Ground Force Precision Calibration Method for Customized Piezoresistance Sensing Flexible Force Measurement Mat.

A force plate is mainly used in biomechanics; it aims to measure the ground reaction force in a person's walking or standing position. In this study, a large-area force mat of the piezoresistance sensing type was developed, and a deep-learning-based weight measurement calibration method was applied to solve the problem in which measurements are not normalized because of physical limitations in hardware and signal processing. The test set was composed of the values measured at each point by weight and the value of the center of the pressure variable, and the measured value was predicted using a deep neural network (DNN) regression model. The calibration verification results show that the average weight errors range from a minimum of 0.06% to a maximum of 3.334%. This is simpler than the previous method, which directly measures the ratio of the resistance value to the measured weight of each sensor and derives an equation.

Development and Application of a Stability Index Estimation Algorithm Based on Machine Learning for Elderly Balance Ability Diagnosis in Daily Life.

BACKGROUND: The stability index estimation algorithm was derived and applied to develop and implement a balance ability diagnosis system that can be used in daily life. METHODS: The system integrated an approach based on sensory function interaction, called the clinical test of sensory interaction with balance. A capacitance and resistance sensing type force mat was fabricated, and a stability index prediction algorithm was developed and applied using the center of pressure variables. The stability index prediction algorithm derived a center of pressure variable for 103 elderly people by Nintendo Wii Balance Board to predict the stability index of the balance system (Biodex SD), and the accuracy of this approach was confirmed. RESULTS: As a result of testing with the test set, the linear regression model confirmed that the r-value ranged between 0.943 and 0.983. To confirm the similarity between the WBB and the flexible force mat, each measured center of pressure value was inputted and calculated in the developed regression model, and the result of the correlation coefficient validation confirmed an r-value of 0.96. CONCLUSION: The system developed in this study will be applicable to daily life in the home in the form of a floor mat.

Sensory Interaction and Balancing Ability Evaluation of the Elderly Using a Simplified Force Plate System.

The Wii balance board (WBB) is a simplified force plate system used to evaluate the balancing ability of the elderly via a sensory interaction task to confirm a significant standing balance index. The accuracy of this system has been verified in previous studies. In this study, an instrumented and modified clinical test of sensory interaction on balance (i-mCTSIB) was performed on 84 elderly subjects, and the variables for center of pressure (CoP) were calculated using WBB for each task condition. The results indicate that the visual condition has a significant effect on the sway proprioceptive sensory variables with a foam condition as their complexity increases. In addition, the correlation between the variable and Berg Balance Scale was not confirmed since CTSIB is a sensory interaction on balance ability. Therefore, WBB can be used to evaluate balancing ability based on sensory interactions consisting of the surface condition.

Identification of five novel genetic loci related to facial morphology by genome-wide association studies.

BACKGROUND: Face morphology is strongly determined by genetic factors. However, only a small number of genes related to face morphology have been identified to date. Here, we performed a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 85 face morphological traits in 7569 Koreans (5643 in the discovery set and 1926 in the replication set). RESULTS: In this study, we analyzed 85 facial traits, including facial angles. After discovery GWAS, 128 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showing an association of P < 5 × 10- 6 were selected to determine the replication of the associations, and meta-analysis of discovery GWAS and the replication analysis resulted in five genome-wide significant loci. The OSR1-WDR35 [rs7567283, G allele, beta (se) = -0.536 (0.096), P = 2.75 × 10- 8] locus was associated with the facial frontal contour; the HOXD1-MTX2 [rs970797, A allele, beta (se) = 0.015 (0.003), P = 3.97 × 10- 9] and WDR27 [rs3736712, C allele, beta (se) = 0.293 (0.048), P = 8.44 × 10- 10] loci were associated with eye shape; and the SOX9 [rs2193054, C allele, beta (se) (ln-transformed) = -0.007 (0.001), P = 6.17 × 10- 17] and DHX35 [rs2206437, A allele, beta (se) = -0.283 (0.047), P = 1.61 × 10- 9] loci were associated with nose shape. WDR35 and SOX9 were related to known craniofacial malformations, i.e., cranioectodermal dysplasia 2 and campomelic dysplasia, respectively. In addition, we found three independent association signals in the SOX9 locus, and six known loci for nose size and shape were replicated in this study population. Interestingly, four SNPs within these five face morphology-related loci showed discrepancies in allele frequencies among ethnic groups. CONCLUSIONS: We identified five novel face morphology loci that were associated with facial frontal contour, nose shape, and eye shape. Our findings provide useful genetic information for the determination of face morphology.

