• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2007

Objective: The first aim of this study is to determine the effects of acupuncture on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) via Heart Rate (HR) and Pupil Size (PS), and to compare the effects of acupuncture on the subjects' ANS when they are in a sitting position with the effects when they are in a supine position. Methods: Ten healthy male subjects were randomized to receive either verum acupuncture stimulation in a sitting position (SitV), verum acupuncture stimulation in a supine position (SupV), sham acupuncture stimulation in a sitting position (SitS), and sham acupuncture stimulation in a supine position (SupS). Acupuncture stimulation was applied to Neguan point (PC6) on the forearm. The subject's electrocardiogram (ECG) and pupil size were recorded continuously from 5 min before stimulation to 12 min after stimulation. Results: Verum and sham acupuncture stimulation were found to have reduced heart rate (p<0.01) and to have increased pupil size (p<0.01) in all the subjects. But when the reduction in HR and the increment in PS after verum acupuncture stimulation (both sitting and supine position) were compared with those after sham acupuncture stimulation, it was found that the reduction in HR (74.48 and 73.47 bpm, p<0.063) and the increment of PS (7.32 and, 6.10 mm, p<0.001) after verum acupuncture stimulation were greater than those after sham acupuncture stimulation, and that the corresponding values were statistically significant. In addition, at the baseline, it was found that the subjects had a larger PS and a faster HR in a sitting position than when they did so in a supine position. And then the reduction and increment ratio in the subject's HR and PS when they underwent acupuncture stimulation in a sitting position was significantly different from the reduction and increment in their HR and PS when they underwent the procedure in a supine position-i.e., the reduction ratio in HR was greater when they underwent the procedure in a sitting position, and such reduction ratio was statistically significant (p<0.05). As for the increment in PS, it was greater when the subjects underwent the procedure in a supine position, and such increment was significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Manual acupuncture stimulation on Neguan point (PC6) has more significant influence on the autonomic nervous system rather than sham acupuncture (tactile stimulation). And the position-induced different states of ANS have different influence on the acupuncture effect.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.63-76
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• 2003

This research was performed to compare spinal segment motion angle between low back pain (LBP) group and painless group during trunk flexion-extension and to investigate the effect of transversus abdominis strengthening exercise on spinal segment motion angle in LBP group. Nine subjects with LBP and ten subjects without LBP participated. Transversus abdominis strengthening exercise was performed in LBP group for three weeks, and spinal segment motion angles were compared before and after the exercise performance. Spinal segment motion angles were measured both in sitting and standing position. Results were as followed: 1) Subjects' average age was 24.79 years, height was 167.84 cm, and weight was 59.95 kg. 2) Spinal segment motion angle of T10/l1 was significantly higher in LBP group compared with painless group (p<.05) in sitting position during trunk flexion-extension. 3) In sitting position, whereas entire lumbar segment motion angles were lower in LBP group compared with painless group (p<.05), angle of L4/5 was higher in LBP group compared with painless group (p<.05). 4) There was no significant difference in thoracic segment motion angle in standing position. 5) After three weeks of transversus abdominis strengthening exercise, thoracic segment motion angle increased both in sitting and standing position (p<.05). 6) In painless group, there was no significant difference in entire spinal segment motion angles in sitting and standing position (p>.05). When spinal segment motion angles were compared between sitting and standing position, there were slight differences. In sitting position, there was no difference in spinal segment motion angle between LBP group and painless group while hip joint motion angle and sacral inclination angle of LBP group was lower than those of painless group (p<.05). In standing position, lumbar segment motion angle was significantly lower in LBP group than that of painless group. Transversus abdominis strengthening exercise influenced thoracic segment motion angle more significantly than lumbar segment motion angle.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.111-126
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• 2005

Subjects were two teachers each with higher or with lower play teaching efficacy, and the 111 four and five-year-old children they taught. Using naturalistic observation, children's constructive play was videotaped and transcribed for 60 minutes on ten consecutive days in each classroom. Play was analyzed by level of constructive play, continuous length of play, variety of materials, enrichment of activities, and coherence of content. Constructive play of children whose teachers had higher efficacy in teaching play showed longer continuous play, used a higher variety of materials, and their play had more creative integrity. Five-year-olds exhibited longer continuous play, used a larger variety of play materials, more enrichment of play activity, and more coherence in play contents than four-year-olds.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.237-251
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• 2001

