• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.289-297
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• 1997

Work-related low back pain(below LBP) is one of the major cause of morbidity, disability, limitation of activity and economic loss. Therefore the work-related LBP is one of the major issue in the field of industrial safety and health. This study was performed for detecting the risk factors and proposing the effective control programs of work-related LBP. The subjects were male workers employed at the welding and metal factory. The data was collected by self-reported questionnaire, interview and checking abdomen muscular and grasping power for two days on October, 1993. The contents of questionnaire were as follow: the experience of LBP, general characteristics, physical characteristics, employment status, type of work and working environment. The number of cases was 104 with a history of work-related LBP, so the prevalence of work-related LBP was 35.0%, and the number of controls was 140 without any history of LBP. As a result, marital status, educational level, abdomen muscular power, tenure, category of job, satisfaction of job, working posture, satisfaction for table and chair and lifting materials showed a statistical significance between the case and control groups. 284 Lifting jobs were quantified by NIOSH lifting equation method and ergonomic computer modelling methods. There were no significant differences in the action limit and disc compression force between group with LBP and without LBP. But in the lifting frequency and cumulative disc compression force there were significant differences. Therefore work-related LBP should be prevented by the ergonomic and environmental control.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.255-267
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• 1993

This study was performed to investigate the correlations among physical anthropometric measurement, diet intakes, physical fitness test, and serum lipids in eight sedentary women(control group), and twenty seven exercising women(aerobic groups), aged 35~45 years. The results of the study are as follows : 1) systolic blood pressure(SBP) and diastolic blood pressure(DBP) of aerobic groups were lower than serf entary. Pulse rate was decreased according to the length of aerobic periods. Muscular endurance and jump power of all subjects were stronger than standard range, and those of aerobic exercising groups were stronger than control group. Muscular power of the upper half of the body In all subjects were lower than standard range. 2) Daily calorie intakes of all subjects were in the ring: of recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for Koreans. But daily protein Intakes were higher than RDA. daily cholestrol intakes of all subjects were slightly less than 200~300 mg: which is normal consumption of Koreans. 3) There was a significant positive correlation between serum 7G and daily protein intakes. It was considered that excessive protein intake converted to serum 7G. There was not a significant correlation between serum TC and dietary TC. Therefore, dietary TC seemed to have not much effect on serum TC. Physical fitness was negatively related to serum TG, TC, LDL-C, but positively related to HDL-C, HDL-C /TC. It was found that the serum lipids could be changed better according to improving the physical fitness. There were significant positive correlations between SBP and serum TC, LDL-C. (According to this results), the higher SBP, the higher serum TC, LDL-C tended to be. There was a significant positive correlations between sit up and weightloss nth exercise r=0.7(p<0.001), push ups and weightless with exercise r=0.5(p<0.001). It was considered that muscle strength could be improved according to the weightloss. 4) The purpose of exercise in aerobic groups was rather promoting health than reducing body fatness. Most of al1 subjects (83.2%) drank caffeine-contained beverage therefore, we should concern about that absorption of Fe could be Interrupted and blood pressure could be elevated by caffeine.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.313-323
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• 2023

The wearable robot system is designed to assist human skeletal and muscular systems for enhancing user's abilities in various fields, including medical, industrial, and military. The military has an expanding need for wearable robots with the integration of surveillance/control systems and advanced equipment in unstructured battlefield environments. However, there is a lack of research on the design and mechanism of wearable robots, especially for power assist systems. This study proposes a lightweight wearable robot system that provides comfortable wear and muscle support effects in various movements for soldiers performing high-strength and endurance missions. The Power assist mechanism is described and verified, and the tasks that require power assist are analyzed. This study explain the system including its driving mechanism, control system, and mechanical design. Finally, the performance of the robot is verified through experiments and evaluations, demonstrating its effectiveness in muscle support.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.109-122
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• 2002

