• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.191-199
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• 2021

This study aims to present the need to supplement the driver's license renewal test for elderly drivers. In Korea, the proportion of elderly drivers is increasing as the elderly population increases rapidly. Overall the traffic accident rate is decreasing but the traffic accident and death rate from traffic accidents are increasing in older drivers. In this study the assessments and education conducted when renewing the driver's license for elderly drivers conducted in Korea were conducted to find out the necessary tests compared to the current situation of foreign countries. Although it is appropriate to evaluate the three key functional areas of vision, cognition, motor and somatosensory, we currently evaluate visual acurity in vison area. While MMSE-K and Clock drawing tests are not recognizable for mild cognitive impairment in cognitive areas. The motor and somato sensory function to perform driving are not evaluated at all. Therefore for safe driving of older drivers, the test to be conducted during renewal of the driver's license will need to supplement that the visual field and contrast sensitivity in vision area, cognitive function from mild cognitive impairments, and the endurance, functional range of motion and proprioception in motor function area.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.647-654
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• 2022

Wearable devices come in a variety of shapes and sizes in numerous fields in numerous fields and are available in various forms. They can be integrated into clothing, gloves, hats, glasses, and bags and used in healthcare, the medical field, and machine interfaces. These devices keep track individuals' biological and behavioral data to help with health communication and are often used for injury prevention. Those with hearing loss or impaired vision find it more difficult to recognize an approaching person or object; these sensing devices are particularly useful for such individuals, as they assist them with injury prevention by alerting them to the presence of people or objects in their immediate vicinity. Despite these obvious preventive benefits to developing Internet of Things based devices for the disabled, the development of these devices has been sluggish thus far. In particular, when compared with people without disabilities, people with hearing impairment have a much higher probability of averting danger when they are able to notice it in advance. However, research and development remain severely underfunded. In this study, we incorporated a wearable detection system, which uses an infrared proximity sensor, into a backpack. This system helps its users recognize when someone is approaching from behind through visual and tactile notification, even if they have difficulty hearing or seeing the objects in their surroundings. Furthermore, this backpack could help prevent accidents for all users, particularly those with visual or hearing impairments.

• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.167-175
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• 2018

Despite the rapid development of IT technology, people with visual impairments still use simple forms of walking sticks and need more advanced walking aids. Smart Cane, which is developed based on Internet service and sensor, can provide high safety and convenience compared to existing sticks for visually impaired people by conveying peripheral information and walking situation to these visually impaired people through voice and vibration. In this paper, we propose and implement SmartKane to overcome lack of miniaturization, user friendly form, and sensing sensitivity, which have been pointed out as a problem of existing SmartKane.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.87-102
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• 2013

This study investigated residents' preferences for spatial features of sitting areas in assisted living facilities, and provides recommendations for planning sitting areas to support residents' spatial preferences and social interaction. The study participants were 69 residents of eight assisted living facilities (30+ resident capacity), located in south central Texas. A photographic comparison method was used, in which residents were shown 20 matched pairs of photos, with a single feature digitally modified in each pair, and asked to select which environmental representation they preferred. The hypothesized spatial characteristics were identified in practice based literature as those that may encourage usage of sitting areas: viewability, variety, homelikeness, and privacy. Most of the hypothesized features were preferred by participants, with the highest preference found for non-institutional furniture arrangements and naturalness, followed by increasing enclosure and variety of seating. Preference was less significant for domestic cues such as carpeted floors, divided light windows, and boundaries defined by different colored material or columns, possibly due to their physical impairments or preference for visual openness. Participants' level of mobility assistance was significantly related to their preference for some features, such as seating with people-watching capability, and carpeted floors. The findings have implications for facility architects and administrators engaged in resident-oriented spatial planning.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.528-538
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of multisensory stimulation (MSS) using familiarity on persons with dementia (PWDs) residing in nursing homes in Korea. Methods: A nonequivalent control group with pre and posttests was used. Fifty one PWDs were included if they: 1) were over 65 yr old, 2) were diagnosed with dementia, 3) had no visual or speech impairments, 4) were able to communicate, and 5) had spent more than one month in a nursing home. The experimental group (n=25) received a 55 min MSS program twice a week for 10 weeks. The outcome variables included were cognition, activities of daily living, grip strength, depression, wandering, and aggressive behaviors. Repeated ANOVA was used for data analysis. Results: There were no significant differences in demographics or the main variables at pretest. Cognition, depression, wandering, and aggressive behaviors were significant over time between the two groups. Grip strength was only significant when accounting for interaction between group and time. Conclusion: An intervention of MSS using familiarity was marginally effective in improving cognition, depression, wandering, and aggression. Future study is suggested with a larger sample and longer treatment to retest the effects of MSS.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2009

Neurodevelopmental outcomes of very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) and extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWI) in Korea on 14 reports from 1984 to 2008 were analyzed. Follow-up rates were varied from 42.9% to 90.2%. Duration of follow-up ranged from 4 months to 5 years. The prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) of VLBWI was as follows: 4.3-5.3% in 1980s, 7.1-9.1 % in 1990s and 3.6-15.6% in 2000s. CP was noted in 8.2-30.8% of ELBWI on studies reported in 2000s. Delayed Mental development was diagnosed in 2.0-17.9% of VLBWI and in 20.4-30.8% of ELBWI. Sensory impairments such as hearing loss or visual deficit were reported in 3.1-3.6% of VLBWI and 0.0-10.0% of ELBWI. Seizure disorder was reported in 5.3% of VLBWI by one report. No reports for minor neurodevelopmental dysfunctions in VLBWI and ELBWI were found from 1984 to 2008. It is necessary to establish basic protocols and nationwide systems for long-term follow-up study to obtain valuable data.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2014

Objectives: Depression, sleep complaints and cognitive impairments are commonly observed in the elderly. Elderly subjects with depressive symptoms have been found to show both poor cognitive performances and sleep disturbances. However, the relationship between sleep complaints and cognitive dysfunction in elderly depression is not clear. The aim of this study is to identify the association between sleep disturbances and cognitive decline in late-life depression. Methods: A total of 282 elderly people who underwent nocturnal polysomnography in a sleep laboratory were enrolled in the study. The Korean version of the Neuropsychological Assessment Battery developed by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) was applied to evaluate cognitive function. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the geriatric depression scale (GDS) and subjective sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburg sleep quality index (PSQI). Results: The control group ($GDS{\leq}9$) when compared with mild ($10{\leq}GDS{\leq}16$) and severe ($17{\leq}GDS$) depression groups, had significantly different scores in the Trail making test part B (TMT-B), Benton visual retention test part A (BVRT-A), and Stroop color and word test (SCWT)(all tests p<0.05). The PSQI score, REM sleep duration, apnea-hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index were significantly different across the three groups (all indices, p<0.05). A stepwise multiple regression model showed that educational level, age and GDS score were predictive for both TMT-B time (adjusted $R^2$=35.6%, p<0.001) and BVRT-A score (adjusted $R^2$=28.3%, p<0.001). SCWT score was predicted by educational level, age, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and GDS score (adjusted $R^2$=20.6%, p<0.001). Poor sleep quality and sleep structure alterations observed in depression did not have any significant effects on cognitive deterioration. Conclusion: Older adults with depressive symptoms showed mild sleep alterations and poor cognitive performances. However, we found no association between sleep disturbances (except sleep apnea) and cognitive difficulties in elderly subjects with depressive symptoms. It is possible that the impact of sleep disruptions on cognitive abilities was hindered by the confounding effect of age, education and depressive symptoms.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.277-285
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perspective of pre-service chemistry teachers on the learning situations of visually impaired students through scientific inquiry in a darkroom and to propose a teaching and learning method for students with visual impairments. Twenty-one pre-service chemistry teachers from college of education in Gyeongbuk were encouraged to explore individually hands-on model for the molecular structure of ice freely, and had a discussion with a one of the researchers during the activity. All the conversation and discussion were audio-taped and transcribed for analysis. As a result, pre-service chemistry teachers realized that learning situation of the visually impaired students was quite different with their perception while exploring and figuring out hands-on model of the molecular structure of ice in the darkroom. They already learned and could see this model by themselves but also recognized that visually impaired students had inconvenience and difficulty in learning science concepts. Based on these reflections, some pre-service chemistry teachers suggested directions for modification to fit visually impaired students' needs more.

• Journal of the HCI Society of Korea
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2006

Tactile displays can provide useful information without disturbing others and are particularly useful for people with visual or auditory impairments. They can also complement other displays. In this paper, we present a new vibrotactile display device for wearable, mobile, and ubiquitous computing environments. The proposed vibrotactile device has a $5{\times}5$ array configuration for displaying complex information such as letters, numbers, and haptic patterns as well as simple directional ques and situation awareness alarms. Commercially available coin-type vibration motors are embedded vertically in flexible mounting pads in order to best localize vibrations on the skin. An embedded microprocessor controls the motors sequentially with an advanced tracing mode to increase recognition rate. User studies with the vibrotactile device on the top of the foot show 86.7% recognition rate for alphabet characters after some training. In addition, applying vibrotactile device to driving situation shows 83.9% recognition rate. We also propose some potentially useful application scenarios including Caller Identification for mobile phones and Navigation Aids for GPS systems while driving.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2002

Neurocognitive research focusing on cognitive deficits in Depression has resulted in several important but yet potentially contradictory findings. Much literature documents the presence of significant neurocognitive impairments in depressive patients. Studies have shown that dysthymic disorder patients demonstrate a diffuse pattern of cognitive impairment which is frequently indistinguishable from that of focal braindamaged patients. Some reports have suggested that there is a focal pattern of deficit, such as anterior cingulate dysfunction, frontal lobe impairment, or dysfunction of the temporal-limbic cortex. The aim of this study is to evaluate the neurocognitive functions in dysthymic disorder patients, and to compare the functions with those of major depressive disorder patients. The subjects are 17 dysthymic disorder patients. And their neurocognitive functions are compared with those of 23 major depressive episode patients. Patients with a history of neurologic disease, alcohol dependence, substance abuse and mental retardation are excluded. They are assessed with a part of Vienna Test System which is computerized neurocognitive function tests and can evaluate attention, eductive ability, reproductive ability, visuoperceptual analysis, vigilance, visual immediate memory, the speed of information-processing, judgement, and fine motor coordinations. There are no other specific difference between two groups, except the result of cognitrone test. This study provides information about the neurocognitive functions and some difference between major depressive disorder patients and carefully diagnosed dysthymic disorder patients.