Differences in Complexion between Cold- and Heat-Prescription Groups in Sasang Medicine.

Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) is a type of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) that classifies the human constitution into four types. The appearance of the complexion is one of the diagnostic factors of SCM but is rarely used in a quantitative and objective manner for diagnosis. In this study, an analysis using actual clinical data was conducted to assess the use of the complexion as a diagnostic element. A total of 528 Sasang medicine prescriptions from Korea Constitutional Multicenter Bank (KCMB) were classified into either a Cold-prescription group or a Heat-prescription group, and the complexion differences of the patients were analyzed using the L⁎a⁎b⁎ color space. After adjusting for age, BMI, and systolic blood pressure, significant differences were observed among the Cold- and Heat-prescription groups within each Sasang constitution. However, when the Sasang constitution was ignored, no significant difference was observed for either sex. This study quantitatively analyzed the complexion of patients, which is used as a diagnostic element in clinical practice. It is hoped that the results will contribute to objective medical treatments in the future, such as determining an appropriate herbal prescription based on the patient's complexion.

Modification of the Integrated Sasang Constitutional Diagnostic Model.

In 2012, the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine proposed an objective and comprehensive physical diagnostic model to address quantification problems in the existing Sasang constitutional diagnostic method. However, certain issues have been raised regarding a revision of the proposed diagnostic model. In this paper, we propose various methodological approaches to address the problems of the previous diagnostic model. Firstly, more useful variables are selected in each component. Secondly, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator is used to reduce multicollinearity without the modification of explanatory variables. Thirdly, proportions of SC types and age are considered to construct individual diagnostic models and classify the training set and the test set for reflecting the characteristics of the entire dataset. Finally, an integrated model is constructed with explanatory variables of individual diagnosis models. The proposed integrated diagnostic model significantly improves the sensitivities for both the male SY type (36.4% → 62.0%) and the female SE type (43.7% → 64.5%), which were areas of limitation of the previous integrated diagnostic model. The ideas of these new algorithms are expected to contribute not only to the scientific development of Sasang constitutional medicine in Korea but also to that of other diagnostic methods for traditional medicine.

Bodily differences between Cold- and Heat-prescription groups in Sasang medicine.

BACKGROUND: In Sasang medicine, patients are treated with herbal prescriptions based on Cold-Heat patterns induced by conditions of physiological equilibrium among internal organs, which also induce differences in body circumferences. The objective of the current study was to elucidate the relationship between Cold- and Heat-prescription types and body circumferences. METHODS: Data from suitable subjects (115 males and 222 females) were collected, and the body circumferences were compared according to their Cold- and Heat-prescription grouping. For male subjects with significant body circumference differences between the Cold- and Heat-prescription groups, the body circumference ratios were analyzed by comparing the differences between these groups using ranked analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). RESULTS: In men, consistent differences were observed in the body circumference measures and ratios between the Cold- and Heat-prescription groups. The Heat-prescription groups showed greater abdominal circumferences, notably demonstrated by a higher rib-to-pelvic circumference ratio in the Tae-Eum (TE) type (p = 0.041) and a higher chest-to-hip circumference ratio in the So-Yang (SY) type (p = 0.087). CONCLUSION: In the SY-type men, the chest circumference was significantly greater in the Heat-prescription group compared to the Cold-prescription group. In the TE-type men, the rib-to-pelvic circumference ratio was significantly higher in the Heat-prescription group than in the Cold-prescription group.

The concept of sasang health index and constitution-based health assessment: an integrative model with computerized four diagnosis methods.

SASANG CONSTITUTIONAL MEDICINE (SCM) SHARES ITS PHILOSOPHY WITH THAT OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE: it provides constitution-specific treatment and healthcare individualized for each patient. In this work, we propose the concept of the Sasang Health Index (SHI) as an attempt to assess the individualized health status in the framework of SCM. From the target population of females in their fifties and older, we recruited 298 subjects and collected their physiological data, including complexion, radial pulse, and voice, and their questionnaire responses. The health status of each subject was evaluated by two Korean medical doctors independently, and the SHI model was obtained by combining all the integrative features of the phenotype data using a regression technique. As a result, most subjects belonged to either the healthy, subhealthy, or slightly diseased group, and the intraclass correlation coefficient between the two doctors' health scoring reached 0.95. We obtained an SHI model for each constitution type with adjusted R-squares of 0.50, 0.56, and 0.30, for the TE, SE, and SY constitution types, respectively. In the proposed SHI model, the significant characteristics used in the health assessment consisted of constitution-specific features in accordance with the classic literature and features common to all the constitution types.

A classification method of normal and overweight females based on facial features for automated medical applications.

Obesity and overweight have become serious public health problems worldwide. Obesity and abdominal obesity are associated with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome. In this paper, we first suggest a method of predicting normal and overweight females according to body mass index (BMI) based on facial features. A total of 688 subjects participated in this study. We obtained the area under the ROC curve (AUC) value of 0.861 and kappa value of 0.521 in Female: 21-40 (females aged 21-40 years) group, and AUC value of 0.76 and kappa value of 0.401 in Female: 41-60 (females aged 41-60 years) group. In two groups, we found many features showing statistical differences between normal and overweight subjects by using an independent two-sample t-test. We demonstrated that it is possible to predict BMI status using facial characteristics. Our results provide useful information for studies of obesity and facial characteristics, and may provide useful clues in the development of applications for alternative diagnosis of obesity in remote healthcare.

Development of an integrated Sasang constitution diagnosis method using face, body shape, voice, and questionnaire information.

BACKGROUND: Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) is a unique form of traditional Korean medicine that divides human beings into four constitutional types (Tae-Yang: TY, Tae-Eum: TE, So-Yang: SY, and So-Eum: SE), which differ in inherited characteristics, such as external appearance, personality traits, susceptibility to particular diseases, drug responses, and equilibrium among internal organ functions. According to SCM, herbs that belong to a certain constitution cannot be used in patients with other constitutions; otherwise, this practice may result in no effect or in an adverse effect. Thus, the diagnosis of SC type is the most crucial step in SCM practice. The diagnosis, however, tends to be subjective due to a lack of quantitative standards for SC diagnosis. METHODS: We have attempted to make the diagnosis method as objective as possible by basing it on an analysis of quantitative data from various Oriental medical clinics. Four individual diagnostic models were developed with multinomial logistic regression based on face, body shape, voice, and questionnaire responses. Inspired by SCM practitioners' holistic diagnostic processes, an integrated diagnostic model was then proposed by combining the four individual models. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracies in the test set, after the four individual models had been integrated into a single model, improved to 64.0% and 55.2% in the male and female patient groups, respectively. Using a cut-off value for the integrated SC score, such as 1.6, the accuracies increased by 14.7% in male patients and by 4.6% in female patients, which showed that a higher integrated SC score corresponded to a higher diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the first trial of integrating the objectification of SC diagnosis based on quantitative data and SCM practitioners' holistic diagnostic processes. Although the diagnostic accuracy was not great, it is noted that the proposed diagnostic model represents common rules among practitioners who have various points of view. Our results are expected to contribute as a desirable research guide for objective diagnosis in traditional medicine, as well as to contribute to the precise diagnosis of SC types in an objective manner in clinical practice.

