Introducing a new dosimeter for the assessment and monitoring of vocal risk situations and voice disorders

Summary: Purpose. There are many physiological parameters recorded by devices that are becoming more affordable, precise and accurate. However, the lack of development in the recording of voice parameters from the physiological or medical point of view is striking, given that it is a fundamental tool for the work of many people and given the high incidence and prevalence of voice pathologies that affect people’s communication. In this paper we perform a complete literature review on the dosimeters used in voice research and to present a pro- totype dosimeter with a pilot study to show its capabilities. Method. We conducted a literature review using the keywords [MONITORING], [PHONATION], [ACCU- MULATOR], [PORTABLE], [DOSIMETRY], [VOICE] searching in PubMed, Trip Database, HONcode, and SciELO search engines. From our review of dosimeter designs, we created our own prototype consisting of two main components: a Knowles Electronics BU-7135-0000 accelerometer mounted on a neck brace; and the ultra- low power MSP430FR5994 microcontroller. The selected sampling frequency was 2048 Hz. The device calculates the F0 every 250 ms and the amplitude and phonation activity every 31.25 ms. A pilot study was conducted using 2 subjects: one male during 11 days and one female during 14 days. Results. This work includes devices that have been created during the last 45 years as tools for the diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment of cases of vocal pathology and for the detection of phonatory patterns or risk situa- tions for developing voice disorders or vocal pathologies. We also present recordings with our new device on the pattern of daily talk time, the fundamental frequency and the relative intensity of two subjects on different days. Conclusions. Interesting work has been done in the development of voice dosimeters with different approaches. In our experience it is not possible to access them for research and they are not yet in clinical use. It is possible that a joint approach with voice and voice disorders professionals and engineers working closely together could take advantage of current technology to develop a fully portable, useful, and efficient system

GARBAN: genomic analysis and rapid biological annotation of cDNA microarray and proteomic data

Genomic Analysis and Rapid Biological ANnotation (GARBAN) is a new tool that provides an integrated framework to analyze simultaneously and compare multiple data sets derived from microarray or proteomic experiments. It carries out automated classifications of genes or proteins according to the criteria of the Gene Ontology Consortium at a level of depth defined by the user. Additionally, it performs clustering analysis of all sets based on functional categories or on differential expression levels. GARBAN also provides graphical representations of the biological pathways in which all the genes/proteins participate. AVAILABILITY: http://garban.tecnun.es

Computing the shortest elementary flux modes in genome-scale metabolic networks

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website through the link below. Copyright @ The Author 2009.Motivation: Elementary flux modes (EFMs) represent a key concept to analyze metabolic networks from a pathway-oriented perspective. In spite of considerable work in this field, the computation of the full set of elementary flux modes in large-scale metabolic networks still constitutes a challenging issue due to its underlying combinatorial complexity. Results: In this article, we illustrate that the full set of EFMs can be enumerated in increasing order of number of reactions via integer linear programming. In this light, we present a novel procedure to efficiently determine the K-shortest EFMs in large-scale metabolic networks. Our method was applied to find the K-shortest EFMs that produce lysine in the genome-scale metabolic networks of Escherichia coli and Corynebacterium glutamicum. A detailed analysis of the biological significance of the K-shortest EFMs was conducted, finding that glucose catabolism, ammonium assimilation, lysine anabolism and cofactor balancing were correctly predicted. The work presented here represents an important step forward in the analysis and computation of EFMs for large-scale metabolic networks, where traditional methods fail for networks of even moderate size. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online (http://bioinformatics.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/btp564/DC1).Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) and Siemens SA Portugal

Introducing a new dosimeter for the assessment and monitoring of vocal risk situations and voice disorders

Summary: Purpose. There are many physiological parameters recorded by devices that are becoming more affordable, precise and accurate. However, the lack of development in the recording of voice parameters from the physiological or medical point of view is striking, given that it is a fundamental tool for the work of many people and given the high incidence and prevalence of voice pathologies that affect people’s communication. In this paper we perform a complete literature review on the dosimeters used in voice research and to present a pro- totype dosimeter with a pilot study to show its capabilities. Method. We conducted a literature review using the keywords [MONITORING], [PHONATION], [ACCU- MULATOR], [PORTABLE], [DOSIMETRY], [VOICE] searching in PubMed, Trip Database, HONcode, and SciELO search engines. From our review of dosimeter designs, we created our own prototype consisting of two main components: a Knowles Electronics BU-7135-0000 accelerometer mounted on a neck brace; and the ultra- low power MSP430FR5994 microcontroller. The selected sampling frequency was 2048 Hz. The device calculates the F0 every 250 ms and the amplitude and phonation activity every 31.25 ms. A pilot study was conducted using 2 subjects: one male during 11 days and one female during 14 days. Results. This work includes devices that have been created during the last 45 years as tools for the diagnosis and monitoring of the treatment of cases of vocal pathology and for the detection of phonatory patterns or risk situa- tions for developing voice disorders or vocal pathologies. We also present recordings with our new device on the pattern of daily talk time, the fundamental frequency and the relative intensity of two subjects on different days. Conclusions. Interesting work has been done in the development of voice dosimeters with different approaches. In our experience it is not possible to access them for research and they are not yet in clinical use. It is possible that a joint approach with voice and voice disorders professionals and engineers working closely together could take advantage of current technology to develop a fully portable, useful, and efficient system

Diseño y desarrollo de dispositivo de dosimetría de voz

Introducción: En los laboratorios de voz es habitual el análisis acústico y aerodinámico de pacientes con desórdenes de la voz. Esta información no representa como es la actividad fonatoria del paciente durante el día. En la actualidad, el avance de la tecnología está permitiendo la recogida, procesado y almacenamiento de los datos en dispositivos que el paciente puede llevar consigo durante el día. Hipótesis: Nos preguntamos si es posible desarrollar un dispositivo vestible que permita la monitorización durante largos periodos de tiempo de los principales parámetros de la voz y si es posible diferenciar patrones fonatorios. Objetivo: Desarrollar un dispositivo vestible que registre y mida los principales parámetros (frecuencia fundamental e intensidad relativa) de la voz, así como el tiempo de uso de la voz realizando todo el procesado de manera interna. Con ello se posibilitará el seguimiento de pacientes fuera del entorno hospitalario y disponer de datos objetivos del uso y características de la voz con fines diagnósticos y terapéuticos por parte de los profesionales sanitarios y pacientes. Material y método: Para el desarrollo de este dispositivo los componentes principales han sido el acelerómetro (BU-27135-0000 de Knowles Electronics, EE.UU.) posicionado sobre la piel en la base de la laringe y el microcontrolador (MSP430FR5994 de Texas Instruments, EE.UU). El acelerómetro mide las vibraciones de la piel generadas por la fonación y el microcontrolador las registra y procesa. La frecuencia de muestreo es de 2048 Hz y el número de muestras por intervalo es de 512 muestras. Esto hace intervalos de 250 ms que son procesados usando la técnica de ping-pong buffering. Para el cálculo de la intensidad relativa, se calcula el a partir de la señal directa del acelerómetro usando root mean square en subintervalos de 31,25 ms. El cálculo de la frecuencia fundamental se realiza usando un algoritmo que combina los resultados de la magnitud de la transformada de Fourier y de la correlación de estos resultados. El cálculo de tiempo de fonación se obtiene a partir de los subintervalos de intensidad relativa identificados con fonación. Para la validación del algoritmo se generaron 5 señales sintéticas que fueron procesadas tanto en el microcontrolado como en Matlab. Tres sujetos realizaron escalas tonales, escalas de intensidad y un monólogo de 2 minutos. Estos datos se registraron usando el equipo del laboratorio de voz de la Clínica Universidad de Navarra y con el dispositivo propuesto. Por último, dos sujetos llevaron el dispositivo durante 14 y 11 días respectivamente de los cuales 1 de esos días realizaron un patrón hiperfuncional. Resultados: El tiempo de procesado es de 30-50 ms y el consumo del dispositivo es de 2,44 mA. Los resultados obtenidos por el algoritmo calculados en el dispositivo y en Matlab son los mismos. La correlación de frecuencias en escalas tonales es de R=0.9998 y de las intensidades relativas es de R=0.86. El error en el cálculo del tiempo de fonación de vocales es del 3%. Conclusiones: - Es posible desarrollar un dispositivo vestible que permita la monitorización durante largos periodos de tiempo de los principales parámetros de la voz. - La combinación del análisis de la magnitud de la FFT y la autocorrelación del filtrado de la magnitud de la FFT es un método válido para el cálculo de la frecuencia fundamental de la fonación registrada a través de acelerometría. - Los registros realizados con el dispositivo presentado permiten diferenciar patrones de frecuencia fundamental e intensidad relativa en distintos días de registro y en diferentes horas de un día de registro. - El dispositivo permitirá la detección de patrones fonatorios ineficientes o con riesgo de desarrollo de lesiones orgánicas a la vez que permitirá el seguimiento de la modificación de conductas fonatorias después de haber seguido tratamientos logopédicos, farmacológicos o quirúrgicos

