bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Deepkøver An Adaptive Intelligent Assistance System for Monitoring Impaired People in Smart Homes
Authors: Najjar Mehdi , Courtemanche François , Hamam Habib , Dion Alexandre , Bauchet Jérémy , Mayers André
Published: May 2011

The chapter presents a novel modular adaptive artful intelligent assistance system for cognitively and/or memory impaired people engaged in the realisation of their activities of daily living (ADLs). The goal of this assistance system is to help disabled persons moving/evolving within a controlled environment in order to provide logistic support in achieving their ADLs. Empirical results of practical tests are presented and interpreted. Some deductions about the key features that represent originalities of the assistance system are drawn and future works are announced.
RFID-Enabled Location Determination within Indoor Environments
Authors: Curran Kevin , Norrby Stephen
Published: May 2011

The ability to track the real-time location and movement of items or people offers a broad range of useful applications in areas such as safety, security and the supply chain. Current location determination technologies, however, have limitations that heavily restrict how and where these applications are implemented, including the cost, accuracy of the location calculation and the inherent properties of the system. The Global Positioning System (GPS), for example, cannot function indoors and is useful only over large-scaled areas such as an entire city. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an automatic identification technology which has seen increasingly prominent use over the last few decades. The technology uses modulated Radio Frequency signals to transfer data between its two main components, the reader and the transponder. Its many applications include supply chain management, asset tracking, security clearance and automatic toll collection. In recent years, advancements in the technology have allowed the location of transponders to be calculated while interfacing with the reader. This article documents an investigation into using an active RFID based solution for tracking.
Image Processing for Localization and Parameterization of the Glandular Ducts of Colon in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Authors: Osowski Stanislaw , Kruk Michal , Koktysz Robert , Kurek Jaroslaw
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents the computerized system for automatic analysis of the medical image of the colon biopsy, able to extract the important diagnostic knowledge useful for supporting the medical diagnosis of the inflammatory bowel diseases. Application of the artificial intelligence methods included in the developed automatic system allowed the authors to obtain the unique numerical results, impossible for achieving at the visual inspection of the image by the human expert. The developed system enabled the authors to perform all steps in an automatic way, including the segmentation of the image, leading to the extraction of all glandular ducts, parameterization of the individual ducts and creation of the diagnostic features, as well as characterizing the recognition problem. These features put to the input of SVM classifier enable to associate them with the stage of development of the inflammation. The numerical experiments have shown that the system is able to process successfully the images at different stages of development of the inflammation. Its important advantage is automation of this very difficult work, not possible to be done manually, even by a human expert.
Machine Learning for Visual Navigation of Unmanned Ground Vehicles
Authors: Lenskiy Artem A. , Lee Jong-Soo
Published: May 2011

The use of visual information for the navigation of unmanned ground vehicles in a cross-country environment recently received great attention. However, until now, the use of textural information has been somewhat less effective than color or laser range information. This chapter reviews the recent achievements in cross-country scene segmentation and addresses their shortcomings. It then describes a problem related to classification of high dimensional texture features. Finally, it compares three machine learning algorithms aimed at resolving this problem. The experimental results for each machine learning algorithm with the discussion of comparisons are given at the end of the chapter.
Biogeography-Based Optimization for Robot Controller Tuning
Authors: Lozovyy Paul , Thomas George , Simon Dan
Published: May 2011

This research involves the development of an engineering test for a newly-developed evolutionary algorithm called biogeography-based optimization (BBO), and also involves the development of a distributed implementation of BBO. The BBO algorithm is based on mathematical models of biogeography, which describe the migration of species between habitats. BBO is the adaptation of the theory of biogeography for the purpose of solving general optimization problems. In this research, BBO is used to tune a proportional-derivative control system for real-world mobile robots. The authors show that BBO can successfully tune the control algorithm of the robots, reducing their tracking error cost function by 65% from nominal values. This chapter focuses on describing the hardware, software, and the results that have been obtained by various implementations of BBO.
Topological Coding in the Hippocampus
Authors: Dabaghian Yuri , Cohn Anthony G. , Frank Loren
Published: May 2011

