• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1044-1053
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• 2021

Objective: Motion-corrected averaging with a single-shot technique was introduced for faster acquisition of late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging while free-breathing. We aimed to evaluate the image quality (IQ) of free-breathing motion-corrected single-shot LGE (moco-ss-LGE) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Materials and Methods: Between April and December 2019, 30 patients (23 men; median age, 48.5; interquartile range [IQR], 36.5-61.3) with HCM were prospectively enrolled. Breath-held single-shot LGE (bh-ss-LGE) and free-breathing moco-ss-LGE images were acquired in random order on a 3T MR system. Semi-quantitative IQ scores, contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs), and quantitative size of myocardial scar were assessed on pairs of bh-ss-LGE and moco-ss-LGE. The mean ± standard deviation of the parameters was obtained. The results were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: The moco-ss-LGE images had better IQ scores than the bh-ss-LGE images (4.55 ± 0.55 vs. 3.68 ± 0.45, p < 0.001). The CNR of the scar to the remote myocardium (34.46 ± 11.85 vs. 26.13 ± 10.04, p < 0.001), scar to left ventricle (LV) cavity (13.09 ± 7.95 vs. 9.84 ± 6.65, p = 0.030), and LV cavity to remote myocardium (33.12 ± 15.53 vs. 22.69 ± 11.27, p < 0.001) were consistently greater for moco-ss-LGE images than for bh-ss-LGE images. Measurements of scar size did not differ significantly between LGE pairs using the following three different quantification methods: 1) full width at half-maximum method; 23.84 ± 12.88% vs. 24.05 ± 12.81% (p = 0.820), 2) 6-standard deviation method, 15.14 ± 10.78% vs. 15.99 ± 10.99% (p = 0.186), and 3) 3-standard deviation method; 36.51 ± 17.60% vs. 37.50 ± 17.90% (p = 0.785). Conclusion: Motion-corrected averaging may allow for superior IQ and CNRs with free-breathing in single-shot LGE imaging, with a herald of free-breathing moco-ss-LGE as the scar imaging technique of choice for clinical practice.

• Sim-seong Yeon-gu
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.177-214
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• 2016

This thesis is an interpretation of "Golden bird" of Grimm's fairy tale and similar other tales from the perspective of analytical psychology. Golden bird story start loss of golden apple in king's garden. King and three sons are one-sided structure live without female members in family. They need feminine aspect. Adventure and journey of stupid youngest son can be seen as a individuation process in analytic psychology. Ego meets several painful experience during journey. New Kingdom has a new specific collective consciousness. When ego fixed dominated specific collective consciousness he can only be liberated after completing the difficult task of the next phase in crisis of death. This process is initiation, which is a supplement to feminity after recovery of increased consciousness, marriage with the princess, which is possible to unify the sexes (coniunctio oppositorum). The ego who got the apple, bird, horse, and princess which is shown to be a supplement to feminity, does not attain a complete success. Although the youngest comes out after brothers' failure, yet separation and abandonment of persona are difficult challenges and after all he achives a higher consciousness and then he primarily marries the princess, his Anima, after he executed his brothers for his repeated hardships, when the intellectual capacity is sacrificed as offering. Also, the fox restores himself from magic after the youngest son kills him and cut his head and feet, as the fox's wish. To be transformed into a human being. It experiences another consciousness. Finally, unifying the coniunctio oppositerum is fulfilled and a divine bond achieves the wholeness and it is accomplished individuation. In clinical practice, fox is compared to a therapist as a guide of individuation process who lead clients.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.5
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• pp.1218-1230
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• 2021

Purpose To compare the per-patient diagnostic performance of simulated abbreviated MRI (AMRI) to that of conventional MRI (CMRI) with full-sequence dynamic gadoxetic acid (GA) enhancement for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening in high-risk patients. Materials and Methods A total of 201 consecutive patients at high-risk for HCC, who underwent 3T liver MRI, were included in this retrospective study. The AMRI protocol comprised T2-weighted imaging, hepatobiliary phase imaging after GA injection, and diffusion-weighted imaging. For each patient, two AMRI and CMRI image sets were independently reviewed by two radiologists. Inter-reader agreement was assessed using Cohen's kappa value. A composite reference standard was used to determine the diagnostic performance of each image set for each reader. Results A total of 93 HCCs were detected in 79 patients. The inter-reader agreement was almost perfect for both image sets (κ = 0.839, 0.948). In AMRI, the per-patient sensitivity and negative predictive values (NPV) were 94.9% and 96.4%, respectively. In CMRI, the per-patient sensitivity and NPV were 96.2% and 97.5%, respectively. Conclusion AMRI, using only three sequences, had a comparable diagnostic performance to CMRI in screening early-stage HCC. AMRI could be an alternative HCC screening tool for high-risk HCC patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.670-683
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• 2020

