• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.349-361
• /
• 2024

Excessive torsional behaviour is one of the major reasons for failure of buildings, as inferred from past earthquakes. Numerous seismic codes across the world specify a displacement-based or drift-based criterion for classifying buildings as torsionally irregular. In recent years, quite a few researchers have pointed out some of the inherent deficiencies associated with the current codal guidelines on torsional irregularity. This short communication paper aims to envisage the need for a revision of the displacement-based guidelines on torsional irregularity, and further highlight the appropriateness of a rotation-based criterion. A set of 6 reinforced concrete building models with asymmetric shear walls are analysed using ETABS v18.0.2, by varying the number of stories from 1 to 9, and the torsional irregularity coefficient of various stories is calculated using the displacement-based formula. Since rotation about the vertical axis is a direct indication of the twist experienced by a building, the calculated torsional irregularity coefficients of all stories are compared with the corresponding floor rotations. The conflicting results obtained for the torsional irregularity coefficients are projected through five categories, namely mismatch with floor rotations, inconsistency in trend, lack of clarity in incorporation of negative values, sensitivity to low values of displacement and error conceived in the mathematical formulation. The findings indicate that the irregularity coefficient does not accurately represent the torsional behaviour of buildings in a realistic sense. The Indian seismic code-based values of 1.2 and 1.4, which are used to characterize buildings as torsionally irregular are observed to be highly sensitive to the numerical values of displacements, rather than the actual degree of rotation. The study thus emphasizes the revision of current guidelines based on a more relevant rotation-based or eccentricity-based approach.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.301-308
• /
• 2024

Ceramic materials are being explored as alternatives to toxic lead sheets for radiation shielding due to their favorable properties like durability, thermal stability, and aesthetic appeal. However, crafting effective ceramics for radiation shielding entails complex processes, raising production costs. To investigate local viability, this study evaluated Malaysian ceramic tiles for shielding in diagnostic X-ray rooms. Different ceramics in terms of density and thickness were selected from local manufacturers. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) characterized ceramic compositions, while Monte Carlo Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System (MC PHITS) simulations determined Linear Attenuation Coefficient (LAC), Half-value Layer (HVL), Mass Attenuation Coefficient (MAC), and Mean Free Path (MFP) within the 40-150 kV energy range. Comparative analysis between MC PHITS simulations and real setups was conducted. The C3-S9 ceramic sample, known for homogeneous full-color structure, showcased superior shielding attributes, attributed to its high density and iron content. Notably, energy levels considerably impacted radiation penetration. Overall, C3-S9 demonstrated strong shielding performance, underlining Malaysia's potential ceramic tile resources for X-ray room radiation shielding.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.441-447
• /
• 2012

Purpose: This paper is about development and design of the 1x optical path relay adapter for the beam splitting prism by us the day & night scope. Methods: To product the day & night scope by using the beam splitting prism and the commercial zoom optical system with the C-mount lens barrel structure, the optical path relay adapter, which doesn't change the image size of the zoom optical system and can stretch the position of the image-forming surface, is needed. We could design the 1x optical path relay adapter by using the CodeV program in which the Lens Module mode is offered. Results: We could design the optical path relay adapter used in the day&night scope with the beam splitting prism, of which characteristics have the EFL of -56.0 mm, the magnification of +1.0x, the distance from the 1st lens surface to the last lens surface of about 20.4 mm. The resolution of this system is characterized by 30 lp/mm at 40% MTF. This is enough to accommodate the designed optical path relay adapter can overcome the resolution of the 3rd generation of image intesifier tubes. Conclusions: By designing and applying the optical path relay adapter of which optical characteristics have the EFL of -56.0 mm, the magnification of +1.0x, the distance from the 1st lens surface to the last lens surface of about 20.4 mm, and the resolution of 30 lp/mm at 40% MTF, we could develop the new type day&night scope consisting of the beam splitting, the commercial zoom optical system with the C-mount lens barrel structure, and the 3rd generation of image intesifier tubes.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
• /
• v.53 no.5
• /
• pp.87-97
• /
• 2016

