the FRP pedestrian bridge more susceptible to damage due to transverse shear from the torsional load were found to be at the midspan of the exterior girder (bottom flange and web) at the loaded half, the webs of the girders around the roller support, and the web of the diaphragm closer to the roller support. In addition to finite element analysis, a 3D model of the FRP bridge was placed in virtual reality (VR). Using a VR goggle, the virtual FRP bridge can be examined in an immersive virtual environment. The use of VR provides a means to deliver a better service to national park visitors and may act as a catalyst for greater public interest. Keywords: Critical points, Flexural deformation, FRP, Pedestrian bridge, Torsion, Augmented reality

In this study, aramid fiber (Kevlar® 29 fiber) and carbon fiber were added into concrete in a hybrid manner to enhance the static and impact mechanical properties. The coupling agent presence on the surface of carbon fibers was spotted in Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) graphs. The carbon fiber with a coupling agent affected the mechanical strength of the reinforced concrete. At 1% fiber/cement weight percentage, the hybrid fiber-reinforced concrete (HFRC) prepared using Kevlar fiber and carbon fiber of 12 and 24 mm in length under different mix proportions was investigated to determine the maximum mechanical strengths. From the test results, the mechanical strength of the HFRC attained better performance than that of the concrete with only Kevlar or carbon fibers. Foremost, the mix proportion of Kevlar/carbon fiber (50–50%) significantly improved the compressive, flexural, and splitting tensile strengths. Under different impact energies, the impact resistance of the HFRC specimen was much higher than that of the benchmark specimen, and the damage of the HFRC specimens was examined with an optical microscope to identify slippage or rupture failure of the fiber in concrete.

The industry–academic collaboration (IAC) in developed and developing countries enables these economies to gain momentum in continuous innovation and, thus, economic growth. Patent commercialization is one major channel of knowledge flow in IAC. However, very few studies consider the flow of knowledge between industrial firms and universities. Moreover, ways that the patent commercialization performance of IACs can be evaluated are rarely discussed. Therefore, defining an analytic framework to evaluate the performance of IAC from the aspect of patent commercialization is critical. Traditionally, data envelopment analysis (DEA) models have widely been adopted in performance evaluation. However, traditional DEA models cannot accurately evaluate the performance of IACs with complex university–industry interconnections, the internal linkages, or linking activities of knowledge-flow within the decision-making units (DMUs), i.e., the IACs. In order to solve the abovementioned problems, this study defines a multiple objective programming (MOP)-based network DEA (NDEA), with weighting derived from the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-based analytic network process (ANP), or the DANP. The proposed analytic framework can evaluate the efficiency of decision-making units (DMUs) with a network structure (e.g., supply chains, strategic alliances, etc.) based on the weights that have been derived, based on experts’ opinions. An empirical study based on the performance of the patent commercialization of Taiwanese IACs was used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework. The results of the empirical research can serve as a basis for improving the performance of IAC.

Background and Objectives: Whole body vibration is widely used to enhance muscle performance, but evidence of its effects on the tendon stiffness of the knee extensor tendon in stroke remains inconclusive. Our study was aimed to determine the difference in patellar and quadriceps tendon stiffness between hemiparetic and unaffected limbs in stroke patients and to investigate the immediate effect of whole body vibration on tendon stiffness. Materials and Methods: The patellar and quadriceps tendon stiffness of first-ever hemiplegic stroke patients was evaluated with elastography to compare the differences between hemiparetic and unaffected limbs. After one 20 min session of whole body vibration exercise in the standing position, tendon stiffness was again measured to evaluate the immediate effects of whole body vibration on tendon stiffness. Results: The results showed no significant differences in the tendon stiffness of the patellar and quadriceps tendons between hemiparetic and unaffected limbs. However, significant associations were found between the tendon stiffness of the patellar and quadriceps tendons and knee extensor spasticity on the hemiparetic side (ρ = 0.62; p = 0.044). There were no significant changes in tendon stiffness after a single session of whole body vibration. Conclusions: In conclusion, knee extensor tendon stiffness in hemiparetic limbs is positively correlated to the degree of knee extensor spasticity in stroke patients. However, a single session of whole body vibration does not alter tendon stiffness.

To investigate the effect of cranioplasty on rehabilitation of post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, 37 patients with TBI were arranged by retrospectively assessment study. Those TBI patients receiving in-hospital rehabilitation in the Department of Rehabilitation in a medical center of South Taiwan from 2010 to 2015 were assigned into two groups: A and B. All patients entered the multidisciplinary holistic in-patient rehabilitation training for about 1 month. Patients in Group A received decompressive craniectomy (DC), patients in Group B received DC and cranioplasty. All assessments were arranged right on admission and before discharge. The functional activity evaluation included muscle power and Barthel index (BI), and cognitive function evaluation, including the Rancho Los Amigo Scale, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Community Mental State Examination (CMSE), and the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery-Screening Test Short Form (LNNBS). The results showed that there were synergetic effects of cranioplasty on post-TBI patients with rehabilitation training, especially in the BI score, and cognitive improvement in CMSE and LNNBS.

