Many natural and man-made objects consist of simple primitives, similar components, and various symmetry structures. This paper presents a divide-and-conquer quadrangulation approach that exploits such global structural information. Given a model represented in triangular mesh, we first segment it into a set of submeshes, and compare them with some predefined ...

BACKGROUND: Identifying the emotional state is helpful in applications involving patients with autism and other intellectual disabilities; computer-based training, human computer interaction etc. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals, being an activity of the autonomous nervous system (ANS), reflect the underlying true emotional state of a person. However, the performance of various methods ...

BACKGROUND: The second-order, infinite impulse response notch filter is widely used to remove electrical power line noise in electrocardiograms (ECGs). However this filtering process often introduces spurious ringing artifacts in the vicinity of raw signal with sharp transitions. It is challenging to simultaneously remove these two types of noise without ...

In this paper, we present methods for interference cancelation for robust slowness estimation from noisy monopole logging while drilling (LWD) data. The main contributions are two fold. First, we show via tests on real data sets presence of systematic propagative interferences in monopole LWD data, which is the primary reason ...

Acoustic liners composed of perforated plates and honeycomb layers are used in several applications. These liners are used for example in aerospace as acoustic treatments for aircraft nacelles. To describe their behavior, empirical models or standing wave tube experiments can be employed. However, the resulting impedance is not always accurate ...

This paper presents seabed interface-scattering and geoacoustic parameters estimated on the Malta Plateau, Mediterranean Sea, by joint Bayesian inversion of monostatic backscatter and spherical-wave reflection-coefficient data. The data are modeled assuming a stack of homogeneous fluid sediment layers overlying an elastic basement. The scattering model also assumes a randomly rough ...

In ultrasound tomography (UT), the speed of sound (SOS) is reconstructed based on ultrasound measurements made on the surface of the object. As a part of the reconstruction process, which includes the solution of the inverse problem, propagation of acoustic signals in the medium is simulated using a forward model. ...

Checklists that focus attention on key variables might allow clinicians to find and fix their mistakes. However, whether this approach can be applied to clinicians of varying degrees of expertise is unclear. Novice and expert clinicians vary in their predominant reasoning processes and in the types of errors they commit. ...

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown that heart rate complexity may be a useful indicator of patient status in the critical care environment but will require continuous, accurate, and automated R-wave detection (RWD) in the electrocardiogram (ECG). Although numerous RWD algorithms exist, accurate detection remains a challenge. The purpose of this ...

We present a compact approach to joint modeling of powerline interference (PLI) and baseline wonder (BW) for denoising of biopotential signals. Both PLI and BW are modeled by a set of harmonically related sinusoids modulated by low-order time polynomials. The sinusoids account on the harmonicity and mean instantaneous frequency of ...

Many insect clades, especially within the Diptera (true flies), have been considered classically 'Gondwanan', with an inference that distributions derive from vicariance of the southern continents. Assessing the role that vicariance has played in the evolution of austral taxa requires testing the location and tempo of diversification and speciation against ...

The axoneme is the skeleton and motor axis of flagella and cilia in eukaryotic organisms. Basically it consists of a series of longitudinal fibers (outer doublets of microtubules) that design a cylinder and whose sliding, due to the coordinated activities of dedicated molecular motors (the dynein arms), is converted into ...

Controlled human malaria infection is used to measure efficacy of candidate malaria vaccines before field studies are undertaken. Mathematical modelling using data from quantitative PCR (qPCR) parasitemia monitoring can discriminate between vaccine effects upon the parasite's liver and blood stages. Uncertainty regarding the most appropriate modelling method hinders interpretation of ...

T-wave alternans (TWA) is an indicator of cardiac instability and is associated with life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Detection of TWA in the adult has been widely investigated and is used routinely for cardiac risk assessment. Detection of TWA in the fetus, however, is much more difficult due to the low amplitude ...

We present an approach to deriving a real-time, lumped parameter cardiovascular dynamics model that uses features extracted from online electrocardiogram (ECG) signal recordings to generate certain surrogate hemodynamic signals. The model represents the coupled dynamics of the heart chambers, valves, and pulmonary and systemic blood circulation loops in the form ...

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that measures of alcohol consumption, dependence and abuse are valid indicators of qualitatively different subtypes of alcohol involvement yet also fall along a continuum. The present study attempts to resolve the extent to which variations in alcohol involvement reflect a difference in kind versus a difference ...

We model the metabolism and behaviour of a developing cancer tumour in the context of its microenvironment, with the aim of elucidating the consequences of altered energy metabolism. Of particular interest is the Warburg Effect, a widespread preference in tumours for cytosolic glycolysis rather than oxidative phosphorylation for glucose breakdown, ...

