• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.155-163
• /
• 2009

In text-to-speech systems, the conversion of text into prosodic parameters is necessarily composed of three steps. These are the placement of prosodic boundaries. the determination of segmental durations, and the specification of fundamental frequency contours. Prosodic boundaries. as the most important and basic parameter. affect the estimation of durations and fundamental frequency. Break prediction is an important step in text-to-speech systems as break indices (BIs) have a great influence on how to correctly represent prosodic phrase boundaries, However. an accurate prediction is difficult since BIs are often chosen according to the meaning of a sentence or the reading style of the speaker. In Japanese, the prediction of an accentual phrase boundary (APB) and major phrase boundary (MPB) is particularly difficult. Thus, this paper presents a method to complement the prediction errors of an APB and MPB. First, we define a subtle BI in which it is difficult to decide between an APB and MPB clearly as a variable break (VB), and an explicit BI as a fixed break (FB). The VB is chosen using the classification and regression tree, and multiple prosodic targets in relation to the pith and duration are then generated. Finally. unit-selection is conducted using multiple prosodic targets. In the MOS test result. the original speech scored a 4,99. while proposed method scored a 4.25 and conventional method scored a 4.01. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the naturalness of synthesized speech.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.83 no.3
• /
• pp.608-619
• /
• 2022

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the natural growth of subepithelial tumors of the small bowel detected on CT. Materials and Methods Consecutive patients who were suspected of having subepithelial tumors of the small bowel between January 2005 and December 2020 were reviewed. Eligible patients with suspected small (< 30 mm) subepithelial tumors on at least two CT evaluations were included in the analysis. The patients' data on demographic characteristics, tumoral characteristics, and tumoral size changes during the follow-up were collected. Results This study included 64 patients with suspected small subepithelial tumors (n = 64) of the small bowel. After a median follow-up of 15.8 months, the diameter and volume growth rates were 0.02 mm/month and 1.5 mm³/month, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between the initial size and the growth rate of the small bowel subepithelial tumors. The group of large-sized tumors (initial diameter ≥ 10 mm) tended to show lobulated contours, heterogeneous enhancement, and necrotic changes more frequently than the group of small-sized tumors (initial diameter < 10 mm). Conclusion Small bowel subepithelial tumors measuring less than 10 mm grew more slowly than those measuring 10-30 mm.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.247-261
• /
• 2000

The geostatistical analyses for the chemical components of pH, TS, KMnO4 Demand, Cl, SO$_4$ and NO$_3$-N are carried out to understand the groundwater contamination in Pusan. The average values of each component are 7.2 for pH, 336.4mg/$\ell$ for TS, 2.3mg/$\ell$ for KMnO$_4$ Demand, 44.3mg/$\ell$ for Cl, 36.0mg/$\ell$ for SO$_4$, and 4.6mg/$\ell$ for NO$_3$-N. The ratios over the drinking standard of each component are 0.34% for pH, 2.27% for TS, 1.55% for KMnO$_4$ Demand, 1.59% for Cl, 0.57% for SO$_4$, and 3.7% for NO$_3$-N. The highest ratio of NO$_3$-N results from the municipal sewage and exhaust gas of vehicles. The isopleth maps of 6 chemical components show that the high values of groundwater contamination come from the inland of Pusan, and that some high values appear at the coastal area. The isopleth maps of Cl and SO$_4$ related with seawater intrusion also show that the high values appear only at the particular coastal area, not at the whole area. On the isopleth maps of Cl and SO$_4$, the anomalies of the concentration contours were compared with the directions of two large fault zones, the Ilkwang Fault and the Dongrae Fault. Apparently, they don't have the particular correlation. Therefore, it is concluded that the main source of groundwater contamination in Pusan is not the seawater, but the municipal sewage and other sources such as the exhaust gas of vehicles, the contaminated surface water, the waste water of factories, and the leachate of waste landfills.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.161-169
• /
• 2016

