A rapid and specific PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus in foods was developed to reduce the detection time and to increase sensitivity. Multiplex PCR developed in this study produced only actA, fliC, hbl, invA, ileS amplicons, but did not produce any non-specific amplicon. The...

There have been much interest and many efforts to control global warming and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions throughout the world. Recently, the Republic of Korea has also increased its GHG reduction goal and searched for an implementation plan. In buildings, for example, there have been technology developments and deployment policies to reduce GHG emissions from a life cycle perspective,...

We study the Casimir force on a single surface immersed in an inhomoge-neous medium. Specifically we study the vacuum fluctuations of a scalar field with a spatially varying squared mass, m 2 + λ∆(x − a) + V (x), where V is a smooth potential and ∆(x) is a unit-area function sharply peaked around x = 0. ∆(x − a) represents a semi-penetrable thin plate placed at x = a. In the limits {∆(x−a) → δ(...

Seismic-protection measures make it possible to significantly decrease economical losses. Seismic shock absorption systems and seismic insulation of foundations and buildings can generally increase the reliability of structures. Calculations by Ja. M. Ajzenberg showed that relative horizontal seismic shifts of floors in seismically insulated buildings are significantly lower than in noninsulate...

With the recent housing crisis, studying abandoned buildings has once again become important. However, it has been some time since abandoned buildings were the subject of direct study, leaving scholars with scant knowledge about the characteristics of abandoned buildings, how they change, and their relationship to neighborhood processes. To fill this gap, we employed longitudinal photographic a...

We extend the observability model to multiplex networks. We present mathematical frameworks, valid under the treelike ansatz, able to describe the emergence of the macroscopic cluster of mutually observable nodes in both synthetic and real-world multiplex networks. We show that the observability transition in synthetic multiplex networks is discontinuous. In real-world multiplex networks instea...

An overview of development of high-rise buildings is presented. Key advancements leading to highrise buildings of today are discussed. Structural analysis and design considerations for modern highrise buildings are presented and trends in design of tall buildings of the future are discussed.