• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.333-342
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• 2022

Objective: Intracranial atherosclerotic stroke occurs through various mechanisms, mainly by artery-to-artery embolism (AA) or branch occlusive disease (BOD). This study evaluated the spatial relationship between middle cerebral artery (MCA) plaques and perforating arteries among different MCA territory infarction types using vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VW-MRI). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with acute MCA infarction who underwent VW-MRI. Thirty-four patients were divided into three groups according to infarction pattern: 1) BOD, 2) both BOD and AA (BOD-AA), and 3) AA. To determine the factors related to BOD, the BOD and BOD-AA groups were combined into one group (with striatocapsular infarction [BOD+]) and compared with the AA group. To determine the factors related to AA, the BOD-AA and AA groups were combined into another group (with cortical infarction [AA+]) and compared with the BOD group. Plaque morphology and the spatial relationship between the perforating artery orifice and plaque were evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively. Results: The plaque margin in the BOD+ group was closer to the perforating artery orifice than that in the AA group (p = 0.011), with less enhancing plaque (p = 0.030). In the BOD group, plaques were mainly located on the dorsal (41.2%) and superior (41.2%) sides where the perforating arteries mainly arose. No patient in the AA group had overlapping plaques with perforating arteries at the cross-section where the perforator arose. Perforating arteries associated with culprit plaques were most frequently located in the middle two-thirds of the M1 segment (41.4%). The AA+ group had more stenosis (%) than the BOD group (39.73 ± 24.52 vs. 14.42 ± 20.96; p = 0.003). Conclusion: The spatial relationship between the perforating artery orifice and plaque varied among different types of MCA territory infarctions. In patients with BOD, the plaque margin was closer and blocked the perforating artery orifice, and stenosis degree and enhancement were less than those in patients with AA.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.2
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• pp.297-307
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• 2024

Coronary artery disease (CAD) narrows vessel lumens at the sites of atherosclerosis, increasing the risk of myocardial ischemia or infarction. Early and accurate diagnosis of CAD is crucial to significantly improve prognosis and management. CT angiography (CTA) is a noninvasive imaging technique that enables assessment of vascular structure and stenosis with high resolution and contrast. Coronary CTA is useful in the diagnosis of CAD. Recently, the CAD-reporting and data system (CAD-RADS), a diagnostic classification system based on coronary CTA, has been developed to improve intervention efficacy in patients suspected of CAD. While the CADRAD is based on CTA, it includes borderline categories where interpreting the coronary artery status solely based on CTA findings may be challenging. This review introduces CTA findings that fall within the CAD-RADS categories that necessitate additional tests to decide to perform invasive coronary angiography and discusses appropriate management strategies.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2002

Purpose : The diagnosis of Meckel's diverticulum is difficult and delayed because it presents with various clinical symptoms. We evaluated clinical, imaging and pathologic findings of Meckel's diverticulum to facilitate detection of Meckel's diverticulum in children. Methods : Review of clinical, imaging, surgical and pathological findings in 10 children aged 7 days to 14 years with Meckel's diverticulum during an 8-year period, 1993-2001, at Ewha Womans University Hospital was undertaken. Results : The male to female ratio was 2.3 : 1. The chief complaint was painless lower gastrointestinal( GI) bleeding; others were abdominal pain, abdominal distention and vomiting, in order of frequency. The diagonsis before surgery were Meckel's diverticulum in 5 patients, non-reducible intussusception in 3 patients and intestinal obstruction in 2 patients. The diverticulum was located between 35 cm to 70 cm proximal to the ileocecal valve. The length of the diverticulum ranged from 4 cm to 12 cm and 80% of it was within 5 cm. A Meckel scan($^{99m}Tc-pertechnetate$ scintigraphy) after cimetidine administration was done in 6 cases. All 5 cases that presented with lower GI bleeding had ectopic gastric mucosa confirmed on pathology. Out of 5 cases of ectopic gastric mucosa, only 4 cases were positive on the Meckel's scan. Conclusion : In cases of unexplained GI bleeding, obstruction, or inflammation diagnostic workup should be carried out to rule out Meckel's diverticulum. Laparoscopy, high resolution ultrasonography and computed tomography of the abdomen may be indicated in the assessment of pediatric patient with lower GI bleeding, especially in patients with suspected bleeding from Meckel's diverticulum showing negative Meckel's scan.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.323-331
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• 2014

Purpose : To assess the usefulness of rectal filling using ultrasonographic gel in patients with lower rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: Twenty five patients with lower rectal cancer were enrolled. High resolution pelvic MR was performed twice before and after gel filling. Independently and retrospectively, two radiologists reviewed each set of MR images using five-grade scales for sphincter involvement, CRM (circumferential resection margin) involvement and depiction of the tumor. Same two radiologists retrospectively performed consensus review of each set of MR images for tumor distance from the anal verge and T&N staging. Results: Tumor depiction scores from MR with gel filling were significantly higher than those of MR without distention (p<0.001). Compared to MR without distension, MR with gel filling had no significant differences in prediction of CRM or sphincter involvement (p>0.05). Distance from the anal verge was significantly different between MR with gel filling and rigid endoscopy ($6.8{\pm}1.6cm$ vs. $5.8{\pm}1.6cm$, p=0.001). There were no significant differences between pathological staging and MR staging with or without gel filling. Conclusion: MR with gel filling improved tumor depiction. And also MR with gel filling revealed same ability for the predictions of CRM or sphincter invasion in patients with lower rectal cancer, comparing with MR without gel filling.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.52-58
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• 2014

Purpose : To establish a pH measurement system for a mouse tumor study using a clinical scanner, to develop the $^1H$ and 31P radio frequency (RF) coil system and to test pH accuracy with phantoms. Materials and Methods: The $^1H$ and the $^{31}P$ surface coils were designed to acquire signals from mouse tumors. Two coils were positioned orthogonally for geometric decoupling. The pH values of various pH phantoms were calculated using the $^1H$ decoupled $^{31}P$ MR spectrum with the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. The calculated pH value was compared to that of a pH meter. Results: The mutual coil coupling was shown in a standard $S_{12}$. Coil coupling ($S_{12}$) were -73.0 and -62.3 dB respectively. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) obtained from the homogeneous phantom $^1H$ image was greater than 300. The high resolution in vivo mice images were acquired using a $^{31}P$-decoupled $^1H$ coil. The pH values calculated from the $^1H$-decoupled $^{31}P$ spectrum correlated well with the values measured by pH meter ($R^2$=0.97). Conclusion: Accurate pH values can be acquired using a $^1H$-decoupled $^{31}P$ RF coil with a clinical scanner. This two-surface coil system could be applied to other nuclear MRS or MRI.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.326-334
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• 2007

Purpose: The estrogen receptor (ER), which is over-expressed in ER-positive breast tumors, has been imaged by positron emission tomography (PET) using $[^{18}F]$ labeled estrogen ligands, especially $[^{18}F]FES$. However, $[^{18}F]$ has relatively short-lived half-life ($t_{1/2}$ =1.8 h) and the labeling yield of radio-fluorination is usually low compared with $^{64}Cu\;(t_{1/2}=12.7\;h)$. 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen) is used to form stable metal complexes with copper, indium, gallium, and gadolinium. With these in mind, we prepared cyclen-based Cu complexes which mimic estradiol in aspect of two hydroxyl groups. Materials and Methods: 1.7-Protected cyclen, 1.7-bis (benzyloxycarbonyl)-cyclen was synthesized according to the reported procedure. After introducing two 4-benzyloxybenzyl groups at 4,10-positions, the benzyloxycarbonyl and benzyl groups were removed at the same time by hydrogenation on Pd/C to give 1,7-bis(4-hydroxybenzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (1). Results: The prepared ligand 1 was fully characterized by $^1H,\;^{13}C$ NMR, and mass spectrometer. The synthesized ligand was reacted with copper chloride and copper perchlorate to give copper complexes $[Cu(1)]^{2+}2(CIO_4^-)\;and\;[Cu(1)Cl]^+Cl^-$ which were confirmed by high-resolution mass (FAB). Conclusion: We successfully synthesized a cyclen derivative of which two phenol groups are located on trans position of N-atoms. And, two Cu(ll) complexes of +2 and +1 overall charge, were prepared as a potential PET tracers for ER imaging.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.487-495
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• 2017

A granite rock body, called 'Bukbawi', located on a mountaineering trail at Mt. Palgong Provincial Park is popular among the public because it resembles a percussion instrument. If someone hits the specific surface area of this rock body, people can hear drum-like sound. Such phenomenon may be geologically associated with exfoliation process of the granite body or miarolitic cavity developed after gasses escaped during formation of granite. To understand better the inner structure causing drum-like sound, we carried out a non-destructive ground-penetrating radar survey. In this study, as our primary target is very close to the surface, we utilized 1 GHz antennas to produce high-resolution near-surface images. In order to construct 3-D internal images, the measurements were conducted along a pre-defined grid. The processed radargrams revealed that the locations associated with 'drum' sound coincide with strong reflections. In addition, both reflection patterns of fracture and cavity were observed. To further quantify the observed reflections, we simulated GPR scans from a synthetic fracture in a granite body, filled with different materials. The simulated results suggest that both exfoliation process and miarolitic cavity may have contributed to the 'drum' phenomena. Furthermore, the radargrams showed a well-developed cavity signature where two major reflection planes were crossed. Thus, our study is an example of non-destructive geophysical studies that can promote Earth Science in the broader community by examining geological structures attracting the public.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.363-373
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• 2020

During last decades numerous studies generating orthoimage have been carried out. Traditional methods require exterior orientation parameters of aerial images and precise 3D object modeling data and DTM (Digital Terrain Model) to detect and recover occlusion areas. Furthermore, it is challenging task to automate the complicated process. In this paper, we proposed a new concept of true orthoimage generation using DL (Deep Learning). DL is rapidly used in wide range of fields. In particular, GAN (Generative Adversarial Network) is one of the DL models for various tasks in imaging processing and computer vision. The generator tries to produce results similar to the real images, while discriminator judges fake and real images until the results are satisfied. Such mutually adversarial mechanism improves quality of the results. Experiments were performed using GAN-based Pix2Pix model by utilizing IR (Infrared) orthoimages, intensity from LiDAR data provided by the German Society for Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation (DGPF) through the ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing). Two approaches were implemented: (1) One-step training with intensity data and high resolution orthoimages, (2) Recursive training with intensity data and color-coded low resolution intensity images for progressive enhancement of the results. Two methods provided similar quality based on FID (Fréchet Inception Distance) measures. However, if quality of the input data is close to the target image, better results could be obtained by increasing epoch. This paper is an early experimental study for feasibility of DL-based true orthoimage generation and further improvement would be necessary.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.5_1
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• pp.627-646
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• 2022

Recently, the seriousness of climate change-related problems caused by global warming is growing, and the average temperature is also rising. As a result, it is affecting the environment in which various temperature-sensitive creatures and creatures live, and changes in the ecosystem are also being detected. Seasons are one of the important factors influencing the types, distribution, and growth characteristics of creatures living in the area. Among the most popular and easily recognized plant seasonal phenomena among the indicators of the climate change impact evaluation, the blooming day of flower and the peak day of autumn leaves were modeled. The types of plants used in the modeling were forsythia and cherry trees, which can be seen as representative plants of spring, and maple and ginkgo, which can be seen as representative plants of autumn. Weather data used to perform modeling were temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation observed through the ASOS Observatory of the Korea Meteorological Administration. As satellite data, MODIS NDVI was used for modeling, and it has a correlation coefficient of about -0.2 for the flowering date and 0.3 for the autumn leaves peak date. As the model used, the model was established using multiple regression models, which are linear models, and Random Forest, which are nonlinear models. In addition, the predicted values estimated by each model were expressed as isopleth maps using spatial interpolation techniques to express the trend of plant seasonal changes from 2003 to 2020. It is believed that using NDVI with high spatio-temporal resolution in the future will increase the accuracy of plant phenology modeling.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.1-16
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• 2017

This study was conducted to analyze the urban heat island(UHI) intensity of South Korea by using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) satellite imagery. For this purpose, the metropolitan area was spatially divided according to land cover classification into urban and non-urban land. From the analysis of land surface temperature(LST) in South Korea in the summer of 2009 which was calculated from MODIS satellite imagery it was determined that the highest temperature recorded nationwide was $36.0^{\circ}C$, lowest $16.2^{\circ}C$, and that the mean was $24.3^{\circ}C$, with a standard deviation of $2.4^{\circ}C$. In order to analyze UHI by cities and counties, UHI intensity was defined as the difference in average temperature between urban and non-urban land, and was calculated through RST1 and RST2. The RST1 calculation showed scattered distribution in areas of high UHI intensity, whereas the RST2 calculation showed that areas of high UHI intensity were concentrated around major cities. In order to find an effective method for analyzing UHI by cities and counties, analysis was conducted of the correlation between the urbanization ratio, number of tropical heat nights, and number of heat-wave days. Although UHI intensity derived through RST1 showed barely any correlation, that derived through RST2 showed significant correlation. The RST2 method is deemed as a more suitable analytical method for measuring the UHI of urban land in cities and counties across the country. In cities and counties with an urbanization ratio of < 20%, the rate of increase for UHI intensity in proportion to increases in urbanization ratio, was very high; whereas this rate gradually declined when the urbanization ratio was > 20%. With an increase of $1^{\circ}C$ in RST2 UHI intensity, the number of tropical heat nights and heat wave days was predicted to increase by approximately five and 0.5, respectively. These results can be used for reference when predicting the effects of increased urbanization on UHI intensity.