• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.05
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• pp.72-74
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• 1997

We have developed a 3-D image processing and display technique that include image resampling, modification of MIP, and fusion of MIP image and volumetric rendered image. This technique facilitates the visualization of the three-dimensional spatial relationship between vasculature and surrounding organs by overlapping the MIP image on the volumetric rendered image of the organ. We applied this technique to a MR brain image data to produce an MRI angiogram that is overlapped with 3-D volume rendered image of brain. MIP technique was used to visualize the vasculature of brain, and volume rendering was used to visualize the other structures of brain. The two images are fused after adjustment of contrast and brightness levels of each image in such a way that both the vasculature and brain structure are well visualized either by selecting the maximum value of each image or by assigning different color table to each image. The resultant image with this technique visualizes both the brain structure and vasculature simultaneously, allowing the physicians to inspect their relationship more easily. The presented technique will be useful for surgical planning for neurosurgery.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.869-878
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• 2009

Image restoration techniques such as noise reduction and contrast enhancement have been researched for enhancing a contaminated image by the noise. An image degraded by additive random noise can be enhanced by noise reduction. Sigma filtering is one of the most widely used method to reduce the noise. In this paper, we propose a new sigma filter algorithm based on noise variance estimation which effectively enhances the degraded image by noise. Specifically, the Bartlett test is used to measure the degree of noise with respect to the degree of image feature. Simulation results are also given to show the performance of the proposed algorithm.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.1491-1498
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• 2003

Droplet evaporation can be used to transfer large amounts of energy since heat is transferred across a thin liquid film. Spreading the drop over a larger area can enhance this heat transfer. One method of accomplishing this is to dissolve gas into the liquid. When the drop strikes the surface, a gas bubble nucleates and can grow and merge within the liquid, resulting in an increase in the droplet diameter. In this study, time and space resolved heat transfer characteristics for a single droplet striking a heated surface were experimentally investigated. The local wall heat flux and temperature measurements were provided by a novel experimental technique in which 96 individually controlled heaters were used to map the heat transfer coefficient contour on the surface. A high-speed digital video camera was used to simultaneously record images of the drop from below. The measurements to date indicate that significantly smaller droplet evaporation times can be achieved. The splat diameter was observed to increase with time just after the initial transient dies out due to the growth of the bubble, in contrast to a monotonically decreasing splat diameter for the case of no bubbles. Bursting of the bubble corresponded to a sudden decrease in droplet heat transfer.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2017

This paper empirically studies the effect of public procurement on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Republic of Korea using firm-level data. Public procurement, the purchase of goods and services from private firms by the public sector, is regarded as an important policy measure for providing support to firms, particularly SMEs. This study uses establishment-level panel data of the mining and manufacturing sectors from the Korean National Bureau of Statistics (Statistics Korea) and procurement history from the Korean Public Procurement Service to empirically estimate the effects of public procurement on firms' productivity (total factor productivity) and survivability. Using a propensity score matching estimation method, we find that participating firms showed higher productivity than non-participating ones in the control group only for the year of participation, that is, 2009. After two years, in 2011, they exhibited significantly lower productivity. In contrast, establishments that participated in public procurement for SMEs in 2009 were more likely to survive than those that did not do so in 2011. These results can be interpreted as the negative consequences of government intervention. The market's efficiency enhancement is hindered if underserving companies survive owing to government intervention but fail to improve efficiency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Broadcast Engineers Conference
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• 2012.07a
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• pp.279-282
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• 2012

로컬 히스토그램 평활화(LHE)는 영상에서 로컬 정보를 강조하기 위한 효율적인 알고리즘 중 하나이다. 그러나 이 알고리즘은 스펙클 노이즈를 증폭시키는 단점을 가진다. 따라서, 기존의 로컬 히스토그램 평활화 기법을 확장한 다중 레이어 블록 오버랩 히스토그램 평활화 기법을 이용하여 기존 로컬 히스토그램 평활화 기법들의 문제점을 해결하고자 하였다. 이 방법은 3단계-컨트라스트 향상 단계, 노이즈 제거 단계, 통합 단계로 이루어진다. 제안된 방법에서는 기존 방법의 컨트라스트 향상 단계에서 일반적인 로컬 히스토그램 평활화 방법이 아닌 컨트라스트를 제한하는 적응적인 히스토그램 평활화 기법을 적용하고, 노이즈 제거 단계에서 새로운 바이레터럴 필터를 적용하였다. 즉, 기존 방법의 문제점들을 해결하도록 알고리즘을 변형하여 기존 알고리즘의 성능을 개선하였다. 실험 결과는 제안된 방법이 기존의 방법 및 잘 알려진 로컬 히스토그램 평활화 기법들과 비교하여 좋은 성능을 내는 것을 확인하였다.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.193-198
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• 2015

This study analyzed the total number of 19,636 patients and radiation technologists, 11,433 of male and 8,203 of female by examined body parts, age, types of detectors, the using contrast enhancement and working condition of the technologists, regular staffs or rotation-duty staffs, based on the K-DOS program distributed by FDA with the DLP value of diagnostic evaluation. The result shows that the effective radiation dose was 0.7mSv~41.7mSv for each region and male patients had more radiation exposure than females. And the amount of exposure was also affected by the types and the method of detectors. Furthermore, the regular staffs took the role of helping the patient to get reduced amount of radiation exposure than rotation duty-staffs. Computed tomography (CT) use has increased dramatically over the past several decades. In this reason, to support the patients and the workers' health in the field, the hospitals should apply specialized regular working radiation technologist system and manufacturing companies of those CTs should develop low medical radiation exposure devices.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.94-100
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• 2020

The inverse correlation between maternal age and pregnancy rate represents a major challenge for reproductive endocrinology. The high embryo ploidy error rate in failed in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles reflects genetic misfires accumulated by older oocytes over time. Despite the application of different follicular recruitment protocols during IVF, gonadotropin modifications are generally futile in addressing such damage. Even when additional oocytes are retrieved, quality is frequently poor. Older oocytes with serious cytoplasmic and/or chromosomal errors are often harvested from poorly perfused follicles, and ovarian vascularity and follicular oxygenation impact embryonic chromosomal competency. Because stimulation regimens exert their effects briefly and immediately before ovulation, gonadotropins alone are an ineffective antidote to long-term hypoxic pathology. In contrast, the tissue repair properties (and particularly the angiogenic effects) of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are well known, with applications in other clinical contexts. Injection of conventional PRP and/or its components (e.g., isolated platelet-derived growth factors as a cell-free substrate) into ovarian tissue prior to IVF has been reported to improve reproductive outcomes. Any derivative neovascularity may modulate oocyte competence by increasing cellular oxygenation and/or lowering concentrations of intraovarian reactive oxygen species. We propose a mechanism to support intrastromal angiogenesis, improved follicular perfusion, and, crucially, embryo ploidy rescue. This last effect may be explained by mRNA upregulation coordinated by PRP-associated molecular signaling, as in other tissue systems. Additionally, we outline an intraovarian injection technique for platelet-derived growth factors and present this method to help minimize reliance on donor oocytes and conventional hormone replacement therapy.

• Journal of Broadcast Engineering
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.623-632
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• 2019

Many researches have been carried out for brightness and contrast enhancement, illumination reduction and so forth. Recently, the aforementioned hand-crafted approaches have been replaced by artificial neural networks. This paper proposes a convolutional neural network that can replace the method of generating a reflectance image where illumination component is attenuated. Experiments are carried out on 102 low-light images and we validate the feasibility of the replacement by producing satisfactory reflectance images.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.55-58
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• 2019

This study was performed to examine the visualization and anatomical variants of the hepatic artery with dual-phase computed tomography (CT) angiography and three-dimensional volume rendering imaging analysis in clinically normal dogs. Seven healthy beagle dogs were enrolled and underwent dual CT angiography. Arterial phase images could be obtained with multi-detector CT angiography using the fixed-scan method in these dogs. Contrast enhancement of the hepatic parenchyma was quite minimal because of the unique blood supply system of the liver. In most dogs, the main hepatic arterial branches were the right lateral branch, left branch, and right medial branch. Although hepatic arterial variation appears to be common in dogs, only one dog in this study had the caudate lobar branch as the first branch of the hepatic artery. Further study on a larger number of dogs with CT images will be needed to identify and classify the pattern of hepatic arterial variations.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.172-182
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• 2023

Objective : The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an obstacle for molecules to pass through from blood to the brain. Focused ultrasound is a new method which temporarily opens the BBB, which makes pharmaceutical delivery or removal of neurodegenerative proteins possible. This study was demonstrated to review our BBB opening procedure with magnetic resonance guided images and find specific patterns in the BBB opening. Methods : In this study, we reviewed the procedures and results of two clinical studies on BBB opening using focused ultrasound regarding its safety and clinical efficacy. Magnetic resonance images were also reviewed to discover any specific findings. Results : Two clinical trials showed clinical benefits. All clinical trials demonstrated safe BBB opening, with no specific side effects. Magnetic resonance imaging showed temporary T1 contrast enhancement in the sonication area, verifying the BBB opening. Several low-signal intensity spots were observed in the T2 susceptibility-weighted angiography images, which were also reversible and temporary. Although these spots can be considered as microbleeding, evidence suggests these are not ordinary microbleeding but an indicator for adequate BBB opening. Conclusion : Magnetic resonance images proved safe and efficient BBB opening in humans, using focused ultrasound.