The brain constructs internal representations of the external world, and one essential element of efforts to understand neural processing focuses on understanding the nature of these internal representations. This chapter examines the currently available experimental evidence concerning the physiological and cognitive mechanisms of space representation in humans and in animals, and in particular, on the role of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is essential for the ability to navigate through space, and hippocampal neurons tend to fire in specific subregions of an animal’s environment. At the same time, it is not clear how the hippocampal representation of space is best described in terms of well-established mathematical definitions of space, nor is it clear whether the hippocampal representation is sufficient to construct a mathematical space. This chapter shows that, using only the times of spikes from hippocampal place cells, it is possible to construct a topological space, and it is argued that the hippocampus is specialized for computing a topological representation of the environment. Based on this observation, the chapter discusses the possibility of a constructive neural representation of a topological space.
Brain-Like System for Audiovisual Person Authentication Based on Time-to-First Spike Coding
Authors: Wysoski Simei Gomes , Benuskova Lubica , Kasabov Nikola K.
Published: May 2011

The question of the neural code, or how neurons code information about stimuli, is not definitively answered. In addition to experimental research, computational modeling can help in getting closer to solving this problem. In this chapter, spiking neural network architectures for visual, auditory and integrated audiovisual pattern recognition and classification are described. The authors’ spiking neural network uses time to first spike as a code for saliency of input features. The system is trained and evaluated on the person authentication task. The chapter concludes that the time-to-first-spike coding scheme may not be suitable for this difficult task, nor for auditory processing. Other coding schemes and extensions of this spiking neural network are discussed as the topics of the future research.
Repository-Based Multiagent Framework for Developing Agent Systems
Authors: Uchiya Takahiro , Hara Hideki , Sugawara Kenji , Kinoshita Tetsuo
Published: May 2011

Agent systems have been designed and developed using recent agent technologies. However, design and debugging of these systems remain as difficult tasks of designers because agents have situational and nondeterministic characteristics and because any useful design support facilities have not been provided for designers. To raise the efficiency of the agent system design process, we propose an interactive design method of agent systems founded on an agent-repository-based multiagent framework that emphasizes an important feature of agent design: the use and reuse of existing agents from an agent repository. We propose an interactive design environment of agent system (IDEA) and demonstrate its effectiveness.
Ambient Intelligence on the Dance Floor
Authors: El-Nasr Magy Seif , Vasilakos Athanasios V.
Published: May 2011

With the evolution of intelligent devices, sensors, and ambient intelligent systems, it is not surprising to see many research projects starting to explore the design of intelligent artifacts in the area of art and technology; these projects take the form of art exhibits, interactive performances, and multi-media installations. In this paper, we seek to propose a new architecture for an ambient intelligent dance performance space. Dance is an art form that seeks to explore the use of gesture and body as means of artistic expression. This paper proposes an extension to the medium of expression currently used in dance—we seek to explore the use of the dance environment itself, including the stage lighting and music, as a medium for artistic reflection and expression. To materialize this vision, the performance space will be augmented with several sensors: physiological sensors worn by the dancers, as well as pressure sensor mats installed on the floor to track dancers’ movements. Data from these sensors will be passed into a three layered architecture: a layer analyzes sensor data collected from physiological and pressure sensors. Another layer intelligently adapts the lighting and music to portray the dancer’s physiological state given artistic patterns authored through specifically developed tools; and, lastly, a layer for presenting the music and lighting changes in the physical dance environment.
The Cognitive Informatics Theory and Mathematical Models of Visual Information Processing in the Brain
Authors: Wang Yingxu
Published: May 2011

It is recognized that the internal mechanisms for visual information processing are based on semantic inferences where visual information is represented and processed as visual semantic objects rather than direct images or episode pictures in the long-term memory. This article presents a cognitive informatics theory of visual information and knowledge processing in the brain. A set of cognitive principles of visual perception is reviewed particularly the classic gestalt principles, the cognitive informatics principles, and the hypercolumn theory. A visual frame theory is developed to explain the visual information processing mechanisms of human vision, where the size of a unit visual frame is tested and calibrated based on vision experiments. The framework of human visual information processing is established in order to elaborate mechanisms of visual information processing and the compatibility of internal representations between visual and abstract information and knowledge in the brain.
Classification of Breast Masses in Mammograms Using Radial Basis Functions and Simulated Annealing
Authors: Santo Rafael do Espírito , Lopes Roseli de Deus , Rangayyan Rangaraj M.
Published: May 2011

We present pattern classification methods based upon nonlinear and combinational optimization techniques, specifically, radial basis functions (RBF) and simulated annealing (SA), to classify masses in mammograms as malignant or benign. Combinational optimization is used to pre-estimate RBF parameters, namely, the centers and spread matrix. The classifier was trained and tested, using the leave-one-out procedure, with shape, texture, and edge-sharpness measures extracted from 57 regions of interest (20 related to malignant tumors and 37 related to benign masses) manually delineated on mammograms by a radiologist. The classifier’s performance, with pre-estimation of the parameters, was evaluated in terms of the area Az under the receiver operating characteristics curve. Values up to Az = 0.9997 were obtained with RBF-SA with pre-estimation of the centers and spread matrix, which are better than the results obtained with pre-estimation of only the RBF centers, which were up to 0.9470. Overall, the results with the RBF-SA method were better than those provided by standard multilayer perceptron neural networks
Knowledge Sharing Behavior of Graduate Students
Authors: Majid Shaheen , Wey Sim Mong
Published: May 2011

Active knowledge sharing is considered an important activity in the learning process. However until now, the focus of many studies has been on understanding the impact of information and knowledge sharing on the performance of corporate and public organizations. On the other hand, its implications in the educational arena have been relatively unexplored. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions, nature and extent of knowledge sharing among graduate students in Singapore. It also investigated the factors and class activities that would either promote or inhibit knowledge sharing among students. A questionnaire was used for data collection and 183 students from two public universities in Singapore participated in this study. The study revealed that the participants were primarily motivated to share information and knowledge in an attempt to build relationships with their peers and email was the preferred communication channel for this purpose. However, intense competition among the students to outperform their classmates and the lack of depth in relationship were the two most important factors hindering the knowledge sharing activity. The study suggests that academic institutions should review their instruction approaches to make the learning process less competitive which would help improve knowledge sharing among students.
Investigating the Impact of Knowledge Management Factors on New Product Development Performance
Authors: Nassim Belbaly
Published: May 2011

Knowledge is recognized as an important weapon for new product development (NPD) performance, and many firms are beginning to manage the knowledge detained by their new product development processes. Researchers have investigated knowledge management factors such as enablers, creation processes, and performance. However, very few studies have explored the relationship between these factors in the context of new product development (NPD). To fill this gap, this article develops a research model which applies the knowledge management factors to the NPD context. The model includes five enablers: collaboration, trust, learning, team leadership characteristics, and t-shaped skills with an emphasis on the knowledge creation processes such as socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization. The results confirm the strong support of the research model and the impact of the independent variables (knowledge management enablers) on the dependent variables (knowledge creation and NPD performance). In light of these findings, the implications for both theory and practice are discussed.
Knowledge Strategy and Its Role in the Organization
Authors: Kasten Joseph E.
Published: May 2011

Knowledge strategy is defined as the set of guidelines and philosophies that guide an organization’s knowledge-based activities, such as knowledge gathering, development, storage, and utilization. Much of the early literature describing knowledge strategy suggests that its role in the organization is to drive, and be driven by, organizational structure and the human resources and technology strategies. The present research utilizes semistructured interview data to determine that knowledge strategy is less of a formal structure and more of a lens through which knowledge-based decisions are viewed and focused, resulting in organizational actions that align with the knowledge strategy of the organization.
Facilitating Knowledge Transfer and the Achievement of Competitive Advantage with Corporate Universities
Authors: Clinton M. Suzanne , Merritt Kimberly L. , Murray Samantha R.
Published: May 2011

The knowledge literature suggests that transferring knowledge leads to synergistic cost advantages, better implementation of organizational strategies, and competitive advantage. Organizations are implementing corporate universities to aid in knowledge transfer. There is no standardized definition for corporate universities, but rather models that allow organizations to customize them to meet their training needs. Building on recent work of managing the knowledge transfer process (Murray & Peyrefitte, 2007) and on seminal work on media richness theory (Daft & Lengel, 1986), the authors propose that the type of knowledge to be transferred, and the appropriate media to transfer that knowledge, determine the most beneficial generation of corporate university to achieve competitive advantage. The chapter presents a model and propositions concerning relationships between the type of knowledge to be transferred, appropriate media selection, and generation of corporate university to implement.
The Relationship between Visual Interpolation Ability and Leukoaraiosis in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Park Kaechang , Jiang Yinlai , Wang Shuoyu
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the relationship between leukoaraiosis (LA) and visual interpolation ability (VIA) in healthy subjects using a novel method that involves the quantitative measurement of VIA. LA has been found through neuroimaging studies and is caused by demyelinization and degenerative changes in arterioles that are related to atherosclerosis (Breteler et al., 1994). Moderate and severe LA have been regarded as surrogate markers for stroke and cognitive impairment. In the present study, the bilateral extent of LA was significantly associated with a decline in VIA. This result demonstrates the clinical importance of mild LA in addition to moderate and severe LA. It also indicates a useful possible application of this method for the early detection of cognitive impairment.
Visual Attention with Auditory Stimulus
Authors: Zhao Shuo , Li Chunlin , Wu Jinglong , Han Hongbin , Chui Dehua
Published: May 2011

Visual orienting attention is best studied using visual cues. Spatial and temporal attention have been compared using brain-imaging data. This chapter’s authors developed a visual orienting attention tool to compare auditory when a visual target was presented. They also designed a control task in which subjects had to click on the response key consistent with a simultaneous spatial task. The effect of clicking the response key was removed by subtracting the brain activations elicited by clicking the response key from the results of the visual voluntary attention task. The authors then measured brain activity in sixteen healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (Coull, Frith, Büchel & Nobre, 2000). In the task, visual spatial attention was manipulated by a visual cue, and participants were told to ignore the auditory stimulus. A neutral task was also performed, in which a neutral cue was used. Symbolic central cues oriented subjects to spatial location only (Coull & Nobre, 1998) or gave no information about spatial location. Subjects were also scanned during a resting baseline condition in which they clicked the reaction key ten times. The reaction time for spatial location attention was faster than that without an auditory stimulus. Brain-imaging data showed that the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) were activated in the visual-spatial attention task and that the activation was enhanced during the task with the auditory stimulus.
Human Characteristics of Sound Localization under Masking for the Early Detection of Dementia
Authors: Nagashima Kouji , Wu Jinglong , Takahashi Satoshi
Published: May 2011

Sound localization ability differs among people, such as between a young person, a senior citizen, and a dementia patient. Therefore, it is possible to detect dementia at an early stage by measuring a difference in this ability. Experiments for sound source localization in the horizontal plane show that the ability is improved by separating the presented locations between the signal and a masker. However, there are few data regarding sound localization in the vertical plane. The threshold in the perpendicular plane has been measured, but only experiments in the median plane regarding sound localization have been reported, and its characterization in other aspects has not been clarified. Previous studies about localization ability in the vertical plane have reported contradictory results. One is that the sound source from an upper direction is perceptually superior for a subject, and the other is that a lower direction is superior. The purpose of this study in this chapter is to clarify sound localization ability in the vertical plane and to detect dementia in the early stage using the aging tendency of aural characteristics.
Pharmacokinetic Challenges against Brain Diseases with PET
Authors: Watabe Hiroshi , Matsubara Keisuke , Ikoma Yoko
Published: May 2011

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging technology used to visualize distribution of particular ligands inside living organisms. The ligand is labeled by a positron-emitting isotope, such as 11C, 15O, 13N and 18F, and injected into subjects. By detecting ?-rays emitted from the ligand, in vivo biodistribution and kinetics of the ligand can be depicted with high sensitivity. By altering the target ligand for PET, one can see different distributions and time courses of the target. PET provides several biological and functional images inside the body, rather than simply an anatomical image. Therefore, PET can potentially detect biological changes that occur long before anatomical changes begin. PET has been widely used for neuroreceptor and neurotransmitter studies by tracing radioligands, which have selective affinity for a particular site. For example, the dopamine and serotonin receptors are highly related to brain disorders. By analyzing the pharmacokinetics of these ligands using PET, it is possible to noninvasively detect abnormalities in the brain. However, signals from PET contain many different types of information, and it is important to interpret the signals appropriately and choose the proper technique to analyze PET data. This chapter discusses several analytical methods for PET data.
Motion Perception in Healthy Humans and Cognitive Disorders
Authors: Yamasaki Takao , Tobimatsu Shozo
Published: May 2011