It is important for nursing managers to understand the lived experience of nursing care for dying patients in clinical nurses for the effective management of them. The purpose of this Phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of nursing care for the dying patients in clinical nurses and identify the meaning and structure of their lived experience. This study was conducted from 1 of June, 2000 to 1 of November, 2000. Data were collected with several in-depth interviews until data were fully saturated, from 1 of June, 2000 to 10 of September, 2000. The Subjects were five nurses who had more than three-year job experience in caring for dying patients, three protestant christians and two atheists, one married and four unmarried persons. The range of their age was from 28 to 36. Data were analysed by the Colaizzi's methodology. Ten themes were extracted from fifty-one fomulated-meanings. Fomulated-meanings were extracted from the restatements and the significant-statements which were deriven from the raw data. Finally ten themes took form of five structures. Five structures of 'The lived experience of nursing care for the dying patients in clinical nurses' were : 1. Experiencing guilty feeling and anger due to their and other's manneristic and ignored attitude toward dying patients 2. Feeling heartily the necessity of the education of hospice care because of their incompetence due to lack of knowledge of hospice care 3. Recognizing the human rights of dying patient's thinking themselves and their families 4. Felling satisfaction with their nursing accomplishments and reflecting their life through nursing care of the dying patients 5. Experiencing low self-respect due to the other's negative perspective toward their job The results of the study would give useful information to nursing managers to understand the lived experience of nursing care for dying patients in clinical nurses and establish adequate strategies to support them.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.383-391
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• 1998

This study was conducted to find the effect of in-class nutrition education and exercise program for obese adolescent boys in Taegu with the nutrition knowledge test before and after education program and anthropometric measurement. The subjects were consisted of a normal group (NG; n= 13) and an obese group (n=30). The obese group is divided into two groups; obese group A (OG-A; n=12), participated in a ten-week nutrition education only; and obese group B (OG-B; n=28), participated in a ten-week nutrition education and exercise program. The anthropometric data of the three groups were increased after the nutrition education program. However the obesity index(BMI, R hrer, WHR, Skinfold thickness) of OG-B were significantly decreased after the programs. The nutrition intake data were also changed after the nutrition education program. Especially the intake of carbohydrate was significantly decreased in OG-B from $421.5{\pm}155.9g$ to $349.0{\pm}41.0g$ (p<0.05) after the nutrition education program. It was noted that the intake of Ca was significantly decreased in all three groups after the nutrition education program. The mean score of the nutrition knowledge test also significantly increased from $13.7{\pm}3.1$ to $17.8{\pm}3.0$ after the nutrition education program. The result strongly suggested that nutrition education program should be successful if the obese adolescents and their parents especially mothers participated in the same class. In summary, nutrition education and exercise programs were effective on reducing obesity of obese adolescents. Nutrition knowledge of obese adolescent was significantly increased after nutrition education program.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2007

This study examined the effects of hold-relax with agonist contraction (HR-AC) on the symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) induced by intensive eccentric exercise of the non-dominant biceps brachii. Ten men (mean age=26.7 yrs, mean height=172.1 cm, mean weight=66.2 kg) and ten women (mean age=27.4 yrs, mean height=165.9 cm, mean weight=60.7 kg) who had not participated in a regular exercise program for the upper extremities in the previous six months were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups: the HR-AC group, or the control group. We measured joint range of motion (ROM), maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), and muscle soreness before eccentric exercise, and 24, 48, and 72 hours after eccentric exercise. The subjects in the HR-AC group received the HR-AC technique in the non-dominant biceps brachii. The HR-AC technique was applied 24 and 48 hours after eccentric exercise. There was no significant difference between the HR-AC and the control group. However, the HR-AC group, compared to the control group, had a significant difference between the time points of the various parameters. Increased ROM (p<.05), decreased muscle soreness (p<.05), and reduced MVIC (p<.05) were found in the HR-AC group after 72 hours. Decreased ROM (p<.05) and MVIC (p<.05), and increased muscle soreness (p<.05) were observed in the control group. These findings suggest that the HR-AC technique effectively reduces muscle soreness and increases ROM 72 hours after eccentric exercise.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.283-291
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the head and tibial acceleration signal magnitudes, and their powers and shock attenuations between flat-footed and normal-footed running. Methods : Ten flat-footed and ten normal-footed subjects ran barefoot on a treadmill with a force plate at 3.22m/s averaged from their preferred running speed using heel-toe running pattern while the head and tibial acceleration in the vertical axis data was collected. The accelerometers were sampled at 2000 Hz and voltage was set at 100 mv, respectively. The peak magnitudes of the head and tibial acceleration signals in time domain were calculated. The power spectral density(PSD) of each signal in the frequency domain was also calculated. In addition to that, shock attenuation was calculated by a transfer function of the head PSD relative to the tibia PSD. A one-way analysis of variance was used to determine the difference in time and frequency domain acceleration variables between the flat-footed and normal-footed groups running. Results : Peaks of the head and tibial acceleration signals were significantly greater during flat-footed group running than normal-footed group running(p<.05). PSDs of the tibial acceleration signal in the lower and higher frequency range were significantly greater during flat-footed running(p<.05), but PSDs of the head acceleration signal were not statistically different between the two groups. Flat-footed group running resulted in significantly greater shock attenuation for the higher frequency ranges compared with normal-footed group running(p<.05). Conclusion : The difference in impact shock magnitude and frequency content between flat-footed and normal-footed group during running suggested that the body had different ability to control impact shock from acceleration. It might be conjectured that flat-footed running was more vulnerable to potential injury than normal-footed running from an impact shock point of view.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.42
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• pp.17.1-17.11
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• 2020

