• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics C
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• v.36C no.12
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• pp.11-19
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• 1999

Fractal image compression algorithm has been studied mostly not in the view of hardware but software. However, a general processor by software can't decode fractal compressed images in real-time. Therefore, it is necessary that we develop a fast dedicated hardware. However, design examples of dedicated hardware are very rare. In this paper, we designed a quadtree fractal-based compressed image decoder which can decode $256{\times}256$ gray-scale images in real-time and used two power-down methods. The first is a hardware-optimized simple post-processing, whose role is to remove block effect appeared after reconstruction, and which is easier to be implemented in hardware than non-2' exponents weighted average method used in conventional software implementation, lessens costs, and accelerates post-processing speed by about 69%. Therefore, we can expect that the method dissipates low power and low energy. The second is to design a power dissipation in the multiplier can be reduced by about 28% with respect to a general array multiplier which is known efficient for low power design in the size of 8 bits or smaller. Using the above two power-down methods, we designed decoder's core block in 3.3V, 1 poly 3 metal, $0.6{\mu}m$ CMOS technology.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.192-201
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• 2005

Experiments and simulation were done to study the impact of contrast agent when CT scan was used to attenuation correction for PET Images in PET/CT system. Whole body phantom was imaged with various concentration of iodine-based contrast agent using CT. Mathematical emission and transmission density map with liver were made to simulate for whole body FDG Imaging. A variety of factors were estimated, including non-uniform enhancement of contrast agent, concentration and distribution size of contrast agent, noise level, image resolution, reconstruction algorithm, hypo-attenuation of contrast agent, and different time phases for contrast agent. Experimental studies showed that Hounsfield unit depends on the concentration of contrast agent and tube voltage. From the simulation data, contrast agents Introduced artifacts and degraded image quality on the attenuation-corrected PET images. The severity of these effects depends on a variety of factors, including the concentration and distribution size of contrast agent, the noise levels, and the Image resolution. These results Indicated that the impact of contrast agents should be considered with a full understanding of their potential problems in clinical PET/CT images.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.344-359
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• 2022

Purpose To develop a denoising convolutional neural network-based image processing technique and investigate its efficacy in diagnosing breast cancer using low-dose mammography imaging. Materials and Methods A total of 6 breast radiologists were included in this prospective study. All radiologists independently evaluated low-dose images for lesion detection and rated them for diagnostic quality using a qualitative scale. After application of the denoising network, the same radiologists evaluated lesion detectability and image quality. For clinical application, a consensus on lesion type and localization on preoperative mammographic examinations of breast cancer patients was reached after discussion. Thereafter, coded low-dose, reconstructed full-dose, and full-dose images were presented and assessed in a random order. Results Lesions on 40% reconstructed full-dose images were better perceived when compared with low-dose images of mastectomy specimens as a reference. In clinical application, as compared to 40% reconstructed images, higher values were given on full-dose images for resolution (p < 0.001); diagnostic quality for calcifications (p < 0.001); and for masses, asymmetry, or architectural distortion (p = 0.037). The 40% reconstructed images showed comparable values to 100% full-dose images for overall quality (p = 0.547), lesion visibility (p = 0.120), and contrast (p = 0.083), without significant differences. Conclusion Effective denoising and image reconstruction processing techniques can enable breast cancer diagnosis with substantial radiation dose reduction.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2012

