John R. Bourne

Autoregressive Estimation of Short Segment Spectra for Computerized EEG Analysis

The hypothesis that an electroencephalogram (EEG) can be analyzed by computer using a series of basic descriptive elements of short duration (1-5 s) has prompted the development of methods to extract the best possible features from very short (1 s) time intervals. In this paper, the merits of three alternative methods for estimating spectral features are compared to the fast Fourier transform (FFT). These procedures, based on autoregressive (AR) modeling are: 1) Kalman filtering, 2) the Burg algorithm, and 3) the Yule-Walker (YW) approach. The methods are reportedly able to provide high resolution spectal estimates from short EEG intervals, even in cases where intervals contain less than a ful period of a cyclic waveform. The first method is adaptive, the other two are not. Using Akaikes final prediction error (FPE) criterion, it was demonstrated that a fifth-order filter is sufficient to estimate EEG characteristics in 90 percent of the cases. However, visual inspection of the resulting spectra revealed that the order indicated by the FPE criterion is generally too low and better spectra can be obtained using a tenth-order AR model. The Yule-Walker method resulted in many unstable models and should not be used. Of two remaining methods, i.e., Burg and Kalman, the first provides spectra with peaks having a smaller bandwidth than the Kalman-flter method. Additional experiments with the Burg method revealed that, on the average, the same results were obtained using the FFT.

Online education today.

Online education is established, growing, and here to stay. It is creating new opportunities for students and also for faculty, regulators of education, and the educational institutions themselves. Much of what is being learned by the practitioners will flow into the large numbers of blended courses that will be developed and delivered on most campuses. Some of what is being learned will certainly improve pedagogical approaches and possibly affect other important problems, such as the lengthening time to completion of a degree. Online education is already providing better access to education for many, and many more will benefit from this increased access in the coming years.

Paradigms for on-line learning: a case study in the design and implementation of an asynchronous learning networks (ALN) course

This paper examines paradigms used in online learning, with a specific emphasis on how to effectively employ asynchronous learning networks (ALN) for the delivery of online courses. Recent progress in ALNs is presented, methodologies for getting started in creating an ALN course given and relationships between traditional teaching and learning methods and ALN-based courses discussed. To illustrate a specific ALN model, the paper presents a case study about the creation of an online course. The prospects for online education and the challenges that face the ALN field are considered.

Building intelligent tutorial systems for teaching simulation in engineering education

A framework for building intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) to teach students the use of various simulation systems used in engineering education is described. Case studies to two widely used simulators in electronics education (LASAR, a digital logic simulator, and SPICE, an integrated circuit simulator) provide the basis of pedagogical methodology for teaching the use of simulators. This methodology is used to develop a tutorial environment which includes: an authoring system that enables an instructor to develop and tailor the course contents; and a course presentation system that communicates this information via a direct manipulation interface to the user. The student perceives the tutorial as a hypertext network which can be freely explored; however, the tutoring system monitors and dynamically reconfigures the accessible information according to the level and attainment of expertise by the student. The environment includes components to monitor and evaluate the performance of the student. This tutorial framework is used to create intelligent tutorial systems for SPICE and LASAR. >

Quantitative assessment of the electroencephalogram in renal disease

EEGs wre recorded from renal patients to determine if there are quantifiable characteristic changes in the EEG was quantified by calculating the percentage of spectral power in the bandwidth 3-7 c/sec referrred to a frequency range of 3-13 c/sec and by computing the mean frequency of the dominant rhythm in the EEG. Blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations, as well as a self-assessment of the patients clinical condition, were recorded. The general finding of this research is that EEG slowing, as evaluated by power spectral techniques, is correlated with uremia-associated variables. 1. In a non-dialyzed patient population with renal failure, slowing in the EEG was found to be directly corelated with increased creatinine concentrations. 2. Quantitative measures of slow wave activity computed using power spectral techniques were found to be highly corelated with an estimate of slowing made by an electroencephalographer. 3. Compared with undialyzed azotemic patients, malignant hypertensive patients with comparable serum creatinine concentrations typically displayed increased slow wave activity, while slowing was generally reduced in the dialyzed patient population. 4. A series of EEGs recorded from one patient during the first three dialyses of her life revealed that slow wave activity decreased during each successive dialysis. In another patient, all quantified EEG values recorded prior to renal transplantation significantly improved after transplantation...

The Olin curriculum: thinking toward the future

In 1997, the F. W. Olin Foundation of New York established the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA, with the mission of creating an engineering school for the 21st century. Over the last five years, the college has transformed from an idea to a functioning entity that admitted its first freshman class in fall 2002. This paper describes the broad outlines of the Olin curriculum with some emphasis on the electrical and computer engineering degree. The curriculum incorporates the best practices from many other institutions as well as new ideas and approaches in an attempt to address the future of engineering education.

Design and implementation of an electronics laboratory simulator

This paper describes the design and implementation of a computer-simulated laboratory for use in undergraduate engineering education. The simulated laboratory is implemented in a Windows environment. Several forms of tutorials and other assistance are available to the user to complete the laboratory. Evaluations indicate that when the simulation is used with class lectures, there is a significant improvement in both theory and lab knowledge. Use of the simulation significantly cuts subsequent time and requests for assistance in the physical lab.

Visually evoked cortical potentials in renal failure: transient potentials.

Transient visually evoked cortical potentials (VECPs) were recorded from patients with renal disease. Changes in VECP latencies are described for undialyzed patients, patients receiving dialysis therapy, and patients who received kidney transplants. Characteristics of VECP latencies in these patient groups as well as examples of changes in latency values with respect to time for two individual patients are examined. The basic overall finding is that the VECP latencies increase as a patients clinical condition deteriorates and normalize as the condition improves.

Topological characteristics of the visual evoked response in man

Abstract The characteristics of the visual evoked response (VER) recorded from a multiple electrode array on the occipital scalp of man have been studied by means of a spatio-temporal mapping technique. Wave forms obtained from different spatial recording locations display different characteristics. These characteristics have been analyzed simultaneously by construction of a spatio-temporal map which allows simplified temporal observation of the evoked set of wave forms. The temporal variation of the spatial potential gradient defined by the summated VER appears to have a rotational tendency. Groups of potentials appear over large areas of the occipital scalp and rotate after presentation of a light stimulus, suggesting that underlying neuronal populations may be firing in synchrony. Two major sources are postulated that account for the prominent features of the spatially recorded VER.

Heuristic techniques in the quantification of the electroencephalogram in renal failure.

Abstract This paper presents seven heuristically derived techniques for quantifying EEG activity in the study of renal failure. The new measures were developed in an effort to provide the capability of detecting subtle changes in EEG rhythms, particularly those which affect only frequencies in the range of “normal” EEG activity. The main result of the study was the observation that there exists a previously undetected relationship between EEG slowing and the level of dialysis therapy. Each measure was tested with data recorded from patients with renal failure and from normal control subjects to ensure validity and reliability. In addition, the new techniques are contrasted with the percent power measure which has been used in prior studies as a general measure of slow wave activity in uremia. Since that measure did not correlate with subtle changes in the uremic state, it is suggested that the new quantification techniques could be fruitfully introduced into both clinical and research activities for more sensitive measurement of EEG frequency characteristics.