The impact load, such as seismic and shock wave, sometimes causes severe damage to the reinforced concrete structures. This study utilized different lengths of chopped carbon fibers to develop a carbon-fiber-reinforced mortar (CFRM) and carbon-fiber-reinforced concrete (CFRC) with high impact and anti-shockwave resistance. The different lengths (6, 12, and 24 mm) of chopped carbon fibers were pneumatically dispersed and uniformly mixed into the cement with a 1% weight proportion. Then the CFRM and CFRC specimens were made for static and dynamic tests. The compressive and flexural strengths of the specimens were determined by using the standard ASTM C39/C 39M and ASTM C 293-02, respectively. Meanwhile, a free-fall impact test was done according to ACI 544.2R-89, which was used to test the impact resistances of the specimens under different impact energies. The CFRM and CFRC with a length of 6 mm exhibit maximum compressive strength. Both flexural and free-fall impact test results show that the 24 mm CFRM and CFRC enhances their maximum flexural strength and impact numbers more than the other lengths of CFRM, CFRC, and the benchmark specimens. After impact tests, the failure specimens were observed in a high-resolution optical microscope, to identify whether the failure mode is slippage or rupture of the carbon fiber. Finally, a blast wave explosion test was conducted to verify that the blast wave resistance of the 24 mm CFRC specimen was better than the 12 mm CFRC and benchmark specimens.

A parabolic stress–strain constitutive model for inorganic thermal-insulating material confined by carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) exposed to a surrounding elevated temperature was proposed in this paper. The thermal-insulating material used in this study was composed of high-early-strength cement (HESC) and perlite powder. The compression strengths of four kinds of perlite powder composition ratios of thermal-insulating materials cylindrical specimens which were confined by one, two, and three-layer CFRP composite materials were acquired. The experimental results showed that the compression strength was enhanced as the amount of perlite substitute decreased or as the number of CFRP wrapping layers increased. The Mohr–Columb failure criteria were adopted to predict the maximum compressive strength of CFRP-confined inorganic thermal-insulating material. The strain at the maximum compressive strength was found from the experimental results, and the corresponding axial strain at the maximum compressive strength in the constitutive model was determined from the regression analysis. Furthermore, the compressive strengths of the four different perlite composites of thermal-insulating materials were obtained when heating the specimens from ambient temperature to 300 °C. The compressive strength decreased with an increase in temperature, and a thermal softening parameter model was proposed; the thermal softening parameter was determined from the experimental maximum compressive strength at an elevated temperature. Combining the above two models, the constitutive model of HESC with perlite powder additive as a thermal-insulating material confined by CFRP under elevated temperature was proposed.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used for visualization of a nano-oxidation technique performed on diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin film. Experiments of the nano-oxidation technique of the DLC thin film include those on nano-oxidation points and nano-oxidation lines. The feature sizes of the DLC thin film, including surface morphology, depth, and width, were explored after application of a nano-oxidation technique to the DLC thin film under different process parameters. A databank for process parameters and feature sizes of thin films was then established, and multiple regression analysis (MRA) and a back-propagation neural network (BPN) were used to carry out the algorithm. The algorithmic results are compared with the feature sizes acquired from experiments, thus obtaining a prediction model of the nano-oxidation technique of the DLC thin film. The comparative results show that the prediction accuracy of BPN is superior to that of MRA. When the BPN algorithm is used to predict nano-point machining, the mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) of depth, left side, and right side are 8.02%, 9.68%, and 7.34%, respectively. When nano-line machining is being predicted, the MAPEs of depth, left side, and right side are 4.96%, 8.09%, and 6.77%, respectively. The obtained data can also be used to predict cross-sectional morphology in the DLC thin film treated with a nano-oxidation process.

