• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2010

Background: Although quantitative sensory test (QST) is being used with increasing frequency for measuring sensory thresholds in clinical practice and epidemiologic studies, there has been no age-matched normative data in Korean adults. The objective of this study is to evaluate the value of QST in diabetic polyneuropathy with normal range in Korean adults. Methods: The Computer Aided Sensory Examination IV 4,2 (WR Medical Electronics Co., Stillwater, Minnesota, U.S.A.), with 4,2,1 stepping algorithm was used to determine vibration and cold perception threshold in 70 normal controls and 19 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy aged from 21 to 79 years. The data were used to define age-matched upper and lower normal limits and normal range of side to side difference. We also evaluated the duration of diabetes, serum HbA1C level, and findings of nerve conduction study (NCS) and QST in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy. Results: In normal adults, sensory thresholds slightly increased with age, and a slight side-to-side difference was observed. The diagnostic sensitivity of QST was not higher than NCS in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (36.8% vs. 42.1%, p=0.716), especially among elderly patients. Conclusions: QST might be used as a complementary test for NCS in the diagnosis of diabetic polyneuropathy. Although the QST is a simple method for the evaluation of peripheral nerve function, there are some limitations. Most of all, because the QST measuring is dependent on the subjective response of patients, the degree of concentration and cooperation of the patients can significantly affect the result. And thus, attention should be paid during the interpretation of QST results in patients with peripheral neuropathy.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.169-180
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• 2017

Individuals with high trait anxiety try to suppress their anger expression, thus there are limits in measuring their anger using subjective behavioral evaluation. In order to overcome this limitation, this study attempted to identify the difference in the autonomic nervous system responses induced by anger in individuals with high trait anxiety. Participants were divided into two groups, anxiety and control groups. Electrocardiogram (ECG), respiration (RESP), electrodermal activity (EDA), and skin temperature (SKT) were measured while participants were presented with an anger-inducing stimulus. Heart rate (HR), standard deviation of NN interval (SDNN), root mean square of successive difference (RMSSD), low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), LF/HF ratio, respiration rate (RR), skin conductance level (SCL), and maximum skin temperature (maxSKT) were calculated before and after presenting the stimulus. Anxiety group reported greater anger by the anger-inducing stimulus compared to the control group. Anxiety group also showed significant increase in SDNN and LF, and decrease in HF, LF/HF ratio, and RR. These results suggest that the autonomic nervous system responses may be used as objective indicators of anger experiences in individuals with high trait anxiety.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.297-305
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• 1999

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate factors related to the intention of participation in a worksite smoking cessation program. Methods: To explain the health behavior of participating intention in a worksite smoking cessation program, the health belief model(HBM) was used as study model, and 144 self-administered questionnaires were completed by electronic company workers. Variables of the health belief model were composed of perceived susceptibility to smokinginduced disease, perceived severity of smoking-induced disease, economical gain as perceived benefit of smoking cessation, and nicotine dependency as perceived barrier of smoking cessation. Variables of sociodemographics, smoking status, knowledge about adverse health effects of smoking, and cues to smoking cessation were used as modifying factors. Results: Perceived severity(POR=1.99, 95% CI: 1.03-3.83), perceived benefit(POR=2.11, 95% CI: 1.07-4.17), and perceived barrier(POR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.76) were significant variables to the intention of participation in a worksite smoking cessation program in the logistic regression analysis. The perceived severity was significantly affected by knowledge about adverse health effects of smoking(POR=2.17, 95% CI: 1.23-3.84). The perceived barrier was significantly affected by education level(POR=3.66, 95% CI: 1.17-11.44), age to first cigarette (POR=0.32, 95% CI: 0.10-0.98), pack-years(POR=5.47, 95% CI: 2.37-12.61). To the Perceived benefit, the model was not fitted. Conclusion: Our results found that counterplans improving the knowledge about adverse health effects of smoking, preventing early smoking, and decreasing smoking amount should be considered for an effective smoking ban policy.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.249-255
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• 2017

The finger vein recognition technology is a method to acquire a finger vein image by illuminating infrared light to the finger and to authenticate a person through processes such as feature extraction and matching. In order to recognize a finger vein, a 2D mask-based two-dimensional convolution method can be used to detect a finger edge but it takes too much computation time when it is applied to a low cost micro-processor or micro-controller. To solve this problem and improve the recognition rate, this study proposed an extraction method for the region of interest based on virtual core points and moving average filtering based on the threshold and absolute value of difference between pixels without using 2D convolution and 2D masks. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, 600 finger vein images were used to compare the edge extraction speed and accuracy of ROI extraction between the proposed method and existing methods. The comparison result showed that a processing speed of the proposed method was at least twice faster than those of the existing methods and the accuracy of ROI extraction was 6% higher than those of the existing methods. From the results, the proposed method is expected to have high processing speed and high recognition rate when it is applied to inexpensive microprocessors.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.342-351
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• 2017

The neural decoding is a procedure that uses spike trains fired by neurons to estimate features of original stimulus. This is a fundamental step for understanding how neurons talk each other and, ultimately, how brains manage information. In this paper, the strategies of neural decoding are classified into three methodologies: rate decoding, temporal decoding, and population decoding, which are explained. Rate decoding is the firstly used and simplest decoding method in which the stimulus is reconstructed from the numbers of the spike at given time (e. g. spike rates). Since spike number is a discrete number, the spike rate itself is often not continuous and quantized, therefore if the stimulus is not static and simple, rate decoding may not provide good estimation for stimulus. Temporal decoding is the decoding method in which stimulus is reconstructed from the timing information when the spike fires. It can be useful even for rapidly changing stimulus, and our sensory system is believed to have temporal rather than rate decoding strategy. Since the use of large numbers of neurons is one of the operating principles of most nervous systems, population decoding has advantages such as reduction of uncertainty due to neuronal variability and the ability to represent a stimulus attributes simultaneously. Here, in this paper, three different decoding methods are introduced, how the information theory can be used in the neural decoding area is also given, and at the last machinelearning based algorithms for neural decoding are introduced.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.500-506
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• 2015

