• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.28 no.12
• /
• pp.33-40
• /
• 2023

As South Korea enters the realm of an super-aging society, the demand for elderly welfare services has been steadily rising. However, the current shortage of welfare personnel has emerged as a social issue. To address this challenge, there is active research underway on elderly care robots designed to mitigate the social isolation of the elderly and provide emergency contact capabilities in critical situations. Nonetheless, these functionalities require direct user contact, which represents a limitation of conventional elderly care robots. In this paper, we propose a solution to overcome these challenges by introducing a care robot system capable of interacting with users without the need for direct physical contact. This system leverages commercialized elderly care robots and cameras. We have equipped the care robot with an edge device that incorporates facial expression recognition and action recognition models. The models were trained and validated using public available data. Experimental results demonstrate high accuracy rates, with facial expression recognition achieving 96.5% accuracy and action recognition reaching 90.9%. Furthermore, the inference times for these processes are 50ms and 350ms, respectively. These findings affirm that our proposed system offers efficient and accurate facial and action recognition, enabling seamless interaction even in non-contact situations.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
• /
• v.30 no.4
• /
• pp.932-947
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this study was to suggest directions for developing a Health Promotion Program for the elderly in Korea for the future. For this, twenty previously developed & implemented health promotion programs were reviewed and analyzed in terms of target population of the program, components of the program, measurement variables for effects of program, the effects of the program. The results were as follows. 1. Most of the target populations were older adults living independently in the community. 2. Components of the program were health education, health assessment and counseling and exercise program. - Health education was done in most of programs. The topics of health education that were often included in the programs were life style changes, medical knowledge, independent living, the concept of health promotion and changes related to aging. - In health assessment and counseling, health professionals discovered their health problems through health assessment or health risk appraisal. Then they developed health recommendations on each health problem and encouraged the elderly to implement the recommendations. 3. Variables measuring the direct effects of the program were health behavior, knowledge, attitude, skill, use of medical/health reference book. Variables measuring the indirect effects, biometric outcome, health status, functional status, medical service utilization, medical cost and wellbeing. 4. The analysis showed that health education was effective for changing health behaviors, improving knowledge, skill and attitude in the elderly. Those results were suggested to be used as guidelines for developing a health promotion program for the elderly in Korea for the future.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
• /
• v.18 no.11
• /
• pp.2913-2921
• /
• 1994

In SMA(shape memory alloy), the degradation by fatigue is one of the most important problems to be overcome, when SMA is used for robot-actuator material. The actuator is operated repeatitively for long time and its repeating operation develops the fatigue degradation of SMA. The fatigue degradation changes the transformation temperature and deformation behavior and results in inaccurate operation control of robot. Accordingly, the changing behavior of transformation temperature and deformation which results from repeating operation is to be investigated in advance and the scheme to resolve those problems have to be made for the design of actuator. In this study, the fatigue tests were carried out on SMA specimens prepared to have different condition of aging time and pre-strain with the direct-current heating-cooling method, which was a general method of operation in robot actuators. The behavior of transformation temperature and deformation were examined and analyzed in each specimen and the study was performed to establish the optimistic manufacturing condition of SMA against the fatigue degradation.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.364-370
• /
• 2013

Resveratrol (trans-3,4'-trihydroxystillbene), a naturally occurring polyphenolic antioxidant found in grapes and red wine, elicits diverse biochemical responses and demonstrates anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative effects in several cell types. Previously, resveratrol was shown to regulate differentiation and inflammation in rabbit articular chondrocytes, while the direct production of nitric oxide (NO) in these cells by treatment with the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP) led to apoptosis. In this study, the effect of resveratrol on NO-induced apoptosis in rabbit articular chondrocytes was investigated. Resveratrol dramatically reduced NO-induced apoptosis in chondrocytes, as determined by phase-contrast microscopy, the MTT assay, FACS analysis, and DAPI staining. Treatment with resveratrol inhibited the SNP-induced expression of p53 and p21 and reduced the expression of procaspase-3 in chondrocytes, as detected by western blot analysis. SNP-induced degradation of I-kappa B alpha ($I{\kappa}B-{\alpha}$) was rescued by resveratrol treatment, and the SN50 peptide-mediated inhibition of NF-kappa B (NF-${\kappa}B$) activity potently blocked SNP-induced caspase-3 activation and apoptosis. Our results suggest that resveratrol inhibits NO-induced apoptosis through the NF-${\kappa}B$ pathway in articular chondrocytes.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.190-193
• /
• 2002

3mol% $Y_2O_3$ Partially-Stabilized Zirconia single Crystals (PSZCs) containing a small quantity (<0.5%) of rare-earth oxides ($CeO_2,\;Tb_2O_3$) were prepared by using a direct high-frequency skull melting technique to evaluate hydrothermal stability in an autoclave. Pole exhibited no $t{\rightarrow}m$ phase transformation during aging for 5h at temperatures from 150 to 250$^{\circ}C$ and 4MPa water vapor pressure in an autoclave, resulting in excellent hydrothermal stability.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
• /
• 2015.05a
• /
• pp.890-891
• /
• 2015

