• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.97-103
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• 2009

The status and the property of a tongue are the important indicators to diagnose one's health like physiological and clinicopathological changes of inner organs. However, the tongue diagnosis is affected by examination circumstances like a light source, patient's posture, and doctor's condition. To develop an automatic tongue diagnosis system for an objective and standardized diagnosis, classifying tongue coating is inevitable but difficult since the features like color and texture of the tongue coatings and substance have little difference, especially in the neighborhood on the tongue surface. The proposed method has two procedures; the first is to acquire the color table to classify tongue coatings and substance by automatically separating coating regions marked by oriental medical doctors, decomposing the color components of the region into hue, saturation and brightness and obtaining the 2nd order discriminant with statistical data of hue and saturation corresponding to each kind of tongue coatings, and the other is to apply the tongue region in an input image to the color table, resulting in separating the regions of tongue coatings and classifying them automatically. As a result, kinds of tongue coatings and substance were segmented from a face image corresponding to regions marked by oriental medical doctors and the color table for classification took hue and saturation values as inputs and produced the classification of the values into white coating, yellow coating and substance in a digital tongue diagnosis system. The coating regions classified by the proposed method were almost the same to the marked regions. The exactness of classification was 83%, which is the degree of correspondence between what Oriental medical doctors diagnosed and what the proposed method classified. Since the classified regions provide effective information, the proposed method can be used to make an objective and standardized diagnosis and applied to an ubiquitous healthcare system. Therefore, the method will be able to be widely used in Oriental medicine.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.1493-1499
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• 2003

This study was examined for effects of acupuncture of Chok-Samni(ST36) on the facial thermography in health subjects, The volunteers who participating in this study had taken rest for 15 mins in room temperature (19-21 ℃) before the examination and informed them what to prohibit smoking, drinking and administration of drug for the previous day, The thermography of face was taken using Digital Infrared Thermographic Imaging (D.I.T.I. : Dorex, DTI-16UT1, U.S.A.) by time interval of 35 minutes at 15 min before and 20 min after acupuncture stimulation. Thermal temperature of Yangbaek(GB14), Myon-koryo(ST3) and Chichang(ST4) was measured and compared, The results showed that acupuncture of Chok-Samni(ST36) decreased the Absolute difference of temperature between Myon-koryo(ST3) and Chichang(ST4) (p<0,05, Data were represented mean±S,E.M.(n=33)), But, acupuncture of Chok-Samni(ST36) particularly decreased the absolute difference of temperature between Yangbaek(GB14) and Chichang(ST4) and particularly decreased the absolute difference of temperature between Vangbaek(GB14) and Myon-koryo(ST3) (p<0,05, Data were represented mean±S,E.M.(n=33)). Also, it was observed that acupuncture of Chok-Samni(ST36) decreased variety of the color tone of thermographic contour line and decreased thermal distribution. The results showed that acupuncture of Chok-5amni(ST36) significantly decreased the absolute difference of temperature of partial facial surface. Hereafter, study about if acupuncture of Chok-Samni(ST36) significantly decrease the absolute difference of temperature of all the areas of facial surface is requested. Also, continued study of effects of acupuncture of other meridian on the facial thermography is requested.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.481-486
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• 2013

To investigate the effects of facial temperature and blood flow rates generated by Miso Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture treatment. Ten women in their twenties to fifties with no skin diseases were recruited. Miso Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture(MFRA) was performed on the both sides of their face. We measured their facial temperature using Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging(DITI) and blood flow rates using Laser Doppler Perfusion Imaging(LDPI) at pre-treatment, immediately, twenty and sixty minutes after treatment. We analyzed data using student's t-test(p<0.05). After MFRA treatment, facial temperature on the measurement area increased immediately from $30.5{\pm}1.0^{\circ}C$ to $31.5{\pm}1.0^{\circ}C$, a statistically significant increase. Sixty minutes after treatment, facial temperature on the measurement area decreased a little bit($30.2{\pm}0.6^{\circ}C$), but there was no statistical significance. After MFRA treatment, facial blood flow rates on the measurement area increased immediately from $165.1{\pm}52.3$ PU to $342.7{\pm}51.3$ PU, a statistically significant increase. Sixty minutes after treatment, facial blood flow rates measurement area were recovered almost at the same level as before treatment. MFRA treatment could increase facial temperature and blood flow rates.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.1188-1192
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• 2009

Facail nerve palsy is a common disease in the face. This disease is treated by many methods. But it is not treated by Facial Acupunture. Therefore we performed to evaluate the effect of Facial Acupuncture with oriental dedical treatment in facail nerve palsy. This clinical study was carried out 2 caese of facail nerve palsy which had been admitted our hospital. In this study the patients were treated by Facail Acupuncture. Other treatment were herbal medication, regabilitative therapy. H-B scale(House-Brackmann facial nerve grading system) and Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging were measured from admission to discharge. After being treated by our methods, Patients' H-B scale and Inequality of Facial DITI were improved in cases compared to existing. In the study, The treatment of facial nerve palsy using Facial acupuncture was more effective, especially H-B scale, Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging and treatment period, compared to existing.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.281-293
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• 2014

This study is to help fine some factors of how the Initial food consumption ability affects articulation production and intelligibility in children at aged 4-15 with cerebral palsy. According to the factor analysis of articulation production, here are some positive articulation productions; the ability of mumbling and swallowing food, biting and swallowing and liquid diet, the experience of food consumption therapy, the use of specific methods or tools for food consumption, the behavior-problem during a meal and the beginning of the neck control. Therefore, the study finds that the Initial food consumption ability in children with spastic cerebral palsy may affect articulation production and intelligibility.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.213-223
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• 2016

