• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

In this work, we considered a compressed-sensing (CS)-based image deblurring scheme with a total-variation (TV) regularization penalty for improving image characteristics in digital tomosynthesis (DTS). We implemented the proposed image deblurring algorithm and performed a systematic simulation to demonstrate its viability. We also performed an experiment by using a table-top setup which consists of an x-ray tube operated at $90kV_p$, 6 mAs and a CMOS-type flat-panel detector having a $198-{\mu}m$ pixel resolution. In the both simulation and experiment, 51 projection images were taken with a tomographic angle range of ${\theta}=60^{\circ}$ and an angle step of ${\Delta}{\theta}=1.2^{\circ}$ and then deblurred by using the proposed deblurring algorithm before performing the common filtered-backprojection (FBP)-based DTS reconstruction. According to our results, the image sharpness of the recovered x-ray images and the reconstructed DTS images were significantly improved and the cross-plane spatial resolution in DTS was also improved by a factor of about 1.4. Thus the proposed deblurring scheme appears to be effective for the blurring problems in both conventional radiography and DTS and is applicable to improve the present image characteristics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2005.07a
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• pp.390-392
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• 2005

The digital radiation detectors are used clinically by diagnostic apparatus. However the digital radiation detector are some problem like high operating voltage, light blurring, low conversion efficiency, low fill factor, etc. Thus we propose a new radiation detector that the photoconductor layer and liquid crystal layer are coupled in sandwich structure. X-ray absorption in the photoconductor layer controls the state of the liquid crystal via creation of charge carrier and the light modulation of liquid crystal make image formation. The advantage of the new radiation detector is that high resolution image is acquired and the signal amplification is possible by external visible light source. In this study, we study the optical properties and electrical properties of the new radiation detector to irradiate X-ray. The Mercury Iodide($HgI_2$) was used by photoconductor material, and the aluminum is used by reflective layer. The thickness of Mercury Iodide is about $200{\mu}m$, the operating voltage of the liquid crystal is 1.5~5V. The electrical properties of Mercury Iodide was measured, and the transmission efficiency of liquid crystal was measured by modulation potential.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.118-125
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• 2007

In this study we estimated a geometric correlation among digitally reconstructed radiographic image (DRRI), kV x-ray image (kVXI) from the On-Board Imager (OBI) and electric portal image (EPI). To verify geometric correspondence of DRRI, kVXI and EPI, specially designed phantom with indexed 6 ball bearings (BBs) were employed. After accurate setup of the phantom on a treatment couch using orthogonal EPIs, we acquired set of orthogonal kVXIs and EPIs then compared the absolute positions of the center of the BBs calculated at each phantom plane for kVXI and EPI respectively. We also checked matching result for obliquely incident beam (gantry angle of $315^{\circ}$) after 2D-2D matching provided by OBI application. A reference EPI obtained after initial setup of the phantom was compared with 10 series of EPIs acquired after each 2D-2D matching. Imaginary setup errors were generated from -5 mm to 5 mm at each couch motion direction. Calculated positions of all center positions of the BBs at three different images were agreed with the actual points within a millimeter and each other. Calculated center positions of the BBs from the reference and obtained EPIs after 2D-2D matching agreed within a millimeter. We could tentatively conclude that the OBI system was mechanically quite reliable for image guided radiation therapy (IGRT) purpose.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Medical Physics Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.418-421
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• 2002

Fundamental study on quasi-monochromatic parallel radiography using a polycapillary plate and a plane-focus x-ray tube is described. The x-ray generator consists of a negative high-voltage power supply, a filament (hot cathode) power supply, and an x-ray tube. The negative high-voltage is applied to the cathode electrode, and the transmission type target (anode) is connected to the ground potential. The maximum voltage and current of the power supply were -100 kV (peak value) and 3.0 mA, respectively. In this experiment, the tube voltage was regulated from 20 to 25 kV, and the tube current was regulated by the filament temperature and ranged from 1.0 to 3.0 mA. The exposure time is controlled in order to obtain optimum film density, and the focal spot diameter was about 10 mm. The polycapillary plate is J5022-21 made by Hamamatsu Photonics Inc., and the outside and effective diameters are 87 and 77 mm, respectively. The thickness and the hole diameter of the polycapillary are 1.0 mm and 25 ${\mu}$m, respectively. The x-rays from the tube are formed into parallel beam by the polycapillary, and the radiogram is taken using an industrial x-ray film of Fuji IX 100 without using a screen. In the measurement of image resolution, we employed three brass spacers of 2, 30, and 60 mm in height. By the test chart, the resolution fell according to increases in the spacer height without using a polycapillary. In contrast, the resolution slightly fell with corresponding increases in the height by the polycapillary. In angiography, fine blood vessels of about 100 ${\mu}$m are clearly visible.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.559-563
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• 2015