To elucidate how the dorsal visual pathway is functionally altered in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients, first, the neural basis of motion perception in healthy young adults was examined by using visual event-related potentials (ERPs) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with coherent motion stimuli such as radial optic flow (OF) and horizontal motion (HO). Nonspecific, motion-related N170 from V5/MT and OF-specific P200 with an inferior parietal lobule (IPL) origin were obtained in ERPs. fMRI revealed the close relationship between IPL activity and OF stimuli. Next, coherent motion perception was assessed by the psychophysical thresholds for patients with AD and MCI, as well as ERPs for MCI patients. MCI patients manifested a selective elevation of the OF threshold, while AD patients exhibited higher psychophysical thresholds for both OF and HO. In ERPs, the P200 latency for OF (but not the N170 latency for OF and HO) was significantly prolonged in MCI patients. These findings indicate that patients with AD and MCI have impaired coherent motion processing due to higher levels of the dorsal pathway. In particular, OF processing related to the IPL is selectively impaired in patients with MCI. Therefore, a combined approach with psychophysics and ERPs using coherent motion (particularly OF) can be useful to discriminate MCI and AD patients from older but healthy adults.
A Speech Prosody-Based Approach to Early Detection of Cognitive Impairment in Elderly Subjects
Authors: Kato Shohei , Hanya Sachio , Kobayashi Akiko , Kojima Toshiaki , Itoh Hidenori , Homma Akira
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a novel approach for early detection of cognitive impairment in the elderly. The approach incorporates the use of speech sound analysis and multivariate statistical techniques. The focus is on the prosodic features of speech. One hundred and fifteen Japanese subjects (32 males and 83 females between the ages of 38 and 99 years) participated in this study. The authors collected speech sounds from segments of dialogue during an HDS-R examination. The segments correspond to speech sounds from answers to questions about time orientation and number counting. One hundred and thirty prosodic features were extracted from each of the speech sounds. These prosodic features consisted of spectral and pitch features (53), formant features (56), intensity features (19), and speech rate and response time (2). These features were refined by principal component analysis and/or feature selection. In addition, the authors calculated speech prosody-based cognitive impairment rating (SPCIR) by multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicate that a moderately significant correlation exists between the HDS-R score and the synthesis of several selected prosodic features. Consequently, the adjusted coefficient of determination (= 0.50) suggests that prosody-based speech sound analysis could potentially be used to detect cognitive impairment in elderly subjects.
Non-Linear Analysis of Plethysmograms and the Effect of Communication on Dementia in Elderly Individuals
Authors: Oyama-Higa Mayumi , Miao Tiejun , Hirohashi Yoko , Mizuno-Matsumoto Yuko
Published: May 2011

The authors of this chapter measured plethysmography and calculated the Largest Lyapunov Expornent (LLE) using non-linear analysis. They found that the value of LLE was significantly related to the severity of dementia and the communication skill in the ADL index for 144 elderly individuals. The authors developed a mathematical model to analyze the results by studying the information extracted from the plethysmogram data. Furthermore, data were collected when the central nerve was blocked by general anesthesia to evaluate the mathematical model. The pulse wave data indicated that the authors included information from the nucleus of the brain origin. In other words, they obtained conclusive evidence of dementia using the LLE and communication skills. The authors measured pulse waves while elderly individuals had a conversation. They calculated the activation of the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic (LF/HF, HF) response simultaneously. LLE that was activated by communication had a low HF, and the HF was high in individuals who were not activated. In other words, an effect of communication was observed in conscious elderly individuals. Communication scientifically indicated the mental activity of elderly individuals.
Noninvasive Detection of Misfolded Proteins in the Brain Using [11C]BF-227 PET
Authors: Okamura Nobuyuki , Furumoto Shozo , Tashiro Manabu , Furukawa Katsutoshi , Arai Hiroyuki , Kudo Yukitsuka , Yanai Kazuhiko
Published: May 2011

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and many other neurodegenerative disorders belong to the family of protein misfolding diseases. These diseases are characterized by the deposition of insoluble protein aggregates containing an enriched ß-sheet structure. To evaluate PET amyloid-imaging tracer [11C]BF-227 as an agent for in vivo detection of various kinds of misfolded protein, a [11C]BF-227 PET study was performed in patients with various protein misfolding diseases, including AD, frontotemporal dementia (FTD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) and Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease (GSS). BF-227 binds to ß-amyloid fibrils with high affinity. Most of the AD patients showed prominent retention of [11C]BF-227 in the neocortex. In addition, neocortical retention of BF-227 was observed in the subjects with mild cognitive impairment who converted to AD during follow-up. DLB patients had elevated [11C]BF-227 uptake in the neocortex. However, FTD and sCJD patients showed no cortical retention of [11C]BF-227. Patients with multiple system atrophy had elevated BF-227 binding in the putamen. Finally, GSS patients had elevated BF-227 uptake in the cerebellum and other brain regions. This chapter confirms that BF-227 can selectively bind to a-synuclein and prion protein deposits using postmortem brain samples. Based on these findings, [11C]BF-227 is not necessarily specific for ß-amyloid in AD patients. However, this tracer could be used to detect various types of protein aggregates in the brain.
Quantitative Analysis of Amyloid ß Deposition in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease Using Positron Emission Tomography
Authors: Tashiro Manabu , Okamura Nobuyuki , Watanuki Shoichi , Furumoto Shozo , Furukawa Katsutoshi , Funaki Yoshihito , Iwata Ren , Kudo Yukitsuka , Arai Hiroyuki , Watabe Hiroshi , Yanai Kazuhiko
Published: May 2011

