Assessment of diastolic chamber properties of the right ventricle by global fitting of pressure-volume data and conformational analysis of 3D + T echocardiographic sequences

Assessment of diastolic chamber properties of the right ventricle by global fitting of pressure-volume data and conformational analysis of 3D + T echocardiographic sequences

Semantic Technology Recommendation Based on the Analytic Network Process

Semantic technologies have become widely adopted in recent years, and choosing the right technologies for the problems that users face is often a difficult task. This paper presents an application of the Analytic Network Process for the recommendation of semantic technologies, which is based on a quality model for semantic technologies. Instead of relying on expert-based comparisons of alternatives, the comparisons in our framework depend on real evaluation results. Furthermore, the recommendations in our framework derive from user quality requirements, which leads to better recommendations tailored to users’ needs. This paper also presents an algorithm for pairwise comparisons, which is based on user quality requirements and evaluation results.

A study on the lateralization of the effect of musical imagery on spontaneous otoacoustic emissions

It has been suggested that different pathways through the brain are followed depending on the type of information that is being processed. Although it is now known that there is a continuous exchange of information through both hemispheres, language is considered to be processed by the left hemisphere, where Broca?s and Wernicke?s areas are located. On the other hand, music is thought to be processed mainly by the right hemisphere. According to Sininger Y.S. & Cone- Wesson, B. (2004), there is a similar but contralateral specialization of the human ears; due to the fact that auditory pathways cross-over at the brainstem. A previous study showed an effect of musical imagery on spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) (Perez-Acosta and Ramos-Amezquita, 2006), providing evidence of an efferent influence from the auditory cortex on the basilar membrane. Based on these results, the present work is a comparative study between left and right ears of a population of eight musicians that presented SOAEs. A familiar musical tune was chosen, and the subjects were trained in the task of evoking it after having heard it. Samples of ear-canal signals were obtained and processed in order to extract frequency and amplitude data on the SOAEs. This procedure was carried out before, during and after the musical image creation task. Results were then analyzed to compare the difference between SOAE responses of left and right ears. A clear asymmetrical SOAEs response to musical imagery tasks between left and right ears was obtained. Significant changes of SOAE amplitude related to musical imagery tasks were only observed on the right ear of the subjects. These results may suggest a predominant left hemisphere activity related to a melodic image creation task.