• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.95-95
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• 2012

Constellations are formed of bright stars which appear close to each other on the sky, but are really far apart in space. The shapes you see all depend on your point of view. Back before people had televisions and electricity to light their homes at night, they spent a lot more time looking at the stars. People all over the world used their imaginations to draw pictures in the sky, as if it were a giant connect-the-dot game. The patterns they imagined are called constellations. People usually saw patterns that reflected their different cultures. Native Americans in North America imagined many animals and shapes from the natural world. The ancient Greeks found images of gods and goddesses in the stars. Sometimes people from very different parts of the world even imagined the same animal or shape in the same stars. Most of the constellations we recognize today were made up by the ancient Greeks around 6,000 years ago. Different constellations are visible at different times of year, so the first appearance of these patterns told farmers of the changing seasons and reminded them to plant or harvest their crops. The constellations also help us to find our way around the night sky and to remember which stars are which. The star names we use today are mostly from Greek and Arabic, but many are changed a bit from the original, as often happens when words are passed from one language to another. It can be difficult to picture just what those folks long ago were seeing in the stars, so don't be discouraged if you have trouble seeing their patterns. You can even make up your own! In ancient world all the countries or regions had their own way to name things up in the sky, make up stories and draw different shapes for constellations. Today there are 88 official constellations, but you may find that different books show their stars connected in slightly different ways. The official constellations are specific regions of the sky, so the exact patterns are not all that important. However in various cultures there are some famous star patterns that use stars from only apart of a constellation, or even connect stars from different constellations. These patterns of stars that are not official constellations are called asterisms. The Big Dipper is a very famous asterism, found in the constellation Ursa Major, or Great Bear.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.208-213
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• 2007

A 15 kg 6-year-old intact male Jindo dog with a history of a respiratory distress, hindlimb paralysis with necrosed skin of dorsal digit for three weeks was referred to Animal Medical Center, Chonbuk National University. Heartworm infection was identified by kit examination. In plain thoracic radiographs, dilated pulmonary arteries reverse D sign and focal interstitial pattern was compatible with heartworm infection and possible pulmonary thromboembolism. Abdominal radiographs showed poor serosal detail indicating fluid accumulation within peritoneal cavity. No evidence of musculoskeletal abnormalities was found. Ultrasonography presented focal wedge-shaped hyperechogenecity on the both poles of left kidney, weak or absent pulse on the distal to the external iliac artery as well as ascites and irregular liver margin. Multi-organ failure was strongly supposed by blood profile including leukocytosis, anemia, hemoglobinuria bililubinemia, hypoalbuminemia, imbalance of electrolytes, and increased hepatic and renal function values. Interestingly, the glucose level is remarkably lower in pelvic limb compared to thoracic limb. Suspected pulmonary thromboembolism, renal infarction and femoral arterial embolization causing hindlimb paralysis and dermatic necrosis were confirmed by 3D reconstructed CT imaging. Prior to taking a consideration of euthanasia, interventional radiology was experimentally attempted but failed due to not recovered from general anesthesia. Early and accurate diagnosis of thromboembolism is valuable and 3D reconstructed CT images might be very useful to show the correct way to treat effectively.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.204-214
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• 2022

Objective : Osteoporosis result from age-related decline in the number of osteoblast progenitors in the bone marrow. Probiotics have beneficial effects on the host, when administered in appropriate amounts. This study investigated the effects of probiotics expressing specific genes, especially the effects of genetically modified bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2-expressing Lactobacillus plantarum CJNU 3003 (LP) on ovariectomized rats. Methods : Twenty-eight female Wistar rats (250-300 g, 12 weeks old) were divided into four groups : the sham (control), the ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis group (OVX), the OVX and LP (OVX/LP), OVX and genetically modified BMP-2-expressing LP (OVX/LP with BMP) groups. The three groups underwent bilateral OVX and two of these groups were administered two different types of LP via oral gavage daily. At 16 weeks post-OVX, blood was collected from the heart and the bilateral tibiae were extracted and were scanned by ex-vivo micro-computed tomography and stained with hematoxylin-and-eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome stain for pathological assessment. The serum levels of osteocalcin (OC), rat C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I), BMP-2, and receptor activator of nuclear factor-ĸB ligand (RANKL) were measured. Results : The 3D-micro-computed tomography images showed that the trabecular structure in the OVX/LP with BMP group was maintained compared with OVX and OVX/LP groups. No significant differences were detected in trabecular thickness (Tb.Th) between control and OVX/LP with BMP groups (p>0.05). Furthermore, a tendency toward increased BMD, trabecular bone volume, Tb.Th, and trabecular number and decreased trabecular separation was found in rats in the OVX/LP with BMP groups when compared with the OVX and OVX/LP groups (p>0.05). The H&E and Masson's trichrome stained sections showed a thicker trabecular bone in the OVX/LP with BMP group compared with the OVX and OVX/LP groups. There was no difference in serum levels of OC, CTX and RANKL control and OVX/LP with BMP groups (p>0.05). In contrast, significant differences were found in OC and CTX-1 levels between the OVX and OVX/LP with BMP groups (p<0.05). Conclusion : Our results showed that the expression of genetically modified BMP-2 showed inhibition effect for bone loss in a rat model of osteoporosis.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.523-529
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• 2023

