• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.9
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• pp.1328-1333
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• 2009

To evaluate different housing systems, 80 gilts were randomly allocated at puberty to four treatments: i) sow stall in gestation followed by farrowing crate (SC), ii) group housing with individual feeding in gestation followed by farrowing crate (GC), iii) ESF (Electronic Sow Feeding) system in gestation followed by farrowing crate (EC), and iv) ESF system followed by group farrowing pen (EG). The results showed that stalled sows had a longer interval between puberty and second estrus (p<0.001). The sows kept in the ESF system gained more body weight (p<0.01) and backfat (p<0.05) prior to service, and more backfat during gestation (p<0.05), but also had greater backfat losses in the subsequent lactation (p<0.01). Sows changing from loose housing to confinement at farrowing had longer gestation length (p<0.001). Total litter size did not differ significantly between gestation treatments, but the number of stillborn piglets was significantly higher in the SC treatment (p<0.01). After weaning, SC sows had the longest interval for rebreeding (p<0.001). Some EG sows came into heat before weaning, giving this treatment the shortest interval. These results indicate that gestation confinement in sow stalls had several detrimental effects on sow performance relative to group housing.

• Journal of Internet Computing and Services
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• v.5 no.6
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• pp.121-128
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• 2004

This paper proposes a quality evaluation system of a handwriting string written by electronic pen. For the purpose of the system, this paper describes how to retrieve reference data from a database, how to evaluate the quality of a handwiting string using global and local features. Also, it explains how to optionally recognize a grade of a handwriting string at using global and how to diagnose stroke order at using local. The quality can be evaluated in the case of different language between reference and input by the system. Therefore, we expect that the system is very useful not only for training on handwriting but also for learning a language.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.330-330
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• 2009

For the high-performance Quantum dots-Light Emitting Diodes in the near-infrared and visible spectrum, adequate electro- and hole-transporting layers are required. The operation lifetimes of typical materials used in OLEDs are very limited and degraded especially by the oxygen and humid atmosphere. In this work, NiO was selected as a possible hole-transporting layer replacing the TPD film used in QD-LEDs. About 40-nm-thick NiO films have been deposited by the rf-sputtering method on various technical substrates such as FTO/glass, ITO/glass, and ITO/PEN. For the balance of charge carriers and quenching consideration, the resistivity of the deposited NiO films was investigated controlling the oxygen in the sputtering gas. NiO films were fabricated at room temperature and about 6mTorr using pure Ar, 2.5%-, 5%-, and 10%-mixed $O_2$ in Ar respectively. We also investigated the rf-power dependence on NiO films in the range of 80 ~ 200 Watts. The resistivity of the samples was varied from highly conductive to resistive state. Also discussed are the surface roughness of NiO films to provide the smooth surface for the deposition of QDs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.425-430
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• 2009

$ZrO_2$ film was deposited by facing target sputtering (FTS) system on polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrate as a gas barrier layer for flexible organic light emitting devices (FOLEDs), In order to control the heat of the FTS system caused by the ion bombardment in the cathode compared with the conventional sputtering system, the process characteristics of the FTS apparatus are investigated under various sputtering conditions such as the distance between two targets ($d_{TT}$), the distance between the target and the substrate ($d_{TS}$), and the deposition time. The $ZrO_2$ film by the FTS system can reduce the damage on the films because the ion bombardment with high-energy particles like gamma-electrons, Moreover, the $ZrO_2$ film with optimized condition ($d_{TT}$=140 mm) as a function of the distance from center to edge showed a very uniform thickness below 5 % for a deposition time of 3 hours, which can improve the interface property between the anode and the plastics substrate for flexible displays, It is concluded that the $ZrO_2$ film prepared by the FTS system can be applied as a gas barrier layer or an interlayer between the anode and the plastic substrate with good properties of an uniform thickness and a low deposition-temperature.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1574-1580
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• 2009

