Surgical Video Motion Magnification with Suppression of Instrument Artefacts

Video motion magnification can make blood vessels in surgical video more apparent by exaggerating their pulsatile motion and could prevent inadvertent damage and bleeding due to their increased prominence. It could also indicate the success of restricting blood supply to an organ when using a vessel clamp. However, the direct application to surgical video could result in aberration artefacts caused by its sensitivity to residual motion from the surgical instruments and would impede its practical usage in the operating theatre. By storing the previously obtained jerk filter response of each spatial component of each image frame - both prior to surgical instrument introduction and adhering to a Eulerian frame of reference - it is possible to prevent such aberrations from occurring. The comparison of the current readings to the prior readings of a single cardiac cycle at the corresponding cycle point, are used to determine if motion magnification should be active for each spatial component of the surgical video at that given point in time. In this paper, we demonstrate this technique and incorporate a scaling variable to loosen the effect which accounts for variabilities and misalignments in the temporal domain. We present promising results on endoscopic transnasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery with a quantitative comparison to recent methods using Structural Similarity (SSIM), as well as qualitative analysis by comparing spatio-temporal cross sections of the videos and individual frames

Currents, Waves and Turbulence Measurement: A view from multiple Industrial-Academic Projects in Tidal Stream Energy

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IEEE via the DOI in this recordTidal Stream Energy is considered a regular, predictable and dense energy source with potential to make a significant contribution to our future energy needs. Development of the industry, from resource assessment to device design and operation, requires characterisation of the flow environment at a variety of spatial and temporal scales at tidal energy sites. Demand for flow characterisation arises from companies developing, installing and operating tidal turbine prototypes or small arrays in locations from Scotland to France to Canada. Flow characterisation for tidal stream applications relies on the measurement of water velocity at the relevant scales, yet given the non-uniformity of the flow field, no single instrument measures all the necessary data inputs required by the sector. This paper provides an overview of a variety of current, surface wave and turbulence metrics of industrial relevance to tidal stream and discusses methods employed to secure these datasets. The use of variants of acoustic current profilers is presented, which have been utilised and developed on previous and ongoing industrialacademic projects, including ReDAPT (ETI, UK), FloWTurb (EPSRC, UK) and RealTide (EC H2020, EU). These variants feature differing numbers of acoustic transducers and varying geometrical configurations with installations at both seabed locations and atop operating tidal stream energy converters. Ongoing development of advanced sensor configuration is discussed, aiming to achieve resilient, high resolution threedimensional measurement of mean and turbulent flow tailored for tidal energy applications. The paper gives practitioners and researchers an overview of tidal stream flow characterisation and practical lessons learnt.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)European Union Horizon 202

Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) Intermediary Training in Muhanga, Rwanda

The Rwanda Climate Services for Agriculture project is a four-year initiative (2016-2019) that seeks to transform Rwanda’s rural farming communities and national economy through improved climate risk management. This report presents the outputs of a five-day training workshop in Muhanga, Rwanda on the use of the Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach to help farmers make climate informed decisions. This training brought together farmer promoters, Social Economic Development Officers (SEDOs), as well as Sector Agronomists from the four pilot districts in Rwanda. The training workshop aimed to initiate the process of PICSA implementation starting by training lead farmers who will train farmers in the use of the PICSA approach. The report includes the process of the training workshop, presentations, and the evaluation by participants

Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) Specialist Intermediary Training in Nyamata, Rwanda

The Rwanda Climate Services for Agriculture project is a four-year initiative (2016-2019) that seeks to transform Rwanda’s rural farming communities and national economy through improved climate risk management. This report presents the outputs of a five-day training on the use of a Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach to help farmers make climate informed decisions. This training brought together key government agencies in Rwanda, research organizations, farmers’ representatives, development partners, non-governmental organizations, and media. The one week training workshop aimed to initiate the process to develop skills of staff to become a group of expert trainers in the PICSA approach. The report includes the proceeding of the training workshop as well as reflections on workshop outcomes and feedback by participants

Combining general practice with international work: online survey of experiences of UK GPs

