• IEIE Transactions on Smart Processing and Computing
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2016

Lane change is an important issue in microscopic traffic flow simulations and active safety. Overtaking and changing lanes are dangerous driving maneuvers. This approach presents a lane-changing system based on speed and a minimum gap between vehicles in a vehicular ad hoc network (VANET). This paper proposes a solution to ensure the safety of drivers while changing lanes on highways. Efficient routing protocols could play a crucial role in VANET applications, safeguarding both drivers and passengers, and thus, maintaining a safe on-road environment. This paper focuses on the development of an intelligent transportation system that provides timely, reliable information to drivers and the concerned authorities. A test bed is created for the techniques used in the proposed system, where analysis takes place in an on-board embedded system designed for vehicle navigation. The designed system was tested on a four-lane road in Neemrana, India. Successful simulations were conducted with real-time network parameters to maximize quality of service and performance using Simulation of Urban Mobility and Network Simulator 2 (NS-2). The system implementation, together with the findings, is presented in this paper. Illustrating the approach are results from simulation using NS-2.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2013

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and effects of balance training using a newly developed elastic band orthosis (aider) for improvement of mobility and balance in chronic stroke patients. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Ten patients with chronic hemiplegia participated in this study. There were six males and four females; two patients had right hemiplegia and eight had left hemiplegia. This study investigated the effect of the elastic band orthosis on balance and gait ability compared with bare foot condition. Gait parameters were measured using the opto-gait system for analysis of the spatial and temporal parameters of walking in stroke patients. In addition, balance ability in stroke patients was evaluated using the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Results: This study investigated the effect of the elastic band orthosis on balance compared with bare foot condition. The TUG and BBS showed significant improvement with use of the elastic band orthosis (p<0.05). Use of the Elastic band orthosis resulted in significantly improved velocity, cadence, less-affected step length, less-affected stride length, and less-affected single limb support in stroke patients (p<0.05). Conclusions: We demonstrated a significant improvement in dynamic balance and gait ability in chronic stroke patients using the elastic band orthosis. This orthosis may aid in prevention of spastic foot drop, leading to improvement of walking ability.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.251-258
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• 2014

A wheelchair is a typical mobility aid for the physically disabled or the old and the weak, and is the most commonly used rehabilitation aid. In general, most of users of manual wheelchair have difficulty though vocational rehabilitation and independent living is possible. The reason is that long-distance movement is always accompanied with wheelchair transfer problem because a wheelchair is used as direct means of transport. Hence, the wheelchair transfer problem should be first solved in order that a wheelchair user can independently live. Therefore, this study examined and analyzed the domestic and overseas launched products and patented technologies of wheelchair transfer system for vehicle, and proposed a wheelchair transfer mechanism of a new system for vehicle. This study proposed a wheelchair transfer mechanism for vehicle in order to remove the disadvantage of wheelchair transfer system for vehicle to support the conventional wheelchair user's movement, and in order to conform with the structure of domestic welfare vehicle for the disabled. Because a difference between storage space installed in the roof of vehicle and storage space for leisure, which is generally utilized, gets to disappear by applying this proposed mechanism, popularity among users can be increased. And storage space that has become smaller like this will be capable of decreasing the disadvantage of air resistance in traveling. Besides, because of getting to conform with the structure of welfare vehicle, restrictions on the application range will disappear from small sedan to SUV. Therefore, users can have more choices.

• 제어로봇시스템학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.957-962
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• 2005

Today, the elderly is increasing gradually in the Republic of Korea society and this problem will be more serious in the near future. Therefore, engineering support for aged people is required. We are establishing a new field of healthcare engineering for elderly people and aiming to support for aged people and disabled people using adaptive control and instrument technology. In this paper, the goal is to implement the shared control of a robot mobility aid for the elderly. As using this type of assistive technology to be useful by its intended user community, it supports elderly people and handicapped people to live independently in their private homes. The interface transforms the force applied by the user into the robot's motion. Devices like buttons, joysticks, and levers already exist for relaying user input; however, they require hand displacement that would loosen or otherwise release the user's hold. Such interfaces make operation very difficult and potentially unsafe. Therefore, we propose a shared control system. It's safe more than joysticks and buttons. The shared control is a means of registering the user's intention through physical interaction. It's an important component in the development of robotic elderly assistant. The concept of shared control describes a system which is two or more independent control systems. We are using that the three component blocks consist of pressure sensor (flexible force sensor), circuit of measurement and transfer function. Experimental trials of this paper have been tested at the indoor environment. The robot is able to know the user intended direction through haptic device were logged along with the robot's force sensor.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2009

