• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.16-29
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• 2019

Background: Sex influences is important to understand behavioral manifestations in a large number of neuropsychiatric disorders. We found electrophysiological differences specifically related to the influence of sex on psychopathic traits. Methods: The resting electroencephalography (EEG) activity and low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) for the EEG spectral bands were evaluated in 38 teenagers with conduct disorder (CD). The 25 male and 13 female subjects had psychopathic traits as diagnosed using the Antisocial Process Screening Device. All of the included adolescents were assessed using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria. The visually inspected EEG characteristics and the use of frequency-domain quantitative analysis techniques are described. Results: Quantitative EEG (QEEG) analysis showed that the slow-wave activities in the right frontal and left central regions were higher and the alpha-band powers in the left central and bitemporal regions were lower in the male than the female psychopathic traits group. The current source density showed increases in paralimbic areas at 2.73 Hz and decreases in the frontoparietal area at 9.37 Hz in male psychopathics relative to female psychopathics. Conclusions: These findings indicate that QEEG analysis and techniques of source localization can reveal sex differences in brain electrical activity between teenagers with CD and psychopathic traits that are not obvious in visual inspections.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.271-280
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• 2014

Recently, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has been investigated to overcome the limitation of conventional mammography for overlapping anatomical structures and high patient dose with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). However incomplete sampling due to limited angle leads to interference on the neighboring slices. Many studies have investigated to reduce artifacts such as interference. Moreover, appropriate filters for tomosynthesis have been researched to solve artifacts resulted from incomplete sampling. The primary purpose of this study is finding appropriate filter scheme with FBP reconstruction for DBT system to reduce artifacts. In this study, we investigated characteristics of various filter schemes with simulation and prototype digital breast tomosynthesis under same acquisition parameters and conditions. We evaluated artifacts and noise with profiles and COV (coefficinet of variation) to study characteristic of filter. As a result, the noise with parameter 0.25 of Spectral filter reduced by 10% in comparison to that with only Ramp-lak filter. Because unbalance of information reduced with decreasing B of Slice thickness filter, artifacts caused by incomplete sampling reduced. In conclusion, we confirmed basic characteristics of filter operations and improvement of image quality by appropriate filter scheme. The results of this study can be utilized as base in research and development of DBT system by providing information that is about noise and artifacts depend on various filter schemes.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2010

Objectives: Deficit schizophrenia (DS) constitutes a disease separate from non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS). The aim of the current study was to compare the quantitative EEG and low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) imaging between DS and NDS. Methods: This study was performed by 32 channels EEG for 42 schizophrenia patients who we categorized into DS and NDS using proxy instrument deficit syndrome (PDS). We performed the absolute power spectral analyses for delta, theta, alpha, low beta and high beta activities. We compared power spectrum between two groups using Independent t-test. Partial correlation test was performed with clinical parameters. Standardized LORETA (sLORETA) was used for comparison of cortical activity, and statistical nonparametric mapping (SnPM) was applied for the statistical analysis. Results: DS showed significantly increased delta and theta absolute power in fontal and parietal region compared with NDS (p<0.05). Power spectrum showed significant correlation with 'anergia' and 'hostility/suspiciousness' subscale of brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS)(p<0.05). sLORETA found out the source region (anterior cingulate cortex/limbic part) that delta activity was significantly increased in DS (p=0.042). Conclusions: DS showed different cortical activity compared with NDS. Our results may suggest QEEG and LORETA could be the marker in differentiating between DS and NDS.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.52-60
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• 2022

