• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.259-267
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• 2021

Recently, the market for personal health care and medical devices based on Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE) has grown rapidly. BLE is being used in various medical data communication devices based on low power consumption and universal compatibility. However, since data errors occurring in the transmission of medical data can lead to medical accidents, it is necessary to analyze the causes of errors and study methods to reduce data error. In this paper, the minimum communication speed to be used in medical devices was set to at least 800 byte/sec based on the wireless electrocardiography regulations of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. And the data loss rate was tested when data was transmitted at a speed higher than 800 byte/sec. The factors that cause communication data error were classified, and the relationship between each factor and the data error rate was analyzed through experiments. When there were two or more activated peripherals connected to the central, data error occurred due to channel hopping and bottleneck, and the data error rate increased in proportion to the communication distance and the number of activated peripherals. Through this experiment, when the BLE is used in a medical device that intermittently transmits biosignal data, the risk of a medical accident is predicted to be low if the number of peripherals is 3 or less. But, it was determined that BLE would not be suitable for the development of a biosignal measuring device that must be continuously transmitted in real time, such as an electrocardiogram.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.135-142
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy for the neck-shouler muscles of complex pain scales of the 20s adults with VDT Syndrome to prolonged smartphone use. Twenty subjects with neck pain due to VDT syndrome participated in the experiment. They were randomly divided into 10 experimental groups and 10 control groups. Experimental subjects were conducted for 4 weeks, 5 days a week. The experimental group was subjected to extracorporeal shock wave therapy 2000 times at an intensity of 5 Hz and 2.0 bar once, and the control group performed self-stretching exercise for 30 minutes once. Subjects measured and compared neck-shoulder pain with VAS and PPT before and after the experiment. Data analysis was performed with SPSS win 18.0, and correspondence comparison was performed to analyze the results of the experimental group and the control group before and after the experiment. After the experiment, the experimental group decreased more in VAS and PPT of the neck-shoulder muscle. but the control group was no difference. Though these results, extracorporeal shock wave therapy was showed a reduction in pain after treatment than before treatment but there are no difference in the pain reduction after self-stretching exercise. Thus, extracorporeal shock wave therapy is expected to be used as a variety of treatments to reduce neck-shoulder pain as a cause of VDT syndrome.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.12 no.11
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• pp.419-426
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• 2021

Until recently, various studies for the production of high-acidity vinegar have been conducted, but there have been few studies on the concentration process of vinegar. In this study, the possibility of introducing freeze-concentration method was investigated for the production of high-quality, high-acidity vinegar. Acidity, pH, specific gravity, and glucose concentration were measured for frozen concentrated vinegar fractions obtained by freezing and thawing three types of Rubus coreanus vinegar with different acidy (7.53, 5.43, and 3.72). Acidity, specific gravity, and glucose concentration were all highest when 15% of the original vinegar was thawed. pH was the lowest when 15% of the original vinegar was melted. As a result of the measurement of cumulative acidity, when 20% of the original vinegar was melted, it was the highest at 9.32, which was 3.89 higher than that of the original vinegar. In this study, it was confirmed that vinegar can be effectively concentrated using the freeze concentration method and at the same time, the thawing ratio can be controlled to effectively obtain vinegar with the desired acidity. However, it is considered that studies such as organic acid and amino acid analysis are needed to determine whether the freeze-concentration method is introduced into the high-acidity concentrated vinegar manufacturing process.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.149-155
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• 2021

In this study, we intend to develop a defective road surface object recognition model that automatically detects road surface defects that restrict the movement of the transportation handicapped using electric mobile devices with deep learning. For this purpose, road surface information was collected from the pedestrian and running routes where the electric mobility aid device is expected to move in five areas within the city of Busan. For data, images were collected by dividing the road surface and surroundings into objects constituting the surroundings. A series of recognition items such as the detection of breakage levels of sidewalk blocks were defined by classifying according to the degree of impeding the movement of the transportation handicapped in traffic from the collected data. A road surface object recognition deep learning model was implemented. In the final stage of the study, the performance verification process of a deep learning model that automatically detects defective road surface objects through model learning and validation after processing, refining, and annotation of image data separated and collected in units of objects through actual driving. proceeded.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.313-322
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• 2021

