• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.11 no.3
• /
• pp.85-90
• /
• 2004

The purpose of this study was to find the difference in muscle firing rate between each muscle according to the knee angle with the quadriceps femoris which is a representative action muscle of the lower extremity. Seven normal healthy subjects were recruited. The median frequency (MDF) of muscle contraction was recorded from vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and rectus femoris muscles using the surface EMG, in 5 seconds, during maximal isometric knee extension. The data were analyzed by the two-way repeated ANOVA. The results of the study were as follows: 1) median frequency of muscle contraction was significantly higher at the vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and rectus femoris in descending order. 2) median frequency of muscle contraction was significantly higher at the $30^{\circ}$, $60^{\circ}$, and $90^{\circ}$ in descending order. Consequently, muscle recruitment at the knee decreases the EMG activity of the lengthened muscle. This study suggests that the change in EMG activity at different muscle lengths resulted in affecting the muscle firing rate during the knee extension.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.30-36
• /
• 2012

This study is aimed to show that an asymmetric load in the frontal plane leads to an increase in low back loading and fatigue in comparison with a symmetric load when workers lift an external weight by investigating previous studies and verifying the phenomenon with an experiment. Ten male subjects are required to lift and hold an given external load at 70cm height during 50sec, then the EMG amplitude and median frequency on bilateral low back muscle groups (Longissimus, Iliocostalis, and Multifidus) are recorded and analyzed. Independent variables are two-level load weight (13kg, 20kg) and three-level LCG (Center, 6.5cm to the right, and 13cm to the right), and dependent variables are EMG amplitude average, difference, and Fatigue Index (FI). Results show that load weight increases significantly amplitude average and FI, but LCG does significantly amplitude difference and FI significantly (P-value < 0.05). Also the correlation coefficient between amplitude difference and FI is over 0.99. These implies that trunk loading should be explained by not EMG amplitude but muscle fatigue aspect since the association between an external load and amplitude is linear, but the relationship between an external load and median frequency as muscle fatigue index is almost exponential.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.36 no.4
• /
• pp.285-289
• /
• 2011

Muscle fatigue is characterized as a progressive increase in discomfort arising from the active muscle at moderate load levels are maintained. The median frequency is the most commonly used as a parameter to describe muscle fatigue. However, the estimate of the median frequency is difficult to indicate muscle fatigue because of its high standard deviation and instability. This paper investigates the power changes of the appropriate low frequency band as a fatigue parameter in EMG during isotonic exercise. To select the appropriate band, linear regression lines are employed to calculate the slopes and the coefficient of determination. Three females and seven males volunteered to participate in surface EMG recordings placed on the biceps brachii and each recording experiment continued until their exhaustion. The results of experiment shows that the power changes of the selected low frequency band (15~45 Hz) have linear slopes and high determinant coefficients. Therefore, this fatiguing parameter using the power changes of the low frequency band is valid to measure the state of muscular fatigue.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.1-6
• /
• 2007

This study is to decrease compound noise in x-ray films. This study compared Signal to noise ratio(SNR), Peak signal to noise ratio(PSNR), Mean square error(MSE) to surface of the earth. In addition, we evaluated noise elimination effect according to the kernel size of Median filter. This experiments show that some filters are useful by finding image that is near in circle image comparing circle picture with each processed picture. In noise power value, when cutoff frequency was compared with other filters of cutoff frequency. Cutoff frequency of $2/3\pi{\sim}3/4\pi$ is good and it shows good SNR and PSNR. Therefore, it can display high filter effect. As Median Filter's Kernel size grows SNR value gets bigger, which shows better filter effect. Most pictures are distorted after filter application in medical treatment image. It is important to keep spatial resolution in most medical images. Visual estimation as well as quantitative indicators should be necessary for a better image.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.1258-1265
• /
• 2013

The objective of this study is to investigate the association between touchpad &buttons locations in a laptop computer and EMG amplitude and median frequency in muscles related with wrist and shoulder. Based on previous studies it was shown how abductions in wrist and shoulder could cause musculoskeletal disorders in those body parts, on which research hypotheses were established. Touchpad &buttons positions consisted of bottom center(BC), bottom center with $45^{\circ}$ rotation counterclockwise(BCR), and bottom right(BR). 10 subjects performed the task that required only touchpad &buttons usage with their preferred hand and EMG amplitude and median frequency data were recorded during 5min and analyzed afterwards. Upper trapezius and flexor carpi ulnaris were selected as target muscles. The results showed that in flexor carpi ulnaris BC resulted in greater amplitude and less median frequency than BCR and BR, but there was no significant difference between BCR and BR. In upper trapezius BC and BCR induced higher amplitude and lower median frequency than BR, but the significant difference between BC and BCR was not observed. Those phenomena occurred since BC gave rise to both wrist and shoulder abduction, BCR caused only shoulder one, and BR did not lead to abductions in both wrist and shoulder.

