• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2006

Purpose : High-resolution spiral-scan imaging is performed at 3 Tesla MRI system. Since the gradient waveforms for the spiral-scan imaging have lower slopes than those for the Echo Planar Imaging (EPI), they can be implemented with the gradient systems having lower slew rates. The spiral-scan imaging also involves less eddy currents due to the smooth gradient waveforms. The spiral-scan imaging method does not suffer from high specific absorption rate (SAR), which is one of the main obstacles in high field imaging for rf echo-based fast imaging methods such as fast spin echo techniques. Thus, the spiral-scan imaging has a great potential for the high-speed imaging in high magnetic fields. In this paper, we presented various high-resolution images obtained by the spiral-scan methods at 3T MRI system for various applications. Materials and Methods : High-resolution spiral-scan imaging technique is implemented at 3T whole body MRI system. An efficient and fast higher-order shimming technique is developed to reduce the inhomogeneity, and the single-shot and interleaved spiral-scan imaging methods are developed. Spin-echo and gradient-echo based spiral-scan imaging methods are implemented, and image contrast and signal-tonoise ratio are controlled by the echo time, repetition time, and the rf flip angles. Results : Spiral-scan images having various resolutions are obtained at 3T MRI system. Since the absolute magnitude of the inhomogeneity is increasing in higher magnetic fields, higher order shimming to reduce the inhomogeneity becomes more important. A fast shimming technique in which axial, sagittal, and coronal sectional inhomogeneity maps are obtained in one scan is developed, and the shimming method based on the analysis of spherical harmonics of the inhomogeneity map is applied. For phantom and invivo head imaging, image matrix size of about $100{\times}100$ is obtained by a single-shot spiral-scan imaging, and a matrix size of $256{\times}256$ is obtained by the interleaved spiral-scan imaging with the number of interleaves of from 6 to 12. Conclusion : High field imaging becomes increasingly important due to the improved signal-to-noise ratio, larger spectral separation, and the higher BOLD-based contrast. The increasing SAR is, however, a limiting factor in high field imaging. Since the spiral-scan imaging has a very low SAR, and lower hardware requirements for the implementation of the technique compared to EPI, it is suitable for a rapid imaging in high fields. In this paper, the spiral-scan imaging with various resolutions from $100{\times}100$ to $256{\times}256$ by controlling the number of interleaves are developed for the high-speed imaging in high magnetic fields.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.20-20
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• 2004

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.90-90
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• 1999

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2011

Purpose : Localization using MRI is difficult due to susceptibility induced artifacts caused by metal electrodes. Here we took an advantage of the B0 pattern induced by the metal electrodes by using an oblique-view imaging method. Materials and Methods : Metal electrode models with various diameters and susceptibilities were simulated to understand the aspect of field distortion. We set localization criteria for a turbo spin-echo (TSE) sequence usingconventional ($90^{\circ}$ view) and $45^{\circ}$ oblique-view imaging method through simulation of images with various resolutions and validated the criteria usingphantom images acquired by a 3.0T clinical MRI system. For a gradient-refocused echo (GRE) sequence, which is relatively more sensitive to field inhomogeneity, we used phase images to find the center of electrode. Results : There was least field inhomogeneity along the $45^{\circ}$ line that penetrated the center of the electrode. Therefore, our criteria for the TSE sequence with $45^{\circ}$ oblique-view was coincided regardless of susceptibility. And with $45^{\circ}$ oblique-view angle images, pixel shifts were bidirectional so we can detect the location of electrodes even in low resolution. For the GRE sequence, the $45^{\circ}$ oblique-view anglemethod madethe lines where field polarity changes become coincident to the Cartesian grid so the localization of the center coordinates was more facilitated. Conclusion : We suggested the method for accurate localization of electrode using $45^{\circ}$ oblique-view angle imaging. It is expected to be a novelmethodto monitoring an electrophysiological brain study and brain neurosurgery.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.58.1-58.1
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• 2013

The main idea of the Alcock-Paczynski (AP) test is that, if we use a wrong distance-redshift relation to infer the shape of a spherical object in the Universe, this object may look non-spherical. To probe the cosmic expansion history through the AP test, the key point is to find something which is known as spherical in the Universe. We propose two possible ways applying the AP test to the large scale structure (LSS): 1) Based on the observed galaxies or quasars, one built up the beta-skeleton tracing the LSS, and investigating the inhomogeneity of the connections; 2) One reconstructs the smoothed density-contrast gradient field based on LSS observations, and investigating the inhomogeneity of the gradient vectors. Compared with some existed methods probing AP effect through 2-point correlation function, galaxy pairs, or voids, our methods have various advantages: 1) The information of both the high and low dense regions of the LSS are taken into account. 2) The redshift space distortion as the main contamination to the AP effect can be easily removed.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.106-112
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• 2004

In particle or short-fiber reinforced composites, cracking or debonding of the reinforcements cause a significant damage mode because the damaged reinforcements lose load carrying capacity. The average stress in the inhomogeneity represents its load carrying capacity, and the difference between the average stresses of the intact and broken inhomogeneities indicates the loss of load carrying capacity due to cracking damage. The composite in damage process contains intact and broken reinforcements in a matrix. An incremental constitutive relation of discontinuously-reinforced composites including the progressive cracking damage of the reinforcements have been developed based on the Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and Mori-Tanaka's mean field concept. Influence of the cracking damage on the stress-strain response of the composites is demonstrated.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.15-19
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• 1999

For large scale applications of high temperature superconductor (HTS) such as transmission cables, motors and generators, long length of flexible HTS conductor is required. Currently, Bi-2223 HTS tape is capable of being fabricated in longer than 100 m length by industrial processes. In this study, we fabricated 100 m 19 filamentary Bi-2223 ($Bi_{1.8}Pb_{0.4}Sr_2Ca_2O_{10+x}$) HTS tape by PIT (Power in Tube) process. Critical current(IC) of this long length tape was measured 18.5 A at 77K, self field. Critical current of 100 m length tape was mainly resulted from the increase of inhomogeneity in oxide from the increase of inhomogeneity in oxide layer. Engineering critical current (Je=Ic/total tape cross-section area) that is important factor for practical applications and fabrication cost was measured 2.2 kA/cm2.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.9 no.8
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• pp.1793-1798
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• 2005

We model the nucleation and motion of defects in the liquid crystal display device with inhomogeneous surface by using fast Q-tensor method, which can calculate scalar order parameter S and nucleation of the defect in the liquid crystal director field. In order to model the defect, homeotropic aligned liquid crystal cell with step inhomogeneous electrode which has a height of $1{\mu}m$ is used. From the simulation, we can observe the nucleation and line of the defect from surface inhomogeneity and the experiment is performed for confirmation.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1997 no.11
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• pp.571-574
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• 1997

fMRI, functional MRI introduced recently appears based on the gradient echo technique which is sensitive to the field inhomogeneity developed due to the local susceptibility changes of blood oxygenation and deoxygenation. Common to all the gradient echo techniques is that the signal due to the susceptibility effects is generally decreased with increasing inhomogeneity due to the $T2^*$ effect or conventionally known as blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) effect. It is, also found that the BOLD sensitivity is also dependent on the imaging modes, namely whether the imaging is in axial, or coronal or sagittal mode as well as the directions of the vessels against the main magnetic field. We have, therefore, launched a systematic study of imaging mode dependent signal change or BOLD sensitivity as well as the signal changes due to the tilting angle of the imaging planes. Study has been made or both TRFGE sequence and CGE sequence to compare the distinctions of the each mode since each technique has different sensitivity against susceptibility effect. Method of computation and both the computer simulations and their corresponding experimental results are presented.

• Interaction and multiscale mechanics
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.15-30
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• 2009

The theoretical framework of the interaction fields for multiple scales based on field theory is applied to one-dimensional problem mimicking dislocation substructure sensitive intra-granular inhomogeneity evolution under fatigue of Cu-added steels. Three distinct scale levels corresponding respectively to the orders of (A)dislocation substructures, (B)grain size and (C)grain aggregates are set-up based on FE-RKPM (reproducing kernel particle method) based interpolated strain distribution to obtain the incompatibility term in the interaction field. Comparisons between analytical conditions with and without the interaction, and that among different cell size in the scale A are simulated. The effect of interaction field on the B-scale field evolution is extensively examined. Finer and larger fluctuation is demonstrated to be obtained by taking account of the field interactions. Finer cell size exhibits larger field fluctuation whereas the coarse cell size yields negligible interaction effects.