This work proposes a time-shared 10b DAC based on a two-step resistor string to minimize the effective area of a DAC channel for driving each AMOLED display column. The proposed DAC shows a lower effective DAC area per unit column driver and a faster conversion speed than the conventional DACs by employing a time-shared DEMUX and a ROM-based two-step decoder of 6b and 4b in the first and second resistor string. In the second-stage 4b floating resistor string, a simple current source rather than a unity-gain buffer decreases the loading effect and chip area of a DAC channel and eliminates offset mismatch between channels caused by buffer amplifiers. The proposed 1-to-24 DEMUX enables a single DAC channel to drive 24 columns sequentially with a single-phase clock and a 5b binary counter. A 0.9pF sampling capacitor and a small-sized source follower in the input stage of each column-driving buffer amplifier decrease the effect due to channel charge injection and improve the output settling accuracy of the buffer amplifier while using the top-plate sampling scheme in the proposed DAC. The proposed DAC in a $0.18{\mu}m$ CMOS shows a signal settling time of 62.5ns during code transitions from '$000_{16}$' to '$3FF_{16}$'. The prototype DAC occupies a unit channel area of $0.058mm^2$ and an effective unit channel area of $0.002mm^2$ while consuming 6.08mW with analog and digital power supplies of 3.3V and 1.8V, respectively.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.320-334
• /
• 2020

This study presents an application of hydro-mechanical coupled Particle Flow Code 3D (PFC3D) to simulation of fluid injection induced fault slip experiment conducted in Mont Terri Switzerland as a part of a task in an international research project DECOVALEX-2019. We also aimed as identifying the current limitations of the modelling method and issues for further development. A fluid flow algorithm was developed and implemented in a 3D pore-pipe network model in a 3D bonded particle assembly using PFC3D v5, and was applied to Mont Terri Step 2 minor fault activation experiment. The simulated results showed that the injected fluid migrates through the permeable fault zone and induces fault deformation, demonstrating a full hydro-mechanical coupled behavior. The simulated results were, however, partially matching with the field measurement. The simulated pressure build-up at the monitoring location showed linear and progressive increase, whereas the field measurement showed an abrupt increase associated with the fault slip We conclude that such difference between the modelling and the field test is due to the structure of the fault in the model which was represented as a combination of damage zone and core fractures. The modelled fault is likely larger in size than the real fault in Mont Terri site. Therefore, the modelled fault allows several path ways of fluid flow from the injection location to the pressure monitoring location, leading to smooth pressure build-up at the monitoring location while the injection pressure increases, and an early start of pressure decay even before the injection pressure reaches the maximum. We also conclude that the clay filling in the real fault could have acted as a fluid barrier which may have resulted in formation of fluid over-pressurization locally in the fault. Unlike the pressure result, the simulated fault deformations were matching with the field measurements. A better way of modelling a heterogeneous clay-filled fault structure with a narrow zone should be studied further to improve the applicability of the modelling method to fluid injection induced fault activation.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.66-73
• /
• 2001

Purpose : For the research of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), fast neutrons generated from the MC-50 cyclotron with maximum energy of 34.4 MeV in Korea Cancer Center Hospital were moderated by 70 cm paraffin and then the dose characteristics were investigated. Using these results, we hope to establish the protocol about dose measurement of epi-thermal neutron, to make a basis of dose characteristic of epi-thermal neutron emitted from nuclear reactor, and to find feasibility about accelerator-based BNCT. Method and Materials : For measuring the absorbed dose and dose distribution of fast neutron beams, we used Unidos 10005 (PTW, Germany) electrometer and IC-17 (Far West, USA), IC-18, ElC-1 ion chambers manufactured by A-150 plastic and used IC-l7M ion chamber manufactured by magnesium for gamma dose. There chambers were flushed with tissue equivalent gas and argon gas and then the flow rate was S co per minute. Using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code, transport program in mixed field with neutron, photon, electron, two dimensional dose and energy fluence distribution was calculated and there results were compared with measured results. Results : The absorbed dose of fast neutron beams was $6.47\times10^{-3}$ cGy per 1 MU at the 4 cm depth of the water phantom, which is assumed to be effective depth for BNCT. The magnitude of gamma contamination intermingled with fast neutron beams was $65.2{\pm}0.9\%$ at the same depth. In the dose distribution according to the depth of water, the neutron dose decreased linearly and the gamma dose decreased exponentially as the depth was deepened. The factor expressed energy level, $D_{20}/D_{10}$, of the total dose was 0.718. Conclusion : Through the direct measurement using the two ion chambers, which is made different wall materials, and computer calculation of isodose distribution using MCNP simulation method, we have found the dose characteristics of low fluence fast neutron beams. If the power supply and the target material, which generate high voltage and current, will be developed and gamma contamination was reduced by lead or bismuth, we think, it may be possible to accelerator-based BNCT.