In order to achieve excellent spatial resolution, very small scintillation pixels are used in detectors of positron emission tomography for small animals. However, by using these very small scintillation pixels, scintillation pixels at the edge of the array may overlap in a flood image. To solve this problem, a light guide capable of changing the distribution of light was used. Depending on the material of the light guide, the light spreading tendency is different, and accordingly, the presence or absence of overlapping is different depending on the material of the light guide used. In this study, instead of the conventional glass light guide, a detector using the same material as the scintillation pixel was designed. A scintillator light guide has a higher refractive index than a glass light guide, so the light spread is different. Flood images were acquired to evaluate the degree of separation of the scintillation pixels at the edge of the detector using the two light guides. The degree of separation was evaluated by calculating the distance between the center and the spatial resolution of the image of two scintillation pixels at the edge of the obtained flood image. As a result, when the scintillator light guide was used, better spatial resolution was shown, and the distance between centers of scintillation pixels was wider. When a detector is constructed using a scintillator light guide instead of a conventional glass light guide, it is possible to use a smaller scintillation pixel, thereby securing better spatial resolution.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.33-40
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• 2024

The live weight of livestock is important information for managing their health and housing conditions, and it can be used to determine the optimal amount of feed and the timing of shipment. In general, it takes a lot of human resources and time to weigh livestock using a scale, and it is not easy to measure each stage of growth, which prevents effective breeding methods such as feeding amount control from being applied. In this paper, we aims to improve the accuracy of weight measurement of piglets, weaned pigs, nursery pigs, and fattening pigs by collecting, analyzing, learning, and predicting video and image data in animal husbandry and pig farming. For this purpose, we trained using Pytorch, YOLO(you only look once) 5 model, and Scikit Learn library and found that the actual and prediction graphs showed a similar flow with a of RMSE(root mean square error) 0.4%. and MAPE(mean absolute percentage error) 0.2%. It can be utilized in the mammalian pig, weaning pig, nursery pig, and fattening pig sections. The accuracy is expected to be continuously improved based on variously trained image and video data and actual measured weight data. It is expected that efficient breeding management will be possible by predicting the production of pigs by part through video reading in the future.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.25-39
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• 2011

In animal studies, Magnesium (Mg) - incorporated oxidized implants showed significant enhancement of the bone response. This prospective clinical trial was performed to investigate the success rate, implant stability and marginal bone loss of Mg oxidized clinical implant. The experimental protocol was approved by Institutional Review Board of the Gangneung-Wonju National University Dental Hospital. Fifty healthy patients had partial edentulism were included in this study. Mg oxidized clinical implants (Implant M, Shinhung, Korea) were installed and restored with conventional protocol. The patients were recalled at 1, 3, 6 months after functional loading. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) was measured and periapical radiographic images were obtained. Amount of marginal bone loss was calculated with calibrated images from periapical radiographs. Repeated measured analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey test were used to compare the mean ISQ and bone level. A total of 101 implants were analyzed. The mean ISQ values increased continuously with time lapse from 68.4 at fixture installation to 71.5 at 6 months after loading. Implant stability was correlated with gender, fixture diameter, bone quality and implant sites. The mean marginal bone loss during 6 months after loading was 0.26 mm. There was no failed implant and six-month success rate was 100%. Within the limitations of this study, the six-month success rate of Mg oxidized implant was satisfactory. The implant stability and marginal bone level were excellent. However, further longer clinical studies will be needed to confirm the success of Mg oxidized clinical implant.

• Cartoon and Animation Studies
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• s.43
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• pp.285-320
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• 2016

Cartoons and Animation are convergent arts created with a composite application of language arts described in the form of literary texts and sounds, plastic arts visualized in the form of artistic paintings, and film arts produced in the form of moving pictures. An academic university major in cartoons and animation studies established in late 20th century however, did not satisfactorily meet the needs in academic research and development and the free expression of artistic creation was limited. In order to systematize the major in cartoons and animation studies, an convergent approach to establish and clarify following are in demand : the terms and definitions, the historical developments, the research areas and methods, the major education and related jobs and start-ups. New culture and arts industries including cartoons, animation, moving images, and games contents are not yet listed in the industries listing service jointly provided online by the portal site Naver.com and Hyung-Seol publishing company. Above all, cartoons and animation are inseparably related to each other that even if one uses the term separately and independently, the meaning may not be complete. So a new combined term "Animatoon" can be established for the major in cartoons and animation studies and also used for its degree with concentrations of cartoons, animation, moving images, games, and etc. In the Introduction, a new combined term Animatoon is defined and explained the use of this term as the name of the major and degree in cartoons and animation studies. In the body, first, the Historical Developments classified Animatoon in the ancient times, the medieval times, and the modern times and they are analyzed with the help of esthetics and arts using examples of mural frescos, animal painting, religion cartoons, caricatures, cartoons, satire cartoons, comics, animation, 2 or 3 dimensional webtoons, and K-toons. Second, the Research Areas of Animatoon reviewed the theories, genres, artworks, and artists and the Research Methods of Animatoon presented the curriculum that integrated the courses in humanities, science technologies, culture and arts, and etc. Third, the Major Education considered Animatoon education in children, young adults, students of the major and the Related Jobs and Start-Ups explored various jobs relating to personal creation of artwork and collective production of business-oriented artwork. In the Conclusion, the current challenges of Animatoon considered personalization of the artists, specialization of the contents, diversification of the types, and liberalization of the art creation. And the direction of improvement advocated Animatoon to be an academic field of study, to be an art, to be a culture, and to be an industry. The importance of cartoons and animation along with videos and games rose in the 21st century. In order for cartoons and animation to take a leading role, make efforts in studying Animatoon academically and also in developing Animatoon as good contents in the cultural industries.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2009

Purpose : We sought to evaluate enhancement of plaque with gadolinium-based contrast agent by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in comparison with histopathology, namely lipid-rich and macrophage-rich components that were two representative characteristics of plaque vulnerability using atherosclerotic rabbit aorta in order to determine which histopathologic component is relevant to the enhancement. Materials and Methods : New Zealand white rabbit (n=4, weight 3.0 to 3.5 kg, all male) was used for animal model of atherosclerosis. Atherosclerotic aortic lesions were induced by high-cholesterol diet and double balloon injury. T1-weight axial images were acquired before and after gadolinium-based contrast agent using a 3-T MRI. MR images and the matched histopathological sections (n=35) were divided into 4 quadrants or 3 (n=130). Enhancement ratio (ER, ER=SIpost/SIpre) on MRI was calculated for each quadrant and compared with histopathology in regard to lipid-rich and macrophage-rich areas. Results : Lipid-rich quadrants were 72 and fibrous quadrants were 58. The number of quadrants which had macrophage-rich areas was 105 and that of quadrants which did not have macrophage-rich areas was 25. ER was significantly higher in lipid-rich quadrants than in fibrous quadrants (mean ER 2.25c$\pm$0.41 vs. 2.72$\pm$0.65, p=0.013). ER poorly correlated with macrophage-rich areas when lipid-component was controlled (correlation coefficient -0.203, p=0.236). Conclusion : Lipid-rich plaques showed stronger enhancement than fibrous plaques using a standard gadolinium-based extracellular contrast agent. Macrophage infiltration did not correlate with degree of enhancement. Further study is warranted that account for optimal time of imaging after contrast injection using various plaque models from early to advanced stages and all possible parameters associated with contrast enhancement.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.88-89
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• 2013

