• Journal of the Korean Physical Society
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• v.73 no.12
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• pp.1867-1872
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• 2018

This study proposes a route for surface modification for p-type cobalt oxide-based gas sensors. We deposit a thin layer of Ni on the Co oxide film by sputtering process and annealed at $350^{\circ}C$ for 15 min in air, which changes a typical sputtered film surface into one interlaced with a high density of hemispherical nanoparticles. Our in-depth materials characterization using transmission electron microscopy discloses that the microstructure evolution is the result of an extensive inter-diffusion of Co and Ni, and that the nanoparticles are nickel oxide dissolving some Co. Sensor performance measurement unfolds that the surface modification results in a significant sensitivity enhancement, nearly 200% increase for toluene (at $250^{\circ}C$) and CO (at $200^{\circ}C$) gases in comparison with the undoped samples.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2022

This study suggests a new one-step fluorescent cyanoacylate-fuming method for developing fingerprints by using a CAB mixed with dimethylaminobenzalde (DMAB) and cyanoacylate (CA) in a specific ratio. CAB is prepared by mixing 2.5 % (w/w) DMAB with CA and fumigated at 180 ℃. Under these conditions, developing fingerprints showed the best results. The fuming method using CAB develops latent fingerprints into fluorescence and has a higher sensitivity than CA, and it showed comparable or better contrast to existing fluorescence enhancement methods. It was also applicable on a variety of non-porous surfaces that can be encountered at ordinary times. This method is more useful than conventional fluorescent dyeing methods in that it minimizes damage to fingerprints or samples, makes it easy to manufacture, saves time, and can use existing current equipment as it is.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2022

Purpose: To assess conventional MRI features associated with residual soft-tissue sarcomas following unplanned excision (UPE), and to compare the diagnostic performance of conventional MRI only with that of MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for residual tumors after UPE. Materials and Methods: We included 103 consecutive patients who had received UPE of a soft-tissue sarcoma with wide excision of the tumor bed between December 2013 and December 2019 and who also underwent conventional MRI and DWI in this retrospective study. The presence of focal enhancement, soft-tissue edema, fascial enhancement, fluid collections, and hematoma on MRI including DWI was reviewed by two musculoskeletal radiologists. We used classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to identify the most significant MRI features. We compared the diagnostic performances of conventional MRI and added DWI using the McNemar test. Results: Residual tumors were present in 69 (66.9%) of 103 patients, whereas no tumors were found in 34 (33.1%) patients. CART showed focal enhancement to be the most significant predictor of residual tumors and correctly predicted residual tumors in 81.6% (84/103) and 78.6% (81/103) of patients for Reader 1 and Reader 2, respectively. Compared with conventional MRI only, the addition of DWI for Reader 1 improved specificity (32.8% vs. 56%, 33.3% vs. 63.0%, P < 0.05), decreased sensitivity (96.8% vs. 84.1%, 98.7% vs. 76.7%, P < 0.05), without a difference in diagnostic accuracy (76.7% vs. 74.8%, 72.9% vs. 71.4%) in total and in subgroups. For Reader 2, diagnostic performance was not significantly different between the sets of MRI (P > 0.05). Conclusion: After UPE of a soft-tissue sarcoma, the presence or absence of a focal enhancement was the most significant MRI finding predicting residual tumors. MRI provided good diagnostic accuracy for detecting residual tumors, and the addition of DWI to conventional MRI may increase specificity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.627-633
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• 2015

Background: To study the effect of parecoxib, a novel cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitor, on the radiation response of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and its underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Both in vitro colony formation and apoptosis assays as well as in vivo mouse xenograft experiments were used to explore the radiosensitizing effects of parecoxib in human HCT116 and HT29 CRC cells. Results: Parecoxib sensitized CRC cells to radiation in vitro with a sensitivity enhancement ratio of 1.32 for HCT116 cells and 1.15 for HT29 cells at a surviving fraction of 0.37. This effect was partially attributable to enhanced apoptosis induction by parecoxib combined with radiation, as illustrated using an in vitro apoptosis assays. Parecoxib augmented the tumor response of HCT116 xenografts to radiation, achieving growth delay more than 20 days and an enhancement factor of 1.53. In accordance with the in vitro results, parecoxib combined with radiation resulted in less proliferation and more apoptosis in tumors than radiation alone. Radiation monotherapy decreased microvessel density (MVD) and microvessel intensity (MVI), but increased the hypoxia level in xenografts. Parecoxib did not affect MVD, but it increased MVI and attenuated hypoxia. Conclusions: Parecoxib can effectively enhance radiation sensitivity in CRC cells through direct effects on tumor cells and indirect effects on tumor vasculature.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1185-1193
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• 2021