In this paper, a strengthening method for the damaged high-temperature steel pipeline using inorganic insulation material which was confined by carbon fiber reinforcement plastic (CFRP) composite materials was proposed. Two inorganic insulation materials were composed of magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) mixing with perlite and vermiculite powders, respectively. The influences of insulation material composites with various ratios of the perlite or vermiculite powder were discussed, in terms of compressive strength and thermal conductivity coefficients of inorganic insulation materials. The insulation materials confined by carbon fiber reinforced polymer jackets for enhancing the mechanical behavior were also investigated. From the experimental results, the main finding of the work was that the inorganic insulation materials added to the perlite powder represented greater insulation capability than added vermiculite ones under the condition of the same compressive strength. Different ratios of perlite inorganic insulation material cylinders with the dimension of ϕ 10 cm × 20 cm were confined by one layer and two layers of CFRP composite material. The compressive strength of the specimens increased by 258%−927% after using 1-layer CFRP composite material and increased by 480%−1541% after applying 2-layer CFRP composite material. A peak strength prediction model of insulation materials confined by CFRP was proposed, and it was found that the proposed model accurately predicted the peak strength of the inorganic insulation material cylinder. Finally, a verification test of the strengthening method for damaged high-temperature pipeline was performed to prove that the proposed strengthening method is feasible.

To forestall the severe deterioration of structures as a result of corrosion, the first all-FRP composite pedestrian bridge was built in Tainan, Taiwan. The bridge superstructure was designed by placing Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) decks onto four FRP I-girders that served as the bridge girders. Bridge diaphragms and FRP rods placed between the girders helped dissipate the loading to the other girders and prevent torsion respectively. The pultruded GFRP composite profiles were used in constructing this bridge located in the Taijiang National Park of Taiwan. This paper discusses the features of the pedestrian bridge and the detailed design of all the components of the bridge. A new method of digitally archiving the pedestrian bridge using a 3D terrestrial laser scanner was also presented. Lastly, results of the theoretical analysis were compared with the finite element analysis (FEA), to predict the static flexural behavior of an 8-m girder under loadings. After agreement of the theoretical results (using Timoshenko Beam Theory and Euler–Bernoulli Beam Theory) and the FEA results, the pedestrian bridge superstructure was modeled and analyzed. Deflection results obtained from the FEA showed that the pedestrian bridge meets the deflection criteria.

This study investigated several approaches for silane-removal from the surface of short carbon fiber bundles, and short carbon fibers uniformly dispersed in cement to produce a novel compound of carbon-fiber-reinforced cement. In order to facilitate the uniform distribution of short carbon fibers in the carbon-fiber-reinforced cement, it is necessary to remove the silane from the carbon fiber’s surface. Short carbon fiber bundles were submerged into a pure water, sodium hydroxide solution, and acetic acid solution, and placed in high-temperature furnace used to remove silane from the carbon fiber surface. The results were observed under a scanning electron microscope to determine the level of silane removal from the surface, and an effective method for removing the silane was developed from among the several approaches. This method employed a pneumatic dispersion device to disperse carbon fibers then mixed in a high-early-strength cement which led to an excellent compressive and impact-resistance performance of carbon-fiber-reinforced cement. Final testing showed that the compressive strength and impact energy increased by 14.1% and 145%, respectively.

The self-assembled fluorogen activating protein (FAP)-malachite green (MG) complex is a well-established protein-ligand system, which can realize binding-caused fluorescence turn-on of MG and singlet oxygen (¹O2) generation by MG iodination. To clarify the mechanism of fluorescence activation and ¹O2 generation, the photodynamics of different halogen-substituted MG derivatives and their corresponding FAP-MG complexes were studied by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and theoretical computations. The results show that the rotation of MG is restricted by FAP binding, which prevents a rapid internal conversion to allow a longer lifetime for the excited MG to undergo fluorescence emission and intersystem crossing. Moreover, these FAP-MG complexes exhibit notably varied fluorescence quantum yields (ΦFL) and ¹O2 yields. The study on the decay pathways indicates that such an anti-heavy atom effect predominately stems from the lifetimes of the excited-state species. The photodynamic mechanism study here will lead to more advanced FAP-MG systems with high spatiotemporal resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to fabricate a small-size capacitive wireless transmission device. As to the design of electrode plates, the active electrode is designed in two ways, through row array and column array, and the area of an electrode plate is limited to below 20.25 cm 2 . Moreover, the passive electrode of row-array electrode plates is designed in three ways: general row array, window array, and rhombus array. As seen from the results of circuit simulation, the transmission efficiency of the capacitive wireless transmission device is as high as 0.7. In the actual circuit experiment, the electrode plate in the window-array design has the highest efficiency at 51%. In addition, the electrode plates in the window array and those in other arrays have higher stability and transmission efficiency. In the rotational angle dislocation experiment, the unit area current amount of the column-array electrode plates in the high coupling region is also smaller than that of the window-array electrode plates. However, the performance of column-array electrode plates reaches higher stability in the angle dislocation experiment, and its anti-angle dislocation is obviously higher than that of the electrode plates designed in the other three row arrays. Moreover, when the area of the column-array electrode plates is 22.25 cm 2 , the highest transmission distance is 22.5 mm.