With South Korea entering aging society, the problem of the elderly living alone is aggravating due to increasing health risks associated with social isolation. This should be counteracted by providing them with supports conducive to the recovery of social relationship and effective management of daily activities, such as health checkups, homecare services, chore services, and contents building for information service. This paper presents a human care system implementing miniaturization and portability for the elderly and other care recipients by integrating various contents into recipients' situation perception, direct experience, and sensor modules as a smartphone application in Internet of Things environment to facilitate their health status monitoring.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
• /
• 2000.04a
• /
• pp.6-7
• /
• 2000

Recently, free radicals such as active oxygen species, nitric oxide, etc are believed to be one of the key substances in physiological and pathological, toxicological phenomena, and oxidative damages, and all organism have defencing system against such as free radicals. Formation and extinction of free radicals may be regulated through bio-redox system, in which various enzymes and compounds should be involved in very complicated manner. Thus, direct and non-invasive measurement of in vivo free radical reactions with living animals must be essential to understand the role of free radicals in pathophysiological phenomena. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR) is very selective and sensitive technique to detect free radicals, but a conventional ESR spectrometer has large detect in application to living animals, since high frequent microwave is absorbed with water, resulting in generation of high fever in living body. In order to estimate in vivo free radical reactions in living whole animals, we develop in vivo ESR-CT technique using nitroxide radicals as spin probes. Nitroxide radicals and their reduced forms, hydroxylamines, are known to interact with various redox systems. We found that! ! the signal decay due to reduction of nitroxyl radicals is influenced by aging, inspired oxygen concentration, ischemia-referfusion injury, radiation, etc. In the present paper, I will introduce in vivo ESR technique and my laboratory recent results concerning non-invasive evaluation of free radical reactions in living mice.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.23-27
• /
• 1974

Concentration of total protein, bilirubin, sodium and potassium in blood sera, and thymol turbidity of race horses, 78 males and 57 females aging from 2 to 5 years, were estimated. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Serum of race horses was low in protein concentrations as mean values of $5.48{\pm}0.77$ g/100ml. 2. Serum bilirubin was in normal range as mean values of total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin were $1.05{\pm}0.57$, $0.12{\pm}0.05$ and $0.93{\pm}0.58$ mg/100ml, respectively. 3. Mean value of serum thymol turbidity was $1.41{\pm}0.72$ S-H unit. 4. Mean values of serum sodium and potassium of race horses from Australia were $143{\pm}8.7$ and $3.85{\pm}0.53$ mEq/liter, respectively, and mean values of serum sodium and patassium of race horses from Japan were $142{\pm}9.4$ and $3.58{\pm}0.60$ mEq/liter, respectively.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2016

Although some mutations are beneficial and are the driving force behind evolution, it is important to maintain DNA integrity and stability because it contains genetic information. However, in the oxygen-rich environment we live in, the DNA molecule is under constant threat from endogenous or exogenous insults. DNA damage could trigger the DNA damage response (DDR), which involves DNA repair, the regulation of cell cycle checkpoints, and the induction of programmed cell death or senescence. Dysregulation of these physiological responses to DNA damage causes developmental defects, neurological defects, premature aging, infertility, immune system defects, and tumors in humans. Some human syndromes are characterized by unique neurological phenotypes including microcephaly, mental retardation, ataxia, neurodegeneration, and neuropathy, suggesting a direct link between genomic instability resulting from defective DDR and neuropathology. In this review, rare human genetic disorders related to abnormal DDR and damage repair with neural defects will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.849-860
• /
• 2011

This study explores a structural model to examine the relationship between web browsing motivation, retail strategy and purchase conversion for apparel on shopping websites. A self-administered questionnaire based on existing scales includes web browsing motivation, retail strategy, and purchase conversion intention of apparel on the shopping websites. A total of 499 usable questionnaires were obtained from consumers aging 20 to 49 who reside in metropolitan cities in Korea. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation models were used via SPSS 12.0 and LISREL 8.8. Findings concluded that web browsing motivations consisted of three factors: hedonic, informational, and recreational browsing for apparel. Hedonic browsing had a negative effect on purchase conversion intention, whereas informational browsing had a positive effect on the purchase conversion intention for apparel on shopping sites. Retail strategies on the website were classified into service, merchandise assortment, and price & promotion; the three elements of retail strategies mediated the relationship between web browsing motivations and purchase conversion intention for apparel. Specially, merchandise assortment had significantly direct effect on the purchase conversion intention of apparel on shopping websites. Managerial implications were discussed for fashion marketers to develop retail strategies and web content in order to convert web browsers or visitors into purchasers.