These findings suggest that [11C]BF-227 is a promising PET probe for clinical evaluation of early Aß deposition in AD patients.
Neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Fukuyama Hidenao
Published: May 2011

The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is often based on clinical and pathological data. Positron emission tomography (PET) using the tracer 18F-FDG revealed findings specific to AD-mainly the posterior part of the brain and the association cortices of the parietal and occipital lobes were affected by a reduction in glucose metabolism. Recent advances in the development of tracers for amyloid protein, which is the key protein in the pathogenesis of AD, enables the pattern of deposition of amyloid protein in the brain to be visualized. Various tracers have been introduced to visualize other aspects of AD pathology. Recent clinical interests on dementia have focused on the early detection of AD and variation of Parkinson’s disease, namely dementia with Lewy body disease (DLB), because the earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis. The differential diagnosis of mild AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as DLB has been studied using PET and MRI as part of the NIH’s Alzheimer disease Neuroimaging initiative (ADNI). At present, many countries are participating in the ADNI, which is yielding promising results. This chapter’s study will improve the development of new drugs for the treatment of dementia patients by enabling the evaluation of the effect and efficacy of those drugs.
The Relationship between Knee Extension Strength and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Dementia
Authors: Suzuki Makoto , Kirimoto Hikari , Inamura Atsushi , Omori Yoshitsugu , Yamada Sumio
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometer measurements in patients with dementia and determine if predictions about a patient’s ability to perform daily activities can be made from knee extension strength measurements. This study was composed of two rounds of data collection. Sixty patients with dementia were enrolled in the first round to assess the reliability of hand-held dynamometer measurements, and 54 patients with dementia were enrolled in the second round for predicting their ability to perform daily activities. Knee extensor strength was measured twice, separated by a three minute interval, with hand-held dynamometer. The authors also assessed daily activities related to the patient’s lower extremities, including dressing the lower body, using the toile, transferring to the bed/toilet/shower, and walking. Lower extremity activities of the Functional Independence Measure were assessed by the nursing home caregiver that had the most regular contact with each subject. When the Functional Independence Measure score of each lower extremity function was =6 points, the subject was considered to be independent. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.97. Bland-Altman plots showed the 95% difference value to be within 2 SDs of the mean. The curves of negative and positive predictive values revealed the following threshold levels: 0.8 Nm/kg was the best predictor for dressing the lower body and using the toilet; 1.2 Nm/kg was the best predictor for transferring to the bed/toilet/shower; and 0.6 Nm/kg was the best predictor for gait performance. Strength measurements taken with a hand-held dynamometer were reliable in patients with dementia, and normalized knee extensor strength was found to be a predictor of the ability to perform activities of daily living.
Music Therapy for Dementia Patients
Authors: Tanaka Yuki , Nogawa Hiroki , Tanaka Hiroshi
Published: May 2011

Our results show that dementia patients tend to judge Japanese music as being played in a major key, while healthy subjects judged these songs as being in a minor key. Our results reveal characteristic responses of dementia patients to the Japanese music and provide evidence for the improvement of using music therapy for dementia patients by accounting for their Japanese culture.
The Coimagination Method and its Evaluation via the Conversation Interactivity Measuring Method
Authors: Otake Mihoko , Kato Motoichiro , Takagi Toshihisa , Asama Hajime
Published: May 2011

The causes of dementia are divided into genetic factors and cognitive factors. To prevent dementia by reducing the cognitive factors, the authors of this chapter have developed the coimagination method to activate three cognitive functions that decline at an early stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI): episodic memory, division of attention, and planning function. The coimagination method supports interactive conversation through expressing feelings about images according to a theme. Allocated time periods and turns for each participant are predetermined so that all participants play the roles of both speaker and listener. Measuring the interactivity of conversation qualitatively and quantitatively has been quite difficult, but conversation interactivity may indicate the intensity of cognitive activities. This paper proposes the conversation interactivity measuring method (CIMM) to measure the intensity of cognitive activities employed during conversation using the coimagination method.
The Implementation of Innovative Technologies in Healthcare
Authors: Adang Eddy M.M.
Published: May 2011

