• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.8
• /
• pp.1196-1203
• /
• 2014

This study intended to compare the productive performance of three different layer raising systems; conventional cage (CC), barn (BR) and aviary (AV). The AV is welfare bestowed housing that allows free locomotion for birds within the BR. The BR allows bird's free locomotion inside BR but without multilevel structures. Both pullets and cockerels were housed together in both AV and BR, but only pullets in CC. Seventeen weeks old Lohmann Brown Lite (n = 800) pullets were housed in AV during this study. The same age layer pullets were simultaneously assigned to either at CC or BR to compare egg production performance with AV. The duration of experiment was 40 weeks (from 21st to 60th week). There were no remarkable differences in egg production, hen day egg production (HDEP) and average egg weight among three rearing systems. First 20 weeks (phase-1) average HDEP (%) of AV, CC, and BR were 85.9, 88.8, 87.1 and average egg weights (g) were 57.5, 59.9, and 56.9 respectively. Those of the remaining 20 weeks (phase-2) were 87.1, 87.9, 85.5 and 64.2, 63.0 62.1, respectively. Daily feed intakes (122 g, 110 g, 125 g); feed conversion ratio (2.4, 2.1, 2.5) and daily egg mass (53.9 g, 54.4 g, 52.8 g) data from AV, CC, and BR were not influenced significantly by the respective raising systems. Daily feed intake of layers in both AV (124 g) and BR (127 g) tended to be higher than that in CC (113 g) during phase-2. Overall, exterior egg quality (dirty and cracked eggs) in both phases was superior in BR compared with AV and CC, whereas CC generated intermediate results. This study indicated that the HDEP per se in AV and BR were not significantly different from that in CC. The study implied that the facility depreciation cost for AV and cost for increased feed intake in AV compared to CC are believed to be critical to evaluate the cost effectiveness of egg production in AV.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• /
• v.22 no.9 s.174
• /
• pp.85-92
• /
• 2005

This paper describes the recognition method of small-obstacles using a camera for a mobile robot in indoor environment. The technique of image processing using a camera has been widely used for an automaton of industrial system, an inspection of inferior goods, a lookout of an invader, and a vision sensor of intelligent robot. Mobile robot could meet small-obstacles such as a small plastic bottle of about 0.5 l in quantity, a small box of $7{\times}7{\times}7cm^3$ in volume, and so on in its designated path, and could be disturbed by them in the locomotion of a mobile robot. So, it is necessary to research on the recognition of small-obstacles using a camera and program. In this paper, 2-D image processing algorism and method fur recognition of small-obstacles using a camera for a mobile robot in indoor environment was developed. The characteristic test of the developed program to confirm the recognition of small-obstacles was performed. It is shown that the developed program could judge the size and the position of small-obstacles accurately.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.108-122
• /
• 2005

The gait training strategy in very important things for central nervous system(CNS) injury patients. There are many method and strategy for regaining of the gait who had CNS injury. A human being has central pattern generator(CPG) is spinal CPG for locomotion. It is a neural network which make the cyclical patterns and rhythmical activities for walking. Sensory input from loading and hip position is essential for CPG stimulation that makes the central neural rhythm and pattern generating structure. From sensory input, the proprioceptive information facilitate proximal muscles that controlled in voluntarily from cortical level and visual and / or acoustical information facilitate distal muscles that controlled voluntarily from subcortical level. Gait training method can classify that is functional level and structural level. Functional level includ level surface gait, going up and down the stair. It is important to facilitate a guide tempo in order to activate the central pattern generators. During the functional test or functional activities, can point out the poor period in gait that have to be facilitate in structural level. There are many access methods with patient position and potentiality. The methods are using of rhythmic initiation, replication and combination of isotonic with standing position. Clinically using it on weight transfer onto the stance leg, loading response, loading response and pre-swing, terminal stance, up and downwards stairs.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.13 no.6
• /
• pp.2493-2503
• /
• 2018

Passive dynamic walking exhibits humanoid and energy efficient gaits. However, optimal design of passive walker at multi-variable level is not well studied yet. This paper presents a Chaotic Particle Swarm Optimization (CPSO) algorithm and applies it to the optimal design of flexible passive walker. Hip torsional stiffness and damping were incorporated into flexible biped walker, to imitate passive elastic mechanisms utilized in human locomotion. Hybrid dynamics were developed to model passive walking, and period-one gait was gained. The parameters global searching scopes were gained after investigating the influences of structural parameters on passive gait. CPSO were utilized to optimize the flexible passive walker. To improve the performance of PSO, multi-scroll Jerk chaotic system was used to generate pseudorandom sequences, and chaotic disturbance would be triggered if the swarm is trapped into local optimum. The effectiveness of CPSO is verified by comparisons with standard PSO and two typical chaotic PSO methods. Numerical simulations show that better fitness value of optimal design could be gained by CPSO presented. The proposed CPSO would be useful to design biped robot prototype.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.101-107
• /
• 2004