Purpose : To quantify the inter-fractional variation in prostate displacement and their dosimetric effects for prostate cancer treatment. Materials and Methods : A total of 176 daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) sets acquired for 6 prostate cancer patients treated with volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) were retrospectively reviewed. For each patient, the planning CT (pCT) was registered to each daily CBCT by aligning the bony anatomy. The prostate, rectum, and bladder were delineated on daily CBCT, and the contours of these organs in the pCT were copied to the daily CBCT. The concordance of prostate displacement, deformation, and size variation between pCT and daily CBCT was evaluated using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). Results : The mean volume of prostate was 37.2 cm3 in the initial pCT, and the variation was around ${\pm}5%$ during the entire course of treatment for all patients. The mean DSC was 89.9%, ranging from 70% to 100% for prostate displacement. Although the volume change of bladder and rectum per treatment fraction did not show any correlation with the value of DSC (r=-0.084, p=0.268 and r=-0.162, p=0.032, respectively), a decrease in the DSC value was observed with increasing volume change of the bladder and rectum (r=-0.230,p=0.049 and r=-0.240,p=0.020, respectively). Conclusion : Consistency of the volume of the bladder and rectum cannot guarantee the accuracy of the treatment. Our results suggest that patient setup with the registration between the pCT and daily CBCT should be considered aligning soft tissue.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.181-188
• /
• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the stress distribution characteristics of four different abutment connections on SS-$III^{(R)}$ fixture under occlusal loading, using 3-dimensional finite element method. Materials and methods: The fixture of SS-$III^{(R)}$ (Osstem, Korea) with 4 mm diameter and 11.5 mm length and 4 types of abutments were analyzed; Solid, Com-Octa, ComOcta Gold, and Octa abutment. The models were placed in the area of first molar in the mandible. The 4 loading conditions were; (1) the vertical loading of 100 N on the central fossa, (2) the vertical loading of 100 N on the buccal cusp, (3) the $30^{\circ}$ inclined loading of 100 N to lingual side on the central fossa, and (4) the $30^{\circ}$ inclined loading of 100 N to the lingual side on the buccal cusp. The 3G.Author program was used, the von-Mises stress was calculated and the stress contours were plotted on each part of the implant systems and the surrounding bone structures. Results: Regardless of abutment types and loading conditions, higher stress concentration was observed at the cortical bone. In cancellous bone, the highest stress was observed at apical portion and the maximum stress occurred at the implant neck. The higher internal stress was observed in the fixtures than in the bone. The lowest stress was observed at loading condition 1 and the stress concentration was also lower than any other loading conditions. Conclusion: Within the limitation of the result of this study, it seems that the abutment connection type does not affect much on the stress distribution of bone structure.

• Progress in Medical Physics
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.153-164
• /
• 2010

To determine the clinical target volumes considering vascularity and cellularity of tumors, the software was developed for mapping of the analyzed biological clinical target volumes on anatomical images using regional cerebral blood volume (rCBV) maps and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. The program provides the functions for integrated registrations using mutual information, affine transform and non-rigid registration. The registration accuracy is evaluated by the calculation of the overlapped ratio of segmented bone regions and average distance difference of contours between reference and registered images. The performance of the developed software was tested using multimodal images of a patient who has the residual tumor of high grade gliomas. Registration accuracy of about 74% and average 2.3 mm distance difference were calculated by the evaluation method of bone segmentation and contour extraction. The registration accuracy can be improved as higher as 4% by the manual adjustment functions. Advanced MR images are analyzed using color maps for rCBV maps and quantitative calculation based on region of interest (ROI) for ADC maps. Then, multi-parameters on the same voxels are plotted on plane and constitute the multi-functional parametric maps of which x and y axis representing rCBV and ADC values. According to the distributions of functional parameters, tumor regions showing the higher vascularity and cellularity are categorized according to the criteria corresponding malignant gliomas. Determined volumes reflecting pathological and physiological characteristics of tumors are marked on anatomical images. By applying the multi-functional images, errors arising from using one type of image would be reduced and local regions representing higher probability as tumor cells would be determined for radiation treatment plan. Biological tumor characteristics can be expressed using image registration and multi-functional parametric maps in the developed software. The software can be considered to delineate clinical target volumes using advanced MR images with anatomical images.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.50 no.2
• /
• pp.178-181
• /
• 2007

Purpose : The renal manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are remarkably diverse, including polycystic kidney disease, simple renal cysts, renal cell carcinomas, and angiomyolipomas. All of these occur in children as well as adults in TSC. Angiomyolipomas, which can cause spontaneous life-threatening hemorrhages, are by far the most prevalent and the greatest source of morbidity. Here, we will address our experience, adding to the literature on pediatric patients with TSC requiring evaluation and treatment for renal manifestations. Methods : A retrospective analysis was made on 19 patients in whom TSC was diagnosed between May 2001 and Oct. 2005 at Severance Hospital. All patients had clinical diagnoses of TSC as defined by the 1998 tuberous sclerosis complex consensus conference. Results : The patients consisted of 13 boys and 6 girls with a mean age of 7.3 years (range 1 to 22). The renal disease associated with TSC included angiomyolipoma in nine patients (47.4 percent), renal simple cyst in one (5.3 percent), hydronephrosis in one (5.3 percent) patient. Eight patients (42.1 percent) presented with normal kidney contours at abdominal ultrasonography. One patient underwent renal replacement therapy due to chronic renal insufficiency after nephrectomy. Hemorrhage from angiomyolipoma was not detected. Conclusion : In our review of 19 cases of TSC, renal manifestations are reported in 57.9 percent of patients. Asymptomatic angiomyolipoma associated with TSC grow gradually, although severe hemorrhages are rare. So patients with TSC should be followed up with serial computerized tomography or abdominal ultrasonography. And also, renal function should be monitored conservatively.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.524-531
• /
• 1996

