• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2017

A high degree of precision and accuracy in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery(GKRS) is a fundamental requirement for therapeutical success. Elaborate radiation delivery and dose gradients with the steep fall-off of radiation are clinically applied thus necessitating a dedicated Quality Assurance(QA) program in order to guarantee dosimetric and geometric accuracy and reduce all the risk factors that can occur in GKRS. In this study, as a part of QA we verified the accuracy of single-shot dose profiles used in the algorithm of Gamma Knife Perfexion(PFX) treatment planning system employing Variable Ellipsoid Modeling Technique(VEMT). We evaluated the dose distributions of single-shots in a spherical ABC phantom with diameter 160 mm on Gamma Knife PFX. The single-shots were directed to the center of ABC phantom. Collimating configurations of 4, 8, and 16 mm sizes along x, y, and z axes were studied. Gamma Knife PFX treatment planning system being used in GKRS is called Leksell GammaPlan(LGP) ver 10.1.1. From the verification like this, the accuracy of GKRS will be doubled. Then the clinical application must be finally performed based on precision and accuracy of GKRS. Specifically the width at the 50% isodose level, that is, Full-Width-of-Half-Maximum(FWHM) was verified under such conditions that a patient's head is simulated as a sphere with diameter 160mm. All the data about dose profiles along x, y, and z axes predicted through VEMT were excellently consistent with dose profiles from LGP within specifications(${\leq}1mm$ at 50% isodose level) except for a little difference of FWHM and PENUMBRA(isodose level: 20%~80%) along z axis for 4 mm and 8mm collimating configurations. The maximum discrepancy of FWHM was less than 2.3% at all collimating configurations. The maximum discrepancy of PENUMBRA was given for the 8 mm collimator along z axis. The difference of FWHM and PENUMBRA in the dose distributions obtained with VEMT and LGP is too small to give the clinical significance in GKRS. The results of this study are considered as a reference for medical physicists involved in GKRS in the whole world. Therefore we can work to confirm the validity of dose distributions for all collimating configurations determined through the regular preventative maintenance program using the independent verification method VEMT for the results of LGP and clinically assure the perfect treatment for patients of GKRS. Thus the use of VEMT is expected that it will be a part of QA that can verify and operate the system safely.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.2255-2265
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• 2013

This study presents the width function-based Clark model. To this end, rescaled width function with distinction between hillslope and channel velocity is used as time-area curve and then it is routed through linear storage within the framework of not finite difference scheme used in original Clark model but analytical expression of linear storage routing. There are three parameters focused in this study: storage coefficient, hillslope velocity and channel velocity. SCE-UA, one of the popular global optimization methods, is applied to estimate them. The shapes of resulting IUHs from this study are evaluated in terms of the three statistical moments of hydrologic response functions: mean, variance and the third moment about the center of IUH. The correlation coefficients to the three statistical moments simulated in this study against these of observed hydrographs were estimated at 0.995 for the mean, 0.993 for the variance and 0.983 for the third moment about the center of IUH. The shape of resulting IUHs from this study give rise to satisfactory simulation results in terms of the mean and variance. But the third moment about the center of IUH tend to be overestimated. Clark model proposed in this study is superior to the one only taking into account mean and variance of IUH with respect to skewness, peak discharge and peak time of runoff hydrograph. From this result it is confirmed that the method suggested in this study is useful tool to reflect the heterogeneity of drainage path and hydrodynamic parameters. The variation of statistical moments of IUH are mainly influenced by storage coefficient and in turn the effect of channel velocity is greater than the one of hillslope velocity. Therefore storage coefficient and channel velocity are the crucial factors in shaping the form of IUH and should be considered carefully to apply Clark model proposed in this study.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.469-477
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• 2008

Purpose: The goal of this paper is to present the design and performance of a position encoding circuit for $16{\times}16$ array of position sensitive multi-anode photomultiplier tube for small animal PET scanners. This circuit which reduces the number of readout channels from 256 to 4 channels is based on a charge division method utilizing a resistor array. Materials and Methods: The position encoding circuit was simulated with PSpice before fabrication. The position encoding circuit reads out the signals from H9500 flat panel PMTs (Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Japan) on which $1.5{\times}1.5{\times}7.0\;mm^3$ $L_{0.9}GSO$ ($Lu_{1.8}Gd_{0.2}SiO_{5}:Ce$) crystals were mounted. For coincidence detection, two different PET modules were used. One PET module consisted of a $29{\times}29\;L_{0.9}GSO$ crystal layer, and the other PET module two $28{\times}28$ and $29{\times}29\;L_{0.9}GSO$ crystal layers which have relative offsets by half a crystal pitch in x- and y-directions. The crystal mapping algorithm was also developed to identify crystals. Results: Each crystal was clearly visible in flood images. The crystal identification capability was enhanced further by changing the values of resistors near the edge of the resistor array. Energy resolutions of individual crystal were about 11.6%(SD 1.6). The flood images were segmented well with the proposed crystal mapping algorithm. Conclusion: The position encoding circuit resulted in a clear separation of crystals and sufficient energy resolutions with H9500 flat-panel PMT and $L_{0.9}GSO$ crystals. This circuit is good enough for use in small animal PET scanners.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.371-383
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• 2012

Shaping the root canal system to maintain original canal curvature is essential to clinical success in endodontic treatment. Opposed to most root canals that are curved, endodontic instruments are made from straight metal blanks. They have a tendency of straightening the root canal during preparation and frequently result in procedural errors. A new treatment method to maintain original canal curvature during shaping has been introduced for preventing procedural errors. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of instruments to maintain original canal curvature of continuous rotary system and single file system. Thirty ISO 15, 0.02 taper, Endo Training Blocks(Dentsplay Maillefer) were used. Specimens were assigned to 1 of 3 groups for shaping: specimens in group 1 were shaped with ProFile #20/.06 at the WL. Specimens in group 2 were shaped with Mtwo #35/.04 at the WL. Specimens in group 3 were shaped with WaveOne Primary reciprocating files at the WL after the glide path was achieved with PathFile. Pre- and postinstrumentation digital images were superimposed and processed with Matlab r2010b(The MathWorks Inc, Natick, MA) software to analyze the curvature-radius ratio(CRr), representing canal curvature modification. Data for comparison on the ability of instruments to maintain original canal curvature depending on each Ni-Ti file were analyzed with 1-way ANOVA(P<.05). Data for comparison on the ability of instruments to maintain original canal curvature depending on each Ni-Ti file system were analyzed with independent t-test(P<.05). A statistically significant difference(P<0.05) was noted on each Ni-Ti file. ProFile and WaveOne instrumentations maintained the original canal curvature significantly better(P<0.05) than Mtwo file. There were no significant difference(P>0.05) between continuous rotary system and single file system. Under the conditions of this study, ProFile and WaveOne instruments maintained the original curvature significantly better than Mtwo file and were less modification of the canal curvature compared. There was no significant difference between continuous rotary system and single file system in shaping of simulated canals. As clinical practitioners, it may be advantages to use hybrid approach when root canal shapes depending on the design and usage of Ni-Ti files.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.231-240
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• 2017

Recently, there have been frequent occurrences of ground sink in the urban area, which have resulted in human and material damage and are accompanied by economic losses. This is caused by artificial factors such as soil loss, poor compaction, horizontal excavation due to the breakage of the aged sewage pipe, and lack of water proof at vertical excavation. The ground sink can be prevented by preliminary restoration and reinforcement through exploration, but it can be considered that it is not suitable for urgent restoration by the existing method. In this study, a model experiment was carried out to simulate the in-ground cavities caused by groundwater flow for developing non-excavation urgent restoration in underground cavity and the range of the relaxation zone was estimated by detecting the around the cavity using a relaxation zone detector. In addition, disturbance region and relaxation region were separated by injecting gypsum into cavity formed in simulated ground. The shape of the underground cavity due to the groundwater flow was similar to that of the failure mode III formed in the dense relative density ground due to water pipe breakage in the previous study. It was confirmed that the relaxed region detected using the relaxation zone detector is formed in an arch shape in the cavity top. The length ratio of the relaxation region to the disturbance region in the upper part of the cavity center is 2: 1, and it can be distinguished by the difference in the decrease of the shear resistance against the external force. In other words, it was confirmed that the secondary damage should not occur in consideration of the expandability of the material used as the injecting material in the pre-repair and reinforcement, and various ground deformation states will be additionally performed through additional experiments.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.407-414
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• 2010

Until now, the pore size distribution, PSD, of soil profile has been calculated from soil moisture characteristic data by water release method or mercury porosimetry using the capillary rise equation. But the current methods are often difficult to use and time consuming. Thus, in this work, theoretical framework for an easy and fast technique was suggested to estimate the PSD from unsaturated hydraulic conductivity data in an undisturbed field soil profile. In this study, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity data were collected and simulated by the variation of soil parameters in the given boundary conditions (Brooks and Corey soil parameters, ${\alpha}_{BC}=1-5L^{-1}$, b = 1 - 10; van Genuchten soil parameters, ${\alpha}_{VG}=0.001-1.0L^{-1}$, m = 0.1 - 0.9). Then, $K_s$ (1.0 cm $h^{-1})$ was used as the fixed input parameter for the simulation of each models. The PSDs were estimated from the collected K(h) data by model simulation. In the simulation of Brooks-Corey parameter, the saturated hydraulic conductivity, $K_s$, played a role of scaling factor for unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, K(h) Changes of parameter b explained the shape of PSD curve of soil intimately, and a ${\alpha}_{BC}$ affected on the sensitivity of PSD curve. In the case of van Genuchten model, $K_s$ and ${\alpha}_{VG}$ played the role of scaling factor for a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, respectively. Parameter m described the shape of PSD curve and K(h) systematically. This study suggests that the new theoretical technique can be applied to the in situ prediction of PSD in undisturbed field soil.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.495-505
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• 2008

The main purposes of this study are to: (1) to develop astronomy observation program based on a standardized coefficient decision program; and (2) to apply the developed program to after-school or club activities. As a first step, we analyzed activities related to astronomy in the authorized textbooks that are currently adopted in high schools. based on the analysis, we developed an astronomy observation program according to the standardized coefficient decision program, and the program was applied to students' astronomical observations as part of the club activities. Specifically, this program used a 102 mm refracting telescope and digital camera. we took into account the observation site's environment of the urban areas in which many school were located and then developed a the computer program for observation activities. The results of this study are as follows. First, the current astronomical education in schools was based off of the textbooks. Specifically, it was mostly about analyzing the materials and making simulated experiments. Second, most schools participated in this study were located in urban areas where students had more difficulty in observation than in rural areas. Third, an exemplary method was investigated in order to make an astronomical observation efficiently in urban areas with the existing devices. In addition, the standardized coefficient decision program was developed to standardize the magnitude of stars according to the observed value. Finally, based on the students' observations, we found that there was no difference between the magnitude of a star in urban sites and in rural sites. The current astronomical education in schools lacks an activity of practical experiments, and many schools have not good observational sites because they are located in urban areas. However, use of this program makes it possible to collect significant data after a series of standardized corrections. In conclusion, this program not only helps schools to create an active astronomy observation activity in fields, but also promotes students to be more interested in astronomical observation through a series of field-based activities.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.217-226
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• 2015