Proven cost-effectiveness of innovative technologies is more and more a necessary condition for implementation in clinical practice. But proven cost-effectiveness itself does not guarantee successful implementation of an innovation. A reason for this could be the potential discrepancy between efficiency on the long run, on which cost-effectiveness is based, and efficiency on the short run. In economics, long run and short run efficiency are discussed in the context of economies of scale. This chapter addresses the usefulness of cost-effectiveness for decision making considering the potential discrepancy between long run and short run efficiency of innovative technologies in healthcare, the potential consequences for implementation in daily clinical practice, explores diseconomies of scale in Dutch hospitals, and makes suggestions for what strategies might help to overcome hurdles to implement innovations due to that short run-long run efficiency discrepancy.
The use of Personal Digital Assistants in Nursing Education
Authors: Godson Nina , Bromage Adrian
Published: May 2011

The use of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and smartphones (combined mobile telephone and PDA) in Nurse Education is a relatively new development, in its infancy. The use of mobile technologies by health care professionals is increasing, and it seems likely to accelerate, as mobile information and communication technologies become more ubiquitous in wider society. The chapter reports on a small-scale feasibility study to evaluate the practicalities of supporting student nurses on their first clinical placements with PDAs that have been pre-loaded with reusable e-learning objects. The student nurses generally found the PDA easy to use and carry on their person, valued the availability of the reusable e-learning object on their clinical placements and called for more of them to be made available to learners.
Reforming Nursing with Information Systems and Technology
Authors: Abraham D. Chon
Published: May 2011

Much of healthcare improvement via technology initiatives address gaining physician by-in (Reinertsen, 2005) and does not adequately address engaging nurses, despite the fact that nurses serve as the front-line care givers and are a primary user group (Wiley-Patton and Malloy, 2004). However, the tide is changing and visibility of nurses as information gatherers and processors in the patient care process is increasing (Romano, 2006). Nurses perform the majority of the data oriented tasks involved in patient care and would benefit most from having access to information at the point of care (Bove, 2006). RADM Romano, Chief Professional Officer of Nursing and advisor to the US Surgeon General concerning public health, recently addressed the American Informatics Nursing Informatics Association and stated “This is the year of the nurse. The technologies that have the means to improve the efficiencies in patient care are in the hands of the nurses.” Nurses need to embrace technology in everyday work or continue suffering the consequences of antiquated methods of computing that take us away from where we work – at the point of care (Abbott, 2006).
The Computer-Assisted Patient Consultation
Authors: Shachak Aviv , Reis Shmuel
Published: May 2011

The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) holds the promise to improve patient safety and quality of care, as well as opening new ways to educate patients and engage them in their own care. On the other hand, EHR use also changes clinicians’ workflow, introduces new types of errors, and can distract the doctor’s attention from the patient. The purpose of this chapter is to explore these issues from a micro-level perspective, focusing on the patient consultation. The chapter shows the fine balance between beneficial and unfavorable impacts of using the EHR during consultations on patient safety and patient-centered care. It demonstrates how the same features that contribute to greater efficiency may cause potential risk to the patient, and points to some of the strategies, best practices, and enabling factors that may be used to leverage the benefits of the EHR. In particular, the authors point to the role that medical education should play in preparing practitioners for the challenges of the new, computerized, environment of 21st century medicine.
A Web-Enabled, Mobile Intelligent Information Technology Architecture for On-Demand and Mass Customized Markets
Authors: Ghiassi M. , Spera C.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a web-enabled, intelligent agent-based information system model to support on-demand and mass customized markets. The authors present a distributed, real-time, Java-based, mobile information system that interfaces with firms’ existing IT infrastructures, follows a build-to-order production strategy, and integrates order-entry with supply chain, manufacturing, and product delivery systems. The model provides end-to-end visibility across the entire operation and supply chain, allows for a collaborative and synchronized production system, and supports an event-based manufacturing environment. The system introduces four general purpose intelligent agents to support the entire on-demand and mass customization processes. The adoption of this approach by a semiconductor manufacturing firm resulted in reductions in product lead time (by half), buffer inventory (from five to two weeks), and manual transactions (by 80%). Application of this approach to a leading automotive manufacturer, using simulated data, resulted in a 51% total inventory reduction while increasing plant utilization by 30%. Adoption of this architecture by a pharmaceutical firm resulted in improving accuracy of trial completion estimates from 74% to 82% for clinical trials resulting in reduced trial cost overruns. These results verify that the successful adoption of this system can reduce inventory and logistics costs, improve delivery performance, increase manufacturing facilities utilization, and provide a higher overall profitability.
Exploring Type-and-Identity-Based Proxy Re-Encryption Scheme to Securely Manage Personal Health Records
Authors: Ibraimi Luan , Tang Qiang , Hartel Pieter , Jonker Willem
Published: May 2011

