Improved Multichannel Electromyograph Using Off-the-Shelf Components for Education and Research.

Most students and researchers with limited funding are often looking for simple and low-cost devices for the acquisition of the electromyogram signal (EMG) in an educational or research setting. Thus, off-the-shelf devices are used and they have already been described in the literature, but they are used without considering their real performances, which are, in general, quite poor from the electronic and signal processing points of view. It is the purpose of this communication to present the evidence of these issues, and to describe an improved version of the "classical" duo, composed of the common ECG/EMG Olimex board and the Arduino microprocessor board. In this case, the Arduino-DUE is used. Three main points are highlighted in this paper: (a) the bandpass characteristics of the ECG/EMG Olimex board and how they can be improved to cope with EMG bandwidth requirements; (b) the increase in sampling frequency of the signal; and, finally, (c) the possibility of automatic detection of more ECG/EMG Olimex boards installed at the same time as the shields on the Arduino-DUE board. Very simple and low-cost modifications on the ECG/EMG Olimex board could deliver a much better performing multichannel EMG acquisition system, suitable for educational classroom experiments and early proof-of-concept research.

A New Algorithm for Estimating a Noiseless, Evenly Sampled, Heart Rate Modulating Signal.

Heart rate variability (HRV) is commonly intended as the variation in the heart rate (HR), and it is evaluated in the time and frequency domains with various well-known methods. In the present paper, the heart rate is considered as a time domain signal, at first as an abstract model in which the HR is the instantaneous frequency of an otherwise periodic signal, such as with an electrocardiogram (ECG). In this model, the ECG is assumed to be a frequency modulated signal, or carrier signal, where HRV or HRV(t) is the time-domain signal which is frequency modulating the carrier ECG signal around its average frequency. Hence, an algorithm able to frequency demodulate the ECG signal to extract the signal HRV(t) is described, with possibly enough time resolution to analyse fast time-domain variations in the instantaneous HR. After exhaustive testing of the method on simulated frequency modulated sinusoidal signals, the new procedure is eventually applied on actual ECG tracings for preliminary nonclinical testing. The purpose of the work is to use this algorithm as a tool and a more reliable method for the assessment of heart rate before any further clinical or physiological analysis.

Case Report: Occupational therapy in a patient with an overgrowth syndrome that restricts movement.

Background: Overgrowth syndromes are a heterogeneous group of conditions characterized by excessive body growth - localized or generalized - commonly associated with various malformities and an increased oncological risk. Case report: Here we present the case of a 57-year old man, employed in an office, who suffers from an asymmetric overgrowth of the lower limbs. Currently the patient presents malformations of the lower left arm (hip, knee and ankle), evident on the articular and periarticular level, where there are diffuse exostoses. This case discusses the main occupational concerns relating to the patient's workspace at a high floor level that could create critical issues in the event of an emergency exodus. Given the impossibility of placing the patient in heavy manual activities, employment is limited to office activities. Adjustments were carried out at the patient's workstation, and thus the patient has been recognized as fit to work. Increased frequency of breaks were prescribed in order to allow the physiological alternation of postures. Conclusions: In cases of overgrowth syndromes, the exact identification of the limitations presented by the patient and observations about ambulatory functions must be carefully evaluated in order to modulate the work environment.