This study was conducted to establish a standardized process for developing food safety health indicators. With this aim, we proposed a standardized process, accessed the validity of the suggested process by performing simulations, and provided a method to utilize the indicators. Developing process for domestic environmental health indicators was benchmarked to propose a standardized process for developing food safety health indicators, and DPSEEA framework was applied to the development of indicators. The suggested standardized process consists of an exploitation stage and a management stage. In the exploitation stage, a total of 6 procedures (initial indicators suggestion, candidate indicators selection, data availability assessment, feasibility assessment, pilot study, and final indicator selection) are conducted, and the indicators are routinely calculated and officially announced in the management stage. The exploitation stage is operated by an interaction between a task force team who manages the overall process, and an advisory committee (minimum of 4 in academia, 2 in research, 4 in specialists of Ministry of Food and Drug Safety) who reviews and performs evaluations on the indicators. The standardized process was simulated with 45 initial indicators, and total of 4 indicators (17 detailed indicators) were selected: 'Proportion of domestic fruit/vegetable receiving 'acceptable' in the evaluation of pesticide/herbicide residues', 'Food-borne disease outbreaks', 'Food-borne legal infectious disease incidence', 'Salmonellosis incidence'. Synthetic food safety health index was derived by calculating percent difference with the data from 2010 to 2012. Results showed that when comparing the year 2010 to 2011, and 2011 to 2012, the overall food safety status improved by 10.37% and 9.87%, respectively. In addition, the contribution of indicators to the overall food safety status can be determined by looking into the individual indicators, and the synthetic index may be illustrated to enhance the ease of interpretation to the public and policy makers. In overall, food health safety indicators can be useful in many ways and therefore, attention should be drawn to conduct further studies and establish related legislations.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.253-259
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• 2004

in this study, we developed a Monte Carlo imaging simulation code written by the visual C$\^$++/ programing language for design optimization of a digital X-ray imaging system. As a digital X-ray imaging system, we considered a Gd$_2$O$_2$S(Tb) scintillator and a photosensor array, and included a 2D parallel grid to simulate general test renditions. The interactions between X-ray beams and the system structure, the behavior of lights generated in the scintillator, and their collection in the photosensor array were simulated by using the Monte Carlo method. The scintillator thickness and the photosensor array pitch were assumed to 66$\mu\textrm{m}$ and 48$\mu\textrm{m}$, respertively, and the pixel format was set to 256 x 256. Using the code, we obtained X-ray images under various simulation conditions, and evaluated their image qualities through the calculations of SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), MTF (modulation transfer function), NPS (noise power spectrum), DQE (detective quantum efficiency). The image simulation code developed in this study can be applied effectively for a variety of digital X-ray imaging systems for their design optimization on various design parameters.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.191-202
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• 2007

To identify the detailed attenuation structure in the southern Korean Peninsula, a numerical test was conducted for the Q tomography inversion to be applied to the accumulated dataset until 2005. In particular, the stochastic pointsource ground-motion model (STGM model; Boore, 2003) was adopted for the 2D Q tomography inversion for direct application to simulating the strong ground-motion. Simultaneous inversion of the STGM model parameters with a regional single Q model was performed to evaluate the source and site effects which were necessary to generate an artificial dataset for the numerical test. The artificial dataset consists of simulated Fourier spectra that resemble the real data in the magnitude-distance-frequency-error distribution except replacement of the regional single Q model with a checkerboard type of high and low values of laterally varying Q models. The total number of Q blocks used for the checkerboard test was 75 (grid size of $35{\times}44km^2$ for Q blocks); Q functional form of $Q_0f^{\eta}$ ($Q_0$=100 or 500, 0.0 < ${\eta}$ < 1.0) was assigned to each Q block for the checkerboard test. The checkerboard test has been implemented in three steps. At the first step, the initial values of Q-values for 75 blocks were estimated. At the second step, the site amplification function was estimated by using the initial guess of A(f) which is the mean site amplification functions (Yun and Suh, 2007) for the site class. The last step is to invert the tomographic Q-values of 75 blocks based on the results of the first and second steps. As a result of the checkerboard test, it was demonstrated that Q-values could be robustly estimated by using the 2D Q tomography inversion method even in the presence of perturbed source and site effects from the true input model.