• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.41-45
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• 2005

The diagnostic management of patients with chest pain remains a clinical challenge. Magnetocardiography (MCG) has been proposed as a new non-invasive method for detection of myocardial ischemia. To date, however, MCG technique is not intensively introduced for clinical use. One of the main reasons might be the absence of statistically valid and diagnostically clean criteria, which can determine the presence of certain heart disease. In this work, we suggested a new method to classify the diagnostic value of MCG for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients with chest pain. MCG was recorded for three groups (healthy subjects and patients without and with CAD) by means of the 64 channel SQUID gradiometer system installed at a hospital. Using four parameters, which were found to be significantly different between groups, we evaluated a probability, in which parameters can be classified into each group based on the distribution function of the parameter in each group. For all parameters, sum of probabilities was compared between groups to determine the presence of CAD. Our classification method shows that the MCG can be a useful tool to predict the presence of CAD with sensitivity and specificity of higher than $80\%$ each.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2005

We propose a method to measure atrial arrhythmias (AA) such as atrial fibrillation (Afb) and atrial flutter (Afl) with a SQUID magnetocardiograph (MCG) system. To detect AA is one of challenging topics in MCG. As the AA generally have irregular rhythm and atrio-ventricular conduction, the MCG signal cannot be improved by QRS averaging; therefore a SQUID MCG system having a high SNR is required to measure informative atrial excitation with a single scan. In the case of Afb, diminished f waves are much smaller than normal P waves because the sources are usually located on the posterior wall of the heart. In this study, we utilize an MCG system measuring tangential field components, which is known to be more sensitive to a deeper current source. The average noise spectral density of the whole system in a magnetic shielded room was $10\;fT/{\surd}Hz(a)\;1\;Hz\;and\;5\;fT/{\surd}Hz\;(a)\;100\;Hz$. We measured the MCG signals of patients with chronic Afb and Afl. Before the AA measurement, the comparison between the measurements in supine and prone positions for P waves has been conducted and the experiment gave a result that the supine position is more suitable to measure the atrial excitation. Therefore, the AA was measured in subject's supine position. Clinical potential of AA measurement in MCG is to find an aspect of a reentry circuit and to localize the abnormal stimulation noninvasively. To give useful information about the abnormal excitation, we have developed a method, separative synthetic aperture magnetometry (sSAM). The basic idea of sSAM is to visualize current source distribution corresponding to the atrial excitation, which are separated from the ventricular excitation and the Gaussian sensor noises. By using sSAM, we localized the source of an Afl successfully.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2004

We consider design factors for a SQUID sensor array to construct a 52-channel magnetocardiogram (MCG) system that can be used to measure tangential components of the cardiac magnetic fields. Nowadays, full-size multichannel MCG systems, which cover the whole signal area of a heart, are developed to improve the clinical analysis with high accuracy and to provide patients with comfort in the course of measurement. To design the full-size MCG system, we have to make a compromise between cost and performance. The cost is involved with the number of sensors, the number of the electronics, the size of a cooling dewar, the consumption of refrigerants for maintenance, and etc. The performance is the capability of covering the whole heart volume at once and of localizing current sources with a small error. In this study, we design the cost-effective arrangement of sensors for MCG by considering an adequate sensor interval and the confidence region of a tolerable localization error, which covers the heart. In order to fit the detector array on the cylindrical dewar economically, we removed the detectors that were located at the corners of the array square. Through simulations using the confidence region method, we verified that our design of the detector array was good enough to obtain whole information from the heart at a time. A result of the simulation also suggested that tangential-component MCG measurement could localize deeper current dipoles than normal-component MCG measurement with the same confidence volume; therefore, we conclude that measurement of the tangential component is more suitable to an MCG system than measurement of the normal component.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.55-60
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• 2003

