HIGH-PERFORMANCE MODELING, IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF HETEROGENEOUS ABNORMAL NEUROLOGICAL MOVEMENT’S PARAMETERS BASED ON COGNITIVE NEURO FEEDBACK-INFLUENCES

The technique is based on a hybrid model of the neuro-system (Brain cortex nodes and tremor-object), which describes on the basis of wave signal propagation the state and behavior of tremor-objects T, namely the segmental de-scription of 3D elements of trajectories of anormal neurological movements of the studied tremor-objects (limb of the hand) taking into account the matrix of cogni-tive influences of groups of cortex neuro-nodes. The rapid analytical solution of the model as a vector function that describes the 3D elements of the trajectories at each movements segment are constructed using the hybrid integral Fourier’s transformations and hybrid spectral function. The main element of the solution is the adaptive infuences matrix  that determines the state parameters of the action of certain groups of brain neuro- cortex. Models and methods of multivariable identification are being developed to investigate their neuro-feedback, which suggest  high-speed parallel computations on multicore computers. This model-ing technology consider as a scientific basis for designing inelidgence information systems of the quality medical diagnostic i of critical neurological diseases.Key words: Computer simulation, Software system, High-performance compu-ting, Tremor diseases, Modeling of objects and processes, Multi-parameter iden-tification

Towards a cyber physical system for personalised and automatic OSA treatment

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a breathing disorder that takes place in the course of the sleep and is produced by a complete or a partial obstruction of the upper airway that manifests itself as frequent breathing stops and starts during the sleep. The real-time evaluation of whether or not a patient is undergoing OSA episode is a very important task in medicine in many scenarios, as for example for making instantaneous pressure adjustments that should take place when Automatic Positive Airway Pressure (APAP) devices are used during the treatment of OSA. In this paper the design of a possible Cyber Physical System (CPS) suited to real-time monitoring of OSA is described, and its software architecture and possible hardware sensing components are detailed. It should be emphasized here that this paper does not deal with a full CPS, rather with a software part of it under a set of assumptions on the environment. The paper also reports some preliminary experiments about the cognitive and learning capabilities of the designed CPS involving its use on a publicly available sleep apnea database

Measuring Generalization of Visuomotor Perturbations in Wrist Movements Using Mobile Phones

Recent studies in motor control have shown that visuomotor rotations for reaching have narrow generalization functions: what we learn during movements in one direction only affects subsequent movements into close directions. Here we wanted to measure the generalization functions for wrist movement. To do so we had 7 subjects performing an experiment holding a mobile phone in their dominant hand. The mobile phone's built in acceleration sensor provided a convenient way to measure wrist movements and to run the behavioral protocol. Subjects moved a cursor on the screen by tilting the phone. Movements on the screen toward the training target were rotated and we then measured how learning of the rotation in the training direction affected subsequent movements in other directions. We find that generalization is local and similar to generalization patterns of visuomotor rotation for reaching

Bioinformatics Solutions for Image Data Processing

In recent years, the increasing use of medical devices has led to the generation of large amounts of data, including image data. Bioinformatics solutions provide an effective approach for image data processing in order to retrieve information of interest and to integrate several data sources for knowledge extraction; furthermore, images processing techniques support scientists and physicians in diagnosis and therapies. In addition, bioinformatics image analysis may be extended to support several scenarios, for instance, in cyber-security the biometric recognition systems are applied to unlock devices and restricted areas, as well as to access sensitive data. In medicine, computational platforms generate high amount of data from medical devices such as Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); this chapter will survey on bioinformatics solutions and toolkits for medical imaging in order to suggest an overview of techniques and methods that can be applied for the imaging analysis in medicine

Python as a Federation Tool for GENESIS 3.0

The GENESIS simulation platform was one of the first broad-scale modeling systems in computational biology to encourage modelers to develop and share model features and components. Supported by a large developer community, it participated in innovative simulator technologies such as benchmarking, parallelization, and declarative model specification and was the first neural simulator to define bindings for the Python scripting language. An important feature of the latest version of GENESIS is that it decomposes into self-contained software components complying with the Computational Biology Initiative federated software architecture. This architecture allows separate scripting bindings to be defined for different necessary components of the simulator, e.g., the mathematical solvers and graphical user interface. Python is a scripting language that provides rich sets of freely available open source libraries. With clean dynamic object-oriented designs, they produce highly readable code and are widely employed in specialized areas of software component integration. We employ a simplified wrapper and interface generator to examine an application programming interface and make it available to a given scripting language. This allows independent software components to be ‘glued’ together and connected to external libraries and applications from user-defined Python or Perl scripts. We illustrate our approach with three examples of Python scripting. (1) Generate and run a simple single-compartment model neuron connected to a stand-alone mathematical solver. (2) Interface a mathematical solver with GENESIS 3.0 to explore a neuron morphology from either an interactive command-line or graphical user interface. (3) Apply scripting bindings to connect the GENESIS 3.0 simulator to external graphical libraries and an open source three dimensional content creation suite that supports visualization of models based on electron microscopy and their conversion to computational models. Employed in this way, the stand-alone software components of the GENESIS 3.0 simulator provide a framework for progressive federated software development in computational neuroscience