Monitor of All-sky X-ray Image (MAXI) is a Japanese X-ray all-sky surveyer mounted on the International Space Station (ISS). It has been scanning the whole sky since 2009 during every 92-minute ISS rotation. X-ray transients are quickly found by the real-time nova-search program. As a result, MAXI has issued 133 Astronomer's Telegrams and 44 Gamma-ray burst Coordinated Networks so far. MAXI has discovered six new black holes (BH) in 4.5 years. Long-term behaviors of the MAXI BHs can be classified into two types by their outbursts; a fast-rise exponential-decay type and a fast-rise flat-top one. The slit camera is suitable for accumulating data over a long time. MAXI issued a 37-month catalog containing 500 sources above a ~0.6 mCrab detection limit at 4-10 keV in the region ${\mid}{b}{\mid}$ > $10^{\circ}$. The SSC instrument utilizing an X-ray CCD has detected diffuse soft X-rays extending over a large solid angle, such as the Cygnus super bubble. MAXI/SSC has also detcted a Ne emission line from the rapid soft X-ray nova MAXI J0158-744. The overall shapes of outbursts in Be X-ray binaries (BeXRB) are precisely observed with MAXI/GSC. BeXRB have two kinds of outbursts, a normal outburst and a giant one. The peak dates of the subsequent giant outbursts of A0535+26 repeated with a different period than the orbital one. The Be stellar disk is considered to either have a precession motion or a distorted shape. The long-term behaviors of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB) containing weakly magnetized neutron stars are investigated. Transient LMXBs (Aql X-1 and 4U 1608-52) repeated outbursts every 200-1000 days, which is understood by the limit-cycle of hydrogen ionization states in the outer accretion disk. A third state (very dim state) in Aql X-1 and 4U 1608-52 was interpreted as the propeller effect in the unified picture of LMXB. Cir X-1 is a peculiar source in the sense that its long-term behavior is not like typical LMXBs. The luminosity sometimes decreases suddenly at periastron. It might be explained by the stripping of the outer accretion disk by a clumpy stellar wind. MAXI observed 64 large flares from 22 active stars (RS CVns, dMe stars, Argol types, young stellar objects) over 4 years. The total energies are $10^{34}-10^{36}$ erg $s^{-1}$. Since MAXI can measure the spectrum (temperature and emission measure), we can estimate the size of the plasma and the magnetic fields. The size sometimes exceeds the size of the star. The magnetic field is in the range of 10-100 gauss, which is a typical value for solar flares.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.10-14
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• 2013

Purpose: Due to developed simultaneous PET/MRI, it has become possible to obtain more anatomical image information better than conventional PET/CT. By the way, in the PET/CT, the linear absorption coefficient is measured by X-ray directly. However in case of PET/MRI, the value is not measured from MRI images directly, but is calculated by dividing as 4 segmentation ${\mu}-map$. Therefore, in this paper, we will evaluate the SUV's difference of attenuation correction PET images from PET/MRI and PET/CT. Materials and Methods: Biograph mCT40 (Siemens, Germany), Biograph mMR were used as a PET/CT, PET/MRI scanner. For a phantom study, we used a solid type $^{68}Ge$ source, and a liquid type $^{18}F$ uniformity phantom. By using VIBE-DIXON sequence of PET/MRI, human anatomical structure was divided into air-lung-fat-soft tissue for attenuation correction coefficient. In case of PET/CT, the hounsfield unit of CT was used. By setting the ROI at five places of each PET phantom images that is corrected attenuation, the maximum SUV was measured, evaluated %diff about PET/CT vs. PET/MRI. In clinical study, the 18 patients who underwent simultaneous PET/CT and PET/MRI was selected and set the ROI at background, lung, liver, brain, muscle, fat, bone from the each attenuation correction PET images, and then evaluated, compared by measuring the maximum SUV. Results: For solid $^{68}Ge$ source, SUV from PET/MRI is measured lower 88.55% compared to PET/CT. In case of liquid $^{18}F$ uniform phantom, SUV of PET/MRI as compared to PET/CT is measured low 70.17%. If the clinical study, the background SUV of PET/MRI is same with PET/CT's and the one of lung was higher 2.51%. However, it is measured lower about 32.50, 40.35, 23.92, 13.92, 5.00% at liver, brain, muscle, fat, femoral head. Conclusion: In the case of a CT image, because there is a linear relationship between 511 keV ${\gamma}-ray$ and linear absorption coefficient of X-ray, it is possible to correct directly the attenuation of 511 keV ${\gamma}-ray$ by creating a ${\mu}$map from the CT image. However, in the case of the MRI, because the MRI signal has no relationship at all with linear absorption coefficient of ${\gamma}-ray$, the anatomical structure of the human body is divided into four segmentations to correct the attenuation of ${\gamma}-rays$. Even a number of protons in a bone is too low to make MRI signal and to localize segmentation of ${\mu}-map$. Therefore, to develope a proper sequence for measuring more accurate attenuation coefficient is indeed necessary in the future PET/MRI.