Objective: Clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is the second-most common but extremely rare primary renal malignancy in children after Wilms' tumor. The aims of this study were to evaluate the imaging features that could distinguish between CCSK and Wilms' tumor and to assess the features with diagnostic value for identifying CCSK. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the initial contrast-enhanced abdominal-pelvic CT scans of children with CCSK and Wilms' tumor between 2010 to 2019. Fifty-eight children (32 males and 26 females; age, 0.3-10 years), 7 with CCSK, and 51 with Wilms' tumor, were included. The maximum tumor diameter, presence of engorged perinephric vessels, maximum density of the tumor (Tmax) of the enhancing solid portion, paraspinal muscle, contralateral renal vein density, and density ratios (Tmax/muscle and Tmax/vein) were analyzed on the renal parenchymal phase of contrast-enhanced CT. Fisher's exact tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to analyze the categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were also performed. Results: The age, sex, and tumor diameter did not differ between the two groups. Engorged perinephric vessels were more common in patients in the CCSK group (71% [5/7] vs. 16% [8/51], p = 0.005). Tmax (median, 148.0 vs. 111.0 Hounsfield unit, p = 0.004), Tmax/muscle (median, 2.64 vs. 1.67, p = 0.002), and Tmax/vein (median, 0.94 vs. 0.59, p = 0.002) were higher in the CCSK compared to the Wilms' group. Multiple logistic regression revealed that engorged vessels (odds ratio 13.615; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.770-104.730) and Tmax/muscle (odds ratio 5.881; 95% CI, 1.337-25.871) were significant predictors of CCSK. The cutoff values of Tmax/muscle (86% sensitivity, 77% specificity) and Tmax/vein (71% sensitivity, 86% specificity) for the diagnosis of CCSK were 1.97 and 0.76, respectively. Conclusion: Perinephric vessel engorgement and greater tumor enhancement (Tmax/muscle > 1.97 or Tmax/vein > 0.76) are helpful for differentiating between CCSK and Wilms' tumor in children aged below 10 years.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.256-260
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• 1999

Purpose : An investigation has been carried out on the factors which affect the response reading of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100) loaded with thin material in high energy Photon. The aim of the study was to assess the energy response of TLD-100 to the therapeutic ranges of photon beam. Materials and Methods : In this technique, TLD-100 (abbreviated as TLD) chips and three different thin material (Tin, Gold, and Tissue equivalent plastic plate) which mounted on the TLD chip were used in the clinical photon beam. The thickness of each metal plates was 0.1 mm and TE plastic plate was 1 mm thick. These compared with the photon energy dependence of the sensitivities of TLD (normal chip), TLD loaded with Tin or Gold plate, for the photon energy range 6 MV to 15 MV, which was of interest in radiotherapy. Results : The enhancement of surface dose in the TLD with metal plate was clearly detected. The TLD chips with a Gold plate was found to larger response by a factor of 1.83 in 10 MV photon beam with respect to normal chip. The sensitivity of TLD loaded with Tin was less than that for normal TLD and TLD loaded with Gold. The relative sensitivity of TLD loaded with metal has little energy dependence. Conclusion : The good stability and linearity with respect to monitor units of TLD loaded with metal were demonstrated by relative measurements in high energy Photon ($6\~15$ MV) beams. The TLD laminated with metals embedded system in solid water phantom is a suitable detector for relative dose measurements in a small beam size and surface dose.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.175-184
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• 1987

