Legislation of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in Europe: a fragmented regulatory landscape.

Despite the increasing availability of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing, it is currently unclear how such services are regulated in Europe, due to the lack of EU or national legislation specifically addressing this issue. In this article, we provide an overview of laws that could potentially impact the regulation of DTC genetic testing in 26 European countries, namely Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Emphasis is placed on provisions relating to medical supervision, genetic counselling and informed consent. Our results indicate that currently there is a wide spectrum of laws regarding genetic testing in Europe. There are countries (e.g. France and Germany) which essentially ban DTC genetic testing, while in others (e.g. Luxembourg and Poland) DTC genetic testing may only be restricted by general laws, usually regarding health care services and patients' rights.

A monocular marker-free gait measurement system.

This paper presents a new, user-friendly, portable motion capture and gait analysis system for capturing and analyzing human gait, designed as a telemedicine tool to monitor remotely the progress of patients through treatment. The system requires minimal user input and simple single-camera filming (which can be acquired from a basic webcam) making it very accessible to nontechnical, nonclinical personnel. This system can allow gait studies to acquire a much larger data set and allow trained gait analysts to focus their skills on the interpretation phase of gait analysis. The design uses a novel motion capture method derived from spatiotemporal segmentation and model-based tracking. Testing is performed on four monocular, sagittal-view, sample gait videos. Results of modeling, tracking, and analysis stages are presented with standard gait graphs and parameters compared to manually acquired data.

A stochastic limit cycle oscillator model of the EEG.

We present an empirical model of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal based on the construction of a stochastic limit cycle oscillator using Ito calculus. This formulation, where the noise influences actually interact with the dynamics, is substantially different from the usual definition of measurement noise. Analysis of model data is compared with actual EEG data using both traditional methods and modern techniques from nonlinear time series analysis. The model demonstrates visually displayed patterns and statistics that are similar to actual EEG data. In addition, the nonlinear mechanisms underlying the dynamics of the model do not manifest themselves in nonlinear time series analysis, paralleling the situation with real, non-pathological EEG data. This modeling exercise suggests that the EEG is optimally described by stochastic limit cycle behavior.

Image processing used to harness blinking as a channel of communication and control for physically disabled people.

Sophisticated mathematical algorithms (such as differencing, thresholding, aggregation and statistical analysis of skin colours) are used to compare successive frames of computer-captured images of the face. From these, changes in state of the eyes are determined and are used to detect blinks. A recognition performance of 83.74 +/- 0.03% is achieved over five subjects with a low rate of false positives 2.71 +/- 0.01%. A logical decision rule identifies purposeful blinks and applies them to control either a custom-designed communication package or an external device.

In Haughton's footsteps: mathematical insights into bioengineering and rehabilitation.

Four attempts are outlined which the author has made to develop mathematical models for topics encountered in bioengineering and rehabilitation. The first is autoregulation in the kidney, for which a nonlinear oscillator model is derived, based on observations of flow noise made by Erol Basar. The second is a nonlinear observer based on the theory of automatic control, developed to study patterns of spastic torque in paralysed legs via the pendulum test. The third is a design study of a skeletal muscle reflex arc involving the muscle spindle dynamics and invoking a principle of optimum stability. The final topic is an attempt to lay the groundwork for a mathematical theory of the cross-bridge or sliding filament mechanism of muscular contraction.