• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1144-1149
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• 2020

The magnetic valve of the breast tissue expander generates imaging artifacts during MRI examination, so MRI examination is limited. To evaluate the effect of imaging artifacts on the diagnosis area for patients with breast tissue expander who need MRI examination. Imaging artifacts were measured using self-made phantoms and actual clinical conditions. Imaging artifacts were measured differently depending on the environment of 1.5 Tesla and 3.0 Tesla, and the effects of imaging artifacts were less in the C-spine and L-spine tests. If MRI due to breast cancer metastasis is absolutely necessary, head & neck examination and L-spine can be examined mainly at 1.5 Tesla, but some sequences may cause distortion due to image artifacts. In terms of safety, MRI scans of patients with breast tissue expanders can be performed conditionally at 1.5T, avoiding 3.0T.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of automatic exposure control (AEC) control factors in digital radiography systems based on the fine contrast images using coin phantoms. The AEC control factors were targeted at the range of dominent zone, sensitivity, and density. The dominent zone was divided into cases where a single coin was used to cover the field configuration, and cases where seven coins were used to cover the field configuration. The sensitivity was classified into three stages (200, 400, 800) and the density was classified into three stages (2.5, 0, 2.5). Image quality was evaluated by signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast to noise ratio (CNR). Then, the automatically exposed tube current was measured. As a result, the X-ray image of seven coins obtained a result value of about 1.2 times higher for SNR and 1.9 times higher for CNR than the X-ray image for one coin. The tube current was also about 1.6 times higher. In conclusion, In AEC, the higher the field configuration and dominent zone are matched and the higher the density, the lower the sensitivity, which increases the tube current and CNR, which increases the image quality. Therefore, it is judged that the appropriate setting of the range of dominent zone, sensitivity, and density of the control, which is the AEC control factor, could improve the fine contrast of images.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.343-350
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• 2021

3D printing technology is an additive manufacturing technology produced through 3D scanning or modeling method. This technology can be produced in a short time without mold, which has recently been applied in earnest in various fields. In the medical field, 3D printing technology is used in various fields of radiology and radiation therapy, but related research is insufficient in the field of nuclear medicine. In this study, we compare the characteristics of traditional nuclear medicine phantom with 3D printing technology and evaluate its applicability in clinical trials. We manufactured the same size phantom of poly methyl meta acrylate(PMMA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) based on the aluminum step wedge. We used BrightView XCT(Philips Health Care, Cleveland, USA) SPECT/CT. We acquired 60 min list mode for Aluminum, PMMA and ABS phantoms using Rectangular Flood Phantom (Biodex, New York, USA) ^99mTcO₄ 3 mCi(111 MBq), 6 mCi (222MBq) and ⁵⁷Co Flood phantom(adq, New Hampshire, USA). For the analysis of acquired images, the region of interest(ROI) were drawn and evaluated step by step for each phantom. Depending on the type of radioisotope and radiation dose, the counts of the ABS phantom was similar to that of the PMMA phantom. And as the step thickness increased, the counts decreased linearly. When comparing the linear attenuation coefficient of Aluminum, PMMA and ABS phantom, the linear attenuation coefficient of the aluminium phantom was higher than that of the others, and the PMMA and ABS phantom had similar the linear attenuation coefficient. Based on ABS phantom manufactured by 3D printing technology, as the thickness of the PMMA phantom increased, the counts and linear attenuation coefficient decreased linearly. It has been confirmed that ABS phantom is applicable in the clinical field of nuclear medicine. If the calibration factor is applied through further research, it is believed that practical application will be possible.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.413-419
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• 2021

Purpose: The aim of this in vitro study was to assess the role of bandwidth on the area of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) artifacts caused by orthodontic appliances composed of different alloys, using different pulse sequences in 1.5 T and 3.0 T magnetic fields. Materials and Methods: Different phantoms containing orthodontic brackets (ceramic, ceramic bracket with a stainless-steel slot, and stainless steel) were immersed in agar gel and imaged in 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI scanners. Pairs of gradient-echo (GE), spin-echo (SE), and ultrashort echo time (UTE) pulse sequences were used differing in bandwidth only. The area of artifacts from orthodontic devices was automatically estimated from pixel value thresholds within a region of interest (ROI). Mean values for similar pulse sequences differing in bandwidth were compared at 1.5 T and 3.0 T using analysis of variance. Results: The comparison of groups revealed a significant inverse association between bandwidth values and artifact areas of the stainless-steel bracket and the self-ligating ceramic bracket with a stainless-steel slot(P<0.05). The areas of artifacts from the ceramic bracket were the smallest, but were not reduced significantly in pulse sequences with higher bandwidth values(P<0.05). Significant differences were also observed between 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI using SE and UTE, but not using GE 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional pulse sequences. Conclusion: Higher receiver bandwidth might be indicated to prevent artifacts from orthodontic appliances in 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI using SE and UTE pulse sequences.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.331-339
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to evaluate maternal organ and fetal doses by week of pregnancy for pregnant women nuclear medicine practitioners in the nuclear medicine field. In addition, we intend to present basic data for the management of exposure doses of female nuclear medicine practitioners. In this study, phantoms of childbearing women, 3, 6, 9 months pregnant women were simulated using MCNPX(Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended) among the Monte Carlo methods. First, volume source was constructed based on 10 cm of the anterior part of the lower abdomen of the phantom, and the organ and fetal doses were evaluated for each week of the pregnant woman according to the type of radioactive isotope. Second, the organ and fetal dose of pregnant women were evaluated by increasing the distance between the source and the abdominal surface by 50 and 100 cm. As a result, ¹⁸F sources showed high organ and fetal doses in pregnant women 0 to 3 months, and the dose distribution gradually decreased in 6 to 9 months pregnant women. The distribution of organ and fetal doses for ⁹⁹mTc and ¹²³I sources showed the same tendency as that of ¹⁸F, and the overall absorbed dose distribution was relatively lower than that of ¹⁸F. Through this study, it is considered that workers in the early stages of pregnancy within 3 months will need appropriate management to minimize occupational exposure dose.

• Journal of English Language & Literature
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.1143-1165
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• 2012

Tinted with ontological concern, Ted Hughes passes through an existential climate, eventually confirms death( or nothingness) as the new foundation of his poetry, and explores the various paradoxical effects of nothingness. Nihilism, fraught with rather negative and traumatic themes such as death, melancholy, and despair can, however, generate being (even in multiple modes), animalistic vitality, and insubstantial specters. Among these new functions of nothingness animality and spectrality are the most notable in Hughes's poetry. A considerable number of animals and bioorganisms that Hughes introduces exhibit the enormous energy derived from the dignity of death, from subversive challenges against the established hierarchy, and from new and dynamic multifaceted sources of nothingness. In other words, Hughes's animals, yield surplus power beyond themselves, as if they are demi-gods; in short, they feature the sublime as unidentified terrifying effects of nothingness. In a sense, animality means allowing some level of violence without legal sanction. Hughes inaugurates this kind of all bigotry-eradicating violence and attempts to subvert higher beings such as humans and gods, and existing doctrines: thrushes rise up against the animal and human worlds; a rush of ghostly crabs at night press through the human world. Hughes also resists the highest being, God, employing the technique of rewriting God's theology. Dirty, anomalous crows attack, subvert, and dismember the delicate, indurate, and thorough system of logos. Hughes, of course, does not place the animals merely in lofty regard, aware of the ulterior deprivation of the sublime animality, the trace of existential negativity. Thus, a seemingly omnipotent crow can become a mere beggar guzzling ice cream from the garbage bin on the beach. In addition, the violent and dignified aspects of nothingness can be transformed to reveal the thin and trivial traits as unreliable specters. Dark, heavy, and terrible nullity lessens its own volume and mass, and exposes the airy waves of shadows or specters. However, owing to nullity's untraceable track, the scarcity and unfamiliarity of the phantoms inversely display their foreign gigantic effects such as fantasy and violence.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.345-353
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• 2023

Purpose: The objective of this study was to propose a method for developing a clinical phantom to reproduce various diseases that are clinically prevalent in the field of dentistry. This could facilitate diverse clinical research without unnecessarily exposing patients to radiation. Materials and Methods: This study utilized a single dry skull, which was visually and radiographically examined to evaluate its condition. Existing lesions on the dry skull were preserved, and other relevant lesions were artificially created as necessary. These lesions were then documented using intraoral radiography and cone-beam computed tomography. Once all pre-existing and reproduced lesions were confirmed by the consensus of 2 oral and maxillofacial radiologists, the skull was embedded in a soft tissue substitute. To validate the process, cone-beam computed tomography scans and panoramic radiographs were obtained of the fabricated phantom. All acquired images were subsequently evaluated. Results: Most lesions could be identified on panoramic radiographs, although some sialoliths and cracked teeth were confirmed only through cone-beam computed tomographic images. A small gap was observed between the epoxy resin and the bone structures. However, 2 oral and maxillofacial radiologists agreed that this space did not meaningfully impact the interpretation process. Conclusion: The newly developed phantom has potential for use as a standardized phantom within the dental field. It may be utilized for a variety of imaging studies, not only for optimization purposes, but also for addressing other experimental issues related to both 2- and 3-dimensional diagnostic radiography.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.131-143
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• 2023

Background: This study examined the detection limit of thyroid screening monitoring conducted at the time of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in 2011 using a Monte Carlo simulation. Materials and Methods: We calculated the detection limit of a NaI(Tl) survey meter to measure ¹³¹I accumulation in the thyroid gland of children. Mathematical phantoms of 1- and 5-year-old children were developed in the simulation of the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code System code. Contamination of the body surface with eight radionuclides found after the FDNPP accident was assumed to have been deposited on the neck and shoulder area. Results and Discussion: The detection limit was calculated as a function of ambient dose rate. In the case of 40 Bq/cm² contamination on the body surface of the neck, the present simulations showed that residual thyroid radioactivity corresponding to thyroid dose of 100 mSv can be detected within 21 days after intake at the ambient dose rate of 0.2 µSv/hr and within 11 days in the case of 2.0 µSv/hr. When a time constant of 10 seconds was used at the dose rate of 0.2 µSv/hr, the estimated survey meter output error was 5%. Evaluation of the effect of individual differences in the location of the thyroid gland confirmed that the measured value would decrease by approximately 6% for a height difference of ±1 cm and increase by approximately 65% for a depth of 1 cm. Conclusion: In the event of a nuclear disaster, simple measurements carried out using a NaI(Tl) scintillation survey meter remain effective for assessing ¹³¹I intake. However, it should be noted that the presence of short-half-life radioactive materials on the body surface affects the detection limit.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.39-48
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• 2024

In this study, we optimized the FNLM algorithm through a simulation study and applied it to a phantom scanned by low-dose CT to evaluate whether the FNLM algorithm can be used to obtain improved image quality images. We optimized the FNLM algorithm with MASH phantom and FASH phantom, which the algorithm was applied with MATLAB, increasing the smoothing factor from 0.01 to 0.05 with increments of 0.001 and measuring COV, RMSE, and PSNR values of the phantoms. For both phantom, COV and RMSE decreased, and PSNR increased as the smoothing factor increased. Based on the above results, we optimized a smoothing factor value of 0.043 for the FNLM algorithm. Then we applied the optimized FNLM algorithm to low dose lung CT and lung CT under normal conditions. In both images, the COV decreased by 55.33 times and 5.08 times respectively, and we confirmed that the quality of the image of low dose CT applying the optimized FNLM algorithm was 5.08 times better than the image of lung CT under normal conditions. In conclusion, we found that the smoothing factor of 0.043 among the factors of the FNLM algorithm showed the best results and validated the performance by reducing the noise in the low-quality CT images due to low dose with the optimized FNLM algorithm.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.80-86
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• 2008

Breast ultrasound has many advantages over mammography but suffers from a shortcoming of being not suitable in detecting microcalcification. We studied on a method based on acoustic resonance and power Doppler to detect calcification of breast tissue using a typical 7.5 MHz linear probe used in breast ultrasound examination. We first constructed a breast tissue phantom made of gelatin and then observed calcified legions as external vibrations varied. Calcification injected to the breast tissue phantom being resonated different from the surrounding medium, and its acoustic resonance driven by external vibrations was visualized by differences for color brightness and area in ROI of power doppler. In low frequency regions, the acoustic resonance almost not appeared and showed a plateau in $300{\sim}600\;Hz$ and the color vanished as the frequency further increased.