• Journal of the Institute of Electronics Engineers of Korea SC
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.50-63
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• 2000

In this paper, a new EMG pattern classification method based on soft computing techniques is proposed to help the disabled and the elderly handle rehabilitation robotic arm systems. First, it is shown that EMG is more useful than existing input devices such as voice, a laser pointer and a keypad in view of naturality, extensibility, and applicability. Then, a new procedure is proposed to select the minimal feature set. As methods of classifying the pre-defined motions, a fuzzy pattern classification and fuzzy min-max neural networks (FMMNN) are designed using the selected features. As results, the motions are recognized with success rates of 83 percent and 90 Percent using fuzzy pattern classification and FMMNN, respectively.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.61-69
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• 2008

Purpose: We evaluated caregivers' understanding of patients' diseases and disuse syndrome, the understanding of exercise and massage related to rehabilitation and the necessity of education about these, the difference in education and realities of the care-giving field, and the extra services needed in the field. Methods: The survey using questionnaires was performed from June 2008 to August 2008 with 220 people participated in caregive education programme in daegu city and area near dagu city. Among the 220 submitted questionnaires, 184 which were faithfully answered were selected and they were analyzed by i-STATistics statistical program. Results: The educational focus of the first and second level caregivers, as defined by the second clause of the 29th article of the Elderly Welfare law, is on basic knowledge of diseases such as dementia, stroke, and depression. However, other diseases are not covered and the information does not include information on decreased function, complications, functional rehabilitating exercises, or preventing disuse syndrome for long term patients. The most common diseases, in order of prevalence, are stroke, dementia, diabetes mellitus, Parkinson disease, arthritis, and geriatric inertness. The general level of awareness about disuse syndrome was low, and patients, while understanding the need for massage and rehabilitative exercise, receive little education about the proper methods and therefore cannot use them. Patients also did not understand how participating in these activities could reduce medical fees, indicating that further education on massage and rehabilitative exercise is needed. Caregivers desired to include positive rehabilitation, massage, and exercise-related services in their services. Finally, differences in caregiver education and reality resulted from a lack of diversity in education. Conclusion: We suggest providing education on disuse atrophy and improving the lack of diversity in the care-giving education system.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.309-317
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• 2015

In this paper, we proposed the standard test specification for safety and function of hiking stick for the elderly. We have concluded nine factors representing specification of hiking stick through analysis of hiking patents and research papers, products survey of business market, case studies for damaged hiking stick and expert surveys. To test the factors, we designed three different kinds of apparatus to examine twist resistance, stick and tip durability and stick straightness. The sample of hiking sticks purchased from market based on Naver sales ranking top to fifteenth. As a result, we concluded six-standard test specification based on eccentric load, adjustable parts load, hand strap load, basket load, tip load and pull load of hiking stick.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.65-73
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• 2005

Osteoarthritis has been considered a disease of the elderly because it is uncommon before the age of 40 years and is seen in approximately 80% of United States citizens older than 65 years. general population on kuri city in korea revealed that prevalence of knee osteoarthritis is 10.2%, increasing with age. High level of physical activity in men and age, post-menopause and obesity in women can be risk factor. Osteoarthritis is no evidence that a acquired process initiated much earlier in life through mechanical, metabolic, genetic, or other origins. A high tibial osteotomy alters static lower extremity alignment thereby decreasing medial compartment loading. As well, conservative treatment strategies, such as knee braces and valgus heel wedges, affect lover limb mechanics and attempt to reduce medial compartment loading. It was hypothesized that valgus heel wedges and modified orthoses would shift the center of pressure laterally on the foot during level walking, reducing the moment arm of the adduction moment in the frontal plane, thereby resulting in a decrease in the knee adduction moment. In the 1980s, the effect of wearing a laterally wedged insole on osteoarthritic patients with a varus deformity of the knee was firsted, and since then, kinematic and kinetic analyses concerning this condition have mainly focused on a static standing position. Since the early 1990s, the beneficial effect of wearing a laterally wedged insole to treat osteoarthritis of the knee has also been reported in dynamic conditions, but these studies did not answer the question of the kinematic and kinetic mechanisms that resulted in the reduced symptoms in patents with knee osteoarthritis. therefore, the effect of wearing laterally wedged insole has not been sufficiently studied.

• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.181-195
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• 2000

The purpose of this study is to find out the effects of personal characteristics, social support, depression, and metamemory on the older adults' memory performances. The subjects of the study consisted of 95 older adults over the age of 60 who are living in Busan. Some data were collected by means of the interview method, using questionnaires for metamemory (MIA questionnaire by Dixon, et al., 1988), and depression(GDS by Yesavage and Sheikl, 1986), social resoueces(Duke university, 1978), family support(Hyun-Sook Kang, 1985). The other data were collected by the testing method on the memory performance such as the immeadiate word recall task, the delayed word recall task, the word recognition task(Elderly Verbal Learning Test by Kyung Mi Choi, 1998), and the face recognition task(Face Recognition Task tool developed by Hye-Sook Min). The results of this study were as follows; 1. The level of metamemory is 3.4 points in the 5 point scale, the grades of the task and the achievement are relatively high and the grades of the change, the control, and the anxiety are relatively low in the sub-concepts. 2. Metamemory have significant relation with age(r=-.44), educational attainment(r=.46), depression(r=-.58), family support(r=.20), social resources(r=.20). 3. The significant variables to predict older adults' metamemory are educational attainment(22%), sex(11%), age (8.3%), depression(4.7%), and illness state(3%). 4. The strong variables to predict memory performances are metamemory, age, depression, social resources, educational attainment, illness state, and limitation of daily living activity related to illness. In conclusion, the enhancement strategies of metamemory and the social support and the prevention or reduction of depression are necessary to increase older adults' memory performances. Ultimately in this respect nurses' roles are very important in developing and performing some intervention programs for old adults' memory improvement, which have significant meanings in the field of nursing science.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.349-354
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• 2017

In this study, we proposed a design guideline of height-adjustable wash basin which is an assistive product for personal hygiene for persons with disability. We performed biomechanical assessments using both of conventional and prototype height adjustable wash basin. Total five elderly subjects (all male, age $68.6{\pm}4.3yrs.$, height $169.8{\pm}5.7cm$, weight $70{\pm}7.7kg$) participated for the assessment test. Each joint angles were measured by using a 3D motion capture system when subjects use wash basins, and the lumbar moment of each subjects was estimated based on a human body model. From the assessment results, a design guideline which has the range of the height from 652[mm] to 1162[mm] was proposed. Then additional assessment tests with five healthy subjects ($25.8{\pm}1.8yrs.$, $175.5{\pm}5.8cm$, $74{\pm}15.7kg$) were performed in order to verify effectiveness of the design guideline. The results showed a height-adjustable wash basin applied the proposed design guideline was effective to reduce the lumbar moment.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.177-185
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• 2014

In this study, the exoskeleton orthosis for the assistance of dorsiflexion torque in ankle joint to prevent foot-drop was developed. It was consist of three part; 1) the power part using artificial pneumatic actuator, 2) wearing part of ankle and knee joints to fix the orthosis, and 3) control part to detect the gait phase using physiological signal. The dorsiflexion torque was generated by the artificial pneumatic actuator connected with wearing part between ankle and knee joint. The accurate timing to assist dorsiflexion torque is made up of physiological signal in foot sole part that detect the gait phase, that is, stance and swing phase in each foot. We conduct the experiment to investigate the effect of exoskeleton orthosis to the 7 elderly people and 10 healthy people. The result showed that the muscular activities in tibialis anterior muscle were reduced because of the assistance of dorsiflexion torque in ankle joint using the exoskeleton orthosis.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.157-166
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• 1997

Postural balancing in human is known to be maintained by the complex mechanism coupled with cerebellum, equilibrium organ of ear, proprioception and other various organs. We developed a Computerized Balance Evaluation and Training system(COBET system) to evaluate postural control and to rehabilitate geriatrics and disabled patient. In addition, 55 normal adult were tested to investigate the influencing factors on balancing posture. For the analysis of static postural sway, areas of the moving center of pressure were calculated under 8 different positions of subjects. And subjects were also asked to follow the visual targets on monitor for the evaluation of the dynamic postural sway. In comparison of the first and the second sets of tests, there was test-retest reliability($\textit{p}$< 0.05). The controllability of the static pmtwn sway was decreased as the ages of subjects increase. When the ages of subject are over 60, the controllability was significantly decrease4 The dynamic postural sway was significantly greater in the age groups of 7th and 8th decade than the younger groups. It is concluded that COBET system is a reliable system in the evaluation of postural sway. The COBET system is considered to be a valuable training modality for the disabled patients as well as the elderly.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.327-345
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to carry out cognitive movement therapy program for children with affective and behavioral disorder based on neuro science, psychology, motor learning, muscle physiology, biomechanics, human motion analysis, movement control and to quantify characteristic of expression and gestures according to change of facial expression by emotional change. We could observe problematic expression of children with affective disorder, and could estimate the efficiency of application of movement therapy program by the face expression change of children with affective disorder. And it could be expected to accumulate data for early detection and therapy process of development disorder applying converged measurement and analytic method for human development by quantification of emotion and behavior therapy analysis, kinematic analysis. Therefore, the result of this study could be extendedly applied to the disabled, the elderly and the sick as well as children.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.54-60
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• 2018

Objective: Persons with chronic stroke fall more often than healthy elderly individuals. The Timed Up and Go test (TUG) is used as a fall prediction tool, but only provides a result for the total measurement time. This study aimed to determine the optimal cut-off values for each of the 6 components of the TUG. Design: Retrospective study. Methods: Thirty persons with chronic stroke participated in the study. TUG evaluation was performed using a wearable miniaturized inertial sensor. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for the measured values in each section. Optimal values for fall risk classification were determined. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk of future falls based on TUG. Results: The cut-off values of the 6 sections of the TUG were determined, as follows: sit-to-stand >2.00 seconds (p<0.05), forward gait >4.68 seconds (p<0.05), mid-turn >3.82 seconds (p<0.05), return gait >4.81 seconds (p<0.05), end-turn >2.95 seconds (p<0.05), and stand-to-sit >2.13 seconds (p<0.05). The risk of falling increased by 2.278 times when the mid-turn value was >3.82 seconds (p<0.05). Conclusions: The risk of falls increased by 2.28 times when the value of the mid-turn interval exceeded 3.82 seconds. Therefore, when interpreting TUG results, the predictive accuracy for falls will be higher when the measurement time for each section is analyzed, together with the total time for TUG.