Coexpression of vesicular glutamate transporters 1 and 2, glutamic acid decarboxylase and calretinin in rat entorhinal cortex

We studied the distribution and coexpression of vesicular glutamate transporters (VGluT1, VGluT2), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and calretinin (CR, calcium-binding protein) in rat entorhinal cortex, using immunofluorescence staining and multichannel confocal laser scanning microscopy. Images were computer processed and subjected to automated 3D object recognition, colocalization analysis and 3D reconstruction. Since the VGluTs (in contrast to CR and GAD) occurred in fibers and axon terminals only, we focused our attention on these neuronal processes. An intense, punctate VGluT1-staining occurred everywhere in the entorhinal cortex. Our computer program resolved these punctae as small 3D objects. Also VGluT2 showed a punctate immunostaining pattern, yet with half the number of 3D objects per tissue volume compared with VGluT1, and with statistically significantly larger 3D objects. Both VGluTs were distributed homogeneously across cortical layers, with in MEA VGluT1 slightly more densely distributed than in LEA. The distribution pattern and the size distribution of GAD 3D objects resembled that of VGluT2. CR-immunopositive fibers were abundant in all cortical layers. In double-stained sections we noted ample colocalization of CR and VGluT2, whereas coexpression of CR and VGluT1 was nearly absent. Also in triple-staining experiments (VGluT2, GAD and CR combined) we noted coexpression of VGluT2 and CR and, in addition, frequent coexpression of GAD and CR. Modest colocalization occurred of VGluT2 and GAD, and incidental colocalization of all three markers. We conclude that the CR-containing axon terminals in the entorhinal cortex belong to at least two subpopulations of CR-neurons: a glutamatergic excitatory and a GABAergic inhibitory

Proceedings of the 2011 New York Workshop on Computer, Earth and Space Science

The purpose of the New York Workshop on Computer, Earth and Space Sciences is to bring together the New York area's finest Astronomers, Statisticians, Computer Scientists, Space and Earth Scientists to explore potential synergies between their respective fields. The 2011 edition (CESS2011) was a great success, and we would like to thank all of the presenters and participants for attending. This year was also special as it included authors from the upcoming book titled "Advances in Machine Learning and Data Mining for Astronomy". Over two days, the latest advanced techniques used to analyze the vast amounts of information now available for the understanding of our universe and our planet were presented. These proceedings attempt to provide a small window into what the current state of research is in this vast interdisciplinary field and we'd like to thank the speakers who spent the time to contribute to this volume.Comment: Author lists modified. 82 pages. Workshop Proceedings from CESS 2011 in New York City, Goddard Institute for Space Studie

Haptic induced motor learning and the extension of its benefits to stroke patients

In this research, the Haptic Master robotic arm and virtual environments are used to induce motor learning in subjects with no known musculoskeletal or neurological disorders. It is found in this research that both perception and performance of the subject are increased through the haptic and visual feedback delivered through the Haptic Master. These system benefits may be extended to enhance therapies for patients with loss of motor skills due to neurological disease or brain injury. Force and visual feedback were manipulated within virtual environment scenarios to facilitate learning. In one force feedback condition, the subject is required to maneuver a sphere through a haptic maze or linear channel. In the second feedback condition, the subject\u27s movement was stopped when the sphere came in contact with the haptic walls. To resume movement, the force vector had to be redirected towards the optimal trajectory. To analyze the efficiency of the various scenarios, the area between the optimal and actual trajectories was used as a measure of learning. The results from this research demonstrated that within more complex environments one type of force feedback was more successful in facilitating motor learning. In a simpler environment, two out of three subjects experienced a higher degree of motor learning with the same type of force feedback. Learning is not enhanced with the presence of visual feedback. Also, in nearly all studied cases, the primary limitation to learning is shoulder and attention fatigue brought on by the experimentation