The use of alkylating agent cyclophosphamide(CY), a widely used antitumor drug is well known as a potent immunosuppressant and has been used as a probe for investigating the functional capabilities of lymphocyte subsets of both T and B cells that play an important role in the regulation of the immune response. The present study was undertaken in an effort to assess the effects of CY on immunological memory in murine model. CY, given as a single dose of CY(250mg/kg) before sensitization with sheep red blood cells(SRBC) enhanced the primary response of Arthus and delayed-type hypersensitivity(DTH), as measured by footpad swelling reaction, but suppressed their tertiary DTH response. The similar CY pretreatment enhanced both the primary and tertiary hemagglutinin(HA) responses to SRBC, and the tertiary antibody response against polyvinylpyrroridone(PVP), a thymus-independent antigen but not the primary response against PVP. CY, given as a single dose of 250mg/kg 2 days before the primary immunization and two doses of 100mg/kg 2 days before the secondary and tertiary immunization, markedly suppressed the tertiary DTH and HA responses to SRBC. However, CY, given as small multiple daily doses(10mg/kg) over 4 days before sensitization but not after sensitization, enhanced the secondary HA response to SRBC. Contact sensitivity to dinitrofluorobenzene(DNFB) was suppressed by the drug, given either as a single large dose(300mg/kg) or as multiple dose(10mg/kg) administered 2 days before, together with or after DNFB sensitization. This suppression was more pronounced and more significant when CY was given as multiple dose. However, the enhancement of the secondary contact sensitivity to DNFB by CY was not clear-cut. The splenectomy appears to increase the enhancing effect of CY on contact sensitivity. These results suggest that CY selectively influences the immune response depending on the time of the drug administration relative to immunization and that the secondary or tertiary immune response involve memory cells with different susceptibilities to CY. Moreover, these results suggest that multiple low doses may sesectivley inhibit suppressor T cell proliferation involving DTH, HA or contact sensitivity without effecting helper T cells, but high doses presumably inhibit helper T cells and suppressor T cells with effecting B cells.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.10
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• pp.1367-1373
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• 2001

This study used fowl sperm from three White Leghom rooster reared at our laboratory. Semen samples were exposed to the magnetic field strengths of from 650 to 5700 Gauss for one. two, or three days to investigate the influence of magnetic field on the orientation of fowl spermatozoa. Fowl spermatozoa were found to orient with their long axis of heads perpendicular to the magnetic field direction. The fowl spermatozoa were initially influenced when magnetic field intensities were from 650 to 5700 Gauss and the highest values (70.67, 72.49 and 71.79%) were found in the 5700 Gauss treatment at one, two, and three days exposure, respectively. Although percentages of the perpendicular oriented fowl spermatozoa increased along with the enhancement of the magnetic field intensity, the degree of orientation was only significantly higher in the treatments having the magnetic field strength from 1500 to 5700 Gauss than that in the control treatment at all exposure time. In addition, the experimental results also showed that the percentages of all orientational types of fowl spermatozoa (perpendicular category including upward perpendicular and downward perpendicular and parallel type consisting of leftward parallel and rightward parallel) in all treatments tended to be stable during exposure time. From the results of this study. it is suggested that (1) the diamagnetic anisotropy of the inside structural components of fowl spermatozoa induce them to orient perpendicular to the magnetic field direction, (2) the degree of orientation increased according to the enhancement of magnetic field strengths, (3) fowl spermatozoa had not an high sensitivity to the magnetic field, and the level of perpendicular orientation of fowl spermatozoa in this study is nearly similar to that of cattle sperm in the study of Suga et al. (2000).

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.81-87
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• 2017

This paper describes the dynamic behavior and enhancement of Korean high-speed trains. The tail vibration reduction method of the yaw damper installation method change, which was derived from previous research, was applied to the running test of high-speed train. In addition, the vibration reduction method for the entire vehicle was derived by a numerical method and its effect was confirmed by a running test. The improved design was applied to the double-deck high-speed train coaches and the commissioning proceeded without problems in dynamic behavior. Sensitivity analysis of the suspension parameters affecting the critical speed of Korean next-generation high-speed trains was performed and four design variables that greatly affected the critical speed were derived. These were in the order of the primary elastic joint x-directional stiffness, the secondary yaw damper series stiffness, the secondary lateral damper damping coefficient, and the carbody damper damping coefficient. By optimizing the design variables, the suspension parameter that improves the critical speed by 23.3% can be used in the commercial designs of Korean next-generation high-speed trains.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.99-100
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• 2015

Digital image blur occurs due to various environmental conditions at the time of shooting. Blur produces the low-frequency component in the image. This problem worsens the quality of the digital image. To address this issue, contrast improvement methods has been widely studied. 2D filter to enhance the edges is a simple structure with a fast processing speed. However, the sensitivity of the human visual system is different depending on the surrounding brightness locally. Thus, in this paper, we proposed feature-based contrast enhancement method for the digital image using 2D filter to enhance the edges and JND(Just Noticeable Difference) according to the surrounding brightness. We confirmed the result image of proposed method and identified that the contrast is improved.