• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.66-72
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the importance of the image distortion correction in the cross sectional area measurement for the iliopsas muscle, tensor fasciae latae muscle, gluteus maximus muscle and the knee extensor muscles, by using (magnetic resonance imaging) MRI. Methods: This study was performed using an open 0.32T MRI system. To estimate the image distortion, T1 images for an AAPM homogeneity/linearity phantom were acquired, and the region in which the maximum geometric distortion was less than or equal to the pixel size (1.6 mm) of the images, it was defined as the distortion correction-free region. The T2 images for a human subject's pelvis and thigh in normal positions were obtained. Then, after the regions of interest in the pelvis and thigh were moved into the distortion correction-free region, T2 images for the pelvis and thigh were scanned with the same imaging parameters used in the previous T2 imaging. The cross-sectional areas were measured in the two T2 images that were obtained in the normal position, and the distortion correction-free region, as well as the area error caused by geometric image distortion was calculated. Results: The geometrical distortion is gradually increased, from the magnet center to the outer region, in axial and coronal plane. The cross-sectional area error of gluteus maximus muscle and the knee extensors was as high as 9.27% and 3.16% in before and after distortion correction, respectively. Conclusion: The cross-sectional area of the muscles that suffered from the geometrical distortion is necessary to correct for the estimation of the intervention.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.385-392
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• 2001

This study Proposes a quadrature-typed inside-out receiver coil to obtain magnetic resonance(MR) images of lumen wall. This means that the coil should receive the signals from out-side of receiver coil. This coil has wide and uniform sensitive region to compare with previous coils such as anti-solenoid coil, octal-pole coil and so on. These coils have the disadvantages that sensitive region is narrow and inhomogenous. The proposed coil is consist of two saddle coils of which directions are orthogonal to one another. The sensitivity maps of octal-Pole coil single-saddle coil and quadrature-typed inside-out coil were obtained by computer simulation. And phantom images for each coil were obtained to evaluate the performances of the coil using both 1.5T superconducting and 0.3 Permanent magnet MRI system. The uniformity of quadrature coil's sensitivity map was superior to that of octal-polel coil. Experimentally measured SNR of quadrature coil is also 36% higher than that of single-saddle coil This study shows the possibility of quadrature-typed inside-out receiver coil for the MR lumen wall images.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2008

Purpose : By using the micro-imaging unit modified from NMR spectrometer, the high resolution MRI protocols of finer than 100 micron in 5 minutes, is sought for mouse, which plays a central role in animal studies Materials and Methods : C57BL/6 mouse, lighter than 50 gram, is used for the experiments. The superconducting magnet is vertical type with 89 mm inner diameter at 4.9 Tesla. The diameter of rf-coil is 30 mm. Mostly used techniques are the fast spin echo and the gradient echo pulse sequence. Results : For 2D images, proton density and T2 weighted images are obtained and their optimum experimental variables were sought. Minute structure of mouse brain can be recognized and 3D brain image is also obtained additionally. 3D image will be useful particularly for the dynamic contrast study using various contrast agents. Conclusion : Like the case of human and other small animals, the high resolution of mouse brain is enough to recognize the minute structure of it. Recently, similar studies are reported domestically, but it seems only a beginning stage. Due to easiness of breeding/control, mouse MRI study will soon play a vital part in brain study.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.54-57
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• 2018

Burner or stinger syndrome is a rare sports injury caused by direct or indirect trauma during high-speed or contact sports mainly in young athletes. It affects peripheral nerves, plexus trunks or spinal nerve roots, causing paralysis, paresthesia and pain. We report the case of a 57-year-old male athlete suffering from burner syndrome related to a lumbar nerve root. He presented with prolonged pain and partial paralysis of the right leg after a skewed landing during the long jump. He was initially misdiagnosed since the first magnet resonance imaging was normal whereas electromyography showed denervation. The insurance company refused to pay damage claims. Partial recovery was achieved by pain medication and physiotherapy. Burner syndrome is an injury of physically active individuals of any age and may appear in the cervical and lumbar area. MRI may be normal due to the lack of complete nerve transection, but electromyography typically shows pathologic results.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1996 no.11
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• pp.129-134
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• 1996

