• 한국정보디스플레이학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 2008.10a
• /
• pp.985-988
• /
• 2008

Metal induced crystallization of a-Si with a source of Ni/Si oxide was studied. Its mechanism to induce crystallization was discussed. It was found that new source behaves an effect of self-released nickel and reducing nickel residua, so can provide a wider process tolerance; improve the uniformity and stability of TFTs.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.1-14
• /
• 2009

Hong Kong is now recognized as an area of moderate seismic hazard, but most of the buildings have been designed with no seismic provision. It is of great significance to develop effective and practical measures to retrofit existing buildings against moderate seismic attacks. Researches show that beam-column joints are critical structural elements to be retrofitted for seismic resistance for reinforced concrete frame structures. This paper explores the possibility of using a Hydraulic Displacement Amplification Damping System (HDADS), which can be easily installed at the exterior of beam-column joints, to prevent structural damage against moderate seismic attacks. A series of shaking table tests were carried out with a 1/3 prototype steel frame have been carried out to assess the performance of the HDADS. A Numerical model representing the HDADS is developed. It is also used in numerical simulation of the shaking table tests. The numerical model of the HDADS and the numerical simulation of the shaking table tests are verified by experimental results.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.18
• /
• pp.7679-7686
• /
• 2014

Background: This study aimed to seek insights into Chinese women's lay beliefs about cervical cancer causal attributions and prevention. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three new immigrant adult women from Mainland China and thirty-five Hong Kong adult women underwent semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviews were audio taped, transcribed and analyzed using a Grounded Theory approach. Results: This study generated three foci: causal beliefs about cervical cancer, perceived risk of cervical cancer, and beliefs about cervical cancer prevention. Personal risky practices, contaminated food and environment pollution were perceived as the primary causes of cervical cancer. New immigrant women more likely attributed cervical cancer to external factors. Most participants perceived cervical cancer as an important common fatal female cancer with increased risk/prevalence. Many participants, particularly new immigrant women participants, expressed helplessness about cervical cancer prevention due to lack of knowledge of prevention, it being perceived as beyond individual control. Many new immigrant participants had never undergone regular cervical screening while almost all Hong Kong participants had done so. Conclusions: Some Chinese women hold pessimistic beliefs about cervical cancer prevention with inadequate knowledge about risk factors. Future cervical cancer prevention programs should provide more information and include capacity building to increase Chinese women's knowledge and self-efficacy towards cervical cancer prevention.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.317-334
• /
• 2008

Seismic performance of coupling beams not designed for ductility is examined. Eight 1:4 scale coupling beam specimens, with seven reinforced concrete sections and one composite section, were tested under cycles of push-pull action. Characteristics of the specimens include moderate shear span ratio in the range of 2.5-3.5, high main reinforcement ratio at 3-4% and small to large stirrup spacing with 90- degree hooks. All the reinforced concrete specimens failed in a brittle manner. Displacement ductility of specimens with large stirrup spacing (${\geq}$140 mm) is in the range of 3 to 5. Seismic performance of the specimens is also examined using the ultimate drift angle and the amount of energy dissipated. Correlating the test data, an empirical relationship is proposed to estimate the ultimate drift angle of a class of coupling beams considered in the study not designed for ductility.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.107-121
• /
• 2005

The suboptimal control rule is introduced in structural control implementation as an alternative over the optimal control because the optimal control may require large amount of processing time when applied to complex structural control problems. It is well known that any time delay in structural control implementation will cause un-synchronized application of the control forces, which not only reduce the effectiveness of an active control system, but also cause instability of the control system. The effect of time delay on the displacement and acceleration responses of building structures is studied when the suboptimal control rule is adopted. Two examples are given to show the effectiveness of the suboptimal control rule. It is shown through the examples that the present method is easy in implementation and high in efficiency and it can significantly reduce the time delay in structural control implementation without significant loss of performance.

• Earthquakes and Structures
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.1017-1038
• /
• 2015

This paper presents a strengthening method that involves the use of ferrocement jackets and chamfers to relocate plastic hinge for non-seismically designed reinforced concrete exterior beam-column joints. An experimental study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the proposed strengthening method. Four half-scale beam-column joints, including one control specimen and three strengthened specimens, were prepared and tested under quasi-static cyclic loading. Strengthening schemes include ferrocement jackets with or without skeleton reinforcements and one or two chamfers. Experimental results have indicated that the proposed strengthening method is effective to move plastic hinge from the joint to the beam and enhance seismic performance of beam-column joints. Shear stress and distortion within the joint region are also reduced significantly in strengthened specimens. Skeleton reinforcements in ferrocement provide limited improvement, except on crack control. Specimen strengthened by ferrocement jackets with one chamfer exhibits slight decrease in peak strength and energy dissipation but with increase in ductility as compared with that of two chamfers. Finally, a method for estimating moment capacity at beam-column interface for strengthened specimen is developed. The proposed method gives reasonable prediction and can ensure formation of plastic hinge at predetermined location in the beam.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.303-315
• /
• 2022

