• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2003

In this paper we present a brief description and summary results of each of our recent activities in three areas, all devoted to NMR and MRI superconducting magnet technologies: 1) development of a high-field LTS / HTS NMR magnet; 2) development of a novel digital flux injector for slightly resistive NMR magnets; and 3) a proposal fer a low-cost MRI magnet system based on $MgB_2$ composite and an innovative cryogenic design / operation concept.

• Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.23-29
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• 2009

The unique features of HTS offer opportunities and challenges to a number of applications. In this paper we focus on NMR and MRI magnets, illustrating them with the NMR/MRI magnets that we are currently and will shortly be engaged: a 1.3 GHz NMR magnet, an "annulus" magnet, and an $MgB_2$whole-body MRI magnet. The opportunities with HTS include: 1) high fields (e.g., 1.3 GHz magnet); 2) compactness (annulus magnet); and 3) enhanced stability despite liquid-helium-free operation ($MgB_2$whole-body MRI magnet). The challenges include: 1) a large screening current field detrimental to spatial field homogeneity (e.g., 1.3 GHz magnet); 2) uniformity of critical current density (annulus magnet); and 3) superconducting joints ($MgB_2$magnet).

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1-7
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• 2009

The unique features of HTS offer Opportunities and challenges to a number of applications. In this paper we focus on NMR and MRI magnets, illustrating them with the NMR/MRI magnets that we are currently and will shortly be engaged: a 1.3GHz NMR magnet, an "annulus" magnet, and an $MgB_2$ whole-body MRI magnet. The opportunities with HTS include: 1) high fields (e.g., 1.3GHz magnet); 2) compactness (annulus magnet); and 3) enhanced stability despite liquid-helium-free operation ($MgB_2$ whole-body MRI magnet). The challenges include: 1) a large screening current Beld detrimental to spatial field homogeneity (e.g., 1.3 GHz magnet); 2) uniformity of critical current density (annulus magnet); and 3) superconducting joints ($MgB_2$ magnet).

• Journal of the Korean Magnetics Society
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.272-276
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• 1996

1948년 Harvard 대학의 Purcell교수와 Stanford 대학의 Bloch교수가 핵자기 공명(Nuclear Magnetic Resonance : NMR) 현상을 발견한 이래로 NMR은 물질의 분자단위에서 화학적, 물리학적 성질을 밝혀내는 탁월한 방법으로 널리 이용되어 왔다. NMR 현상을 이용한 영상촬영법(Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI)은 1970년대초 Lauterber와 Damadian 교수가 처음 영상을 얻을 수 있다는 가능성을 제시한 이후 급속한 발전을 하여 1980년대 초에는 Moore와 Holland에 의해 의학분야에 응용 가능할 정도의 영상이 얻어졌다. 1980년대 중반부터 상용화 되었으며 최근 그 기법도 NMR현상과 연관된 파라미터인 $T_{1}$, $T_{2}$는 물론 혈류의 속도, 자화율, 확산(Diffusion), Perfusion의 영상기법을 비롯해 혈관조영술(MR Angiography), 뇌기능영상(Functional Imaging)등 과거에는 상상도 할 수 없었던 다양한 영상기법 개발되었다. 여기서는 먼저 MRI의 원리를 설명한 후 MRI의 여러 촬영기법들과 그 응용에 관해 설명하겠다.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.6-11
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• 2019

Parahydrogen induced hyperpolarization (PHIP) technique is extensively studied to increase the sensitivity of the conventional NMR spectroscopy and recently try to apply this advanced technique into the revolutionary future of the MRI. The other hyperpolarization technique, which is widely utilized, is DNP (Dynamic Nuclear Polarization)-based hyperpolarization one. Despite its great advances in these fields, it contains several drawbacks to overcome: fast relaxation time, expensive equipment is needed, long build-up time is required (several hours), and batch scale material is hyperpolarized. To overcome all those limitations, one can effectively harness the hyperpolarized spin state of parahydrogen. One important step for utilizing the spin state of parahydrogen is doing well-developed experiments of ALTADENA and PASADENA. Based on those concepts, we successfully obtain the hydrogenation signals of ALTADENA and PASADENA from styrene by using benchtop NMR spectrometer. Also those signals were conceptually analyzed and confirmed with different mechanisms. To our best knowledge, those experiments using 1.4T (benchtop NMR) is the first reported one. Considering these experiments, we hope that parahydrogen-based hyperpolarization transfer studies in NMR/MRI will be broadened in Korea in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.64-69
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• 2021

