Time Resolved Studies of a Pulsed Hollow Cathode Capillary Discharge

Experimental studies on a fast pulsed capillary discharge are presented. The discharge operates in a 0.8 mm inner diameter capillary, at 12 kV applied voltage. On axis discharge initiation is achieved by means of the hollow cathode effect. A short, less than 10 ns, XUV pulse is produced. Preliminary time resolved spectroscopic studies indicate that a hot, fast evolving short duration capillary plasma is produced.     

Estimation of hydrodynamic coefficients for an AUV using nonlinear observers

Hydrodynamic coefficients strongly affect the dynamic performance of an autonomous underwater vehicle. Although these coefficients are generally obtained experimentally such as through the planar-motion-mechanism (PMM) test, the measured values are not completely reliable because of experimental difficulties and errors involved. Another approach by which these coefficients can be obtained is the observer method, in which a model-based estimation algorithm predicts the coefficients. In this paper, the hydrodynamic coefficients are estimated using two nonlinear observers - a sliding mode observer and an extended Kalman filter. Their performances are evaluated by comparing the estimated coefficients obtained from the two observer methods with the values as determined from the PMM test. By using the estimated coefficients, a sliding mode controller is constructed for the diving and steering maneuver. It is demonstrated that the controller with the estimated values maintains the desired depth and path with sufficient accuracy.     

High-frequency bistatic sea-floor scattering from sandy ripple bottom

To obtain the bistatic scattering function on the sandy ripple bottom, high-frequency bistatic sea-floor scattering measurements were made in the shallow waters off the east coast of Korea. A sand ripple field was present at the site, with wavelength generally in the 10-20-cm range. The mean ripple orientation relative to the direction of wave propagation was estimated to be roughly 20/spl deg/-30/spl deg/. Field experiments were made to measure forward (in-plane) and out-of-plane scattering from the ripple bottom. The measured scattering strengths were compared to the predictions of the APL-UW bistatic scattering model. Overall, forward-scattering strength measurements showed favorable comparison with the model predictions. The global scattering characteristics for the ripple bottom gave an augmented out-of-plane scattering.     

Direct flows from the Ulleung Basin into the Yamato Basin in the East/Japan Sea

Using the trajectories of ARGO floats, we report direct flows from the Ulleung Basin into the Yamato Basin through a gap between the Oki Spur and the Yamato Rise over the southern part of the East/Japan Sea. The gap is subdivided into two narrow (northern and southern) passages by a seamount located in the middle. The flows, therefore, are narrow and this explains why this flow was not reported earlier. More than half of the 25 ARGO floats, which operated around the gap, drifted through the gap or area near it. The strength of the throughflow estimated using the trajectories of the floats at parking depth is comparable to the mean deep flow found over the southwestern part of the East/Japan Sea. A high resolution regional ocean model whose overall circulation pattern over the Ulleung Basin is consistent with those from previous studies shows that the flow through the gap is supplied mainly by eastward flows crossing the mouth of the basin, and secondarily by the cyclonic circulation following the outer perimeter of the basin. Thus the throughflow is an important component of the deep circulation over the southern East/Japan Sea, and the narrow gap, where the flow is well confined, would be a good place to study the deep circulation.     

Inter-comparison of the infrared channels of the meteorological imager onboard COMS and hyperspectral IASI data

The successful launch and commissioning of the first geostationary meteorological satellite of Korea has the potential to enhance earth observation capability over the Asia Pacific region. Although the specifications of the payload, the meteorological imager(MI), have been verified during both ground and in-orbit tests, there is the possibility of variation and/or degradation of data quality due to many different reasons, such as the accumulation of contaminants, the aging of instrument components, and unexpected external disturbance. Thus, for better utilization of MI data, it is imperative to continuously monitor and maintain the data quality. As a part of such activity, this study presents an inter-calibration, based on the Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System(GSICS), between the MI data and the high quality hyperspectral data from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer(IASI) of the Metop-A satellite. Both sets of data, acquired for three years from April 2011 to March 2014, are processed to prepare the matchup dataset, which is spatially collocated, temporally concurrent,angularly coincident, and spectrally comparable. The results show that the MI data are stable within the specifications and show no significant degradation during the study period. However, the water vapor channel shows a rather large bias value of-0.77 K, with a root-mean-square difference(RMSD) of around 1.1 K, which is thought to be due to the shift in the spectral response function. The shortwave channel shows a maximum RMSD of around 1.39 K, mainly due to the coarse digitization at the lower temperature. The inter-comparison results are re-checked through a sensitivity analysis with different sets of threshold values used for the matchup dataset. Based on this, we confirm that the overall quality of the MI data meets the user requirements and maintains the expected performance, although the water vapor channel requires further investigation.     

First report on the occurrence of the comb pen shell,Atrina pectinata (Linnaeus, 1767) (Bivalvia: Pinnidae) in Ulleungdo Island in the East Sea: Ecology and molecular identification of the species using COI gene sequence

Pen shell is one of the largest marine bivalves inhabiting shallow subtidal soft bottoms in the west Pacific and Indian Oceans. In Korea, the comb pen shell Atrina pectinata fisheries has been established on the south and west coasts. Recently, a pen shell population has been discovered from a subtidal sand flat (25–30 m depth) in Ulleungdo Island located in the East Sea of Korea, suggesting a potential shellfish resource in this area. In the present study, we first surveyed the population density and size of the unique pen shell using SCUBA, and identified the pen shell to species level using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) sequence. An underwater survey carried out from July to September 2013 revealed that populations of pen shell patched on subtidal sand flat at a depth of 20–25 m. Grain size analysis indicated that sand particles accounted for 99% of the 600 × 700 m sand flat. The underwater survey also indicated that density of the pen shell ranged between 6–19 ind/m², with a mean of 11 ind/m². Shell height (i.e. longest axis of the shell) of the pen shell on the sand flat varied between 17.2 cm to 28.8 cm, with a mean of 25.1 cm, and the age was estimated to range between 1.5–7.5 yrs, with a mean of 5 yr. COI DNA sequence obtained from the pen shell in this study showed 98.9–99.2% similarity to Atrina pectinata (Linnaeus 1767) reported from Japan. In the cluster analysis, the COI DNA sequence of the pen shells from Ulleungdo Island was grouped with A. pectinata reported from Japan and China, indicating that the pen shell discovered in this study was A. pectinata, commonly distributed on the west and south coasts of Korea.     

Regional planning and citizen participation in South Korea: The case of Chungbook Province

Regional planning in Korea has seldom been influenced by the demands and pressures of interested groups or citizens. To remedy this and open up the planning process to citizen participation, the Korean government developed the Regional Development Regulations of 1981. This mechanism directs regional development planning and citizen participation in it.The experience of the Chungbook Regional Development Plan (1981–1982) is characteristic of the present process of citizen participation in planning in Korea. The methods of insuring citizen participation are fourfold: the citizen advisory committee, the survey of citizens' opinions, the study conference, and the public hearing. Nonetheless, both planners and citizens often assess the participatory elements as being unsatisfactory.Citizen participation in the planning process in Korea can be improved. Specific measures include the addition of a pre-plan phase to the current regional planning process. This phase would require widespread publicity informing citizens of the opportunity to participate in the planning process and improved mechanisms to elicit from citizens their views on the key issues of the regional plan before the decision making phase begins. Finally, the government needs to develop a long-term approach to improving citizen participation in the regional planning process. This should involve the development of training programs that advocate a bottom-up approach to planning based on grassroots citizen participation.     

Groutability of cement‐based grout with consideration of viscosity and filtration phenomenon

The groutability depends on the properties of the grout, its injection processes, and on the mechanical properties of the soil formation. During the process of pouring cement‐based grouting into a porous medium, a variation with time occurs in the viscosity of grout suspension. In addition, the particle filtration phenomenon will limit the expansion of the grouted zone because cement particles are progressively stagnant within the soil matrix. In this paper, a closed‐form solution was derived by implementing the mass balance equations and the generalized phenomenological filtration law, which can be used to evaluate the deposition of cement‐based grout in the soil matrix. The closed‐form solution relevant to a particular spherical flow was modified by a step‐wise numerical calculation, considering the variable viscosity caused by a chemical reaction, and the decrease in porosity resulting from grout particle deposition in the soil pores. A series of pilot‐scale chamber injection tests was performed to verify that the developed step‐wise numerical calculation is able to evaluate the injectable volume of grout and the deposition of grout particles. The results of the chamber injection tests concurred well with that of the step‐wise numerical calculation. Based on the filtration phenomenon, a viable approach for estimating the groutability of cement‐based grout in a porous medium was also suggested, which might facilitate a new insight in the design of the grouting process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.