• International conference on construction engineering and project management
• /
• 2007.03a
• /
• pp.800-809
• /
• 2007

Current payment methods have many faults which are detrimental to the formation and completion of a project. This includes the use of unfair payment terms, pricing strategies and payment mechanisms between the contracting parties. This resulted in being criticised and remain in doubt, the use of current payment methods to reward good contractors and to distinguish poorly performed construction firms. In order to have an insight into this issue, a structured survey was conducted amongst UK construction practitioners. It was found that traditional pricing methods (i.e. lump sum and unit price), payment methods (i.e. interim valuation) and retention still dominate current practice. The empirical findings show that there are significant differences in the use of pricing and payment methods (when making and receiving payments) in construction. Significant differences also found in the factors affecting the choice of pricing methods when making (and receiving) construction payments. The paper concludes with analysis of the findings and future direction of research in payment systems is also provided.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.230-237
• /
• 2020

In this part, an implicit time dependent solution is presented for the Boltzmann transport equation discretized by the analytic coarse mesh finite difference method (ACMFD) over the spatial domain as well as the simplified P₃ (SP₃) for the angular variable. In the first part of this work we proposed a SP₃-ACMFD approach to solve the static eigenvalue equations which provide the initial conditions for temp dependent equations. Having solved the 3D multi-group SP₃-ACMFD static equations, an implicit approach is resorted to ensure stability of time steps. An exponential behavior is assumed in transverse integrated equations to establish a relationship between flux moments and currents. Also, analytic integration is benefited for the time-dependent solution of precursor concentration equations. Finally, a multi-channel one-phase thermal hydraulic model is coupled to the proposed methodology. Transient equations are then solved at each step using the GMRES technique. To show the sufficiency of proposed transient SP₃-ACMFD approximation for a full core analysis, a comparison is made using transport peers as the reference. To further demonstrate superiority, results are compared with a 3D multi-group transient diffusion solver developed as a byproduct of this work. Outcomes confirm that the idea can be considered as an economic interim approach which is superior to the diffusion approximation, and comparable with transport in results.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.25 no.7
• /
• pp.1029-1042
• /
• 2016

The initial and boundary conditions are important factors in regional chemical transport modeling systems. The method of generating the chemical boundary conditions for regional air quality models tends to be different from the dynamically varying boundary conditions in global chemical transport models. In this study, the impact of real time Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service (CAMS) re-analysis data from the modeling atmospheric composition and climate project interim implementation (MACC) on the regional air quality in the Korean Peninsula was carried out using the community multi-scale air quality modeling system (CMAQ). A comparison between conventional global data and CAMS for numerical assessments was also conducted. Although the horizontal resolution of the CAMS re-analysis data is not higher than the conventionally provided data, the simulated particulate matter (PM) concentrations with boundary conditions for CAMS re-analysis is more reasonable than any other data, and the estimation accuracy over the entire Korean peninsula, including the Seoul and Daegu metropolitan areas, was improved. Although an inland area such as the Daegu metropolitan area often has large uncertainty in PM prediction, the level of improvement in the prediction for the Daegu metropolitan area is higher than in the coastal area of the western part of the Korean peninsula.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.21-32
• /
• 2017

Purpose: Perioperative chemotherapy improves survival outcomes in locally advanced (LA) gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with LA gastric cancer who were offered perioperative chemotherapy consisting of epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (EOX) from May 2013 to December 2015 at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. Results: Among the 268 consecutive patients in our study, 260 patients (97.0%) completed neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 200 patients (74.6%) underwent D2 lymphadenectomy, and 178 patients (66.4%) completed adjuvant chemotherapy. The median follow-up period was 17 months. For the entire cohort, the median overall survival (OS), 3-year OS rate, median progression-free survival (PFS), and 3-year PFS rate were 37 months, 64.4%, 31 months, and 40%, respectively. PFS and OS were significantly inferior in patients who presented with features of obstruction than in those who did not (P=0.0001). There was no difference in survival with respect to tumor histology (well to moderately differentiated vs. poorly differentiated, signet ring vs. non-signet ring histology) or location (proximal vs. distal). Survival was prolonged in patients with an early pathological T stage and a pathological node-negative status. In a multivariate analysis, postoperative pathological nodal status and gastric outlet obstruction on presentation significantly correlated with survival. Conclusions: EOX chemotherapy with curative resection and D2 lymphadenectomy is a suggested alternative to the existing perioperative regimens. The acceptable postoperative complication rate and relatively high resections, chemotherapy completion, and survival rates obtained in this study require further evaluation and validation in a clinical trial.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.80 no.1
• /
• pp.52-59
• /
• 2017

Background: Inhaled indacaterol (Onbrez Breezhaler), a long-acting ${\beta}_2$-agonist, is approved in over 100 countries, including South Korea, as a once-daily bronchodilator for maintenance and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here, we present an interim analysis of a post-marketing surveillance study conducted to evaluate the real-world safety and effectiveness of indacaterol in the Korean population. Methods: This was an open-label, observational, prospective study in which COPD patients, who were newly prescribed with indacaterol (150 or $300{\mu}g$), were evaluated for 12 or 24 weeks. Safety was assessed based on the incidence rates of adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). Effectiveness was evaluated based on physician's assessment by considering changes in symptoms and lung function, if the values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second were available. Results: Safety data were analyzed in 1,016 patients of the 1,043 enrolled COPD patients receiving indacaterol, and 784 patients were included for the effectiveness analysis. AEs were reported in 228 (22.44%) patients, while 98 (9.65%) patients reported SAEs. The COPD condition improved in 348 patients (44.4%), while the condition was maintained in 396 patients (50.5%), and only 40 patients (5.1%) exhibited worsening of ailment as compared with baseline. During the treatment period, 90 patients were hospitalized while nine patients died. All deaths were assessed to be not related to the study drug by the investigator. Conclusion: In real-life clinical practice in South Korea, indacaterol was well tolerated in COPD patients, and can be regarded as an effective option for their maintenance treatment.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.4 no.1 s.11
• /
• pp.123-134
• /
• 2002

Special pavement test sections were selected to develop a distress prediction model on asphalt pavement of National Highway. Experimental design was conducted for the selection of LTPP sections on in-service pavement(new and overlaid pavement) using several variables affecting pavement performance. Preliminary sections that satisfied the design template were chosen from the national highway database, and final selection was fixed through field inspection. The number of monitoring section is 95 including 47 overlaid pavement. A pavement distress data such as crack and rutting were collected for two years. An interim pavement performance analysis was peformed to show feasibility of performance monitoring program. Data related pavement such as traffic, weather, material characteristic and crack etc. should be collected for next project years and distress prediction model will be developed through the statistical analysis.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.113-126
• /
• 2017

PURPOSES : This study proposes standards for rural access road pavement section and thickness design considering existing access road construction conditions; the study also proposes a complementary policy that can be used for design convenience. METHODS : Various literature review and case studies had been performed in terms of rural access road section and thickness design, both domestically and internationally, and this was followed by domestic rural access road field surveys. KPRP and KENLAYER were used to analyze the commonalities and predict the remaining life. Data on real cost is used to select an appropriate construction method through economic analysis. RESULTS : The economic efficiency of concrete pavement ($15{\times}15$) was the highest in terms of economic efficiency of performance life and traffic volume. In the case of asphalt pavement, it is considered that the most economical method is to implement micro-surfacing method four times as a preventive maintenance method (once every 10 years and 4.5 years for asphalt concrete pavement and MS construction method, respectively). Repairable asphalt pavement is advantageous for areas where heavy vehicles are expected to pass. In the case of other general areas, it is considered economical to place concrete ($15{\times}15$) pavement. However, as analytical results on its performance life are unavailable, it is to be considered for study in the future. CONCLUSIONS : This study proposed interim design guidelines based on various domestic and international design guidelines and case studies. However, in order to develop the final design criteria applicable to the field, it is necessary to (a) estimate the bearing capacity of the lower level of the pavement at various sites, (b) estimate the daily traffic volume, (c) implement advanced low-cost pavement technologies, and (d) propose maintenance standards and techniques for long-term performance.

• Atmosphere
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.301-319
• /
• 2016

The evolutionary process of the polar low, which caused the heavy snowfall in the East Coast area on 11~12 February 2011, was investigated to describe in detail using synoptic weather charts, satellite imageries, and ERA (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis) -Interim reanalysis data. It was revealed that 1) the polar low was generated over the sea near Busan where a large cyclonic shear in the inverted trough branched from the parent low existed, 2) during the developing and mature stages, there was a convectively unstable region in the lower layer around the polar low and its south side, 3) the polar low was developed in the region where the static stability in the 500~850 hPa layer was the lowest, 4) the result from the budget analysis of the vorticity equation indicated that the increase in the vorticity at the lower atmosphere, where the polar low was located, was dominated mainly by the stretching term, 5) the warm core structure of the polar low was identified in the surface-700 hPa layer during the mature stage, 6) there was a close inverse relationship between a development of the polar low and the height of the dynamic tropopause over the polar low, and 7) for generation and development of the polar low, large-scale circulation systems, such as upper cold low and its combined short wave trough, major low (parent low), and polar air outbreak, should be presented, indicating that the polar low has the nature of the baroclinic disturbance.

• Journal of Climate Change Research
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.209-221
• /
• 2018

The characteristics of heat wave events in Seoul are analyzed using weather station data from Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) ERA-Interim reanalysis data from 1979 to 2016. Heat waves are defined as events in the upper 10th percentile of the daily maximum temperatures. The associated synoptic weather patterns are then classified into six clusters through Self-Organizing Map (SOM) analysis for sea-level pressure anomalies in East Asia. Cluster 1 shows an anti-cyclonic circulation and weak troughs in southeast and west of Korea, respectively. This synoptic pattern leads to southeasterly winds that advect warm and moist air to the Korean Peninsula. Both clusters 2 and 3 are associated with southerly winds formed by an anti-cyclonic circulation over the east of Korea and cyclonic circulation over the west of Korea. Cluster 4 shows a stagnant weather pattern with weak winds and strong insolation. Clusters 5 and 6 are associated with F?hn wind resulting from an anti-cyclonic circulation in the north of the Korean Peninsula. In terms of long-term variations, event frequencies of clusters 4 and 5 show increasing and decreasing trends, respectively. However, other clusters do not show any long-term trends, indicating that the mechanisms that drive heat wave events in Seoul have remained constant over the last four decades.

• The Journal of Sustainable Design and Educational Environment Research
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.22-30
• /
• 2021

According to the OECD's interim report on Korean education analysis held in 2020, the presenter, Andreas Schleicher, director of education for the OECD, said, "Korean students show a lot of fear, anxiety and nervousness about failure", referring to how Korean students feel anxious even if their test scores are good. It is a simple example, but as mentioned in a recent education announcement, it is a common sight among Korean students, and it is easily experienced while receiving education. As Korea has a high level of interest and enthusiasm for nurturing human resources, various methods must be considered and studied, and solutions to current problems, improvements, and directions for development is encouraged to be presented. This paper considered the methods for innovation of a learning space to improve the quality of school education, and systematically analyzed and organized the effects and impacts of providing a green environment among the methods and means. It is hoped that this study can serve as a small solution and play its role in solving the social problems of complex aspects of students presented previously.