In the developed NMR hyperpolarization techniques, Signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) technique is thought to be a promising method to overcome the low sensitivity of bio-NMR/MRI. Most experiments using SABRE have been done in methanol, which is biologically harmful solvent. Therefore, more biological friendly solvent, such as ethanol can be more appropriate solvent to be applicable in bio-NMR and MRI. As the proof of concept, successful hyperpolarization on pyridine via SABRE is carried out in ethanol and its enhancement factor is calculated to be more than 150 folds. To investigate more about its possibility of hyperpolarization in different alcohol solvents, methanol and propanol are used for SABRE in the same condition. The overall polarization trend in different external magnetic field is similar but its polarization number is decreased with higher molecular weight solvents (the order from methanol to propanol). This result indicates that the efficiency of SABRE is different from solvent system despite its same functional group and similar properties. Higher para-hydrogen concentration, higher partial pressure of para-hydrogen, and deuterated solvent can increase the hyperpolarization in any solvents. With these series of successful SABRE results, future studies on SABRE in more biofriendly environment, on more various solvent systems, and with more substrates are needed and it will be the firm basis for applying the SABRE system on the future bio-NMR/MRI.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.28-32
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• 2015

Nowadays the magnetic field mapping is widely used in the design and analysis of the NMR/MRI magnet system, and the accuracy of mapping result has become more and more important. There are several factors affecting the accuracy of the mapping such as the mapping method, the precision of the sensor, the position of the measurement points, the calculation accuracy, and so on. In this paper the error due to the misalignment of the measurement points was discussed. The magnetic field in the central volume was mapped using an indirect method in an MRI magnet system and the magnetic field was fitted to a polynomial. Considering the misalignment between the original measurement points and the practical measurement points, there must be some errors in the mapping calculation and we called it positioning error. Several comparisons of the positioning error have been presented through the theoretical estimates and the exact magnetic field values. Finally, the allowable positioning errors were suggested to guarantee the accuracy of the magnetic field mapping within a certain degree for an example case.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2001

NMR spectroscopy enables us to measure the molar concentration of the metabolites in the organisms, and this technique is the only method to measure the concentration non-invasively. The proton NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the biochemical changes in human as well as in animal brain. MRI uses the proton densities and its relaxation times for reconstructing images, but MRS gives the biochemical changes inside the body. NMR spectroscopy could provide the information which MRI and CT could not, and this makes NMR spectroscopy more useful in diagnosing diseases. This study was tried to develop the quantitation of the molar concentration of the metabolites in the brain using the proton MR spectroscopy. The spectra of each metabolites was obtained, and the proton MR spectra was obtained from the insula gray matter areas of the 16 volunteers. And this spectra was analyzed to estimated the molar concentrations of the metabolites in the region. The results showed the very similar to those of the others.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.75-79
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• 1999

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique used to produce high quality images of the inside of the animal body. MRI is based on the principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and started out as a tomographic imaging technique, that is it produced an image of the NMR signal in a thin slice through the animal body. The animal body is primarily fat and water, Fat and water have many hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen nuclei have an NMR signal. For these reasons magnetic resonance imaging primarily images the NMR signal from the hydrogen nuclei. Hydrogen protons, within the body align with the magnetic field. By applying short radio frequency (RF) pulses to a specific anatomical slice, the protons in the slice absorb energy at this resonant frequency causing them to spin perpendicular to the magnetic field. As the protons relax back into alignment with the magnetic field, a signal is received by an RF coil that acts as an antennae. This signal is processed by a computer to produce diagnostic images of the anatomical area of interest.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2005.09a
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• pp.12-12
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• 2005