Purpose : To evaluate the pattern- of skeletal metastases and to classify the pattern of renal uptakes on bone scans in renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods : We reviewed the bone scans of 158 patients with RCC established pathologically. In order to identify individual scan lesion as a bone metastasis, we reviewed all available correlative radiological studies, follow-up bone scans, and biopsies for each lesion. The metastatic bone lesions were divided into seven anatomic regions; skull, spine, shoulder girdle, sternum, ribs, pelvis, and long bones of extremities. The individual scan lesions were divided into two groups as the pattern of uptakes, hot and cold lesion. In addition, the contours and uptakes of kidneys with RCC were classified into 6 groups ; normal uptake, photon-deficient lesion, faint up-take with enlargement, uneven uptake with enlargement, lateralization with crescentic shape, and increased uptake. Results : Twenty out of 158(12.7%) patients with RCC at varying stages showed 71 metastatic bone lesions at presentation and on follow- up bone scans. Nearly 80% of all metastatic lesions were in the axial skeleton with predominantly increased uptake of the radioactivity However a considerable number(22.5%) showed cold lesions on bone scan. A half of bone scans revealed abnormal uptake of involved kidney and much more(82.4%) in case of bone metastases. Two common patterns of abnormal renal uptake were photon-deficient lesion (50%) and faint uptake with enlargement(24.3%). In four patients with bone pain or pathologic fracture, bone scans were useful for the serendipitious localization of previously unrecognized primary lesion of RCC as well as for the detection of bone metastases from RCC. Conclusion : The understanding of the pat-terns of skeletal metastases and renal uptakes on bone scans in RCC is important for the useful information about primary lesion(RCC) as well as detection of bone metastases.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.64-68
• /
• 2004

Purpose : To study the feasibility of verifying real-time 2-D dose distribution measurement system with the scintillation screen for the quality assurance. Materials and Methods : The water phantom consisted of a scintillation screen (LANEX fast screen, Kodak, USA) that was axially located in the middle of an acrylic cylinder with a diameter of 25 cm. The charge-coupled device (CCD) camera was attached to the phantom In order to capture the visible light from the scintillation screen. To observe the dose distribution In real time, the intensity of the light from the scintillator was converted to a dosage. The isodose contours of the calculations from RTP and those of the measurements using the scintillation screen were compared for the arc therapy and the Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Results : The kernel, expressed as a multiplication of two error functions, was obtained in order to correct the sensitivity of the CCD of the camera and the scintillation screen. When comparing the calculated isodose and measured isodose, a discrepancy of less than 8 mm in the high dose region was observed. Conclusion : Using the 2-D dosimetry system, the relationship between the light and the dosage could be found, and real-time verification of the dose distribution was feasible.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.113-119
• /
• 1998

Purpose : Because adenocarcinomas of the uterine cervix have lower 5-year survival rate than squamous cell carcinomas due to early lymph node metastasis and local extension, scrutiny of lymph node metastasis and local extension by radiologic examination is necessary in case of clinically diagnosed or suspected adenocarcinomas. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether there are specific findings of these tumors, compared with squamous cell carcinomas, through the analysis of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings. Materials and Methods : Of 21 pathologically proven cervical adenocarcinomas, MR imaging findings of 18 tumors (histologic staging : two Ib, four IIa, two IIb, one IIIa, and one IIIb) were retrospectively analyzed and compared with those of 40 wquamous cell carcinoma in consecutive patients as a control group. T1-wetighted and fast spin echo T2-weighted images were obtained on the axial and sagittal planes, using a 1.5-T MR scanner. The largest diameter, location, signal intensity and degree of contrast enhancement contour, shape and longitudinal extent of the tumor and associated findings on MR image were analyzed. Results : The largest diameters of cervical adenocarcinomas ranged from 0.8 to 4.1 cm(mean, 2.2 cm). Of 18 adenocarcinomas, nine were of endocervical type. All adenocarcinomas were isointense to surrounding cervical stroma on T1-weighted images and hyperintense(homogeneous in ten, inhomogeneous in eight) on fast spin echo T2-weighted images. Adenocarcinomas enhanced on contrast study in all patients (homogeneous in six, inhomogeneous in 12 with hyperintese enhnacing rim in two). Eight adenocarcinomas had smooth contours and ten had irregular ones. The shape of adenocarcinoma was irregular in eight patients, barrel shape in six, papillary/polypod in three, and nodular in one. All adenocarcinomas involved lower half of the uterine cervix and six tumors extended up to the upper half. Pelvic lymph nodes of more than 1.5cm in diameter in two adenocarcinomas pateints and no detectable small pelvic lymph nodes on MR imaging in one patient were pathologically positive. Hydrometra was associated in two adenocarcinomas patients, and hematometra in one patient. Compared with squamous cell carcinomas, more frequent MR findings of endocervical type and barrel shape in cervical adenocarcinomas were statistically significant. Conclusion : Cervical adenocarcinomas had more frequent MR findings of endocervical type and barrel shape, compared with wquamous cell carcinomas. Adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix may be suspected on MR imaging, when a cervical carcinoma is of barrel shape along the endocervical canal and tends to involve lymth nodes in earlier stages.