GARBAN II: an integrative framework for extracting biological information from proteomic and genomic data

Genomic and proteomic analyses generate a massive amount of data that requires specific bioinformatic tools for its management and interpretation. GARBAN II, developed from the previous GARBAN platform, provides an integrated framework to simultaneously analyse and compare multiple datasets from DNA microarrays and proteomic studies. The general architecture, gene classification and comparison, and graphical representation have been redesigned to ensure a user-friendly feature and to improve the capabilities and efficiency of this system. Additionally, GARBAN II has been extended with new applications to display networks of coexpressed genes and to integrate access to BioRag and MotifScanner so as to facilitate the holistic analysis of users' data

Development of an Advanced Laboratory for ETCS Applications

AbstractThe current process of putting ETCS equipment in service is affected by the testing process and laboratory procedures. This paper deals with two novel laboratory tools that the EATS project (FP7-TRANSPORT-314219) has produced in order to overcome some of the problems those processes show and advance towards the “Zero On-Site Testing” paradigm. On the one hand, saboteurs for the internal interfaces of the ETCS on-board system have been created. These saboteurs integrate seamlessly with the rest of the elements of the testing laboratory and allow to gather evidences regarding the safety functions of the equipment under test. On the other hand, the Wireless Communication Emulators have been also developed. These tools allow to put the wireless interfaces of the ETCS on-board equipment in the worst cases it will find in a real environment, by reproducing and injecting noise and interferer signals, and measuring the effect in the equipment under test

MODEL2BIO. Modelling tool for giving value to agri-food residual streams in bio-based industries

<p>The agri-food industry generates around 50% of global waste, of which only 36% is recycled, although the potential recovery could be as high as 60%. These residual streams can be used as feedstock for the bio-based industry (BBI), provided that the composition, logistics and volume are carefully analysed. Within the framework of the European Model2Bio project (H2020-BBI-JTI-2019. No 887191), the authors are developing a Decision Support System (DSS) tool for the management of residual streams produced in agrifood companies. This will be an innovative concept that using predictive models will be able to select the best routes for valorising these streams considering their composition, seasonality, and industry location, among other factors. This innovative MODEL2BIO-DSS tool is based on the interconnection of three complementary elements (simulation module, optimisation algorithm and LCA module). </p><p>The main advantage of the tool is the possibility of giving a holistic solution or prioritisation. Although there are many commercial programs for the simulation of industrial processes, these are mainly based on the analysis of specific facilities, and not on broader analyses with various industries, in which logistics plays a key role. Model2Bio will simulate the entire value chain providing recommendations from a holistic perspective (technical, economic, environmental and social), with the prioritisation of the valorisation possibilities through technical-economic criteria and the final decision through holistic criteria. Within the framework of the Model2Bio project, the tool is being tested in 3 European areas (Spain, Greece, Belgium) with the aim of analysing different management systems, with different degrees of development of valorisation technologies. To show the potential of this new concept for waste management, the final work will present the analysis and optimisation of the agri-food residual streams valorisation in La Rioja (Spain) carried out with the Model2Bio-DSS tool. In this analysis, a comparison of the current agri-food residual streams management and the optimised management will be presented, considering economic and holistic aspects. </p&gt