• Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.81-88
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• 2005

Electrodermal activity(EDA) is a bio-electric signal which occurs at the skin surface during the sweating. EDA reflects the activity of the sympathetic axis of the autonomic nervous system. EDA is associated with the eccrine sweat gland at the palmar and plamar surface. This study was aimed to characterize the relationship between EDA and auditory stimulus intensities. Acoustic stimulus used in this study were 500 Hz, 1 kHz, 2 kHz of narrow band noise, which were representative of speech frequencies in audible range. Stimulus intensity between 90 and 30 dB in 10 dB within dynamic range. After deriving the minimum stimulus intensity(threshold of skin potential) which elicited skin potential, and then the latency and amplitude were derived from waveform of skin potential, each latency and amplitude were compared to stimulus intensity. The waveform of skin potential were recorded stably, and the threshold of skin potential appeared nearly the hearing threshold level of the participant. The latency was decreased and the amplitude was increased according to the increase of the stimulus intensity. These results suggest that auditory evoked skin potential can be applicable to auditory assessment and audiological diagnosis tool.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.31 no.6 s.261
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• pp.686-693
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• 2007

To perceive body movement, the nervous system uses multi-sensory cues such as vision, vestibular signals, and somatosensation. Among the multi-sensory modality, the previous researchers reported that the lower limb somatosensation plays an important role on maintaining postural balance. In this study, we examined the contribution of somatosensory cues to linear motion perception by measuring the detection threshold of the direction of linear motion with and without lower limb somatosensory constraints. Six healthy male volunteers participated in randomly ordered 33 single sinusoidal acceleration trials with the stimulus at 0.25Hz with peak magnitude ranged from 0 to 8mG. After each stimulus, subjects reported their perceived direction of motion by button press. Results showed that the reduced lower limb somatosensation significantly increased perception threshold. Without constraints, mean threshold was $0.82{\pm}0.23mG$, while it was $1.23{\pm}0.35mG$ with reduced lower limb somatosensation. The results suggest that without visual cues, perception of the movement direction strongly depends on the lower limb somatosensory information.

• Journal of the HCI Society of Korea
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.19-26
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• 2006

This paper presents a novel pneumatic tactile display that can deliver some useful information. The air-jet display forms 5 by 5 arrays and features air nozzles with an external diameter of 2.4mm and internal diameter of 1.5 mm. In comparison with other tactile displays such as vibrotactile, there is little concrete psychophysical data relating to pneumatic displays, a fact which hinders their adoption. This paper addresses this challenge, and presents brief psychophysical studies examining localization rate, the two point threshold, stimulus intensity and the temporal threshold of cues produced by pneumatic air jets. Two groups of subjects were used in these studies, subsequently termed groups A and B. Both were comprised of eight participants. In the case of localization study we obtained 58.13% and 85.9% of localization rates each for dense display and sparse display. Two-points threshold test showed the length of gap between two air-jet stimuli which subjects can detect. However, it was formidable to find out precise temporal resolution of PTI owing to the limitation of capability of the pneumatic valves. Lastly, the results of stimulus intensity study suggest that by varying the size of a pneumatically created tactile stimulus, we can effectively vary its perceived magnitude.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.81-90
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• 2024

In this study, we aimed to determine the effect on cerebral blood vessels of various stimulus intensities using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). In particular, we wanted to monitor changes in blood flow and structural changes in the blood vessels in the common carotid artery (CCA) through low-intensity electrical stimulation that can cause non-perceptual sensory stimulation. Twenty-four healthy adults in their 20s participated in this study. Three stimulus intensities (below the sensory threshold, at the sensory threshold, and above the sensory threshold) were applied in random order. Changes in blood flow velocity according to the intensity of TENS stimulus were measured by placing the Doppler ultrasound transducer 1 cm below the CCA bifurcation, and the vascular structure was measured using B-mode imaging. C-mode Doppler and B-mode images were acquired before, during, and after the intervention for each stimulus, and changes in blood pressure were measured in each session. As a result, it was confirmed that peak systolic velocity (PSV) decreased significantly after the intervention in non-perceived sensory stimulation below the threshold, compared to other thresholds (p = .008). In particular, the PSV decreased by 3.04% on average compared to before stimulation (p = .011). However, there was no significant change in the CCA diameters before and after stimulation at all intensities. It was found that short-term, non-perceptual sensory stimulation was effective in reducing the blood flow rate without causing significant changes in either the blood vessel diameter or blood pressure. This change appears to be caused by a decrease in blood flow due to the effect of subtle vasodilation at non-perceptual sensory stimulation, and at stimulation intensity higher than that, the sympathetic nerves in the blood vessels are stimulated excessively and the blood vessels constrict. Therefore, this study can be rated as an important attempt to control blood flow through stimulation without such a psychological burden and sensory discomfort in the carotid area.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.269-273
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• 2001

