No abstract

We developed a magnetic-force-based three-dimensional (3D) rehabilitation device that can perform motor rehabilitation treatment for paralyzed fingers, regardless of upper extremity movement and position, and investigated the therapeutic effects of the device. An end-effector type rehabilitation device that can generate magnetic fields in three directions was developed using electromagnets and permanent magnetics. A double-blinded randomized controlled pilot study was conducted with a total of 12 patients. The intervention group had rehabilitation treatment using the developed magnetic finger rehabilitation device for 30 min a day for four weeks. The control group underwent exercise rehabilitation treatment. The control group received conventional occupational therapy on the upper limbs, including hands, from an occupational therapist, for the same amount of time. Adverse effects were monitored, and the patient’s sensory or proprioceptive deficits were examined before the intervention. No participants reported safety concerns while the intervention was conducted. The Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) scores were significantly improved in the intervention group (from 13.4 ± 3.6 to 20.9 ± 4.0 points) compared to the control group (from 13.1 ± 4.0 to 15.2 ± 3.8 points) (p = 0.016). The patients in the intervention group (from 88 ± 12 to 67 ± 13 s) showed greater improvement of WMFT times compared to the control group (from 89 ± 10 to 73 ± 11 s) (p = 0.042). The Manual Function Test and the upper limb score of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment were significantly improved in the intervention group compared with the control group (p = 0.038 and p = 0.042). The patients in the intervention group also showed significantly greater enhancement of the Korean version of the modified Barthel Index than the control group (p = 0.042). Rehabilitation treatment using the 3D magnetic-force-driven finger rehabilitation device helped improve finger motor function and activities of daily living in subacute stroke patients.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the soil fertility about plastic film house, upland, and orchard in Gyeongbuk Province, Korea. The surface chemical properties of soil samples were investigated every 4 year from 2000 year at upland, 2001 year at orchard, and 2002 year at plastic film house. During 12 year's monitoring, mean soil pH was increased by 0.7 and 0.8 pH unit from pH 5.7 in upland and orchard, respectively, 0.5 pH unit from pH 6.5 in plastic film house. About 50% of all the field samples occupied within the recommended pH range (pH 6-7). Although soil organic matter (SOM) was gradually increased by about 10 g kg -1 for 12 years, 40% of orchard, 49% of plastic film house, and 77% of upland soil samples were still below the 3% SOM. The mean concentration of available phosphate for 12 years in upland, orchard, and plastic film house were 530, 600, and 760 mg kg -1, respectively. The relative frequencies exceeding the recommended available phosphate range (300-550 mg kg -1) were 43%, 53%, and 66% at upland, orchard, and plastic film house soils, respectively. NH 4 OAc exchangeable K + of upland, orchard, and plastic film house in the last soil test were 0.8, 0.9, and 1.6 cmol c kg -1 , respectively. The relative frequencies above the recommended K level were 56% and 70% of orchard and plastic film house soil samples, respectively. The levels of crop nutrients except exchangeable Ca and Mg in upland soil were tended to increase gradually in the three fields. Exchangeable Mg, EC, available phosphate, organic matter and soil pH could be used as principle components to differentiate the chemical properties of three land fields. This analysis revealed that the soil fertility was affected by cropping method and field management, although additional research is needed to assess the importance of management on soil chemical properties and many fields indicate an opportunity for improvement in fertilizer management.

The aim of present work was to assess the response of soil microbial activity and diversity to green manures under the organically managed grape-greenhouse in early spring. Hairy vetch, milk vetch, and red clover were seeded in fall, and enzymatic activities by dehydrogenase and fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolase, and microbial diversities by Biolog EcoPlate TM and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) were characterized for soils sampled in early spring. Dehydrogenase activity and FDA hydrolytic activity did not differentiate the green manures but the average well color development of Biolog EcoPlate was higher in soils covered with red clover than control soil. Soil microbial functional diversity by Biolog EcoPlate differentiated the soils covered with hairy vetch and milk vetch, and Shannon diversity index by Biolog EcoPlate was higher in soils covered with hairy vetch than control soil. Principal component analysis of PLFA differentiated the soils covered with milk vetch from control soil.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the hysteresis characteristics of a stack type piezoelectric actuator using the hysteresis nonlinearity compensator. Recently, several printing methods that cost less and are faster than previous semiconductor processes have been developed for the production of electric paper and RFID. The system proposed in this study prints by spraying the molten metal, and consists of a nozzle, heating furnace, operating actuator, and an XYZ 3-axis stage. As an operating system, the piezoelectric (PZT) method has very valuable uses. However, the PZT actuator has a hysteresis nonlinearity due to the ferroelectric characteristics of the PZT element. This causes problems in the system position control characteristics and deteriorates the performance of the system. This study proposed an inverse hysteresis model, a mathematic modeling method that can express the geometric relationship between voltage and displacement, in order to reduce the hysteresis of the PZT actuator. In addition, system identification and PID control methods were examined. Also, it was confirmed that the proposed control strategy gives good tracking performance.