• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.392-396
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• 2007

In this paper, we develop a new system to visualize the blood flow map in skin tissue, using the technique of Laser Speckle Flowgraphy (LSFG). The measuring unit consists of the laser diode, imaging system, line sensor, scanning mirror, and one-board microcomputer. The speckle signal is analyzed and sent to a PC, where the blood flow in a tissue area of $14mm{\times}26 mm$ is evaluated and displayed in a 2-D color map. It is demonstrated that the new LSFG instrument is useful to evaluate the degree of allergic reaction in patch test.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2005

A novel synthetic aperture method for real-time three-way dynamic focusing is proposed, which provides lateral beam patterns represented as the product of Fourier transforms of transmit subaperture, receive subaperture, and a synthetic window function. In the proposed method, all array elements are fired individually and for each firing echo signals are recorded from all elements of a receive subaperture moving along an array with the transmit element. The three-way dynamic focusing is then achieved by employing a synthetic aperture algorithm for two-way dynamic focusing and a synthetic focusing method for transmit dynamic focusing. Both theoretical analysis and computer simulation results show that the proposed method produces ultrasound beams with improved lateral resolution at all depths compared to the conventional phased array imaging and synthetic aperture focusing methods.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.243-250
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• 1998

Reconstruction aspects of spiral scan imaging for ultra fast magnetic resonance imagine(MRI) have been investigated with polar and rectangular coordinates-based reconstruction. For the reconstruction of the spiral scan imaging, acquired data in spiral trjectory should be converted to polar or rectangular grids, where interpolation techniques are used. Various reconstruction algorithms for spiral scan imaging are tested, and reconstructed image qualities are compared with computed phantom. An improved reconstruction algorithm with dc-offset correction in projection domain is proposed, which provides the best reconstructed image quality from the simulation. Image artifact with existing algorithms is completely removed with the proposed method.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.115-116
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• 1998

Pulse echo techniques have been used for the conventional medical ultrasound imaging systems. However, their resolution is limited in the transmitted signal power. To overcome this limit, pulse compression method used in the radar systems was proposed. This system transmits a continuous coded signal and then compresses the received signal into the short and high resolution pulse by using correlator. The reflectors can be detected by cross-correlation between the transmitted signal and the received signal with the depth information. In this paper, we will present a comparative study of the performances of the most common sequences(pseudo-chirp, m-sequences, modified Golay code). The best result for improving resolution is obtained with the modified Golay Code.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.110-116
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• 2006

Finite element method (FEM) provides several advantages over other numerical methods such as boundary element method, since it allows truly volumetric analysis and incorporation of realistic electrical conductivity values. Finite element mesh generation is the first requirement in such in FEM to represent the volumetric domain of interest with numerous finite elements accurately. However, conventional mesh generators and approaches offered by commercial packages do not generate meshes that are content-adaptive to the contents of given images. In this paper, we present software that has been implemented to generate content-adaptive finite element meshes (cMESHes) based on the contents of MR images. The software offers various computational tools for cMESH generation from multi-slice MR images. The software named as the Content-adaptive FE Mesh Generation Toolbox runs under the commercially available technical computation software called Matlab. The major routines in the toolbox include anisotropic filtering of MR images, feature map generation, content-adaptive node generation, Delaunay tessellation, and MRI segmentation for the head conductivity modeling. The presented tools should be useful to researchers who wish to generate efficient mesh models from a set of MR images. The toolbox is available upon request made to the Functional and Metabolic Imaging Center or Bio-imaging Laboratory at Kyung Hee University in Korea.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.97-104
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• 1994

In the conventional infrared imaging system, complex infrared lens systems are usually used for directing collimated narrow infrared beams into the high speed 2-dimensional optic scanner. In this paper, a simple reflective infrared optic system with a 2-dimensionaloptic scanner is proposed for the realization of medical infrared thermography system. It has been experimentally proven that the infrared thermography system composed ofthe proposed optic system has the temperature resolution of $0.1{\circ}C$ under the spatial resolution of 1mrad, the image matrix size of $256{\times}240$, and the imaging time of 4 seconds.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.127-136
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• 2009

Purpose : Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess the temporal response of neural activation in healthy subjects while they performed the Iowa Gambling Test (IGT), which utilizes decisions involving ambiguity and risk. The IGT was divided into five blocks of 20 trials; analysis showed that activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) moves gradually from the dorsal to the ventral mPFC over the course of the IGT. These findings suggest that cognitive division of the mPFC, including the dorsal portion of the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC), plays a major role in ambiguous decision making and that the aspect of the IGT corresponding to risky decision making is associated with significant activity within the corticolimbic network strongly implicated in emotion and reinforcement. Our results also suggest that decisions made under ambiguity and decisions made under risk situations can be further divided into sub-phases based on the neural network involved.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2019

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) are multipotent stromal cells that have great potential to differentiate into a variety of cell types such as osteocytes, chondrocytes, and myocytes. Although there have been many studies on their clinical availability, little is known about how intracellular signals can be modulated by topographic features of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we investigated whether and how microwavy-patterned extracellular matrix (ECM) could affect the signaling activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a key cellular adhesion protein. The fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based FAK biosensor-transfected cells are incubated on microwavy-patterned surfaces and then platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) are treated to trigger FAK signals, followed by monitoring through live-cell FRET imaging in real time. As a result, we report that PDGF-induced FAK was highly activated in cells cultured on microwavy-patterned surface with L or M type, while inhibited by H type-patterned surface. In further studies, PDGF-induced FAK signals are regulated by functional support of actin filaments, microtubules, myosin-related proteins, suggesting that PDGF-induced FAK signals in hMSC upon microwavy surfaces are dependent on cytoskeleton (CSK)-actomyosin networks. Thus, our findings not only provide new insight on molecular mechanisms on how FAK signals can be regulated by distinct topographical cues of the ECM, but also may offer advantages in potential applications for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.11
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• pp.555-558
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• 1997

A new approach to silent MR imaging using a rotating DC gradient has been explored and experimentally studied. As is known, acoustic or sound noise has been one of the major problems in handling patients, mainly due to the fast gradient pulsings in interaction with the main magnetic field. The sound noise is also proportionally louder as the magnetic field strength becomes larger. In this article, we have described a new imaging technique using a mechanically rotating DC gradient coil as an approach toward silent MR imaging, i.e., a mechanically rotated DC gradient effectively replaces both the phase encoding as well as the readout gradient pulsings and data obtained in this manner provides a set of project ion data which later can be used or the projection reconstructionorwithsomeinterpolation techniques one can also perform conventional 2-D FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) image reconstruction. We found, with this new technique, that the sound noise intensity compared with the conventional imaging technique, such as spin echo sequence, is reduced down to -20.7 dB or about 117.5 times. The experimental pulse sequence and its principle are described and images obtained by the new silent MR imaging technique are reported.

• Medical Lasers
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2021

Intravital microscopy is a high-resolution imaging technique based on laser-scanning two-photon and confocal microscopy, which allows dynamic 3D cellular-level imaging of various biological processes in a living animal in vivo. This unique capability allows biomedical researchers to directly verify a hypothesis in a natural in vivo microenvironment at the cellular level in a physiological setting. During the last decade, intravital microscopy has become an indispensable technique in several fields of biomedical sciences such as molecular and cell biology, immunology, neuroscience, developmental, and tumor biology. The most distinct advantage of intravital microscopy is its capability to provide a longitudinal view of disease progression at the cellular-level with repeated intravital imaging of a single animal over time by saving the images after each session.