evoked potentials, wavelets and evolutionary algorithms

Extraction of short-latency evoked potentials using a combination of wavelets and evolutionary algorithms

S Turner 

P Picton, 

J Campbell

Medical Engineering and Physics

Volume 25, Issue 5, J, Pages 407–412

Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350453303000213

Abstract

Somatosensory evoked potentials, recorded at the spine or scalp of a patient, are contaminated by noise. It is common practice to use ensemble averaging to remove the noise, which usually requires a large number of responses to produce one averaged signal. In this paper a post-processing technique is shown which uses a combination of wavelets and evolutionary algorithms to produce a representative waveform with fewer responses. The most suitable wavelets and a set of weights are selected by an evolutionary algorithm to form a filter bank, which enhances the extraction of evoked potentials from noisy recordings.

Selecting Potentials Filter Banks to Enhance Evoked Recordings Using Evolutionary Algorithms

S. J. Turner, P. D. Picton and J. A. Campbell

Abstract

Evoked Potentials are electrical Signals produced by the body in response to a Stimulus. In general these Signals are noisy with a low Signal to noise ratio. In this Paper a method is proposed that uses sets of filters, whose tut-off frequencies are selected by an evolutionary algorithm. An evolutionary algorithm was investigated to limit the assumptions that were made about the Signals. The set of filters separately filter the evoked Potentials, and are combined as a weighted sum of the filter Outputs. The evolutionary algorithm also selects the weights. Inputs to the filters are sets of averaged Signal, 4 or 10 Signals per average. Even though there is likely to be variations between the Signals, this process tan improve the extraction of Potentials.

Paper is available: http://www.springerlink.com/content/t107316042353960/

Computational Model of Acute Pain

A Computational Model of Acute Pain 
Karen Prince, Jackie Campbell, Phil Picton, Scott Turner 

Paper available at: http://ducati.doc.ntu.ac.uk/uksim/journal/Vol-6/No.9/Paper1.pdf


Abstract: In 1965 Melzack and Wall proposed the influential gate control theory of pain.  This theory postulates that the substantia gelatinosa, located within the spinal cord, acts like a gating mechanism, which modulates the flow of information through the spinal cord to the brain and thus impacts on the pain experience. Subsequent research has, in general, supported this theory.  The explicitness of the theory and its well-defined architecture was translated into a mathematical model by Britton and Skevington in 1996.  However, the use of such modelling has been very limited in the field of pain.  

The fact that pain is still relatively a poorly understood phenomenon despite the abundance of literature that is available and because of the difficulty in obtaining some experimental data, suggest that it is an ideal candidate for mathematical modelling.  This paper successfully replicates the mathematical model as presented by Britton and Skevington.  It uses this as a platform to develop the model further to test some of the assumptions made in its original development and, more importantly, to produce a more biologically plausible model that can be used for further applications. 

Paper available at: http://ducati.doc.ntu.ac.uk/uksim/journal/Vol-6/No.9/Paper1.pdf

BCS Northampton Event: Networking Event (Pub)

Date: Thursday, 8th November 2012 Title: ’Networking Event (Pub)’
Time: Bus from Northampton, Avenue Campus 6:30pm. Event Start 7:30 pm Food and drinks throughout the evening.

Synopsis: Not the sort of networking that involves lots of wires and TCP/IP settings, though if that’s what you want to talk about, that’s up to you. A social event intended to give members a chance to get to meet each other, to be held in the function room of Silverstone’s famous White Horse Public House, a venue that is full of Motor Sports memorabilia. The event will have a distinctly Motor Sports theme with an IT angle. There will be a brief introductory talk by someone from the industry, followed by team quiz questions and a few fun games hosted by someone who has met pretty much every driver in F1, plus a buffet and bar to get people mingling.

Presenter: Andrew Page – Deputy Chair, BCS Northampton (2010-2012)

Venue: White Horse Pub, Silverstone. (http://www.thewhitehorsesilverstone.org.uk)

Objectives:

-          Meet Fellow Members in a fast networking setting

-          Play Games

-          Have a good time?

