Leontios Hadjileontiadis

Recent evidence suggests that cross-frequency coupling (CFC) plays an essential role in multi-scale communication across the brain. The amplitude of the high frequency oscillations, responsible for local activity, is modulated by the phase of the lower frequency activity, in a task and region-relevant way. In this paper, we examine this phase-amplitude coupling in a two-tone oddball paradigm for the low frequency bands (delta, theta, alpha, and beta) and determine the most prominent CFCs. Data consisted of cortical time series, extracted by applying three-dimensional vector field tomography (3D-VFT) to high density (256 channels) electroencephalography (HD-EEG), and CFC analysis was based on the phase-amplitude coupling metric, namely PAC. Our findings suggest CFC spanning across all brain regions and low frequencies. Stronger coupling was observed in the delta band, that is closely linked to sensory processing. However, theta coupling was reinforced in the target tone response, revealing a task-dependent CFC and its role in brain networks communication.

Assistive technology enables people to achieve independence in the accomplishment of their daily tasks and enhance their quality of life. Navigation systems to assist visually impaired people that use computer vision techniques are very resource intensive and as such, not suitable for mobile devices. This work describes a computer vision algorithm intended to reduce processing demands with possible application in portable devices. The model proposed employs 2D-Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (2D-EEMD) in order to reduce the problem complexity. It uses a combination of Peano-Hilbert space filling curves as a dimension reduction of image data and EEMD to implement a fast algorithm. Tests results have shown that Peano-Hilbert EEMD exhibits substantially reduced processing power compared with 2D-EEMD approaches, enabling new opportunities for its use in portable applications on low computer power devices.

The present study examines the effect of orchestral music on the perception of related conducting gestures by exploring the different levels of sensorimotor cortical activity. Electroencephalogram recordings were acquired from orchestral musicians and non-musicians, during audiovisual and visual experimental modes. The auditory stimulus consisted of an excerpt of Beethoven’s fifth symphony, and the visual one presented a conductor directing the same excerpt. Initially, the electrophysiological signals were processed using fractal dimension (FD) analysis and subsequently, a video-based signal of the conductor’s mobility was correlated to the FD data. Results showed stronger sensorimotor activity in the case of orchestral musicians compared to the non-musicians when both auditory and visual stimuli were present, while, on the absence of the acoustic stimulus, the response of the two groups converged. These findings point to the general fact that depending on the level of musical skill...

ABSTRACT Technology has dramatically changed the way in which knowledge is shared within and outside of traditional classroom settings. The application of fuzzy logic to new forms of technology-centered education has presented new opportunities for analyzing and modeling learner behavior. Fuzzy Logic-Based Modeling in Collaborative and Blended Learning explores the application of the fuzzy set theory to educational settings in order to analyze the learning process, gauge student feedback, and enable quality learning outcomes. Focusing on educational data analysis and modeling in collaborative and blended learning environments, this publication is an essential reference source for educators, researchers, educational administrators and designers, and IT specialists. This premier reference monograph presents key research on educational data analysis and modeling through the integration of research on advanced modeling techniques, educational technologies, fuzzy concept maps, hybrid modeling, neuro-fuzzy learning management systems, and quality of interaction.

‘Motion’, as expressed through high-level features of music, combined with mirror neuron (MN) system activation is studied in this article. The mechanism of MN involved in the perception of musical structures is seen as a means for cueing the learner on ‘known’ factors that can be used for his/her knowledge scaffolding. To explore such relationships, EEG recordings, and especially the Mu-rhythm over the sensorimotor cortex that relates to the activation of MN, were acquired and explored. An experiment was designed to provide the auditory and visual stimuli to two groups of subjects, advanced music students and non–musicians as a control subject group. The musician group’s response to ‘motion’, implemented by Modest Mussorgsky’s ‘Promenade’ and a corresponding video clip, was monitored. The acquired signals, after appropriate averaging in the time domain, were analyzed in the bifrequency domain, using bispectral analysis. Experimental results showed that motion inherent in high–level...

The Web is evolving from a place where a prodigious amount of text and images are stored to a place where educational and other needs are serviced. The Web is becoming increasingly automated with functions that previously required human action undertaken automatically moving learners and other users more quickly to useful support. More and more such services interoperate with each other through computer programs and agents. This is the territory of semantic Web services and Web 3.0. Just as shop bots and auction bots abound in handling a particular task on the Web currently, in higher education of the future such related bots and agents will interact with the heterogeneous information that is the stuff of higher education. The scale of such agent-based mediation and linked data will grow over time. Increasingly, intelligent agents and bots will undertake tasks on behalf of their faculty, administrator, and student owners. Collaborations among faculty and students around the world wi...