Background: To evaluate the facial asymmetry, three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) has been used widely. This study proposed a method to quantify facial asymmetry based on 3D-CT. Methods: The normal standard group consisted of twenty-five male subjects who had a balanced face and normal occlusion. Five anatomical landmarks were selected as reference points and ten anatomical landmarks were selected as measurement points to evaluate facial asymmetry. The formula of facial asymmetry index was designed by using the distances between the landmarks. The index value on a specific landmark indicated zero when the landmarks were located on the three-dimensional symmetric position. As the asymmetry of landmarks increased, the value of facial asymmetry index increased. For ten anatomical landmarks, the mean value of facial asymmetry index on each landmark was obtained in the normal standard group. Facial asymmetry index was applied to the patients who had undergone orthognathic surgery. Preoperative facial asymmetry and postoperative improvement were evaluated. Results: The reference facial asymmetry index on each landmark in the normal standard group was from 1.77 to 3.38. A polygonal chart was drawn to visualize the degree of asymmetry. In three patients who had undergone orthognathic surgery, it was checked that the method of facial asymmetry index showed the preoperative facial asymmetry and the postoperative improvement well. Conclusions: The current new facial asymmetry index could efficiently quantify the degree of facial asymmetry from 3D-CT. This method could be used as an evaluation standard for facial asymmetry analysis.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.689-694
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• 2011

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the fluctuation of signal amplitude during repetitive dynamic contraction based on surface electromyography(EMG). Background: The most previous studies were considered isometric muscle contraction and they were difference to smoothing window length by moving average filter. In practical, the human movement is dynamic state. Dynamic EMG signal which indicated as the nonstationary pattern should be analyzed differently compared with the static EMG signal. Method: Ten male subjects participated in this experiment, and EMG signal was recorded by biceps brachii, anterior/posterior deltoid, and upper/lower trapezius muscles. The subject was performed to repetitive right horizontal lifting task during ten cycles. This study was considered three independent variables(muscle, amplitude processing technique, and smoothing window length) as the within-subject experimental design. This study was estimated muscular activation by means of the linear envelope technique(LE). The dependent variable was set coefficient of variation(CV) of LE for each cycle. Results: The ANOVA results showed that the main and interaction effects between the amplitude processing technique and smoothing window length were significant difference. The CV value of peak LE was higher than mean LE. According to increase the smoothing window length, this study shows that the CV trend of peak LE was decreased. However, the CV of mean LE was analyzed constant fluctuation trend regardless of the smoothing window length. Conclusion: Based on these results, we expected that using the mean LE and 300ms window length increased reproducibility and signal noise ratio during repetitive dynamic muscle contraction. Application: These results can be used to provide fundamental information for repetitive dynamic EMG signal processing.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.536-545
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• 2016

Household refrigerator radiates noise of which the pattern is dependent on the operating condition of its parts, such as compressor, flow fans, etc. Thus the refrigerator noise has a variety of frequency characteristics. Therefore, it is required to consider the noise characteristics for evaluating the noise quality and eventually developing the sound quality index of the refrigerator noise. In this study, five units of household refrigerator were selected to measure their noises that were used to generate sound sources for jury test of the study. The measured noises of five refrigerators were divided into ten kinds of sound source by considering operating condition and frequency characteristics. Additionally, the ten sources were each edited to have the same SPL of 30 dBA. Totally twenty kinds of sound sources (10-original SPL, 10-edited SPL 30 dBA) were evaluated by twenty-two subjects, and compared with their sound quality metrics. It was found that only the loudness of the metrics was meaningfully correlated with the subjective evaluation. The rests, sharpness, roughness and fluctuation strength, were not related. The conclusion of this study is that a new sophisticated index is necessary to be developed to qualitatively evaluate the household refrigerator noise.