Commercial Web-based Personal-Health Record (PHR) systems can help patients to share their personal health records (PHRs) anytime from anywhere. PHRs are very sensitive data and an inappropriate disclosure may cause serious problems to an individual. Therefore commercial Web-based PHR systems have to ensure that the patient health data is secured using state-of-the-art mechanisms. In current commercial PHR systems, even though patients have the power to define the access control policy on who can access their data, patients have to trust entirely the access-control manager of the commercial PHR system to properly enforce these policies. Therefore patients hesitate to upload their health data to these systems as the data is processed unencrypted on untrusted platforms. Recent proposals on enforcing access control policies exploit the use of encryption techniques to enforce access control policies. In such systems, information is stored in an encrypted form by the third party and there is no need for an access control manager. This implies that data remains confidential even if the database maintained by the third party is compromised. In this paper we propose a new encryption technique called a type-and-identity-based proxy re-encryption scheme which is suitable to be used in the healthcare setting. The proposed scheme allows users (patients) to securely store their PHRs on commercial Web-based PHRs, and securely share their PHRs with other users (doctors).
Prototype Based Classification in Bioinformatics
Authors: Schleif Frank-M. , Villmann Thomas , Hammer Barbara
Published: May 2011

Bioinformatics has become an important tool to support clinical and biological research and the analysis of functional data, is a common task in bioinformatics (Schleif, 2006). Gene analysis in form of micro array analysis (Schena, 1995) and protein analysis (Twyman, 2004) are the most important fields leading to multiple sub omics-disciplines like pharmacogenomics, glycoproteomics or metabolomics. Measurements of such studies are high dimensional functional data with few samples for specific problems (Pusch, 2005). This leads to new challenges in the data analysis. Spectra of mass spectrometric measurements are such functional data requiring an appropriate analysis (Schleif, 2006). Here we focus on the determination of classification models for such data. In general, the spectra are transformed into a vector space followed by training a classifier (Haykin, 1999). Hereby the functional nature of the data is typically lost. We present a method which takes this specific data aspects into account. A wavelet encoding (Mallat, 1999) is applied onto the spectral data leading to a compact functional representation. Subsequently the Supervised Neural Gas classifier (Hammer, 2005) is applied, capable to handle functional metrics as introduced by Lee & Verleysen (Lee, 2005). This allows the classifier to utilize the functional nature of the data in the modelling process. The presented method is applied to clinical proteome data showing good results and can be used as a bioinformatics method for biomarker discovery.
Use of Clinical Simulations to Evaluate the Impact of Health Information Systems and Ubiquitous Computing Devices Upon Health Professional Work
Authors: Borycki Elizabeth M. , Kushniruk Andre W.
Published: May 2011

Health information systems, and in particular ubiquitous computing devices (UCD), promise to revolutionize healthcare. However, before this can be widely achieved UCD need to be adapted to fit the information, workflow and cognitive needs of users of such devices. Indeed systems and devices that are not developed appropriately may inadvertently introduce error in healthcare (“technology-induced error”). This chapter describes an approach to applying clinical simulations to evaluate the impact of health information systems and ubiquitous computing devices on health professional work. The approach allows for an assessment of “cognitive-socio-technical fit” and the ability to modify and improve systems and devices before they are released into widespread use. The application of realistic clinical simulations is detailed, including the stages of development of such simulations (from the creation of representative clinical environments to subject selection and data collection approaches). In order to ensure the success and widespread adoption of UCD, it is argued that greater emphasis will need to be placed on ensuring such systems and devices have a high degree of fit with user’s cognitive and work processes.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a Tool for Neurorehabilitation in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Arias Pablo , Espinosa Nelson , Cudeiro Javier
Published: May 2011

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a stimulation technique introduced to clinical practise by Anthony Baker in 1985. TMS has become very valuable either for neurophysiological examination as for research. When use in a repetitive way it has shown to have a therapeutic role for treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. This chapter summarizes the basic principles of the technique focusing on its interaction with the neural tissue along with the analysis of different stimulation protocols, potential risks, and its effectiveness on Parkinson’s disease.