• Applied Science and Convergence Technology
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.301-307
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• 2014

We have fabricated $SnO_2$/Zn core-shell nanowires by employing a sputtering technique with a Zn target. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the surface of the nanowires became rougher by the coating. X-ray diffraction of the coated nanowires exhibited the hexagonal Zn diffraction peaks. TEM image of coated structures showed that shell layer was mainly comprised of hexagonal Zn phase. EDX spectra suggested that the shell layer consisted of Zn elements. The photoluminescence spectrum of the coated nanowires in conjunction with Gaussian fitting analysis revealed that the emission was disconvoluted with three Gaussian functions, which are centered at 2.1 eV in the yellow region, 2.4 eV in the green region, and 3.3 eV in the ultraviolet region. We speculated the possible mechanisms of these emission peaks.

• Progress in Medical Physics
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.67-76
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• 2006

We evaluated the accuracy of a patient setup error correction due to reference image quality for a 2D-2D matching process. Digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) generated by use of the Pinnacle3 and the Eclipse for various regions of a humanoid phantom and a patient for different CT slice thickness were employed as a reference images and kV X-ray Images from the On-Board Imager were registered to the reference DRRs. In comparison of the DRRs and profiles, DRR image quality was getting worse with an increase of CT image slice thickness. However there were only slight differences of setup errors evaluation between matching results for good and poor reference DRRs. Although DRR image quality did not strongly affect to the 2D-2D matching accuracy, there are still potential errors for matching procedure, therefore we recommend that DRR images are needed to be generated with less than 3mm slice thickness for 2D-2D matching.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.5-9
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• 2010

In recent, a digital x-ray detector attracted worldwide attention and there are many studies to commercialize. There are two methods in digital x-ray detector. This method is an Indirect method and Direct method. This study is to see the differences between the digital x-ray detector based on a-Se used in the existing indirect conversion method and an x-ray conversion material that has better SNR(Signal-to-noise ratio) and property than the a-Se. To solve the problem that is difficult to make a large area film using Screen-Print method, we used a Screen-Print method. In this study, we used a polyclystal $HgI_2$ as x-ray conversion material and a sample thickness is $150{\mu}m$ and an area is $3cm{\times}3cm$. ITO(Indium-Tin-Oxide) electrode was used as top electrode using a Magnetron Sputtering System and each area is $3cm{\times}3cm$, $2cm{\times}2cm$ and $1cm{\times}1cm$ and then we evaluated darkcurrent, sensitivity and SNR of the $HgI_2$ film are measured, then we evaluated the electrical properties. And we used a current integration mode when I-V test. This experiment shows that the sensitivity increases in accordance with the area of the electrode but the SNR is decreased because of the high darkcurrent. Through fabricating of various thicknesses and optimal electrodes, we will optimize SNR in the future work.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 1993

Asymetric system have been introduced in these years by KODAK company nam of Insight system for the purpose of improve the chest image. We have had a problem of chest radiology that it is very difficult to visualize the lung field and modiastinal region at one shot. That's why we are the RT using the technique of high voltage hard quality radiography in chest radiography. Also it is known the c-type wide latitude film can lift up the density of mediastinal structures. Authors investigated the photographic characteristics and physical structure of Insight system. Method 1. Investigated the structure of Emulsion layer. Calculated the particle size of Insight system using SEM(Scanning Electron Microscope). 2. Photographic characteristics has been compared the Insight system with the ortho KM/MG combination in $60{\sim}120kV$ range. Results 1. The particle size of backside film were investigated about 2 times larger that of front side film. 2. The front and backscreen's thickness ratio was detected 1 : 3.87, that the backscreen's thickness was thicker than frontscreen. 3. At the view point of photographic characteristics the frontside of insight system make up the contrast, backside make up the density at low exposure lesion.