Objective: The presence of coagulative necrosis (CN) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) indicates a poor prognosis, while the absence of CN indicates a good prognosis. The purpose of this study was to build and validate a radiomics signature based on preoperative CT imaging data to estimate CN status in ccRCC. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 105 patients with pathologically confirmed ccRCC were retrospectively enrolled in this study and then divided into training (n = 72) and validation (n = 33) sets. Thereafter, 385 radiomics features were extracted from the three-dimensional volumes of interest of each tumor, and 10 traditional features were assessed by two experienced radiologists using triple-phase CT-enhanced images. A multivariate logistic regression algorithm was used to build the radiomics score and traditional predictors in the training set, and their performance was assessed and then tested in the validation set. The radiomics signature to distinguish CN status was then developed by incorporating the radiomics score and the selected traditional predictors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the predictive performance. Results: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the radiomics score, which consisted of 7 radiomics features, was 0.855 in the training set and 0.885 in the validation set. The AUC of the traditional predictor, which consisted of 2 traditional features, was 0.843 in the training set and 0.858 in the validation set. The radiomics signature showed the best performance with an AUC of 0.942 in the training set, which was then confirmed with an AUC of 0.969 in the validation set. Conclusion: The CT-based radiomics signature that incorporated radiomics and traditional features has the potential to be used as a non-invasive tool for preoperative prediction of CN in ccRCC.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.37-50
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• 2024

The magnetotelluric (MT) survey can be affected by external environmental factors. In particular, when acquiring MT data in islands, it is essential to consider the combined effect of topography and sea to understand the results and make accurate interpretations. To analyze the MT response (apparent resistivity, phase) with consideration of the effect of topography and sea, a small cone-shaped island model surrounded by deep sea was created. Two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) forward modeling were performed on the terrain model considering topography and the island model considering both topography and sea. The 2-D MT response did not reflect the topographic and sea effect of the direction orthogonal to the 2-D profile. The 3-D MT response included topographic and sea effects in all directions. The XY and YX components of the apparent resistivity were separated on undulating topography, such as a hill. A conductor at 1 km below sea level could be distinguished from topographic and sea effects in the MT response, and low resistivity anomaly was attenuated at greater depths. This study will facilitate understanding of field data measured on small islands.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.1
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• pp.147-160
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• 2024

Purpose To define an MRI scoring system for differentiating xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) from wall-thickening type gallbladder cancer (GBC) and compare the diagnostic performance of the scoring system with the visual assessment of radiologists. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed 23 and 35 patients who underwent abdominal MRI and were pathologically diagnosed with XGC and wall-thickening-type GBC after surgery, respectively. Three radiologists reviewed all MRI findings. We defined a scoring system using these MRI findings for differentiating XGC from wall-thickening type GBC and compared the area under the curve (AUC) of the scoring system with the visual assessment of radiologists. Results Nine MRI findings showed significant differences in differentiating the two diseases: diffuse gallbladder wall thickening (p < 0.001), mucosal uniformity (p = 0.002), intramural T2-high signal intensity (p < 0.001), mucosal retraction (p = 0.016), gallbladder stones (p < 0.001), T1-intermediate to high-signal intensity (p = 0.033), diffusion restriction (p = 0.005), enhancement pattern (p < 0.001), and phase of peak enhancement (p = 0.008). The MRI scoring system showed excellent diagnostic performance with an AUC of 0.972, which was significantly higher than the visual assessment of the reviewers. Conclusion The MRI scoring system showed better diagnostic performance than the visual assessment of radiologists to differentiate XGC from wall-thickening-type GBC.

• Journal of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.257-268
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• 2024

The Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS) satellite was successfully launched and service is being started. By receiving messages transmitted from the KASS satellite, users can employ the messages to improve positioning accuracy or to verify the integrity of Global Positioning System (GPS). In this paper, we propose a test method for a beam-formed GPS receiver developed to improve the survivability of KASS augmented messages that can enhance positioning accuracy even in an environment with jamming or interfering signals. Through the test method proposed in this paper, quantitative verification is performed for a beam-formed GPS receiver aimed at maintaining the augmented navigation solution to which KASS augmented messages are applied by tracking the KASS signal as much as possible under conditions where the jamming signal strength is gradually increasing. In addition, the proposed test method includes three conditions; first, a static lab test method for repeated verification of functions under the same conditions; second, a static outdoor test method for performance verification in an operating environment of a platform equipped with the beam-formed GPS receiver; and finally, a dynamic lab test method for performance verification of a moving platform equipped with the beam-formed GPS receiver toward a jammer. In this paper, we propose a method for simulating the jamming signal incident direction through the phase delay of an RF cable designed to prevent unintentional jamming signal emission in both lab and outdoor tests, and a method of applying test software for injecting a jamming signal to compare the survivability performance consistently according to the presence or absence of beamforming signal processing. Through the proposed test method, it was verified that the augmented navigation solution could be output for a longer time period when the beamforming signal processing was applied to the KASS satellite signal in the beam-formed GPS receiver.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.197-207
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• 2004