Purpose : We studied enhanced method to view the vessels in the brain using Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA). Noticing that Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) image is often used to evaluate the arteries of the neck and brain, we propose a new method for view brain vessels to stereo image in 3D space with more superior and more correct compared with conventional method. Materials and Methods: We use 3T Siemens Tim Trio MRI scanner with 4 channel head coil and get a 3D MRA brain data by fixing volunteers head and radiating Phase Contrast pulse sequence. MRA brain data is 3D rotated according to the view angle of each eyes. Optimal view angle (projection angle) is determined by the distance between eye and center of the data. Newly acquired MRA data are projected along with the projection line and display only the highest values. Each left and right view MIP image is integrated through anaglyph imaging method and optimal stereoscopic MIP image is acquired. Results: Result image shows that proposed method let enable to view MIP image at any direction of MRA data that is impossible to the conventional method. Moreover, considering disparity and distance from viewer to center of MRA data at spherical coordinates, we can get more realistic stereo image. In conclusion, we can get optimal stereoscopic images according to the position that viewers want to see and distance between viewer and MRA data. Conclusion: Proposed method overcome problems of conventional method that shows only specific projected image (z-axis projection) and give optimal depth information by converting mono MIP image to stereoscopic image considering viewers position. And can display any view of MRA data at spherical coordinates. If the optimization algorithm and parallel processing is applied, it may give useful medical information for diagnosis and treatment planning in real-time.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.9B no.3
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• pp.375-382
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• 2002

Handwritten character recognition is classified into on-line handwritten character recognition and off-line handwritten character recognition. On-line handwritten character recognition has made a remarkable outcome compared to off-line hacdwritten character recognition. This method can acquire the dynamic written information such as the writing order and the position of a stroke by means of pen-based electronic input device such as a tablet board. On the contrary, Any dynamic information can not be acquired in off-line handwritten character recognition since there are extreme overlapping between consonants and vowels, and heavily noisy images between strokes, which change the recognition performance with the result of the preprocessing. This paper proposes a method that effectively extracts the stroke including dynamic information of characters for off-line Korean handwritten character recognition. First of all, this method makes improvement and binarization of input handwritten character image as preprocessing procedure using watershed algorithm. The next procedure is extraction of skeleton by using the transformed Lu and Wang's thinning: algorithm, and segment pixel array is extracted by abstracting the feature point of the characters. Then, the vectorization is executed with a maximum permission error method. In the case that a few strokes are bound in a segment, a segment pixel array is divided with two or more segment vectors. In order to reconstruct the extracted segment vector with a complete stroke, the directional component of the vector is mortified by using right-hand writing coordinate system. With combination of segment vectors which are adjacent and can be combined, the reconstruction of complete stroke is made out which is suitable for character recognition. As experimentation, it is verified that the proposed method is suitable for handwritten Korean character recognition.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2012

The aim of this study was to explore the spatial and energy resolutions of a PET scanner that we have recently developed. The scanner, which consists of six detector modules with 1-layer LGSO crystals, has a hexagonal configuration with a faceto- face distance of 86.4 mm between two opposite PET modules; such properties facilitate the imaging of small animals. A $^{22}Na$ point source was employed to estimate horizontal and vertical spatial resolutions. To assess the energy resolution, a uniform $^{18}F$ cylindrical phantom was scanned. A software-based spectrum analysis of list-mode data was used to assign a local energy window centered on the photopeak position for every single crystal. For the image reconstruction, an ML-EM algorithm was used. The spatial resolutions at the center of the scanner were 0.99 mm in the horizontal direction and 1.13 mm in the vertical direction. The energy resolution averaged over each PMT ranged from 13.3%-14.3%, which gave an average value of 13.8%. These results show that this simple system is promising for small animal imaging with excellent spatial and energy resolutions.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.39-46
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• 2001

In this paper we propose a new method that can be estimation the spectral power distribution of the light source from three-band images. the light source is estimated by dividing the reflected spectral power distribution of the maximum achromatic region(L(λ)) by the corresponding surface reflectance(Ο(λ)). In order to obtain reflected spectral power distribution of the maximum achromatic region from three-bend images, a modified gray world assumption algorithm is adapted. And the maximum surface reflectance is estimated using the principal component analysis method along with achromatic population. The achromatic population is created from a set of given Munsell color chips whose chroma vector is less than threshold. Cumulative contribution ratio of principal components from the first to the third for classified achromatic population was about 99.75%. The reconstruction of illumination spectral power distribution by using achromatic population and three-band digital images captured under various light source was examined, and evaluated by RMSE between the original and reconstructed illumination spectral power distribution. This work was supported by grant No (2000-1-30200-005-3) from the Basic Research Program of the Korea Science & Engineering Foundation.

• KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Systems (TIIS)
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2086-2097
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• 2021

The current cultural assets are being restored depending on the opinions of experts (craftsmen). We intend to introduce digitalized artificial intelligence techniques, excluding the personal opinions of experts on reconstruction of such cultural properties. The first step toward restoring digitized cultural properties is separation. The restoration of cultural properties should be reorganized based on recorded documents, period historical backgrounds and regional characteristics. The cultural properties in the form of photographs or images should be collected by separating the background. In addition, when restoring cultural properties most of them depend a lot on the tendency of the restoring person workers. As a result, it often occurs when there is a problem in the accuracy and reliability of restoration of cultural properties. In this study, we propose a search method for learning stored digital cultural assets using AI technology. Pagoda was selected for restoration of Cultural Properties. Pagoda data collection was collected through the Internet and various historical records. The pagoda data was classified by period and region, and grouped into similar buildings. The collected data was learned by applying the well-known CNN algorithm for artificial intelligence learning. The pagoda search used Yolo Marker to mark the tower shape. The tower was used a total of about 100-10,000 pagoda data. In conclusion, it was confirmed that the probability of searching for a tower differs according to the number of pagoda pictures and the number of learning iterations. Finally, it was confirmed that the number of 500 towers and the epochs in training of 8000 times were good. If the test result exceeds 8,000 times, it becomes overfitting. All so, I found a phenomenon that the recognition rate drops when the enemy repeatedly learns more than 8,000 times. As a result of this study, it is believed that it will be helpful in data gathering to increase the accuracy of tower restoration.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.357-363
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• 2012

The purpose of this study on head computed tomography scan corporate reorganization adaptive iteration algorithm using the statistical noise, and quality assessment, reduction of dose was evaluated. Head CT examinations do not apply ASIR group [A group], ASIR 50 applies a group [B group] were divided into examinations. B group of each 46.9 %, 48.2 %, 43.2 %, and 47.9 % the measured in the phantom research result of measurement of CT noise average were reduced more than A group in the central part (A) and peripheral unit (B, C, D). CT number was measured with the quantitive analytical method in the display-image quality evaluation and about noise was analyze. There was A group and difference which the image noise notes statistically between B. And A group was high so that the image noise could note than B group (31.87 HUs, 31.78 HUs, 26.6 HUs, 30.42 HU P<0.05). The score of the observer 1 of A group evaluated 73.17 on 74.2 at the result 80 half tone dot of evaluating by the qualitative evaluation method of the image by the bean curd clinical image evaluation table. And the score of the observer 1 of B group evaluated 71.77 on 72.47. There was no difference (P>0.05) noted statistically. And the inappropriate image was shown to the diagnosis. As to the exposure dose, by examination by applying ASIR 50 % there was no decline in quality of the image, 47.6 % could reduce the radiation dose. In conclusion, if ASIR is applied to the clinical part, it is considered with the dose written much more that examination is possible. And when examination, it is considered that it becomes the positive factor when the examiner determines.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.123-130
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• 2016

Purpose : The aim of this study was to compare the differences between the volumes acquired with four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT)images with a reconstruction image-filtering algorithm and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images with dynamic phantom. Materials and Methods : The 4DCT images were obtained from the computerized imaging reference systems (CIRS) phantom using a computed tomography (CT) simulator. We analyzed the volumes for maximum intensity projection (MIP), minimum intensity projection (MinIP) and average intensity projection (AVG) of the images obtained with the 4DCT scanner against those acquired from CBCT images with CT ranger tools. Results : Difference in volume for node of 1, 2 and 3 cm between CBCT and 4DCT was 0.54~2.33, 5.16~8.06, 9.03~20.11 ml in MIP, respectively, 0.00~1.48, 0.00~8.47, 1.42~24.85 ml in MinIP, respectively and 0.00~1.17, 0.00~2.19, 0.04~3.35 ml in AVG, respectively. Conclusion : After a comparative analysis of the volumes for each nodal size, it was apparent that the CBCT images were similar to the AVG images acquired using 4DCT.