• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.365-384
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• 2014

The intensity of a ground motion can be measured by a number of parameters, some of which might exhibit robust correlations with the damage of structures subjected to that motion. In this study, 204 near-fault pulse-type records are selected and their seismic parameters are determined. Time history and damage analyses of a tested 3-storey reinforced concrete frame representing for low-rise reinforced concrete buildings subjected to those earthquake motions are performed after calibration and comparison with the available experimental results. The aim of this paper is to determine amongst several available seismic parameters, the ones that have strong correlations with the structural damage measured by a damage index and the maximum inter-story drift. The results show that Velocity Spectrum Intensity is the leading parameter demonstrating the best correlation, followed by Housner Intensity, Spectral Acceleration and Spectral Displacement. These seismic parameters are recommended as reliable parameters of near-fault pulse-type motions related to damage potential of low-rise reinforced concrete structures. The results also reaffirm that the conventional and widely used parameter of Peak Ground Acceleration does not exhibit a good correlation with the structural damage.

• Journal of Korea Multimedia Society
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.166-175
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• 2022

Digital transformation is driving so many changes in daily life and industry. The automobile industry is in a similar situation. In some cases, element techniques in areas called metabuses are also being adopted, such as 3D animated digital cockpit, around view, and voice AI, etc. Through the growth of the mobile market, the norm of human-computer interaction (HCI) has been evolving from keyboard-mouse interaction to touch screen. The core area was the graphical user interface (GUI), and recently, the audio user interface (AUI) has partially replaced the GUI. Since it is easy to access and intuitive to the user, it is quickly becoming a common area of the in-vehicle experience (IVE), especially. The benefits of a AUI are freeing the driver's eyes and hands, using fewer screens, lower interaction costs, more emotional and personal, effective for people with low vision. Nevertheless, when and where to apply a GUI or AUI are actually different approaches because some information is easier to process as we see it. In other cases, there is potential that AUI is more suitable. This is a study on a proposal to actively apply a AUI in the near future based on the context of various scenes occurring to improve IVE.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.445-460
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• 2021

This study experimentally explored the behaviour of 12 concrete filled steel tube (CFST) and steel tube columns subjected to lateral cyclic loading. The L/D ratio was 12.3 while D/t ratios were 45.4, 37.8 and 32.4, classifying these 12 specimens into 3 groups. Each group included 3 CFST and 1 steel tube columns and were tested to failure. The experimental results indicated that CFST specimens reached the state of 'collapse prevention' (drift 4%) prior to the occurrence of local buckling. Strength degradation of CFST specimens did not occur up to the failure by buckling. This showed the favourable characteristic of CFST columns in preventing collapse of structures subjected to earthquakes. The high energy absorption capability in the post collapse limit state was appropriate for dissipating energy in structures. Compared to steel tube columns, CFST columns delayed local buckling and prevented inward buckling. Consequently, CFST columns exhibited their outstanding seismic performance in terms of the increased ultimate resistance, capacity to sustain 2-3 additional load cycles and significantly higher drift. A simple and reasonably accurate model was proposed to predict the ultimate strength of CFST columns under lateral cyclic loading.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.3473-3477
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• 2013

Background: Primary liver cancer (PLC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and is still associated with high mortality. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma are the two most common PLCs, and their incidence varies across regions. Currently there are no published data available on the incidence of PLC in Brunei Darussalam. Materials and Methods: All proven PLCs between 2000 and 2009 were identified from the National Cancer Registry and reviewed. Metastatic diseases were excluded. A total of 123 cases (male 65.8%, female 34.2%) were identified and their data collected for calculation of the age standardised rate (ASR). Results: The most common type of PLC was HCC (87.8%) followed by cholangiocarcinoma (10.6%). There were two cases of hepatoblastoma. The mean age at diagnosis was 63.2 years. The overall ASR of PLC was 8.2/100,000, increasing from 4.5/100,000 population in 2000 to 11.4/100,000 population in 2009. The rates were higher among males (12.0/100,000) than females (4.7/100,000). Among the ethnic groups, Chinese had the highest rates (overall 13.1/100,000 with none recorded in 2000 to 30.3/100,000 in 2009) compared to the Malays (overall 8.5/100,000 increasing from 4.5/100,000 in 2000 to 12.3/100,000 in 2009) and the indigenous groups. The incidence increased after the age of 50 and was highest among the 75-79 age groups. Increase was seen for HCC but not for cholangiocarcinoma. Conclusions: The most common type of PLC is HCC and the annual incidence of PLC is increasing in Brunei Darussalam,rates being higher in males and Chinese.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.2555-2558
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• 2016

Background: Gastric cancer is the second most common gastrointestinal cancer and is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to late presentation and diagnosis at advanced stages. Studies have reported that a variable proportion of gastric cancer is positive for the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and patients with HER2 positive (HER2 +ve) lesions can benefit from targeted therapy. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of HER2 +ve gastric cancers in Brunei Darussalam, a developing Southeast Asian nation. Materials and Methods: Patients were identified from the Department of Pathology registry and retrospectively reviewed. HER2 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and only those staining 3+were considered positive. Results: Our study included 103 cases (66 males and 37 females) with a mean age of $65.1{\pm}14.8$ years old. There were 14 cases positive for HER2 (10 males and 4 females) giving a prevalence of 13.6%. The HER2 +ve cases were significantly older ($70.6{\pm}19.3$ years old) than the negative cases ($64.2{\pm}13.8$, p=0.041) and had significantly more advanced disease (stages 3 and 4, p=0.026). There were no significant differences in gender distribution, presence of intestinal metaplasia, EBV status, Helicobacter pylori status, tumor location (proximal vs. distal) and degree of tumor differentiation (all p values >0.05). Conclusions: Our study showed that 13.6% of our gastric cancers are positive for HER2, the affected patients being older and having more advanced disease at diagnosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.845-849
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• 2016

Background: Worldwide, the incidence of cancers is increasing and is becoming a major public health issue, including those in the Asia Pacific region. South-East Asia is a region with diverse populations with different disease spectra. This study looked at the spectrum of cancers among South-East Asians working in Brunei Darussalam. Materials and Methods: The cancer registry from 1994 to 2012 maintained by the State Laboratory was retrospectively reviewed. Crude incidence rates were calculated based on the population census of 2010. Results: Altogether, there was a total of 418 cancer cases diagnosed among South-East Asians, giving an incidence of 5.1% (n=418/8,253). The affected nationals in decreasing frequency were Malaysians (53.1%), followed by Filipinos (25.8%), Indonesians (15.3%), Thais (3.8%), Myanmese (1.7%) and Vietnamese (0.2%) with no recorded cases for Singapore and the People's Republic of Laos. The overall mean age of diagnosis was $46.1{\pm}4.2$ years old, with an increasing trend over the years (p<0.05 ANOVA). The overall gender ratio was 42.3:57.7 (male:female), more females among the Filipinos and Indonesians, more males among the Thais, and equal representation among the Malaysians and the Myanmese. The most common were cancers of the digestive system (19.9%), followed by female reproductive/gynecologic system (16.0%), breast (15.6%), hematological/lymphatic (12.0%) and head/neck (8.1%). There were differences in the prevalence of cancers among the various nationalities with highest crude incidence rate among the Myanmese (141.2/100,000), followed by the Malaysian (88.5/100,000), and the Filipinos (40.6/100,000) and the lowest among the Thais (18.4/100,000), Indonesians (10.5/100,000) and the Vietnamese (6.3/100,000). Conclusions: Cancers among South-East Asian residing in Brunei Darussalam accounted for 5.1% of all cancers. The most common cancers were cancers of the digestive, gynecologic/female reproductive system and breast with certain types slowly increasing in proportions. There mean age of diagnoses was increasing.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10489-10493
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• 2015

Background: Gastric cancer is the second most common gastrointestinal cancer and is largely attributed to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. In addition, studies have also shown association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in 10% of gastric cancers. This study assessed the characteristics of EBV associated gastric cancers (EBVaGC) in Brunei Darussalam. Materials and Methods: This study included gastric cancers diagnosed between 2008 and 2012, registered with the Department of Pathology RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam. Clinical case notes were systematically reviewed. Histology specimens were all stained for EBV and also assessed for intestinal metaplasia and H. pylori. Results: There were a total of 81 patients (54 male and 27 females) with a mean age of $65.8{\pm}14.8years$ included in the study. Intestinal metaplasia and active H. pylori infection were detected in 40.7% and 30.9% respectively. A majority of the tumors were proximally located (55.6%), most poorly differentiated (well differentiated 16%, moderately differentiated 30.9% and poorly differentiated 53.1%) and the stages at diagnosis were; stage I (44.4%), stage II (23.5%), stage III (8.6%) and stage IV (23.5%). EBV positivity (EBVaGC) was seen in 30.9%. Between EBVaGC and EBV negative gastric cancers, there were no significant differences (age, gender, ethnic group, presence of Intestinal metaplasia, tumor locations, stages of disease and degree of tumor differentiation). Conclusions: This study showed that a third of gastric cancers in Brunei Darussalam were positive for EBV, higher than what have been reported in the literature. However, there were no significant differences between EBVaGC and EBV negative gastric cancers. This suggests that the role of EBV in gastric cancer may be mostly incidental rather than any causal relation. However, further studies are required.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.4123-4126
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• 2015

Background: Carcinoma of the esophagus is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The most common subtype is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). In the past three decades, the incidence of SCC has been reported to be decreasing whereas esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC) is increasing. This study assessed the trend of esophageal cancer in Brunei Darussalam over a three decades period. Materials and Methods: The National Cancer registry was searched for esophageal cancers from 1986 to 2012. Data on age, gender, racial groups (Malays, Chinese, Indigenous and foreign nationals) and histology type were collected. The rate (ASR) and Age Specific Incidence rate (ASIR) were calculated. Results: The predominant tumor type was SCC which accounted for 89% of all esophageal cancer. The gender ratio was 2.25: 1 (male: female) and the mean age at diagnosis was $66.9{\pm}12.9$ years, significantly younger for esophageal AC ($57.2{\pm}16.0$) compared to SCC ($68.1{\pm}12.0$, p<0.05), and among the foreign nationals (p<0.05 for trend). The proportions of SCC among all esophageal cancers in the various racial groups were: Malays (87.8%), Chinese (100%), Indigenous (100%) and foreign nationals (20%). None of the Chinese and Indigenous groups were diagnosed with esophageal AC. The overall ASR for esophageal cancer was 2.1/100,000; 2.0/100,000 for SCC with a declining trend and 0.17/100,000 for esophageal AC, without any trend observed. Among the two major racial groups; the Chinese has higher ASR (3.42/100,000) compared to the Malays (ASR 0.95/100,000). Conclusions: SCC is the predominant tumor type of esophageal cancer in Brunei Darussalam and more common among the Chinese. There was a declining trend in the incidence of SCC but not for esophageal AC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.9
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• pp.3927-3930
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• 2015

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most common gastrointestinal cancer and the incidence is increasing in many developing countries. While it can be detected early and even prevented through screening and removal of premalignant lesions, there are barriers to screening which include low level of knowledge and awareness of CRC. This study assessed the level of knowledge of CRC in Brunei Darussalam. Materials and Methods: A total of 431 (262 male and 161 female) subjects participated in this questionnaire study. Subjects were scored on their knowledge of signs/symptoms (maximum 10 correct answers) and known risk factors for CRC (maximum 10 correct answers) and were categorised into poor (0-2), moderate (3-4) and satisfactory (5-10). Comparisons were made between the various patient factors. Results: Overall, 54.1% could not name any CRC signs/symptoms or associated risk factors. Most were not aware of any screening modalities. The overall scores for CRC signs/symptoms and risk factors were $1.3{\pm}1.39$ (range 0-6) and $0.6{\pm}1.05$ (range 0-5) respectively. Overall, the breakdown of scores was: poor (78.1%), moderate (20.3%) and satisfactory (6.2%) for signs/symptoms and poor (93.2%), moderate (6.2%) and satisfactory (0.7%) for risk factors. Higher level of education, female gender and non-Malay race were associated with higher scores for both signs/symptoms and knowledge of screening modality; however the overall scores were low. Conclusions: Our study showed that the general knowledge of CRC in Brunei Darussalam is poor. Being female, with higher levels of education and non-Malay race were associated with higher scores, but they were still generally poor. More needs to be done to increase the public knowledge and awareness of CRC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7281-7285
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• 2014

Background: Gastric cancer is the second most common gastrointestinal cancer and is more common in the East, compared to the West. This study assesses the trend of gastric cancers in Brunei Darussalam, a developing nation with a predominantly Malay population. Materials and Methods: The cancer registry from 1986 to 2012 maintained by the Department of Pathology, the only State Laboratory at the RIPAS Hospital, Ministry of Health, was reviewed and data extracted for analyses. The age standardised rate (ASR) and age specific incidence rate were calculated based on the projected population. Cancers diagnosed below 45 years were categorised as young gastric cancer. Results: Over the study period, there were a total of 551 cases of gastric cancer diagnosed. The most common type was adenocarcinoma (87.9%), followed by lymphoma (6.1%) and gastrointestinal stromal tumour (2.8%). The overall mean age at diagnosis was 61.9 years old (range 15 to 98) with an increasing trend observed, but this was not significant (ANOVA). There were differences in the mean age at diagnosis for the different races (p=0.003 for trend), but not the gender (p=0.105). Young gastric cancer accounted for 14.9%, being more common in women, and in Expatriate and Malay populations compared to the Chinese. There was a decrease in the ASR, from 17.3/100,000 in 1986-1990 to 12.5/100,000 in 2006-2010. Chinese had a higher overall ASR (20.2/100,000) compared to the Malays (11.8/100,000). The age specific rates were comparable between men and women until the age group 55-59 years when the rates started to diverge, becoming higher in men. Chinese men had higher rates then Malay men whereas, the rates were higher or comparable between the women until the age group >70 when the rate for Chinese women overtook their Malay counterpart. Conclusions: Our study showed that there is a declining trend in the incidence of gastric cancer and higher rates were observed in men and Chinese.