Multisensory integration is quintessential to adaptive behavior, with clinical populations showin... more Multisensory integration is quintessential to adaptive behavior, with clinical populations showing significant impairments in this domain, most notably hallucinatory reports. Interestingly, altered cross-modal interactions have also been reported in healthy individuals when engaged in tasks such as the Sound-Induced Flash-Illusion (SIFI). The temporal dynamics of the SIFI have been recently tied to the speed of occipital alpha rhythms (IAF), with faster oscillations entailing reduced temporal windows within which the illusion is experienced. In this regard, entrainment-based protocols have not yet implemented rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rhTMS) to causally test for this relationship. It thus remains to be evaluated whether rhTMS-induced acoustic and somatosensory sensations may not specifically interfere with the illusion. Here, we addressed this issue by asking 27 volunteers to perform a SIFI paradigm under different Sham and active rhTMS protocols, delivered over th...
In the seed-based method for studying functional connectivity (FC), seed selection is relevant. H... more In the seed-based method for studying functional connectivity (FC), seed selection is relevant. Here, we propose a new methodological approach for resting-state FC analysis of hand motor networks using the individual hand motor hotspot (hMHS) as seed. Nineteen right-handed healthy volunteers underwent a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) session and resting-state fMRI. For each subject, the hMHS in both hemispheres was identified by TMS with the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis muscle as the target, the site eliciting the highest and most reliable motor-evoked potentials. Seed regions were built on coordinates on the cortex corresponding to the individual left and right hMHSs. For comparison, the left and right Brodmann’s area 4 (BA4) masks extracted from a standard atlas were used as seed. The left and right hMHSs showed FC patterns at rest mainly including sensorimotor regions, with a bilateral connectivity only for the left hMHS. The statistical contrast BA4 > hMHS ...
A PN can provide the opportunity to personalize applications, services and the whole networking e... more A PN can provide the opportunity to personalize applications, services and the whole networking environment to the current needs of the user, making the security and privacy the key features in the PNs formation. In MAGNET Beyond the interest was concentrated on the importance of interactions between multiple PN users with common interests for various services, i.e. on PN Federation (PN-F). Establishing a PN Federation, the user should be able to control which information or services to share with others. For this reason the security is a very important aspect in PN-F as multiple people are involved and takes place at different levels: access to the PN Federation based on membership, secure transport of data within the federation and the access rights to resources and services of the federation. In this chapter, we present important contributions in the study of security of personal networks. To begin with, a threat analysis methodology tailored for PN and PN-F environments is described and applied to evaluate security. A reflection on user perspectives mapped onto security applications, privacy safeguarding and related protocols is encapsulated into the proposed Context Aware Security Manager component. Finally, we present a novel authentication protocol right tailored to specific low power devices needs.
2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2015
In the last few years the use of implanted devices has been considered also in the field of myoel... more In the last few years the use of implanted devices has been considered also in the field of myoelectric hand prostheses. Wireless implanted EMG (Electromyogram) sensors can improve the functioning of the prosthesis, providing information without the disadvantage of the wires, and the usability by amputees. The solutions proposed in the literature are based on proprietary communication protocols between the implanted devices and the prosthesis controller, using frequency bands that are already assigned to other purposes. This study proposes the use of a standard communication protocol (IEEE 802.15.6), specific for wireless body area networks (WBANs), which assign a specific bandwidth to implanted devices. The propagation losses from in-to-on body were investigated by numerical simulation with a 3D human model and an electromagnetic solver. The channel model resulting from the study represents the first step towards the development of myoelectric prosthetic hands which are driven by signals acquired by implanted sensors. However these results can provide important information to researchers for further developments, and manufacturers, which can decrease the production costs for hand prostheses having a common standard of communication with assigned frequencies of operation.
