Highly Proton Conductive Poly(vinyl acetate)/Nafion® Composite Membrane for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Application.

A novel blend of membranes made of cast Nafion® and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) was prepared and its proton conductivity and ion exchange capacity (IEC) were characterized to investigate its applicability in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The intermolecular interactions and morphology of these membranes were assessed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). A twofold increase in the proton conductivity is observed for the PVAc/Nafion® composite membrane (2 × 10-2 Scm-1) compared to that of cast Nafion® (1.

Aging of the cingulum in the human brain: Preliminary study of a diffusion tensor imaging study.

The cingulum, a major structure of the limbic system, is closely associated with memory function. In the current study, we investigated aging of the cingulum according to the location of the cingulum in each part of the cingulum after dividing the cingulum into five parts in normal subjects, using DTT parameters (fractional anisotropy (FA) and fiber number (FN)). Ninety healthy subjects (males: 44, females: 46, mean age: 49.

Differences of respiratory function according to level of the gross motor function classification system in children with cerebral palsy.

[Purpose] The current study was designed to investigate the difference in lung capacity and muscle strengthening related to respiration depending on the level of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) through tests of respiratory function and respiratory pressure. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 49 children with CP who were classified as below level III of the GMFCS were recruited for this study. They were divided into three groups (i.

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation of function in patients with stroke.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the upper limb of function of patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. [Subjects] Twenty subjects were randomly allocated to either the upper tDCS group or the functional training group, with 10 subjects in each group. [Methods] The two groups received functional training for thirty minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks.

Differences of the Truncal Expansion and Respiratory Function between Children with Spastic Diplegic and Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy.

[Purpose] We attempted to determine whether differences of respiratory function could be found in terms of truncal expansion, respiratory muscle strength, and pulmonary function test (PFT) between children with spastic diplegic and hemiplegic cerebral palsy. [Subjects and Methods] We recruited 19 children with spastic diplegic CP (diplegic-CP group) and 10 children with spastic hemiplegic CP (hemiplegic-CP group). For all the children, clinical factors associated with respiratory functions were assessed in terms of truncal expansion (chest and waist expansion), respiratory muscle strength (maximal inspiration and expiration pressures: MIP and MEP), and pulmonary function test (FVC, FEV1, and FEV1/FVC).

Response Inhibition Induced in the Stop-signal Task by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Pre-supplementary Motor Area and Primary Sensoriomotor Cortex.

[Purpose] This study examined whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of both the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and primary sensoriomotor cortex (M1) alters the response time in response inhibition using the stop-signal task (SST). [Methods] Forty healthy subjects were enrolled in this study. The subjects were randomly tested under the three: the pre-SMA tDCS, M1 tDCS, and Sham tDCS conditions.

Differences of respiratory function in children with spastic diplegic and hemiplegic cerebral palsy, compared with normally developed children.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate differences between respiratory function in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and children with normal development, and to compare respiratory function between children with spastic diplegic and those with hemiplegic CP.

Method: Fourteen children with spastic diplegic CP, 14 children with spastic hemiplegic CP, and 14 normal children were enrolled, whose age, gender, height, weight, and body surface area were matched. All participants performed respiratory function tests by inhaling a breath and then blowing the entire volume through a spirometer, as deeply and rapidly as possible.

Delayed gait recovery in a stroke patient.

We report on a stroke patient who showed delayed gait recovery between 8 and 11 months after the onset of intracerebral hemorrhage. This 32-year-old female patient underwent craniotomy and drainage for right intracerebral hemorrhage due to rupture of an arteriovenous malformation. Brain MR images revealed a large leukomalactic lesion in the right fronto-parietal cortex.

Identification of cortical activation and white matter architecture according to short-term motor learning in the human brain: functional MRI and diffusion tensor tractography study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine whether two weeks of short-term motor training led to changes of cortical activation patterns and white matter integrity in cortical and subcortical structures according to motor skill acquisition, using functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor image (DTI).

Methods: We enrolled twenty healthy volunteers, who were randomly assigned to training and control groups. The training group was trained with a serial reaction time (SRT) task, one hour a day for 10 days within two weeks, whereas the control group had no training.

The prevalence of central poststroke pain according to the integrity of the spino-thalamo-cortical pathway.

Objectives: Little is known about the prevalence of central poststroke pain (CPSP) according to the integrity of the spino-thalamo-cortical pathway (STP). Using diffusion tensor tractography, we investigated the prevalence of CPSP according to the integrity of the STP in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.

Methods: We recruited 52 consecutive chronic patients and 10 normal control subjects.

Different cortical activation patterns during voluntary eccentric and concentric muscle contractions: an fMRI study.

Concentric and eccentric muscle contractions have distinct differences in their neuromuscular and neurophysiologic characteristics. However, although many evidences regarding the features of these types of muscle contraction have emerged, there have been few neuroimaging studies to compare the two types of contractions. Therefore, we investigated whether cortical activity associated with eccentric contraction of the wrist extensors differed from that of concentric contraction, using functional MRI (fMRI).

Predictability of motor outcome according to the time of diffusion tensor imaging in patients with cerebral infarct.

Introduction: Predictability of diffusion tensor imaging tractography (DTT) for motor outcome can differ according to the time of DTT. We attempted to compare the predictability for motor outcome according to the time of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) by analyzing the corticospinal tract (CST) integrity on DTT in patients with corona radiata (CR) infarct.

Methods: Seventy-one consecutive hemiparetic patients with CR infarct were recruited.

Probabilistic somatotopy of the spinothalamic pathway at the ventroposterolateral nucleus of the thalamus in the human brain.

Background And Purpose: The STP has been regarded as the most plausible neural tract responsible for pathogenesis of central poststroke pain. The VPL nucleus has been a target for neurosurgical procedures for control of central poststroke pain. However, to our knowledge, no DTI studies have been conducted to investigate the somatotopic location of the STP at the VPL nucleus of the thalamus.

Primary motor cortex activation by transcranial direct current stimulation in the human brain.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate motor cortex excitability in the human brain. We attempted to demonstrate the cortical stimulation effect of tDCS on the primary motor cortex (M1) using functional MRI (fMRI). An fMRI study was performed for 11 right-handed healthy subjects at 1.

Emotional adjustment and concerns of Korean mothers of premature infants.

This study describes the emotional adjustment and concerns of 50 Korean mothers of premature infants from hospitalization through six weeks after discharge. Five themes emerged: self-blame, concern about the infant, reluctance to express negatives, fear of stigmatizing responses to the infant by others, and delayed joy in mothering. Three Korean cultural beliefs influenced mothers' responses to premature birth: maternal responsibility for infant outcomes, negative thoughts can lead to negative consequences, and stigmatization of prematurity.