• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.123-131
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• 2020

Purpose: Joint label fusion (JLF) is a popular multi-atlas-based segmentation algorithm, which compensates for dependent errors that may exist between atlases. However, in order to get good segmentation results, it is very important to set the several free parameters of the algorithm to optimal values. In this study, we first investigate the feasibility of a JLF algorithm for prostate segmentation in MR images, and then suggest the optimal set of parameters for the automatic prostate segmentation by validating the results of each parameter combination. Materials and Methods: We acquired T2-weighted prostate MR images from 20 normal heathy volunteers and did a series of cross validations for every set of parameters of JLF. In each case, the atlases were rigidly registered for the target image. Then, we calculated their voting weights for label fusion from each combination of JLF's parameters (r_pxy, r_pz, r_sxy, r_sz, β). We evaluated the segmentation performances by five validation metrics of the Prostate MR Image Segmentation challenge. Results: As the number of voxels participating in the voting weight calculation and the number of referenced atlases is increased, the overall segmentation performance is gradually improved. The JLF algorithm showed the best results for dice similarity coefficient, 0.8495 ± 0.0392; relative volume difference, 15.2353 ± 17.2350; absolute relative volume difference, 18.8710 ± 13.1546; 95% Hausdorff distance, 7.2366 ± 1.8502; and average boundary distance, 2.2107 ± 0.4972; in parameters of r_pxy = 10, r_pz = 1, r_sxy = 3, r_sz = 1, and β = 3. Conclusion: The evaluated results showed the feasibility of the JLF algorithm for automatic segmentation of prostate MRI. This empirical analysis of segmentation results by label fusion allows for the appropriate setting of parameters.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to describe a radiofrequency (RF) coil design for in vivo sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for use in small animals. Accumulating evidence has indicated the importance and potential of sodium imaging with improved magnet strength (> 7T), faster gradient, better hardware, multi-nucleus imaging methods, and optimal coil design for patient and animal studies. Thus, we developed a saddle-shaped sodium volume coil with a diameter/length of 30/30 mm. To evaluate the efficiency of this coil, bench-level measurement was performed. Unloaded Q value, loaded Q value, and ratio of these two values were estimated to be 352.8, 211.18, and 1.67, respectively. Thereafter, in vivo acquisition of sodium images was performed using normal mice (12 weeks old; n = 5) with a two-dimensional gradient echo sequence and minimized echo time to increase spatial resolution of images. Sodium signal-to-noise ratio in mouse kidneys (renal cortex, medulla, and pelvis) was measured. We successfully acquired sodium MR images of the mouse kidney with high spatial resolution (approximately 0.625 mm) through a combination of sodium-proton coils.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.100-113
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• 2019

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease characterized by noncaseating granulomas. Cardiac involvement is known to have poor prognosis because it can manifest as a serious condition such as the conduction abnormality, heart failure, ventricular arrhythmia, or sudden cardiac death. Although early diagnosis and early treatment is critical to improve patient prognosis, the diagnosis of CS is challenging in most cases. Diagnosis usually relies on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), but its diagnostic yield is low due to the incidence of patchy myocardial involvement. Guidelines for the diagnosis of CS recommend a combination of clinical, electrocardiographic, and imaging findings from various modalities, if EMB cannot confirm the diagnosis. Especially, the role of advanced imaging such as cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging and positron emission tomography (PET), has shown to be important not only for the diagnosis, but also for monitoring treatment response and prognostication. CMR can evaluate cardiac function and fibrotic scar with good specificity. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in CMR shows a distinctive enhancement pattern for each disease, which may be useful for differential diagnosis of CS from other similar diseases. Effectively, T1 or T2 mapping techniques can be also used for early recognition of CS. In the meantime, PET can detect and quantify metabolic activity and can be used to monitor treatment response. Recently, the use of a hybrid CMR-PET has introduced to allow identify patients with active CS with excellent co-localization and better diagnostic accuracy than CMR or PET alone. However, CS may show various findings with a wide spectrum, therefore, radiologists should consider the possible differential diagnosis of CS including myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, amyloidosis, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Radiologists should recognize the differences in various diseases that show the characteristics of mimicking CS, and try to get an accurate diagnosis of CS.

• Journal of Power Electronics
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.1555-1566
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• 2018

Proportional capacitor-current-feedback active damping (AD) is a common damping method for the resonance of LCL-type grid-connected inverters. Proportional capacitor-current-feedback AD behaves as a virtual resistor in parallel with the capacitor. However, the existence of delay in the actual control system causes impedance in the virtual resistor. Impedance is manifested as negative resistance when the resonance frequency exceeds one-sixth of the sampling frequency ($f_s/6$). As a result, the damping effect disappears. To extend the system damping region, this study proposes a virtual resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) AD method. The method is implemented by feeding the filter capacitor current passing through a band-pass filter, which functions as a virtual RLC in parallel with the filter capacitor to achieve positive resistance in a wide resonance frequency range. A combination of Nyquist theory and system close-loop pole-zero diagrams is used for damping parameter design to obtain optimal damping parameters. An experiment is performed with a 10 kW grid-connected inverter. The effectiveness of the proposed AD method and the system's robustness against grid impedance variation are demonstrated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.942-947
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• 2001

This paper provides a stability analysis of the transverse vibration of a spinning disk under the torque fluctuation from a permanent magnetic motor. An analytical model has been formulated for a flexible annular disk with its spinning velocity varying harmonically with the same frequency as the cogging torque. A perturbation method based on multiple time scales is applied to perform the stability analysis. Based on expressions for the amplitude and frequency of the parametric excitation, stability boundaries are determined in terms of a nominal spindle velocity, the least common multiple of poles and slots, the magnitude of torque fluctuation and the modal characteristics of. the disk. The stability diagrams predicted by perturbation have been verified numerically using the Floquet theory, which is in good agreement. In conclusion, the fluctuation in spinning velocity is found to affect the stability of the transverse vibration of a rotating disks. The results of this work can be applied to high precision spindle systems such as computer storage systems.

• Journal of the Microelectronics and Packaging Society
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.13-17
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• 2000

The electrical properties of polyimide for interlayer dielectric applications are investigated with ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) etching process. ECR etching with $Cl_2$-based plasma, generally used for aluminum etching, results in an increase in the dielectric constant of polyimide, while $SF_{6}$ plasma exhibits a high polyimide etch rate and a reducing effect of the dielectric constant. The leakage current of the polyimide is significantly suppressed after plasma exposure. Combination of Al etching with $Cl_2$plasma and polyimide etching with $SF_{6}$ plasma is expected as a good tool for realizing the multilevel metallization structures.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2014

In this paper, we have proposed a wide band antenna for manpack SDR(Software Defined Radio). The proposed antenna consists of feeding post, flexible gooseneck and two radiating elements composed of a upper and lower radiators. The upper radiator has a longer electrical length than the lower radiator in order to operate in the lower frequency. Also, the resonant frequency and impedance characteristics of the antenna can be adjusted independently for two radiators. Therefore, the proposed antenna can be achieved wide impedance bandwidth by the combination of two independent resonance modes. To analyze the characteristics of the antenna in the design process is employed the equivalent circuit theory and EM(Electro-Magnetic) simulation. The measurement results show that the proposed antenna have the sufficient wide bandwidth, above -3.4dBi of the gain and fairly good radiation pattern over the wide bandwidth.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.10-26
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• 2019

Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) is an emerging new technology with considerable potential to treat various neurological diseases. With refinement of ultrasound transducer technology and integration with magnetic resonance imaging guidance, transcranial sonication of precise cerebral targets has become a therapeutic option. Intensity is a key determinant of ultrasound effects. High-intensity focused ultrasound can produce targeted lesions via thermal ablation of tissue. MRgFUS-mediated stereotactic ablation is non-invasive, incision-free, and confers immediate therapeutic effects. Since the US Food and Drug Administration approval of MRgFUS in 2016 for unilateral thalamotomy in medication-refractory essential tremor, studies on novel indications such as Parkinson's disease, psychiatric disease, and brain tumors are underway. MRgFUS is also used in the context of blood-brain barrier (BBB) opening at low intensities, in combination with intravenously-administered microbubbles. Preclinical studies show that MRgFUS-mediated BBB opening safely enhances the delivery of targeted chemotherapeutic agents to the brain and improves tumor control as well as survival. In addition, BBB opening has been shown to activate the innate immune system in animal models of Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid plaque clearance and promotion of neurogenesis in these studies suggest that MRgFUS-mediated BBB opening may be a new paradigm for neurodegenerative disease treatment in the future. Here, we review the current status of preclinical and clinical trials of MRgFUS-mediated thermal ablation and BBB opening, described their mechanisms of action, and discuss future prospects.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.724-733
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• 2021

Objective: The objectives of this study were to investigate the direct antioxidative effect of 90 Kda heat shock protein (Hsp90) obtained from duck muscle. Methods: The interaction of Hsp90 with phospholipids and oxidized phospholipids was studied with surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and their further oxidation in the presence of Hsp90 was evaluated with thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. The scavenging effect on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) was measured, and the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in combination with 5-tert-Butoxycarbonyl-5-methyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide and 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5,-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (PTIO) was utilized to determine the abilities of Hsp90 in scavenging hydroxyl and PTIO radicals. Results: SPR showed Hsp90 could bind with both phospholipids and oxidized phospholipids, and prevent their further oxidation by the TBARS assay. The DPPH and ABTS scavenging activity increased with Hsp90 concentration, and could reach 27% and 20% respectively at the protein concentration of 50 μM. The EPR spectra demonstrated Hsp90 could directly scavenge ·OH and PTIO· radicals. Conclusion: This suggests that Hsp90, a natural antioxidant in meat, may play an important role in cellular defense against oxidative stress, and may have potential use in meat products.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.916-923
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• 1998

In this paper, an infinite determinant method is presenstd for stability analysis of parametrically excited systems. Unstable regions of the combination parametric resonance as well as principal resonance can be identified with the method. A numerical problem of relatively large amplitude of excitation is solved, and the results of the presented method are compared to those of the multiple scales perturbation method. It is found that the presented method obtains more accurate transition curves which divide stable and unstables in the parameter plane than those of the multiple scales perturbation method.