Purpose: For now, cognitive load is assessed based on survey-based methods, which can be difficult to track the amount of cognitive load in real-time. In this study, we investigated the difference in electrophysiological activation due to different levels of cognitive load not only at sensor-level but also at source-level using electroencephalogram that might be potentially used for quantitative cognitive load evaluation. Materials and Methods: In this study, ten healthy subjects (mean age 24.3 ± 2.1, three female) participated the experiment. All participants performed 4 sessions of n-back task in different difficulties: 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-back during electroencephalogram recording. For sensor-level analysis, we calculated the event-related potential and event-related spectral perturbation while low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) to estimate the source activation. Each result was compared between different workload conditions using statistical analysis. Results: Statistical results revealed that the accuracy of the task performance was significantly different between different cognitive loads (p = 0.018). The post-hoc analysis confirmed that the accuracy of the 3-back task was significantly decreased compared to 1-back condition (p = 0.018), but not with 2-back condition (p = 0.180). ERP results showed that P300 target amplitude between 1-back and 3-back had a marginal difference in Cz (p = 0.059) and Pz(p = 0.093). A significant inhibition in Cz high-beta activation (p = 0.017) and decrease in source activation of right parahippocampal gyrus was found in 3-back condition compared to 1-back condition (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, we compared the sensor- and source-level differences in electroencephalogram between different levels of cognitive load, that were found to be in line with the previous reports related to cognitive load evaluation. We expect that the outcome of the current study can be used as a feature to establish a quantitative cognitive load assessment system.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.144-152
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• 2016

Carotid-artery stenosis may reduce cerebral perfusion, and affect cerebral neuronal activities. We examined the question of whether the recovery of cerebral-perfusion reserve after carotid-artery stenting (CAS) can affect the EEG power-spectrum. Nineteen candidates for CAS were initially recruited. Subtraction imaging of single photon emissary computerized tomography (SPECT) and an electroencephalogram (EEG) were taken twice, before and 1 month after CAS. At each time point, the EEGs were recorded before and after injection of acetazolamide (pre-ACZ EEG and post-ACZ EEG). Finally, 7 patients were enrolled after exclusion of incomplete studies. We obtained the spectral ratio (SR) of each hemisphere. SR was defined as the divided value of the power-spectrum sum of fast activities by that of slow activities. The power-spectrum values between hemispheres were compared using the inter-hemispheric index of spectral ratio (IHISR), and we examined the correlation between the power-spectrum and the cerebral-perfusion reserve. Cerebral-perfusion reserve improved after CAS on the stent side in 6 of 7 patients. In 3 patients with unilateral carotid-artery stenosis, CAS increased SR on the pre-ACZ EEGs, and IHISR on the post-ACZ EEGs. The increases of SR and IHISR were concordant with the increment of cerebral-perfusion reserve. In contrast, the results in the other patients with bilateral stenosis showed complex patterns. The SR of pre-ACZ EEGs and IHISR of post-ACZ EEGs may be useful electrophysiological markers for the blood-flow reserve after CAS in patients with unilateral carotid-artery stenosis, but not in those with bilateral stenosis.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.87-94
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• 2015

Objectives The power spectral analysis of electroencephalogram has been widely used to reveal the pathophysiology of the alcoholic brain. However, the results were not consistent and the three dimensional study can be hardly found. The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of the three dimensional electroencephalographic (EEG) activity of alcohol dependent patients using standardized low resolution electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA). Methods The participants consisted of 30 alcohol dependent patients and 30 normal healthy controls. All the participants were males who had refrained from alcohol at least one month and were not taking any medications. Thirty two channel EEG data was collected in the resting state with eyes-closed condition during 30 seconds. The three dimensional data was compared between two groups using sLORETA for delta, theta, alpha, beta1, beta2, and beta3 frequency bands. Results sLORETA revealed significantly increased brain cortical activity in alpha, beta1, beta2, and beta3 bands each in alcohol dependent patients compared to normal controls. The voxels showing the maximum significance were in the left transverse temporal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, left anterior cingulate, and left fusiform gyrus in alpha, beta1, beta2, and beta3 bands respectively. Conclusions These results suggest that chronic alcohol intake may cause neurophysiological changes in cerebral activity. Therefore, the measuring of EEG can be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of cognitive impairements in alcohol dependence.

• International Journal of Concrete Structures and Materials
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.95-110
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• 2013

We report various synchrotron radiation laboratory based techniques used to characterize cement based materials in nanometer scale. High resolution X-ray transmission imaging combined with a rotational axis allows for rendering of samples in three dimensions revealing volumetric details. Scanning transmission X-ray microscope combines high spatial resolution imaging with high spectral resolution of the incident beam to reveal X-ray absorption near edge structure variations in the material nanostructure. Microdiffraction scans the surface of a sample to map its high order reflection or crystallographic variations with a micron-sized incident beam. High pressure X-ray diffraction measures compressibility of pure phase materials. Unique results of studies using the above tools are discussed-a study of pores, connectivity, and morphology of a 2,000 year old concrete using nanotomography; detection of localized and varying silicate chain depolymerization in Al-substituted tobermorite, and quantification of monosulfate distribution in tricalcium aluminate hydration using scanning transmission X-ray microscopy; detection and mapping of hydration products in high volume fly ash paste using microdiffraction; and determination of mechanical properties of various AFm phases using high pressure X-ray diffraction.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2008

