Research group: Modeling Measurements and signal analysis
(M2ESA)
Area of operation : Customized statistical methodology
development and data analysis
Industrial research projects
Finished projects





2009-2011: Manifold regression techniques to model historical water temperatures
 Calmars network (CALcareous MARine Skeletons as recorders of global climate changes)
2010-2013: System identification based on finite and short data record lengths for biomedical
applications
 Flemish research foundation
2010-2013: Self-Calibration of Oscillometric Blood Pressure Monitors
 Company: Contec (Taiwan)
2012-2013: Alternatives to the histogram studied from a Measurement Perspective
 Company Agilent (USA) and IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society (USA)
2013-2014: Customized alternative to an ANOVA analysis

Company WTCB (Scientific and technical support to the builder’s union - BE)
Current projects
2013-2016: Generic modeling framework for the processing of biomedical measurements:
fractional dynamics
 Flemish research foundation
 2013-2016: Cognitive radios for nuclear power plants
 Company Bel-V/FANC (BE)
 2014-2015: Real-time multi-domain analysis of highly dynamic wideband signals
 Company Keysight Technologies (USA)

Manifold regression techniques to model historical
water temperatures
We developed a one-dimensional manifold (a
snake-like model) mapping various chemical
elements to the water temperature.
Publications
(i) Bauwens Maité, Henrik Ohlsson, Kurt Barbé, Veerle Beelaerts,
Frank Dehairs, and Johan Schoukens, A nonlinear multi-proxy
model based on manifold learning to reconstruct water
temperature from high resolution trace element profiles in
biogenic carbonates, Geoscientific Model Development, vol. 3, no.
2, pp. 653-667, 2010.
(ii) Bauwens Maité, Henrik Ohlsson, Kurt Barbé, Veerle Beelaerts,
Frank Dehairs and Johan Schoukens, On Climate Reconstruction
using Bivalves: Three Methods to Interpret the Chemical
Signature of a Shell, Computer Methods and Programs in
Biomedicine, vol. 104, no. 2, pp. 104-111, 2011.
System identification based on finite and short
data record lengths for biomedical applications
We revisit brain imaging (fMRI) particularly
for MS patients such that the true data
properties are taken into account. We
developed new statistical tests for signal
detection and a physiological model to track
oxygen consumption.
Publications
(i) Lauwers Lieve, Kurt Barbé, Wendy Van Moer and Rik Pintelon, Analyzing Rice distributed functional MRI data: a
Bayesian approach, IOP Journal of Measurement Science and Technology, vol. 21, no. 11, 2010.
(ii) Barbé Kurt, Wendy Van Moer and Lieve Lauwers, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: an improved short record
signal model, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 60, no. 5, pp. 1724-1731, 2011.
(iii) Barbé Kurt, Wendy Van Moer and Guy Nagels, Fractional order time series models for extracting the haemodynamic
response from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 59, no.
8, pp. 2264 – 2272, 2012.
Self-Calibration of Oscillometric Blood Pressure
Monitors
We extended a classical cardiovascular model
to a nonlinear model which is able to correct
commercial oscillometric devices such that
hypo- and hypertension can be detected
Publications
(i) Barbé Kurt, Wendy Van Moer and Lieve Lauwers, Oscillometric Blood Pressure Measurements: a Signal Analysis, IOP
Journal of Physics: Conference Series, vol. 238, no. 1, 2010.
(ii) Van Moer Wendy, Kurt Barbé, Danny Schoors and Lieve Lauwers, Linearizing oscillometric blood pressure
measurements: (non)sense?, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 1267-1275, 2011
(iii) Barbé Kurt, Wendy Van Moer and Danny Schoors, Analyzing the Windkessel model as a potential candidate for
calibrating oscillometric blood pressure measurements, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol.
61, no. 2, pp. 411-418, 2012. (AWARDED with IEEE ANDI CHI BEST P’APER AWARD)
(iv) José Antonio de la O Serna, Wendy Van Moer and Kurt Barbé, Using alternating Kalman filtering to analyze oscillometric
blood pressure waveforms, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 62, no. 10, pp. 2621-2628, 2013.
(v) Barbé Kurt, Yuriy Kurylyak and Francesco Lamonaca, Logistic ordinal regression for the calibration of oscillometric
blood pressure monitors, Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, Vol. 11, pp. 89-96, May 2014.
Alternatives to the histogram studied from a
Measurement Perspective
For existing measurement tools of Agilent, we
studied possibilities to include known
alternatives in these tools. We analyzed the
advantages and disadvantages to propose a
novel compromise.
Publications
(i) Barbé Kurt, Lee Gonzales Fuentes, Lee Barford, and Lieve
Lauwers, A guaranteed blind and automatic probability density
estimation of raw Measurements, IEEE Transactions on
Instrumentation and Measurement, To appear in 2014.
(ii) Lee Gonzales-Fuentes, Kurt Barbé, Lee Barford, Lieve Lauwers,
and Lieven Phillips, A qualitative study of probability density
visualization techniques in measurements, Measurement, To
appear 2015.
What do we offer?
• Objective and rigorous study
•We analyze the state-of-the-art in which we explore different solutions
•Propose a tailored solution in which your company’s expert knowledge is taken
into account.
What do we charge?
• Small study quantified in “hours/days”
•125 euro/hour
•Medium or large studies quantified in months with a minimum of 6 months
•60 000 euro/ annual
Remarks:
(i) Note that all charges are increased by 17% overhead charges
(ii) Charges are VAT exclusive
(iii) Charges cover staffing, expenses and possible publication costs
(iv) Research contracts are co-signed with an additional IP-agreement