Abstract—Recent evidence suggests that cross-frequency coupling (CFC) plays an essential role in multi-scale communication across the brain. The amplitude of the high frequency oscillations, responsible for local activity, is modulated by the phase of the lower frequency activity, in a task and regionrelevant way. In this paper, we examine this phase-amplitude coupling in a two-tone oddball paradigm for the low frequency bands (delta,theta, alpha, beta and low gamma) and determine the most prominent CFCs. Data consisted of cortical time series, extracted by applying three-dimensional vector field tomography (3D-VFT) to high density (256 channels) electroencephalography (HD-EEG), brain source reconstruction using and CFC analysis was based on the phase-amplitude coupling metric, namely PAC. Our findings suggest CFC spanning across all brain regions and low frequencies. Stronger coupling was observed in the alpha band, that is closely linked to auditory perception. However, alpha coup...

ABSTRACT Abstract. Processing the brain functionality during certain perceptual stimuli or activities is beneficial to better understanding the lost abilities of a mind of a pa-tient with cognitive impairment. Electroencephalogram (EEG) has been widely used as a tool for brain mapping. In this paper, we discuss the experimental setup and methods of the Cognitive Brain signal Processing (CBP) project towards this direction. High spatial resolution EEG (256 channels) is acquired, while the sub-ject perform a series of cognitive tests with known expected response. Four tests from the CANTAB© Battery evaluating visual memory, spatial working memory and attention, a Sudoku puzzle and tasks with external visual and audio stimuli i.e., emotional (Ekman images) and audio event-related potentials (ERP) comprise the experimental protocol. Three groups of subjects are recruited, i.e., 30 healthy young adults 25-40 years old, 30 healthy adults of 65 years and older, and 30 pa-tients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) aged 65 years and older. In the CBP project, the 2D vector field tomography (VFT) will be extended to the 3D space to create a novel tool to solve the inverse EEG problem towards source recon-struction and therefore brain mapping. The 3D VFT will be applied to the ac-quired data in order to facilitate the extraction of the cognitive states and the iden-tification of dysfunctioning areas. The external stimuli will be correlated with the performance of the participants to verify which elements can be assistive and im-prove their performance. The results can be used to design intelligent assistive environments and help the communication of patients with AD in everyday life.

ABSTRACT Politicians, educators, and investigators have been unanimous in stating that we need to design schools to teach 21st century skills (i.e., creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration); however, HEIs are paralyzed by the lack of consistent and intelligent ways to assess these skills/competences. One of the difficulties is that, usually, the current assessment instruments are based on products and not on processes, due to the intrinsic complexities in capturing detailed process data for large numbers of users. In turn, data mining technologies, signal processing, text-mining, machine learning to explore multimodal process-based learner assessments could offer a possible solution to capture/analyze massive amounts of process data of classroom online activities.

ABSTRACT The terms of art and science referred to the title of this third part reflect the coexistence, integration and harmony of seemingly opposing extremes: the particular and the general, subjectivity and objectivity, the individual and the social context.

ABSTRACT This chapter aims to place the focus upon some current changes/trends in educational practice of Information and Knowledge Society and, simultaneously, examine the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in multiple contexts.

ABSTRACT This chapter underlines the teaching-learning process mediated by technologies, along with the main theoretical assumptions regarding the development of OLEs, viewed through the concepts of multitasking, learning communities, focusing on the coresponsibility of the stakeholders on negotiation process within a blended learning environment.

ABSTRACT Most educators focus on products (e.g., exams, portfolios, tests, assessments) rather than processes, i.e., the tangible cognitive/intellectual development during a learning activity. Nevertheless, the present book has placed emphasis mainly upon the characterization of the online instructional process, in order to scientifically analyze the opinions and actions (trends, profiles and modeling perspectives) of the users of the LMS Moodle in b-learning mode.

ABSTRACT The impact of globalization and cultural pluralism from the combined perspectives of the new dimensions of e-community and e-identity (Wenger 1998; Zhou 2011) may justify innovative methodologies in the design, implementation and development of the teaching–learning process.

ABSTRACT Following the sequence of steps initiated with the appropriate strategies for data collection presented in Chapter 4, the present chapter refers to the data preparation and implementation procedures that were involved in the exemplified case studies of Part III.