Robust skin detection based on the fuzzy integral

Skin detection is a low-level operation used in multiple application fields, e.g. video surveillance, human computer interface. The paper presents a multi-procedure methodology followed by a fu- sion stage that can be applied in the robust detec- tion of skin. Two well-known methodologies are fused with a novel one, which is presented here as well, through the application of the fuzzy integral. The automated parameterization of the resulting procedure and its performance on a benchmark database are finally described

A novel closed-loop EEG-tDCS approach to promote responsiveness of patients in minimally conscious state: A study protocol

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the prefrontal cortex has been shown to improve behavioral responsiveness in patients with disorders of consciousness following severe brain injury, especially those in minimally conscious state (MCS). However, one potential barrier of clinical response to tDCS is the timing of stimulation with regard to the fluctuations of vigilance that characterize this population. Indeed, a previous study showed that the vigilance of MCS patients has periodic average cycles of 70 min (range 57−80 min), potentially preventing them to be in an optimal neural state to benefit from tDCS when applied randomly. To tackle this issue, we propose a new protocol to optimize the application of tDCS by selectively stimulating at high and low vigilance states. Electroencephalography (EEG) real-time spectral entropy will be used as a marker of vigilance and to trigger tDCS, in a closed-loop fashion. We will conduct a randomized controlled crossover clinical trial on 16 patients in prolonged MCS who will undergo three EEG-tDCS sessions 5 days apart (1. tDCS applied at high vigilance; 2. tDCS applied at low vigilance; 3. tDCS applied at a random moment). Behavioral effects will be assessed using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised at baseline and right after the stimulations. EEG will be recorded throughout the session and for 30 min after the end of the stimulation. This unique and novel approach will provide patients’ tailored treatment options, currently lacking in the field of disorders of consciousness

A novel closed-loop EEG-tDCS approach to promote responsiveness of patients in minimally conscious state: a study protocol.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the prefrontal cortex has been shown to improve behavioral responsiveness in patients with disorders of consciousness following severe brain injury, especially those in minimally conscious state (MCS). However, one potential barrier of clinical response to tDCS is the timing of stimulation with regard to the fluctuations of vigilance that characterize this population. Indeed, a previous study showed that the vigilance of MCS patients has periodic average cycles of 70 minutes (range 57-80 minutes), potentially preventing them to be in an optimal neural state to benefit from tDCS when applied randomly. To tackle this issue, we propose a new protocol to optimize the application of tDCS by selectively stimulating at high and low vigilance states. Electroencephalography (EEG) real-time spectral entropy will be used as a marker of vigilance and to trigger tDCS, in a closed-loop fashion. We will conduct a randomized controlled crossover clinical trial on 16 patients in prolonged MCS who will undergo three EEG-tDCS sessions 5 days apart (1. tDCS applied at high vigilance; 2. tDCS applied at low vigilance; 3. tDCS applied at a random moment). Behavioral effects will be assessed using the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised at baseline and right after the stimulations. EEG will be recorded throughout the session and for 30 minutes after the end of the stimulation. This unique and novel approach will provide patients' tailored treatment options, currently lacking in the field of disorders of consciousness

Toward a Research Agenda on Digital Media and Humanity Well-Being

In the 2020s, an American citizen will spend an average of 6h35 a day on social media, compared to 3h35 for television. As for social networks, which were non-existent less than 20 years ago, about 40\% of US citizens use them at least once a week as source of news and they now have an estimated 60-70% penetration rate worldwide.This means that in less than a generation, digital media have radically transformed the way we inform and socialize, and that this transformation is still ongoing as older generations are gradually replaced by digital natives. From a scientific point of view, this transformation generates many phenomena to be studied, and even "unknown unknowns" whose effects will be revealed only with time.This roadmap covers the issues, impacts and future challenges of digital media as they relate to human well-being in the broadest sense, from mental health to the health of democracies.Its objective is to initiate a new interdisciplinary research community in this field, to define a research agenda, to formulate recommendations for future digital media policy and design, and to inspire future EU calls for projects to develop innovative and transdisciplinary research on these societal challenges.The roadmap is the result of the EU-funded project DIGEING conducted by an international consortium with the help of an interdisciplinary advisory group of international experts. Its writing was based on an hybrid methodology developped at CNRS and powered by GarganText, where the advisory group acted both as catalyst and guide for a larger collaborative mapping of the state-of-the-art and identification of challenges of that emerging field. More than forty researchers from fourteen European countries have contributed to the writing of this roadmap.This roadmap is complemented by online interactive maps that can be used by researchers to situate themselves in this evolving scientific landscape and by research funding agencies to launch new calls for projects