• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.277-281
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• 2017

Lately rainfall characteristics that it rains a lot in a short space of time often occurs. Because of this meteorological phenomena, the flow rate and concentration of initial rainfall for runoff and combined sewer overflows are changed. In the case of this inlet fluctuation, the flotation method at high surface loading rate is suitable for water quality management. the flotation method is able to meet the removal rate requirements of water public zone in 5 to 10 min which is irelatively short period. For assessment and diagonision of flotation method, A/S ratio is applied until now. But unfortunately, this has some limits for evaluation standard for certification and assessment of technical diagnosis and operation. This is why there is different efficiency in the bubble distribution at the same A/S ratio. The velocity and time of floating is changed by the different bubble distributions. The floating time affects the plant volume because the time factor make size dicision. Therefore the charateristics of bubble distribution and floating time at the same A/S ratio is necessary to apply to evaluation standard for certification and assessment of technical diagnosis and operation. For generalization of the method in certification and assessment, the characteristics of bubble distribution was studied. Until recently, using the optical device and shooting live video, there are some analysis technology of the floating factors. But this kind of technology is influenced by the equipment. with this level of confidence about the results, it is difficult to apply to generalize. According this reasons, this study should be applied on experiment generalization of method about measurement of relation between bubble distribution and floating time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to compare the MI using SonoVue along with different machines output and to infer the meaning of the signal difference under the same condition. All of the comparative instruments showed strong signal values at early stage as MI value increased. Over time, the inter-instrumental signal values showed signal attenuation under all conditions except for 10 min of the condition of MI 0.1 of RS85A. E9 and EPIQ7 showed signal degradation due to microbubble collapse over time at all MI values. In the comparison of equipment, the signal strengths of MI 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 were high in order of EPIQ7, RS85A and E9. In the quantitative analysis, there were statistically significant from the SNR and CNR that were obtained from RS85A and E9 (P-value<0.05). In the quantitative analysis, Epiq7 was statistically significant except for CNR as the MI value was changed In the contrast-enhanced ultrasound, even though MI value was low (MI <0.05), it will be helpful for diagnosis, controlling the MI and scan time because a difference in signal intensity was shown between the three machines.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.617-622
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• 2011

Ozone-based advanced oxidation was applied for the treatment of anaerobic digestion effluent of livestock wastewater. Initial COD and color value were 930 mg/L and 0.04, respectively, and the 1/10-diluted wastewater was used for the study. The treatment characteristics were compared between the conventionally generated ozone ($105{\mu}m$) and microbubbled ozone ($13{\mu}m$). The use of microbubbled ozone improved the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and color by 85% and 26%, respectively, compared with the conventionally bubbled ozone. The application of microbubbled $O_3/UV$, $O_3/H_2O_2$, $O_3/UV/H_2O_2$ combinations resulted in 5~10% higher color removal than ozone alone, which implies that the contribution of UV or $H_2O_2$ is not significant in color removal. On the other hand, COD removal could be increased two folds compared with ozone alone through $O_3/UV/H_2O_2$ combination. The contribution of $H_2O_2$ was bigger than UV for COD removal with microbubbled ozone. Due to the enhancement of dissolved ozone and radical activity, the microbubbling enabled us to additional COD removal even after stopping ozone supply in the presence of UV or $H_2O_2$.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.338-348
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• 2023

Objective: Patients with a history of ischemic stroke are at risk for a second ischemic stroke. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between carotid plaque enhancement on perfluorobutane microbubble contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and future recurrent stroke, and to determine whether plaque enhancement can contribute to risk assessment for recurrent stroke compared with the Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS). Materials and Methods: This prospective study screened 151 patients with recent ischemic stroke and carotid atherosclerotic plaques at our hospital between August 2020 and December 2020. A total of 149 eligible patients underwent carotid CEUS, and 130 patients who were followed up for 15-27 months or until stroke recurrence were analyzed. Plaque enhancement on CEUS was investigated as a possible risk factor for stroke recurrence and as a possible adjunct to ESRS. Results: During follow-up, 25 patients (19.2%) experienced recurrent stroke. Patients with plaque enhancement on CEUS had an increased risk of stroke recurrence events (22/73, 30.1%) compared to those without plaque enhancement (3/57, 5.3%), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 38.264 (95% confidence interval [CI]:14.975-97.767; P < 0.001) according to a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model analysis, indicating that the presence of carotid plaque enhancement was a significant independent predictor of recurrent stroke. When plaque enhancement was added to the ESRS, the HR for stroke recurrence in the high-risk group compared to that in the low-risk group (2.188; 95% CI, 0.025-3.388) was greater than that of the ESRS alone (1.706; 95% CI, 0.810-9.014). A net of 32.0% of the recurrence group was reclassified upward appropriately by the addition of plaque enhancement to the ESRS. Conclusion: Carotid plaque enhancement was a significant and independent predictor of stroke recurrence in patients with ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the addition of plaque enhancement improved the risk stratification capability of the ESRS.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.221-230
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• 2016

