A low cost system for the prediagnosis of the human tremor

Human tremor can be defined as a somewhat rhythmic and quick movement of one or more body parts. In some people, it is a symptom of a neurological disorder. From the mathematical point of view, human tremor can be defined as a weighted contribution of different sinusoidal signals which causes oscillations of some parts of the body. This sinusoidal is repeated over time, but its amplitude and frequency change slowly. This is why amplitude and frequency are considered important factors in the tremor characterization, and thus for its diagnosis. In this paper, a tool for the prediagnosis of the human tremor is presented. This tool uses a low cost device (<$40) and allows to compute the main factors of the human tremor accurately. Real cases have been tested using the algorithms developed in this investigation. The patients suffered from different tremor severities, and the components of amplitude and frequency were computed using a series of tests. These additional measures will help the experts to make better diagnoses allowing them to focus on specific stages of the test or get an overview of these tests. From the experimental, we stated that not all tests are valid for every patient to give a diagnosis. Guided by years of experience, the expert will decide which test or set of tests are the most appropriate for a patient.

Evaluación del temblor humano a través de dispositivos de bajo coste

El temblor humano puede definirse como un movimiento rápido y, en cierta manera, rítmico de una o más partes del cuerpo. En algunas personas, este movimiento puede ser un síntoma de alguna alteración a nivel neurológico. Desde el punto de vista matemático, el temblor humano puede ser definido como una suma ponderada de diferentes señales sinusoidales que causan oscilaciones de algunas partes del cuerpo. Esta sinusoide se repite en el tiempo pero su amplitud y frecuencia cambian lentamente. Por esta razón, la amplitud y la frecuencia son consideradas factores importantes en la clasificación del temblor y por tanto útiles en su diagnóstico. En este artículo, se presenta una herramienta de ayuda al diagnóstico del temblor humano. Esta herramienta usa un dispositivo hardware de bajo coste (<$40) y permite calcular las principales componentes de esta sinusoide asociada al temblor de una manera precisa. Como casos de estudio se presentan su aplicación a dos casos reales para probar la bondad de los algoritmos desarrollados. Los casos muestran pacientes que sufrían temblores con distinta severidad y que han realizado una serie de tests con el dispositivo para que el sistema calculara las principales componentes del temblor. Estas medidas aportadas por el sistema ayudarían en un futuro a los expertos a tomar decisiones más precisas permitiéndoles centrarse en determinadas fases del test o la realización de tests más específicos para evaluar mejor las características propias del temblor del paciente. De la experimentación realizada podemos afirmar que no todos los tests son válidos para el diagnóstico para todos los pacientes. Será finalmente la experiencia del profesional el que decidirá finalmente qué test o conjunto de tests son los más apropiados para cada paciente.

Developing a vision for an nD modelling tool

The design of a building is a complicated process, having to formulate diverse components through unique tasks involving different personalities and organisations in order to satisfy multi-faceted client requirements. To do this successfully, the project team must encapsulate an integrated design that accommodates various social, economic and legislative factors. Therefore, in this era of increasing global competition integrated design has been increasingly recognised as a solution to deliver value to clients.----- The ‘From 3D to nD modelling’ project at the University of Salford aims to support integrated design; to enable and equip the design and construction industry with a tool that allows users to create, share, contemplate and apply knowledge from multiple perspectives of user requirements (accessibility, maintainability, sustainability, acoustics, crime, energy simulation, scheduling, costing etc.). Thus taking the concept of 3-dimensional computer modelling of the built environment to an almost infinite number of dimensions, to cope with whole-life construction and asset management issues in the design of modern buildings. This paper reports on the development of a vision for how integrated environments that will allow nD-enabled construction and asset management to be undertaken. The project is funded by a four-year platform grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in the UK; thus awarded to a multi-disciplinary research team, to enable flexibility in the research strategy and to produce leading innovation. This paper reports on the development of a business process and IT vision for how integrated environments will allow nD-enabled construction and asset management to be undertaken. It further develops many of the key issues of a future vision arising from previous CIB W78 conferences.