1
|
Nascimben M, Kovrlija I, Locs J, Loca D, Rimondini L. Fusion and classification algorithm of octacalcium phosphate production based on XRD and FTIR data. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1489. [PMID: 38233557 PMCID: PMC10794451 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-51795-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The present manuscript tested an automated analysis sequence to provide a decision support system to track the OCP synthesis from [Formula: see text]-TCP over time. Initially, the XRD and FTIR signals from a hundredfold scaled-up hydrolysis of OCP from [Formula: see text]-TCP were fused and modeled by the curve fitting based on the significantly established maxima from the literature and nine features extracted from the fitted shapes. Afterward, the analysis sequence enclosed the machine learning techniques for feature ranking, spatial filtering, and dimensionality reduction to support the automatic recognition of the synthesis stages. The proposed analysis pipeline for OCP identification might be the foundation for a decision support system explicitly targeting OCP synthesis. Future projects will exploit the suggested methodology for pinpointing the OCP production over time (including the intermediary phases present in the OCP formation) and for evaluating whether biological variables might be merged with biomaterial properties to build a unified model of tissue response to the implant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Nascimben
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale UPO, 28100, Novara, Italy.
- Enginsoft SpA, 35129, Padua, Italy.
| | - Ilijana Kovrlija
- Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Riga Technical University, Riga, Pulka 3, LV-1007, Latvia
| | - Janis Locs
- Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Riga Technical University, Riga, Pulka 3, LV-1007, Latvia
- Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence, Headquarters at Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia
| | - Dagnija Loca
- Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, Riga Technical University, Riga, Pulka 3, LV-1007, Latvia
- Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence, Headquarters at Riga Technical University, Riga, Latvia
| | - Lia Rimondini
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale UPO, 28100, Novara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lippi L, Nascimben M, de Sire A, Folli A, Fusco N, Rimondini L, Invernizzi M. Abstract P5-08-18: A novel free-to-use software for upper limb volume quantification in breast cancer related lymphedema: implementing cutting-edge technology in the individualized therapeutic approaches of breast cancer survivors. Cancer Res 2023. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs22-p5-08-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) is a detrimental condition affecting a growing number of breast cancer (BC) survivors worldwide [1]. Effective screening programs and early diagnosis are mandatory in the clinical management of this disabling condition and limb volume assessment plays a crucial role [1]. However, a reproducible volumetric assessment is still challenging in clinical practice. In this scenario, augmented reality tools have been recently proposed for volumetric quantification of BCRL [2]. Despite the advantages in safety and time effectiveness, the integration of these devices in clinical practice is affected by several barriers, and free-to-use software for volume quantification are still lacking [3]. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate a free-to-use software for volume quantification of BCRL in order to overcome barriers to technology implementation in the complex management of BC patients. METHODS: A cohort of mixed-gender young adults was assessed by tridimensional laser scanning, centimetric method, and water displacement method. The upper limb volume measures were saved and processed using a software package composed of three programs (Edit 3D, Slice 3D, Cut 3D). The novel software package was specifically developed and freely released on the online site https://mn-visions.gitbook.455io/software-kit-for-3dls-limb-volume-quantification/. In addition, hand volume has been assessed two groups (experimental group and optimization group). Digital volume quantification algorithms have been specifically designed using the gift wrapping (GW) or cubic tessellation (TE) method. The novel software package was subsequently used to assess a small pilot sample of BCRL patients. The upper limb volumes were analyzed to assess linear regression and correlation, level of agreement, and consistency between the different methods. RESULTS: Fourty upper limb volumes of 20 participants were assessed in the present study. The linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant correlation between laser scanning method and centimetric method (R2= 0.99, p< 0.0001). A high level of agreement was reported (R2 interval from 0.93 to 0.97, r ranged from 0.965 to 0.984) between the centimetric method and the novel software package. Hand volume has been assessed in 5 subjects (experimental group). The optimization group (n: 4) demonstrated that the hand volumes calculated from digital method (tessellation method) show a high correlation with the values obtained with water displacement (ρ = 0.83; p < 0.05). Preliminary data from BCRL women were recently assessed (n:3) and suggested a high correlation between LS3D and centimetric method (R2= 0.96). CONCLUSION: Our data underlined promising results for the implementation in clinical setting of the three programs Edit 3D, Slice 3D, Cut 3D for the upper limb volume quantification. In addition, significant correlations between water displacement method (gold standard) and hand digital volume method were highlighted, suggesting intriguing implications in a precise quantification of hand volume in clinical setting. These findings might provide advantages in reproducibility between different operators enhancing data sharing between different centers. Future data on BCRL patients are needed to confirm the role of this novel free-to-use software in the rehabilitation management of breast cancer survivors. REFERENCES: 1. Heller DR et al. Prevention Is Key: Importance of Early Recognition and Referral in Combating Breast Cancer–Related Lymphedema. Journal of Oncology Practice 2019;15:263–4. 2. Invernizzi M et al. Integrating Augmented Reality Tools in Breast Cancer Related Lymphedema Prognostication and Diagnosis. J Vis Exp. 2020 6;(156). 3. Kassamani YW et al. Diagnostic Criteria for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema of the Upper Extremity: The Need for Universal Agreement. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022;29(2):989-1002
