• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.655-668
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• 2023

In radiography, an antiscatter grid is a well-known device for eliminating unexpected x-ray scatter. We investigate a new stationary grid artifact suppression method based on a nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT) incorporated with Gaussian band-pass filtering. The proposed method has an advantage that extracts the Moiré components while minimizing the loss of image information and apply the prior information of Moiré component positions in multi-decomposition sub-band images. We implemented the proposed algorithm and performed a simulation and an experiment to demonstrate its viability. We did this experiment using an x-ray tube (M-113T, Varian, focal spot size: 0.1 mm), a flat-panel detector (ROSE-M Sensor, Aspenstate, pixel dimension: 3032 × 3800 pixels, pixel size: 0.076 mm), and carbon graphite-interspaced grids (JPI Healthcare, 18 cm × 24 cm, line density: 103 LP/inch and 150 LP/inch, ratio: 5:1, focal distance: 65 cm). Our results indicate that the proposed method successfully suppressed grid artifacts by reducing them without either reducing the spatial resolution or causing negative side effects. Consequently, we anticipate that the proposed method can improve image acquisition in a stationary grid x-ray system as well as in extended x-ray imaging.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2007

The Purpose of this study is to suggest the basic data for making good quality image and maintaining equipment homeostasis by accepting image quality evaluation and radiation dose evaluation in Multi-detector CT. In this study we surveyed 14 CT equipments in Seoul. The results obtained were as follows ; CT number was $0.56{\pm}0.70\;HU$. Noise was $0.39{\pm}0.09\;HU$. Uniformity was $1.08{\pm}0.52\;HU$. High contrast resolution was $0.48{\pm}0.05\;mm$ and low contrast resolution was $3.65{\pm}1.16\;mm$. For CTDI, the central part and the peripheral part of head phantom were $43.2{\pm}15.4\;mGy$ and $45.6{\pm}17.5\;mGy$, respectively. For body phantom, the central part and the peripheral part of head phantom were $13.5{\pm}4.5$ and $29.2{\pm}10.2\;mGy$, respectively. CTDIw was $44.8{\pm}16.8\;mGy$ and CTDIw/100 mAs was $18.8{\pm}5.3\;mGy$ using head phantom. CTDIW was $24.0{\pm}8.3\;mGy$ and CTDIw/100 mAs was $10.1{\pm}2.5\;mGy$ using body phantom. Therefore, CT number, noise, high contrast resolution, low contrast resolution, CTDI, CTDIw and CTDIw/100 mAs of MDCT were showed excellently in all equipments.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.102-112
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• 2008

We developed a high-resolution micro-CT system based on rotational gantry and flat-panel detector for live mouse imaging. This system is composed primarily of an x-ray source with micro-focal spot size, a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) flat panel detector coupled with Csl (TI) (thallium-doped cesium iodide) scintillator, a linearly moving couch, a rotational gantry coupled with positioning encoder, and a parallel processing system for image data. This system was designed to be of the gantry-rotation type which has several advantages in obtaining CT images of live mice, namely, the relative ease of minimizing the motion artifact of the mice and the capability of administering respiratory anesthesia during scanning. We evaluated the spatial resolution, image contrast, and uniformity of the CT system using CT phantoms. As the results, the spatial resolution of the system was approximately the 11.3 cycles/mm at 10% of the MTF curve, and the radiation dose to the mice was 81.5 mGy. The minimal resolving contrast was found to be less than 46 CT numbers on low-contrast phantom imaging test. We found that the image non-uniformity was approximately 70 CT numbers at a voxel size of ${\sim}55{\times}55{\times}X100\;{\mu}^3$. We present the image test results of the skull and lung, and body of the live mice.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.11-16
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• 2009

