• Title/Summary/Keyword: Regional Homogeneity

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Quantitative Analysis of Artifactual Perfusion Defects due to the Cutoff Frequencies of Reconstruction Filters in Tc-99m-MIBI Myocardial SPECT Images (Tc-99m-MIBI 심근 SPECT에서 재구성필터의 차단주파수에 의한 인위적 관류결손의 정량적 평가)

  • Kwark, Cheol-Eun;Chung, June-Key;Lee, Myung-Chul
    • Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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    • v.16 no.2
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    • pp.231-238
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    • 1995
  • Tc-99m-MIBI (Sestamibi) myocardial SPECT along with TI-201 tomographic Imaging has demonstrated wide application and high image quality sufficient for the diagnosis of myocardial perfusion defect, which consequently reflects regional myocardial blood flow. The qualitative values of myocardial SPECT with Tc-99m-MIBI as well ds the quantitative cases depend in some degree on the reconstruction techniques of multiple projections. Filtered backprojection (FBP) Is the common standard method for reconstruction rather than the complicated and time-consuming arithmetic methods. In FBP it is known that the distribution of radioactivity in reconstructed transverse slices varies with the selected litter parameters such as cutoff frequencies and order (Butterworth case) The cutoff frequencies used in clinicAl practice partially remove and decrease the true radioactive distribution and alter the pixel counts, which lead to underestimation of true counts in specific myocardial regions. In this study, we have investigated the effect of cutoff frequencies of reconstruction filter on the artifactually induced perfusion defects, which are often demonstrated near inferior and/or inferoseptal cardiac walls due to the intense hepatic uptake of Tc-99m-MIBI. A computerized method for Identifying the relative degree of artifactual perfusion defect and for comparing those degrees along with the relative amount of hepatic uptake to myocardium was developed and patient images were studied to observe the quantitative degree of underestimation of myocardial perfusion, and to propose some reasonable threshold of cutoff frequency in the diagnosis of perfusion defect quantitatively. We concluded that from the quantitative viewpoint cutoff frequencies may be used as high as possible with the sacrifice of homogeneity of image quality, and those frequencies lower than the common 0.3 Wyquist frequency would reveal severe degradation of radioactive distribution near inferior and/or inferoseptal myocardium when applying Butterworth or low pass filter.

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Perception of the Resident Conflict in Agricultural Joint Business Management (농촌마을 공동사업 운영상 야기되는 갈등에 대한 인식 연구)

  • Kim, Yong-Geun;Cho, Joong-Hyun;Shim, Jung-Sun
    • Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2008
  • The purpose of this study is to understand the conflicts that occurred in the rural village's joint management project. This study examined the perception of conflicts among people working in agricultural related fields. A questionnaire survey was given to collected data from people who participated in nation-wide resrvice training course programs. The content of the questionnaire consisted of the factors of conflict in a rural village and the details recognized by general farmers. The data was collected from October 15 to 23, 2007. 206 samples were used for final analysis from a total of 240 samples. Frequency analysis and T-test between variables were conducted by SPSS 14.0. The results suggest that farmers have a negative perception of the business partnership. Proposal for business partnerships should be avoided because of the conflicts between partners. Accordingly, as farmers don't recognize that their joint project is a business partnership, the likehood of a conflict in the agricultural joint business operation and management is contained. Conflicts mainly exist between a village leader and villagers. The main reasons for conflicts are a lack of interest and lack of communal homogeneity, and lack of methodology to share the benefit of business. It will be necessary to understand the aspects of future conflicts in order to manage joint projects ill agricultural experience villages.

Transnational Migration and Socio-Spatial Changes in S. Korea (초국적 이주와 한국의 사회공간적 변화)

  • Choi, Byung-Doo
    • Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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    • v.47 no.1
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    • pp.13-36
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    • 2012
  • This paper is to reconsider comprehensively and systematically major issues on transnational immigrants, increased rapidly since the beginning of the 1990s, and their impacts on socio-spatial changes in S. Korea. Foreign immigrants who have moved on the contexts of unevenness of globalization and advancces in transport & telecommunication technology on the global level and of economic development and shortage of cheap and unskilled workers have been distributed unevenly, concentrating on the Capital region and local areas with industrial complexes. Foreign workers seems to have some negative influences on regional economies in the long-term, though positive in the short-term. Domestic people seem to have an ambivalent attitude which accepts necessity of multi-culture, while simultaneously continues to be self-confident on ethnic homogeneity. The Korean government has launched multicultural policies for foreign immigrants by the mid-2000, but still continues some policies with assimilationism and differential exclusionism, marginalizing them socio-spatially, while lacking local government's policy and programmes. In conclusion, in order to resolve these problems and to transfer multicultural societal space of Korea, a geography of transnational migration which promotes especially discourse and policy with authentic multiculturalism, extending roles of local government, and ensuring glocal citizenships.

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Comparison of Dosimetrical and Radiobiological Parameters on Three VMAT Techniques for Left-Sided Breast Cancer

  • Kang, Seong-Hee;Chung, Jin-Beom;Kim, Kyung-Hyeon;Kang, Sang-Won;Eom, Keun-Yong;Song, Changhoon;Kim, In-Ah;Kim, Jae-Sung
    • Progress in Medical Physics
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    • v.30 no.1
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    • pp.7-13
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    • 2019
  • Purpose: To compare the dosimetrical and radiobiological parameters among various volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) techniques using restricted and continuous arc beams for left-sided breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Ten patients with left-sided breast cancer without regional nodes were retrospectively selected and prescribed the dose of 42.6 Gy in 16 fractions on the planning target volume (PTV). For each patient, three plans were generated using the $Eclipse^{TM}$ system (Varian Medical System, Palo Alto, CA) with one partial arc 1pVMAT, two partial arcs 2pVMAT, and two tangential arcs 2tVMAT. All plans were calculated through anisotropic analytic algorithm and photon optimizer with 6 MV photon beam of $VitalBEAM^{TM}$. The same dose objectives for each plan were used to achieve a fair comparison during optimization. Results: For PTV, dosimetrical parameters such as Homogeneity index, conformity index, and conformal number were superior in 2pVMAT than those in both techniques. $V_{95%}$, which indicates PTV coverage, was 91.86%, 96.60%, and 96.65% for 1pVMAT, 2pVMAT, and 2tVMAT, respectively. In most organs at risk (OARs), 2pVMAT significantly reduced the delivered doses compared with the other techniques, excluding the doses to contralateral lung. For the analysis of radiobiological parameters, a significant difference in normal tissue complication probability was observed in ipsilateral lung while no difference was observed in the other OARs. Conclusions: Our study showed that 2pVMAT had better plan quality and normal tissue sparing than 1pVMAT and 2tVMAT but not for all parameters. Therefore, 2pVMAT could be considered the priority choice for the treatment planning for left breast cancer.

Effectiveness and characteristics of technology transfer consortia in public R&D sector: The case of Korean TT consortia (공공연구부문에서의 기술이전컨소시엄의 효과와 특성 연구: 공공기술이전컨소시엄 사례를 중심으로)

  • Park, Jong-Bok;Ryu, Tae-Kyu
    • Journal of Korea Technology Innovation Society
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    • v.10 no.2
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    • pp.284-309
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    • 2007
  • Technology transfer (TT) consortium is an affiliation of two or more public research institutions (PRIs) that participate in a common technology transfer activity or pool their resources together, with the objective of facilitating technology transfer. Based on empirical analysis of five regional TT consortia (2002-2006) operating in Korea, this paper suggests their effectiveness by employing a TT performance index (TTPI) and identifies possible characteristics involved, such as motivations, facilitators, barriers, and challenges. TTPI devised in the paper is a new composite TT performance index to measure how much the TT performance of a PH changed in a designated year compared to a base year. All the performance indicators of TTPI are well-structured based on the unique TT process that is prevalent in Korea. Further, TTPI can bring different size and focus of PRIs to the same scale for comparison by double-normalizing. The paper tests the effectiveness of TT consortium for the escalation of TT performances in member PRIs by highlighting the differences of TTPI's between 2005 and 2001. As a result, the paper found that the escalation of TTPI for member PRIs was greater than that for non-member PRIs. As for the characteristics of TT consortia, their respective factors obtained by TT expert survey were computed with proportion tests of differences (Z tests) to compare two perspectives between intramural and extramural groups. One of key findings is that there is general homogeneity in stakeholder perspectives regarding motivations, facilitators, barriers, and challenges. Some notable responses are as follow; the most probable motivation to join TT consortium is to share or exchange TT competences for enhanced performance. Second, the most probable facilitator is professional capability of consortium-hired personnel. Third, the foremost probable barriers to effective TT consortium are frequent change of consortium director and passive participation of member PRIs. Lastly, both publicizing TT consortia and developing performance metrics are the most important for the improvement of TT consortia. The understanding of the characteristics of TT consortia increases the likelihood of accelerated success, because TT consortia path from formation to termination encompasses many concepts, processes, principles, and factors. Finally, an analysis of the survey data combined with expert interview and observation data led the authors to derive five conditions as being critical to viable TT consortia in Korea at early stage of technology transfer systems. These conditions include policy infrastructure, proactive participation, excellent professionals, personal motivation, and teaming mechanisms. It is expected that the Korean evidence is a starting point to develop and refine the theory of TT consortia and for additional studies in other countries.

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Artifactual Perfusion Defects due to the Parameters of Reconstruction Filter in Tc-99m-MIBI Myocardial SPECT Images (Tc-99m-MIBI 심근 SPECT 영상에서 재구성 필터에 의한 인위적 관류결손에 관한 연구)

  • Kwark, Cheol-Eun;Lee, Kyung-Han;Lee, Dong-Soo;Park, Yong-Woo;Chung, June-Key;Lee, Myung-Chul;Seo, Joung-Don;Koh, Chang-Soon
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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    • v.29 no.1
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    • pp.41-47
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    • 1995
  • Tc-99m-MIBI(Sestamibi) myocardial SPECT along with T1-201 tomographic imaging has demonstrated wide application and high image qualify sufficient for the diagnosis of myocardial perfusion defect, which consequently reflects regional myocardial blood flow, The qualitative values of myocardial SPECT with Tc-99m-MIBI as well as the quantitative cases depend in some degree on the reconstruction techniques of multiple projections. Filtered backprojection(FBP) is the common standard for reconstruction rather than the complicated and time-consuming arithmetic methods. In FBP it Is known that the distribution of radioactivity in reconstructed transverse slices varies with the selected filter parameters such as cutoff frequencies and order(Butterworth case). The cutoff frequencies basically remove and decrease the true radioactive distribution and alter the pixel counts, which lead to underestimation of true counts in specific myocardial regions. In this study, we have investigated the effect of cutoff frequencies of reconstruction filter on the artifactually induced perfusion defects, which are often demonstrated near inferior and/or inferoseptal cardiac walls due to the intense hepatic uptake of Tc-99m-MIBI. A computerized method for identifying the relative degree of artifactual perfusion defect and for comparing those degrees along with the relative amount of hepatic uptake to myocardium was developed and patient images were studied to observe the quantitative degree of underestimation of myocardial perfusion, and to propose some reasonable thresh-old of cutoff frequency in the diagnosis of perfusion defect quantitatively. We concluded that from the quantitative viewpoint cutoff frequencies may be used as high as possible with the sacrifice of homogeneity of image quality, and those frequencies lower than the common 0.3 Nyquist frequency would reveal severe degradation of radio-active distribution near inferior and/or Inferoseptal myocardium when applying Butterworth or low pass filter.

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