To evaluate the effect of different housing systems on sow behavior, 80 gilts were randomly allocated at puberty to four treatments: i) sow stall in gestation followed by farrowing crate (SC), ii) group housing with individual feeding in gestation followed by farrowing crate (GC), iii) ESF (Electronic Sow Feeding) system in gestation followed by farrowing crate (EC), and iv) ESF system followed by group farrowing pen (EG). Behavioral observations were carried out on a total of 16 animals per treatment at the following stages: first day of allocation to housing treatment, day of service, 80 days after service, 109 days after service on entry to farrowing accommodation, 24 h before farrowing, day of farrowing, 14, 27 and 28 days after farrowing, at weaning. On each occasion, individual animals were observed for a 24 period with one minute time sampling. There were significant differences (p<0.001) between stages of the reproductive cycle for all the behavior patterns in all treatments. On the first day in experimental housing treatments, sows spent more time rooting and dog-sitting. Activity and investigatory behavior decreased as pregnancy progressed. An activity peak was apparent just before farrowing, followed by a high level of inactivity on the day of farrowing. Time spent active, eating and drinking increased as lactation progressed, and greatest activity and locomotion was seen immediately following weaning. There were significant differences between housing treatments (p<0.01) for standing, moving, eating, drinking, dog-sitting and lying. During pregnancy SC sows spent more time standing, rooting, drinking and dog sitting, while EC sows spent less time rooting and drinking and more time lying. During lactation, GC sows spent more time standing, moving and eating, less time dog sitting and lateral lying. Nursing frequency was reduced in GC sows (p<0.001). The maternal and piglet behaviors were influenced strongly by environment during lactation. However, it was also shown that previous housing history can influence the maternal behavior in the pre-farrowing stage and during early lactation.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.1817-1826
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• 2022

Public concern on the methods of raising food-producing animals has increased, especially in the last two decades, leading to voluntary and mandated changes in the animal production methods. The primary objective of these changes is to improve the welfare of farm animals. The use of gestational stalls is currently a major welfare issue in swine production. Several studies assessed the welfare of alternative housing systems for gestating sows. A comparative study was performed with gestating sows housed in either individual stalls or in groups in a pen with an electronic sow feeder. This review assessed the welfare of each housing system using physiological, behavioral, and reproductive performance criteria. The current review identified clear advantages and disadvantages of each housing system. Individual stall housing allowed each sow to be given an individually tailored diet without competition, but the sows had behavioral restrictions and showed stereotypical behaviors (e.g., bar biting, nosing, palate grinding, etc.). Group-housed sows had increased opportunities to display such behavior (e.g., ability to move around and social interactions); however, a higher prevalence of aggressive behavior, especially first mixing in static group type, caused a negative impact on longevity (more body lesions, scratch and bite injuries, and lameness, especially in subordinate sows). Conclusively, a more segmented and diversified welfare assessment could be beneficial for a precise evaluation of each housing system for sows. Further efforts should be made to reduce aggression-driven injuries and design housing systems (feeding regimen, floor, bedding, etc.) to improve the welfare of group-housed sows.

• Fiber Technology and Industry
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.490-508
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• 1998

One of the latest fields of research in the area of output devices is tactual display devices [13,31]. These tactual or haptic devices allow the user to receive haptic feedback output from a variety of sources. This allows the user to actually feel virtual objects and manipulate them by touch. This is an emerging technology and will be instrumental in enhancing the realism of wearable augmented environments for certain applications. Tactual displays have previously been used for scientific visualization in virtual environments by chemists and engineers to improve perception and understanding of force fields and of world models populated with the impenetrable. In addition to tactual displays, the use of wearable audio displays that allow sound to be spatialized are being developed. With wearable computers, designers will soon be able to pair spatialized sound to virtual representations of objects when appropriate to make the wearable computer experience even more realistic to the user. Furthermore, as the number and complexity of wearable computing applications continues to grow, there will be increasing needs for systems that are faster, lighter, and have higher resolution displays. Better networking technology will also need to be developed to allow all users of wearable computers to have high bandwidth connections for real time information gathering and collaboration. In addition to the technology advances that make users need to wear computers in everyday life, there is also the desire to have users want to wear their computers. In order to do this, wearable computing needs to be unobtrusive and socially acceptable. By making wearables smaller and lighter, or actually embedding them in clothing, users can conceal them easily and wear them comfortably. The military is currently working on the development of the Personal Information Carrier (PIC) or digital dog tag. The PIC is a small electronic storage device containing medical information about the wearer. While old military dog tags contained only 5 lines of information, the digital tags may contain volumes of multi-media information including medical history, X-rays, and cardiograms. Using hand held devices in the field, medics would be able to call this information up in real time for better treatment. A fully functional transmittable device is still years off, but this technology once developed in the military, could be adapted tp civilian users and provide ant information, medical or otherwise, in a portable, not obstructive, and fashionable way. Another future device that could increase safety and well being of its users is the nose on-a-chip developed by the Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. This tiny digital silicon chip about the size of a dime, is capable of 'smelling' natural gas leaks in stoves, heaters, and other appliances. It can also detect dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. This device can also be configured to notify the fire department when a leak is detected. This nose chip should be commercially available within 2 years, and is inexpensive, requires low power, and is very sensitive. Along with gas detection capabilities, this device may someday also be configured to detect smoke and other harmful gases. By embedding this chip into workers uniforms, name tags, etc., this could be a lifesaving computational accessory. In addition to the future safety technology soon to be available as accessories are devices that are for entertainment and security. The LCI computer group is developing a Smartpen, that electronically verifies a user's signature. With the increase in credit card use and the rise in forgeries, is the need for commercial industries to constantly verify signatures. This Smartpen writes like a normal pen but uses sensors to detect the motion of the pen as the user signs their name to authenticate the signature. This computational accessory should be available in 1999, and would bring increased peace of mind to consumers and vendors alike. In the entertainment domain, Panasonic is creating the first portable hand-held DVD player. This device weight less than 3 pounds and has a screen about 6' across. The color LCD has the same 16:9 aspect ratio of a cinema screen and supports a high resolution of 280,000 pixels and stereo sound. The player can play standard DVD movies and has a hour battery life for mobile use. To summarize, in this paper we presented concepts related to the design and use of wearable computers with extensions to smart spaces. For some time, researchers in telerobotics have used computer graphics to enhance remote scenes. Recent advances in augmented reality displays make it possible to enhance the user's local environment with 'information'. As shown in this paper, there are many application areas for this technology such as medicine, manufacturing, training, and recreation. Wearable computers allow a much closer association of information with the user. By embedding sensors in the wearable to allow it to see what the user sees, hear what the user hears, sense the user's physical state, and analyze what the user is typing, an intelligent agent may be able to analyze what the user is doing and try to predict the resources he will need next or in the near future. Using this information, the agent may download files, reserve communications bandwidth, post reminders, or automatically send updates to colleagues to help facilitate the user's daily interactions. This intelligent wearable computer would be able to act as a personal assistant, who is always around, knows the user's personal preferences and tastes, and tries to streamline interactions with the rest of the world.

• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.365-375
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate the maximal elongation rate and area expansion ratio of human skin in various postures. Five males and five females (male: $23{\pm}2yr$ in age, $177.9{\pm}4.8cm$ in height, $76.7{\pm}8.8kg$ in body weight, $24.2{\pm}2.5$ in BMI, $16.2{\pm}3.4%$ in body fat; female: $22{\pm}1yr$, $163.2{\pm}3.6cm$, $51.4{\pm}2.7kg$, $19.3{\pm}1.6$, $27.4{\pm}6.7%BF$) participated in this study. Measurements were conducted using a pen and tape on the elbow, knee, wrist, shoulder, and neck. Subjects held postures so that each joint of the body regions was bent at its maximal level. The results were as follows: 1) The maximal elongation rate of skin showed a significant difference among the regions: $16.6{\pm}3.4%$ for the wrist, $22.4{\pm}5.5%$ for the neck (back), $37.6{\pm}11.3%$ for the shoulder, $42.6{\pm}10.0%$ for the knee, and $43.9{\pm}4.0%$ for the elbow (p<0.05). 2) The maximal expansion rate of the body surface area had the greatest values on the elbow ($93.7{\pm}6.4%$) and knee ($74.8{\pm}10.8%$). 3) No significant difference was found between males and females. In summary, maximal values of skin elongation and expansion rates in vivo were greater than in vitro values known from previous reports. These results can be applied to develop electronic fibers or textiles for wearable tight fit work clothing as well as fitness wear.

• The KIPS Transactions:PartB
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• v.9B no.3
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• pp.375-382
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• 2002

Handwritten character recognition is classified into on-line handwritten character recognition and off-line handwritten character recognition. On-line handwritten character recognition has made a remarkable outcome compared to off-line hacdwritten character recognition. This method can acquire the dynamic written information such as the writing order and the position of a stroke by means of pen-based electronic input device such as a tablet board. On the contrary, Any dynamic information can not be acquired in off-line handwritten character recognition since there are extreme overlapping between consonants and vowels, and heavily noisy images between strokes, which change the recognition performance with the result of the preprocessing. This paper proposes a method that effectively extracts the stroke including dynamic information of characters for off-line Korean handwritten character recognition. First of all, this method makes improvement and binarization of input handwritten character image as preprocessing procedure using watershed algorithm. The next procedure is extraction of skeleton by using the transformed Lu and Wang's thinning: algorithm, and segment pixel array is extracted by abstracting the feature point of the characters. Then, the vectorization is executed with a maximum permission error method. In the case that a few strokes are bound in a segment, a segment pixel array is divided with two or more segment vectors. In order to reconstruct the extracted segment vector with a complete stroke, the directional component of the vector is mortified by using right-hand writing coordinate system. With combination of segment vectors which are adjacent and can be combined, the reconstruction of complete stroke is made out which is suitable for character recognition. As experimentation, it is verified that the proposed method is suitable for handwritten Korean character recognition.