Repeated administration of psychostimulants such as amphetamines increases locomotor activity in rodents. These drugs, including methamphetamine, enhance dopaminergic neurotransmission and result in hyper-locomotion and behavioral sensitization. It is well known that the existence of a complex balance between the cholinergic and dopaminergic systems in the central nervous system. Thus, behavioral sensitization by methamphetamine may be related to the expression of the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors gene. The present study investigated the changes of M1R mRNA in hyperlocomotor activity and behavioral sensitization by methamphetamine (2 mg/kg) in mice. Our results showed that M1R mRNA expression was increased in the frontal cortex and the hippocampus region (the CA2 region) in the acute methamphetamine administered group compared to the saline administered group. In the chronic group, M1R mRNA expression was increased in the frontal cortex ill1d the hippocampus regions (CA2 and DG regions) in melt1amphetamine administered group compared to saline control group. These results indicate that acute or chronic treatment of mathamphetamine leads to the region-specific changes in mRNA expression levels of M1R. Therefore, Therefore, the present result suggests that M1R may play a role in modulating of methamphetamine-induced behavioral sensitization in mice.

• The Journal of Korea Robotics Society
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.116-123
• /
• 2017

Wearable robots are receiving great attention from the public, as well as researchers, because its motivation is to improve the quality of lives of people. Above all, complete paraplegic patients due to spinal cord injury (SCI) might be the most adequate target users of the wearable robots, because they definitely need physical assistance due to the complete loss of muscular strength and sensory functions. Furthermore, the medical care of complete paraplegics by using the wearable robots have significantly reduced the mortality rate and improved the life expectancy. The requirements of the wearable robot for complete paraplegics are actuation torque, locomotion speed, wearing sensation, robust gait stability, safety, and practicality (i.e., size, volume, weight, and energy efficiency). A WalkON Suit is the wearable robot that has satisfied the requirements of the wearable robot for complete paraplegics and participated in the powered exoskeleton race of Cybathlon 2016. In this paper, configuration of the WalkON Suit, human-machine interface, gait pattern, control algorithm, and evaluation results are introduced.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
• /
• v.27 no.11
• /
• pp.1849-1855
• /
• 2003

Newly commercialized wireless capsule endoscope has many advantages compared to conventional push-type endoscopes. However, it is moved by the peristaltic waves. Therefore, it can not diagnose desired zones actively. In this paper, a locomotive mechanism for wireless capsule endoscope is proposed to increase the efficiency of endoscopy. We designed and fabricated a prototype using SMA springs and bio-mimetic clamping device. The hollow space in the prototype is allocated for further system integration of a camera module, a RF module and a battery. And the sequential control scheme is employed to improve the efficiency of its locomotion. To validate the performance of the locomotive mechanism, experiments on a silicone rubber pad and in vitro tests are carried out. The results of the experiments indicate that proposed mechanism is effective in harsh environments such as digestive organs of a human.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.661-669
• /
• 1995

A mobile robot, named KAEROT, has been developed for inspection and maintenance operations in nuclear facilities. The main feature of locomotion system is the planetary wheel assembly with small wheels. This mechanism has been designed to be able to go over the stairs and obstacles with stability. This paper presents the inverse kinematic solution that is to be operated by remote control. The automatic stair climbing algorithm is also proposed. The. proposed algorithms generates the moving pathes of small wheels and calculates the angular velocity of 3 actuation wheels. The results of simulations and experiments are given for KAEROT peformed on the irregular stairs in laboratory. It is shown that the proposed algorithm provides the lower inclination angle of the robot body and increases its stability during navigation.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2003

The pharmacological effects of an Ayurvedic diuretic drug 'Treenoponchomul' (TPM) was investigated in animal model. The pharmacological actions of the test drug along with that of the components thereof, on the Central Nervous System (CNS) were studied. The drug under study TPM showed little effect on the CNS, the same can not be said about the components. The most prominent CNS depressant effect was observed with Saccharum officinarum Linn. (EE) in that it lowered the spontaneous motor activity as well the exploratory -behavior of the animals. An exploration retarding effect of moderate degree, was evident with Imperata cylindrica Beauv. (UU), and Phragmites maxima Blatter & McCann (NN). Although the test drug did not alter the normal locomotor and/ or exploratory behavior of the treated animals, it did significantly (p<0.01) lower the locomotion of the amphetamine induced hyperactive animals. TPM along with its components (especially Desmostachya bipinnata Stapf. Root, KU), significantly reduced the gastro-intestinal motility of the treated animals (p<0.01). The test drug and its components lowered the body weight of the treated animals, on being administered chronically (30 days), with EE being the only exception.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.447-456
• /
• 1997

When the disabled is operating a rehabilitation assisting system with a joystick by himself, unlike in the case of a normal person, tremor with joystick control or instant miscontrol can often occur. If these misoperations should be directly relayed to the system, shaking or malfunction of the mobile rehabilitation assisting system might be the result. The safety of the disabled is of prime concern. To solve this problem, that is, to prevent the miscontrol of the disabled operator and avoid crashes into his or her surroundings, we propose the force-reflection locomotion algorithm with the joystick. This method uses ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance between the object and mobile robot. Based on the reception of sensory data, the necessary torque is applied via the joystick to the attatched motor. To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method, the subjects on the reflected force by the dynamic characteristics of the joystick and the reflected force by the distance information are tested Even though there are some differences in human dexterity, we confirmed the fact that the information from the obstacles was relayed to the operator via the joystick and resulted in an improved operational performance and safety level with regard to those obstacles.