Wireless implanted devices can be used to interface patients with disabilities with the aim of re... more Wireless implanted devices can be used to interface patients with disabilities with the aim of restoring impaired motor functions. Implanted devices that record and transmit electromyographic (EMG) signals have been applied for the control of active prostheses. This simulation study investigates the propagation losses and the absorption rate of a wireless radio frequency link for in-to-on body communication in the medical implant communication service (MICS) frequency band to control myoelectric upper limb prostheses. The implanted antenna is selected and a suitable external antenna is designed. The characterization of both antennas is done by numerical simulations. A heterogeneous 3D body model and a 3D electromagnetic solver have been used to model the path loss and to characterize the specific absorption rate (SAR). The path loss parameters were extracted and the SAR was characterized, verifying the compliance with the guideline limits. The path loss model has been also used for ...
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Jan 6, 2014
Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of ... more Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of EMG channels, because of better clinical acceptability and low computational load with respect to multi-channel EMG. However, recently, high density (HD) EMG technology has substantially improved, also in practical usability, and can thus be applied in myocontrol. HD EMG provides several closely spaced recordings in multiple locations over the skin surface. This study considered the use of HD EMG for controlling upper limb prostheses, based on pattern recognition. In general, robustness and reliability of classical pattern recognition systems are influenced by electrodes shift in dons and doff, and by the presence of malfunctioning channels. The aim of this study was to propose a new approach to attenuate these issues. The HD EMG grid of electrodes is an ensemble of sensors that records data spatially correlated. The experimental variogram, which is a measure of the degree of spatial cor...
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Jan 6, 2014
Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of ... more Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of EMG channels, because of better clinical acceptability and low computational load with respect to multi-channel EMG. However, recently, high density (HD) EMG technology has substantially improved, also in practical usability, and can thus be applied in myocontrol. HD EMG provides several closely spaced recordings in multiple locations over the skin surface. This study considered the use of HD EMG for controlling upper limb prostheses, based on pattern recognition. In general, robustness and reliability of classical pattern recognition systems are influenced by electrodes shift in dons and doff, and by the presence of malfunctioning channels. The aim of this study was to propose a new approach to attenuate these issues. The HD EMG grid of electrodes is an ensemble of sensors that records data spatially correlated. The experimental variogram, which is a measure of the degree of spatial cor...
Multisensory integration is quintessential to adaptive behavior, with clinical populations showin... more Multisensory integration is quintessential to adaptive behavior, with clinical populations showing significant impairments in this domain, most notably hallucinatory reports. Interestingly, altered cross-modal interactions have also been reported in healthy individuals when engaged in tasks such as the Sound-Induced Flash-Illusion (SIFI). The temporal dynamics of the SIFI have been recently tied to the speed of occipital alpha rhythms (IAF), with faster oscillations entailing reduced temporal windows within which the illusion is experienced. In this regard, entrainment-based protocols have not yet implemented rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rhTMS) to causally test for this relationship. It thus remains to be evaluated whether rhTMS-induced acoustic and somatosensory sensations may not specifically interfere with the illusion. Here, we addressed this issue by asking 27 volunteers to perform a SIFI paradigm under different Sham and active rhTMS protocols, delivered over th...
In the seed-based method for studying functional connectivity (FC), seed selection is relevant. H... more In the seed-based method for studying functional connectivity (FC), seed selection is relevant. Here, we propose a new methodological approach for resting-state FC analysis of hand motor networks using the individual hand motor hotspot (hMHS) as seed. Nineteen right-handed healthy volunteers underwent a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) session and resting-state fMRI. For each subject, the hMHS in both hemispheres was identified by TMS with the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis muscle as the target, the site eliciting the highest and most reliable motor-evoked potentials. Seed regions were built on coordinates on the cortex corresponding to the individual left and right hMHSs. For comparison, the left and right Brodmann’s area 4 (BA4) masks extracted from a standard atlas were used as seed. The left and right hMHSs showed FC patterns at rest mainly including sensorimotor regions, with a bilateral connectivity only for the left hMHS. The statistical contrast BA4 > hMHS ...