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the effects of the Nuegra on enhancement of the masculine and physical activities in general through measuring changes of the testosterone, FSH and subjective symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, urinary stream, muscular weakness, libido and erectile dysfunction. Total 168 male subjects were enrolled from 12 urology, internal medicine clinics and general practitioner, During the 6-week investigational period, 2 capsules of Nuegra were given to the subjects right after meal for 4 weeks, and 1 capsule of Nuegra was added each time in subjects with no or minimal effect. Testoster-one and FSH levels were measured at first visit and last visit, for evaluating masculine activities. To avoid bias and standardize the test results, only one clinic was assigned as a central lab, and all blood samples were transferred. General information and subjective symptoms were evaluated at first visit and at 2 weeks interval, week 2, 4 and 6 using VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). The mean age of the subjects were 51.8${\pm}$8.2 years old (range: 36.1-82.1). Based on the subjects who were tested on testosterone and FSH levels at day l and week 6, the means were 4.4${\pm}$1.4 nmol/L (range: 2.6-7.7), 8.6${\pm}$9.6 mIU/mL (range: 0.3-40.4), respectively at day 1. At week 6, the results were 4.9 ${\pm}$1.6 (2.6-8.9 range), 9.4${\pm}$13.1 (1.0-53.9 range), respectively. Marginally significant difference between pre-dose and post-dose was present. Statistically significant differences were revealed in general assessment for subjective symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, etc. In fatigue, response rates were 39.6, 65.4 and 76.4% at week 2, 4 and 6, respectively (P < 0.0001). Response vates for erectile dysfunction were 13.4, 41.2 and 72.7% at week 2, 4, and 6 (P < 0.0001), respectively, Response rates for libido were 13.6, 51.6 and 73.5% at week 2, 4, and 6 (P < 0.0001), respectively. For urinary stream response rates were 26.9, 44.7 and 66.8% at week 2, 4, and 6 (P < 0.0001), respectively. VAS for muscular weakness did not show significant results that response rates were 40, 60 and 80% at week 2, 4, and 6 from 8.2 (P ＝ 0.24), respectively. Response rates for insomnia were 50, 60, 100% at week 2, 4, and 6 (P < 0.0001), respectively. The results shows that Nuegra tends to enhance masculine activities including libido, erectile dysfunction and urinary stream and also effective for improving general conditions especially insomnia, muscular weakness and fatigue. In conclusion, this investigation has demonstrated that Nuegra does not only have tendency to increase masculine activities through increased secretion of the testosterone and FSH but also improve general conditions such as erectile dysfunction, libido, fatigue and muscular power.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.565-575
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• 2014

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of weight of load and time on the physical workload of repetitive upper-limb tasks with handling light weight loads using EMG and perceived discomfort, and to investigate the relationship between EMG and perceived discomfort for those repetitive tasks of moving light weight loads. Background: Repetitive upper-limb motion is known as one of the main risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders, and a lot of repetitive tasks are carried out while handling light weight loads in the industry. In evaluating the workload of repetitive tasks handling light weight loads, EMG and perceived discomfort can be used, though their relationship in those work conditions are not much investigated. Method: A laboratory experiment with 18 healthy males were conducted to record EMG signals from 5 muscle sites of the right arm and shoulder and rate perceived discomforts for the body parts and the whole body while carrying out repetitive materials-handling tasks for 52min. The subjects were divided into 3 groups which handled the loads of 1kg, 2kg and 3kg, respectively. ANOVAs were conducted to analyze the effects of the weight and time on RMS of EMG amplitude (normalized RMS: NRMS), median frequency of power spectrum of EMG (normalized MDF: NMDF) and perceived discomfort. The correlations between NRMS and NMDF and perceived discomfort were also analyzed. Results: Statistically significant muscular fatigue effects were not found from NRMS and NMDF in most muscles, while there were significant increases of discomfort as the task time elapsed. It was shown that there were an increasing trend of the muscular activity as the weight of load increased and a decreasing trend of median frequency of EMG of upper and lower arms as time elapsed. It was found that there were significant negative correlations between NMDFs from the lower arm and discomfort ratings, though the relationships were weak. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the working conditions adopted in this study were not enough to induce muscular fatigue, while there was significant increase in perceived discomfort. A further study is necessary to integrate the objective and subjective measures for more reliable and sensitive evaluation of workload of repetitive tasks of handling light weight loads. Application: This study can be used as a basic study for the evaluation of workload of repetitive tasks handling light weight loads.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to investigate the muscle mechanical properties of the pelvic axial pre-rotational movement for the Jireugi in the Taekwondo Juchumseogi stance. Eleven elite Taekwondo Poomsae athletes participated. Each participant performed 5 right hand Jireugi in Juchumseogi stance as fast and strong as possible while their motion was recorded by a 3D motion analysis system and the ground reaction forces by two force plates. The power and work of the muscular group surrounding the waist were analyzed to verify the effect of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) theory. The cause of the greater power seems to be the application of the SSC by the muscles surrounding the waist during the preparation phase of the pre-rotation group. For the none pre-rotation group, they only used the concentric contraction of the muscles surrounding the waist. Because the pre-rotation group used the SSC theory, they had the effect of shortening of the range of movement, creating a fast and more powerful rotation, thus anticipating the increase the magnitude of impact.

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

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.61-69
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• 2010

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate correlations between physical fitness, antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, GPX), lipid peroxidation levels (MDA), lipid profiles, lactate levels and cardiovascular variables in an exercising group and a control group. Methods: Twelve healthy young males (Exercise group: 6, Controls: 6). All subjects took physical fitness tests and blood samples were collected while subjects were resting. Results: In the exercise group, there were several significant correlations: between back strength and SOD enzyme levels (r=0.82, p=0.04), back strength and MDA (r=0.94, p=0.00), agility and GPX (r=0.81, p=0.04), and balance and GPX (r=0.81, p=0.04). In the control group, there were significant correlations between: dominant grip strength and MDA (r=-0.84, p=0.03), and agility and GPX (r= -0.82, p=0.04). In the exercise group, there were no significant correlations between physical fitness factors, TC, TG, HDL-C and lactate levels. In the control group, there were significant correlations between: back strength and TG (r=0.88, p=0.01), and agility and HDL-C (r= -0.84, p=0.03). In the exercise group, there were significant correlations between: non-dominant grip strength and SBP (r=0.94, p=0.00), dominant grip strength and SBP (r=0.85, p=0.03), and power and SBP (r=0.82, p=0.04). In controls, there were significant correlations between: dominant grip strength and DBP (r=-0.85, p=0.03), muscular endurance and ST level (r=-0.93, p=0.00), and muscular endurance and HR (r=-0.88, p=0.01). Conclusion: That cardiovascular patients and controls who participated in regular exercise maintained their antioxidant capacity suggests that long-term physical activity can counteract the negative dysfunction that characterizes sedentary lifestyle, probably by maintaining plasma antioxidant defenses and thereby preventing oxidative stress.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.353-361
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• 2015

Objective : The aim of this study was to develop the non-powered horse riding device and was to evaluate the elaborate its applicability throughout static structural and transient structural analysis of the outdoor core strength exercise equipment. Method : Fifteen college students (mass: $69.55{\pm}13.38kg$, height: $1.69{\pm}5.61m$, age: $21.42{\pm}1.83yrs$) rode the powered horse riding device and 14 college students (mass: $71.12{\pm}9.74kg$, height: $1.73{\pm}3.31m$, age: $22.50{\pm}1.47yrs$) rode the non-powered horse riding device for the comparison. All motion capture data was collected at 100 Hz using six infrared cameras and the muscular activities were collected using a Delsys Trigno wireless system. The peak forward/backward lean angle, range of motion anter/posterior and vertical COM(Center of mass) movement of trunk and pelvis segment, and muscle activities of six muscles were compared between the two devices by using independent t-test (p<.05). Results : Several kinematic variables (peak forward-backward lean angle and vertical COM movement of trunk and pelvis segment, range of motion of trunk) significantly different between non-powered and powered horse riding device. The muscle activities of Rectus abdominis and External oblique of abdomen on the non-powered horse riding device were significantly greater than those of the powered device. Conclusion : It was concluded that non-power horse riding device could give the effect of core strength exercise as well as the body motion which can simulate the powered horse riding device.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Clinical Electrophysiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2010

Purpose : This study examines the effects of pre-eccentric exercise and stretch ing to bicepsbrachii to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness and recovery of muscular function depending on the training intensity with 28 normal adults in their twenties. Methods : The subjects were divided into a control group, a group without any previous eccentric exercise, and a stretching group. Pre-eccentric exercise group conducted exercise with the intensity of 25% of maximal voluntary contraction. Pre-eccentric exercise and stretching was applied before to induce delayed onset muscle soreness and after, 24 hour post, 48 hour post, and 72 hour post. Measurements were conducted to examine pain and muscular function changes before, immediately after, and after inducing delayed onset muscle soreness. After inducing delayed onset muscle soreness, measurements were taken at the 24th hour, 48th hour, and 72nd hour. Results : The pre-eccentric exercise group and stretching group showed a significant difference from the control group by isometric contract ion power and mechanical pain threshold as a result of measuring delayed onset muscle soreness. Conclusion : From these results, electrical stimulation using presynaptic inhibition mechanism of transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) had positive effects for walking ability on inhibition of muscle tone in lower extremity. The motor level stimulation group experienced a more significant effect than the sensory level stimulation group. Therefore, the transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) is considered to be effective on walking ability increasing through inhibition of muscle tone in lower extremity for rehabilitation of post stroke hemiplegic patients.