• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.535-546
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of texture analysis on non-contrast-enhanced T1 maps of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging for the diagnosis of myocardial injury in acute myocardial infarction (MI). Materials and Methods: This study included 68 patients (57 males and 11 females; mean age, 55.7 ± 10.5 years) with acute ST-segment-elevation MI who had undergone 3T CMR after a percutaneous coronary intervention. Forty patients of them also underwent a 6-month follow-up CMR. The CMR protocol included T2-weighted imaging, T1 mapping, rest first-pass perfusion, and late gadolinium enhancement. Radiomics features were extracted from the T1 maps using open-source software. Radiomics signatures were constructed with the selected strongest features to evaluate the myocardial injury severity and predict the recovery of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility. Results: A total of 1088 segments of the acute CMR images were analyzed; 103 (9.5%) segments showed microvascular obstruction (MVO), and 557 (51.2%) segments showed MI. A total of 640 segments were included in the 6-month follow-up analysis, of which 160 (25.0%) segments showed favorable recovery of LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility. Combined radiomics signature and T1 values resulted in a higher diagnostic performance for MVO compared to T1 values alone (area under the curve [AUC] in the training set; 0.88, 0.72, p = 0.031: AUC in the test set; 0.86, 0.71, p = 0.002). Combined radiomics signature and T1 values also provided a higher predictive value for LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility recovery compared to T1 values (AUC in the training set; 0.76, 0.55, p < 0.001: AUC in the test set; 0.77, 0.60, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The combination of radiomics of non-contrast-enhanced T1 mapping and T1 values could provide higher diagnostic accuracy for MVO. Radiomics also provides incremental value in the prediction of LV longitudinal systolic myocardial contractility at six months.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.4
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• pp.945-950
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• 2022

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is a common autoimmune encephalitis that is noted to be a severe but treatable disease entity. Patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis often develop psychotic symptoms, including delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia, as well as memory impairment and persistent loss of attention. However, MRI findings in such patients show no abnormalities in most cases. Although typical brain abnormality features, known as T2 hyperintensities, involve the brain parenchyma and contrast enhancement at the cerebral cortex or overlying meninges, isolated leptomeningeal enhancement has been rarely reported in anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Herein, we report a patient with anti-NMDAR encephalitis who presented with isolated leptomeningeal enhancement, additionally showing the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery imaging.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

Objective: To determine the usefulness of perfusion MR imaging in assessing the histologic grade of cerebral gliomas. Materials and Methods: In order to determine relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), 22 patients with pathologically proven gliomas (9 glioblastomas, 9 anaplastic gliomas and 4 low-grade gliomas) underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced T2^*-weighted and conventional T1- and T2-weighted imaging. rCBV maps were obtained by fitting a gamma-variate function to the contrast material concentration versus time curve. rCBV ratios between tumor and normal white matter (maximum rCBV of tumor / rCBV of contralateral white matter) were calculated and compared between glioblastomas, anaplastic gliomas and low-grade gliomas. Results: Mean rCBV ratios were 4.90°±1.01 for glioblastomas, 3.97°±0.56 for anaplastic gliomas and 1.75°±1.51 for low-grade gliomas, and were thus significantly different; p < .05 between glioblastomas and anaplastic gliomas, p < .05 between anaplastic gliomas and low-grade gliomas, p < .01 between glioblastomas and low-grade gliomas. The rCBV ratio cutoff value which permitted discrimination between high-grade (glioblastomas and anaplastic gliomas) and low-grade gliomas was 2.60, and the sensitivity and specificity of this value were 100% and 75%, respectively. Conclusion: Perfusion MR imaging is a useful and reliable technique for estimating the histologic grade of gliomas.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.10 no.8
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• pp.619-627
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of CT contrast agent and MRI contrast agent on the area dose in the body when using automatic exposure control system in general radiography. After making rectangular holes in the center of the abdominal thickness paraffin phantom, CT contrast agent and MRI contrast agent were respectively diluted with physiological saline solution for contrast medium dilution ratio of 10:0, 9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, 3:7, 2:8, 1:9, 0:10%. Each experiment was set to 78 kVp, 320 mA, which is the proper condition for KUB photography, and thereafter a total of 30 inspections were made for each dilution ratio using an automatic exposure control device, and the area dose corresponding to the dilution ratio of each contrast agent, Average comparison and correlation analysis were performed on the exposure index. As a result, the CT contrast agent and the MRI contrast agent appeared different in area dose according to the dilution ratio(p<0.05), and as the dilution ratio increased, the area dose increased for CT contrast agent and MRI contrast agent(P<0.05). In each test, the exposure index showed the manufacturer's recommendation of 200-800 EI value, and the exposure index and area dose increased as the area dose increased(p<0.05). In conclusion, CT contrast agent and MRI contrast agent confirmed to increase the area dose by general imaging test using all automatic exposure control device. Therefore, it is considered that it is necessary to perform it after the contrast medium has been excreted sufficiently when using usual imaging test after using the contrast agent in CT and MRI examination.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.81-101
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• 2021

