• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.253-258
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• 2004

Purpose: Chitosan has been studied as a non-viral gene delivery vector, drug delivery carrier, metal chelator, food additive, and radiopharmaceutical, among other things. Recently, galactose-graft chitosan was studied as a non-viral gene and drug delivery vector to target hepatocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of nuclear imaging for in vivo evaluation of targeting the hepatocyte by galactose grafting. Methods and Materials: Galactosyl methylated chitosan (GMC) was produced by methylation to lactobionic acid coupled chitosan. Cytotoxicity of $^{99m}Tc$-GMC was determined by MTT assay. Rabbits were injected via their auricular vein with $^{99m}Tc$-GMC and $^{99m}Tc$-methylated chitosan (MC), the latter of which does not contain a galactose group, and images were acquired with a gamma camera equipped with a parallel hole collimator. The composition of the galactose group in galactosylated chitosan (GC), as well as the tri-, di-, or mono-methylation of GMC, was confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. Results: The results of MTT assay indicated that $^{99m}Tc$-GMC was non-toxic. $^{99m}Tc$-GMC specifically accumulated in the liver within 10 minutes of injection and maintained high hepatic uptake. In contrast, $^{99m}Tc$-MC showed faint liver uptake. $^{99m}Tc$-GMC scintigraphy of rabbits showed that the galactose ligand principally targeted the liver while the chitosan functionalities led to excretion through the urinary system. Conclusion: Bioconjugation with a specific ligand endows some degree of targetability to an administered molecule or drug, as in the case of galactose for hepatocyte in vivo, and evaluating said targetabililty is a clear example of the great benefit proffered by nuclear imaging.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea CI
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• v.44 no.2 s.314
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• pp.37-46
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• 2007

In this paper, we propose technologies for enhancing the immersive realization of virtual objects in AR-based product design. Generally, multimodal senses such as visual/auditory/tactile feedback are well known as a method for enhancing the immersion in case of interaction with virtual objects. By adapting tangible objects we can provide touch sensation to users. A 3D model of the same scale overlays the whole area of the tangible object so the marker area is invisible. This contributes to enhancing immersion. Also, the hand occlusion problem when the virtual objects overlay the user's hands is partially solved, providing more immersive and natural images to users. Finally, multimodal feedback also creates better immersion. In our work, both vibrotactile feedback through page motors, pneumatic tactile feedback, and sound feedback are considered. In our scenario, a game-phone model is selected, by way of proposed augmented vibrotactile feedback, hands occlusion-reduced visual effects and sound feedback are provided to users. These proposed methodologies will contribute to a better immersive realization of the conventional AR system.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.144-151
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• 2019

The establishment rate of foxtail millet seeds is greatly affected by soil environment conditions. To enhance germination viability and stable production of foxtail millet seeds, it is important to select seeds with a high density. Therefore, this study tested the selection of high-quality seeds using salt solution (specific gravity: 1.000, 1.005, 1.010, 1.015, 1.020, 1.025, 1.030, 1.035, and $1.040g\;L^{-1}$) and investigated their germination rates, percentages of emergence, and seeding quality. In this study, three varieties were tested: 'Hwanggeum', 'Samdachal', and 'Kyeongkwan1'. The thousand seed weight of all three varieties increased proportionally with specific gravity. The highest thousand seed weight was observed at the selection with $1.040g\;L^{-1}$ specific gravity, which also had the highest germination rate of 88.3%, 86.7%, and 90.6%, for 'Hwanggeum'; 'Samdachal'; and 'Kyeongkwan1', respectively. The results of seeding quality indicated that higher the specific gravity during selection, the higher were the values of plant growth (plant height, leaf length, stem diameter, root length, root weight, and stem weight). All the three varieties were found to be longer or heavier for seeds selected at the specific gravity of $1.040g\;L^{-1}$. The packing germination viability investigation found that higher the specific gravity for selection of seeds, the higher was the percentage of emergence (PE) and the emergence rate index (ERI). The PE was the highest for seeds selected at $1.040g\;L^{-1}$ specific gravity (85.3, 83.0, and 87.0%), and ERI was also as high as $2.82d^{-1}\;m^{-1}$ or more at $1.040g\;L^{-1}$. Selection of seeds with salt solution resulted in high germination viability of foxtail millet. Therefore, sowing seeds selected at $1.040g\;L^{-1}$ specific gravity is expected to help substantially in increased productivity.