Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs) are widely used to mitigate structural vibrations in buildings and bridges. However, conventional optimization methods often struggle to achieve optimal performance due to the complexity of structural dynamics. This study proposes the NN-L-BFGS-B algorithm, which combines Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for global exploration and L-BFGS-B for local exploitation to efficiently optimize TMD parameters. A ten-story shear-building model with a TMD is used for validation. The proposed method achieves the lowest H₂ norm compared to previous studies, demonstrating improved optimization performance. Additionally, NN-L-BFGS-B effectively balances computational efficiency and accuracy, making it adaptable to various engineering optimization problems.

본 연구는 아일랜드 시인 W.B. 예이츠와 폴란드 시인 체스와프 미워시 가 역사적 대재앙을 아포칼립틱한 상상력으로 다룬 시를 살펴보는 것을 목적으로 한 다. 두 시인은 아일랜드와 폴란드에서 각각 1차 세계대전과 2차 세계대전을 경험하면 서 유럽 문명이 붕괴되는 역사적 대격변을 목도하였고, 그 시기에 각각 아일랜드독립 전쟁과 내전 그리고 나치의 유태인 게토 파괴와 바르샤바 봉기 등을 겪으면서 그들이 목격하고 경험한 역사적 현실을 아포칼립틱한 상상력으로 표현하였다는 점에서 공통점 이 있다. 대재앙주의나 종말론은 현재의 문명이 다른 적대적인 가치를 내세우는 문명 으로 대체되는 위기에 처해있다는 생각이다. 예이츠의 경우에 반그리스도교적이고 자 본주의적이고 기계적인 사고에 기반한 문명으로 대체되는데 대한 우려이고, 미워시의 경우에는 종족 말살의 폭력을 서슴지 않는 나치와 전체주의적인 소비에트의 위협이라 할 수 있다. 유럽과 자국의 문명이 붕괴되는 위기 앞에서 두 시인의 시에서는 불가항 력적인 폭력 앞에서 인간의 자유의지에 대한 회의와 무력감, 불확실하고 비관적인 미 래의 전망 그리고 폭력의 영속성에 대한 명상과 자신에 대한 자조적인 태도와 죄의식 및 고통 등의 다양한 반응이 초현실적인 상상력과 독특한 재현 방식으로 드러나 있다.

본 논문은 예이츠의 저술 기간 동안 아일랜드 가톨릭 중산층과의 관계 변화를 물질주의, 갈등, 공존의 주제에 집중하여 통시적 연구로 제시한다. 앵글로-아일 랜드계 출신인 예이츠는 문화 민족주의를 통해 아일랜드의 독립을 추구하는 과정에서 가톨릭 중산층의 물질주의와 몰예술성을 비판하며 대립 양상을 드러냈다. 이러한 갈등 은 1913년 9월 에서 뚜렷하게 나타나며, 예이츠의 비판 의식을 반영한다. 그러나 1916 년 부활절 봉기를 계기로 예이츠는 민족 정체성과 민족주의자들의 희생에 대해 복합적 인 시각을 갖게 되었다. 1916년 부활절 에서 예이츠는 봉기 지도자들에 대해 존경심 과 회의를 동시에 표현한다. 이후 다시 찾아간 시립 미술관 에서는 과거의 영웅들과 친구들을 회상하며 그들이 아일랜드 민족정신의 회복에 중요한 역할을 했음을 강조한 다. 본 연구는 아일랜드의 정치적·사회적 변화에 대한 예이츠의 반응을 추적하고, 그가 어떻게 시를 통해 사회적 대립을 넘어 공존과 문화적 통합으로 향했는지를 분석한다.

The ‘I bǎ you (this/that) + NP’ sentence pattern in modern Chinese, represented by the novel Journey to the West, has always been a hot topic in academic research. The various explanations made by predecessors from grammatical perspectives cannot well answer the reasons why this patttern only appears in the abusive context, nor are they in line with the pursuit of natural language habits in oral expressions. From the perspective of dialects and slangs, especially the commonly seen cases in modern dialect areas such as Wuhan and Yimeng, combining the process of writing Journey to the West and the source of language materials of which, interpreting ‘bǎ’ as a abusive word in folk vulgar language not only answers the unsolved questions, but also makes the ‘bǎ’ clause sentences more appropriate, natural and reasonable. With the development of language, the emotional color of the abusive word “ba” for scolding gradually weakened, eventually becoming a common pet-phrase in vulgar oral language.

