• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.102-112
• /
• 2008

We developed a high-resolution micro-CT system based on rotational gantry and flat-panel detector for live mouse imaging. This system is composed primarily of an x-ray source with micro-focal spot size, a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) flat panel detector coupled with Csl (TI) (thallium-doped cesium iodide) scintillator, a linearly moving couch, a rotational gantry coupled with positioning encoder, and a parallel processing system for image data. This system was designed to be of the gantry-rotation type which has several advantages in obtaining CT images of live mice, namely, the relative ease of minimizing the motion artifact of the mice and the capability of administering respiratory anesthesia during scanning. We evaluated the spatial resolution, image contrast, and uniformity of the CT system using CT phantoms. As the results, the spatial resolution of the system was approximately the 11.3 cycles/mm at 10% of the MTF curve, and the radiation dose to the mice was 81.5 mGy. The minimal resolving contrast was found to be less than 46 CT numbers on low-contrast phantom imaging test. We found that the image non-uniformity was approximately 70 CT numbers at a voxel size of ${\sim}55{\times}55{\times}X100\;{\mu}^3$. We present the image test results of the skull and lung, and body of the live mice.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.28 no.3
• /
• pp.329-336
• /
• 2006

Iron manufacturing process involves production of various by-product including slag, sludge, sintering and EAF(Electric Arc furnace dust). Some of the by-products such as EAF and sintering dust are disposed of as waste due to their high heavy metal contents. It has been notice for many years that the EAF dust also contain about 65% of Fe(0) and Fe(II) and then the possible utilization of the iron. One possibility is to apply the EAF as a lining material in conjunction with clay or HDPE liners, in waste landfill. The probable reaction between the leachate containing toxic elements such as TCE, PCE dioxine and $Cr^{6+}$ is reduction of the toxic materials in corresponding to the oxidation of the reduced iron and therefore diminishing the toxicity of the leachate. It is, however, prerequisite to evaluate the leaching characteristics of the EAF dust before application. Amelioration of the leachate would be archived only when the level of toxic elements in the treated leachate is less than that of in the untreated leachate. Several leaching techniques were selected to cover different conditions and variable environments including time, pH and contact method. The testing methods include availability test, pH-stat test and continuous column test. Cr and Zn are potentially leachable elements among the trace metals. The pH of the EAF dust is highly alkaline, recording around 12 and Zn is unlikely to be leached under the condition. On the contrary Cr is more leachable under alkaline environment. However, the released Cr should be reduced to $Cr^{3+}$ and then removed as $Cr(OH)_3$. Removal of the Cr is observed in the column test and further study on the specific reaction of Cr and EAF dust is underway.

• Clean Technology
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.42-50
• /
• 2014

In this study, the $Mg(OH)_2$ slurry was made form ferro-nickel slag and then used for $CO_2$ sequestration. The experiments were in the order as leaching step, precipitation, carbonation experiments. According to the leaching results, the optimal leaching conditions were $H_2SO_4$ concentration of 1 M and the temperature of 333 K. In the $Mg(OH)_2$ manufacturing step, NaOH was added to increase the pH upto 8, the first precipitation was confirmed as $Fe_2O_3$. After removal the first precipitation, the pH was upto 11, the $Mg(OH)_2$ was generated by XRD analysis. The $Mg(OH)_2$ slurry was used for $CO_2$ sequestration. The pseudo-second-order carbonation model was used to apply for $CO_2$ sequestration. The $CO_2$ sequestration rate was increased by the $CO_2$ partial pressure and temperature. However, $CO_2$ sequestration rate was decreased when temperature upto 323 K. After $CO_2$ sequestrated by $Mg(OH)_2$, the $CO_2$ can be sequestrated stable as $MgCO_3$. This study also presented optimal sequestration condition was the pH upto 8.38, the maximum $MgCO_3$ can be generated. This study can be used as the basic material for $CO_2$ sequestration by ferro-nickel slag at pilot scale in the future.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.44 no.6
• /
• pp.658-665
• /
• 2012

A survey of zearalenone contamination was conducted on cereal-based products by using an immunoaffinity column with LC-MS/MS. The calibration curve showed good lineality, with correlation coefficients ($R^2$) of 0.999 in the concentration range from 1 to 250 ng/mL. The limits of detection and quantification were approximately $0.3{\mu}g/kg$ and $1.0{\mu}g/kg$, respectively. The recoveries in the barley tea, Misutgaru and snack ranged from 73.6-107.8%. Zearalenone was detected in 10 samples (11.2% incidence). The highest zearalenone contamination level was $29.7{\mu}g/kg$ in the Misutgaru. This survey was conducted with uncertainty of measurement. The expanded uncertainty for zearalenone was estimated to be $44.9{\pm}5.0{\mu}g/kg$ (k=2, 95% confidence level) and $128.7{\pm}7.9{\mu}g/kg$ (k=2, 95% confidence level) for barley tea, $30.7{\pm}5.8{\mu}g/kg$ (k=2, 95% confidence level) and $173.7{\pm}14.9{\mu}g/kg$ (k=2.26, 95% confidence level) for Misutgaru, and $37.2{\pm}7.4{\mu}g/kg$ (k=2.31, 95% confidence level) and $151.0{\pm}10.4{\mu}g/kg$ (k=2, 95% confidence level) snack at the level of $41.7{\mu}g/kg$ and $166.7{\mu}g/kg$, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.18 no.3
• /
• pp.187-201
• /
• 2024

Osteoporosis is a major health issue globally, often remaining undetected until a fracture occurs. To facilitate early detection, deep learning (DL) models were developed to classify osteoporosis using abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans. This study was conducted using retrospectively collected data from 3,012 contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scans. The DL models developed in this study were constructed for using image data, demographic/clinical information, and multi-modality data, respectively. Patients were categorized into the normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis groups based on their T-scores, obtained from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, into normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis groups. The models showed high accuracy and effectiveness, with the combined data model performing the best, achieving an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.94 and an accuracy of 0.80. The image-based model also performed well, while the demographic data model had lower accuracy and effectiveness. In addition, the DL model was interpreted by gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) to highlight clinically relevant features in the images, revealing the femoral neck as a common site for fractures. The study shows that DL can accurately identify osteoporosis stages from clinical data, indicating the potential of abdominal CT scans in early osteoporosis detection and reducing fracture risks with prompt treatment.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.279-288
• /
• 2014

To understand changes in composition and distribution of nutrients during early shoot growth of persimmon, organic compounds and inorganic elements of terminal shoots were analyzed for about 40 days from the time of foliation. Sample shoots were collected from mature 'Fuyu' trees for this three-year experiment and they were divided to stem, leaves, and the fruits including flower buds at the earliest stage. During shoot growth, concentration of soluble sugars increased in both leaves and fruits, but that of starch increased only in leaves. Those of amino acids tended to decrease in all the parts but there was no consistent change in proteins. As shoots grew, contents of all the organic compounds in a shoot increased, and they were especially higher in May leaves accounting for more than 60% of the shoot total for each nutrient. Along with shoot growth, concentrations of N and P gradually decreased in all three parts, while K decreased only in stem. However, those of Ca and Mg did not show notable changes in all the parts with wide variations depending on the year. Due to the quantitative increase in growth, contents of inorganic elements in a shoot increased in all the parts and the leaves accounted for 54-82% of the shoot total. At the cessation time of extension growth, a shoot contained 526-768 mg of soluble sugars, 245-844 mg of starch, 26-31 mg of amino acids, and 66-103 mg of proteins for three years. On the other hand, a shoot contained 203-388 mg of K, the greatest among the inorganic elements, followed by 132-159 mg of N. Changes of the nutrients in a shoot were much greater during the earlier stage of growth after foliation than during the later stage toward growth cessation, suggesting the importance of mobilizing reserve nutrients for the early growth of the shoots. The results of this study also suggested that the rate of nutrient changes, especially during the earlier stage of shoot growth, could be affected by environmental and cultural conditions.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.10-16
• /
• 2015

Bone changes are common sequela of irradiation in growing animal. The purpose of this study was to establish an experimental model of radiation-induced bone loss in growing mice using micro-computed tomography (${\mu}CT$). The extent of changes following 2 Gy gamma irradiation ($2Gy{\cdot}min^{-1}$) was studied at 4, 8 or 12 weeks after exposure. Mice that received 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 or 4.0 Gy of gamma-rays were examined 8 weeks after irradiation. Tibiae were analyzed using ${\mu}CT$. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and biomechanical properties were measured and the osteoclast surface was examined. A significant loss of trabecular bone in tibiae was evident 8 weeks after exposure. Measurements performed after irradiation showed a dose-related decrease in trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and bone mineral density (BMD), respectively. The best-fitting dose-response curves were linear-quadratic. Taking the controls into accounts, the lines of best fit were as follows: BV/TV (%) = $0.9584D^2-6.0168D+20.377$ ($r^2$ = 0.946, D = dose in Gy) and BMD ($mg{\cdot}cm^{-3}$) = $8.8115D^2-56.197D+194.41$ ($r^2$ = 0.999, D = dose in Gy). Body weight did not differ among the groups. No dose-dependent differences were apparent among the groups with regard to mechanical and anatomical properties of tibia, serum ALP and osteoclast activity. The findings provide the basis required for better understanding of the results that will be obtained in any further studies of radiation-induced bone responses.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.39 no.3
• /
• pp.164-168
• /
• 2017

This study experimentally determined the effect of calcium ion ($Ca^{2+}$) (0-0.55 mM) and intial pH (4.0-10.0) on phosphorus (P) removal in synthetic wastewater (2 mg P/L) using titanium tetrachloride ($TiCl_4$) (0.12-0.18 mM). At TiCl4 concentration ([$TiCl_4$]) = 0.12 mM, the P removal efficiency was the highest (95.1%) at pH 7 but the efficiency decreased to 51.4% at pH 8. The P removal efficiency was 55.6% at $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ([$Ca^{2+}$]) = 0 mM but the efficiency increased to 90.5% at [$Ca^{2+}$] = 0.045 mM at [$TiCl_4$] = 0.12 mM. On the other hand, the P removal efficiency difference was not large (96.5-99.5%) with [$Ca^{2+}$] at [$TiCl_4$] = 0.15-0.18 mM. Within the design boundaries of $0.00{\leq}[Ca^{2+}]{\leq}0.18mM$ and $7.0{\leq}initial$ $pH{\leq}9.0$ at [$TiCl_4$] = 0.12 mM, the 90% P removal efficiency could be achieved at $[Ca2+]{\geq}0.10mM$ with pH 8.0 and $[Ca2+]{\geq}0.12mM$ with pH 9.0.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics D
• /
• v.36D no.1
• /
• pp.29-37
• /
• 1999

In this study, we have prepared PLT thin films having various La concentrations by using sol-gel method and studied on the effect of La concentration on the electrical properties of PLT thin films. As the La concentration increases from 5mol% to 28mol%, the dielectric constant at 10kHz increases from 428 to 761, while the loss tangent decreases from 0.063 to 0.024. Also, the leakage current density at 150kV/cm has a tendency to decrease from 6.96${\mu}A/cm^2$ to 0.79${\mu}A/cm^2$. In the result of hysteresis loops of PLT thin films, the remanent polariation and the coercive field decrease from 9.55${\mu}C/cm^2$ to 1.10${\mu}C/cm^2$ and from 46.4kV/cm to 13.7kV/cm, respectively. With the result of the fatigue test on the PLT thin films, we have found that the fatigue properties are improved remarkably as the La concentration increases from 5 mol% to 28mol%. In particular, the PLT28) has paraelectric phase and its charge storage clensity and leakage current density at 5V are 134fC/${\mu}cm^2$ and 1.01${\mu}A/cm^2$, respectively. The remanent polarization and coercive field of the PLT(10) film are 6.96${\mu}C/cm^2$ and 40.2kV/cm, respectively. After applying of $10^9$ square pulses with ${\pm}5V$, the remanent polarilzation of the PLT(10) film decreases about 20% from the initial state. In the results, we conclude that the 10mol% and the 28mol% La doped PLT thin films are very suitable for the capacitor dielectrics of new generation of DRAM and NVFRAM respecitively.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.87-92
• /
• 2009

Purpose : Many gene polymorphisms are associated with coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease. Catechol-O- methyltransferase (COMT) plays an important role in the metabolism of catecholamines, catechol estrogen, and catechol drugs. Polymorphisms of the COMT gene are reported to be associated with myocardial infarction and coronary artery abnormalities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between COMT gene polymorphisms and coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease patients. Methods : One hundred and one Korean children with Kawasaki disease and 306 healthy Korean control subjects were enrolled in this study. The polymorphisms of the COMT gene were analyzed by direct sequencing. Results : There were no differences in the genotype and allelic frequency of the rs4680 and rs769224 polymorphic sites between Kawasaki disease and control subjects. Further, no significant difference was found in the rs4680 polymorphism between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P=0.32, dominant P=0.74, recessive P=0.13). However, the distribution of the rs769224 polymorphism was significantly different between patients with coronary artery abnormalities and patients without coronary artery abnormalities (codominant P= 0.0077, dominant P=0.0021, recessive P=0.16). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the polymorphisms of the rs769224 gene might be related to the development of coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease.