• Journal of People, Plants, and Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.545-550
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• 2021

Background and objective: With increasing land use intensity in urban areas, apartment buildings have been recognized as a typical type of urban residence. In this study, the impacts of different views through a window on health-related responses were investigated using psychological and physiological parameters. Methods: Photos of three different types of views taken on low (2-12 m), middle (28-35 m), and high (over 54 m) floors of dense apartment building areas were used as visual stimuli. Twenty-two healthy adults participated in the indoor experiment. Semantic differential methods and profile of mood states were used as psychological tools. Autonomic nervous activity was evaluated using blood pressures, pulse rate and heart rate variability (HRV). Results: Analytic data showed different characteristics of psychological and physiological outcomes in three different apartment views. In the analysis of psychological parameters, significantly negative responses to the views on middle floors were found in the subscales of tension-anxiety and anger-hostility, compared to low floors. Significantly positive scores in the subscale of vigor were found on low floors with abundance of vegetation and high floors with a view of the sky. A significantly increased value of HF was found on low floors (2,294.96 ± 169.79), compared to the middle(1,553.45 ± 84.66) and high (1,523.02 ± 70.49) floors. Despite the high scores in openness and vigor, high floor views showed significantly higher LF/HF values (1.83 ± 0.09), the indicator of the sympathetic nervous system, than low (1.30 ± 0.07) and middle floor views (1.34 ± 0.06), which might be related to the unconscious fear of heights. Conclusion: Views from different heights in an apartment building can affect the psychological states of residents. Green space through the window may have a positive health outcome by reducing physiological stress.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.108 no.3
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• pp.440-453
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• 2019

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of watching a two-dimensional (2D) forest video and a virtual reality (VR) forest video on stress reduction in adults. Experiments were conducted in an artificial climate room, and 40 subjects participated. After inducing stress in the subjects, subjects watched a 2D gray video, 2D forest video, or VR forest video for 5 mins. The autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated continuously in terms of measured heart rate variability during the experiment. After each experiment, the subject's psychological state was evaluated using a questionnaire. The 2D forest video decreased the viewer's stress index, increased HF, and reduced heart rate compared with the 2D gray video. The VR forest video had a greater stress index reduction effect, LF/HF increase effect, and heart rate reduction effect than the 2D gray video. Psychological measurements showed that subjects felt more comfortable, natural, and calm when watching the 2D gray video, 2D forest video or VR forest video. We also found that the 2D forest video and VR forest video increased positive emotions and reduced negative emotions compared to the 2D gray video. Based on these results, it can be concluded that watching the 2D forest and VR forest videos reduces the stress index and heart rate compared with watching the 2D gray video. Thus, it is considered that the 2D forest video increases the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, and the VR forest video increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system upon watching the VR forest video is judged to be positive sympathetic nerve activity, such as novelty and curiosity, and not negative sympathetic activity, such as stress and tension. The results of this study are expected to be the basis for examining the visual effects of forest healing, with hope that the utilization of VR, the technology of the fourth industrial revolution in the forestry field, will broaden.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.163-174
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• 2007

Objectives : This study was designed to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on Heart Rate Variability(HRV) of patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Subjects were voluntarily recruited through newspaper and internet advertisement. All the subjects were confirmed as idiopathic Parkinson's disease by a neurologist. Patients were divided into three groups. Experimental group was acupunctured based on Sasang Constitution. Standard group was acupunctured on $LR_3$, $GB_{34}$ and $ST_{36}$. Control group was sham-acupunctured. Acupuncture was applied 2 times a week for four weeks by an oriental medical doctor at Kyung-hee Oriental Medical Hospital. The patients were assessed by HRV before and 4 weeks after the treatment. Results : The results were as follows 1. In experimental group, increase in SDNN, TP, LF, HF Nonn were statistically significant after 4 weeks compared to the pre-treatment. 2. In standard group, increase in SDNN, TP, LF were statistically significant after 4 weeks compared to the pre-treatment. 3. After 4 weeks of treatment SDNN, LF showed statistically significant cufferences among three groups. Conclusions : This study suggests that acupuncture treatment based on Sasang Constitution and other specific acupuncture treatment can be beneficial for patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Further study on various acupuncture treatment for Parkinson's disease is required.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.107-124
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• 2008

We investigated the effects of distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture on autonomic nervous system with the Heart Rate Variability(HRV) in adult man. as well as we tried to observe how distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture on the balance of the autonomic nervous system. Methods : We investigated on 61 healthy volunteers consisted of 31 subjects in experiment(distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture) group and 30 subjects in control(Normal Saline) group. Study form was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial. 31 subjects in experiment group were injected distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture at GB21(Kyonjong) and 30 subjects in control group were injected Normal Saline at GB21(Kyonjong). except of 2 subjects(in control group) who can't be measured and 10 subjects(6 in experiment group and 4 in control group) who move or make unforceable error during measuring. Finally 25 subject in experiment group and 24 subject in control group are studied. We measured HRV by PolyG-I on 7 times : before and after injection per 5 minutes during 30 minutes. The SPSS 10.0 for windows was used to analyze the data and the paired t test(in group) and Student t test(between two groups) were used to verify the result. Results : I. After distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture injection, SDNN is significantly high from 5 minute to 10 minute and from 15 minute to 30 minute, Complexity is significantly low from 20 minute to 30minute. HRV index is significantly mgb for first 20 minute and from 25 minute to 30 minute, RMSSD is significantly high only from 15 minute to 20 minute. 2. HRV index of distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture Group significantly increased from 25 minute to 30 minute, pNN50 of distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture Group significantly decreased from 25 minute to 30 minute and RMSSD of distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture Group significantly increased from 25 minute to 30 minute compared with those of Normal Saline group. 3. After distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture injection, Ln(TP) is significantly high from 5 minute to 10 minute and from 15 minute to 30 minute. Ln(VLF) is significantly high after 5 minute, Ln(LF) is significantly high after 15 minute and Ln(HF) is significantly high from 5 minute to 10 minute and 25 minute to 30 minute, but significantly low for first 5 minute and from 10 minute to 20 minute. Normalized LF is significantly high after 20 minute and Normalized LF is significantly low after 20 minute. Conclusions : The results suggest that distilled Astragali Radix Herbal Acupuncture in healthy adult man tend to activate the autonomic nervous system within normal range. This result is derived from that parasympathetic nervous system was continuously activated and sympathetic nervous system was activated a little later.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.76-83
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• 2013

A real-time wireless monitoring and analysis methods using the wearable PPG sensor to estimate cardiovascular condition is studied for ubiquitous healthcare service. A small size and low-power consuming wearable photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor is designed as a wrist type device and connected with the IP node assigned its own IPv6 address. The measured PPG waveform in the IP node is collected and transferred to a central server PC through the IP-enabled wireless network for storage and analysis purposes. A monitoring and analysis program is designed to process the accelerated plethysmogram (APG) waveform by applying the second order derivatives to analyze systolic waves as well as heart rate variability analysis from the measured PPG waveform. From our results, the features of cardiovascular condition from individual's PPG waveform and estimation of vascular compliance by the comparison of APG-aging index (AI) and ratio of LF/HF are demonstrated.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.275-283
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• 2001

This study was performed to extract and analyze the biosignals to find the relationship between the level of anesthesia and the variations of physiological parameters during epidural anesthesia. Seven male and twenty female patients(ages from 45 to 70 years old) were participated for the experiment, and ECGs, PPGs, SKTs, SCRs were obtained during anesthesia. As results, the HF/LF ratios of HRV were decreased after the injection anesthetics. For skin temperatures, values measured from the palm was reduced and the temperatures from four channels, measured from armpit through the right side of the body, were increased. SCRs were decreased for all channels after the injection of anesthetics. However the heart rate and PPGs showed no significant changes. It was concluded that the injection of anesthetics result the changes in biosignals, and it could be explained by the degree of the sympathetic and/or parasympathetic nerve activities. Results of this study could provide the valuable information for the estimation of level for the spinal and general anesthesia, and could be extended to the development of a system which could quantify the level of anesthesia.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.105-120
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• 2010

Objectives : This study aims to evaluate the effects of expiration-to-inspiration time ratio (E/I-ratio) on heart rate, which represents cardiac autonomic function, and cold-heat in the healthy people. Methods : 49 healthy young volunteers(male : female = 32 : 17) were recruited in the study. The participants completed the questionnaire for yin-yang pattern identification and then we measured the chest plethysmogram for respiration signal and the electrocardiogram for NN intervals during different E/I-ratio from 1 to 2. We compared heart rate variability including RMS-SD, VLF, LF and HF, and the trend-cycle factors decomposed from NN interval data by time series analysis among the respective E/I-ratio. We also confirmed the difference on the trend-cycle factors according to the score of the questionnaire for cold and heat pattern identification. Results : There were differences on the trend-cycle factors from NN interval data, but no significant difference on heart rate variability, among the respective E/I-ratio. We also found significant relationship between the trend-cycle factors and the heat pattern identification scores. Conclusions : The results indicate that cardiac autonomic function can be modulated by the E/I-ratio and the modulation will be slower and more tendencious than respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.215-220
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• 2005

Thermal neutrality is not enough to achieve thermal comfort. The temperature level can be the optimal, and still people may complain. This situation is often explained by the problem of local discomfort. Local discomfort can be caused by radiant asymmetry, local air velocities, too warm and too cold floor temperature and vertical temperature difference. This temperature difference may generate thermal discomfort due to different thermal sensation in different body parts. Therefore, thermal comfort can not be correctly evaluated without considering these differences. This study investigates thermal discomfort sensations of different body parts and its effect on overall thermal sensation and comfort in air-heating room. Experimental results of evaluating thermal discomfort at different body parts in an air-heating room showed that thermal sensation on the shoulder was significantly related to the overall thermal sensation and discomfort. Although it is known that cool-head, warm-foot condition is good for comfort living, cool temperature around the head generated discomfort.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.135-143
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• 2006

Objectives : This study was performed to observe effect of acupuncture stimulation on heart rate variability in stroke patients. Methods : Data were obtained from heart rate variability of 29 stroke patients. Heart rate variability was measured total five times(before and after needle insertion, before and after needle removal, and 10 minutes after needle removal) for five minutes each time. Results : Heart rates were continuously decreased until 10 minutes after needle removal. SDNN, Total power, LF, and HF were increased until 5 minutes after needle removal, but deceased between 5 and 10 minutes after needle removal. There was no significant changes between male and female and among age groups. Conclusion : This study showed that acupuncture stimulation could effect on heart rate variability in stroke patients. Heart rate variability could be a objective tool to verify the mechanism of acupuncture effect in various condition.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.131-136
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• 2007

In this paper, we estimated the effects of different color stimulation on the cognitive function of human quantitatively. For the stimulations we used color lights with 6 color filters such as red, yellow, green, blue, violet and white. The experiment was performed in a soundproof chamber. 50 young male and female subjects were participated in the experiment. To find the appropriate color cognitive function, the endogenous visuospatial attention task(EVAT) and one back working memory task(OWMT) were performed. The reaction time and accuracy degree were measured. The results showed that the reaction time of EVAT was the fastest and the accuracy degree of attention task was the highest in green environment. The reaction time of OWMT was the fastest in yellow and the accuracy degree of memory task was the highest in blue. For physiological parameters, we measured electrocardiogram(ECG) and HRV spectrum analysis, HF/LF color environment. These results can be used as an indicator in the design of color environment and clinical applications.