• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.127-134
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• 2022

In order to overcome the image quality limitations of the conventional C-arm, a flat panel detector (FPD) is used to enhance spatial resolution, detective quantum efficiency, frame rate, and dynamic range. Three-dimensional (3D) visualized information can be obtained from C-arm computed tomography (CT) equipped with an FPD, which can reduce patient discomfort and provide various medical information to health care providers by conducting procedures in the interventional procedure room without moving the patient to the CT scan room. Unlike a conventional C-arm device, a C-arm CT requires different basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria; therefore, in this study, basic safety and essential performance evaluation criteria to protect patients, medical staff, and radiologists were derived based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) standards in Korea, and the rules on the installation and operation of special medical equipment in Korea. As a result of the study, six basic safety evaluation criteria related to electrical and mechanical radiation safety (leakage current, collision protection, emergency stopping device, overheating, recovery management, and ingress of water or particulate matter into medical electrical (ME) equipment and ME systems: footswitches) and 14 essential performance evaluation criteria (accuracy of tube voltage, accuracy of tube current, accuracy of loading time, accuracy of current time product, reproducibility of radiation output, linearity and consistency in radiography, half layer value in X-ray equipment, focal size and collimator, relationship between X-ray field and image reception area, consistency of light irradiation versus X-ray irradiation, performance of the mechanical device, focal spot to skin distance accuracy, image quality evaluation, and technical characteristic of cone-beam computed tomography) were selected for a total of 20 criteria.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.205-210
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• 2022

We demonstrated roll-to-roll microcontact printed (mCP) microlens array (MLA) to enhance the light extraction of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The commercially provided microlens array is used as a template for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) roll stamp. The fluorinated film is formed on the PDMS roll stamp from fluorinated ink with low boiling point and printed onto the bottom side of the organic light emitting diode without high pressure and high thermal treatment. With optimized concentration of ink, the pattern which is almost identical to that of the template MLA was successfully printed. Due to the structure and low optical absorbance of microcontact printed MLA, the external quantum efficiency of OLED was improved by about 18%.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.397-405
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• 2022

Computed radiography (CR) systems, which convert an analog signal recorded on a cassette into a digital image, combine the characteristics of analog and digital imaging systems. Compared to digital radiography (DR) systems, CR systems have presented difficulties in evaluating system performance because of their lower detective quantum efficiency, their lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and lower modulation transfer function (MTF). During the step of energy-storing and reading out, a baseline offset occurs in the edge area and makes low-frequency overestimation. The low-frequency offset component in the line spread function (LSF) critically affects the MTF and other image-analysis or qualification processes. In this study, we developed the method of baseline correction using mathematical morphology to determine the LSF and MTF of CR systems accurately. We presented a baseline correction that used a morphological filter to effectively remove the low-frequency offset from the LSF. We also tried an MTF evaluation of the CR system to demonstrate the effectiveness of the baseline correction. The MTF with a 3-pixel structuring element (SE) fluctuated since it overestimated the low-frequency component. This overestimation led the algorithm to over-compensate in the low-frequency region so that high-frequency components appeared relatively strong. The MTFs with between 11- and 15-pixel SEs showed little variation. Compared to spatial or frequency filtering that eliminated baseline effects in the edge spread function, our algorithm performed better at precisely locating the edge position and the averaged LSF was narrower.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.40-46
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• 2022

Hall thrusters are one of the electric propulsion, where ions are accelerated to generate thrust and are widely utilized in space missions due to their high specific impulses. Recently, as the utilization of small and micro satellites with the mass of similar or less than 100 kg is highly increasing, the importance of research and development of the low-power electric propulsion is also raised. In this study, we developed two sub-200 W or less class, laboratory model Hall thrusters and measured the thrust and analyzed the discharge characteristics. Consequently, we obtained 2.5-9.0 mN of thrust, 600-1,150 s of specific impulse, and 15-28% of anode efficiency at 50-175 W of anode power.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.419-424
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• 2022

Halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have improved rapidly over the past few years, and research on the optoelectrical properties of halide perovskite thin films has grown as well. Among the characterization techniques, photoluminescence (PL), a method of collecting emitted photons to evaluate the properties of materials, is widely applied to evaluate improvements in the performance of PSCs. However, since only photons emitted from the film in the escape cone are included, the photons collected in PL are a small fraction of the total photons emitted from the film. Unlike PSCs power conversion efficiency, PL measuring methods have not been standardized, and have been evaluated in a variety of ways. Thus, an in-depth study is needed of the methods used to evaluate materials using PL spectra. In this study, we examined the PL spectra of the perovskite light harvesting layer with different measurement protocols and analyzed the features. As the incident angle changed, different spectra were observed, indicating that the PL emission spectrum can depend on the measuring method, not the material. We found the intensity and energy of the PL spectra changes were due to the path of the emitted photons. Also, we found that the PL of halide perovskite thin films generally contains limited information. To solve this problem, the emitted photons should be collected using an integrating sphere. The results of this study suggest that the emission spectrum of halide perovskite films should be carefully interpreted in accordance with PL measuring method, since PL data is mostly affected by the method.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.168-176
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• 2023

Silicon (Si) has the potential to improve plant growth and stress tolerance. The study aimed to explore Si-involving plant responses and molecular characterization of different Si-responsive genes in alfalfa. In this study, the exogenous supplementation of Si enhanced plant growth, and biomass yield. Si-acquisition in alfalfa root and shoot was higher in Si-supplemented compared to silicon deficient (-Si) plants, implying Si-acquisition has beneficial on alfalfa plants. As a consequence, the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) was significantly increased in silicon-sufficient (+Si) plants. The quantitative gene expression analysis exhibited a significant upregulation of the Lsi1, Lsi2, Lsi3, NIP5;1, and NIP6;1 genes in alfalfa roots, while BOR1, BOR4, NIP2, and NIP3 showed no significant variation in their expression. The MEME results further noticed the association of four motifs related to the major intrinsic protein (MIP). The interaction analysis revealed that NIP5;1 and Lsi1 showed a shared gene network with NIP2, BOR1, and BOR4, and Lsi2, Lsi3 and NIP3-1, respectively. These results suggest that members of the major intrinsic proteins (MIPs) family especially Lsi1, Lsi2, Lsi3, NIP5;1, and NIP6;1 genes helped to pass water and other neutral solutes through the cell membrane and those played significant roles in Si uptake and transport in plants. Together, these insights might be useful for alfalfa breeding and genome editing approaches for alfalfa improvement.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.273-280
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• 2003

Saline conditions invoke oxidative stress attributed to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Changes in quantum efficiency and antioxidative enzyme activity upon salt treatment were examined in a salt-tolerant plant, Atriplex gmelini, to test the hypothesis that salt tolerance of A. gmelini is due to the increased activity of antioxidative enzymes. A. gmelini showed optimum growth at 100 mM NaCl producing 116% of the shoot dry weight over control plants in 0 mM NaCl treatment. Healthy growth persisted up to 300 mM NaCl treatment maintaining normal internal water content and dry weight. No photochemical stress or damages on antioxidative defense system was obvious in plants of 2 and 4 day salt treatment which was indicated by increased quantum efficiency (Fv/Fm value), decreased stress index (Fo/Fm value), and increased activity of antioxidative enzymes such as SOD, APX, GR. However, the plants treated with 400 mM NaCl showed decrease in growth and in antioxidative enzyme activity although the enzyme activity was still higher than that of the 0 mM NaCl treated plants (l31%, 114%, and 134% of the SOD, APX, and GR activity, respectively). Interestingly, another important antioridative enzyme that scavenges H₂O₂ in plant cells, CAT, showed rapid decrease in its activity as salt concentration increased; 38%, 22%, 15% of the 0 mM NaCl treated plants at 200, 300, 400 mM NaCl treatments, respectively. It appears that the enzymes in ascorbate-glutathione cycle such as APX and GR play the major roles in scavenging ROS produced by salt stress in A. gmelini. After 6 days of salt treatment, the damage in photochemical and antioxidative defense system was indicated by decreased Fv/Fm value and increased Fo/Fm value. A. gmelini appears to cope with short term salt treatment by enhanced activity of the antioxidative defense system, whereas long term stress invoke oxidative stress by increased ROS due to the damages in photochemical and antioxidative system.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.928-936
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• 2010

