• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2007

In this paper, an iterative MAP approach using a Bayesian model based on the lognormal distribution for image intensity and a GRF for image texture is proposed for despeckling the SAR images that are corrupted by multiplicative speckle noise. When the image intensity is logarithmically transformed, the speckle noise is approximately Gaussian additive noise, and it tends to a normal probability much faster than the intensity distribution. MRFs have been used to model spatially correlated and signal-dependent phenomena for SAR speckled images. The MRF is incorporated into digital image analysis by viewing pixel types as slates of molecules in a lattice-like physical system defined on a GRF Because of the MRF-SRF equivalence, the assignment of an energy function to the physical system determines its Gibbs measure, which is used to model molecular interactions. The proposed Point-Jacobian Iterative MAP estimation method was first evaluated using simulation data generated by the Monte Carlo method. The methodology was then applied to data acquired by the ESA's ERS satellite on Nonsan area of Korean Peninsula. In the extensive experiments of this study, The proposed method demonstrated the capability to relax speckle noise and estimate noise-free intensity.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.808-813
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• 1996

To explore protein folding mechanism, we simulated a folding pathway in a simplified 3×3×3 cubic lattice. In the lattice folding Monte Carlo simulations, each of the 28 possible native packing pairs that exist in the native conformation was used as a conformational restraint. The native packing restraints in the lattice model could be considered as a disulfide linkage restraint in a real protein. The results suggest that proteins denatured with a small disulfide loop can, but not always, fold faster than proteins without any disulfide linkage and than proteins with a larger disulfide loop. The results also suggest that there is a rough correlation between loop size of the native packing restraint and folding time. That is, the order of native residue-residue packing interaction in protein folding is likely dependent on the residue-residue distance in primary sequence. The strength of monomer-monomer pairwise interaction is not important in the determination of the packing order in lattice folding. From the folding simulations of five strong folding lattice sequences, it was also found that the context encoded in the primary sequence, which we do not yet clearly understand, plays more crucial role in the determination of detailed folding kinetics. Our restrained lattice model approach would provide a useful strategy to the future protein folding experiments by suggesting a protein engineering for the fast or slow folding research.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.45-58
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• 2013

In structural reliability analysis, the response surface method is a powerful method to evaluate the probability of failure. However, the location of experimental points used to form a response surface function must be selected in a judicious way. It is necessary for the highly nonlinear limit state functions to consider the design point and the nonlinear trend of the limit state, because both of them influence the probability of failure. In this paper, in order to approximate the actual limit state more accurately, experimental points are selected close to the design point and the actual limit state, and consider the nonlinear trend of the limit state. Linear, quadratic and cubic polynomials without mixed terms are utilized to approximate the actual limit state. The direct Monte Carlo simulation on the approximated limit state is carried out to determine the probability of failure. Four examples are given to demonstrate the efficiency and the accuracy of the proposed method for both numerical and implicit limit states.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.369-374
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• 2006

Quantification of infiltration rate is an important issue in HVAC system design. The infiltration in buildings depends on many uncertain parameters that vary with significant magnitude and hence, the results from standard deterministic simulation approach can be unreliable. The authors utilize uncertainty analysis In predicting the airflow rates. The paper presents relevant uncertain parameters such as meteorological data, building parameters (leakage areas of windows, doors, etc.), etc. Uncertainties of the aforementioned parameters are quantified based on available data from literature. Then, the Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) method was used for the uncertainty propagation. The LHS is one of the Monte Carlo simulation techniques that is suited for our needs. The CONTAMW was chosen to simulate infiltration phenomena in a residential apartment that is typical of residential buildings in Korea. It will be shown that the uncertainty propagating through this process is not negligible and may significantly influence the prediction of the airflow rates.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.51 no.7
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• pp.1828-1834
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• 2019

The performance of a plastic scintillator for use in an in situ measurement system was analyzed using simulation and experimental methods. The experimental results of four major pure beta-emitting radionuclides, namely $^3H$, $^{14}C$, $^{32}P$, and $^{90}Sr/^{90}Y$, were compared with those obtained using a Monte Carlo N-particle (MCNP) code simulation. The MCNP simulation and experimental results demonstrated good agreement for $^{32}P$ and $^{90}Sr/^{90}Y$, with a relative difference of 1.95% and 0.43% between experimental and simulation efficiencies for $^{32}P$ and $^{90}Sr/^{90}Y$, respectively. However, owing to the short range of beta particles in water, the efficiency for $^{14}C$ was extremely low, and $^3H$ could not be detected. To directly measure the low-energy beta radionuclides considering their short range, a system where the source could flow directly to the scintillator was developed. The optimal thickness of the plastic scintillator was determined based on the suggested diameter. Results showed that the detection efficiency decreases with an increase in the depth of the water. The detection efficiency decreased drastically to approximately 10 cm, and the tendency was gradually constant.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 2019

