• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.140-147
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the mechanism of changes in maximum voluntary torque with the magnitude and duration of pre-activation torque during voluntary isometric knee extension. Method: 11 male subjects (age: 25.91±2.43 yrs., height: 173.12±3.51 cm, weight: 76.45±7.74 kg) participated in this study. The subjects were required to produce maximal voluntary isometric torque with a particular pre-activation torque condition. The properties of pre-activation torque consisted of the combinations of 1) three levels of magnitude, e.g., 32 Nm, 64 Nm, 96 Nm, and 2) two levels of duration, e.g., 1 sec, and 3 sec; thus, a total of six conditions were given to the subjects. The force and EMG data were measured using the force transducers and wireless EMG sensor, respectively. Results: The results showed that the maximum voluntary torque increased the most with relatively large and fast (96 Nm, 1 sec) pre-activation condition. Similarly, with relatively large and fast (96 Nm, 1 sec) preactivation, it was found that the integrated EMG (iEMG) of the agonist muscles increased, while no significant changes in the co-contraction of the antagonist muscles for the knee extension. Also, the effect of pre-activation conditions on the rate of torque development was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The current findings suggest that relatively larger in magnitude and shorter in duration as the properties of pre-activation lead to a larger magnitude of maximal voluntary torque, possibly due to the increased activity of the agonist muscles during knee extension.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 2017

Objective: To investigate the effect of short-term vibration frequencies on muscle force generation capabilities. Method: Six healthy participants were recruited for this study and only their dominant leg was tested. The subjects were tested under five conditions of vibration frequencies with constant amplitude: 0 Hz (no vibration), 30 Hz, 60 Hz, and 90 Hz, and the vibration amplitude was 10 mm for all frequency conditions. The vibration was applied to the rectus femoris (RF). The subjects were then instructed to maintain a steady-state isometric knee joint torque (100 Nm) for the first 6 s. After the steady-state torque production, the subjects were required to produce isometric knee joint torque by leg extension as hard as possible with a start signal within the next 3 s. The vibration was applied for ~4 s starting from 1 s before initiation of the change in the steady-state knee joint torque. Results: The results showed that the maximum voluntary torque (MVT) of the knee joint increased with the vibration frequencies. On average, the MVTs were 756.47 Nm for 0 Hz (no vibration) and 809.61 Nm for 90 Hz. There was a significant positive correlation (r = 0.71) between the MVTs and integrated electromyograms (iEMGs). Further, the co-contraction indices (CCIs) were computed, which represent the ratio of the iEMGs of the antagonist muscle to the iEMGs of all involved muscles. There was a significant negative correlation (r = 0.62) between the CCIs and MVTs, which was accompanied by a significant positive correlation (r = 0.69) between the iEMGs of the vibrated muscle (RF). There was no significant correlation between the MVTs and iEMGs of the antagonist muscle. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the short-term vibration on the muscle increases the level of muscle activation possibly owing to the increased Ia afferent activities, which enhances the muscle force generation capability.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.411-426
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of occlusal condition and clenching level on the mandibular torque rotational movement. For this study, healthy 14 men without any symptoms and signs of temporomandibular disorders were selected. Mandibular torque rotational movement was observed in each circumstance of combination of three occlusal conditions such as natural dentition, with wafer of 3.6 mm thickness, and wafer with resin stop of 14 mm thickness total during hard biting of bite stick at maximum voluntary contraction(MVC) and 50% of MVC level of surface EMG activity of masseter muscle. Electromyographic activity and mandibular torque rotational movement were observed using BioEMG and BioEGN in $BioPak^{(R)}$ system. Each biting movement in each circumstance was composed of clenching one time and hard biting of wooden stick two times. The observed items were opening distance, velocity and amount of torque rotational movement in mandibular movement, and the data were statistically processed with $SPSS^{(R)}$ windows (ver.10.0). The results of this study were as follows: 1. There were no differences in the mandibular movement distance between those value in both biting sides, and between those in both clenching forces, but the mandibular velocity showed a different results by clenching force. For the amount of torque rotational movement, there were no difference in the value of the frontal plane but some significant difference was in the value of the horizontal plane by biting side. 2. The mandibular movement distance and the mandibular velocity in both planes were higher by maximum voluntary contraction than those by half maximum voluntary contraction, and amount of torque rotational movement in the horizontal plane was also increased by maximum voluntary contraction. 3. The opening distance in both planes were decreased with the increase of vertical dimension of occlusion, namely, by the occlusal appliances, and this pattern was also showed in the mandibular velocity in case of hard biting by maximum voluntary contraction. However, the amount of torque rotational movement were not different by the increase of vertical dimension of occlusion. 4. The value of angle and distance of the torque rotational movement in the hard biting of wooden stick were generally higher than those in the clenching without wooden stick in both planes without regard to occlusal conditions and/or clenching forces.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.1575-1579
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate how maximum-effort eccentric exercise over different contraction ranges affects the characteristics of torque-angle relationship of human ankle plantarflexor in-vivo. Subjects were randomly assigned in two groups. One group (n=6) performed 120 maximum-effort eccentric ankle dorsiflexion contractions at short muscle length (ankle range of motion from -5 to 15 deg) and the other group (n=6) at long (ankle range of motion from 10 to 30 deg) muscle length. Eccentric exercise decreased the maximum isometric ankle plantarflexion torque ${\sim}40%$. It was found that the optimum ankle joint angle changed from 7.5 deg to 11.1 deg and 10.1 deg, shifted toward the longer muscle length, regardless of the exercise range. The results of this study suggest that eccentric exercise alters the characteristics of torqueangle relationship of the muscle but there is no differential effect of the eccentric contraction range.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.10-15
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• 2006