• The Korean Journal of Air & Space Law and Policy
• /
• v.1
• /
• pp.147-162
• /
• 1989

The current status of the application and interpretation of the Warsaw Convention and its subsequent Protocols in Asian countries is in its fredgling stages compared to the developed countries of Europe and North America, and there is thus little published information about the various Asian governments' treatment and courts' views of the Warsaw System. Due to that limitation, the accent of this paper will be on Korea and Japan. As one will be aware, the so-called 'Warsaw System' is made up of the Warsaw Convention of 1929, the Hague Protocol of 1955, the Guadalajara Convention of 1961, the Guatemala City Protocol of 1971 and the Montreal Additional Protocols Nos. 1,2,3 and 4 of 1975. Among these instruments, most of the countries in Asia are parties to both the Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol. However, the Republic of Korea and Mongolia are parties only to the Hague Protocol, while Burma, Indonesia and Sri Lanka are parties only to the Warsaw Convention. Thailand and Taiwan are not parties only to the convention or protocol. Among Asian states, Indonesia, the Phillipines and Pakistan are also parties to the Guadalajara Convention, but no country in Asia has signed the Guatemala City Protocol of 1971 or the Montreal Additional Protocols, which Protocols have not yet been put into force. The People's Republic of China has declared that the Warsaw Convention shall apply to the entire Chinese territory, including Taiwan. 'The application of the Warsaw Convention to one-way air carriage between a state which is a party only to the Warsaw Convention and a state which is a party only to the Hague Protocol' is of particular importance in Korea as it is a signatory only to the Hague Protocol, but it is involved in a great deal of air transportation to and from the united states, which in turn is a party only to the Warsaw Convention. The opinion of the Supreme Court of Korea appears to be, that parties to the Warsaw Convention were intended to be parties to the Hague Protocol, whether they actually signed it or not. The effect of this decision is that in Korea the United States and Korea will be considered by the courts to be in a treaty relationship, though neither State is a signatory to the same instrument as the other State. The first wrongful death claim in Korea related to international carriage by air under the Convention was made in Hyun-Mo Bang, et al v. Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. case. In this case, the plaintiffs claimed for damages based upon breach of contract as well as upon tort under the Korean Civil Code. The issue in the case was whether the time limitation provisions of the Convention should be applicable to a claim based in tort as well as to a claim based in contract. The Appellate Court ruled on 29 August 1983 that 'however founded' in Article 24(1) of the Convention should be construed to mean that the Convention should be applicable to the claim regardless of whether the cause of action was based in tort or breach of contract, and that the plaintiffs' rights to damages had therefore extinguished because of the time limitation as set forth in Article 29(1) of the Convention. The difficult and often debated question of what exactly is meant by the words 'such default equivalent to wilful misconduct' in Article 25(1) of the Warsaw Convention, has also been litigated. The Supreme Court of Japan dealt with this issue in the Suzuki Shinjuten Co. v. Northwest Airlines Inc. case. The Supreme Court upheld the Appellate Court's ruling, and decided that 'such default equivalent to wilful misconduct' under Article 25(1) of the Convention was within the meaning of 'gross negligence' under the Japanese Commercial Code. The issue of the convention of the 'franc' into national currencies as provided in Article 22 of the Warsaw Convention as amended by the Hague Protocol has been raised in a court case in Korea, which is now before the District Court of Seoul. In this case, the plaintiff argues that the gold franc equivalent must be converted in Korean Won in accordance with the free market price of gold in Korea, as Korea has not enacted any law, order or regulation prescribing the proper method of calculating the equivalent in its national currency. while it is unclear if the court will accept this position, the last official price of gold of the United States as in the famous Franklin Mint case, Special Drawing Right(SDR) or the current French franc, Korean Air Lines has argued in favor of the last official price of gold of the United States by which the air lines converted such francs into us Dollars in their General Conditions of Carriage. It is my understanding that in India, an appellate court adopted the free market price valuation. There is a report as well saying that if a lawsuit concerning this issue were brought in Pakistan, the free market cost of gold would be applied there too. Speaking specifically about the future of the Warsaw System in Asia though I have been informed that Thailand is actively considering acceding to the Warsaw Convention, the attitudes of most Asian countries' governments towards the Warsaw System are still wnot ell known. There is little evidence that Asian countries are moving to deal concretely with the conversion of the franc into their own local currencies. So too it cannot be said that they are on the move to adhere to the Montreal Additional Protocols Nos. 3 & 4 which attempt to basically solve many of the current problems with the Warsaw System, by adopting the SDR as the unit of currency, by establishing the carrier's absolute liability and an unbreakable limit and by increasing the carrier's passenger limit of liability to SDR 100,000, as well as permiting the domestic introduction of supplemental compensation. To summarize my own sentiments regarding the future, I would say that given the fact that Asian air lines are now world leaders both in overall size and rate of growth, and the fact that both Asian individuals and governments are becoming more and more reliant on the global civil aviation networks as their economies become ever stronger, I am hopeful that Asian nations will henceforth play a bigger role in ensuring the orderly and hasty development of a workable unified system of rules governing international commercial air carriage.

• Journal of KIISE:Computing Practices and Letters
• /
• v.7 no.3
• /
• pp.240-247
• /
• 2001

Java is a promising runtime environment for embedded systems because it has many advantages such as platform independence, high security and support for multi-threading. One of the most famous Java run-time environments, Sun's ($PersonalJave^{TM}$) is based on Truffle architecture, which enables programmers to design various GUIs easily. For this reason, it has been ported to various embedded systems such as set-top boxes and personal digital assistants(PDA's). Basically, Truffle uses heavy-weight window managers such as Microsoft vVin32 API and X-Window. However, those window managers are not adequate for embedded systems because they require a large amount of memory and disk space. To come up with the requirements of embedded systems, we adopt Microwindows as the platform graphic system for Personal] ava A WT onto Embedded Linux. Although Microwindows is a light-weight window manager, it provides as powerful API as traditional window managers. Because Microwindows does not require any support from other graphics systems, it can be easily ported to various platforms. In addition, it is an open source code software. Therefore, we can easily modify and extend it as needed. In this paper, we implement Personal]ava A WT using Microwindows on embedded Linux and prove the efficiency of our approach.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.34 no.5
• /
• pp.1421-1433
• /
• 2014

In this study, appropriate probability distribution and parameter estimation method were selected to perform snowfall frequency analysis. Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) and Probability Weighted Moment Method (PWMM) appeared to be the best fit for snowfall frequency analysis in Korea. Snowfall frequency analysis applying GEV and PWMM were performed for 69 stations in Korea. Peak snowfall corresponding to recurrence intervals were estimated based on frequency analysis while snow loads were calculated using the estimated peak snowfall and specific weight of snow. Design snow load map was developed using 100-year recurrence interval snow load of 69 stations through Kriging of ArcGIS. The 2009 Korean Building Code and Commentary for design snow load was assessed by comparing the design snow loads which calculated in this study. As reflected in the results, most regions are required to increase the design snow loads. Thus, design snow loads and the map were developed from based on the results. The developed design snow load map is expected to be useful in the design of building structures against heavy snow loading throughout Korea most especially in ungaged areas.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.30 no.11
• /
• pp.1308-1313
• /
• 2001

Object : The goals of radiosurgery include preservation of neurological function and prevention of tumor growth. We document the results of gamma-knife radio-surgery for vestibular schwannoma. Method & Object : Eighty-two patients underwent stereotactic radiosurgery for an vestibular schwannoma from October, 1994 to December, 2000. Sixty-five of these patients were followed up for radiological and clinical evaluation. As pregamma-knife modality, surgical resection were done in 23 patients,and V-P shunt in 2 patients. Initial symptoms were headache(n=45), dizziness(n=16), tinnitus(n=17). While normal facial function(House-Brackmann grade 1) was present in 48 patients(73.8%), other patients showed grade 2 function in 8, grade 3 function in 7,and grade 4 function in 2. The Gardner/Robertson scale was used to code hearing function. Male to female ratio was 1:3. Mean tumor volume was $7.98cm^3$. Mean dose delivered to the tumor margin was 14.2Gy,and mean maximal dose was 28.3Gy. Results : Mean follow-up duration of 19.9 months. Thirty-five showed decrease(53.8%) in size, 19 patients(29.2%) stationary, 3(4.6%) initial decrease follow up increase, 5(7.6%) initial increase follow up decrease,and 59 patients (90.8%) were well controlled. Two patients experienced transient facial neuropathy, one transient trigeminal neuropathy, and one transient hearing deterioration. After gamma-knife radiosurgery, ventriculoperitoneal shunt was done in 4 patients. Conclusions : Gamma-knife radiosurgery can be used to treat postoperative residual tumors as well as in patients with concomitant medical problems in patients with preserved hearing function. Gamma-knife radiosurgery is safe and effective method to treat small, medium sized(less than 3cm in extracanalicular diameter), intracanalicular vestibular schwannoma, associated with low rate of cranial neuropathy.