Published in 1995: Breath Sounds Methodology is a practical introduction to the measurement of the acoustic properties of the respiratory system. The author describes objective and quantitative methods for extracting the information embedded in the sounds produced in the airways and by the lung during breathing.

Published in 1995: Breath Sounds Methodology is a practical introduction to the measurement of the acoustic properties of the respiratory system. The author describes objective and quantitative methods for extracting the information embedded in the sounds produced in the airways and by the lung during breathing.

Published in 1995: Breath Sounds Methodology is a practical introduction to the measurement of the acoustic properties of the respiratory system. The author describes objective and quantitative methods for extracting the information embedded in the sounds produced in the airways and by the lung during breathing.

This book offers up-to-date information on the recording and analysis of respiratory sounds that will assist in clinical routine. The opening sections deliver basic knowledge on aspects such as the physics of sound and sound transmission in the body, a clear understanding of which is key to good clinical practice. Current techniques of breath sound analysis are described, and the diagnostic impact of advances in the processing of lung sound signals is carefully explained. With the aid of audio files that are available online, detailed guidance is then provided on differentiation of normal and abnormal breath sounds and identification of the various sounds, including crackles, wheezes, other lung sounds, cough sounds, and sounds of extrathoracic origin. The book is of high educational value and represents an excellent learning tool at pre- and postgraduate levels. It will also appeal to researchers as it provides comprehensive summaries of knowledge in particular research fields. The editors bring high-level expertise to the subject, including membership of the European Respiratory Society Task Force on the standardization of categories and nomenclature for breath sounds.

Intelligent systems, or artificial intelligence technologies, are playing an increasing role in areas ranging from medicine to the major manufacturing industries to financial markets. The consequences of flawed artificial intelligence systems are equally wide ranging and can be seen, for example, in the programmed trading-driven stock market crash of October 19, 1987. Intelligent Systems: Technology and Applications, Six Volume Set connects theory with proven practical applications to provide broad, multidisciplinary coverage in a single resource. In these volumes, international experts present case-study examples of successful practical techniques and solutions for diverse applications ranging from robotic systems to speech and signal processing, database management, and manufacturing.

Lung sounds auscultation is often the first noninvasive resource for detection and discrimination of respiratory pathologies available to the physician through the use of the stethoscope. Hearing interpretation, though, was the only means of appreciation of the lung sounds diagnostic information for many decades. Nevertheless, in recent years, computerized auscultation combined with signal processing techniques has boosted the diagnostic capabilities of lung sounds. The latter were traditionally analyzed and characterized by morphological changes in the time domain using statistical measures, by spectral properties in the frequency domain using simple spectral analysis, or by nonstationary properties in a joint time-frequency domain using short-time Fourier transform. Advanced signal processing techniques, however, have emerged in the last decade, broadening the perspective in lung sounds analysis. The scope of this book is to present up-to-date signal processing techniques that have been applied to the area of lung sound analysis. It starts with a description of the nature of lung sounds and continues with the introduction of new domains in their representation, new denoising techniques, and concludes with some reflective implications, both from engineers' and physicians' perspective. Issues of nonstationarity, nonlinearity, non-Gaussianity, modeling, and classification of lung sounds are addressed with new methodologies, revealing a more realistic approach to their pragmatic nature. Advanced denoising techniques that effectively circumvent the noise presence (e.g., heart sound interference, background noise) in lung sound recordings are described, providing the physician with high-quality auscultative data. The book offers useful information both to engineers and physicians interested in bioacoustics, clearly demonstrating the current trends in lung sound analysis. Table of Contents: The Nature of Lung Sound Signals / New Domains in LS Representation / Denoising Techniques / Reflective Implications

A guide to the techniques and analysis of clinical data. Each of the seventeen sections begins with a drawing and biographical sketch of a seminal contributor to the discipline. After an introduction and historical survey of clinical methods, the next fifteen sections are organized by body system. Each contains clinical data items from the history, physical examination, and laboratory investigations that are generally included in a comprehensive patient evaluation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR