• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.514-522
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• 2022

Non-destructive testing (NDT) technology is a widely used inspection method for agricultural products. Compared with the conventional inspection method, there is no extensive sample preparation for NDT technology, and the sample is not damaged. In particular, NDT technology is used to inspect the internal structure of agricultural products infested by pests. The introduction and spread of pests during the import and export process can cause significant damage to the agricultural environment. Until now, pest detection in agricultural products and quarantine processes have been challenging because they used external inspection methods. However, NDT technology is advantageous in these inspection situations. In this pilot study, we investigated the feasibility of X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify pest infestation in agricultural products. Three kinds of artificially pest-infested fruits (mango, tangerine, and chestnut) were non-destructively inspected using X-ray CT and MRI. X-ray CT was able to identify all pest infestations in fruits, while MRI could not detect the pest-infested chestnut. In addition, X-ray CT was superior to the quarantine process than MRI based on the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), image acquisition time, and cost. Therefore, X-ray CT is more appropriate for the pest quarantine process of fruits than MRI.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.95-101
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• 2007

Recently, small-animal imaging technology has been rapidly developed for longitudinal screening of laboratory animals such as mice and rats. One of newly developed imaging modalities for small animals is an x-ray micro-CT (computed tomography). We have developed two types of x-ray micro-CT systems for small animal imaging. Both systems use flat-panel x-ray detectors and micro-focus x-ray sources to obtain high spatial resolution of $10{\mu}m$. In spite of the relatively large field-of-view (FOV) of flat-panel detectors, the spatial resolution in the whole-body imaging of rats should be sacrificed down to the order of $100{\mu}m$ due to the limited number of x-ray detector pixels. Though the spatial resolution of cone-beam CTs can be improved by moving an object toward an x-ray source, the FOV should be reduced and the object size is also limited. To overcome the limitation of the object size and resolution, we introduce zoom-in micro-tomography for high-resolution imaging of a local region-of-interest (ROI) inside a large object. For zoom-in imaging, we use two kinds of projection data in combination, one from a full FOV scan of the whole object and the other from a limited FOV scan of the ROI. Both of our micro-CT systems have zoom-in micro-tomography capability. One of both is a micro-CT system with a fixed gantry mounted with an x-ray source and a detector. An imaged object is laid on a rotating table between a source and a detector. The other micro-CT system has a rotating gantry with a fixed object table, which makes whole scans without rotating an object. In this paper, we report the results of in vivo small animal study using the developed micro-CTs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.45-50
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• 2010

The objective of this study is to elucidate the feasibility of synchrotron X-ray micro CT as a non-destructive imaging method to visualize the three-dimensional morphological structures of biological and non-biological samples. The experiments were conducted in 7B2 X-ray micro CT beamline in Pohang Accelerate Laboratory (PAL). A rotational 3-axis stage was specially designed for $0^{\circ}-180^{\circ}$ scanning of test samples. Preliminary tests were performed for opaque samples including a mosquito head, a plant seed and gas diffusion layer (GDL) of polymer electrolyte fuel cell to verify the feasibility of the X-ray micro CT. It visualized clearly the internal structure of all the test samples, supporting its usefulness.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.86-96
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• 2021

CT is a diagnostic tool with many clinical applications. The CT voxel intensity is related to the magnitude of X-ray attenuation, which is not unique to a given material. Substances with different chemical compositions can be represented by similar voxel intensities, making the classification of different tissue types challenging. Compared to the conventional single-energy CT, spectral CT is an emerging technology offering superior material differentiation, which is achieved using the energy dependence of X-ray attenuation in any material. A specific form of spectral CT is dual-energy imaging, in which an additional X-ray attenuation measurement is obtained at a second X-ray energy. Dual-energy CT has been implemented in clinical settings with great success. This paper reviews the theoretical basis and practical implementation of spectral/dual-energy CT.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.333-342
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• 2017

In this study, the heterogeneity of internal structure of various igneous rocks acquired in Korea was quantified and correlated with the seismic velocity and the point load strength. Three-dimensional X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) was used to obtain information on the internal structure of the rock specimen, and the representative unit length (LR) was calculated by applying a statistical technique to the CT images. We also proposed an estimation equation to predict the mechanical properties of rocks from the relationship between LR, acoustic velocity and point load strength. In the proposed method, it is shown that the characterization of internal structure of rocks could be utilized as an indirect index to account for the mechanical behavior of rocks by substituting physical laboratory testing for non-destructive test.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.947-948
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• 2023

• Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.55-58
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• 2011

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.24
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• pp.75-80
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• 2020

X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), which is often applied to the investigation of the interior structures of cultural properties, is very useful for studying production methods used in lacquerware that would otherwise be difficult to observe with the naked eye. Lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl is an important subject in the study of traditional Korean craft. However, it can be a challenge to specify the production methods used in the framework of a lacquerware item unless the object has been structurally damaged. Studies of lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl have thus far focused on the techniques of lacquering and of inlaying the mother-of-pearl. Production methods for the framework of lacquerware has received little academic attention. This study conducted X-ray CT on a lacquerware item from the Joseon period to reveal the materials and woodworking techniques used for the framework. The study revealed that softwood was used for the framework, and the post (gidungmok) and apron (soemok) were joined using a three-way miter joint (sambang yeongwi jjaim). Other pieces were joined with nails.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.385-391
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• 2013

X-ray computed tomography is a very powerful nondestructive technique in safety inspection of historic timber building. But, in field, various testing condition makes it difficult to carry out X-ray CT testing. Limited size in X-ray digital detector is one of the problems. In this study, a pitch pine disk with two holes was used to know how imperfection in X-ray projection affects CT image resolution. Using various number of projections, CT image was reconstructed by filtered back projection method, and then it was investigated how many projection is required to identify the holes in different location. Two artificial holes could be differently detected according to their location in cross section of specimen. One hole in center part of specimen was identified using more than 9 radiographs, but the other one which located in outer part of cross section could not be detected until more than 36 projections were used. Even though there is data missing in outer part of cross section due to limited size of detector, the center part of CT image could be reconstructed well and the resolution of outer part became higher with increase of the number of projections. For field application, the number of projections for CT image reconstruction needs to be decided with consideration of another nondestructive testing and the location of interest.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.44-53
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• 2006

In this study, the non-destructive computed tomography was adopted to observe the density profile of the needle-punched Carbon/Carbon(C/C) composites nozzle throat. The density profile of C/C was evaluated within ${\pm}0.01g/cm^3$ with 98.74% confidence when the correction of the image and high signal-to-noise ratio were achieved by the optimization of the beam hardening, the electrical noise and the scattered X-ray. The density variation of C/C with the computed tomography was in good agreement with the results obtained by the water immersion method and the observation with scanning electron microscope.