This study investigates the optical characteristics of InGaN multiple quantum wells(MQWs) light emitting diodes(LEDs) on planar sapphire substrates(PSSs), nano-sized PSS(NPSS) and micro-sized PSS(MPSS). We obtain the results as the patterning size of the sapphire substrates approach the nanometer scale: The light from the back side of the device increases and the total light extraction becomes larger than the MPSS- and planar-LEDs. The experiment is conducted by Monte Carlo ray-tracing, which is regarded as one of the most suitable ways to simulate light propagation in LEDs. The results show fine consistency between simulation and measurement of the samples with different sized patterned substrates. Notably, light from the back side becomes larger in the NPSS LEDs. We strongly propose that the increase in the light intensity of NPSS LEDs is due to an abnormal optical distribution, which indicates an increase of extraction probability through NPSS.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.225-238
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• 2019

In this paper a novel and efficient computational framework to estimate the stress range versus number of cycles curves experienced by a cable due to external excitations (e.g., seismic excitations, traffic and wind-induced vibrations, among others) is proposed. This study is limited to the wind-cable interaction governed by the Vortex Shedding mechanism which mainly rules cables vibrations at low amplitudes that may lead to their failure due to bending fatigue damage. The algorithm relies on a stochastic approach to account for the uncertainties in the cable properties, initial conditions, damping, and wind excitation which are the variables that govern the wind-induced vibration phenomena in cables. These uncertainties are propagated adopting Monte Carlo simulations and the concept of importance sampling, which is used to reduce significantly the computational costs when new scenarios with different probabilistic models for the uncertainties are evaluated. A high fidelity cable model is also proposed, capturing the effect of its internal wires distribution and helix angles on the cables stress. Simulation results on a 15 mm diameter high-strength steel strand reveal that not accounting for the initial conditions uncertainties or using a coarse wind speed discretization lead to an underestimation of the stress range experienced by the cable. In addition, parametric studies illustrate the computational efficiency of the algorithm at estimating new scenarios with new probabilistic models, running 3000 times faster than the base case.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.87-111
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• 2021

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) produce radioactive waste and decommissioning this waste entails additional cost; determining these costs for various types and specifications of radioactive waste can be challenging. The purpose of this study is to identify major determinants of the decommissioning cost and their impact on NPPs. To this end, data from defunct NPPs were gathered and 2SLS (Two Stage Least Squares) regression models were developed to investigate the major contributors depending on the reactor types, viz. PWR (Pressurized Water Reactors) and BWR (Boiling Water Reactors). Additionally, cost estimations and the Monte Carlo simulation were performed as part of performance validation. Our study established that the decommissioning costs are primarily influenced by the level of radioactivity in the decommissioned waste, which can be realized from operational factors like operation period, overall efficiency, and plant capacity, as well as from duration of decommissioning and labour cost. While our study provides an improved statistical approach to recognize these factors, we acknowledge that our models have limitations in forecasting accurately which we envisage to bolster in future studies by identifying more substantive factors.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.72 no.4
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• pp.479-489
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• 2019

The corrosion of reinforcement leads to a gradual decay of structural strength and durability. Several models for crack occurrence prediction and crack width propagation are investigated in this paper. Analytical and experimental models were used to predict the bond strength in the period of corrosion propagation. The manner of flexural strength loss is calculated by application of these models for different scenarios. As a new approach, the variation of the concrete beam neutral axis height has been evaluated, which shows a reduction in the neutral axis height for the scenarios without loss of bond. Alternatively, an increase of the neutral axis height was observed for the scenarios including bond and concrete section loss. The statistical properties of the parameters influencing the strength have been deliberated associated with obtaining the time-dependent bending strength during corrosion propagation, using Monte Carlo (MC) random sampling method. Results showed that the ultimate strain in concrete decreases significantly as a consequence of the bond strength reduction during the corrosion process, when the section reaches to its final limit. Therefore, such sections are likely to show brittle behavior.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.471-484
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• 2020

Previous earthquakes show that, structural safety evaluations should include the evaluation of nonstructural components. Failure of nonstructural components can affect the operational capacity of critical facilities, such as hospitals and fire stations, which can cause an increase in number of deaths. Additionally, failure of nonstructural components may result in economic, architectural, and historical losses of community. Accelerations and random vibrations must be under the predefined limitations in structures with high technological equipment, data centers in this case. Failure of server equipment and anchored server racks are investigated in this study. A probabilistic study is completed for a low-rise rigid sample structure. The structure is investigated in two versions, (i) conventional fixed-based structure and (ii) with a base isolation system. Seismic hazard assessment is completed for the selected site. Monte Carlo simulations are generated with selected parameters. Uncertainties in both structural parameters and mechanical properties of isolation system are included in simulations. Anchorage failure and vibration failures are investigated. Different methods to generate fragility curves are used. The site-specific annual hazard curve is used to generate risk curves for two different structures. A risk matrix is proposed for the design of data centers. Results show that base isolation systems reduce the failure probability significantly in higher floors. It was also understood that, base isolation systems are highly sensitive to earthquake characteristics rather than variability in structural and mechanical properties, in terms of accelerations. Another outcome is that code-provided anchorage failure limitations are more vulnerable than the random vibration failure limitations of server equipment.