1차 년도 G-7 개발 과제로 수행된 자기 공명 진단 장치 (Magnetic Resonance Imaging System)의 개발 내용을 간략히 소개하였다. 성공적인 IT Compact 자기 공명 진단 장치의 완성을 위해 일차적으로 (1)RF (고주파), Gradient(경사 자계), Spectrometer 등의 Hard-ware 관련 MRI 핵심부분, (2) RF, Gradient, Spectrometer, Magnet 등의 각 Sub-system을 연결, 조합, 조정하여 하나의 체계적인 시스템으로 통합하고 운영하는 과정(System Integration), (3)사용자와 시스템을 연결하는 User Interface, Data Base Management, Real time 운영 SW 등과 (4)임상에 적용하여 구체적인 성능과 효용성을 확인하는 기술 등에 대하여 집중 연구하였다. 개발 방법은 (1)지난 16년간 국내에 축적 된 연구 개발 인력들을 최대한 활용하고 (2)연구 개발을 국제화 시켜 필요한 경우 부분별로 개발 인력을 해외에서 보완하고 (3)소수 정예 전문 인력 주의와 요소 기술 또는 중요 부품을 경쟁성 검토 후 필요 시 Out-sourcing 활용으로 최저의 비용으로 개발 기간을 최소화 하는 데 두었다. 개발된 1.0Tesla자기 공명 영상 장치는 미국 물리 학회에서 규격화한 Phantom및 임상 적용을 통하여 서울대 의대 연구 팀과 지속적으로 성능을 평가해 왔다. 개발된 시스템의 해상도는 $256{\times}256$ head 영상에서 1mm 이 하의 해상도를 가짐을 resolution phantom 을 통하여 확인할 수 있었고, $512{\times}512$ 영상에서 는 약 0.5 mm 의 물체를 분리 해냄으로써 외제 시스템들 보다 우수하게 평가 되었다. 차폐 경사코일의 Eddy current영향은2%이내로 촬영 시 영향은 거의 무시할 수 있었다. 또한, 개발된 영상 기법들, 즉 Multislice/Multi Echo, Oblique angle imaging, 64 Echo train을 갖는 고속 촬영 기술들이 자기 공명 장치에 장착되어 임상 적용에 문제가 없도록 하였다. 또한 20mT/m/Amp의 강력한 능동 차폐 경사 자계 코일(Active Shield Gradient Coil)을 기본 사양으로 하고, 수신단을 최대 6개로 확장토록 하여 2차년도의 초고속 촬영 기법(EPI) 및 Phased Array 코일 촬영이 가능토록 하였다. 1차 년도 개발 과제 수행 결과와 향후 개발 과제를 바탕으로 최종 목표인 국제 경쟁력이 있는 자기 공명 진단 장치 즉 기능과 영상의 질은 선진국 제품과 동일하거나 우수하되, 저가격을 구현한 상용화 제품이 완성되어, 첨단 의료기기로서 산업 구조 고도화에 기여하고 수입대체 뿐만 아니 라 수출을 통한 국익 창출과 국가의 기술을 통한 위상 제고에 기여되길 기대한다.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.65-70
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• 2018

The objective of this study was to describe a radiofrequency (RF) coil design for in vivo sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for use in small animals. Accumulating evidence has indicated the importance and potential of sodium imaging with improved magnet strength (> 7T), faster gradient, better hardware, multi-nucleus imaging methods, and optimal coil design for patient and animal studies. Thus, we developed a saddle-shaped sodium volume coil with a diameter/length of 30/30 mm. To evaluate the efficiency of this coil, bench-level measurement was performed. Unloaded Q value, loaded Q value, and ratio of these two values were estimated to be 352.8, 211.18, and 1.67, respectively. Thereafter, in vivo acquisition of sodium images was performed using normal mice (12 weeks old; n = 5) with a two-dimensional gradient echo sequence and minimized echo time to increase spatial resolution of images. Sodium signal-to-noise ratio in mouse kidneys (renal cortex, medulla, and pelvis) was measured. We successfully acquired sodium MR images of the mouse kidney with high spatial resolution (approximately 0.625 mm) through a combination of sodium-proton coils.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2011

We report on the progress that has been made in developing $MgB_2$ superconducting wires and tapes for commercialization and research efforts. A number of techniques have been developed to overcome the obstacle posed by the poor critical current density ($J_c$) of pristine $MgB_2$. Chemical doping has proved to be the effective way to modify and enhance the superconducting properties, such as the $J_c$ and the irreversibility field ($B_{irr}$). More than 100 different types of dopants have been investigated over the past 8 years. Among these, the most effective dopants have been identified to be SiC and malic acid ($C_4H_6O_5$). The best results, viz. a $B_{irr}$ of 22 T and $J_c$ of $30,000\;A{\cdot}cm^{-2}$ at 4.2 K and 10 T, were reported for malic acid doped $MgB_2$ wires, which matched the benchmark performance of commercial low temperature superconductor wires. In this work, we discuss the progress made in $MgB_2$ conductors over the past few years at the University of Wollongong, Hyper Tech Research, Inc., and Ohio State University.

• Progress in Superconductivity
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 2006

Coated conductors suitable for the fabrication of persistent mode high $T_c$ magnets are suggested and the fabrication method of persistent mode magnets using coated conductor are demonstrated. Persistent current was observed in a small piece of coated conductor. Closed loop of coated conductor with a diameter of around 1 em was successfully prepared and was cooled with a magnetic field of about 500 Gauss in order to induce supercurrent. Coated conductor with a $I_c$ of 100 A/cm-width was used for the preparation of closed loop of coated conductor. Persistent current was confirmed by measuring the magnetic field generated from closed loop of coated conductor by using Gauss meter. Magnetic field of 4.4 Gauss was detected from the supercurrent of closed loop of coated conductor. It shows that superconducting joint of coated conductor is not a prerequisite for the construction of persistent mode magnets. It is thought that this work opens the possibility to use coated conductor for the construction of persistent mode high $T_c$ magnets for MRI, NMR and magnetic separation applications.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.228-234
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• 2020

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. SPIONs are used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as contrast agents and targeted delivery in nanomedicine using external magnet sources. SPIONs act as an artificial peroxidase (i.e., nanozyme), and these reactions were highly stable in various pH conditions and temperatures. In this study, we report a nanozyme ability of the clustered SPIONs (CSPIONs) synthesized by the oil-in-water (O/W) method and coated with biocompatible poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). We hypothesize that the CSPIONs can have high sensitivity toward H2O2 derived from the reaction between a fixed amount of glucose and glucose oxidase (GOX). As a result, CSPIONs oxidized a 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) commonly used as a substrate for hydrogen peroxidase in the presence of H2O2, leading to a change in the color of the substrate. We also utilized a colorimetric assay at 417 nm using various glucose concentrations from 5 mM to 1.25 μM to validate β-D-glucose detection. This study demonstrated that the absorbance value increases along with increasing the glucose level. The results were highly repeated at concentrations below 5 mM (all standard deviations < 0.03). Moreover, the sensitivity and limit of detection were 1.50 and 5.44 μM, respectively, in which CSPIONs are more responsive to glucose than SPIONs. In conclusion, this study suggests that CSPIONs have the potential to be used for glucose detection in diabetic patients using a physiological fluid such as ocular, saliva, and urine.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 1996.06c
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• pp.314-324
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• 1996

A high speed NMR quality evaluation sensor was designed , constructed and tested . The device consists of an NMR spectrometer coupled to a conveyor system. The conveyor was run at speeds ranging from 0 to 250 mm/s. Spectral of avocado fruits and one-dimensional magnetic resonance images of pickled olives were acquired while the samples were moving on a conveyor belt mounted through a 20Tesla NMR magnet with a 20 mm diameter surface coil and a 150 mm diameter imaging coil respectively. Fro a magnetic resonance spectrum analysis, motion through variations in the magnetic field tends to narrow spectral line width just like using sample rotation in high resolution NMR to narrow spectral line width. Spectrum analysis was used to detect the dry weight of avocado fruits using the ratio oil and water resonance peaks. Good correlations maximum r=0.970@ 50 mm/s and minimum r=0.894@250mm/s ) between oil and water resonance peak ratio and dry weight of avocados were observed at speeds ra ging from0 to 250mm/s. For the application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method, the projections were used to distinguish between pitted and non-pitted olives . Effect of fruit position in the coil was tested and coil degree effects were noticed when projects were generated under dynamic conditions. Various belt speeds (up to 250mm/s) were tested and detection results were compared to static measurements. Higher classification errors were occurred at dynamic conditions compared to errors while olives were at rest.