The hydrodynamic action of wind and the distribution of biomass of seagrass meadows in a non-tidal eutrophic lagoon (Orbetello Lagoon, Tuscany, Italy) were analysed for correlations by simulation with a Wave Exposure Model (WEMo) on 5-year data series. WEMo and statistical analysis established a weak direct correlation between the areas ...

We have developed a computerized technique for automatic detection and removal of sonomotor waves (SMWs) from auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). Our approach is based on adaptive decomposition using a redundant set of Gaussian and 1-cycle-limited Gabor functions. In order to find optimal parameters and evaluate the efficiency of the methods, ...

Abstract This article evaluates several adaptive approaches to solve the principal component analysis (PCA) problem applied on single-lead ECGs. Recent studies have shown that the principal components can indicate morphologically or environmentally induced changes in the ECG signal and can be used to extract other vital information such as respiratory ...

The aim of the present study was to assess criterion validity, relative and absolute reliability of Polar® RS800CX heart rate monitor, compared to simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram (ECG) data, measuring heart rate in dogs during standing position and at trot on a treadmill. METHODS: Heart beats from Polar® RS800CX and Cardiostore ...

Recent studies, supported by advances in computer science, have successfully simulated the excitation and repolarization processes of the heart, based on detailed cell models of electrophysiology and implemented with realistic morphology. In this study, we extend these approaches to simulate the body surface electrocardiogram (ECG) of specific individuals. Patient-specific finite ...

Support vector machine (SVM) is an extensively used machine learning method with many biomedical signal classification applications. In this study, a novel PSO-SVM model has been proposed that hybridized the particle swarm optimization (PSO) and SVM to improve the EMG signal classification accuracy. This optimization mechanism involves kernel parameter setting ...

INTRODUCTION: The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart. It is commonly used to non-invasively assess the cardiac activity of a patient. Since 1938, ECG data has been visualised as 12 scalar traces (known as the standard 12-lead ECG). Although this is known as the ...

Introduction: The reliability of estimated motor unit parameters using spike triggered averaging (STA) of the surface electromyogram (sEMG) has not been tested thoroughly. We investigated factors that may induce amplitude bias in estimated motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) and shape variations. Methods: An sEMG record was simulated. MUAPs were then ...

Questions about how farming and the Neolithic way of life spread across Europe have been hotly debated topics in archaeology for decades. For a very long time, two models have dominated the discussion: migrations of farming groups from southwestern Asia versus diffusion of domesticates and new ideas through the existing ...

Permutation entropy (PE) has been recently suggested as a novel measure to characterize the complexity of nonlinear time series. In this paper, we propose a simple method to address some of PE's limitations, mainly its inability to differentiate between distinct patterns of a certain motif and the sensitivity of patterns ...

Swallowing accelerometry is a promising noninvasive approach for the detection of swallowing difficulties. In this paper, we propose an approach for classification of swallowing acceleroemtry recordings containing either healthy swallows or penetration-aspiration (entry of material into the airway) in dysphagic patients. The proposed algorithm is based on the wavelet packet ...

Previous research has repeatedly found a positive association between immigrants' identification with the receiving society and their share of interethnic friends. That is, immigrants with a low level of national identification have relatively little contact with natives, and vice versa. Earlier cross-sectional studies, however, were not able to draw firm ...

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) uses near-infrared light to measure cortical concentration changes in oxygenated (HbO) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (HbR) held to be correlated with cognitive activity. Providing a parametric depiction of such changes in the classic form of stimulus-evoked hemodynamic responses (HRs) can be attained with this technique only by ...

This paper introduces a low-complexity algorithm for the extraction of the fiducial points from the Electrocardiogram (ECG). The application area we consider is that of remote cardiovascular monitoring, where continuous sensing and processing takes place in low-power, computationally constrained devices, thus the power consumption and complexity of the processing algorithms ...

Real-time remote health monitoring systems are experiencing tremendous advancement resulting from improvements in low power, reliable sensors; yet they are still constrained to low-level interpretation. Automatic data analysis continues to be a tedious task due to a lack of efficient, reliable platforms for data analysis. In this paper, we present ...

Three different almond cultivars (Spanish Guara, Marcona, and Butte from U.S.A.) were characterized by using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and thermal analysis techniques (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). All samples were directly analyzed without the need of a previous oil extraction. Similar FTIR ...

 The use of smart phones has increased dramatically and there are nearly a billion users on 3G and 4G networks worldwide. Nearly 60% of the U.S. population uses smart phones to access the internet, and smart phone sales now surpass those of desktop and laptop computers. The speed of wireless ...

Two different methods for extracting atrial activity (AA) signal from single lead electrocardiogram (ECG) of atrial fibrillation were proposed. The first one is a weighted average beat subtraction (WABS) method. Coefficients of QRS complexes used for constructing QRS template were obtained by minimizing mean square error. The second method is ...

Using a simple stochastic model of ventricular repolarization and the equivalent surface source (ESS) model, an electrophysiological formulation relating surface ECG to variations at the myocytes' level, we recently pointed out a few theoretical results regarding T-wave alternans (TWA). In this paper, stimulated by the comments of John E. Madias ...

The continuous analysis of electrocardiographic (ECG) signals is complicated by morphological variability in the ECG due to movement of the heart. By aligning vectorcardiographic loops, movement-induced ECG variations can be partly corrected for. Existing methods for loop alignment can account for loop rotation, scaling, and time delays, but they lack ...

In 2002 and 2006, review papers have described the Finnish Twin Cohort and studies conducted on these population-based, longitudinal data sets with extensive follow-up data. Three cohorts have been established: the older twin cohort in the 1970s, and the Finntwin12 and Finntwin16 studies initiated in the 1990s. The present review ...

Numerous and diverse physiological changes occur during fruit ripening and maturity at harvest is one of the key factors influencing the flavour quality of fruits. The effect of ripening on chemical composition, physical parameters and sensory perception of three muskmelon (Cucumis melo L. reticulatus group) cultivars was evaluated. Significant correlations ...

Proposals to end the use of lead hunting ammunition because of the established risks of lead exposure to wildlife and humans are impeded by concerns about the availability, price, and effectiveness of substitutes. The product availability and retail prices of different calibers of lead-free bullets and center-fire rifle ammunition were ...

In an underwater acoustic channel, the propagation conditions are known to vary in time, causing the deviation of the received signal strength from the nominal value predicted by a deterministic propagation model. To facilitate a large-scale system design in such conditions (e.g., power allocation), we have developed a statistical propagation ...

Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is an adaptive method for nonlinear, non-stationary signal analysis. However, the upper and lower envelopes fitted by cubic spline interpolation (CSI) may often occur overshoots. In this paper, a new envelope fitting method based on the flattest constrained interpolation is proposed. The proposed method effectively integrates ...

BACKGROUND: There is a rapidly expanding literature on the application of complex networks in economics that focused mostly on stock markets. In this paper, we discuss an application of complex networks to study international business cycles. METHODOLOGYPRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We construct complex networks based on GDP data from two data sets ...

Due to the increasing complexity of electromagnetic signals, there exists a significant challenge for recognizing radar emitter signals. In this paper, a hybrid recognition approach is presented that classifies radar emitter signals by exploiting the different separability of samples. The proposed approach comprises two steps, namely the primary signal recognition ...

Six species of Cochylis Treitschke, 1829 are recorded for China. Among them, Cochylis triangula sp. n. is described as new; Cochylis atricapitana (Stephens, 1852), Cochylis discerta Razowski, 1970, Cochylis dubitana (Hübner, [1799]), Cochylis faustana (Kennel, 1919) and Cochylis posterana hyrcana (Toll, 1948) are recorded for the first time for China. ...

In this paper, a human electrocardiogram (ECG) identification system based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) is designed. A robust preprocessing method comprising noise elimination, heartbeat normalization and quality measurement is proposed to eliminate the effects of noise and heart rate variability. The system is independent of the heart rate. ...

Abstract Fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) extraction from non-invasive biopotential recordings is a long-standing research topic. Despite the significant number of algorithms presented in the scientific literature, it is difficult to find information about embedded hardware implementations able to provide real-time support for the required features, bridging the gap between theory and ...

Recently the sparse representation based classification (SRC) has been proposed for robust face recognition (FR). In SRC, the testing image is coded as a sparse linear combination of the training samples, and the representation fidelity is measured by the l2-norm or l1-norm of the coding residual. Such a sparse coding ...

In this paper, we present an extended nonlinear Bayesian filtering framework for extracting ECGs from a singlechannel as encountered in the fetal ECG extraction from abdominal sensor. The recorded signals are modeled as the summation of several ECGs. Each of them is described by a nonlinear dynamic model, previously presented ...

Recent advances in mobile technology and cloud computing have inspired numerous designs of cloud-based health care services and devices. Within the cloud system, medical data can be collected and transmitted automatically to medical professionals from anywhere and feedback can be returned to patients through the network. In this article, we ...