Citation Format: Lorenzo Lippi, Mauro Nascimben, Alessandro de Sire, Arianna Folli, Nicola Fusco, Lia Rimondini, Marco Invernizzi. A novel free-to-use software for upper limb volume quantification in breast cancer related lymphedema: implementing cutting-edge technology in the individualized therapeutic approaches of breast cancer survivors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-08-18.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Lippi
- 1Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - Mauro Nascimben
- 2Department of Health Sciences, Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - Alessandro de Sire
- 3Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Catanzaro "Magna Graecia", Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Arianna Folli
- 4Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - Nicola Fusco
- 5Division of Pathology, IEO European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Lia Rimondini
- 6Department of Health Sciences, Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| | - Marco Invernizzi
- 7Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Piedmont, Novara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Nascimben M, Rimondini L. Molecular Toxicity Virtual Screening Applying a Quantized Computational SNN-Based Framework. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28031342. [PMID: 36771009 PMCID: PMC9919191 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28031342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Spiking neural networks are biologically inspired machine learning algorithms attracting researchers' attention for their applicability to alternative energy-efficient hardware other than traditional computers. In the current work, spiking neural networks have been tested in a quantitative structure-activity analysis targeting the toxicity of molecules. Multiple public-domain databases of compounds have been evaluated with spiking neural networks, achieving accuracies compatible with high-quality frameworks presented in the previous literature. The numerical experiments also included an analysis of hyperparameters and tested the spiking neural networks on molecular fingerprints of different lengths. Proposing alternatives to traditional software and hardware for time- and resource-consuming tasks, such as those found in chemoinformatics, may open the door to new research and improvements in the field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Nascimben
- Department of Health Sciences, Center on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases CAAD, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Enginsoft SpA, 35129 Padua, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Lia Rimondini
- Department of Health Sciences, Center on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases CAAD, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Nascimben M, Lippi L, de Sire A, Invernizzi M, Rimondini L. Algorithm-Based Risk Identification in Patients with Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15020336. [PMID: 36672283 PMCID: PMC9856619 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15020336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) could be one consequence of breast cancer (BC). Although several risk factors have been identified, a predictive algorithm still needs to be made available to determine the patient's risk from an ensemble of clinical variables. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize the risk of BCRL by investigating the characteristics of autogenerated clusters of patients. Methods: The dataset under analysis was a multi-centric data collection of twenty-three clinical features from patients undergoing axillary dissection for BC and presenting BCRL or not. The patients' variables were initially analyzed separately in two low-dimensional embeddings. Afterward, the two models were merged in a bi-dimensional prognostic map, with patients categorized into three clusters using a Gaussian mixture model. Results: The prognostic map represented the medical records of 294 women (mean age: 59.823±12.879 years) grouped into three clusters with a different proportion of subjects affected by BCRL (probability that a patient with BCRL belonged to Cluster A: 5.71%; Cluster B: 71.42%; Cluster C: 22.86%). The investigation evaluated intra- and inter-cluster factors and identified a subset of clinical variables meaningful in determining cluster membership and significantly associated with BCRL biological hazard. Conclusions: The results of this study provide potential insight for precise risk assessment of patients affected by BCRL, with implications in prevention strategies, for instance, focusing the resources on identifying patients at higher risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Nascimben
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Enginsoft SpA, 35129 Padua, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Lorenzo Lippi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Infrastruttura Ricerca Formazione Innovazione (IRFI), Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
| | - Alessandro de Sire
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Græcia”, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Marco Invernizzi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, Italy
- Infrastruttura Ricerca Formazione Innovazione (IRFI), Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
| | - Lia Rimondini
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro”, 28100 Novara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nascimben M, Lippi L, Fusco N, de Sire A, Invernizzi M, Rimondini L. Technical aspects and validation of custom digital algorithms for hand volumetry. Technol Health Care 2023; 31:1835-1854. [PMID: 37302048 PMCID: PMC10578236 DOI: 10.3233/thc-220694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Establishing baseline measurements on normative data is essential to evaluate standards of care and the impact of clinical or surgical treatments. Hand volume determination is relevant in pathological conditions where the anatomical structures might undergo modifications like post-treatment chronic edema. For example, one of the consequences of breast cancer treatment is the possibility of developing uni-lateral lymphedema on the upper limbs. OBJECTIVE Arm and forearm volumetrics are well-studied techniques, whereas hand volumetry computation poses several challenges both from the clinical and digital perspectives. The current work has explored routine clinical and customized digital methodologies for hand volume appraisal on healthy subjects. METHODS Clinical hand volumes computed by water displacement or circumferential measurements were compared to digital volumetry calculated from 3D laser scans. Digital volume quantification algorithms exploited the gift wrapping concept or cubic tessellation of acquired 3D shapes. This latter digital technique is parametric, and a calibration methodology to define the resolution of the tessellation has been validated. RESULTS Results on a group of normal subjects demonstrated that the volumes computed from digital hand representations extracted by tessellation return values similar to the clinical water displacement volume assessment at low tolerances. CONCLUSIONS The current investigation suggested that the tessellation algorithm could be considered a digital equivalent of water displacement for hand volumetrics. Future studies are needed to confirm these results in people with lymphedema.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Nascimben
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
- Enginsoft SpA, Padua, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Lippi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
- Infrastruttura Ricerca Formazione Innovazione (IRFI), Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Nicola Fusco
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Division of Pathology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandro de Sire
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Catanzaro “Magna Græcia”, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Marco Invernizzi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
- Infrastruttura Ricerca Formazione Innovazione (IRFI), Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Lia Rimondini
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Nascimben M, Rimondini L, Corà D, Venturin M. Polygenic risk modeling of tumor stage and survival in bladder cancer. BioData Min 2022; 15:23. [PMID: 36175974 PMCID: PMC9523990 DOI: 10.1186/s13040-022-00306-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Bladder cancer assessment with non-invasive gene expression signatures facilitates the detection of patients at risk and surveillance of their status, bypassing the discomforts given by cystoscopy. To achieve accurate cancer estimation, analysis pipelines for gene expression data (GED) may integrate a sequence of several machine learning and bio-statistical techniques to model complex characteristics of pathological patterns. Methods Numerical experiments tested the combination of GED preprocessing by discretization with tree ensemble embeddings and nonlinear dimensionality reductions to categorize oncological patients comprehensively. Modeling aimed to identify tumor stage and distinguish survival outcomes in two situations: complete and partial data embedding. This latter experimental condition simulates the addition of new patients to an existing model for rapid monitoring of disease progression. Machine learning procedures were employed to identify the most relevant genes involved in patient prognosis and test the performance of preprocessed GED compared to untransformed data in predicting patient conditions. Results Data embedding paired with dimensionality reduction produced prognostic maps with well-defined clusters of patients, suitable for medical decision support. A second experiment simulated the addition of new patients to an existing model (partial data embedding): Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) methodology with uniform data discretization led to better outcomes than other analyzed pipelines. Further exploration of parameter space for UMAP and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) underlined the importance of tuning a higher number of parameters for UMAP rather than t-SNE. Moreover, two different machine learning experiments identified a group of genes valuable for partitioning patients (gene relevance analysis) and showed the higher precision obtained by preprocessed data in predicting tumor outcomes for cancer stage and survival rate (six classes prediction). Conclusions The present investigation proposed new analysis pipelines for disease outcome modeling from bladder cancer-related biomarkers. Complete and partial data embedding experiments suggested that pipelines employing UMAP had a more accurate predictive ability, supporting the recent literature trends on this methodology. However, it was also found that several UMAP parameters influence experimental results, therefore deriving a recommendation for researchers to pay attention to this aspect of the UMAP technique. Machine learning procedures further demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed preprocessing in predicting patients’ conditions and determined a sub-group of biomarkers significant for forecasting bladder cancer prognosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Nascimben
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy. .,Enginsoft SpA, Via Giambellino 7, 35129, Padova, Italy.
| | - Lia Rimondini
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | - Davide Corà
- Department of Health Sciences, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy.,Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Via Solaroli 17, 28100, Novara, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Nascimben M, Rimondini L. Visually Enhanced Python Functions for Clinical Equality of Measurement Assessment. ANNALS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.15439/2022f32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|
8
|
Nascimben M, Lippi L, Fusco N, Invernizzi M, Rimondini L. A Software Suite for Limb Volume Analysis Applicable in Clinical Settings: Upper Limb Quantification. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:863689. [PMID: 36798789 PMCID: PMC9928154 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.863689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In medicine, tridimensional scanning devices produce digital surfaces that replicate the bodies of patients, facilitating anthropometric measurement and limb volume quantification in pathological conditions. Free programs that address this task are not commonly found, with doctors mainly relying on proprietary software. This aspect brings reduced reproducibility of studies and evaluation of alternative measures. A software package made up of three programs has been developed and released together with supporting materials to enhance reproducibility and comparisons between medical centers. In this article, the functions of the programs and steps for volume assessment were introduced together with a pilot study for upper limb volume quantification. This initial experiment aimed to also verify the performance of digital volumes derived from the convex-hull gift-wrapping algorithm and the alternative analysis methods enclosed in the software. Few of these digital volumes are parameter-dependent, requiring a value selection. The experiment was conducted on a small mixed-gender group of young adults without correction for factors like arm dominance or specific physical training. In the sample under investigation, the analysis confirmed the substantial agreement between the clinical and current configurations of digital volumes produced by the package (R 2 interval from 0.93 to 0.97, r ranged from 0.965 to 0.984); in addition, as a general consideration, gender appears as a variable that could influence upper limb volume quantification if a single model is built.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Nascimben
- Department of Health Sciences, Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Università Del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy,Enginsoft SpA, Padova, Italy,*Correspondence: Mauro Nascimben ,
| | - Lorenzo Lippi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Università Del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| | - Nicola Fusco
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,Division of Pathology, European Institute of Oncology IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Invernizzi
- Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine Unit, Department of Health Sciences, Università Del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy,Dipartimento Attività Integrate Ricerca e Innovazione (DAIRI), Translational Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Lia Rimondini
- Department of Health Sciences, Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Diseases-CAAD, Università Del Piemonte Orientale (UPO), Novara, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Nascimben M, Wang YK, King JT, Jung TP, Touryan J, Lance BJ, Lin CT. Alpha Correlates of Practice During Mental Preparation for Motor Imagery. IEEE Trans Cogn Dev Syst 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/tcds.2020.3026530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
|
10
|
Nascimben M, Ramsøy TZ. A Minimal Setup for Spontaneous Smile Quantification Applicable for Valence Detection. Front Psychol 2020; 11:566354. [PMID: 33391081 PMCID: PMC7773723 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Tracking emotional responses as they unfold has been one of the hallmarks of applied neuroscience and related disciplines, but recent studies suggest that automatic tracking of facial expressions have low validation. In this study, we focused on the direct measurement of facial muscles involved in expressions such as smiling. We used single-channel surface electromyography (sEMG) to evaluate the muscular activity from the Zygomaticus Major face muscle while participants watched music videos. Participants were then tasked with rating each video with regard to their thoughts and responses to each of them, including their judgment of emotional tone ("Valence"), personal preference ("Liking") and rating of whether the video displayed strength and impression ("Dominance"). Using a minimal recording setup, we employed three ways to characterize muscular activity associated with spontaneous smiles. The total time spent smiling (ZygoNum), the average duration of smiles (ZygoLen), and instances of high valence (ZygoTrace). Our results demonstrate that Valence was the emotional dimension that was most related to the Zygomaticus activity. Here, the ZygoNum had higher discriminatory power than ZygoLen for Valence quantification. An additional investigation using fractal properties of sEMG time series confirmed previous studies of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS) documenting a smoother contraction of facial muscles for enjoyment smiles. Further analysis using ZygoTrace responses over time to the video events discerned "high valence" stimuli with a 76% accuracy. Additional validation of this approach came against previous findings on valence detection using features derived from a single channel EEG setup. We discuss these results in light of both the recent replication problems of facial expression measures, and in relation to the need for methods to reliably assess emotional responses in more challenging conditions, such as Virtual Reality, in which facial expressions are often covered by the equipment used.