The degradation of wheel tread may result in serious hazards in the railway operation system. Therefore, timely wheel defect diagnosis of in-service trains to avoid tragic events is of particular importance. The focus of this study is to develop a novel wheel defect detection approach based on the relevance vector machine (RVM) which enables online detection of potentially defective wheels with trackside monitoring data acquired under different running-speed conditions. With the dynamic strain responses collected by a trackside monitoring system, the cumulative Fourier amplitudes (CFA) characterizing the effect of individual wheels are extracted to formulate multiple probabilistic regression models (MPRMs) in terms of multi-kernel RVM, which accommodate both variables of vibration frequency and running speed. Compared with the general single-kernel RVM-based model, the proposed multi-kernel MPRM approach bears better local and global representation ability and generalization performance, which are prerequisite for reliable wheel defect detection by means of data acquired under different running-speed conditions. After formulating the MPRMs, we adopt a Bayesian null hypothesis indicator for wheel defect identification and quantification, and the proposed method is demonstrated by utilizing real-world monitoring data acquired by an FBG-based trackside monitoring system deployed on a high-speed trial railway. The results testify the validity of the proposed method for wheel defect detection under different running-speed conditions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.705-713
• /
• 2018

High-speed rail (HSR) has been in operation and development in many countries worldwide. The explosive growth of HSR has posed great challenges for operation safety and ride comfort. Among various technological demands on high-speed trains, vibration is an inevitable problem caused by rail/wheel imperfections, vehicle dynamics, and aerodynamic instability. Ride comfort is a key factor in evaluating the operational performance of high-speed trains. In this study, online monitoring data have been acquired from an in-service high-speed train for condition assessment. The measured dynamic response signals at the floor level of a train cabin are processed by the Sperling operator, in which the ride comfort index sequence is used to identify the train's operation condition. In addition, a novel technique that incorporates salient features of Bayesian inference and time series analysis is proposed for outlier detection and change detection. The Bayesian forecasting approach enables the prediction of conditional probabilities. By integrating the Bayesian forecasting approach with time series analysis, one-step forecasting probability density functions (PDFs) can be obtained before proceeding to the next observation. The change detection is conducted by comparing the current model and the alternative model (whose mean value is shifted by a prescribed offset) to determine which one can well fit the actual observation. When the comparison results indicate that the alternative model performs better, then a potential change is detected. If the current observation is a potential outlier or change, Bayes factor and cumulative Bayes factor are derived for further identification. A significant change, if identified, implies that there is a great alteration in the train operation performance due to defects. In this study, two illustrative cases are provided to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method for condition assessment of high-speed trains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Navigation and Port Research Conference
• /
• v.1
• /
• pp.179-184
• /
• 2006

Rapid and high-precision positioning with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is feasible only when very precise carrier-phase observations can be used. There are two kinds of mathematical models for ambiguity resolution. The first one is based on both pseudorange and carrier phase measurements, and the observation equations are of full rank. The second one is only based on carrier phase measurement, which is a rank-defect model. Though the former is more commonly used, the latter has its own advantage, that is, ambiguity resolution will be freed from the effects of pseudorange multipath. Galileo will be operational. One of the important differences between Galileo and current GPS is that Galileo will provide signals in four frequency bands. With more carrier-phase data available, frequency combinations with long equivalent wavelength can be formed, so Galileo will provide more opportunities for fast and reliable ambiguity resolution than current GPS. This paper tries to investigate phase only fast ambiguity resolution performance with four Galileo frequencies for short baseline. Cascading Ambiguity Resolution (CAR) method with selected optimal frequency combinations and LAMBDA method are used and compared. To validate the resolution, two tests are used and compared. The first one is a ratio test. The second one is lower bound success-rate test. The simulation test results show that, with LAMBDA method, whether with ratio test or lower bound success rate validation criteria, ambiguity can be fixed in several seconds, 8 seconds at most even when 1 sigma of carrier phase noise is 12 mm. While with CAR method, at least about half minute is required even when 1 sigma of carrier phase noise is 3 mm. It shows that LAMBDA method performs obviously better than CAR method.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.499-518
• /
• 2013

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets have been widely used as an effective tool for the strengthening and rehabilitation of concrete structures, especially damaged concrete columns. Therefore, a clear understanding of the compressive behavior of FRP-confined concrete is essential. The objective of this paper is to develop a simple efficient method for predicting the compressive strength, the axial strain at the peak stress, and the stress-strain relationship of FRP-confined concrete. In this method, a compressive strength model is established based on Jefferson's failure surface. With the proposed strength model, the strength of FRP-confined concrete can be estimated more precisely. The axial strain at the peak stress is then evaluated using a damage-based formula. Finally, a modified stress-strain relationship is derived based on Lam and Teng's model. The validity of the proposed compressive strength and strain models and the modified stress-strain relationship is verified with a wide range of experimental results collected from the research literature and obtained from the self-conducted test. It can be concluded that, as a competitive alternative, the proposed method can be used to predict the compressive behavior of FRP-confined concrete with reasonable accuracy.