• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.20-26
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• 2020

Background: High complication rate after open reduction and internal fixation can lead to use of primary total elbow replacement (TER) in treatment of complex distal humerus fractures in elderly patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term outcomes and complications after primary TER in patients with complex distal humerus fracture. Methods: Nine patients with acute complex distal humerus fracture were treated by primary TER using the semiconstrained Coonrad-Morrey prosthesis. The mean age of patients was 72.7 years (range, 63-85 years). Clinical and radiographic outcomes were evaluated over a mean follow-up of 29.0 months (range, 12-65 months) using visual analog scale (VAS) score for pain; Mayo elbow performance score (MEPS); Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (Quick-DASH) score; and serial plain radiographs. Complications were also evaluated. Results: At the final follow-up, mean VAS, MEPS, and Quick-DASH scores were 1.2, 80.5, and 20, respectively. The mean range of motion was 127.7° of flexion, 13.8° of extension, 73.3° of pronation, and 74.4° of supination. There was no evidence of bushing wear or high-grade implant loosening on serial plain radiographs. Three complications (33.3%) comprising two periprosthetic fractures and one ulnar neuropathy were observed. Conclusions: Primary TER for treatment of complex distal humerus fractures in elderly patients yielded satisfactory short-term outcomes. However, surgeons should consider the high complication rate after primary TER.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.120-126
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• 2018

Background: Treatment of distal humerus fractures in osteoporotic elderly patients is often challenging. For non-reconstructible fractures with open reduction and internal fixation, total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is an acceptable alternative. However, the relatively high complication rates and lifelong activity restrictions make TEA less ideal for elderly or low-demand patients. Efforts to identify or develop alternate procedures that benefit relatively young, high-demand patients have resulted in increased interest in hemiarthroplasty. This systematic review reports the clinical outcomes of hemiarthroplasty for distal humeral fractures. Methods: We systematically reviewed the databases of PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library. All English-language studies published before June 2017 were considered for possible inclusion. Search terms included 'distal humerus fracture' and 'hemiarthroplasty'. Studies reporting outcomes (and a minimum of 1 year clinical follow-up) in human subjects after hemiarthroplasty (Latitude system) for distal humeral fractures were assessed for inclusion. Patient demographics, clinical and radiographic outcomes, and complications were recorded, and homogenous outcome measures were analyzed. Results: Nine studies with a total of 115 patients met the inclusion criteria. Among the included studies, the weighted mean follow-up time was 35.4 months. Furthermore, the weighted mean of the postoperative range of motion ($107.6^{\circ}$ flexion-extension, $157.5^{\circ}$ for pronation-supination) and functional outcomes (Mayo elbow performance scores: 85.8, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score: 19.6) were within the acceptable range. Conclusions: Our study indicates that hemiarthroplasty is a viable option for comminuted distal humerus fracture. Satisfactory functional outcomes were observed in most patients.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.162-170
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• 2017

In this paper, it is aim to implement a wheelchair monitoring system that provides users with customized medical services easily in everyday life, together with mobility guarantee, which is the most basic requirement of the elderly and disabled persons with physical disabilities. The case-based intelligent wheelchair monitoring system proposed in this study is based on a case-based k-NN algorithm, which implements a system for constructing and inferring examples of various biometric and environmental information of wheelchair users as a knowledge database and a monitoring interface for wheelchair users. In order to confirm the usefulness of the case-based k-NN algorithm, the SVM algorithm showed an average accuracy of 84.2% and the average accuracy of the proposed case-based k-NN algorithm was 86.2% And showed higher performance in terms of accuracy. The system implemented in this paper has the advantage of measuring biometric information and data communication regardless of time and place and it can provide customized service of wheelchair user through user friendly interface.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.239-248
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• 2009

Currently in Korea, Researches on universal design have been actively accomplished in various fields as not only housing and public space, but also product design and education. The purpose of this study is to analyze previous researches on universal design and to identify its research trends which might suggest the future directions of the related studies. In this study, researches on universal design were analyzed to classify the types according to research area, objects and respondents. Two hundreds twenty one papers(journal articles, theses, dissertations, etc.) which were published in Korea from 1997 to 2008 were analyzed. The results were as follows. Researches on universal design have increased quantitatively and research topics have been diverse. In the 1990s, with the introduction of universal design concept, research area focused on space design, but since 2000 researches on universal design have been expanded to apply the fashion, product design and education. In terms of research objects, the studies about evaluation and case analysis have conducted more than those about principles and planning design. With regard to research respondent, the studies for the elderly or people with disabilities and those of all people including a specific target have conducted in a similar ratio. Previous studies were contributed to expand the topics of universal design and it is time to study the applications based on previous research results for utilization and dissemination of universal design. Also it is necessary to conduct interdisciplinary studies in the field of universal design.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

