- Torino, Piemonte, Italy
ABSTRACT
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Using computerized pupillometry, our previous research established that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is dysregulated in patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), suggesting a potential role for ANS dysfunction in... more
Using computerized pupillometry, our previous research established that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is dysregulated in patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), suggesting a potential role for ANS dysfunction in pain modulation and the etiology of TMD. However, pain modulation hypotheses for TMD are still lacking. The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is involved in the descending modulation of defensive behavior and pain through μ, κ, and δ opioid receptors. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been extensively used for pain relief, as low-frequency stimulation can activate µ receptors. Our aim was to use pupillometry to evaluate the effect of low-frequency TENS stimulation of μ receptors on opioid descending pathways in TMD patients. In accordance with the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD, 18 females with myogenous TMD and 18 matched-controls were enrolled. All subjects underwent subsequent pupillometric evaluations under dark and light condi...
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Diagnosis of bruxism is difficult since not all contractions of masticatory muscles during sleeping are bruxism episodes. In this paper, we propose the use of both EMG and ECG signals for the detection of sleep bruxism. Data have been... more
Diagnosis of bruxism is difficult since not all contractions of masticatory muscles during sleeping are bruxism episodes. In this paper, we propose the use of both EMG and ECG signals for the detection of sleep bruxism. Data have been acquired from 21 healthy volunteers and 21 sleep bruxers. The masseter surface EMGs were detected with bipolar concentric electrodes and the ECG with monopolar electrodes located on the clavicular regions. Recordings were made at the subjects' homes during sleeping. Bruxism episodes were automatically detected as characterized by masseter EMG amplitude greater than 10% of the maximum and heart rate increasing by more than 25% with respect to baseline within 1 s before the increase in EMG amplitude above the 10% threshold. Furthermore, the subjects were classified as bruxers and nonbruxers by a neural network. The number of bruxism episodes per night was 24.6 ± 8.4 for bruxers and 4.3 ± 4.5 for controls ( P < 0.0001). The classification error bet...
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Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) play an important role in functioning of various applications. However, technical difficulties, like shortages in power supply, may eventually narrow down WSN's application range. Minimization of power... more
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) play an important role in functioning of various applications. However, technical difficulties, like shortages in power supply, may eventually narrow down WSN's application range. Minimization of power supply thus can be an adequate mean of prolonging their lifetime. Most of the components of a sensor, including its radio, can be turned off most of the time without influencing the network functionalities it is responsible for. Computational intelligence and, in particular, data prediction methods, may ensure effective operation of the network by the selection of essential samples. In this paper, we apply a multi-layer perception to select the required samples from simulated and experimental meteorological data. The results show that it leads to a considerable reduction of the number of samples and consequently of the power consumption, still preserving the information content.
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The acceptance of wireless sensor networks (WSN) has increased greatly due to their comprehensive capabilities. Since WSNs are generally battery-powered networks, reducing energy consumption is critical to improve their lifetime and, in... more
The acceptance of wireless sensor networks (WSN) has increased greatly due to their comprehensive capabilities. Since WSNs are generally battery-powered networks, reducing energy consumption is critical to improve their lifetime and, in turn, their performance and reliability. Recently, smart processing, especially neural networks, has been employed to efficiently manage the power consumed by Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN). Data driven approaches and, in particular, data reduction schemes can reduce the energy spent for communication by judicious selection of the time in which specific sensors of the network are interrogated. In this paper, a multi-layer perceptron (MLP) is used to decide on the data samples required. To justify the usefulness of our idea, we conduct an experiment for effective monitoring of environmental conditions. Results show that our method reduces the number of required samples while not menacing the accuracy needed for practical purposes.
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Research Interests: Nonlinear dynamics, Humans, Female, Male, Biomed, and 5 moreAdult, Dental Occlusion, Nervous System, Pupil, and Video Recording
The issue of air quality is now a major concern for many citizens worldwide. Local air quality forecasting can be made on the basis of meteorological variables and air pollutants concentration time series. We propose an adaptive filter... more
The issue of air quality is now a major concern for many citizens worldwide. Local air quality forecasting can be made on the basis of meteorological variables and air pollutants concentration time series. We propose an adaptive filter technique based on an artificial neural network (ANN) to make 24-hours maximal daily ozone-concentrations forecasts.
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Detection of water and ice over road and runway surfaces is an important issue in improving traffic safety and reducing costs for the maintenance, especially during winter. A low cost capacitive sensor for the estimation of road and... more
Detection of water and ice over road and runway surfaces is an important issue in improving traffic safety and reducing costs for the maintenance, especially during winter. A low cost capacitive sensor for the estimation of road and runway conditions is studied. An algorithm for the estimation of the state of road and runway surfaces (dry, wet, or icy) was developed based on experimental results, which indicated that the time derivative of the measured capacitance provided optimal information. Accuracy and reliability of the estimates provided by the sensor was assessed in laboratory conditions, placing more sensors in a climatic chamber in the same conditions and investigating the estimates of the state of the sensors and the timing of the identification of wet-icy or icy-wet transitions. Reliable estimates were obtained by all the sensors, with a dispersion of the transition times of the order of a few minutes.
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Recently, it has been proposed that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by an imbalance in autonomic nervous tone. Pupil size has been considered a valid test for studying the autonomic nervous system (ANS).... more
Recently, it has been proposed that obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by an imbalance in autonomic nervous tone. Pupil size has been considered a valid test for studying the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Pupillometry is a simple and non-invasive tool to assess the size and dynamics of the pupil. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, by pupillometry, the hypothesis that subjects with OSAS present ANS dysregulation. The study group included 10 males aged between 40 and 50 years with polysomnographic diagnoses of mild OSAS. The control group included 10 males with similar ages with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of less than 5, after polysomnography. Pupillometry was performed by digital infrared pupillometer (25 frame/s). Recordings were processed to measure the area of the pupil frame by frame. The subjects underwent four subsequent recordings: infrared light at rest mandible position (RP); infrared light at forced habitual occlusion (FHO); yellow-green light at RP; and yellow-green light at FHO. According to literature, linear and non-linear information was extracted from the recordings. As expected, the two groups did not differ statistically in age and body mass index (BMI), while there was a significant difference in the AHI. In the within-group comparison of pupil size, there were significant differences between RP and FHO under infrared conditions in the control group. There was a significant difference in the determinism percentage (Det%) in the RP infrared condition between the control and OSAS groups. The results of the current study confirm ANS dysregulation in OSAS patients and provide a new possible strategy for studying this pathology by using pupillometry through linear and non-linear mathematical models.