Multi-functional floating wetland island (mFWI) was developed in order to prevent algal bloom and to improve water quality through several unit purification processes. A test bed was applied in the stagnant watershed in an urban area, from the summer to the winter season. For the advanced treatment, an artificial phosphorus adsorption/filtration medium was applied with micro-bubble generation, as well as water plants for nutrient removal. It appeared that the efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (T-P) removal was higher in the warmer season (40.9%, 45.7%) than in the winter (15.9%, 20.0%), and the removal performance (suspended solid, chlorophyll a) in each process differs according to seasonal variation; micro-bubble performed better (33.1%, 39.2%) in the summer, and the P adsorption/filtration and water plants performed better (76.5%, 59.5%) in the winter season. From the results, it was understood that the mFWI performance was dependent upon the pollutant loads in different seasons and unit processes, and thus it requires continuous monitoring under various conditions to evaluate the functions. In addition, micro-bubbles helped prevent the formation of anaerobic zones in the lower part of the floating wetland. This resulted in the water circulation to form a new healthy aquatic ecosystem in the surrounding environment, which confirmed the positive influence of mFWI.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.486-490
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• 2015

Two-demensional echocardiography is routinely used for evaluation of cardiac function. Visualization of the endocardial border is essential for the assessment of global and regional left ventricular with cardiac disease. SonoVue$^{TM}$ is a microbubble contrast agent that consists of sulfur hexafluoride-filled microbubbles in a phospholipid shell. There were many studies about contrast echocardiographic examination using SonoVue$^{TM}$ contrast agent, and various doses of SonoVue$^{TM}$ were used. To our knowledge, in published veterinary medicine, there was not reported for diagnostic efficient dose of SonoVue$^{TM}$ to evaluate contrast enhanced left ventricular endocardial border delineation (LVEBD). The purpose of this study is to compare the visualization time of LVEBD and find efficient dose of SonoVue$^{TM}$ for using various doses in dogs. Ten healthy Beagles were recruited to the study. Three different doses (0.03 ml/kg, 0.05 ml/kg and 0.1 ml/kg) of SonoVue$^{TM}$ were injected. Endocardial segments were assigned based on previously established methodology, where by the four-chamber views of the LV were divided into 6 segments. In this study, Contrast enhancement of the LVEBD after each injection was evaluated visually at the time point of overall contrast enhancement (Segmental scoring 5+) in the LV by three investigators in a blind manner. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 14.0. All data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, the multiple comparison Scheffe test. When data for the three offsite readers were combined, mean durations of useful contrast were $3.54({\pm}2.14)$, $6.15({\pm}2.61)$, and $24.39({\pm}11.10)$ seconds for the 0.03 ml/kg, 0.05 ml/kg, and 0.1 ml/kg SonoVue$^{TM}$ doses, respectively. After injection of contrast agent, there were no significant change in side effects such as urticaria, angioedema, hypersensitivity reactions, and digestive system disorders. This study suggests that efficient dose of SonoVue$^{TM}$ contrast agent for improvement of the left ventricle visualization is 0.1 ml/kg. The duration of useful enhancement of LVEBD and the reproducibility were also the highest at the 0.1 ml/kg dosage.

• Ultrasonography
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.59-65
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to establish the methodology regarding synthesis of ultrasound contrast agent imaging, and to evaluate the characteristics of the synthesized ultrasound contrast agents, including size or degradation interval and image quality. Materials and Methods: The ultrasound contrast agent, composed of liposome and SF6, was synthesized from the mixture solution of $21{\mu}mol$ DPPC (1, 2-Dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, $C_{40}H_{80}NO_8P$), $9{\mu}mol$ cholesterol, $1.9{\mu}mol$ of DCP (Dihexadecylphosphate, $[CH_3(CH_2)_{15}O]_2P(O)OH$), and chloroform. After evaporation in a warm water bath and drying during a period of 12-24 hours, the contrast agent was synthesized by the sonication process by addition of buffer and SF6 gas. The size of the contrast agent was controlled by use of either extruder or sonication methods. After synthesis of contrast agents, analysis of the size distribution of the bubbles was performed using dynamic light scattering measurement methods. The degradation curve was also evaluated by changes in the number of contrast agents via light microscopy immediate, 12 hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, 60 hours, 72 hours, and 84 hours after synthesis. For evaluation of the role as an US contrast agent, the echogenicity of the synthesized microbubble was compared with commercially available microbubbles (SonoVue, Bracco, Milan, Italy) using a clinical ultrasound machine and phantom. Results: The contrast agents were synthesized successfully using an evaporation-drying-sonication method. The majority of bubbles showed a mean size of 154.2 nanometers, and they showed marked degradation 24 hours after synthesis. ANOVA test revealed a significant difference among SonoVue, synthesized contrast agent, and saline (p < 0.001). Although no significant difference was observed between SonoVue and the synthesized contrast agent, difference in echogenicity was observed between synthesized contrast agent and saline (p < 0.01). Conclusion: We could synthesize ultrasound contrast agents using an evaporation-drying-sonication method. On the basis of these results, many prospective types of research, such as anticancer drug delivery, gene delivery, including siRNA or microRNA, targeted molecular imaging, and targeted therapy can be performed.