• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.421-430
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• 2004

Clinically, it is almost impossible for a physician to distinguish subtle changes of frequency spectrum by using a stethoscope alone especially in the early stage of thrombus formation. Considering that reliability of mechanical valve is paramount because the failure might end up with patient death, early detection of valve thrombus using noninvasive technique is important. Thus the study was designed to provide a tool for early noninvasive detection of valve thrombus by observing shift of frequency spectrum of acoustic signals with computer aid diagnosis system. A thrombus model was constructed on commercialized mechanical valves using polyurethane or silicon. Polyurethane coating was made on the valve surface, and silicon coating on the sewing ring of the valve. To simulate pannus formation, which is fibrous tissue overgrowth obstructing the valve orifice, the degree of silicone coating on the sewing ring varied from 20％, 40％, 60％ of orifice obstruction. In experiment system, acoustic signals from the valve were measured using microphone and amplifier. The microphone was attached to a coupler to remove environmental noise. Acoustic signals were sampled by an AID converter, frequency spectrum was obtained by the algorithm of spectral analysis. To quantitatively distinguish the frequency peak of the normal valve from that of the thrombosed valves, analysis using a neural network was employed. A return map was applied to evaluate continuous monitoring of valve motion cycle. The in-vivo data also obtained from animals with mechanical valves in circulatory devices as well as patients with mechanical valve replacement for 1 year or longer before. Each spectrum wave showed a primary and secondary peak. The secondary peak showed changes according to the thrombus model. In the mock as well as the animal study, both spectral analysis and 3-layer neural network could differentiate the normal valves from thrombosed valves. In the human study, one of 10 patients showed shift of frequency spectrum, however the presence of valve thrombus was yet to be determined. Conclusively, acoustic signal measurement can be of suggestive as a noninvasive diagnostic tool in early detection of mechanical valve thrombosis.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.109-120
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• 2023

The High-Frequency Radar (HFR) is an equipment designed to measure real-time surface ocean currents in broad maritime areas.It emits radio waves at a specific frequency (HF) towards the sea surface and analyzes the backscattered waves to measure surface current vectors (Crombie, 1955; Barrick, 1972).The Seasonde HF Radar from Codar, utilized in this study, determines the speed and location of radial currents by analyzing the Bragg peak intensity of transmitted and received waves from an omnidirectional antenna and employing the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm. The generated currents are initially considered ideal patterns without taking into account the characteristics of the observed electromagnetic wave propagation environment. To correct this, Antenna Pattern Measurement (APM) is performed, measuring the strength of signals at various positions received by the antenna and calculating the corrected measured vector to radial currents.The APM principle involves modifying the position and phase information of the currents based on the measured signal strength at each location. Typically, experiments are conducted by installing an antenna on a ship (Kim et al., 2022). However, using a ship introduces various environmental constraints, such as weather conditions and maritime situations. To reduce dependence on maritime conditions and enhance economic efficiency, this study explores the possibility of using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for APM. The research conducted APM experiments using a high-frequency radar installed at Dangsa Lighthouse in Dangsa-ri, Wando County, Jeollanam-do. The study compared and analyzed the results of APM experiments using ships and drones, utilizing the calculated radial currents and surface current fields obtained from each experiment.