Purpose: To find diagnostic image features, to compare diagnostic performance of multiphase CT versus gadoxetic acid disodium-enhanced MRI (GAD-MRI), and to evaluate the impact of analyzing Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) imaging features, for distinguishing combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: Ninety-six patients with pathologically proven CHC (n = 48) or HCC (n = 48), diagnosed June 2008 to May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed in random order by three radiologists with different experience levels. In the first analysis, the readers independently determined the probability of CHC based on their own knowledge and experiences. In the second analysis, they evaluated imaging features defined in LI-RADS 2018. Area under the curve (AUC) values for CHC diagnosis were compared between CT and MRI, and between the first and second analyses. Interobserver agreement was assessed using Cohen's weighted κ values. Results: Targetoid LR-M image features showed better specificities and positive predictive values (PPV) than the others. Among them, rim arterial phase hyperenhancement had the highest specificity and PPV. Average sensitivity, specificity, and AUC values were higher for MRI than for CT in both the first (P = 0.008, 0.005, 0.002, respectively) and second (P = 0.017, 0.026, 0.036) analyses. Interobserver agreements were higher for MRI in both analyses (κ = 0.307 for CT, κ = 0.332 for MRI in the first analysis; κ = 0.467 for CT, κ = 0.531 for MRI in the second analysis), with greater agreement in the second analysis for both CT (P = 0.001) and MRI (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement on GAD-MRI can be a good indicator suggesting CHC more than HCC. GAD-MRI may provide greater accuracy than CT for distinguishing CHC from HCC. Interobserver agreement can be improved for both CT and MRI by analyzing LI-RADS imaging features.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.136-146
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• 2022

In this study, it is intended to provide basic data that can help develop a cardiovascular simulator for performance evaluation of pulse wave detectors by identifying the development status of domestic and overseas cardiovascular simulators. A total of 119 papers were selected by excluding duplicate literature, gray literature, and literature not related to a cardiovascular simulator. Based on the selected literature, the research trend of cardiovascular simulators was analyzed. As a result of analyzing the purpose of the study, most of the simulators were developed to evaluate the hemodynamic properties of artificial hearts and valves. In addition, it was used for simulation evaluation or hemodynamic studies such as pulse wave studies. As a result of analyzing configurations of the simulators, a heart most often consisted of only one left ventricle. For blood vessels, the Windkessel model was most often constructed using chambers and valves. In most studies, blood was reproduced by mixing glycerin and water to reproduce both density and viscosity. In addition, as a result of analysis from the perspective of medical device performance evaluation, simulators for evaluating artificial heart and artificial valves have been studied a lot, whereas simulators for blood pressure, pulse wave, and blood flow devices have been relatively insignificant. Based on the review results, we suggested considerations when developing a simulator for performance evaluations of a pulse wave detector.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.257-263
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• 2022

In intracavitary radiotherapy, it is essential to verify the correct location of radiation source among quality control items because an incorrect location will irradiate an unnecessary dose to normal tissues. As a basic study of digital line dosimeters, this study fabricated a unit cell dosimeter based on polycrystalline mercury (II) iodide (HgI₂) and compared its performance with a diode. The study result showed that for reproducibility, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.21%, satisfying the RSD evaluation criterion of within 1.5%. Considering linearity, the coefficient of determination R² showed an excellent result of 0.9997. Regarding the evaluation of distance dependence, it showed a similar trend in general with a difference of 0.035 cm for intensity 50% when compared with the inverse square value. This study suggests the applicability of a digital dosimeter for brachytherapy quality control by evaluating the performance of the HgI₂ dosimeter. This study on dosimeter for candidate photoconductor materials can be used as basic data in all areas using radiation.

• Journal of Korea Entertainment Industry Association
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.165-176
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• 2020

Customized medical care and services timely providing effective prevention and treatment by collecting and using individuals' biomedical data are recently possible and utilized for users' health care. They are developed as the real-time health care services and information is provided to individuals by using smart phones, PC, tablet, etc. Interactive communication is supported by informing managers of analysis data and results, through collected data. It is therefore the time for constructing health care. This study attempts to prepare for patent applications of technical development at this time, by analyzing the tendency of smart wearable health care technologies, including biological signal-based health care devices and real-time health care system. Patents regarding smart wearable health care technologies were reported to have the relatively higher concentration of research development. Korea focuses on patent activities for real-time health care systems across the intervals of analysis, while U.S and European countries actively make efforts for patent activities regarding health care devices Japan conduct patent activities across health care devices and systems, based on bio-technologies. Korea has recently dominated the market of patents for bio-technologies-based health care devices and real-time health care devices and also appears to secure patents for the technologies and the market, so entry barriers to the market of smart wearable health care technologies are determined to be higher in Korea. It is important to establish the portfolios of patents, by securing patent rights for the figures of products, manufacturing methods and other related technical systems, if technologies are planned to be commercialized.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.628-635
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• 2022