Mercury Iodide as good sensitivity at radiation and has an easy peculiarity that operates at low voltage for other photoconductors(a-Se, a-Si, Ge, etc) Based on this characteristic, we studied about an efficiency of the digital x-ray detector in acccordance with the thickness of photoconductor. To solve the problem that is difficult to make a large area film using PVD(Physical Vapor Deposition)method, we used a PIB(Particle In Binder)method. To make a binder paste, we used a PVB(Polyvinylbutyral) as a binder and a DGME(Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether), DGMEA(Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether Acetate) as a solvent. Using this binder paste, we made a polycrystal mercury iodide film that has an each thickness. To evaluate the electrical properties of this films, we measured a darkcurrent, sensitivity and SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio). Mercury iodide film of the 200um thickness has good electrical properties as a result of the measurement. From this result there is a good chance that replace the existing a-Se(Amnorphous seleinum; a-se) with the mercury iodide.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.7
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• pp.679-685
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• 2017

Computed tomography has widely been used to diagnose patient disease, and patient dose also increase rapidly. To reduce the patient dose by CT, various techniques have been applied. The iterative reconstruction is used in view of image reconstruction. Image quality of the reconstructed section image through algebraic reconstruction technique, one of iterative reconstruction methods, was examined by the normalized root mean square error. The computer program was written with the Visual C++ under the parallel beam geometry, Shepp-Logan head phantom of $512{\times}512$ size, projections of 360, and detector-pixels of 1,024. The forward and backward projection was realized by Joseph method. The minimum NRMS of 0.108 was obtained after 10 iterations in the regularization parameter of 0.09-0.12, and the optimum image was obtained after 8 and 6 iterations for 0.1% and 0.2% noise. Variation of optimum value of the regularization parameter was observed according to the phantom used. If the ART was used in the reconstruction, the optimal value of the regularization parameter should be found in the case-by-case. By finding the optimal regularization parameter in the algebraic reconstruction technique, the reconstruction time can be reduced.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.635-642
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to analysis the effects of shielding area of field configuration with changing of sensitivity and density on tube current (milliampere-seconds, mAs) and image quality in automatic exposure control (AEC) system. The equipment used a digital radiography device (Digital Diagnost, Philips, Netherlands), which has a integral type with an X-ray tube and an indirect digital detector. The AEC system conditions were consisted of 9 setting environments, that mode changing of the sensitivity (S200, S400, S800) and the density (+2.5, 0, -2.5). The tube current evaluated automatically exposed mAs under 81 combination conditions crossed by AEC conditions in fixed at 40 kVp. The image quality evaluated the radiographic images that selected valid images by visual assessment the radiographic images of the self-produced conical pyramid phantom and then measured their signal to noise ratio (SNR). As a result, the maximum tube current was 60.0 mAs that automatically exposed conditions were the 100% of shielding area and the sensitivity of S200 and the density of +2.5. The minimum tube current was 0.9 mAs with non-shielding area and the sensitivity of S800 and the density of -2.5. When the shielded area 0% with the sensitivity of S200 and the density of +2.5, the maximum SNR was the highest as 25.2. But when the shielded area 25% with the sensitivity of S800 and the density of -2.5, the minimum SNR was the lowest as 4.7.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2018

In this study, We developed a Ancillary device for child radiography for X-ray of children under 5 years old and verified its effectiveness. Chest X-rays of children younger than 5 years of age were performed by Supine method at the position of Table detector, Short - Source to Image Receptor Distance(SID). Existing Supine and Short -SID imaging methods cause many problems, such as errors in image reading and excessive radiation exposure dose to patients, but the use of an Ancillary device for child radiography(ADCR) solves these problems. A total of 160 children were divided into the Upright group using ADCR and Supine group without ADCR. The chest X-ray image was visually evaluated by two radiologists with reference to the European Commission's List of Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images in Pediatrics. The total score of the qualitative evaluation was 5.15% higher in the chest upright method using ADCR than in the chest supine method without ADCR, and the chest upright method score was higher than that of the chest supine method in items 1 to 7. whether infants have deep inspiration or not, 4.87% higher for item 1, whether infants rotate or not and the degree of tilting, 0% higher for the item 2, the reproduction of image from just above apices of lungs to T12/L1, 0% for the item 3, reproduction of the vascular pattern in central 2/3 of the lungs, 6.92% higher for the item 4, reproduction of the trachea and the proximal bronchi, 12.9% higher for the item 5, visually sharp reproduction of the diaphragm and costo-phrenic angles, 10% higher for the item 6, reproduction of the spine and paraspinal structures and visualisation of the retrocardiac lung and the mediastinum, and 3.65% higher for the item 7. Items 2 and 3 showed no statistically significant differences(P > 0.05), and items 1, 4, 5, 6, and 7 showed statistically significant differences(P < 0.05). In conclusion, Upright method using ADCR in pediatric chest X-ray is considered as a good alternative to existing Supine method.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.69-76
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• 2006

TRISO(tri-isotropic)-coated fuel particle technology is utilized owing to its higher stability at a high temperature and Its efficient retention capability for fission products In the HTGR(high temperature gas-reeled reactor). The typical spherical TRISO fuel panicle with a diameter of about 1mm is composed of a nuclear fuel kernel and outer coating layers. The outer coating layers consist of a buffer PyC(pyrolytic carbon) layer, Inner PyC(1-PyC) layer, SiC layer, and outer PyC(O-PyC) layer Most of the Inspection Items for the TRTSO-coated fuel particle depend on destructive methods. The coating thickness of the TRISO fuel particle can be nondestructively measured by the X-ray radiography without generating radioactive wastel. In this study, the coaling thickness for the simulated TRISO-coated fuel particle with $ZrO_2$ kernel Instead of $%UO_2$ kernel was measured by using micro-focus X-ray radiography with micro-focus X-ray generator and flat panel detector The radiographic image was also enhanced by image processing technique to acquire clear boundary lines between coating layers. The coaling thickness wat effectively measured by applying the micro-focus X-ray radiography The inspection process for the TRISO-coated fuel particles will be improved by the developed micro-focus X-ray radiography and digital image processing technology.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2007

In this study, we have performed contrast-detail analysis for an amorphous selenium(a-Se) based digital X-ray imaging system by using a contrast-detail phantom(CDRAD 2.0) to test its low contrast performance. The X-ray imaging system utilizes an 500-mm-thick a-Se semiconductor X-ray absorber coated over an amorphous silicon(a-Si) TFT(thin-film transistor) detector matrix with a $139mm{\times}139mm$ pixel size and a $46.7cm{\times}46.7cm$ active area. In the measurement of contrast-detail curves we first acquired X-ray images of the CDRAD 2.0 phantom at given test conditions(i.e., 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 kVp, and 16 mA.s), and then evaluated the contrast-detail characteristics of the imaging system from each phantom image by using an image quality factor called the image-quality-figure-inverse(IQFinv). The IQFinv values for the imaging system gradually improved with the photon fluence, indicating the improvement of image visibility: 24.4, 35.3, 39.2, 41.5, and 43.4 at photon fluences of $1.8{\times}105$, $5.9{\times}105$, $11.3{\times}105$, $19.4{\times}105$, and $29.4{\times}105$ photons/$mm^2$, respectively.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.84-89
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare radiation dose and image quality between low-dose (LDP) and standard-dose protocol (SDP). LDP (120 kVp, 30 mAs, 2-mm thickness) and SDP (120 kVp, 180 mAs, 1.2-mm thickness) images obtained from 61 subjects were retrospectively evaluated at level of carina bifurcation, using multi-detector CT (Brilliance 16, Philips Medical Systems). Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated at ascending aorta and infraspinatus muscle, from CT number and back-ground noise. Radiation dose from two protocols measured at 5-point using acrylic-phantom, and CT number and noise measured at 4-point using water-phantom. All statistical analysis were performed using SPSS 19.0 program. LDP images showed significantly more noise and a significantly lower SNR and CNR than did SDP images at ascending aorta and infraspinatus muscle. Noise, SNR and CNR were significantly correlated with body mass index (p<0.001). Radiation dose, SNR and CNR from phantom were significant differences between two protocols. LDP showed a significant reduction of radiation dose with a significant change in SNR and CNR compared with SDP. Therefore, exposure dose on LDP in clinical applications needs resetting highly more considering image quality.