Sub-pixel Registration In Computational Imaging And Applications To Enhancement Of Maxillofacial Ct Data

In computational imaging, data acquired by sampling the same scene or object at different times or from different orientations result in images in different coordinate systems. Registration is a crucial step in order to be able to compare, integrate and fuse the data obtained from different measurements. Tomography is the method of imaging a single plane or slice of an object. A Computed Tomography (CT) scan, also known as a CAT scan (Computed Axial Tomography scan), is a Helical Tomography, which traditionally produces a 2D image of the structures in a thin section of the body. It uses X-ray, which is ionizing radiation. Although the actual dose is typically low, repeated scans should be limited. In dentistry, implant dentistry in specific, there is a need for 3D visualization of internal anatomy. The internal visualization is mainly based on CT scanning technologies. The most important technological advancement which dramatically enhanced the clinician\u27s ability to diagnose, treat, and plan dental implants has been the CT scan. Advanced 3D modeling and visualization techniques permit highly refined and accurate assessment of the CT scan data. However, in addition to imperfections of the instrument and the imaging process, it is not uncommon to encounter other unwanted artifacts in the form of bright regions, flares and erroneous pixels due to dental bridges, metal braces, etc. Currently, removing and cleaning up the data from acquisition backscattering imperfections and unwanted artifacts is performed manually, which is as good as the experience level of the technician. On the other hand the process is error prone, since the editing process needs to be performed image by image. We address some of these issues by proposing novel registration methods and using stonecast models of patient\u27s dental imprint as reference ground truth data. Stone-cast models were originally used by dentists to make complete or partial dentures. The CT scan of such stone-cast models can be used to automatically guide the cleaning of patients\u27 CT scans from defects or unwanted artifacts, and also as an automatic segmentation system for the outliers of the CT scan data without use of stone-cast models. Segmented data is subsequently used to clean the data from artifacts using a new proposed 3D inpainting approach

Negotiating multimodality in graphic narratives :an exploration of stream of consciousness techniques in Batman: The dark knight returns; Watchmen; and From hell

This thesis will address the narratological strategies that the graphic novels Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, and From Hell employ in order to document the manner in which a stream of consciousness can be conveyed in a multimodal medium. The argument will propose that navigating Bruce Wayne, Walter Kovacs, and William Gull’s respective streams of consciousness becomes a journey that not only exposes the layers of psychological complexity that defines each novel’s anti-hero, but it also brings to task the array of creative options available to the polysemiotic structure of the medium itself. In order to provide a framework for this multivalent analytical model, chapter one will break down the format of the medium on a componential basis in order to highlight the complicit role of the reader in bringing a sense of cohesion to each fragmented narrative. Chapter two will address panoptic reading vectors by applying a close reading to contextual examples taken from representations of each protagonist’s stream of consciousness. Chapter three will address the privileged relationship that exists between thematically connected, yet spatially interspersed, panels that imbue each narrative with their respective protagonist’s ubiquitous psychological resonance. Chapter four will attempt to contemporise a theorised connection between Freud’s dream-work and the visualised realisation of each anti-hero’s thoughts by focusing specifically on the relationship between psychoanalysis and the image as promoted in the field of visual methodology. Chapter five will outline a mythopoeic reading of Bruce Wayne, Walter Kovacs, and William Gull by addressing the powerful sense of self-achieved ascension and resolute conviction they attain. Chapter six concludes this mythopoeic reading and gauges the subsequent downfall of each anti-hero by ascribing the three distinct stages to each one. In this light Bruce Wayne, Walter Kovacs, and William Gull are examined in relation to their self-imposed detachment, their acceptance of death, and the dissemination of their legacy into the collective unconscious.N

Leadership Orientations Ofcommunity College Presidents And The Administrators Who Report To Them: A Frame Analysis

Presidents of Community Colleges and the administrators who reported directly to them were the subjects for this study based on the Four Frame Leadership Theory of Bolman and Deal (1990b). The Leadership Orientation (Self) Survey (LOS) was mailed to 169 community college presidents and administrators in the presidents\u27 direct report teams. The final usable response rate of 69.82% to the survey fell within the acceptable range for education as defined by Boser and Green (1997). In addition, the subjects were asked to write about the most difficult challenge they had faced in their current position and how they handled that challenge. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the usage of leadership frames from both groups; presidents and their administrative teams, (b) if gender or years of experience in their current positions were factors in leadership frame usage in each group, and (c) if there was a relationship between a president\u27s frame usage and the frame usage of the members of the direct report team. The major findings were: 1. The presidents and administrators displayed the highest mean scores for the human resource frame with the mean scores of the three remaining frames (structural, political, and symbolic) clustering as a second unit of responses. In the narrative segment of the survey, the most frequently rated central theme among the presidents and the direct reports was the political frame. 2. The results from statistical analysis of the responses from both groups (presidents and the administrators who directly reported to them) did not show any statistically significant difference among frame use based on gender or number of years of experience in their positions. 3. The correlation coefficients did not indicate that there was a relationship in either direction regarding leadership style between the two groups (presidents and administrators). A phenomenological analysis of the scenario statements from these two groups indicated that presidents who used the political frame as a central theme tended to have administrators who also used the political frame as one or as a pair of central themes. Presidents who used the symbolic frame as a central theme tended to have administrators who used all four frames as central themes in their narratives. 4. A fourth finding was the discrepancy in the ability of the leaders to use multiple frames as demonstrated in the results from the quantitative and qualitative findings. The quantitative data suggested that these leaders were practicing the techniques of multi-framing more than one-half of the time. Contrary to this finding, the qualitative data showed that 5 of 30 scenario statements showed paired frames being used as central frames. 5. One additional finding based on the qualitative statements by presidents and their administrators revealed much thought and intentional practice in the leaders\u27 ability to build teams