In this paper, we designed and fabricated the EM wave absorber consisted of Sendust for suppressing EM wave noise PCB in ISM (Industrial, Scientific and Medical) band of 2.4 GHz. We fabricated several samples with different composition ratios of some kinds of Sendust to CPE (Chlorinated Ploy-ethylene) as a binder, and it was confirmed that the optimum composition ratio of absorbing materials was Flaked Sendust : CPE = 72.5 : 27.5 wt.%.. The absorbing abilities were simulated by changing the thickness and the measured material constants of EM wave absorber. The measured absorption abilities were analyzed and compared with the simulated ones. As a result, the simulated results agree well with the measured ones, and the developed EM wave absorber with extremely thin thickness of 0.6 mm has absorption ability of 5.4 dB at 2.4 GHz is excellent one. The thin type EM wave absorber can be applied for suppressing and absorbing electromagnetic noises from information and communication equipments.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.327-332
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• 2017

As Internet of Things (IoT) technology advances, there is a growing demand for location-based services (LBSs) to identify users' mobility and identity. The initial LBS system was mainly used to measure position information by measuring the phase of a signal transmitted from a global positioning system (GPS) satellite or by measuring distance to a satellite by tracking the code of a carrier signal. However, the use of GPS satellites is ineffective, because it is difficult to receive satellite signals indoors. Therefore, research on wireless communications systems like ultra-wide band (UWB), radio frequency identification (RFID), and ZigBee are being actively pursued for location recognition technology that can be utilized in an indoor environment. In this paper, we propose an LBS system that includes the 2.45GHz band for chirp spread spectrum (CSS), and the 3.1-10.6GHz band and the 250-750MHz bands for UWB using the IEEE 802.15.4a standard for low power-based location recognition. As a result, we confirmed that the 2.45GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band RF transceiver and the ranging function can be realized in the hardware and has 0dBm output power.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.21 no.3 s.61
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• pp.295-301
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• 2000

It is known that among many factors, relative micromotion at bone/implant interfaces can hinder bone ingrowth into surface pores of an implant. Loading conditions, mechanical properties of spinal materials, friction coefficients at the interfaces and geometry of spinal segments would affect the relative micromotion and spinal stability. A finite clement model of the human lumbar spine segments (L4-L5) was constructed to investigate the mechanical sensitivity at the interfaces between bone and cage. Relative micromotion. Posterior axial displacement. bone stress, cage stress and friction force were predicted in changes of friction coefficients, loading conditions. bone density and age-related material/geometric properties of the spinal segments. Relative micromotion (slip distance in a static loading means relative micromotion in routine activity) at the interfaces increased significantly as the mechanical properties of cancellous bone, annulus fibers or/and ligaments decrease or/and as the friction coefficient at the interfaces decreases. The contact normal force at the interfaces decreased as cancellous bone density decreases or/and as the friction coefficient increases A significant increase of slip distance at anterior annulus occurred with an addition of torsion to compressive preload. Relative micromotion decreased with an increase of disc area. In conclusion. relative micromotion, stress response. Posterior axial displacement and contact normal force are sensitive to the friction coefficient of the interfaces, bone density, loading conditions and age-related geometric/material changes.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to develop a miniature imaging gamma probe with high performance that can detect small or residual tumors after surgery. Gamma probe detector system consists of NaI(Tl) scintillator, position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT), and collimator. PSPMT was optically coupled with 6.5 mm thick, 7.62 cm diameter of NaI(Tl) crystal and supplied with -1000V for high voltage. Parallel hexagonal hole collimator was manufactured for characteristics of 40-mm hole length, 1.3-mm hole diameter, and 0.22 mm septal thickness. Electronics consist of position and trigger signal readout systems. Position signals were obtained with summing, subtracting, and dividing circuit using preamplifer and amplifier. Trigger signals were obtained using summing amplifier, constant fraction discriminator, and gate and delay generator module with preamplifer. Data acquisition and processing were performed by Gamma-PF interface board inserted into pentium PC and PIP software. For imaging studies, flood and slit mask images were acquired using a point source. Two hole phantom images were also acquired with collimator. Intrinsic and system spatial resolutions were measured as 3.97 mm and 5.97 mm, respectively. In conclusion, Miniature gamma probe images based on the PSPMT showed good image quality, we conclude that the miniature imaging gamma probe was successfully developed and good image data were obtained. However, further studies will be required to optimize imaging characteristics.

• The Journal of Korea Institute of Information, Electronics, and Communication Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.82-89
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• 2016

And by entering into an aging society with economic growth "beautiful and healthy desire to live', aesthetics industry as promote interest in 'Anti-aging' is emerging as a promising business increased significantly the skin care market. However, the management of the hospital or the temporal order to receive professional care providers, spatial, and cost constraints caused many companies to solve this problem began to approach the Home Care Area. Global trends in personal skin care market has been activated, the domestic has been activated at low cost, private market due to the recession. We have performed this test in order to develop a skin care device for home in order to compensate for this point.In this paper, we develop a low-level laser to create a personal skin care products and sought to incorporate them into the skin cosmetic.Expand the pores by using the low-level laser to the skin by to the dermal layer of the skin was penetrated aim experiment the ampoule, and by a comparison of the medical low-level laser reliability and determine the effectiveness or absence of the performance and efforts to commercialize.