Background: This study evaluates the usability of the Motion-Tracking Gait Assistive Walker (MTGAW) designed for elderly individuals and those with disabilities, identifying areas for improvement through interviews with physical and occupational therapists. Design: A survey study involves the usability test for MTGAW. Methods: Usability evaluations were conducted with 37 physical therapists and occupational therapists. The process included explanation, product usage, satisfaction surveys, and interviews. A satisfaction survey covering 19 items across safety, maneuverability, usability, and management areas was administered. Individual interviews identified areas for improvement. Results: Overall, high satisfaction was reported across the four areas, but interviews highlighted the need for improvements, such as addressing discomfort due to slow speed and enhancing safety measures to prevent rear-end falls. Adjusting the walker's height and width to suit the user's physique was also suggested. Conclusion: MTGAW enhances walking support and hand movement freedom but needs refinement in speed control, fall prevention, and customization based on the user physique. Future efforts should focus on developing an improved MTGAW, considering recommendations from physical therapy experts, and conducting studies to analyze its clinical effectiveness for commercialization.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.335-347
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• 2019

This study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between social support and depression of the elderly in care facilities. We enrolled 328 elderly people aged 65 years or older, admitted to 15 care facilities located in D metropolitan city. Data were collected through personal interviews conducted by interviewers who visited each care facility, from March 1 to May 31, 2018. Our results indicate a significantly higher distribution of depression in the group having lower social support; the score of depression was determined to be in a significant positive correlation with social support. Considering logistic regression, the adjusted odds ratio in the depressed group increased significantly by 2.7 times in the high group (Q3), 5.4 times in the middle group (Q2) and 10.1 times in the low group (Q1), which had the very high group of social support score. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the factors influencing depression include religion status, relationship with children, subjective health status, physical disabilities, smoking status, breakfast status, and social support, and the explanation power of the injected variables is 41.1%. Taken together, our findings indicate that the level of depression amongst the elderly in care facilities is significantly related to the social support available.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.45-53
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• 2015

The concept of universal design has become an essential requirement for environmental design, due to the growing population of the aged, and the increasing needs of people with disabilities. This study aims to propose a universal design guideline for apartment housing units that can be adapted to both a general household and a household with elderly or disabled individuals. This design process encompasses literary reviews, and includes the measurements of the dimensions and facilities of currently available apartment housing. The three domestic universal guidelines were reviewed, and a universal design checklist for apartment housing units was developed. Afterward, the individual elements and inclusive factors of universal design, for apartment housing units, were collected and examined according to the each functional space within the home. The results and conclusions are as follows: 1) The factors of universal design are diversified by the division of the functional spaces within the home, such as the private space, the work space and the entertaining space. 2) Due to the lack of space and storage, wheelchairs cannot be used in most currently available apartment types; this problem can be resolved by applying flexibility and optional adaptation. The solutions for the above are additional design factors that will enable more convenient usage and elaborate design.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2018.05a
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• pp.533-535
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• 2018

In the 21st century, in which the accident rate is rapidly increasing in proportion to the development of automobiles, In order to reduce the number of accidents, this paper was written for the convenience of the elderly people with disabilities and the handicapped. When a driver's safety accidents and various signals are transmitted through a smart phone by voice, the voice signal is processed as a video signal through the rear LED pannel of the vehicle, so that an urgent situation or a current state can be clarified It is also possible to use the local area network as a billboard and I would like to propose a study to show the advertising effect and current traffic situation.

• Transactions on Control, Automation and Systems Engineering
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.229-235
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• 2001

Recently, service area has been emerging field f robotic applications. Even though assistant robots play an important role for the disabled and the elderly, they still suffer from operating the robots using conventional interface devices such as joysticks or keyboards. In this paper we propose an efficient computer interface using real-time eye-gaze tracking system. The inputs to the proposed system are images taken by a camera and data from a magnetic sensor. The measured data is sufficient to describe the eye and head movement because the camera and the receiver of a magnetic sensor are stationary with respect to the head. So the proposed system can obtain the eye-gaze direction in spite of head movement as long as the distance between the system and the transmitter of a magnetic position sensor is within 2m. Experimental results show the validity of the proposed system in practical aspect and also verify the feasibility of the system as a new computer interface for the disabled.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.491-496
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• 2015

Electric handbike can be easily detachable to various sizes of manual wheelchair and the elderly and people with disabilities can use them easily. Therefore, connectors used for coupling between the handbike and manual wheelchair must secure structural stability for occupant safety. However, related research is rare. The aim of this study is to find the connector with highly structural stability by comparing static and dynamic mechanical characteristics among three typical connectors(a snatch lock, a slide latch, and a fastener) by computational simulations. To perform static and dynamic simulation, we referred to durability test based on Korean Standards and then calculated mechanical stresses in connectors. The results showed that the snatch lock addressed the lowest von-mises stress under the same mechanical condition. Therefore when using the combination of a handbike and a wheelchair, we concluded that the snatch lock is considered as the structurally stable connector to structural stability and usability.