• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.24-30
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• 1994

In this paper, the system for detection of photoacoustic signal has been constructed by using CW $CO_{2}$ laser for an analysis of the photoacoustic signal In metals and aluminum carbon steel, brass have been used as sample. The photoacoustic signals of several nano amperes have been detected in each sample with varying modulation frequency of laser, time constant of lock-in amplifier, thickness of sample. The characteristics of photoacoustic signal has been analysed in term of phase angle by using signal processing technique. Results indicate that the photoacoustic signal can be stabilized by adjustment of time constant of lock-in amplifier, that the signal amplitude is proportional to the ratio of thermal expansion coefficient to thermal capacity of metal, and that the signal amplitude decreases exponentially with sample thickness as well as with modulation frequency.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.48-58
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• 2019

We investigate the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of time-domain (i.e. pulsed illumination) and frequency-domain (i.e. chirped illumination) photoacoustic signals measured by a spherically focused ultrasound transducer for spherical absorbers. The simulation results show that the time-domain photoacoustic SNR is higher than that of frequency-domain photoacoustic signals, as reported in the previous literature. We understand the reason for this SNR gap between the two measurement modes by analyzing photoacoustic-signal spectra, considering the incident beam energy controlled by the maximum permissible exposure. As the result of this approach, we find that filtering off the DC term in the chirped signal's spectrum improves frequency-domain photoacoustic SNRs by up to approximately 5 dB. In particular, it is observed that photoacoustic SNRs are highly sensitive to an upper-frequency value of frequency filtering functions, and the optimal upper-frequency values maximizing the SNR are different in time- and frequency-domain photoacoustic measurements.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.107-115
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to demonstrate the presence of dental caries through a photoacoustic imaging system with visible and near-infrared wavelengths, highlighting the differences between the 2 spectral regions. The depth at which carious tissue could be detected was also verified. Materials and Methods: Fifteen permanent molars were selected and classified as being sound or having incipient or advanced caries by visual inspection, radiography, and optical coherence tomography analysis prior to photoacoustic scanning. A photoacoustic imaging system operating with a nanosecond pulsed laser as the light excitation source at either 532 nm or 1064 nm and an acoustic transducer at 5 MHz was developed, characterized, and used. En-face and lateral(depth) photoacoustic signals were detected. Results: The results confirmed the potential of the photoacoustic method to detect caries. At both wavelengths, photoacoustic imaging effectively detected incipient and advanced caries. The reconstructed photoacoustic images confirmed that a higher intensity of the photoacoustic signal could be observed in regions with lesions, while sound surfaces showed much less photoacoustic signal. Photoacoustic signals at depths up to 4 mm at both 532 nm and 1064 nm were measured. Conclusion: The results presented here are promising and corroborate that photoacoustic imaging can be applied as a diagnostic tool in caries research. New studies should focus on developing a clinical model of photoacoustic imaging applications in dentistry, including soft tissues. The use of inexpensive light-emitting diodes together with a miniaturized detector will make photoacoustic imaging systems more flexible, user-friendly, and technologically viable.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.300-308
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• 2014

Photoacoustic imaging is a useful tool for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis because it is capable of providing anatomical and pathological information at the same time. A photoacoustic signal detector is a pivotal element to achieve high spatial resolution, so that it should have broadband spectrum with a high center frequency. Since a photoacoustic imaging probe is directly inserted into blood vessel to diagnose atherosclerosis, the total size of the photoacoustic signal detector should be less than 1 mm. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that PVDF can be used as an active material for the photoacoustic signal detector with a high frequency and broadband characteristic. The photoacoustic signal detector developed in this study was a single element ultrasound transducer with an aperture of $0.5{\times}0.5mm$ and the total size of 1 mm. In the design stage, the natural focal depth was adjusted for an effective focal area to cover the region of interest, i.e., 1~5 mm in depth. This was because geometrical focusing could not be used due to the small aperture. Through a pulse-echo test, it was ascertained that the developed photoacoustic signal detector has the -6 dB bandwidth ranging between 40.1 and 112.8 MHz and the center frequency of 76.83 MHz.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.1295-1300
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• 2010

The $CO_2-CH_4$ reaction catalyzed by Ni/silicon wafers was kinetically studied by using a photoacoustic technique. The catalytic reaction was performed at various partial pressures of $CO_2$ and $CH_4$ (50 Torr total pressure of $CO_2/CH_4/N_2$) in the temperature range of 500 - $650^{\circ}C$ in a static reactor system. The photoacoustic signal that varied with the $CO_2$ concentration during the catalytic reaction was recorded as a function of time. Under the reaction conditions, the $CO_2$ photoacoustic measurements showed the as-prepared Ni thin film sample to be inactive for the reaction, while the $CO_2/CH_4$ reactions carried out in the presence of the sample pre-treated in $H_2$ at $600^{\circ}C$ were associated with significant time-dependent changes in the $CO_2$ photoacoustic signal. The rate of $CO_2$ disappearance was measured from the $CO_2$ photoacoustic signal data in the early reaction period of 50 - 150 sec to obtain precise kinetic data. The apparent activation energy for $CO_2$ consumption was determined to be 6.9 kcal/mol from the $CO_2$ disappearance rates. The partial reaction orders, determined from the $CO_2$ disappearance rates measured at various $PCO{_2}'S$ and $PCH{_4}'S$ at $600^{\circ}C$, were determined to be 0.33 for $CH_4$ and 0.63 for $CO_2$, respectively. Kinetic data obtained in these measurements were compared with previous works and were discussed to construct a catalytic reaction mechanism for the $CO_2-CH_4$ reaction over Ni/silicon wafer at low pressures.

• Proceedings of the Acoustical Society of Korea Conference
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• 1984.12a
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• pp.33-35
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• 1984

A new type single beam photoacoustic spectrometer suitable for measuring optical absorption of condensed powder matter with the automatic calibration capability of a source power spectrum is introduced. The signal processing until of this spectrometer consists of a photoacoustic cell a lock-in amp., a switching circuit and a personal computer. The measured optical absorption spectra of a few material by this method are good agreement with the results obtained by the double-beam photoacoustic spectrometer.

• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.158-165
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• 2017

The physical shape of an ultrasound transducer has not been considered in previous studies of the photoacoustic saturation effect, where a photoacoustic signal's magnitude linearly increases as an absorption coefficient increases and it is finally saturated. In this paper, the effect of a spherically focused ultrasound transducer on photoacoustic nonlinearity is investigated. The focused ultrasound transducer's spatial filtering effect on photoacoustic signals is analytically derived considering the combined concept of a virtual point detector and Green function approach. The ultrasound transducer's temporal response (i.e., transfer function) effect on photoacoustic signals is considered by integrating photoacoustic signal values within the absorption area covered by a spatial resolution of the ultrasound transducer. Results from the analytically derived expression show that the magnitude of photoacoustic signals measured by a spherical focused ultrasound transducer shows a maximum at a specific absorption coefficient, and decreases after that maximum point as an absorption coefficient is increased. The origin of this photoacoustic nonlinearity is physically understood by comparing the ultrasound transducer's transfer functions and photoacoustic resonance spectra. In addition, this physical interpretation implies that the photoacoustic nonlinearity is strongly dependent on the irradiance distribution inside an absorption medium.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.205-215
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• 1988

The effects of simetryne on light induced electron transport and phosphorylation in isolated spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) chloroplasts were investigated in comparison with sencor and DCMU. Simetryne, like sencor and DCMU, completely, inhibited PSII electron transport and phosphoryltion with 10-6 M treatment but did not inhibit PSI electron transport. Interference with the electron transport pathway was evidenced by the greater sensitivity of oxygen evolution and uptake than phosphorylation. The following order of decreasing inhibitory effectiveness was exihibited; DCMU>simetryne>sencor. The photoacoustic technique was also used to monitor the relative photosynthetic activity in the leaves treated with the herbicides (simetryne, sencor or DCMU) in vivo and in vitro. Photoacoustic measurements on intact leaves provide quantitative information on two related aspects of the photosynthetic process, namely, photochemical energy storage and oxygen evolution. The relative photoacoustic signal of leaves treated with the herbicides showed low level in 21 Hz, but high level in 380 Hz and on isolated chloroplasts (both 21 Hz and 380 Hz) in comparison with that of the untreated leaves. These results suggest that some of photochemical energy is converted into the heat owing to the inhibition of electorn transport pathway by the herbicides.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.895-898
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• 2014

The wavelength dependence of the photoacoustic signal for n-type GaAs semiconductors in the region of the band-gap energies was investigated. The significant changes in the phase and amplitude of the photoacoustic signal near the band-gap absorption wavelengths were observed to occur when the Si-doping densities in GaAs were varied. Particularly, the first derivatives of the photoacoustic phase vs. wavelength graphs were evaluated and fitted with single Gaussian functions. The peak centers and the widths of the Gaussian curves clearly showed linear relationships with the log values of the Si-doping densities in n-type GaAs semiconductors. It is proposed that the wavelength-dependent PA spectroscopy can be used as a simple and nondestructive method for measuring the doping densities in bulk semiconductors.

• Journal of Radiopharmaceuticals and Molecular Probes
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.177-181
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• 2020

Dual-modality imaging strategy using near-infrared fluorescence (FLI) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) demands a suitable probe to enable dual-modular signal production. Herein, we demonstrate a synthetic protocol of small molecular dye for dual-modular FLI and PAI. A condensation reaction between squaric acid and carboxypentyl benzoindolium, and followed by basic hydrolysis to give the benzoindole derived squaraine (BSQ) dye in 49% yield. Next, the carboxylic acid group of BSQ was further functionalized with N-hydroxysuccinimide or azide group for an efficient conjugation with a targeting biomolecule. BSQ showed a maximum fluorescent emission at around 680 nm and the photoacoustic signal reached a maximum intensity at 680-700 nm. Based on these results, we conclude that BSQ analogs will be useful probes for dual-modular (FLI/PAI) imaging studies in animal models.