3D facial video retrieval and management for decision support in speech and language therapy

3D video is introducing great changes in many health related areas. The realism of such information provides health professionals with strong evidence analysis tools to facilitate clinical decision processes. Speech and language therapy aims to help subjects in correcting several disorders. The assessment of the patient by the speech and language therapist (SLT), requires several visual and audio analysis procedures that can interfere with the patient's production of speech. In this context, the main contribution of this paper is a 3D video system to improve health information management processes in speech and language therapy. The 3D video retrieval and management system supports multimodal health records and provides the SLTs with tools to support their work in many ways: (i) it allows SLTs to easily maintain a database of patients' orofacial and speech exercises; (ii) supports three-dimensional orofacial measurement and analysis in a non-intrusive way; and (iii) search patient speech-exercises by similar facial characteristics, using facial image analysis techniques. The second contribution is a dataset with 3D videos of patients performing orofacial speech exercises. The whole system was evaluated successfully in a user study involving 22 SLTs. The user study illustrated the importance of the retrieval by similar orofacial speech exercise.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Are vacilins another major class of legume lectins ?

Legume lectins comprise a structurally related, Ca/Mn-dependent, widespread, abundant and well characterized lectin family when compared to the large number of lectins from other sources described in the literature. Strangely enough, no specific function has been assigned to them aside from a possible role in storage and/or defense. Using a recent and fine-tuned methodology capable of specific lectin identification, β-conglutin, Vicia faba vicilin and β-lathyrin, the vicilin storage globulins from Lupinus albus, V. faba and Lathyrus sativus, respectively, were shown to be capable of affinity binding to thoroughly washed erythrocyte membranes and of specific elution with appropriate sugars. Based on this evidence and on sparse data published in the literature, a second family of legume lectins is proposed: the 7S family of storage proteins from leguminous seeds, or family II of legume lectins. These lectins are also structurally related, widespread and well characterized. In addition, they self-aggregate in a Ca/Mg, electrostatic dependent manner and are even more abundant than the family I of legume lectins. Using the same evidence, reserve and defense roles may be attributed to family II of legume lectinsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio