• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.504-514
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• 2017

Discomfort as well as muscular pain and musculoskeletal diseases occur in cases of stressed posture due to prolonged pressure. Therefore, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) recommend that bags that weigh no more than 15 - 20% of the wearer's weight. However, despite the prolonged pressure from using baby carriers, there are no recommendations and limited studies on how to protect wearers. Therefore, this study investigates subjective fatigue according to the usage of waist support and hip seat. Based on this, muscle fatigue and secondary subjective fatigue according to three types of currently commercial baby carriers (X-type, H-type, and H-hip type) were measured. Subjective comfortability was evaluated on a 5 point Likert-scale and subjective fatigue was evaluated on Borg's CR-10 scale. Objective muscle fatigue was also compared by measuring and analyzing electromyogram (EMG). The results of primary subjective fatigue showed statistically significant changes in the shoulders, waist, calves, and soles of the feet according to the usage of hip seats and waist support. Electromyogram measurements also showed less muscle fatigue at the upper trapezius muscle and thoracic erector spine muscle for the H-hip seat baby carrier, which has both waist support and hip seat, compared to an X-type baby carrier, which has neither. However, results of subjective fatigue showed opposite results at the waist despite having same results at the shoulders and beneath the shoulders. This show discrepancies between objective muscle fatigue and subjective fatigue; therefore, that both aspects must be taken into consideration when developing ergonomic baby carriers.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.179-193
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• 2012

The development of modern transportation technology has required many people in spaces (such as vehicle seats, airports, and train stations) for long periods. The public seats provided in these places are manufactured in a standard size; however, fatigue sets in if the seats are unsuitable for the person's physical size. For this reason, this study developed an air cushion vest that would enhance the comfort of vehicle seats. Passengers in vehicles, trains, airplanes, and buses were observed and surveyed to understand the demand for seat comfort. Our analysis found that the greatest source of discomfort was involuntary nodding of the head while asleep and discomfort around the waist area. For this reason, the air cushion vest was designed to support the head and the waist. The neck cushion of this vest was designed to strengthen head support to counter forward nodding because existing commercial neck cushions had no support for forward nodding. For the waist cushion, at lumbar and below-lumbar parts were chosen as the key parts to be supported, the cushion was designed to contain air at those parts. To cover the embedded waist cushion, the vest was designed to be long. The closure was constructed with zippers from the neck to waistline, and with invisible snaps from the waistline to the hemline so that the wearer could open them easily while seated. A subjective comfort evaluation was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the developed vest. In the test, the developed cushions received a better evaluation than cushions currently available on the market. The volume of the vest could be adjusted by the inflow and outflow of air. It was proven that the vest was effective in terms of comfort and portability. This shows that the developed vest could enhance passenger comfort while sitting on vehicle seats.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2015

Fall-related injuries in elderly people are a major health care problem. This paper introduces determination of fall direction before impact using support vector machine (SVM). Once a falling phase is detected, dynamic characteristic parameters measured by the accelerometer and gyroscope and then processed by a Kalman filter are used in the SVM to determine the fall directions, i.e., forward (F), backward (B), rightward (R), and leftward (L). This paper compares the determination sensitivities according to the selected parameters for the SVM (velocities, tilt angles, vs. accelerations) and sensor attachment locations (waist vs. chest) with regards to the binary classification (i.e., F vs. B and R vs. L) and the multi-class classification (i.e., F, B, R, vs. L). Based on the velocity of waist which was superior to other parameters, the SVM in the binary case achieved 100% sensitivities for both F vs. B and R vs. L, while the SVM in the multi-class case achieved the sensitivities of F 93.8%, B 91.3%, R 62.3%, and L 63.6%.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.253-266
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• 2021

The sufficient early strength of primary support is crucial for stabilizing the surroundings, especially for the tunnels constructed in soil. This paper introduces the Steel-Concrete Composite Support System (SCCS), a new support with high bearing capacity and flexible, rapid construction. The bearing characteristics and construction performance of SCCS were systematically studied using a three-dimensional numerical model. A sensitivity analysis was also performed. It was found that the stress of a π-shaped steel arch decreased with an increase in the thickness of the wall, and increased linearly with an increase in the rate of stress release. In the horizontal direction of the arch section, the nodal stresses of the crown and the shoulder gradually increased in longitudinally, and in the vertical direction, the nodal stresses gradually decreased from top to bottom. The stress distribution at the waist, however, was opposite to that at the crown and the shoulder. By analyzing the stress of the arch section under different installation gaps, the sectional stress evolution was found to have a step-growth trend at the crown and shoulder. The stress evolution at the waist is more likely to have a two-stage growth trend: a slow growth stage and a fast growth stage. The maximum tensile and compressive stresses of the secondary lining supported by SCCS were reduced on average by 38.0% and 49.0%, respectively, compared with the traditional support. The findings can provide a reference for the supporting technology in tunnels driven in loess.

• Journal of Fashion Business
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.105-115
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• 2017

Continuous lifting and carrying of babies constitutes a serious physical burden, leading to issues such as muscle fatigue and pain in child-care workers. However, there is a lack of research on the pressure and subjective comfort of baby carriers that are commercially available in the market. Therefore, this study was intended to determine the most comfortable and least burdensome type of baby carrier. This was done by analyzing muscle activity and pressure when subjects carried babies using three types of baby carriers. The types of baby carriers evaluated included a 'baby carrier of thin shoulder straps without back support band (X-type)', a 'baby carrier with a back-support band and without a hip sheet (H-type)', and a 'baby carrier with back support band and hip support (H-hip type). The subjective comfort of subjects wearing each type of baby carrier was investigated and compared to the objectively measured data. As a result, the X-type baby carrier showed the heaviest pressure on the shoulders and the subjective comfort was found to not be good. On the waist region, the H-type and H-hip type baby carriers showed significantly less muscle activation than the X-type baby carrier. However, subjects showed a stronger preference for the X-type baby carrier on the waist region, despite greater muscle activation. This appears to be because although the back-support band disperses the weight and thus improves physiological comfort; the wearers feel cramped and thus, lower their psychological comfort.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.406-420
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• 2014

The goal of this study is to support the children's pants construction methods that secure clothing size and fit appropriateness through proposed improvements of denim pants construction method focusing on 4-year-old boys. Depths interview on the actual condition, measurements and calculations for positions and ease of the clothing points corresponding to the body points actually worn were conducted for 47 denim pants of nine boys. "Characteristics of the areas worn" and "physical characteristics of lower body" were analyzed, and improvements of 4-year-old children's denim pants construction method were proposed. As the results, the different figures in "characteristics of the areas worn" between the existing children's pants construction methods and children's actual wearing habits were found, and identification of distinct children's lower body from adults' supports that we should avoid tracing adults' methods without reasons. Children's pants construction method on basis of actual wearing should be devised to solve fit problems. Improvements of children's method were proposed such as ease of girth by different area worn, ease of "elastic waist girth", the difference between "elastic waist girth" and "pattern waist girth", and the difference between "pattern waist girth" and "pattern hip girth" as considerations of pants girth items, and appropriate position "clothing waist girth" "pants hip length" level, "pants crotch length" level, "clothing knee length" level, and "pants outside length" level for pattern making as considerations of clothing length items.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze muscle function and EMG of the trunk and the lower extremity in short and long distance athletes and in order to determine difference in peak torque per unit weight, muscle power per unit weight, endurance ratio, and %MVIC classified by muscle. For that purpose, isokinetic muscle function tests for waist, knee, and ankle joints and EMG measurements for the trunk and the lower extremity muscle with running motion were conducted for 7 short and long distance high school athletes respectively. The study over muscle function of waist, knee, and ankle joints indicates that peak torque per unit weight of short distance athletes is higher than that of long distance athletes in extension and flexion of waist joint, plantar flexion of right ankle joint, and dorsi flexion of left ankle joint. In case of the muscle power per unit weight of short distance athletes is also higher than long distance athletes in waist, knee, and ankle joints. No difference in endurance ratio of waist, knee, and ankle joints between the two groups was founded. The results of the test over EMG of the trunk and the lower extremity show that %MVIC of erector spinae, rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and tibialis anterior is higher than that of long distance athletes in support phase. The above results proved to be the same in flight phase except for %MVIC of medial gastrocnemius. In other words, %MVIC of medial gastrocnemius for short distance athletes turned out to be higher than that of long distance athletes in flight phase.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.518-531
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• 2002