Visfatin, an adipokine secreted by cells, is crucial for intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide+ biosynthesis. Extracellularly, visfatin plays diverse roles in inflammatory conditions, including obesity, which is closely linked to osteoclastogenesis. We previously showed that visfatin enhances receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis in bone marrow-derived macrophages. However, its enzymatic activity during this process is poorly understood. Here, we investigated visfatin’s effects on RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation. Our results demonstrate that visfatin promotes this differentiation, an effect inhibited by FK866, an inhibitor of visfatin’s enzymatic activity. Furthermore, FK866 also inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation. These findings suggest that inhibiting visfatin’s enzymatic activity modulates osteoclast differentiation. Thus, visfatin plays an important role in osteoclastogenesis, both intracellularly and extracellularly, and FK866 has therapeutic potential for diseases characterized by imbalanced osteoclast formation, such as osteoporosis and periodontitis.

In the evolving global food industry, international certifications have become essential for seafood export companies to ensure product safety, quality, and sustainability, as well as to meet consumer demands and regulatory standards. This study analyzes the decision-making factors influencing the acquisition and maintenance of international certifications among Korean seafood export companies, using decision tree analysis. The research surveyed 134 seafood export companies, focusing on six key factors: corporate characteristics, environmental factors, input factors, organizational structure, company capabilities, and external relationships. The decision tree analysis revealed that among corporate characteristics, the size of sales revenue, number of employees, and proportion of exports were found to play significant roles. For environmental factors, specific demands from overseas buyers, shifting consumer preferences, and compliance with global standards were identified as having a major impact. Regarding input factors, certification costs, validity periods, and investments in processing facilities were revealed to be critical variables. Organizational factors such as managerial support and dedicated personnel, capability factors like inter-departmental collaboration and processing system capacity, and relationship factors including partnerships with certification and export support agencies were also critical in the certification process. This study identified various factors influencing the decision-making process for acquiring and maintaining international certifications among Korean seafood export companies and analyzed the importance of detailed variables for the first time. Additionally, it provides practical and policy-oriented implications to promote the adoption of international certifications as part of efforts to enhance the global competitiveness of Korean seafood. Furthermore, this study contributes to the academic understanding of the decision-making process related to international certifications in seafood export companies.

A digital twin (DT) is a virtual model designed to accurately reflect a physical object. We examine the economic benefits of digital aqua twin platform technology, which is applied to aquaculture to optimize production of cultured olive flounder and eel in South Korea. The economic benefits consist of two parts: (1) the benefits from technology development and (2) the benefits from technology adoption. The findings reveal that the benefits from technology development are greater than those from technology adoption. This implies that it is necessary to consider the former, which is often ignored in the previous literature, in quantifying the economic benefits of information technology.

We prepared porous poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PCL/PLGA) 3D scaffolds with surfaces that were modified through the co-precipitation of calcium phosphate (CAP) with binary drug components, including risedronate (RSD) and hyaluronic acid (HyA). The 3D porous biodegradable PCL/PLGA scaffolds were fabricated by sintering microspheres prepared with a 30/70 PCL/PLGA blend. The co-precipitation of the CAP coating with binary drug components significantly enhanced the proliferation and differentiation of rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) on the scaffolds. Although the presence of both HyA and RSD positively improved proliferation and differentiation, HyA and RSD were more effective on osteoblastic proliferation and differentiation, respectively. These results strongly demonstrate that the drug effects on osteoblastic responses were closely interconnected. The two drugs affect rMSCs behavior in a concentration-dependent manner, requiring a balance between proliferation and differentiation for optimal bone regeneration. We expect this surface modification technique could potentially be utilized for the fabrication of functionalized biodegradable scaffolds and delivery of drug mixtures.

Ceramic materials have become essential due to their high durability, chemical stability, and excellent thermal stability in various advanced industries such as aerospace, automotive, and semiconductor. However, high-performance ceramic materials face limitations in commercialization due to the high cost of raw materials and complex manufacturing processes. Aluminum borate (Al₁₈B₄O₃₃) has emerged as a promising alternative due to its superior mechanical strength and thermal stability, despite its simple manufacturing process and low production cost. In this study, we propose a method for producing Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ spherical powder with increased uniformity and high flowability by controlling the particle size of B₂O₃. The content ratio of the manufactured Al18B4O33 spherical powder was Al2O3: B2O3 = 87:13, and it exhibited a 17% reduction in the Hausner ratio (1.04) and a 29% decrease in the angle of repose (23.9°) compared to pre-milling conditions, demonstrating excellent flowability.