Weight-based exercise equipment is unreasonable because of its large weight or volume and has limitations in use at home. On top of that, it is not easy to control the weight of domestic muscular exercise devices such as dumbbells and latex bands. This study proposes a new type of exercise equipment that can be used at home by modifying the exercise equipment used in fitness centers. Home training exercise equipment has been optimized by replacing the weight of strength training equipment, which is the core of weight control, with electric motors. For optimal design, process integration and design optimization (PIANO), a commercial PIDO tool, was analyzed in conjunction with DAFUL, a multi-body dynamics analysis program. When formulating the optimal design, the objective function was to minimize the weight, and the shape of the pinwheel and pulley used in exercise equipment was proposed considering the stress of cables as design constraints. As a result of optimization, design proposals were derived while meeting the design requirements and reduced by 5% compared to the initial model. In this work, we have miniaturized the shape of exercise equipment compared to conventional exercise equipment by optimizing its shape.

The brake system drives the vehicle by converting the kinetic energy into thermal energy. The heat energy generated during the braking process increases the temperature of the structure. It causes thermal deformation due to overheating and causes cracks, noise, and vibration that degrade performance. However, it is not possible to fundamentally prevent the temperature rise of the brakes. There is a need for research on improving the heat dissipation performance by improving the shape of the brake. Therefore, this study analyzed the concentrated stress caused by overheating of the brake disc. In order to improve the performance of the disk, shape optimization design was performed. For stress and thermal analysis, the analysis was conducted using the finite element program ANSYS Transient Thermal and Structural tools. PIAnO (Process Integration and Design Optimization) was used to perform optimal design. In the formulation of the optimum design, the stress was minimized by satisfying the constraints. This study intends to present a new brake disc model by performing perforated shape and arrangement.

Recently, at-home workouts, which allows people to exercise easily and comfortably at home without going to the gym, has been in the spotlight. Accordingly, a lot of household equipment is produced, but weight exercise equipment is limited in use at home because of its heavy weight or volume. Therefore, this paper proposes a new form of exercise equipment that can be used at home by transforming the exercise equipment used in the fitness center. The proposed mechanism replaces the weight part of the strength exercise device, which is the key to weight control, with an electric motor. Three major muscle exercise instruments (long pull machine, curl cable machine, and let down machine) were analyzed by dynamic analysis using a multipurpose dynamic program (DAFUL). This shows that the proposed equipment can perform various sports. Therefore, the proposed mechanism is expected to be applicable at home, and this study is expected to be rapidly mass-produced by emphasizing practicality.

Recently, home workout has attracted attention as it can be done easily and conveniently at home. Accordingly, many types of home workout equipment are produced but, these kinds of exercise equipment using dumbbells or weights are too heavy to use for at-home-workout and they are too bulky in size. This paper studies a form of exercise done at home which is using a motor instead of dumbbells and weights that are originally used in the exercise equipment. DAFUL, a multi-body dynamics analysis program, is used to verify the dynamic performance of the proposed equipment. Therefore, motor-based exercise equipment is expected to be smaller than existing exercise equipment and more suitable for use at home.

With continuous development in the field of sample preparation technology, solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) has been widely used in analytical chemistry for high extraction efficiency and convenient operation. Different materials lead to different extraction results. Among existing materials, carbon-based materials are still attracting attention from scientists due to their excellent physical and chemical properties as well as their modifiable surfaces, which could enhance the adsorption effects of SPME fiber. This review introduces the preparation methods and applications of different kinds of carbon-based material coatings on fibers. In addition, directions for future research on carbon material composites are discussed.

Polyurethane (PU) nanofibers containing graphene oxide (GO) and Ag doped functionalized reduced graphene oxide (Ag-RGO) were successfully prepared via the electrospinning technique. The uniform distribution of GO sheets along with Ag nanoparticle in the nanofibers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and the elemental mapping technique. X-ray diffraction and thermal gravimetric analysis verified the presence of GO and Ag in the bicomposite nanofibrous mats. Antibacterial tests against Escherichia coli demonstrated that the addition of GO and Ag-RGO to the PU nanofiber greatly enhanced bactericidal efficiency. Overall, these features of the synthesized nanofibers make them a promising candidate material in the biomedical field for applications such as tissue engineering, wound healing, and drug delivery systems.

Biodegradable epoxy (B-epoxy) was prepared from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and epoxidized linseed oil. The mechanical properties of B-epoxy composites reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs/B-epoxy) were examined by employing dynamic mechanical analysis, critical stress intensity factor (KIC) tests, and impact strength tests. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI-SE) of the composites was evaluated using reflection and absorption methods. Mechanical properties of MWCNTs/B-epoxy were enhanced with an increase in the MWCNT content, whereas they deteriorated when the MWCNT content was >5 parts per hundred resin (phr). This can likely be attributed to the entanglement of MWCNTs with each other in the B-epoxy due to the presence of an excess amount of MWCNTs. The highest EMI-SE obtained was ~16 dB for the MWCNTs/B-epoxy composites with a MWCNT content of 13 phr at 1.4 GHz. The composites (13 phr) exhibited the minimum EMI-SE (90%) when used as shielding materials at 1.4 GHz. The EMI-SE of the MWCNTs/B-epoxy also increased with an increase in the MWCNT content, which is a key factor affecting the EMI-SE.

This study was carried out to extract ginsenosides in by-products from honeyed red ginseng. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction conditions. Based on D-optimal design, independent variables were ethanol (extraction solvent) concentration (30-90%, v/v), extraction temperature (25-70oC), and extraction time (5-11 h). Extraction yield (Y1) and total ginsenosides (Y2) in the extract were analyzed as dependent variables. Results found that extraction yield increased with increasing extraction temperature and time, whereas it was decreased with increasing ethanol concentration. Similar trends were found for the content of ginsenosides in the extracts, except for ethanol concentration, which was increased with increasing ethanol concentration. Regression equations derived from RSM were suggested to coincide well with the results from the experiments. The optimal extraction conditions for extraction yield and total ginsenosides were an extraction temperature of 56.94oC, ethanol concentration of 57.90%, and extraction time of 11 h. Under these conditions, extraction yield and total ginsenoside contents were predicted to be 84.52% and 9.54 mg/g, respectively.

We report the use of carrot, a new and inexpensive biomaterial source, for preparing high quality carbon dots (CDs) instead of semi-conductive quantum dots for bioimaging application. The as-derived CDs possessing down and up-conversion photoluminescence features were obtained from carrot juice by commonly used hydrothermal treatment. The corresponding physiochemical and optical properties were investigated by electron microscopy, fluorescent spectrometry, and other spectroscopic methods. The surfaces of obtained CDs were highly covered with hydroxyl groups and nitrogen groups without further modification. The quantum yield of as-obtained CDs was as high as 5.16%. The cell viability of HaCaT cells against a purified CD aqueous solution was higher than 85% even at higher concentration (700 μg mL−1) after 24 h incubation. Finally, CD cultured cells exhibited distinguished blue, green, and red colors, respectively, during in vitro imaging when excited by three wavelength lasers under a confocal microscope. Offering excellent optical properties, biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and good cellular imaging capability, the carrot juice derived CDs are a promising candidate for biomedical applications.

In this work, the effects of maleic anhydride (MA) content on mechanical properties of chopped carbon fibers (CFs)-reinforced MA-grafted-polypropylene (MAPP) matrix composites. A direct oxyfluorination on CF surfaces was applied to increase the interfacial strength between the CFs and MAPP matrix. The mechanical properties of the CFs/MAPP composites are likely to be different in terms of MA content. Surface characteristics were observed by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and single fiber contact angle method. The mechanical properties of the composites were also measured by a critical stress intensity factor (KIC). From the KIC test results, the KIC values were increased to a maximum value of 3.4 MPa with the 0.1 % of MA in the PP, and then decreased with higher MA content.

Porous carbons have attracted much attention for their novel application in gas storage. In this study, porous graphite nano-fiber (PGNFs)-based graphite nano fibers (GNFs) were prepared by KOH activation to act as adsorbents. The GNFs were activated with KOH by changing the GNF/KOH weight ratio from 0 through 5 at 900°C. The effects of the GNF/ KOH weight ratios on the pore structures were also addressed with scanning electron microscope and N2 adsorption/desorption measurements. We found that the activated GNFs exhibited a gradual increase of CO2 adsorption capacity at CK-3 and then decreased to CK-5, as determined by CO2 adsorption isotherms. CK-3 had the narrowest micropore size distribution (0.6–0.78 nm) among the treated GNFs. Therefore, KOH activation was not only a significant method for developing a suitable pore-size distribution for gas adsorption, but also increased CO2 adsorption capacity as well. The study indicated that the sample prepared with a weight ratio of ‘3’ showed the best CO2 adsorption capacity (70.8 mg/g) as determined by CO2 adsorption isotherms at 298 K and 1 bar.

Carbon blacks (CBs) have been widely used as reinforcing materials in advanced rubber composites. The mechanical properties of CB-reinforced rubber composites are mostly controlled by the extent of interfacial adhesion between the CBs and the rubber. Surface treatments are generally performed on CBs to introduce chemical functional groups on its surface. In this study, we review the effects of various surface treatment methods for CBs. In addition, the preparation and properties of CB-reinforced rubber composites are discussed.