A PN can provide the opportunity to personalize applications, services and the whole networking e... more A PN can provide the opportunity to personalize applications, services and the whole networking environment to the current needs of the user, making the security and privacy the key features in the PNs formation. In MAGNET Beyond the interest was concentrated on the importance of interactions between multiple PN users with common interests for various services, i.e. on PN Federation (PN-F). Establishing a PN Federation, the user should be able to control which information or services to share with others. For this reason the security is a very important aspect in PN-F as multiple people are involved and takes place at different levels: access to the PN Federation based on membership, secure transport of data within the federation and the access rights to resources and services of the federation. In this chapter, we present important contributions in the study of security of personal networks. To begin with, a threat analysis methodology tailored for PN and PN-F environments is described and applied to evaluate security. A reflection on user perspectives mapped onto security applications, privacy safeguarding and related protocols is encapsulated into the proposed Context Aware Security Manager component. Finally, we present a novel authentication protocol right tailored to specific low power devices needs.
2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2015
In the last few years the use of implanted devices has been considered also in the field of myoel... more In the last few years the use of implanted devices has been considered also in the field of myoelectric hand prostheses. Wireless implanted EMG (Electromyogram) sensors can improve the functioning of the prosthesis, providing information without the disadvantage of the wires, and the usability by amputees. The solutions proposed in the literature are based on proprietary communication protocols between the implanted devices and the prosthesis controller, using frequency bands that are already assigned to other purposes. This study proposes the use of a standard communication protocol (IEEE 802.15.6), specific for wireless body area networks (WBANs), which assign a specific bandwidth to implanted devices. The propagation losses from in-to-on body were investigated by numerical simulation with a 3D human model and an electromagnetic solver. The channel model resulting from the study represents the first step towards the development of myoelectric prosthetic hands which are driven by signals acquired by implanted sensors. However these results can provide important information to researchers for further developments, and manufacturers, which can decrease the production costs for hand prostheses having a common standard of communication with assigned frequencies of operation.
Wireless implanted devices can be used to interface patients with disabilities with the aim of re... more Wireless implanted devices can be used to interface patients with disabilities with the aim of restoring impaired motor functions. Implanted devices that record and transmit electromyographic (EMG) signals have been applied for the control of active prostheses. This simulation study investigates the propagation losses and the absorption rate of a wireless radio frequency link for in-to-on body communication in the medical implant communication service (MICS) frequency band to control myoelectric upper limb prostheses. The implanted antenna is selected and a suitable external antenna is designed. The characterization of both antennas is done by numerical simulations. A heterogeneous 3D body model and a 3D electromagnetic solver have been used to model the path loss and to characterize the specific absorption rate (SAR). The path loss parameters were extracted and the SAR was characterized, verifying the compliance with the guideline limits. The path loss model has been also used for ...
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Jan 6, 2014
Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of ... more Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of EMG channels, because of better clinical acceptability and low computational load with respect to multi-channel EMG. However, recently, high density (HD) EMG technology has substantially improved, also in practical usability, and can thus be applied in myocontrol. HD EMG provides several closely spaced recordings in multiple locations over the skin surface. This study considered the use of HD EMG for controlling upper limb prostheses, based on pattern recognition. In general, robustness and reliability of classical pattern recognition systems are influenced by electrodes shift in dons and doff, and by the presence of malfunctioning channels. The aim of this study was to propose a new approach to attenuate these issues. The HD EMG grid of electrodes is an ensemble of sensors that records data spatially correlated. The experimental variogram, which is a measure of the degree of spatial cor...
IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Jan 6, 2014
Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of ... more Research on pattern recognition for myoelectric control has usually focused on a small number of EMG channels, because of better clinical acceptability and low computational load with respect to multi-channel EMG. However, recently, high density (HD) EMG technology has substantially improved, also in practical usability, and can thus be applied in myocontrol. HD EMG provides several closely spaced recordings in multiple locations over the skin surface. This study considered the use of HD EMG for controlling upper limb prostheses, based on pattern recognition. In general, robustness and reliability of classical pattern recognition systems are influenced by electrodes shift in dons and doff, and by the presence of malfunctioning channels. The aim of this study was to propose a new approach to attenuate these issues. The HD EMG grid of electrodes is an ensemble of sensors that records data spatially correlated. The experimental variogram, which is a measure of the degree of spatial cor...
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