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term therapeutic efficacy and durability of lamivudine in Korean children with chronic hepatitis B. Methods: A total of 48 children (31 male and 17 female; age, 1~18 years, mean, 8 years) with chronic hepatitis B who received lamivudine for at least six months from March 1999 to September 2004 were followed for a mean period of 29 months (8~66 months) at Department of Pediatrics, Kyungpook National University Hospital in Korea. Response to treatment was defined as the normalization of ALT and HBV DNA levels, and HBeAg seroconversion after the initiation of treatment. Results: Twenty nine (60%) among the 48 children treated with lamivudine responded and nine (19%) children lost HBsAg during therapy. ALT and HBV DNA level had normalized in 94% one year after the initiation of treatment. Kaplan-Meier estimates of cumulative HBeAg seroconversion rates over the years were 13% (0.5 year), 34% (1 year), 50% (1.5 years), 68% (2 years), 79% (2.5 years) and 90% at 3 years respectively. Above all, among the 22 children treated before the age of seven, loss of HBsAg occurred in eight (36%), which showed superior rate of HBsAg loss (p=0.002 vs age >7). Conclusion: Long-term treatment of lamivudine improved the rate of HBeAg seroconversion in Korean children with chronic hepatitis B. After three years' observation, most of treated children have sustained HBeAg clearance. We believe that lamivudine should be tried as the first therapeutic option for children with chronic hepatitis B in immune clearance phase.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.191-202
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• 2000

Background: Bronchial asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness(BHR) and inflammation. The cyclooxygenase(COX) is believed to be one of the important enzymes in these inflammatory reactions. Recently, the COX was divided into two isoforms, COX1 and COX2. COX2 is induced by lipopolysaccharide and some cytokines at the inflammation site. Prostaglandin E2(PGE2), produced from COX2, may affect airway inflammation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of COX2 inhibitor on COX2 expression, plasma PGE2, airway resistance and histologic finding in an animal asthma model. Methods : Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups. The normal control group did not receive any treatment, but the asthma control group was sensitized by ovalbumin but not treated with the COX2 inhibitor(nimesulide, Mesulid$^{(R)}$). The treatment group was sensitized and treated with nimesulide. Specific airway resistance(sRaw) before and after nimesulide ingestion was investigated. The PGE2 level in the plasma was examined and COX2 immunogold-silver stain on lung tissue was performed. Results: sRaw and eosionophilic infiltration on airway, which increased in the asthma control group, was compared to normal control(p=0.014). However, there was no difference in eosinophilic infiltration between asthma control and treatment groups(p=0.408) and no difference in COX2 expression on bronchiolar epithelium among the three groups. Plasma PGE2 levels were not statically different among the three groups. Conclusion: The role of COX2 in the allergen-induced BHR was not significant The effect of nimesulide was not observed on BHR, COX2 expression, and plasma PGE2 level. Therefore, COX2 may not be a major substance of allergic asthma.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.437-444
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• 2009

${\gamma}-Aminobutyric$ acid (GABA) producing lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus acidophilus RMK567 was cultivated in 50 L of sterilized MRS broth using a fermenter at $40^{\circ}C$ for 24 h. The cell number was increased to $10.04{\pm}0.13$ Log CFU/mL with a growth rate constant (k) of 0.454 generation/h and a generation time (g) of 2.303 h after a lapse of a lag phase (L) of 5.16 h. A total of 487 g of cell paste with 40.5% moisture was harvested with viable cell number of 12.48 Log CFU/g cell paste. The cell pastes after preparation with glycerol, glucose, and polydextrose as cryo-protectants were lyophilized under a vacuum of 84 m torr. A total of 408 g of freeze dried (FD) cell powders were mixed with a commercial strain of Streptococcus thermophilus to prepare of three types FD starter cultures with the viable cell numbers of 12.42 (FDA-GY), 12.60 (FDBGG) and 12.91 (FDC-GP) Log CFU/g. During preservation the FD cultures at -$18^{\circ}C$, the cell viability of the FD starter cultures were rapidly dropped to below 3.24% of the day of storage. No significant difference was found in the cell viabilities among three types of FD starters cultures, but significant difference (p<0.01) was found in storage periods. Yoghurts fermented through FD starter culture of L. acidophilus RMK567 were determined to contain $155.16{\pm}8.53$ ppm, $243.82{\pm}4.27$ ppm, and $198.64{\pm}23.46$ ppm of GABA, respectively. This study shows that GABA production activity of L. acidophilus RMK567 is not affected during the freeze drying process and would be available for commercial production of yoghurt containing high GABA content.