Haptically assisted connection procedure for the reconstruction of dendritic spines

Dendritic spines are thin protrusions that cover the dendritic surface of numerous neurons in the brain and whose function seems to play a key role in neural circuits. The correct segmentation of those structures is difficult due to their small size and the resulting spines can appear incomplete. This paper presents a four-step procedure for the complete reconstruction of dendritic spines. The haptically driven procedure is intended to work as an image processing stage before the automatic segmentation step giving the final representation of the dendritic spines. The procedure is designed to allow both the navigation and the volume image editing to be carried out using a haptic device. A use case employing our procedure together with a commercial software package for the segmentation stage is illustrated. Finally, the haptic editing is evaluated in two experiments; the first experiment concerns the benefits of the force feedback and the second checks the suitability of the use of a haptic device as input. In both cases, the results shows that the procedure improves the editing accuracy

Selected Computing Research Papers Volume 5 June 2016

An Analysis of Current Computer Assisted Learning Techniques Aimed at Boosting Pass Rate Level and Interactivity of Students (Gilbert Bosilong) ........................................ 1 Evaluating the Ability of Anti-Malware to Overcome Code Obfuscation (Matthew Carson) .................................................................................................................................. 9 Evaluation of Current Research in Machine Learning Techniques Used in Anomaly-Based Network Intrusion Detection (Masego Chibaya) ..................................................... 15 A Critical Evaluation of Current Research on Techniques Aimed at Improving Search Efficiency over Encrypted Cloud Data (Kgosi Dickson) ........................................ 21 A Critical Analysis and Evaluation of Current Research on Credit Card Fraud Detection Methods (Lebogang Otto Gaboitaolelwe) .......................................................... 29 Evaluation of Research in Automatic Detection of Emotion from Facial Expressions (Olorato D. Gaonewe) ......................................................................................................... 35 A Critical Evaluation on Methods of Increasing the Detection Rate of Anti-Malware Software (Thomas Gordon) ................................................................................................ 43 An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Advanced Intrusion Detection Systems Utilizing Optimization on System Security Technologies (Carlos Lee) ............................ 49 An Evaluation of Current Research on Data Mining Techniques in Decision Support (Keamogetse Mojapelo) ...................................................................................................... 57 A Critical Investigation of the Cognitive Appeal and Impact of Video Games on Players (Kealeboga Charlie Mokgalo) ................................................................................ 65 Evaluation of Computing Research Aimed at Improving Virtualization Implementation in the Cloud (Keletso King Mooketsane) ................................................. 73 A Critical Evaluation of the Technology Used In Robotic Assisted Surgeries (Botshelo Keletso Mosekiemang) ....................................................................................... 79 An Evaluation of Current Bio-Metric Fingerprint Liveness Detection (George Phillipson) ........................................................................................................................... 85 A Critical Evaluation of Current Research into Malware Detection Using Neural-Network Classification (Tebogo Duduetsang Ramatebele) ................................................ 91 Evaluating Indirect Detection of Obfuscated Malware (Benjamin Stuart Roberts) ......... 101 Evaluation of Current Security Techniques for Online Banking Transactions (Annah Vickerman) ....................................................................................................................... 10

A study of behavioural, cognitive and neural markers underlying visuospatial learning

Visuospatial (VS) learning is an education format noted for encouraging an individual to use visual exploration and their innate spatial ability in constructing a flexible ‘internal mental representation’ of three-dimensional information. Being a discipline reliant upon this informed consideration, VS methods have found particular application in anatomy education – with tangential evidence linking the inclusion of these methods to greater student understanding of anatomical concepts. Building on these findings, this thesis investigates: (i) the extent of individual and group learning benefits that accompany VS instruction within anatomy education, and (ii) a novel exploration of the cognitive and neuroscientific mechanisms that govern their success. To chart the success of instructional methodology in our reporting, we selected an array of academic performance and accompanying engagement indices. These items had been expressed by numerous modestly-powered prior studies, encompassing a diversity of anatomy cohorts, to be heightened under VS learning. Our initial work in Chapter 2 was therefore to determine if these effects were preserved when VS instruction was introduced within a substantially larger undergraduate anatomy cohort. Findings substantiated the wider applicability of this teaching method, with academic scores in each of the examined categories (didactic, spatial, and extrapolation) being superior to standard course delivery. Conflictingly, lower engagement and desire for VS inclusion was noted in the group receiving this instruction – leading us to attribute this to prevailing misconceptions about the nature of VS learning. In order to determine whether benefits found to characterise VS teaching in anatomy were universally applicable, or attributable to a myriad of demographic and cognitive factors, Chapter 3 explored variation in individual spatial capacity. Interestingly, the prevailing advantage of raw spatial aptitude in males was not associated with improved practical performance. This subsequently allowed a component of underlying psychological reasoning, namely visualisation (Vz) ability, to be highlighted as the clearest indicator of one’s ability to transfer raw spatial intelligence into practical VS understanding. Accompanying the misconceptions of VS learning reported in Chapter 2, participants were found to be poor estimators of their VS ability. Having established that spatial reasoning in anatomy possesses a physiological basis, we conducted a novel exploration of the neuroscientific mechanism evoked in VS learning using electroencephalography (EEG) technology (Chapter 4). This was evaluated by monitoring the neural signals of individuals engaged in two anatomical education workshops (featuring standard or VS instruction). No significant differences in oscillatory power accounted for the influence of VS instruction within any of the assessed frequency ranges (2-45Hz). Objective task outcomes were consistent with those in Chapter 2, finding a similarly elevated ability to address spatial questions following VS instruction. When placed together, the results of Chapters 2, 3 and 4 demonstrate the explicit advantages present for VS instruction in anatomy education. Though further work is required to isolate the specific underlying neural pathways, this appears linked to passive changes in how the human brain processes and later consolidates this information. Findings have important implications for advancing medical educational strategy (Appendix Descriptive Review), and wider understanding of the mechanisms that govern learning.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Adelaide Medical School, 202