• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2013

Purpose : Renal blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI has been used in the evaluation of renal oxygenation. We tried to provide the normal $R2^*$ value of the human kidney with 3.0 T, and evaluated the differences in $R2^*$ values according to gender and location. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four healthy volunteers underwent BOLD MRI at 3.0 T. Multi gradient echo-echo planar imaging sequence with seventeen echoes was used. After generation of the $T2^*$ map, the $R2^*$ was calculated. The statistical differences in $R2^*$ values between the cortex and medulla, males and females, and the right and left kidney were analyzed. The regional differences of $R2^*$ within the both kidneys were evaluated respectively. Results: BOLD MRI was successful in all participants. No gross artifact interfered with $R2^*$ measurement. The mean $R2^*$ at 3.0 T was $17.1{\pm}2.60s^{-1}$ in the cortex and $27.7{\pm}4.83s^{-1}$ in the medulla (p < 0.001). The $R2^*$ value in the medulla was significantly higher in the male than female volunteers (p = 0.025). There were no statistical differences of $R2^*$ according to the side and location in the kidney (p = 0.197). Conclusion: Renal BOLD MRI can be efficiently performed with 3.0 T MRI. Renal medullary hypoxia is present in normal volunteers. Our results may be used as reference values in the evaluation of pathologic conditions using BOLD MRI.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2013

Purpose : To evaluate the usefulness of cervicothoracic spine sagittal T2-weighted images (CT SAG T2WIs) included in routine lumbar spine MRI. Materials and Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained and informed consents were waived for this retrospective study. The study group comprised 2,113 patients who underwent lumbar spine MRI from January 2005 to December 2005. CT SAG T2WIs were added in the routine lumbar spine MRIs. Radiologic reports were reviewed retrospectively for pathologic lesions on CT SAG T2WIs by one radiologist. Information of additional cervical or thoracic spine MRI and/or CT for further evaluation of positive findings on CT SAG T2WIs and their treatment were collected by retrospectively reviewing medical records. Results: The CT SAG T2WIs revealed 142 pathologic lesions in 139 (6.58%) of the 2,113 patients. They were easily obtained without positional change in a scan time of less than 2 minutes. Additional cervical or thoracic spine MRI and/or CT for positive findings on CT SAG T2WIs were performed in 13 patients. Seven patients underwent surgical treatment. Conclusion: CT SAG T2WIs included in routine lumbar spine MRI were useful in finding the pathologic lesions in cervicothoracic spine for the patients who assumed to have lesions in lumbar spine.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SP
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.75-81
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• 2010

The segmentation of cartilage is crucial for the diagnose and treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), and has mostly been done manually by an expert, requiring a considerable amount of time and effort due to the thin shape and vague boundaries of the cartilage in MR (magnetic resonance) images. In this paper, we propose a fully automatic method to segment cartilage in a knee joint on MR images. The proposed method is based on a small number of manually segmented images as the training set and comprised of an initial per patch segmentation process and a global refinement process on the cumulative per patch results. Each patch for per patch segmentation is positioned by classifying the bone-cartilage interface on the pre-segmented bone surface. Next, the shape and intensity priors are constructed for each patch based on information extracted from reference patches in the training set. The ratio of influence between the shape and intensity priors is adaptively determined per patch. Each patch is segmented by graph cuts, where energy is defined based on constructed priors. Finally, global refinement is conducted on the global cartilage using the results of per patch segmentation as the shape prior. Experimental evaluation shows that the proposed framework provide accurate and clinically useful segmentation results.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2015

During installing sheet piles for an impermeable wall or a retaining wall, vibratory hammers are widely used. Among vibratory hammers, a hydraulic hammer is used most commonly. However, a hydraulic hammer causes excessive vibration and noise due to resonance by change of natural frequency according to movements of eccentric shaft when the hammer starts and stops. In this study, new variable amplitude type hammer is developed in order to reduce the vibration and noise due to resonance produced in starting and stopping the hammer. By controlling horizontal angle in two pairs of eccentric body inside of the hammer, the amplitude and vibration of the new hammer can be controlled. The performance tests with the new hammer and existing hammers such as the hydraulic hammer and electric hammer are carried out, and the new hammer shows reduced vibration and noise results in comparison with existing hammers from performance tests. Also, this study shows that penetration rates of sheet pile using the new hammer increase due to impellent force of a backhoe in comparison with the electric hammer and penetration rate increase in comparison with a general hydraulic hammer, since the new hammer can control the amplitude during penetration of sheet pile according to soil condition.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.631-636
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• 2018

The problem that the existing the magnetic resonance image (MRI) was prone to have not only long readout duration and low bandwidth in the phase-encode direction, but also geometric distortion was pointed out. The purpose of this study is to identify the usefulness of FOCUS-DWI through comparing FOCUS-DWI with the Conventional-DWI on a degree of uniformity and artifacts caused by the distance change in the central axis within the magnetic field. In terms of artifacts, there happened irregular striped artifacts in the Conventional-DWI technique, which in particular, more often arose in the central axis. Also, the overlap of imaging drastically increased. By contrast, there were no irregular striped artifacts in the FOCUS-DWI technique. In conclusion, it was found that the FOCUS-DWI technique was superior to the Conventional-DWI technique in terms of artifacts, the overlap of imaging, and a degree of uniformity. In addition, there was no difference of the change in distance from the central axis between the FOCUS-DWI technique and the Conventional-DWI technique. Thus, it is considered the FOCUS-DWI technique having less imaging distortion and high image quality will be highly clinically used.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.337-339
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• 2006

