• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.626-636
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• 2021

Boron-neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a cancer treatment method that exploits the high neutron reactivity of boron. Monitoring the prompt gamma rays (PGs) produced during neutron irradiation is essential for ensuring the accuracy and safety of BNCT. We investigate the imaging of PGs produced by the boron-neutron capture reaction through Monte Carlo simulations of a gamma camera with a SrI₂ scintillator and parallel-hole collimator. GAGG scintillator is also used for a comparison. The simulations allow the shapes of the energy spectra, which exhibit a peak at 478 keV, to be determined along with the PG images from a boron-water phantom. It is found that increasing the size of the water phantom results in a greater number of image counts and lower contrast. Additionally, a higher septal penetration ratio results in poorer image quality, and a SrI₂ scintillator results in higher image contrast. Thus, we can simulate the BNCT process and obtain an energy spectrum with a reasonable shape, as well as suitable PG images. Both GAGG and SrI₂ crystals are suitable for PG imaging during BNCT. However, for higher imaging quality, SrI₂ and a collimator with a lower septal penetration ratio should be utilized.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.257-261
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• 2004

핀홀 감마카메라의 민감도를 향상시키기 위하여 픽셀화된 CsI(Tl) 섬광체와 위치민감형 광증배관을 이용하여 부호화 구경 감마카메라를 개발하였다. Rounded-hole로 이루어진 $13{\times}11$ 픽셀구조의 개조된 uniformly reductant array (URA) 가 계측기의 공간해상도를 고려하여 부호화된 마스크로 선택되었다. 부호화된 구경 카메라와 핀홀 카메라의 성능을 비교하기 위하여 Tc-99m 소스의 여러 가지 형태를 이용하여 테스트 하였으며, 신호 대 잡음비 또는 민감도의 향상에 대한 카메라의 성능을 분석하였다. 그 결과 공간해 상도에 있어서 약간의 저하가 있었으나 영상의 질은 매우 향상되었다. 비록 카메라의 개발과 테스트가 저에너지 영역에서 이루어졌지만, 부호화 구경 카메라의 구상은 방사성 물질 감시 그리고 다른 응용들에 있어서도 효과적으로 사용되어질 수 있을 것이다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권1호
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• pp.199-207
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• 2021

This paper deals with accurate image reconstruction of gamma camera using a coded-aperture mask based on pixel-type CsI(Tl) scintillator coupled with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) array. Coded-aperture imaging (CAI) system typically has a smaller effective viewing angle than Compton camera. Thus, if the position of the gamma source to be searched is out of the fully-coded field-of-view (FCFOV) region of the CAI system, artifacts can be generated when the image is reconstructed by using the conventional cross-correlation (CC) method. In this work, we propose an effective method for more accurate reconstruction in CAI considering the source distribution of partially-coded field-of-view (PCFOV) in the reconstruction in attempt to overcome this drawback. We employed an iterative algorithm based on compressed-sensing (CS) and compared the reconstruction quality with that of the CC algorithm. Both algorithms were implemented and performed a systematic Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate the possiblilty of the proposed method. The reconstructed image qualities were quantitatively evaluated in sense of the root mean square error (RMSE) and the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). Our simulation results indicate that the proposed method provides more accurate location information of the simulated gamma source than the CC-based method.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권6호
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• pp.1947-1954
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• 2021

In the nuclear medicine imaging, quality control (QC) process using quadrant bar phantom is fundamental aspect of evaluating the spatial resolution. In addition, QC process of gamma camera is performed by daily or weekly. Recently, Monte Carlo simulation using the Geant4 application for tomographic emission (GATE) is widely applied in the pre-clinical nuclear medicine field for modeling gamma cameras with pixelated cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor detector. In this study, we modeled a pixelated CdTe semiconductor detector and quadrant bar phantom (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mm bar thicknesses) using the GATE tool. Similarity analysis based on correlation coefficients and peak signal-to-noise ratios was performed to compare image qualities for various source to collimator distances (0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 cm) and collimator lengths (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 cm). To this end, we selected reference images based on collimator length and source to collimator distance settings. The results demonstrate that as the collimator length increases and the source to collimator distance decreases, the similarity to reference images improves. Therefore, our simulation results represent valuable information for the modeling of CdTe-based semiconductor gamma imaging systems and QC phantoms in the field of nuclear medicine.

• 제어로봇시스템학회논문지
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• 제13권8호
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• pp.798-803
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• 2007

In case of minimized digital camera and mobile digital camera, it's difficult to get the high quality image by conventional AE(Auto Exposure) algorithm because of restriction of system organization. In this paper, a new algorithm that adopts a target setting, a compensation of feedback delay and a gamma correction, etc, are suggested for improving a noise increase and an output sensitivity decrease due to system minimization. We also suggest a method using fuzzy logic which can decide more effectively the ES(Electric Shutter) value and the AGC(Analog Gain Control) value than conventional system.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.443-448
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• 1996

Sequential brain SPECT imaging has been used to assess the cerebral perfusion reserve(CPR) in cerebrovascular diseases(UD). We have realized parametric images of CPR using deadtime correction of gamma camera and normalized difference ratio. For the anatomical localization of CPR, the parametric images were registered to the contours of the cerebral regions using optimal threshold method, which showed to reflect the CPR more reliably and distinctively than the simple subtraction. We conclude that the quantitative estimation of CPR using normalized difference ratio image could be useflll for the diagnosis and prognostic assessment of CVD.

• 한국정보통신학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정보통신학회 2016년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.942-943
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• 2016

스테레오 감마선 탐지장치는 감마선을 신호를 측정하여 위치값을 통한 2차원의 감마선 영상을 생성 한후, 가시광영상과 중첩하여 실제 공간상의 감마선 분포를 나타낸다. 스테레오 감마선 탐지장치는 감마선 탐지센서를 포함하는 탐지부와 감마선 신호를 검출하는 신호측정부 그리고 탐지부의 위치를 제어하기 위한 모션제어부로 구성된다. 본 논문에서는 개별적으로 구성된 각각의 모듈을 효율적으로 운용하기 위한 시스템 운용 알고리즘을 개발하였고, 이를 통해 감마선 조사시험장에서 감마선에 대한 영상화 및 분포정보 출력을 확인하였다.

• 한국방사선학회논문지
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.511-515
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• 2020

본 연구의 목적은, 새롭게 제안된 Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (GAGG) 기반 감마카메라를 Geant 4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) 모사 도구(simulation tool)를 통해 설계하고, National Electrical Manufacturers Association International Electrotechnical Commission에서 제작한 몸통 팬텀 모사를 통해 기존의 사용되고 있는 NaI(Tl) 섬광체 기반 감마카메라 시스템과 99mTc 방사성동위원소를 이용해 900 초 동안 영상을 획득했다. Contrast to noise ratio (CNR) 과 Coefficient of variation (COV) 의 정량분석 방법을 사용해 해당 관심영역에 대해 영상을 평가하였다. CNR 과 COV 결과에 따라, 결과적으로 GAGG 기반 감마 영상의 질이 우수함을 확인하였다.

• 전기학회논문지
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• 제61권8호
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• pp.1172-1178
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• 2012

In this paper, the gamma ray irradiation test results of the CCD cameras are described. From the low dose-rate (2.11 Gy/h) to the high dose-rate (150 Gy/h) level, which is the same level when the hydrogen explosion was occurred in the 1~3 reactor unit of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the monitoring performance of the cameras owing to the speckles are evaluated. The numbers of speckles, generated by gamma ray irradiation, in the image of cameras are calculated by image processing technique. And the legibility of the sensor indicator (dosimeter) owing to the numbers of the speckles is presented.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.1266-1276
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• 2021

The mask parameters of a coded aperture are critical design features when optimizing the performance of a gamma-ray camera. In this paper, experiments and Monte Carlo simulations were performed to derive the minimum detectable activity (MDA) when one seeks a real-time imaging capability. First, the impact of the thickness of the modified uniformly redundant array (MURA) mask on the image quality is quantified, and the imaging of point, line, and surface radiation sources is demonstrated using both cross-correlation (CC) and maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) methods. Second, the minimum detectable activity is also derived for real-time imaging by altering the factors used in the image quality assessment, consisting of the peak-to-noise ratio (PSNR), the normalized mean square error (NMSE), the spatial resolution (full width at half maximum; FWHM), and the structural similarity (SSIM), all evaluated as a function of energy and mask thickness. Sufficiently sharp images were reconstructed when the mask thickness was approximately 2 cm for a source energy between 30 keV and 1.5 MeV and the minimum detectable activity for real-time imaging was 23.7 MBq at 1 m distance for a 1 s collection time.