In this study, Bi-Sb-Te thermoelectric materials are produced by mechanical alloying (MA) and spark plasma sintering (SPS). To examine the influence of the milling atmosphere on the microstructure and thermo-electric (TE) properties, a p-type Bi-Sb-Te composite powder is mechanically alloyed in the presence of argon and air atmospheres. The oxygen content increases to 55% when the powder is milled in the air atmosphere, compared with argon. All grains are similar in size and uniformly, distributed in both atmospheric sintered samples. The Seebeck coefficient is higher, while the electrical conductivity is lower in the MA (Air) sample due to a low carrier concentration compared to the MA (Ar) sintered sample. The maximum figure of merit (ZT) is 0.91 and 0.82 at 350 K for the MA (Ar) and MA (Air) sintered samples, respectively. The slight enhancement in the ZT value is due to the decrease in the oxygen content during the MA (Ar) process. Moreover, the combination of mechanical alloying and SPS process shows a higher hardness and density values for the sintered samples.

The self-report measure is a useful tool for evaluating self-recognized disability and difficulty in daily living activities. Although many studies and clinics used the Neck Pain and Disability Scale (NPDS) for measuring neck pain and functional impairment, there has not been much adaptation of this for use with Korean patients. The purpose of this study was to establish the reliability and validity of NPDS among Korean neck pain patients. Fifty-five subjects (32 males, 23 females) with neck pain enrolled in this study. They completed standardized self-administered questionnaires. The NPDS measures pain intensity; its interference with vocational, emotional, recreational, social, and functional aspects of living; and the presence and extent of associated factors. Reliability was determined by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. Validity was examined by correlating the NPDS scores to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score. The test-retest reliability of the translated versions of the NPDS was good ICC (2,1)=.86 (95%CI .76~.92). Cronbach's alpha value for NPDS was found to be .93, and this was statistically significant (p<.05). The criterion-related validity coefficient was .79 (p<.Oll. We conclude that the Korean version of NPDS has been shown to be a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of neck pain. Successful linguistic and cultural translation will admit appropriate cross-cultural comparison for clinical analysis. Therefore, this study can be expected to be used as an adequate evaluation scale for neck pain related studies and treatments.

The purpose of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of heart rate (HR) and velocity measurements during peak effort and free treadmill walking tests in older patients with gait-impaired chronic hemiparetic stroke and control group. Twenty-two adults (13 men, 9 women; mean age, 73.7±5.2 yrs) with chronic hemiparetic stroke are the experimental group. Nineteen elderly people (5 men, 14 women; mean age, 72.3±3.5 yrs) were recruited as control group. Patients had mild to moderate chronic hemiparetic gait deficits, making handrail support necessary during treadmill walking. Free and peak effort treadmill walking tests were measured and then repeated at least two days later. Reliability was calculated from HR and walking velocity during free and peak effort treadmill walking test. Among the people who had strokes, HR [ICC(2,1)=.85, r=.86] and velocity [ICC(2,1)=.93, r=.93] were good parameters during free testing. Maximal testing generated good results for HR [ICC(2,1)=.81, r=.82] and velocity [ICC(2,1)=.96, r=.96] with the chronic hemiparetic stroke. In elderly people, HR [ICC(2,1)=.59, r=.62] and velocity [ICC(2,1)=.77, r=.76] were moderately reliable during free testing. Maximal testing produced moderate parameters for HR [ICC(2,1)=.74, r=.74] and velocity [ICC(2,1)=.66, r=.66] in the elderly. This study provides that free and maximal treadmill testing produce highly reliable HR and velocity measurements in adults with chronic hemiplegia using minimal handrail support.