Cross-Platform Presentation of Interactive Volumetric Imagery

Volume data is useful across many disciplines, not just medicine. Thus, it is very important that researchers have a simple and lightweight method of sharing and reproducing such volumetric data. In this paper, we explore some of the challenges associated with volume rendering, both from a classical sense and from the context of Web3D technologies. We describe and evaluate the pro- posed X3D Volume Rendering Component and its associated styles for their suitability in the visualization of several types of image data. Additionally, we examine the ability for a minimal X3D node set to capture provenance and semantic information from outside ontologies in metadata and integrate it with the scene graph

Fisher v. University of Texas: The Potential for Social Science Research in Race-Conscious Admissions

Less than ten years after Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear Fisher v. University of Texas, another race conscious admissions case in higher education. In Fisher v. University of Texas, Abigail Fisher, a white Texas resident, claimed that she was denied admission to the University of Texas in Austin because of her race. Specifically, she alleges that minority students with less stellar qualifications were admitted instead of her. Affirming the district court’s opinion, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held in favor of the University. The Fifth Circuit did not find the university’s plan to be an illegal quota or akin to racial balancing. Instead, the court determined that the university followed the Grutter decision and carefully considered race as one of many factors in admitting students. The Fifth Circuit declined to hear the case en banc. After briefly highlighting the equal protection analysis, the outcomes in earlier Supreme Court decisions involving race-conscious admissions, and the 2011 Guidance from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice on implementing race-conscious policies in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education, we examine the amicus briefs filed on behalf of Abigail Fisher and the University of Texas. In analyzing the amicus briefs, particular attention is focused on whether social science research was relied upon. Specifically, the social science research was rated and then discussed in order to highlight the range of research relied upon by both amici

Piloting mobile mixed reality simulation in paramedic distance education

New pedagogical methods delivered through mobile mixed reality (via a user-supplied mobile phone incorporating 3d printing and augmented reality) are becoming possible in distance education, shifting pedagogy from 2D images, words and videos to interactive simulations and immersive mobile skill training environments. This paper presents insights from the implementation and testing of a mobile mixed reality intervention in an Australian distance paramedic science classroom. The context of this mobile simulation study is skills acquisition in airways management focusing on direct laryngoscopy with foreign body removal. The intervention aims to assist distance education learners in practicing skills prior to attending mandatory residential schools and helps build a baseline equality between those students that study face to face and those at a distance. Outcomes from the pilot study showed improvements in several key performance indicators in the distance learners, but also demonstrated problems to overcome in the pedagogical method

3D Reconstruction of CT Scans For Visualization in Virtual Reality

Computed tomography allows analyzing the internal structure of an object, which is useful especially in medicine. The standard visualization displays scans in the 2D plane. 3D reconstruction of scans provides a complex image of the morphology of the scanned object. Matlab is a software commonly used for image processing and analysis. It includes Medical Image Processing Toolbox for displaying data from CT scan in DICOM format. However, it is not possible with this toolbox to export the dataset of the image as a 3D object. Therefore, the aim of the paper is the implementation of a toolbox for loading and displaying data as a 3D reconstruction. This toolbox allows the user to export the data in OBJ or STL format. That allows the user (i) to visualize the 3D models in virtual reality and (ii) to prepare the model for 3D printing. The OBJ model is imported to Blender and then exported out with a texture as an object file. In Unity, we created a 3D scene and imported model. The advantage of displaying the 3D model in virtual reality is a more realistic view of the shape and dimension of an object.Výpočetní tomografie umožňuje studovat vnitřní strukturu objektu, což je využíváno především v medicíně. Standardní zobrazovací techniky promítají snímky ve 2D rovině. 3D rekonstrukce snímků přináší komplexní pohled na morfologii snímané tkáně. Matlab je software běžně užívaný v oblasti zpracování a analýze obrazových dat. Zároveň obsahuje nástroj “Image Procesessing Toolbox”, který umožňuje zobrazit CT snímky uchované ve formátu DICOM. Tento nástroj však neumožňuje vyexportovat zobrazený model jako 3D objekt. Cílem tohoto projektu bylo vytvoření nástroje pro načítání a zobrazení zrekonstruovaných 3D modelů. Tento nástroj umožňuje uživateli vyexportovat data v OBJ nebo STL formátu, který umožňuje (i) vizualizovat 3D model ve virtuální realitě a (ii) připravit model vhodný pro 3D tisk. V editor Unity byla vytvořena 3D scéna a do ní byl importován vygenerovaný model. Výhodou zobrazení 3D modelu ve virtuální realitě je přirozený pohled na prostorové uspořádání objektu

Arthroscopy or ultrasound in undergraduate anatomy education: a randomized cross-over controlled trial

Background: The exponential growth of image-based diagnostic and minimally invasive interventions requires a detailed three-dimensional anatomical knowledge and increases the demand towards the undergraduate anatomical curriculum. This randomized controlled trial investigates whether musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) or arthroscopic methods can increase the anatomical knowledge uptake. Methods: Second-year medical students were randomly allocated to three groups. In addition to the compulsory dissection course, the ultrasound group (MSUS) was taught by eight, didactically and professionally trained, experienced student-teachers and the arthroscopy group (ASK) was taught by eight experienced physicians. The control group (CON) acquired the anatomical knowledge only via the dissection course. Exposure (MSUS and ASK) took place in two separate lessons (75 minutes each, shoulder and knee joint) and introduced standard scan planes using a 10-MHz ultrasound system as well as arthroscopy tutorials at a simulator combined with video tutorials. The theoretical anatomic learning outcomes were tested using a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ), and after cross-over an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Differences in student's perceptions were evaluated using Likert scale-based items. Results: The ASK-group (n = 70, age 23.4 (20--36) yrs.) performed moderately better in the anatomical MC exam in comparison to the MSUS-group (n = 84, age 24.2 (20--53) yrs.) and the CON-group (n = 88, 22.8 (20--33) yrs.; p = 0.019). After an additional arthroscopy teaching 1 % of students failed the MC exam, in contrast to 10 % in the MSUS- or CON-group, respectively. The benefit of the ASK module was limited to the shoulder area (p < 0.001). The final examination (OSCE) showed no significant differences between any of the groups with good overall performances. In the evaluation, the students certified the arthroscopic tutorial a greater advantage concerning anatomical skills with higher spatial imagination in comparison to the ultrasound tutorial (p = 0.002; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The additional implementation of arthroscopy tutorials to the dissection course during the undergraduate anatomy training is profitable and attractive to students with respect to complex joint anatomy. Simultaneous teaching of basic-skills in musculoskeletal ultrasound should be performed by medical experts, but seems to be inferior to the arthroscopic 2D-3D-transformation, and is regarded by students as more difficult to learn. Although arthroscopy and ultrasound teaching do not have a major effect on learning joint anatomy, they have the potency to raise the interest in surgery

An Introduction to 3D User Interface Design

3D user interface design is a critical component of any virtual environment (VE) application. In this paper, we present a broad overview of three-dimensional (3D) interaction and user interfaces. We discuss the effect of common VE hardware devices on user interaction, as well as interaction techniques for generic 3D tasks and the use of traditional two-dimensional interaction styles in 3D environments. We divide most user interaction tasks into three categories: navigation, selection/manipulation, and system control. Throughout the paper, our focus is on presenting not only the available techniques, but also practical guidelines for 3D interaction design and widely held myths. Finally, we briefly discuss two approaches to 3D interaction design, and some example applications with complex 3D interaction requirements. We also present an annotated online bibliography as a reference companion to this article