Lisa Lazareck

Classification of Swallowing Sound Signals: A Rough Set Approach

This paper introduces an approach to classifying swallowing sound signals to detect those patients at risk of aspiration, or choking using rough set methods. An important contribution of a recent study of segmenting the waveform of swallowing sound signals has been the use of the waveform dimension (WD) to describe signal complexity and major changes in signal variance. Prior swallowing sound classification studies have not considered discretization in the extraction of features from swallow sound data tables. In addition, derivation of decision rules for classifying swallowing sounds have not been considered. In the study reported in this paper, both discretization (quantization of real-valued attributes) and non-discretization have been used to achieve attribute reduction and decision rule derivation.

Biomedical Engineering and Society: Policy and Ethics

Biomedical engineering impacts health care and contributes to fundamental knowledge in medicine and biology. Policy, such as through regulation and research funding, has the potential to dramatically affect biomedical engineering research and commercialization. New developments, in turn, may affect society in new ways. The intersection of biomedical engineering and society and related policy issues must be discussed between scientists and engineers, policy-makers and the public. As a student, there are many ways to become engaged in the issues surrounding science and technology policy. At the University of Washington in Seattle, the Forum on Science Ethics and Policy (FOSEP, www.fosep.org) was started by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows interested in improving the dialogue between scientists, policymakers and the public and has received support from upper-level administration. This is just one example of how students can start thinking about science policy and ethics early in their careers.

Detection of apnoeic and breathing activity through pole-zero analysis of the SpO/sub 2/ signal

A new method using autoregressive modelling and pole tracking is proposed to detect cyclical activity within the oxygen saturation signal, SpO2, for subjects with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). OSA is a sleep condition whereby the upper airway is obstructed and a cessation in respiration (apnoea) occurs. The three types of detected activity include: apnoea, mix, and normal breathing, where ‘mix’ refers to breathing with a low-frequency component. Overall classifications produced by the analysis are in close agreement with expert scoring of the database. Furthermore, the pole-zero analysis method allows, for the first time, the mix sections to be identified automatically.

Working in Bioengineering: Making an Impact

As biomedical engineers, we have an obligation to participate in a dialog with society regarding the implications of the directions we choose in our careers. This is intended as a valuable session for any student aspiring to venture into biomedical engineering research, or alternatively into industrial or clinical service. Come and discuss some of the important issues in biomedical engineering with experts in both academia and industry, and gain tips from panelists on how to successfully navigate through the issues involved, and how to accomplish your best.

Online visibility: EMBS gets e-savvy [Student Activities]

I came across an e-newsletter from the British Museum last week advertising free delivery when you spend more than £100 on British Museum sculptures and replicas. Inasmuch as my small flat in London could use a bust replica of an Egyptian noble woman or a Rosetta Stone coffee mug, it was the ending of the newsletter that caught my eye in particular. To help others find this newsletter, the British Museum has conveniently provided links to ten networking Web sites (some of which I have never heard of): Digg It!, Del.ico.us, Newsvine, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Myspace, LinkedIn. The British Museum is e-savvy. I started to think about the IEEE and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), and I thought I would share some of our own proud e-achievements and current endeavors that we have come a long way over the past several years.

Pathways to success in biomedical engineering

A valuable session for any student aspiring to venture into graduate biomedical engineering research, or alternatively into industrial or clinical service. Gain tips from panelists on how to successfully navigate through the issues involved in the bioengineering profession and how to accomplish your best.

The C.V. in Volunteering [GOLD]

ranslated from Latin, the curriculum vitae (C.V.) is the “course of life.” Practically, the C.V. is a brief document highlighting who you are and what you can bring to the company/university looking to hire its next round of bright engineers/ researchers. There are numerous Web sites, books, and guidelines dedicated to C.V. creation, use, and tips (try starting with your alma mater’s careers office for advice). In conclusion, however, there is no “right way” to fashion a C.V.—the document is as unique as you are. In general, a C.V. is one to two full pages of text including the following information: personal details, education and qualifications, work experience, employment history, positions of responsibility, interests/activities, other skills/achievements, references. The most relevant and significant information should never be relegated to the end of the document (reverse chronological order of events may prove helpful). To set yourself apart from the competition, why not enhance your C.V. through voluntary work for the EMBS, GOLD, or IEEE? Volunteering your time can be a gratifying and memorable experience—the benefits are considerable and the time commitment is what you make of it (even spending one hour of your personal time each month counts as volunteering!). Through volunteer work, you will build professional networks, enhance your management and leadership skills, develop new interests, expand your knowledge of the EMBS/GOLD/IEEE, make new friends, join the ranks of leaders in a global organization, and enrich the IEEE. One does not have to lead activities to get involved— perhaps your local chapter/affinity group/branch are already active? The EMBS and GOLD are always in need of capable and knowledgeable members willing to volunteer their time and share their expertise (see “For Further Inspiration” for Web sites from which contact can be made to initiate your volunteering efforts). Examples of possible activities to lead or help out with are indeed limitless, with a brief sample provided here: ➤ regularly attend, participate in, and plan chapter/group/branch meetings ➤ chair a committee within the EMBS/GOLD/IEEE ➤ work with chapter/group/branch finances ➤ arrange industry, university, or research center tours for your colleagues ➤ host a lecture or seminar for your department ➤ mentor students, speak at a career fair, participate in outreach activities such as judging projects at local school science fairs or presenting the fundamentals of science and engineering to school children ➤ develop, create, or maintain a newsletter and/or Web site ➤ help promote events, such as the annual EMBS conference, within your institution, section, or region. Take pride in the skills that you have and use them to their full potential within the realm of IEEE volunteering today!

Introduction to IEEE-EMBS -- What Can the Society Do for You?

IEEE-EMBS is the largest bioengineering society in the world. This paper introduces material about the Society and its benefits, including the EMBS mission, types of EMBS membership, and direct membership benefits such as the EMB Magazine. EMBS governance is also explained, including the new worldwide representational organization for AdCom (Administrative Committee), and recent changes in the Executive Committee. EMBS delegates to other societies are described, as well as the infrastructure of the main office and duties of key personnel there. Infostructure efforts related to the Website and Web-based conference registration and manuscript submission are also briefly discussed. Publications sponsored and co-sponsored by EMBS are reviewed. Plans for future national conferences are put forth. The various EMBS awards are outlined. Context is provided for the relationship between IEEE and EMBS, and a brief description is provided of IEEE organization and benefits