Objectives To investigate the relationship between Heart Rate Variability and menopause among obese middle-aged women in Korea. Subjects and Methods Forty middle-aged women (age 49.05 $\pm$ 2.64 years) with BMI > $23kg/m^2$ were recruited by local advertisement. Blood profiles of estrogen, FSH, LH, glucose, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride were measured. Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) was estimated by short-term spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV). Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) were accessed using Computerized Tomography (CT), Bioimpedance Analysis (BIA), and anthropometry. To scrutinize the influence of ANS on obesity-related factors, we divided the subjects into pre- and post-menopausal women. Results The total cholesterol, FSH and LH were significantly higher in post-menopausal obese women group. The estradiol and standard deviation of all normal R-R intervals (SDNN), high-frequency components (HF) of the HRV were significantly lower in postmenopausal obese women group (P<0.05). Adipose tissue distribution and blood profiles were not significantly different between two groups. Conclusion Menopause induced a decrease in SDNN and HF values and increase in total cholesterol level in obese women although the VAT itself was not related with ANS in obese women.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.310-316
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• 2012

A new method for early caries diagnosis was proposed and tested through a home-made optical examination system that used quantitative light fluorescence (QLF) and digital imaging fiber optic transillumination (FOTI) (DIFOTI), with light sources across a wide spectral range, from 350 nm to 1,000 nm. The front-illuminated infrared light scattering image (FIR) showed similar diagnostic abilities to that of DIFOTI. The FIR method was invented based on the observation that caries lesions lose the high transmittance and low scattering properties of benign enamel tissue. There are various methods for the early diagnosis of caries, such as visual examination, exploration, X-ray radiography, QLF, FOTI, and infrared fluorescence (diagnodent). Among them, methods based on optical properties are regarded as having the most potential. A comparative study was performed between the FOTI, QLF, diagnodent, optical coherence tomography, and FIR scattering image methods, using 20 extracted teeth samples with early caries. A scale of lesion measurement based on optical image contrast was proposed. The statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between the DIFOTI and FIR methods (r = 0.35, p < 0.05). However, the QLF and diagnodent methods showed little association with FIR images, as they have different detection principles as compared with FIR. Tomographic images obtained by OCT, using 1,330 nm super luminescent LED as a gold standard of tooth structure, verified that the FOTI and FIR results correctly represented the lack of homogeneity in dental tissue. The newly proposed FIR method attained similar diagnostic results to those of FOTI, but with an easier approach.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.286-292
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• 2016

This study evaluates the change of computer tomography (CT) number in the case of the metal artifact reduction (MAR) algorithm, using the phantom. The images were obtained from dual CT using a gammex 467 tissue characterization phantom, which is similar to human tissues. The test method was performed by dividing pre and post MAR algorithm and measured CT values of nonmagnetic materials within the phantom. In addition, the changes of CT values for each material were compared and analyzed after measuring CT values up to 140 keV, using the spectral HU curve followed by CT scan. As a result, in the cases of N rod (trabecular bone) and E rod (trabecular bone), the CT numbers decreased as keV increasing but were constant above 90 keV. In the cases of I rod (dense bone) and K rod (dense bone), the CT numbers also decreased as keV increased but were uniform above 90 keV. The CT numbers from 40 keV to 140 keV were consistent in the cases of J rod (liver), D rod (liver), L rod (muscle), and F rod (muscle). For A rod (adipose), G rod (adipose), B rod (breast) and O rod (breast), the CT numbers increased as keV increased but were constant after 90 keV. The CT numbers from 40 keV to 140 keV were consistent in the cases of C rod (lung (exhale)), P rod (lung (exhale)), M rod (lung (inhale)) and H rod (lung (exhale)). Conclusively, because dual CT exhibits no changes in image quality and is able to analyze nonmagnetic materials by measuring the CT values of various materials, it will be used in the future as a useful tool for the diagnosis of lesions.