The aim of this paper is to examine the demographic characteristics and the attitude about marriage and the policy of the unmarried male farmers. The contents of research are two folds: 1) Analyze the marriage related demographic statistics of rural area using the data from Korea Statistical Information System and marriage statistics in 2007, 2) survey analyses of the attitude toward marriage, perception and needs of international marriage, and related policies from data of 170 unmarried male farmers. The results are as follows: first, the marriage rates among over 15 years old of the rural area is 78.2% for men while 1.8% for 20${\sim}$24 age group and 9.3% for 25${\sim}$29 age group. The marriage rates in this area are varied by region especially low in Kyunggido & Jejudo. Second, the portion of international marriages of Korean male farmers with foreign partner are 11% among all international marriages of Korean males. There are high rates of male farmers' international marriage in Junranamdo and Kyungsangbukdo which are characterized by low level of urbanization, low inter-city mobility, low rates of age group of under 15 years and high portion of over age 65. Finally, the survey results showed that 83% of the sample lived with their parents; event though 80% of farmers think marriage is necessary, 60% had no plan of marriage because of difficulties to meet marriage partners and of lacking economic resources; they showed a negative perception toward the handicapped, foreigners, Afro-Americans, Westerners and divorcees as a marriage partner; they also showed negative recognition to international marriage because of observed problems of neighboring international marriage couples and concerns of cultural differences; they pointed out that the government's concern about improving quality of the environment of the rural area and reforming the international marriage aid law was the most necessary. The discussion and the future research directions were added.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to provide information on driving characteristics in persons with spinal cord injury through basic statistic analysis of the survey results. The survey was administered to 44 drivers with spinal cord injury. The subjects' general, neurologic and driving characteristics were analyzed, as well as the degree of difficulty in using their vehicles between tetraplegia and paraplegia. The results were as follows: thirty-five (79.6%) of forty-four respondents was men. The average age was 35.0 years old and the age at the time of injury was 29.0 years old. Their neurologic characteristics were tetraplegics 12 (27.3%) and paraplegics 32 (72.2%). Among complete lesions, the highest level those who could drive independently was C7. All the vehicles were equipped with special devices, including "power steering", "automatic transmission" and "hand controls". The vehicles for cervical cord injury were equipped with "grip bars" as well as for the degree of difficulty in using their vehicles, all the subjects felt that "moving the wheelchair in and out of their vehicles" was too difficult for them to do. We suggest that the driver training should be an essential part of the rehabilitation program for patients with spinal cord injuries to maximize their mobility in the community. This training seems to be essential in order to modify the standards of the Handicapped Drivers Ability Test and to aid the driver rehabilitation program in the health insurance payment system. Also, the driver rehabilitation training program should include instruction in that moving wheelchairs in and out of vehicles.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.575-585
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop predictive models for pressure ulcer incidence using electronic health record (EHR) data and to compare their predictive validity performance indicators with that of the Braden Scale used in the study hospital. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital in Korea. Data of 202 pressure ulcer patients and 14,705 non-pressure ulcer patients admitted between January 2015 and May 2016 were extracted from the EHRs. Three predictive models for pressure ulcer incidence were developed using logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards regression, and decision tree modeling. The predictive validity performance indicators of the three models were compared with those of the Braden Scale. Results: The logistic regression model was most efficient with a high area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) estimate of 0.97, followed by the decision tree model (AUC 0.95), Cox proportional hazards regression model (AUC 0.95), and the Braden Scale (AUC 0.82). Decreased mobility was the most significant factor in the logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, and the endotracheal tube was the most important factor in the decision tree model. Conclusion: Predictive validity performance indicators of the Braden Scale were lower than those of the logistic regression, Cox proportional hazards regression, and decision tree models. The models developed in this study can be used to develop a clinical decision support system that automatically assesses risk for pressure ulcers to aid nurses.

• International Journal of Railway
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.143-148
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• 2008

This paper is the output of a collaborative European project concerning the barrier free accessibility for disabled persons to regional and long distance trains in Europe. Disabled people represent around 13% of the population in Europe. This is approximately 63 million people. The range of disabilities includes people with reduced mobility including wheel chair users, viewing and hearing impaired people and other forms of impairment. Improving accessibility aims at contributing to the provision of public transport services to all citizens in an equitable way. The purpose of the project was to analyse and to evaluate the existing solutions at selected European railways for all required modules at the entrance (doors, information and safety solutions), to derive a design concept, to develop a mock-up in meeting the needs of rail travellers with the above mentioned impairments and to test it with user groups. The project also aims at deriving components for the determination of standards. The EUPAX Design Mock-up test was performed to verify the advantages of the layout of the train segment including the different modules such as access area (including the access door, gaps between platform and train as well as boarding aid devices), entrance vestibule, information systems inside and outside the train, emergency facilities, toilet with all conveniences and the additional test arrangements regarding push buttons, steps and emergency equipment. For this purpose a questionnaire was developed for the assessment of the EUPAX segment and the additional test arrangements. With the help of this questionnaire it was possible to execute a quantitative and qualitative evaluation. During three test phases 67 experts and handicapped persons from 6 countries have evaluated the Industrial Design mock-up based on this questionnaire. The test group covered persons from North (Denmark) to the South (Italy) and from the West (Spain) to the Middle of Europe (Germany). This is especially important for the generalization (harmonisation) of the results for all European countries. According to COST 335 the information for people with reduced mobility should be clear, concise, accurate and timely. So that all information can be received from persons, they must be transferred on at least two of the three possible ways (acoustical, visual, tactile), a so called "2-sense-principle". Based on the results ergonomic specifications/ solutions for the ergonomic design of the access area, the acoustic, visual and tactile information and the emergency devices including the emergency communication system were developed, related to the benefiting passenger groups.