The research mainly focused on how the nasagastric tube used to solve feeding troubles developed by 30 children with CP(Cerebral Palsy) affects the post-childhood feeding development right after their birth. It tested an articulation skill of the children and surveyed their feeding ability with their care-givers from 1st in July to 30th in August, 2015. This study conducted an investigation of the way a feeding ability affects an articulation skill. It suggested that an articulation accuracy significantly depends on whether or not the nasagastric tube is used. Also, the findings showed that the post-articulation accuracy is quite related with the problems for the liquid intake, the use of special feeding methods and tools, and biting and chewing among the evaluating problems for the childhood feeding ability. The research concluded that some areas in the early childhood feeding ability have an apparent influence on the post-articulation skill for children with CP.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.283-292
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• 2019

The loss of semantic knowledge and impairments in semantic associations by semantic category is gaining increasing attention, as indicators of early-stage cognitive decline. As such, we assigned semantic association task (SAT) to normal elderly (NE) and those with subjective memory impairment (SMI) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to examine their performance by semantic subcategories and the differences in error patterns. We found a significant difference in the number of correct response and reaction time under the SAT categories among the three groups, with the highest performance observed in 'function' and the lowest performance in 'superordinate' and 'part/whole'. Moreover, the error frequency was the lowest in NE, followed by those with SMI and MCI, with the latter two groups showing a significant increase in no-response. Our findings demonstrate the varying extent and process of impairments in the semantic network by category over different stages of cognitive decline. Thus, we proposed SAT performance as an indicator to detect and follow-up on cognitive decline in elderly with cognitive disorder.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.180-190
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: Although many studies have evaluated the effect of the digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithm of hearing aids (HAs) on speech recognition, there are few studies on the effect of DNR on music perception. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DNR on music, in addition to speech perception, using objective and subjective measurements. Subjects and Methods: Sixteen HA users participated in this study (58.00±10.44 years; 3 males and 13 females). The objective assessment of speech and music perception was based on the Korean version of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception test and word and sentence recognition scores. Meanwhile, for the subjective assessment, the quality rating of speech and music as well as self-reported HA benefits were evaluated. Results: There was no improvement conferred with DNR of HAs on the objective assessment tests of speech and music perception. The pitch discrimination at 262 Hz in the DNR-off condition was better than that in the unaided condition (p=0.024); however, the unaided condition and the DNR-on conditions did not differ. In the Korean music background questionnaire, responses regarding ease of communication were better in the DNR-on condition than in the DNR-off condition (p=0.029). Conclusions: Speech and music perception or sound quality did not improve with the activation of DNR. However, DNR positively influenced the listener's subjective listening comfort. The DNR-off condition in HAs may be beneficial for pitch discrimination at some frequencies.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.180-190
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• 2020

Background and Objectives: Although many studies have evaluated the effect of the digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithm of hearing aids (HAs) on speech recognition, there are few studies on the effect of DNR on music perception. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect of DNR on music, in addition to speech perception, using objective and subjective measurements. Subjects and Methods: Sixteen HA users participated in this study (58.00±10.44 years; 3 males and 13 females). The objective assessment of speech and music perception was based on the Korean version of the Clinical Assessment of Music Perception test and word and sentence recognition scores. Meanwhile, for the subjective assessment, the quality rating of speech and music as well as self-reported HA benefits were evaluated. Results: There was no improvement conferred with DNR of HAs on the objective assessment tests of speech and music perception. The pitch discrimination at 262 Hz in the DNR-off condition was better than that in the unaided condition (p=0.024); however, the unaided condition and the DNR-on conditions did not differ. In the Korean music background questionnaire, responses regarding ease of communication were better in the DNR-on condition than in the DNR-off condition (p=0.029). Conclusions: Speech and music perception or sound quality did not improve with the activation of DNR. However, DNR positively influenced the listener's subjective listening comfort. The DNR-off condition in HAs may be beneficial for pitch discrimination at some frequencies.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.279-290
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• 2021

Purpose: Using images in the facial image comparison process poses a challenge for forensic experts due to limitations such as the presence of facial expressions. The aims of this study were to analyze how morphometric changes in the face during a spontaneous smile influence the facial image comparison process and to evaluate the reproducibility of measurements obtained by digital stereophotogrammetry in these situations. Materials and Methods: Three examiners used digital stereophotogrammetry to obtain 3-dimensional images of the faces of 10 female participants(aged between 23 and 45 years). Photographs of the participants' faces were captured with their faces at rest (group 1) and with a spontaneous smile (group 2), resulting in a total of 60 3-dimensional images. The digital stereophotogrammetry device obtained the images with a 3.5-ms capture time, which prevented undesirable movements of the participants. Linear measurements between facial landmarks were made, in units of millimeters, and the data were subjected to multivariate and univariate statistical analyses using Pirouette^® version 4.5 (InfoMetrix Inc., Woodinville, WA, USA) and Microsoft Excel^® (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA), respectively. Results: The measurements that most strongly influenced the separation of the groups were related to the labial/buccal region. In general, the data showed low standard deviations, which differed by less than 10% from the measured mean values, demonstrating that the digital stereophotogrammetry technique was reproducible. Conclusion: The impact of spontaneous smiles on the facial image comparison process should be considered, and digital stereophotogrammetry provided good reproducibility.