Predicting sasang constitution using body-shape information.

Objectives. Body measurement plays a pivotal role not only in the diagnosis of disease but also in the classification of typology. Sasang constitutional medicine, which is one of the forms of Traditional Korean Medicine, is considered to be strongly associated with body shape. We attempted to determine whether a Sasang constitutional analytic tool based on body shape information (SCAT-B) could predict Sasang constitution (SC). Methods. After surveying 23 Oriental medical clinics, 2,677 subjects were recruited and body shape information was collected. The SCAT-Bs for males and females were developed using multinomial logistic regression. Stepwise forward-variable selection was applied using the score statistic and Wald's test. Results. The predictive rates of the SCAT-B for Tae-eumin (TE), Soeumin (SE), and Soyangin (SY) types in males and females were 80.2%, 56.9%, and 37.7% (males) and 69.3%, 38.9%, and 50.0% (females) in the training set and were 74%, 70.1%, and 35% (males), and 67.4%, 66.3%, and 53.7% (females) in the test set, respectively. Higher constitutional probability scores showed a trend for association with higher predictability. Conclusions. This study shows that the Sasang constitutional analytic tool, which is based on body shape information, may be relatively highly predictive of TE type but may be less predictive when used for SY type.

Analysis of Sasang constitutional types using facial features with compensation for photographic distance.

BACKGROUND: Facial features are regarded as representative and reliable characteristics for diagnosing a person's Sasang Constitution (SC). However, the description of these features tends to depend on the interpretation and the opinion of the doctor that follows the SC approach. In this paper, we performed a facial feature analysis of SC types in an objective and quantitative manner. Here, site-to-site variability can be an obstacle to properly analyzing facial features when images are taken from various sites, which may have different experimental environments. A compensation technique to reduce the site-to-site variability was proposed before performing the feature analysis. METHODS: The frontal and profile images of 1464 patients recruited from various oriental medical clinics (19 sites) were used. Candidate feature variables were created, which were inspired by the facial characteristics of the SC types described in the Sasang constitutional medicine literature. To resolve the problems involved in processing data collected from various sites with heterogeneous experimental environments, a compensation technique was proposed. Statistical analysis techniques were employed to observe the differences among the SC types and to demonstrate how effectively the site-to-site variability was reduced. RESULTS: The facial features that were significant for diagnosing the SC types were identified by a statistical analysis, and it was verified that the compensation technique reduced the site-to-site variability produced by the differences in photographic distance. CONCLUSION: It is noted that the significant facial features represent common characteristics of each SC type in the sense that we collected extensive opinions from many Sasang constitutional medicine doctors with various points of view. Additionally, a compensation method for the photographic distance is needed to find the significant facial features. We expect these findings and the related compensation technique to contribute to establishing a scientific basis for the precise diagnosis of SC types in clinical practice.

Body mass index and facial cues in sasang typology for young and elderly persons.

Facial characteristics may provide reliable information giving an insight into the inner nature of an individual. This study examines the differences in widely used facial metrics, including cheek-to-jaw width ratio (CJWR), width-to-height ratio (WHR), perimeter-to-area ratio (PAR), and facial masculinity indexes across Sasang constitutional types, to investigate the association between these facial cues and body mass index (BMI) and develop a predictive model for Sasang typing. 2D images of 911 participants were analyzed. The results indicated that TaeEum (TE) type generally has a squarer face, with the male TE type having a squarer and wider face than that of both SoYang (SY) and SoEum (SE) types. Male TE type has longer eyes than that of the SE type, and the lower face of the female TE type is longer than that of the SY type. PAR, WHR, CJWR, and eye size had associations with BMI, and the magnitude of correlation of CJWR in Korean men were twofold higher than that of the Caucasian and African men. BMI and facial metrics including PAR, WHR, CJWR, and eye size were good predictors for TE type, and the most parsimonious model for TE typing included BMI and CJWR with high predictive performances.