-          Be prepared to talk about yourself!

Detail:

    - MC from Silverstone Racetrack
    - Opening Presentation IT in F1
    - Games and F1 Challenge! (competition)

BCS Northampton Branch AGM

Northampton Branch AGM

Date 22th November 2012

Time 7pm

Location: Avenue Campus, University of Northampton, NN2 6JD

Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The agenda includes

·         Welcome and Introductions

·         Apologies for absence

·         Minutes of the previous AGM

·         Matters arising from the minutes

·         A report from the Chair on the year’s activities

·         A report from the Treasurer, including a review of income and expenditure against the budget agreed with BCS HQ for the past year and an explanation of next year’s budget request.  

·         Election of Chair, Treasurer and committee members

·         Any other business

Election of Members of Committee

A majority of the committee (including co-opted members, if any) must be BCS members.

At least three of the committee must be professional members (MBCS or FBCS), with two of them filling the roles of Chair and Treasurer.

The number of co-opted members must not exceed the number of elected members.

For more details about the roles for committee members see Roles for Committee Members 

computing helps school

A member of the Computing, School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton helped a local primary school look at ways they could add some programming into some of their ICT lessons. The Greenfoot software (http://www.greenfoot.org/overview) and tutorials (http://www.greenfoot.org/doc) were used to demonstrate some possible ways this could be done. This type of activity is similar various people are trying around the country to persuade children that programming is fun and not as hard as some people may tell them (see Coding for kids is as easy as Pi  for another example)


This Greenfoot work forms part of the on-going out-reach activities the Department of computing, School of Science and Technology, University of Northampton is actively working in partnerships with schools. Other examples include:

• Junkbots
• BeSwitched On - Taster Day for computing
• Dancing robots

For more details on any of these please contact Dr Scott Turner

iSurvival in Bournemouth

A paper on the iSurvival work was recently presented at PRO-VE’12 -13th Working Conference on Virtual Enterprises : Collaborative Networks in the Internet of Services, University of Bournemouth, 1-3 October 2012

iSurvival: A Collaborative Mobile Network System for Disaster Management

Al-Sherbaz Ali, Dravid Rashmi, Svennevik Espen and Picton Phil (UK)

Details of the project can be found at:http://www.isurvival.co.uk/

Details of the conference can be found at: https://docs.google.com/a/uninova.pt/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=dW5pbm92YS5wdHxwcm8tdmUtMjAxMnxneDo1YTYwMWVjNDcwZDk5MDNk

BCS Northampton student awards

The Northampton branch of the BCS awards several prizes to promising and high preforming students at the University of Northampton from both the School of Science and Technology and the Northampton Business School.

The 2012 Students Prize winners are:
Northampton Business School - Park Campus: 
Best Student:
Sabah Dada - BSc Business Computing Systems
Most promising Student:
Timothy Bradley - BSc Business Computing Systems

School of Science and Technology - Avenue Campus: 
Best Final Year Student
John Marsh BSc Computing (Computer Networks Engineering).
Most promising Student:
Gaurav Ravindra - BSc Computing (Software Engineering).


More information about the Northampton Branch can be found at:
http://northampton.bcs.org/
Events information can be found at: Events

BCS events in October and November

A list of BCS events going on in Northampton and in surrounding areas:

Northampton Branch

4th October - Introduction to the world of Crypto https://events.bcs.org/book/159/ University of Northampton, 6:30pm

Bedford Branch

 4th October - Getting your business found in the search engines - what's new and what's important?

http://www.bedfordtrainingservices.co.uk/search

Bedford College, 6:00pm

27th November - The Way The Cookies Crumble - new website legal requirements http://www.bedfordtrainingservices.co.uk/cookies

Bedford College, 6:00pm

Hertfordshire Branch

10th October - The Perfect Storm: Population, Development & Climate Change http://www.herts.bcs.org/future.htm

University of Hertfordshire, 7:30pm