The purpose of this study was to research specific dimensional increments of grading and to support to establish a grading system according to the targets of women's wear manufacturers in Korea. For the questionnaire, 91 women's wear brands, which were in higher ranking of sales, were selected, and the age groups were separated into 3: 20's, 30's, and 40's & 50's, according to their customers. The graders of each brand were questioned about specific dimensional increments of grading fur this research. The results of the study were as follows: 1. Using the most common dimensional increments, 3.81cm(1 f inch) and 5.08cm(2 inch) for upper garments and lower garments, the modes of increments and reference increments for each garment section were suggested. 2. For upper garments, the brands for older women made larger increments of waist girth than for bust girth. This was to cover abdominal obesity. Also, the brands made larger increments of girth than for shoulder breadth. 3. For lower garments, the brands for older women made larger increments of waist girth than fur hip girth. It meant the drop value of hip girth minus waist girth was smaller. The breadths of front and back crotch were also wider.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.881-894
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• 2015

The silver generation have clothing style of optimal daily life comparing than young generation because they do not participate a specific sport event but daily- life exercise. As the human body ages, the figure of the silver generation shows different body shape because upper body changes to curved figure including the belly and waist part. Therefore, clothing characteristics for the silver generation should be considered with proper function, design and textiles to optimize body movement. This study investigated various exercise types according to motion analysis of the silver generation in order to develop the design of the active T-shirts reflecting the structural properties and providing the optimum exercise circumstance. The results to consider design needs are as followed; As the T-shirts design for the flexible exercise which required frequent movement of upper body such as bending and waist twisting during body stretching, a stretch fabric applied to the waist part considering T-shirts allowance and length to make extreme elongation and support for well-fitting appearance of the T-shirts. As the T-shirts design for the instantaneous reactionary exercise, high elastic four-way stretch fabric is applied to the part of arm hole to optimize skeletal and muscle movement for entire body and arm work. As the T-shirts design for the endurance exercise such as climbing, cycling, and walking, the shoulder line of the back part has cutting line allowance to make optimum movement of the upper body but no change of the waist part.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.781-789
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• 2021

To enhance the design and comfort of waist-protection corsets, this study analyzed the product characteristics of five types of posture-correction corsets that are available commercially. Additionally, subjective evaluation of the corsets was conducted on women aged 20 to 60 years, in terms of design, material preference, fit, comfort, degree of correction, freedom of movement, tightness, and convenience of front fastening. Following product analysis, the five corset types were divided into: two soft, one semi-hard, and two hard types in terms of the degree of elongation. As a result of pattern analysis, the soft type was designed to improve fit by reflecting the body curvature, whereas the semi-hard and hard types were relatively flat. Through the wearing sensation assessment, the hard type manufactured by company S was the best in terms of design, material, fit, comfort, correction degree, and freedom of movement. The soft type was average in design, material, and fit while relatively poor in the correction degree and tightness. The results indicated that soft materials, flexible bones with appropriate tension, patterns designed to snugly fit the body with large curvature at the top and bottom for better inflection, and adjustable support belts that can be double-fixed are crucial elements in improving the corset design to boost the comfort of wearing. These study results are helpful in the development of waist-protection corsets with excellent wearing comfort and design appreciated by customers.