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is the large intestine disease that results in chronic inflammation and ulcers in the colon. Rg3-enriched Korean Red Ginseng extract (Rg3-RGE) is known for its pharmacological activities. Persicaria tinctoria (PT) is also used in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate the attenuating effects of Rg3-RGE with PT on oxazolone (OXA)-induced UC in mice. Methods: A total of six groups of mice including control group, OXA (as model group, 1.5%) group, sulfasalazine (75 mg/kg) group, Rg3-RGE (20 mg/kg) group, PT (300 mg/kg) group, and Rg3-RGE (10 mg/kg) with PT (150 mg/kg) group. Data on the colon length, body weight, disease activity index (DAI), histological changes, nitric oxide (NO) assay, Real-time PCR of inflammatory factors, ELISA of inflammatory factors, Western blot, and flow cytometry analysis were obtained. Results: Overall, the combination treatment of Rg3-RGE and PT significantly improved the colon length and body weight and decreased the DAI in mice compared with the treatment with OXA. Additionally, the histological injury was also reduced by the combination treatment. Moreover, the NO production level and inflammatory mediators and cytokines were significantly downregulated in the Rg3-RGE with the PT group compared with the model group. Also, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-𝛋B) were suppressed in the combination treatment group compared with the OXA group. Furthermore, the number of immune cell subtypes of CD4⁺ T-helper cells, CD19⁺ B-cells, and CD4⁺ and CD25⁺ regulatory T-cells (Tregs) was improved in the Rg3-RGE with the PT group compared with the OXA group. Conclusion: Overall, the mixture of Rg3-RGE and PT is an effective therapeutic treatment for UC.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.341-352
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• 2022

Medical image segmentation is the most important task in radiation therapy. Especially, when segmenting medical images, the liver is one of the most difficult organs to segment because it has various shapes and is close to other organs. Therefore, automatic segmentation of the liver in computed tomography (CT) images is a difficult task. Since tumors also have low contrast in surrounding tissues, and the shape, location, size, and number of tumors vary from patient to patient, accurate tumor segmentation takes a long time. In this study, we propose a method algorithm for automatically segmenting the liver and tumor for this purpose. As an advantage of setting the boundaries of the tumor, the liver and tumor were automatically segmented from the CT image using the 2D CoordConv DeepLab V3+ model using the CoordConv layer. For tumors, only cropped liver images were used to improve accuracy. Additionally, to increase the segmentation accuracy, augmentation, preprocess, loss function, and hyperparameter were used to find optimal values. We compared the CoordConv DeepLab v3+ model using the CoordConv layer and the DeepLab V3+ model without the CoordConv layer to determine whether they affected the segmentation accuracy. The data sets used included 131 hepatic tumor segmentation (LiTS) challenge data sets (100 train sets, 16 validation sets, and 15 test sets). Additional learned data were tested using 15 clinical data from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. The evaluation was compared with the study results learned with a two-dimensional deep learning-based model. Dice values without the CoordConv layer achieved 0.965 ± 0.01 for liver segmentation and 0.925 ± 0.04 for tumor segmentation using the LiTS data set. Results from the clinical data set achieved 0.927 ± 0.02 for liver division and 0.903 ± 0.05 for tumor division. The dice values using the CoordConv layer achieved 0.989 ± 0.02 for liver segmentation and 0.937 ± 0.07 for tumor segmentation using the LiTS data set. Results from the clinical data set achieved 0.944 ± 0.02 for liver division and 0.916 ± 0.18 for tumor division. The use of CoordConv layers improves the segmentation accuracy. The highest of the most recently published values were 0.960 and 0.749 for liver and tumor division, respectively. However, better performance was achieved with 0.989 and 0.937 results for liver and tumor, which would have been used with the algorithm proposed in this study. The algorithm proposed in this study can play a useful role in treatment planning by improving contouring accuracy and reducing time when segmentation evaluation of liver and tumor is performed. And accurate identification of liver anatomy in medical imaging applications, such as surgical planning, as well as radiotherapy, which can leverage the findings of this study, can help clinical evaluation of the risks and benefits of liver intervention.