Traditional department stores have been struggling to attract customers for several years. Many retail stores have closed in recent years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. The reinvention of in-store shopping value and experience is imperative to attract customers and reinvigorate retail business. The purpose of this study was to discover which in-store components can improve customer experiences and loyalty while also identifying dissatisfaction issues in consumer experiences in department stores. The data was collected from two consumer groups-luxury department store (Selfridges) customers and mid-market department store (Debenhams) customers-to identify the types of value and experiences they seek most often. The findings showed that to enhance their store patronage, Debenhams should reposition their brand image in a way that allows customers to connect with their self-image and lifestyle by improving efficiency and convenience and prioritizing the utilitarian and social value types. By contrast, Selfridges should enhancetheir store atmosphere, visual merchandising and sensory experiences by maximizing slow retailing experiences and emphasizing the aspirational self-concept image for symbolic and hedonic value. This research uncovered the existence of numerous overlappingvalue dimensions, each of which contributed to the enhancement of the others. Several young customers expressed their support for ecologically responsible, cost-effective second-hand luxury products. Instead of focusing merely on conventional value dimensions, department retailers should determine how environmental and ethical objectives can be fulfilled. This study explained how department stores can craft their in-store environments to appeal to their customers' preferred value types to ensure success in a competitive market.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.163-174
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• 2023

This study aims to investigate the effect of the composition of the board and ownership structure on a firm's value in Jordanian firms. Specifically, it aims to determine the effect of board size, (CEO) duality, and family, foreign, institutional, and government ownership on a firm's value. An ordinary least square regression (OLS) was employed to examine the study hypotheses in a sample of 35 Jordanian industrial firms (175 firm-year observation) for a period of five years from 2016-2020. As measured by Tobin's Q (Q ratio) and market-to-book (MB ratio) for Jordanian industrial firms listed on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE). The result found that foreign ownership, institutional ownership, and family ownership have a significant and positive effect on firm value. By contrast, government ownership does not have a significant effect on firm value. With respect to board composition (CEO duality and board size), the study results found no evidence to support the effect of board composition on firm value. The study recommended the concerned authorities with several recommendations, most notably: taking the necessary measures to ensure the continuity and growth of family businesses because of their positive impact on the value of the company and economic growth, spreading awareness about how governance protects the interests of investors.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 2009

Purpose: The PET of the PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) quantitatively shows the biological and chemical information of the body, but has limitation of presenting the clear anatomic structure. Thus combining the PET with CT, it is not only possible to offer the higher resolution but also effectively shorten the scanning time and reduce the noises by using CT data in attenuation correction. And because, at the CT scanning, the contrast media makes it easy to determine a exact range of the lesion and distinguish the normal organs, there is a certain increase in the use of it. However, in the case of using the contrast media, it affects semi-quantitative measures of the PET/CT images. In this study, therefore, we will be to establish the reliability of the SUV (Standardized Uptake Value) with CT data correction so that it can help more accurate diagnosis. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, a total of 30 people are targeted - age range: from 27 to 72, average age : 49.6 - and DSTe (General Electric Healthcare, Milwaukee, MI, USA) is used for equipment. $^{18}F$- FDG 370~555 MBq is injected into the subjects depending on their weight and, after about 60 minutes of their stable position, a whole-body scan is taken. The CT scan is set to 140 kV and 210 mA, and the injected amount of the contrast media is 2 cc per 1 kg of the patients' weight. With the raw data from the scan, we obtain a image showing the effect of the contrast media through the attenuation correction by both of the corrected and uncorrected CT data. Then we mark out ROI (Region of Interest) in each area to measure SUV and analyze the difference. Results: According to the analysis, the SUV is decreased in the liver and heart which have more bloodstream than the others, because of the contrast media correction. On the other hand, there is no difference in the lungs. Conclusions: Whereas the CT scan images with the contrast media from the PET/CT increase the contrast of the targeted region for the test so that it can improve efficiency of diagnosis, there occurred an increase of SUV, a semi-quantitative analytical method. In this research, we measure the variation of SUV through the correction of the influence of contrast media and compare the differences. As we revise the SUV which is increasing in the image with attenuation correction by using contrast media, we can expect anatomical images of high-resolution. Furthermore, it is considered that through this trusted semi-quantitative method, it will definitely enhance the diagnostic value.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Telematics and Electronics S
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• v.34S no.11
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• pp.102-113
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• 1997

In this paepr, a new image segmentation method reducing efficiently contour information causing bottleneck problem at segmentatio-based very low bit rate codingis proposed, while preserving objective and subjective quality. It consists of 4-level hierarchical image segmentation based on mathematical morphology and 1-leve region merging structure using contast of two adjacent regions. For two adjacent region pairs at the fourth level included in each region of the thid level, contrast is calculated. Among the pairs of two adjacent regions with less value than threshold, two adjacent regions having the minimum contrast are merged first. After region merging, texture of the merged region is updated. The procedure is performed recursively for all the adjacent region pairs at the fourth level included in each region of the third level. Compared with the previous method, the objective and subjective image qualities are similar. But it reduces 46.65% texture information on the average by decreasing total region number to be tansmitted. Specially, it shows reduction of the 23.95% contour information of the average. Thus, it can improve efficiently the bottleneck problem at segementation-based very low bit rate coding.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.698-704
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• 2013

The image process for image enhancement applies differently the same algorithm for each application. So, the optimized value for each application is required. In this paper, the X-ray medical image using a high-pass filter was improved edges. The result image was improved edge and the contrast of flat area using a constant multiplier and offset. Therefore, the high-frequency emphasis filter optimized for medical image is required. These optimized values are the gaussian high-pass filter, the distance of cutoff frequency=0.05 and offset=0.5. From the result of optimaized simulation, The proposed method has enhanced contrast and edge of the image in the contrast of existing mothods.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.37-49
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• 2011

To examine the possible changes in the SNRs, CNRs, and ADC values for lumbar spines with metastasis based on the DW images before and after contrast agent injection taken from metastatic spinal cancer patients using a 1.5 T MR machine. The quantitative analysis revealed that in case of spinal cancer subjects, both SNRs and CNRs at all of those assessed locations significantly increased on the DWI after contrast agent injection compared to before, while on the ADC map images, SNRs significantly decreased. On the other hand, significantly decreased ADC values at all the assessed locations were found on the ADC map images. With reference to the normal group, significantly increased SNRs were found at all of the assessed locations on the DWI image after injection compared to before, while significantly decreased SNRs were found on the ADC map images. Also, significantly decreased ADC values at all the assessed locations were found on the ADC map images. For the qualitative analysis, after contrast agent injection, significantly increased signal intensities were found at the locations with spinal cancer on the DWI. In contrast, significantly decreased signal intensities were found on the ADC map images. The implication from the results showing that SNR and CNR significantly increased while ADC value significantly decreased at, above, and below the location of metastatic spinal cancer on DWI after contrast agent injection is that DWI obtained after contrast agent injection can be made available for wider application to vertebral disorders.