• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.431-438
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• 2022

In functional materials, in situ experimental techniques as a function of external stimulus (e.g., electric field, magnetic field, light, etc.) or changes in ambient environments (e.g., temperature, humidity, pressure, etc.) are highly essential for analyzing how the physical properties of target materials are activated/evolved by the given stimulation. In particular, in situ electric-field-dependent X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements have been extensively utilized for understanding the underlying mechanisms of the emerging electromechanical responses to external electric field in various ferroelectric, piezoelectric, and electrostrictive materials. This tutorial article briefly introduces basic principles/key concepts of in situ electric-field-dependent XRD analysis using a lab-scale XRD machine. We anticipate that the in situ XRD method provides a practical tool to systematically identify/monitor a structural modification of various electromechanical materials driven by applying an external electric field.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.418-421
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• 2022

Stir-accelerated corrosion test of a high chromium cast iron was attempted in 0.1 mol dm^-3 H₂SO₄ + 0.05 mol dm^-3 HCl + 10 wt% SiC solution for 48 h at room temperature or at 45 ℃. The high chromium cast iron was composed of 2.8 wt% C and 27 wt% Cr and balanced with Fe. The high chromium cast iron was positioned into a 500 mL beaker with stirring of the solution at 1050 rpm using a magnetic hot plate. The corrosion rate was increased by agitating the solution. In addition, the corroded depth of the high chromium cast iron surface was increased by agitating the solution. The surface morphology of the high chromium cast iron after the stir-accelerated corrosion test revealed that a dendritic austenite phase partially remained in the corroded region after agitating the solution, indicating that solution movement during agitating could accelerate the corrosion rate of the high chromium cast iron.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.7-10
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• 2009

Effects of $BaCO_3$ purity on the superconducting properties of top seeded melt growth (TSMG) processed $Y_{1+x}Ba_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ (Y1+x, x=0.1 and 0.2) superconductors were investigated. $YBa_2Cu_3O_{7-y}$ (Y123) powder prepared using $BaCO_3$ with 99.75% purity and commercially available Y123 powder of 99.9% were used for the fabrication of single Y123 grain superconductors. $T_c$ values of the Y1+x samples prepared using low purity Y123 powder were slightly lower than those of the samples prepared using a high purity powder. In addition to the lower $T_c$, an anomalous peak effect in the intermediate magnetic fields was observed in Y1+x samples prepared using the low purity $BaCO_3$ powder. The slight decrease in $T_c$ and the anomalous peak effect are ascribed to the possible incorporation of a Y123 phase with impurity elements such as strontium and calcium included in the $BaCO_3$powder of 99.7%. The result suggests that the low purity $BaCO_3$ powder of a low price can be used as a raw power for the fabrication of single grain YBCO bulk superconductors.

• The Journal of the Korea institute of electronic communication sciences
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.279-290
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• 2022

A superconducting fault current limiter(SFCL) is a power device that exploits superconducting transition to control currents and enhances the flexibility, stability and reliability of the power system within a few milliseconds. With a high phase transition speed, high critical current densities and little AC loss, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires are suitable for a resistive-type SFCL. However, HTS wires due to the lack of optimization research are rather inefficient to directly apply to a fault current limiter in terms of the design and capacity, for the existing method relied the characteristics. Therefore, in order to develop a suitable wire for an SFCL, it is necessary to enhance critical current uniformity, select optimal stabilizer materials and conducted research on the development of uniform stabilizer layering technology. The high temperature superconducting wires manufactured by this study get an average critical current of 804 A/12mm-width at the length of 710m; therefore, conducted research was able to secure economic performance by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and reducing size.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.38.1-38.1
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• 2009

In this paper we present the first results of summer-time F region irregularities during low solar condition observed using the Gadanki MST radar. Echoes were observed on all 20 nights of radar observations and were mostly confined to the post-midnight hours. Echo morphology is very different from the equinoxial post-sunset plume-like features reported earlier from Gadanki. Echo SNRs are lower by 25 dB than their equinoxial post-sunset counterpart, and are quite comparable to the equinoxial irregularities in the post-midnight hours, which are essentially the decaying post-sunset irregularities. The Doppler velocities, which lie in the range of $\pm$ 100 m s-1, show upward/northward motion of the irregularities during the initial phase in contrast to the observed predominant downward/southward velocities associated with the decaying equinoxial post-midnight F region irregularities. Spectral widths of the summer echoes, which are well below 50 m s-1 and are very similar to those of the decaying equinoxial irregularities, represent the presence of weak plasma turbulence. Simultaneous observations made using a collocated ionosonde show no ionogram trace during 2200-0530 LT except for a few occasions. Weak frequency type spread F observed during midnight hours occurred without prior occurrence of range spread F. Concurrent ionosonde observations made from magnetic equatorial location Trivandrum also show very similar result and thus no height rise of the F layer during the midnight hours could be monitored. The preliminary analysis suggests that the post-midnight irregularities reported here are mostly freshly generated ones. The observations are discussed in the light of other observational results reported earlier and the current under standing on the post-midnight occurrence F region irregularities in summer.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.297-307
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• 2021

Objective: To compare the performance of simulated abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MRI) and full diagnostic (FD)-MRI in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions detected by MRI and investigate the features of discrepant lesions of the two protocols. Materials and Methods: An AB-MRI set with single first postcontrast images was retrospectively obtained from an FD-MRI cohort of 111 lesions (34 malignant, 77 benign) detected by contralateral breast MRI in 111 women (mean age, 49.8. ± 9.8; range, 28-75 years) with recently diagnosed breast cancer. Five blinded readers independently classified the likelihood of malignancy using Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System assessments. McNemar tests and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) analyses were performed. The imaging and pathologic features of the discrepant lesions of the two protocols were analyzed. Results: The sensitivity of AB-MRI for lesion characterization tended to be lower than that of FD-MRI for all readers (58.8-82.4% vs. 79.4-100%), although the findings of only two readers were significantly different (p < 0.05). The specificity of AB-MRI for lesion characterization was higher than that of FD-MRI for 80% of readers (39.0-74.0% vs. 19.5-45.5%, p ≤ 0.001). The AUC of AB-MRI was comparable to that of FD-MRI for all readers (p > 0.05). Fifteen percent (5/34) of the cancers were false-negatives on AB-MRI. More suspicious margins or internal enhancement on the delayed phase images were related to the discrepancies. Conclusion: The overall performance of AB-MRI was similar to that of FD-MRI in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions. AB-MRI showed lower sensitivity and higher specificity than FD-MRI, as 15% of the cancers were misclassified compared to FD-MRI.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.354-365
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• 2021

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and its role as a second-line imaging modality after gadoxetate-enhanced MRI (Gd-EOB-MRI) in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among at risk observations. Materials and Methods: We prospectively enrolled participants at risk of HCC with treatment-naïve solid hepatic observations (≥ 1 cm) of Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LR)-3/4/5/M during surveillance and performed Gd-EOB-MRI. A total of one hundred and three participants with 103 hepatic observations (mean size, 28.2 ± 24.5 mm; HCCs [n = 79], non-HCC malignancies [n = 15], benign [n = 9]; diagnosed by pathology [n = 57], or noninvasive method [n = 46]) were included in this study. The participants underwent CEUS with sulfur hexafluoride. Arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) and washout on Gd-EOB-MRI and CEUS were evaluated. The distinctive washout in CEUS was defined as mild washout 60 seconds after contrast injection. The diagnostic ability of Gd-EOB-MRI and of CEUS as a second-line modality for HCC were determined according to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the Korean Liver Cancer Association and National Cancer Center (KLCA-NCC) guidelines. The diagnostic abilities of both imaging modalities were compared using the McNemar's test. Results: The sensitivity of CEUS (60.8%) was lower than that of Gd-EOB-MRI (72.2%, p = 0.06 by EASL; 86.1%, p < 0.01 by KLCA-NCC); however, the specificity was 100%. By performing CEUS on the inconclusive observations in Gd-EOB-MRI, HCCs without APHE (n = 10) or washout (n = 12) on Gd-EOB-MRI further presented APHE (80.0%, 8/10) or distinctive washout (66.7%, 8/12) on CEUS, and more HCCs were diagnosed than with Gd-EOB-MRI alone (sensitivity: 72.2% vs. 83.5% by EASL, p < 0.01; 86.1% vs. 91.1% by KCLA-NCC, p = 0.04). There were no false-positive cases for HCC on CEUS. Conclusion: The addition of CEUS to Gd-EOB-MRI as a second-line diagnostic modality increases the frequency of HCC diagnosis without changing the specificities.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.5
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• pp.1116-1120
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• 2022

The kidney is a rare site of ectopic adrenal adenoma. To the best of our knowledge, some cases of ectopic adrenal adenoma have been found in the kidney, but few of these cases explain the CT and MRI findings of the lesion. We reported a case of ectopic adrenal adenoma in the left renal sinus. A 47-year-old male patient underwent abdominal CT for routine health check-ups, which revealed a 1.2 cm enhancing mass in the left renal sinus. The MRI showed a signal drop of the mass in T1 weighted in- and opposed-phase, which indicates fat components. The mass was confirmed as an ectopic adrenal adenoma after surgery.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2000

Objective: To evaluate the hydrodynamic changes occurring in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow in cervical spinal stenosis using the spatial modulation of magnetization (SPAMM) technique. Materials and Methods: Using the SPAMM technique, 44 patients with cervical spinal stenosis and ten healthy volunteers were investigated. The degree of cervical spinal stenosis was rated as low-, intermediate-, or high-grade. Low-grade stenosis was defined as involving no effacement of the subarachnoid space, intermediate-grade as involving effacement of this space, and high-grade as involving effacement of this space, together with compressive myelopathy. The patterns of SPAMM stripes and CSF velocity were evaluated and compared between each type of spinal stenosis and normal spine. Results: Low-grade stenosis (n = 23) revealed displacement or discontinuity of stripes, while intermediate- (n = 10) and high-grade (n = 11) showed a continuous straight band at the stenotic segment. Among low-grade cases, 12 showed wave separation during the systolic phase. Peak systolic CSF velocity at C4-5 level in these cases was lower than in volunteers (p < .05), but jet-like CSF propulsion was maintained. Among intermediate-grade cases, peak systolic velocity at C1-2 level was lower than in the volunteer group, but the difference was not significant (p > .05). In high-grade stenosis, both diastolic and systolic velocities were significantly lower (p < .05). Conclusion: Various hydrodynamic changes occurring in CSF flow in cervical spinal stenosis were demonstrated by the SPAMM technique, and this may be a useful method for evaluating CSF hydrodynamic change in cervical spinal stenosis.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.64-72
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• 2002

Purpose : To introduce and demonstrate the advantages of the new hybrid two-dimensional (2D) proton spectroscopic imaging (SI) over the single voxel spectroscopy (SVS) and conventional 2D SI in the clinical application of spectroscopy for pediatric cerebral disease. Materials and Methods : Eighty-one hybrid 2D proton spectroscopic imaging was performed in 79 children (36 normal infants and children, 10 with hypoxic-ischemic injury, 20 with toxic-metabolic encephalopathy, seven with brain tumor, three with meningoencephalitis, one with neurofibromatosis, one with Sturge-Weber syndrome and one with lissencephaly) ranging in age from the third day of life to 15 years. In adult volunteers (n=5), all three techniques including hybrid 2D proton SI, SVS using PRESS sequence, and conventional 2D proton SI were performed. Both hybrid 2D proton SI and SVS using PRESS sequence were performed in clinical cases (n=). All measurements were performed with a 1.5-T scanner using standard head quadrature coil. The 16$\times$16 phase encoding steps were set on variable field of view (FOV) depending on the size of the brain. The hybrid volume of interest inside FOV was set as $75{\times}75{\times}15{\;}\textrm{mm}^3$ or smaller to get rid of unwanted fat signal. Point-resolved spectroscopy (TR/TE=1,500 msec/135 or 270msec) was employed with standard chemical shift selective saturation (CHESSI pulses for water suppression. The acquisition time and spectral quality of hybrid 2D proton SI were compared with those of SVS and conventional 2D proton SI. Results : The hybrid 2D proton SI was successfully conducted upon all patients.