• Speech Sciences
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.55-64
• /
• 2004

This study was to determine the effects of a massage and oro-facial exercise program on spastic dysarthric patients' lip muscle function using an electromyogram (EMG). Three subjects with Spastic Dysarthria participated in the study. The surface electrodes were positioned on the Levator Labii Superior Muscle (LLSM), Depressor Labii Inferior Muscle (DLIM), and Orbicularis Oris Muscle (OOM). To examine lip muscle function improvement, the EMG signals were analyzed in terms of RMS (Root Mean Square) values and Median Frequency. In addition, the diadochokinetic movements and the rate of sentence reading were measured. The results revealed that the RMS values were decreased and the Median Frequency moved to a high frequency area. Diadochokinesis and sentence reading rates were improved.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
• /
• v.6 no.5
• /
• pp.444-450
• /
• 2012

This study was performed to evaluate the validity of the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which is being used at the Samsung Medical Center. In total, 305 (190 males and 115 females) participants consented and completed the 3-day diet records and FFQ. Age, gender and energy-adjusted and de-attenuated correlations ranged from 0.317 (polyunsaturated fatty acid) to 0.748 (carbohydrate) with a median value of 0.550. The weighted kappa value ranged from 0.18 (vitamin A) to 0.57 (carbohydrate) with a median value of 0.36. More than 75% of the subjects were classified into the same or adjacent quartiles. The FFQ had reasonably good validity compared with that of another study. Therefore, our FFQ is considered a proper method to assess nutrient intake in healthy Korean adults.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.87-96
• /
• 1993

Spectrum analysis of surface electromyogram (FMG) signals is an effective approach to the study of localized muscular fatigue during isometric contraction. Many investigators have con firmed the frequency of the EMG signals being lowered during sustained contaction. In this study, the cyclic loading tasks were performed, and a comparison was made for the median power frequency shift pattern of the EMG signals with the sustained contraction of the same load. The median power frequency shift of the EMG signals for the cyclic loading task was found to be a part of that for the sustained contraction. Based on this result, a new muscle fatigue index was computed by normalizing the duration of the sustained contraction. A fatigue index was obtained as a function of exertion level and the work/rest schedule. With the proposed fatigue index, it is possible to evaluate or predict the degree of muscular fatigue for a physically demanding task.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.55-69
• /
• 1999

It is very common to use the powered hand tools to enhance the productivity in various types of industry. But the use of the powered hand tools could cause health problems such as cumulative trauma disorders and vibration white fingers. In this study. the effects of hand-arm vibration and anatomical hand position on localized muscle fatigue were analyzed. Eight healthy male subjects volunteered for the study. Vibration frequencies of 0, 40, 80, 100, 150, and 200Hz and hand position of flexion and ulnar deviation were selected for the independent variables of the experiment. Median frequency shifting was used as a dependent variable. The results indicated that at the vibration frequency of 40Hz and accelation of 2g, the muscle fatigue was the greatest. For the hand position. there was significant difference between neutral and flexion. and neutral and ulnar deviation, but no difference between flexion and ulnar deviation. These results could be applied in designing powered hand tools to minimize the health problems.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.19-26
• /
• 2013

The smart-phone has become a necessity for most people. In this study, we determined that using a smart-phone for 20 minutes can cause increased neck and shoulder muscle activities and fatigue. Seventeen healthy male smart-phone users who attended Yonsei University played a smart-phone game for 20 minutes and changes in their bilateral cervical erector spinae and upper trapezius muscle activities and fatigue were measured. To assess muscle activities and fatigue, we used the following variables: the median frequency, the 50th percentile Amplitude probability distribution function (APDF) value (median load), and the discrepancy in the 90th percentile APDF value and the 10th percentile APDF value (APDF range). A paired t-test was used to compare pre-smart-phone-use status with post-smart-phone-use-status. The median frequency of the bilateral cervical erector spinae and the upper trapezius decreased significantly after 20 minutes of smart-phone use (p<.05). In addition, the 50th percentile APDF value of the bilateral cervical erector spinae and the right upper trapezius increased significantly (p<.05). The APDF range of the bilateral cervical erector spinae and the upper trapezius also increased significantly (p<.05). However, the 50th percentile APDF range of the left upper trapezius was not significantly different (p>.05). These findings suggest that using smart-phones for 20 minutes can induce muscle fatigue and increased neck and shoulder muscle activities.