Collapse
|
11
|
Huang HW, Nascimben M, Wang YY, Fong DY, Tzeng OJL, Huang CM. Which digit is larger? Brain responses to number and size interactions in a numerical Stroop task. Psychophysiology 2020; 58:e13744. [PMID: 33314155 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When comparing the digits of different physical sizes, the processing of numerical value interacts with the processing of physical size. Given the universal use of Arabic numbers in mathematics and daily life, this study aims to elucidate the cognitive processes involved in the interactions of task-relevant and task-irrelevant features during information processing. We investigated this question by examining event-related potential (ERP) using a modified version of the size congruity comparison, which is a Stroop-like task. Numerical value and physical size were varied independently under task-relevant and task-irrelevant conditions. To better examine how the task-irrelevant features modulated the processing of the task-relevant attributes, a neutral condition was included in both tasks. For the physical task, congruent trials showed a less negative N200 response than neutral trials (indicating a facilitation effect), and incongruent trials elicited a larger N450 and smaller late positive complex (LPC) response than neutral trials (indicating an interference effect). For the numerical task, congruent trials showed a larger LPC response than neutral trials (indicating a facilitation effect). These ERP findings indicate that the sources of the facilitation and interference effects appear in different cognitive processes for each task. We further suggest that language characteristics may be a factor in the superior numerical processing exhibited in this study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hsu-Wen Huang
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Mauro Nascimben
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Yi Wang
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Institute of Linguistics Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Dong-Yang Fong
- Physical Education Office, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ovid J-L Tzeng
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.,Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Mao Huang
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
|
13
|
Craighero L, Nascimben M, Fadiga L. Eye Position Affects Orienting of Visuospatial Attention. Curr Biol 2004; 14:331-3. [PMID: 14972685 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2003] [Revised: 12/18/2003] [Accepted: 01/12/2004] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The ability to detect an incoming visual stimulus is enhanced by knowledge of stimulus location (orienting of visuospatial attention). Although the brain mechanisms at the basis of this enhancement are not yet fully clarified, there is evidence that orienting of attention is accompanied by the activation of oculomotor circuits. It remains unclear, however, whether this oculomotor activity is an epiphenomenon or is functionally related to the attentional process. Attentional benefits are usually measured by the classical Posner paradigm. When subjects fixate centrally and are requested to detect a visual stimulus that could appear in an attended or unattended location, they react faster to stimuli appearing in the attended one. Here, we demonstrate that in monocular vision visuospatial attention was significantly modulated by the position of the eye in the orbit. When the screen was placed 40 degrees to the right or to the left of subjects' sagittal plane, attentional benefits for stimuli appearing in subjects' temporal spatial hemifield dramatically decayed, even if the retinal stimulation was exactly the same as in the classical paradigm. The finding that eyes and attention show a common limit stop point supports their close functional coupling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laila Craighero
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Human Physiology, University of Ferrara, 44100 Ferrara, Italy
| | | | | |
Collapse
|