Quantitative assessment of pain-related thermal dysfunction through clinical digital infrared thermal imaging

BACKGROUND: The skin temperature distribution of a healthy human body exhibits a contralateral symmetry. Some nociceptive and most neuropathic pain pathologies are associated with an alteration of the thermal distribution of the human body. Since the dissipation of heat through the skin occurs for the most part in the form of infrared radiation, infrared thermography is the method of choice to study the physiology of thermoregulation and the thermal dysfunction associated with pain. Assessing thermograms is a complex and subjective task that can be greatly facilitated by computerised techniques. METHODS: This paper presents techniques for automated computerised assessment of thermal images of pain, in order to facilitate the physician's decision making. First, the thermal images are pre-processed to reduce the noise introduced during the initial acquisition and to extract the irrelevant background. Then, potential regions of interest are identified using fixed dermatomal subdivisions of the body, isothermal analysis and segmentation techniques. Finally, we assess the degree of asymmetry between contralateral regions of interest using statistical computations and distance measures between comparable regions. RESULTS: The wavelet domain-based Poisson noise removal techniques compared favourably against Wiener and other wavelet-based denoising methods, when qualitative criteria were used. It was shown to improve slightly the subsequent analysis. The automated background removal technique based on thresholding and morphological operations was successful for both noisy and denoised images with a correct removal rate of 85% of the images in the database. The automation of the regions of interest (ROIs) delimitation process was achieved successfully for images with a good contralateral symmetry. Isothermal division complemented well the fixed ROIs division based on dermatomes, giving a more accurate map of potentially abnormal regions. The measure of distance between histograms of comparable ROIs allowed us to increase the sensitivity and specificity rate for the classification of 24 images of pain patients when compared to common statistical comparisons. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a complete set of automated techniques for the computerised assessment of thermal images to assess pain-related thermal dysfunction

The significance of neural spike sequence patterns in the respiratory control system

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Dr. Ursula Martius Franklin (1921-2016)

Ursula Franklin was born in Germany in 1921 and moved to Canada in 1949 after surviving the Holocaust. She joined the University of Toronto’s Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science in 1967, and became the institution’s first female “university professor” in 1984. This memoriam recounts her influence on the author, among the many others Ursula Franklin touched during her remarkable life and career.Ursula Franklin est née en Allemagne en 1921, et s’est établie au Canada en 1949, après avoir survécu l’Holocauste. Elle a intégré le département des sciences de la métallurgie et des matériaux de l’Université de Toronto en 1967, et est devenue la première femme professeure de l’établissement en 1984. Cet hommage souligne son influence sur l’autrice et sur les nombreuses autres personnes qui ont été touchées par la vie et la carrière remarquables de Mme Franklin

Laura Bassi and science in 18th century Europe: the extraordinary life and role of Italy's pioneering female professor

This book presents the extraordinary story of a Bolognese woman of the settecento. Laura Maria Caterina Bassi (1711-1778) defended 49 Theses at the University of Bologna on April 17, 1732 and was awarded a doctoral degree on May 12 of the same year. Three weeks before her defense, she was made a member of the Academy of Sciences in Bologna. On June 27 she defended 12 additional Theses. Several of the 61 Theses were on physics and other science topics. Laura was drawn by the philosophy of Newton at a time when most scientists in Europe were still focused on Descartes and Galen. This last set of Theses was to encourage the University of Bologna to provide a lectureship to Laura, which they did on October 29, 1732. Although quite famous in her day, Laura Bassi is unfortunately not remembered much today. This book presents Bassi within the context of the century when she lived and worked, an era where no women could attend university anywhere in the world, and even less become a professor or a member of an academy. Laura was appointed to the Chair of experimental physics in 1776 until her death. Her story is an amazing one. Laura was a mother, a wife and a good scientist for over 30 years. She made the transition from the old science to the new very early on in her career. Her work was centered on real problems that the City of Bologna needed to solve. It was an exciting time of discovery and she was at the edge of it all the way. Cover Image: Courtesy of Bononia University Press, from Marta Franceschini’s  Laura Bassi Minerva bolognese, illustrated by Alessandro Battara, 2011 © Bononia University Press, 2011 Portrait of Laura Maria Caterina Bassi at the Palazzo Poggi in Bologna. The illustration includes her thesis and certificate and a globe. The little girl is Laura as a child, a unique girl who lives in a world of her own, where the objects she fantasizes about are not toys or dolls but scientific instruments, tools, geometric shapes. In her mind, she sees the world she will live in, as a woman who will shape history; she is already living and sparking, almost like magic blended with science

Women in Biomedical Engineering and Health Informatics

AbstractA valuable session for anyone whetherstudent or not, interested in learning more aboutBiomedical Engineering and Health Informatics as acareer choice for women. Prominent women within thedomains Biomedical Engineering and Health Informaticswill present their research and their humanitarianinterests that motivate them. Utilise the fantasticnetworking opportunity that will conclude this session tobuild and establish new professional networks with otherwomen interested in your fields of expertise. Bring yourcontact details and be ready to make new contacts thatare relevant for you.2 Halama