Affordable interactive virtual reality system for the Dynamic Hip Screw surgery training in vitro

Interactive virtual reality systems provide safe and cost-effective training environment to improve the technical skills and competence of surgeons. The trainees can have as many practice sessions, without need to the trainer all the time, before even start carrying out the procedure on any real patient. In this paper, we present an affordable interactive virtual reality system for the Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) surgery training in vitro, through 3D tracking. The system facilitates a safe (in vitro / off patient) training to improve the cognitive coordination of trainees and junior surgeons, in particular the Hands, Eyes and Brain coordination. The system is based on very cheap commercial off-the-shelf (COT) components, which are very affordable, and needs minimum setup effort and knowledge. It also provides a range of visual and quantitative feedback information and measures, such as position, orientation, insertion point, and depth of drilling. It is envisaged that improving this level of coordination, through the training system, will contribute to reducing the failure rate of the DHS procedure. This means better treatment for patients and less costs for the Health services systems (e.g. UK's NHS system)

Team Handball World Cup Championship 2013 - Analysis Study

The world cup of men’s handball team championships was analysed using data from all matches in order to determine tactical differences at the elite level. The first aim of this study was to conduct a technical analysis of current handball and to determine factors related to success in this sport discipline. The second aim was to compare the data of first eight teams with other next teams. An analysis of the performance of the participating teams’ video tapes and CD’s, in the collection of matches, was completed on all the teams taking part in the World Cup Handball Championship 2013. This technical analysis also used cumulative statistics from the International Handball Federation. There were 24 teams in this competition, these were classified participating 2013 into three groups according to the final classification of the winning teams. Variables were identified relating to results of matches (win or lose), and data collection of games was completed by selecting certain codes for each variable of the study variables. The variables included:- Total shots, Total successful shots, Breakthroughs, Breakthroughs successful, Fast break successful, Fast breaks, Red C, Yellow C, 2Min, Steal, Blocked, Assist, Tech. Faults, 6M shots, 6M successful shots, Wing shots, Wing successful shots, 9M shots, 9M successful shots, 7M shots, 7M successful shots. The technical variables used to compare the teams included: the average number of shots, the efficiency of shots, the efficiency of breakthroughs, fast break goals per team, the efficiency of fast breaks, the average number of 7M shots, the efficiency of 7M shots, the average number of 6M shots, the efficiency of 6M shots, the average number of 9M shots, the efficiency of 9M shots, the average number of wing shots, the efficiency of wing shots, offence (The average number of tech faults, the efficiency of tech faults, the average number of assist, the efficiency of assist), defense ( The average number of blocked, the efficiency of the average number of steals, the efficiency of steals), and penalties (2M, yellow card, red card). This technical analysis used cumulative statistics from the International Handball Federation. ANOVA revealed significant differences between the first eight teams in the World cup championships 2013 and their counterparts in the other two groups (group two, teams from 9-16 and group three, teams from 17-24) in terms of several technical variables. The results showed that the above various affected the ranking in favor of the world cup teams in significant international teams

Homomorphic Data Isolation for Hardware Trojan Protection

The interest in homomorphic encryption/decryption is increasing due to its excellent security properties and operating facilities. It allows operating on data without revealing its content. In this work, we suggest using homomorphism for Hardware Trojan protection. We implement two partial homomorphic designs based on ElGamal encryption/decryption scheme. The first design is a multiplicative homomorphic, whereas the second one is an additive homomorphic. We implement the proposed designs on a low-cost Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA. Area utilization, delay, and power consumption are reported for both designs. Furthermore, we introduce a dual-circuit design that combines the two earlier designs using resource sharing in order to have minimum area cost. Experimental results show that our dual-circuit design saves 35% of the logic resources compared to a regular design without resource sharing. The saving in power consumption is 20%, whereas the number of cycles needed remains almost the sam

Astrophysical Supercomputing with GPUs: Critical Decisions for Early Adopters

General purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is dramatically changing the landscape of high performance computing in astronomy. In this paper, we identify and investigate several key decision areas, with a goal of simplyfing the early adoption of GPGPU in astronomy. We consider the merits of OpenCL as an open standard in order to reduce risks associated with coding in a native, vendor-specific programming environment, and present a GPU programming philosophy based on using brute force solutions. We assert that effective use of new GPU-based supercomputing facilities will require a change in approach from astronomers. This will likely include improved programming training, an increased need for software development best-practice through the use of profiling and related optimisation tools, and a greater reliance on third-party code libraries. As with any new technology, those willing to take the risks, and make the investment of time and effort to become early adopters of GPGPU in astronomy, stand to reap great benefits.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

The Theoretical Astrophysical Observatory: Cloud-Based Mock Galaxy Catalogues

We introduce the Theoretical Astrophysical Observatory (TAO), an online virtual laboratory that houses mock observations of galaxy survey data. Such mocks have become an integral part of the modern analysis pipeline. However, building them requires an expert knowledge of galaxy modelling and simulation techniques, significant investment in software development, and access to high performance computing. These requirements make it difficult for a small research team or individual to quickly build a mock catalogue suited to their needs. To address this TAO offers access to multiple cosmological simulations and semi-analytic galaxy formation models from an intuitive and clean web interface. Results can be funnelled through science modules and sent to a dedicated supercomputer for further processing and manipulation. These modules include the ability to (1) construct custom observer light-cones from the simulation data cubes; (2) generate the stellar emission from star formation histories, apply dust extinction, and compute absolute and/or apparent magnitudes; and (3) produce mock images of the sky. All of TAO's features can be accessed without any programming requirements. The modular nature of TAO opens it up for further expansion in the future.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables; accepted for publication in ApJS. The Theoretical Astrophysical Observatory (TAO) is now open to the public at https://tao.asvo.org.au/. New simulations, models and tools will be added as they become available. Contact [email protected] if you have data you would like to make public through TAO. Feedback and suggestions are very welcom

Bitcoin as a Currency: A Theoretical Framework of Bitcoin’s Supply Effect on Consumption and Inflation

This thesis examines the macroeconomic effects of Bitcoin\u27s fixed money supply within a dynamic general equilibrium context. Traditional Keynesian economics proposes that central banks regulate the money supply through interest rate manipulation and monetary interventions to promote economic stability within the market. However, cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, present a challenge due to their algorithmically predetermined supply, which halves every four years, removing discretionary monetary policy. By adapting Calvo\u27s (1983) staggered-price model to a closed economy, supposing Bitcoin is the only medium of exchange, it is deduced that Bitcoin\u27s deflationary nature causes a persistent consumption collapse and hyper deflationary spirals. Furthermore, calibrations reveal that the absence of monetary stabilization mechanisms at any price rigidity level leads to volatile demand shocks and economic instability. The findings align with Friedman\u27s (1969) and Claeys et al.’s (2018) critiques. They underscore Bitcoin’s limitations as a viable currency and highlight the need for a hybrid mechanism to counteract its scarcity with macroeconomic stability. This research builds on the literature by formalizing the trade-offs inherent in decentralized monetary policies and providing quantitative evidence of Bitcoin’s destabilizing effects under New Keynesian economics