Proper determination of pacing threshold is important for patient safety and pacemaker longevity. In general, cardiac muscle contractions caused by pacing pulses are verified by observing the morphology of surface ECG displayed on a monitor. In this study, a method of automatic pacing threshold determination based on morphological difference between intrinsic and paced ECGs was developed. First, characteristics of intrinsic ECG and paced ECG were analyzed in time and frequency domain and a proper discrimination parameter was extracted. Then, the automatic capture verification method based on the parameter was developed and applied to 23 pacemaker patients. The selected parameter was the area of ventricular depolarization wave during 80ms after pacing stimulus. It was found that the method was reliable and effective in identifying paced ECG and, thereby, determing a proper pacing threshold.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Ocean Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.42-47
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate visual threshold of nigro (Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum) on white LED light. The visual threshold was obtained by analyzing electrocardiogram (ECG) of the nigro. 5 individuals (body weight: 15.62~45.49 g; TL: 8.9~12.4 cm) were trained for lights by an electric stimulus. And then the heart rate (beats/10s) before and after switching on the light were compared. Light intensity range was from 0.00 to 226.4 lux. Average heart rate was 10.36 beats/10s in the normal condition. When the fish perceived the light, the heart rate was decreased. Visual threshold of the fish was 2.59 lux.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2004

The purpose of this study were to examine the effect of high intensity, low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation at auricular acupuncture points on experimental pain threshold measured at the wrist and to determine the changes in effect over time. Forty-two healthy adult men and women were assigned randomly to one of three treatment groups. Group 1(n=15) received TENS to appropriate auricular points for wrist, Group 2(n=12) received TENS to wrist, and Group 3(n=15) received no TENS. We measured experimental pain threshold at the wrist after an electrical stimulus during one pre-treatment and three post-treatment time periods. Group 1 and 2 showed stastically significant increase(p<0.05) in pain threshold after treatment whereas the Group 3 did not. Group 1 showed a significant increase in pain threshold than Group 2. These results suggest that high intensity, low frequency TENS applied to appropriate auricular acupuncture points can increase pain threshold.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.85-98
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• 1991

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of low - power laser used in the medical field for various purposes to suppress pain responses evoked by noxious electrical or mechanical stimuli. After both inferior alveolar nerves and the left anterior digastric muscle of cats under general anesthesia were exposed, a recording electrode for the jaw opening reflex was inserted into the anterior digastric muscle. The right inferior alveolar nerve was dissected under a surgical microscope until the response of the functional single nerve could be evoked by the electrical stimulation of the dental pulp or oral mucosa. The electrical stimulus was applied with a rectangular pulse of 10 ms duration for measuring the threshold intensity of a single nerve fiber in the inferior alveolar nerve which responds to stimulation of dental pulp and oral mucosa. Then a pulse of 1 ms duration was applied for determination of conduction velocity. A noxious mechanical stimulus to the oral mucosa was applied by clamping the receptive field with an arterial clamp. The Ga-As diodide laser(wave length, 904 nm ; frequency, 1,000 Hz) was irradiated to the prepared tooth cavity, inferior alveolar nerve and oral mucosa as a pulse wave of 2 mW for 6 minutes. This was followed by a continuous wave of 15 mW for 3 minutes. The action potential of the nerve and EMG of the digastric muscle evoked by the noxious electrical stimulus and nerve response to noxious mechanical stimulus were compared at intervals of before, immediately after, and at 5, 10, 20, 40, 60 minutes after laser irradiation. The results were as follows: The conduction velocity of the intrapulpal $A{\delta}$- nerve fiber recorded from the inferior alveolar nerve before irradiation had a mean value of $6.68{\pm}2.07m/sec$. The laser irradiation did not affect the conduction velocity of the AS - nerve fiber and did not change the threshold intensity or amplitude of the action potential either. The EMG of the digastric muscle evoked by noxious electrical stimulation to the tooth was not changed by the laser irradiation, whether in latency, threshold intensity or amplitude. The laser irradiated to the receptive field of the oral mucosa which was subjected to noxious stimuli did not affect the amplitude of the action potential or the frequency either.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 1998

The effects of CRP purified from human ascites fluid on phagocytic activity of the human macrophage were investigated. CRP was purified using affinity chromatography including absorption on p-diazonium phosphocholine or C-polysaccharide coupled sepharose 4B and gel filtration on hydroxylapatite column chromatography. Macrophage was separated ficoll hypaque gradient density and absorption method, and then was confirmed phagocytic uptake test using latex method. CRP was able either to inhibit or to enhance phagocytic activity of human macrophage against bacteria in vitro. The effects of CRP on phagocytic activity of human macrophage were in time and dose-dependent manners. The additional sequence of reaction mixture against bacteria in vitro shows a threshold stimulus on the activation of phagocytic response upon the CRP.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 1997

The purposes of this study were 1) to determine the changes between pre-treatment and post-treatment of four groups of 15 persons each and 2) to compare the effect of conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS) and laser at auricular acupuncture points on experimental pain threshold measured at the wrist. Sixty healthy adult men and women(M:32, F:28), aged 20 to 28 years, were assigned randomly to one of four groups. Group 1 received TENS to the appropriate auricular point for wrist pain, Group 2 received laser to the appropriate auricular point for wrist pain, Group 3 received placebo TENS to the appropriate auricular point for wrist pain, Group 4 received no treatment and served as controls. Experimental pain threshold at the wrist was determined with a painful electrical stimulus before and 20 minutes after ear stimulation. Group 1 was the only group that showed a stastically significant increase (p<0.05) in pain threshold after treatment whereas the Group 2,3 and 4 did not. These results suggest that TENS has the capability to higher pain threshold but laser does not.