Objectives: To conduct an exploratory study to learn about the experiences of GPs who have undertaken international work. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Online survey of UK-based GPs. Members of all UK RCGP faculties were invited to participate by email and the survey was publicised on the RCGP website. Participants: All UK-based GPs. Main outcome measures: Types of UK and international work undertaken, barriers, competencies gained, influence on career and future plans. Results: The study identified 439 respondents, in a variety of GP roles at all career stages, who had undertaken international work in their role as a doctor. GPs are undertaking international work in both high and low/middle-income countries, engaging in a wide range of clinical and non-clinical activities. Respondents reported gaining a range of competencies from international work, which could be transferred back to the UK setting to a variable degree. Commonly cited barriers to international work were having to leave friends and family, and concerns regarding future employment and pension. Most reported that engaging in international work had influenced the direction of their career, with the largest proportion stating that they wish to work predominantly in the UK, with some international work in the future. Conclusion: The study highlights the variety of ways in which UK GPs are combining UK general practice and international work, competencies gained with such work, and ability to transfer these back to the UK setting. Historical barriers to international work still exist and future research could further examine the value of such work

USU STARS! GEAR UP: Fall 2018 to Spring 2019

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) is a federally funded program designed to prepared secondary students for college. USU has received several of these competitive grants to work with middle and high school students throughout Utah. This analysis explores how GEAR Up students utilized services. Use patterns were regressed on college enrollment. METHODS: Latent profile analysis (LPA) is a powerful tool for uncovering common response patterns across multiple continuous variables. Following the LPA, the common response patterns were regressed on post-secondary enrollment. FINDINGS: The latent profile analysis exposed 4 well-defined use patterns across the GEAR UP services. Profiles were differentially associated with college enrollment post-graduation from high school. The profile named Preppers, defined by high use of College & Career and Advising services and Family Involvement, was associated with increased college enrollment. Future directions are discussed

Identifying gender-responsive approaches in rural advisory services that contribute to the institutionalisation of gender in Pakistan

Purpose: Unequal reach and access to information is an issue that affects women involved in agricultural activities around the world. Recent initiatives to address gender unequal access to agricultural information have been clumsy, overlooking participatory approaches that focus on transformative change. This study uses Pakistani rural advisory services to compare farmers' and extension workers’ perceptions of access to agricultural information, to identify culturally acceptable gender-responsive schemes. Design/methodology/approach: One-hundred and eleven extension workers in Pakistan’s public rural advisory services were interviewed and crosstabulated with farmers’ answers in previous studies. Findings: Male extension workers are aware that women access less information less often; however they might not be aware of its importance in the gender inequality debate. Lead farmers could offer a potentially transformative knowledge pathway because of its blend of formal and informal interactions – both systems favoured by female smallholders. An exclusively female-led lead farmer approach could be developed and trialled in specific areas of the province. Practical implications: Targeted initiatives focusing on improving awareness and importance of gender inequalities in information access as well as specific extension system development centred on lead female farmers and extension agents are important in institutionalising gender and creating transformative change. Theoretical implications: Linking these activities to in-depth social network and agricultural innovation system analyses would provide further evidence of the importance of focused gender activities and their impact on food security. Originality/value: This paper highlights the importance of analysing individual perceptions to understand the types of initiatives that could be considered for a wider institutionalisation of gender in RAS

Gender differences in use and preferences of agricultural information sources in Pakistan

Purpose: Rural advisory services ensure agricultural information is disseminated to rural populations, yet they are less accessible to women. This research provides insight on gender differences in information access by investigating frequency of use and preference of agricultural information sources by gender in a rural setting, differentiated according to literacy and age. Design/Methodology/approach: This study interviewed 401 male/female individuals in farm households in Jhang and Bahawalpur district of Punjab, Pakistan in 2016. Findings: Men and women farmers’ use and preferences in accessing information sources are extremely different. Women hardly use sources for agricultural information, and value interpersonal communication from informal sources. In contrast, men use and value official agencies more. Radio, surprisingly, was very rarely used, contradicting previous findings of research elsewhere. Age and literacy affect differences between women more than it does between men, particularly for convenient locations to access information. Practical implications The study identified and refined major gender differences regarding use and preference for agricultural information in relation to age and literacy, and helps to articulate options to improve gender equality of access to agricultural information in Pakistan. Theoretical implications: The focus and outcomes regarding gender intersecting with age and literacy in agricultural information access imply the need for more refined socioeconomic models, discerning and interrelating gender and other social dimensions beyond the standard of male-headed households. Originality/value: This paper adds to the growing body of evidence on information access according to gender, highlighting the need to investigate deeper socio-cultural issues around age and literacy