This study was conducted to select efficient foliage plants for improving indoor environment conditions through the investigation of physiological responses including photosynthetic rate according to temperature, light intensity, and $CO_2$ level. Eight popular foliage plants used in this study were $Hedera$ $helix$ L., $Cissus$ $rhombifolia$ Vahl, $Ficus$ $benjamina$ L. 'Hawaii', $Syngonium$ $podophyllum$ Schott 'Albo-Virens', $Dieffenbachia$ $sp.$ 'Marrianne', $Pachira$ $aquatica$ Aubl., $Spathiphyllum$ $wallisii$ Regel, and $Scindapsus$ $aureus$ Engler. Photosynthetic rate and transpiration rate of the plants subjected to various light intensities (0, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 300, and $600{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ PPFD), $CO_2$ levels (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 700, and $1,000{\mu}molCO_2{\cdot}mol^{-1}$), and two different temperatures (16 and $22^{\circ}C$) were measured. In addition, various parameters in relation to photosynthesis were calculated from the measured data. As a result, the patterns of photosynthesis varied among 8 foliage plants according to light intensity, $CO_2$ level, and temperature. Most foliage plants except $Dieffenbachia$ had high levels of apparent quantum yield, which represents the photosynthetic rate under low light intensity (PPFD $0-100{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$). $Hedera$ $helix$, $Ficus$ $benjamina$, $Pachira$ $aquatica$, and $Spathiphyllum$ $wallisii$ exposed to high light intensity (PPFD $200-600{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$) showed high levels of photosynthesis. $Cissus$ $rhombifolia$ and $Syngonium$ $podophyllum$ were low in $CO_2$ fixation efficiency compared to the other 6 foliage indoor plants. $Hedera$ $helix$ and $Spathiphyllum$ $wallisii$ showed high photosynthetic rate under high $CO_2$ level and vigorous photosynthesis was also observed in $Ficus$ $benjamina$ and $Pachira$ $aquatica$ grown under $22^{\circ}C$. Considering characteristics of indoor environment such as low light, high $CO_2$ level, and low relative humidity, therefore, $Hedera$ $helix$, $Spathiphyllum$ $wallisii$, $Ficus$ $benjamina$, and $Pachira$ $aquatica$ were efficient indoor foliage plants to improve indoor environmental conditions.

• 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.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.203-209
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• 2010

This study was performed to investigate photosynthetic responses of 4 foliage plants in relation to light intensity, carbon dioxide concentration, and media, and to select efficient plants for the indoor environment control based on the results. Four foliage plants used in this study included Syngonium podophyllum, Schefflera arboricola cv. Hong Kong, Dieffenbachia amoena, and Dracaena deremensis cv. Warneckii Compacta. The plants cultivated in two different growth media, peatmoss and hydroball, and subjected to various light intensities (0, 30, 50, 80, 100, 200, 400, and $600\;{\mu}mol{\cdot}m^{-2}{\cdot}s^{-1}$ PPFD) and $CO_2$ levels (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, 700, 1000, and $1500\;{\mu}mol{CO_2}{\cdot}mol^{-1}$). As a result of the photosynthetic rate of foliage plants according to change of light intensity and $CO_2$ levels, Schefflera arboricola and Dieffenbachia amoena showed high apparent quantum yield, which stands for the photosynthetic rate under low light intensity, and both plants also recorded higher photosynthetic rate under high $CO_2$ concentration compared to the other two indoor plants. Dracaena deremensis showed the lowest photosynthetic rate under the low light intensity or high $CO_2$ concentration. There were inconsistent results in photosynthetic rate of foliage plants grown in peatmoss or hydroball. Higher photosynthetic rate was observed in Schefflera arboricola with peatmoss rather than hydroball as light and $CO_2$ concentration increased. However, hydroball had a positive effect on Dieffenbachia amoena in terms of photosynthetic rate. In case of Syngonium podophyllum, peatmoss induced higher photosynthetic rate according to increased light intensity, but there was no effect of media on the rate under various $CO_2$ treatements. In contrast, media did not affect to photosynthetic efficiency of Dracaena deremensis subjected to various light intensities and the rate of Dracaena deremensis with peatmoss was a little high when $CO_2$ concentration increased. In conclusion, potential plants for the indoor air pulification and environmental control were Schefflera arboricola and Dieffenbachia amoena because they showed high photosynthetic rate under typical indoor conditions, low light intensity and high $CO_2$ concentration.