A 4-year-old, spayed female Maltese dog was presented for evaluation of acute onset of generalized tremor, right-sided head tilt, horizontal nystagmus, and mild ataxia with 4-day duration. However, the dog was bright, alert, and responsive. The neurological examinations revealed that bilateral horizontal-, positional nystagmus, and mild ataxia. Menace responses were also absent in both eyes. Typically, moderate generalized intension tremors were noted in four limbs and the head. No abnormalities were found in hemogram, radiography, and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). Cytologic examination of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) revealed a mild nonsuppurative inflammation. Thus, steroid responsive tremor syndrome(SRTS) was strongly suspected because of its inflammatory and idiopathic features. The dog excellently responded to immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroid. Therefore, we definitively diagnosed the dog as SRTS based on the exclusion of other causes of the tremor, clinical signs, and response to treatment. This is a first case report of SRTS in our country and we here describe clinical and neurological features in SRTS.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.5 no.4 s.18
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• pp.23-35
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• 2003

In this study, compaction evaluating program based on ASTM critria is developed bu analyzing the results of laboratory tests. And the laboratory tests such as compaction test, triaxial test and resonance column test of subgrade soils are performed to develop compaction management methodology at seven test sites. Especially, to figure out chararteristic with changing compactive efforts, the test was carried out at five levels of compactive efforts at each soil sample. Database was set up from the test results. With the methodology using mechanical property - the elastic modulus, the gap between road design and management and road construction management is narrowed. The regression equation of G/$G_{max}$ is proposed at each strain level of subgrade soils according to AASHTO criteria, and the relationship between fundamental properties of soil mass and degree of compaction is derived as well. The development of compaction management and field compaction management method is proposed by the elastic modulus based on mechanical tests.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.63-69
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• 2006

Purpose : Marrow edema and fatty degeneration of the hip joint bones could be initial and late signs in hip joint and its bone diseases respectively, which might be differentiated from age-related marrow conversion pattern. So authors have investigated normal marrow conversion pattern of the femur and acetabulum around the hip joints. Materials and methods : Three coronal MR images of 288 hip joint bones in 144 subjects, aged 2 days to 76 years divided to 8 groups every 10 years, were retrospectively analysed for the location and appearance of the converted yellow marrow. The converted yellow marrow were divided to head, neck, and trochanter in the proximal femur and below and above 50% in acetabulum of the hip. Results : The most common type of marrow conversion is the converted yellow marrow in the entire proximal femur and below 50% of acetabulum of the hip. We observed the start of marrow conversion in just before and after 2 years old and stopped at just before and after 20 years old. Conclusion : The understanding of age-related marrow conversion pattern of the hip joint bones would provide some information for differentiation from pathologic condition of them such as edema, fatty degeneration, metastasis, or leukemia.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.102-109
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• 2011

Purpose : To retrospectively evaluate the usefulness of diffusion-weighted images, ADC maps and conventional MR images for determination of brain tumor consistency. Materials and Methods : Twenty-three patients with brain tumor underwent MR examinations with T1, T2 and diffusion-weighted images. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn in the tumors, and the measured signal intensities (SI) were normalized with the contralateral side. We evaluated the correlation between SI ratios from various images and tumor consistency assessed at surgery. In three patients with both cystic and solid components, each component was evaluated independently. Qualitatively observed SIs were also correlated with tumor consistency. Results : Statistical analysis revealed significant correlation between tumor consistency and ADC ratio (r = -0.586, p = 0.002), SI ratios on T2-weighted images (r = -0.497, p = 0.010), and observed SIs on T2-weighted images (r = -0.461, p = 0.018). The relative ratio of ADC value correlated with tumor consistency most strongly. Conclusion : The measured ratio of ADC, SI ratio and observed SI grade on T2-weighted images can provide valuable information about the consistency of brain tumor.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.305-311
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• 2013

This study involves an experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI) to delineate brain activation for execution functional performance. Participates to this experiment of the normal adult (man 4, woman 6) of 10 people, is not inserts the metal all closed phobia and 24.5 year-old average ages which the operating surgeon experience which are not they were. The subject for a functional MRI experiment word -color test prosecuting attorney subject rightly at magnetic pole presentation time of 30 first editions and after presenting, uses SPM 99 programs and the image realignment, after executing a standardization (nomalization), a difference which the signal burglar considers the timely order as lattice does, pixel each image will count there probably is, in order to examine rest and active crossroad dividing independence sample t-test (p<.05). Overlapped in this standard anatomic image and got a brain activation image from level of significance 95%. With functional MRI resultant execution function inside being relation, the prefrontal lobe, anterior cingulate gyrus, parietal lobe, orbitofrontal gyrus, temporal lobe, parietal lobe was activated. The execution function promotes a recovery major role from occupational therapy, understanding about the damage mechanism is important. When confirms the brain active area which accomplishes an execution function brain plasticity develops the cognitive therapeutic method which is effective increases usefully very, will be used.