This study examined the ability of human subjects to match a force in their quadriceps muscle during fatigue. Twenty subjects (mean age: 23.4 yrs, mean height: 167.8 cm, mean weight, 62.6 kg) were enrolled in the experiment. In the force-matching task, the quadriceps muscle generated 50% of the MVIC (maximum voluntary isometric contraction) torque under visual control and then without visual feedback. After inducing fatigue in the quadriceps muscle, the subjects were required to match 50% of the MVIC torque without visual feedback. The perceived magnitude of the force and force-matching errors were measured. 50% of the MVIC torque was perceived from 39.96 Nm in the pre-fatigue condition to 44.95 Nm in the post-fatigue condition. 50% of the MVIC torque-matching errors increased significantly from .55% in the pre-fatigue condition to 9.6% in the post-fatigue condition (p<.001). in addition, there were significantly more force-matching errors in women than in men (p<.01). In conclusion muscle fatigue can interfere with a subject's ability to match a force. This suggests that muscle fatigue may contributes to the sensitization of the proprioception.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.178-186
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• 2015

Endurance time is very important indicator to estimate muscle fatigue. In the case of measuring endurance time directly, it is dangerous for subject to perform a test until the point of failure to main time force. Therefore, this paper presents the model to estimate endirance time using indirect measurements such as personal factors and anthropometrical data. Previous studies had shown that personal factors such as gender and age were not related to endurance time, but recently studies have shown that it is estimated by using independent variable or predictor such as GTA (Gravitational Torque of the horizontal, stretched arm) and MVC (Maximum Voluntary Contraction). The present study investigated variables to estimate endurance time using personal factors and anthrometrical data during isotonic contractions. Twenty five healthy subject volunteered for this study, and performed three test sessions of isotonic contraction exercises at 10~50% respectively. Afterward the correlation coefficient and p-values were compared among regression models using personal factors and anthropometrical data. The results demonstrated that multi-regression model had significant coefficient of correlation, and was useful estimate endurance time.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.338-346
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• 2023

During isometric elbow flexion, forearm length should be an important factor to determine not only joint torque but also maximum endurance time (MET), when the forearm is perpendicular to the direction of the force. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of forearm length as an additional factor on empirical models of MET such as an exponential model and a power model during isometric elbow flexion. Thirty volunteers participated in our experiment to measure factor variables such as circumferences and lengths of their upper and lower arms. Their METs were measured according to the percent of maximum voluntary contraction intensity (%MVC). For the multiple linear regression model of ln(MET) using these measurements, significant variables could be observed in %MVC and forearm lengths (P<0.05). The empirical models were assessed by these models using forearm length as the additional factor. Mean absolute deviations (MAD) between the measured METs amd the two empirical models were about 19.4 [s], but MAD using models applied forearm lengths were reduced to about 16.2 [s]. The correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients were about 0.87, but those applied forearm lengths were increased to about 0.91. These results demonstrated that forearm length was a significant additional factor to the empirical model.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

An active training system has been developed to assist the upper extremity function in patients with spasticity. We also evaluated the performance of the developed assistive system in five normal subjects and one hemiplegic patient. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) tests for biceps brachii and triceps brachii were performed and the relationship between linear enveloped EMG signal and the elbow joint torque was found. In order to implement an active training, our system was designed to allow isokinetic movement only when the subject generates elbow joint motion larger than the pre-fixed threshold level. The proposed EMG-feedback control method could provide active exercises, resulting in better rehabilitation protocol for spastic patients.