A variety of influenza A viruses from animal hosts are continuously prevalent throughout the world which cause human epidemics resulting millions of human infections and enormous industrial and economic damages. Thus, early diagnosis of such pathogen is of paramount importance for biomedical examination and public healthcare screening. To approach this issue, here we propose a fully integrated Rotary genetic analysis system, called Rotary Genetic Analyzer, for on-site detection of influenza A viruses with high speed. The Rotary Genetic Analyzer is made up of four parts including a disposable microchip, a servo motor for precise and high rate spinning of the chip, thermal blocks for temperature control, and a miniaturized optical fluorescence detector as shown Fig. 1. A thermal block made from duralumin is integrated with a film heater at the bottom and a resistance temperature detector (RTD) in the middle. For the efficient performance of RT-PCR, three thermal blocks are placed on the Rotary stage and the temperature of each block is corresponded to the thermal cycling, namely $95^{\circ}C$ (denature), $58^{\circ}C$ (annealing), and $72^{\circ}C$ (extension). Rotary RT-PCR was performed to amplify the target gene which was monitored by an optical fluorescent detector above the extension block. A disposable microdevice (10 cm diameter) consists of a solid-phase extraction based sample pretreatment unit, bead chamber, and 4 ${\mu}L$ of the PCR chamber as shown Fig. 2. The microchip is fabricated using a patterned polycarbonate (PC) sheet with 1 mm thickness and a PC film with 130 ${\mu}m$ thickness, which layers are thermally bonded at $138^{\circ}C$ using acetone vapour. Silicatreated microglass beads with 150~212 ${\mu}L$ diameter are introduced into the sample pretreatment chambers and held in place by weir structure for construction of solid-phase extraction system. Fig. 3 shows strobed images of sequential loading of three samples. Three samples were loaded into the reservoir simultaneously (Fig. 3A), then the influenza A H3N2 viral RNA sample was loaded at 5000 RPM for 10 sec (Fig. 3B). Washing buffer was followed at 5000 RPM for 5 min (Fig. 3C), and angular frequency was decreased to 100 RPM for siphon priming of PCR cocktail to the channel as shown in Figure 3D. Finally the PCR cocktail was loaded to the bead chamber at 2000 RPM for 10 sec, and then RPM was increased up to 5000 RPM for 1 min to obtain the as much as PCR cocktail containing the RNA template (Fig. 3E). In this system, the wastes from RNA samples and washing buffer were transported to the waste chamber, which is fully filled to the chamber with precise optimization. Then, the PCR cocktail was able to transport to the PCR chamber. Fig. 3F shows the final image of the sample pretreatment. PCR cocktail containing RNA template is successfully isolated from waste. To detect the influenza A H3N2 virus, the purified RNA with PCR cocktail in the PCR chamber was amplified by using performed the RNA capture on the proposed microdevice. The fluorescence images were described in Figure 4A at the 0, 40 cycles. The fluorescence signal (40 cycle) was drastically increased confirming the influenza A H3N2 virus. The real-time profiles were successfully obtained using the optical fluorescence detector as shown in Figure 4B. The Rotary PCR and off-chip PCR were compared with same amount of influenza A H3N2 virus. The Ct value of Rotary PCR was smaller than the off-chip PCR without contamination. The whole process of the sample pretreatment and RT-PCR could be accomplished in 30 min on the fully integrated Rotary Genetic Analyzer system. We have demonstrated a fully integrated and portable Rotary Genetic Analyzer for detection of the gene expression of influenza A virus, which has 'Sample-in-answer-out' capability including sample pretreatment, rotary amplification, and optical detection. Target gene amplification was real-time monitored using the integrated Rotary Genetic Analyzer system.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.61-69
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• 2008

Purpose: Micro-pinhole SPECT system with conventional multiple-head gamma cameras has the advantage of high magnification factor for imaging of rodents. However, several geometric factors should be calibrated to obtain the SPECT image with good image quality. We developed a simplified geometric calibration method for rotating triple-head pinhole SPECT system and assessed the effects of the calibration using several phantom and rodent imaging studies. Materials and Methods: Trionix Triad XLT9 triple-head SPECT scanner with 1.0 mm pinhole apertures were used for the experiments. Approximately centered point source was scanned to track the angle-dependent positioning errors. The centroid of point source was determined by the center of mass calculation. Axially departed two point sources were scanned to calibrate radius of rotation from pinhole to center of rotation. To verify the improvements by the geometric calibration, we compared the spatial resolution of the reconstructed image of Tc-99m point source with and without the calibration. SPECT image of micro performance phantom with hot rod inserts was acquired and several animal imaging studies were performed. Results: Exact sphere shape of the point source was obtained by applying the calibration and axial resolution was improved. Lesion detectibility and image quality was also much improved by the calibration in the phantom and animal studies. Conclusion: Serious degradation of micro-pinhole SPECT images due to the geometric errors could be corrected using a simplified calibration method using only one or two point sources.