We designed and constructed integrated 3-channel flux-locked-loop (FLL) electronic system for the control and readout of high-T$_{c}$ SQUIDs. This system consists of low noise preamplifiers, integrators, interface circuits, and software. FLL operation was carried out with biased signals of 19 KHz modulated current and 150 KHz modulated flux, which are reconstructed as detected signals by preamplifier and demodulator. Computer controlled interface circuits regulate FLL circuit and adjust SQUID parameters to the optimum operating condition. The software regulates interface circuits to make an auto-tuning for the control of SQUIDs, and displays readout data from FLL circuit. 3-channel SQUID electronic system was assembled with 3 FLL-interface circuit boards and a power supply board in the aluminum case of 56 mm ${\times}$ 53 mm${\times}$ 150 mm. Overall noise of the system was around 150 fT/(equation omitted)Hz when measured in the shielded room, 200 fT/(equation omitted)Hz in a weakly shielded room, respectively.y.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.575-580
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• 2004

In this work, a method is presented to find an anatomical site of a current source crudely in a standard brain using grand average of MEG data. Minimum norm estimation algorithm and truncated singular value decomposition were applied to calculate the distributed sources that can reproduce the measured signals. Grand average over all subjects was obtained from the transformed signals, which would be detected in a standard sensor plane by the obtained distributed current sources. In the simulation study, it was shown that the localized dipole using the grand average is consistent with the mean location of localized dipoles of all subjects within several mm even with large inter-individual differences of sensor positions. This result suggests that the mean location of low level signal source can be estimated as a dipole source in grand average and it was confirmed in the localization of the current source of N100m. when the localized dipole is registered on a standard brain. This result also suggests that the activity region obtained from grand average can be crudely estimated on a standard brain using the source location of the N100m as a reference point.

• 한국초전도학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.07a
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• pp.2-2
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• 2009

• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.124-125
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.281-282
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• 2016

The electrical current generated by heart creates not only electric potential but also a magnetic field. In this study, the signals obtained magnetocardiogram (MCG) using 61 channel superconducting quantum interference device(SQUID) system the clinical significance of various parameters has been developed MCG. Neural network algorithm was used to perform the analysis of heart disease.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2009

We have investigated the characteristics of a superconductive Pb shield for hemispherical shape and plate to improving signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) of biomagnetism. We measured the shielding factor for the position of helmet shape Pb and for changing the distance from Pb surface. To make a uniform magnetic field, a $1.5m{\times}1.5m$ set of the helmholtz coils activated at several frequencies. The shielding factor of hemispherical shape Pb was from 20 to 57 dB and of Pb plate was about $6{\sim}26dB$ as a function of distance from the lead surface. The shielding factor was rapidly reduced as increasing the distance from Pb surface. The white noise of superconductive quantum interference device(SQUID) with a superconductive shield was about $12fT/Hz^{1/2}$ at 1 Hz, $7fT/Hz^{1/2}$ at 100 Hz. The white noise was more increased about two times than conventional SQUID system without Pb shielding. An auditory signal was measured by first order gradiometer and magnetometer with Pb superconductive shield and compared the SNR. The SQUID system with Pb shield had better performance at low frequency noise level.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2000

A 40-channel superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) system was constructed for measuring neuromagnetic fields. Main features of the system are the use of double relaxation oscillation SQUIDs (DROSs), and planar gradiometers measuring magnetic field components tangential to the head surface. The DROSs with high flux-to-voltage transfers enabled direct readout of the SQUID output by room-temperature dc preamplifiers and simple flux-locked loop circuits could be used for SQUID operation. The pickup coil is an integrated first-order planar gradiometer with a baseline of 40 mm. Average noise level of the 40 channels is around 1.2 $fT/cm/{\surd}Hz$ at 100 Hz, corresponding to a field noise of 5 $fT/{\surd}Hz$, operated inside a magnetically shielded room. The SQUID insert was designed to have low thermal load, minimizing the loss of liquid helium. The constructed system was applied to measure auditory-evoked neuromagnetic fields.