Computer Vision Based Object Tracking as a Teaching Aid for High School Physics Experiments

Experiments play a vital role in science education. In high school physics, especially in mechanics, many experiments are conducted where tracking a single or multiple objects are required. In most situations students visually observe the motion of objects and take the measurements. This manual method is time consuming, generates higher error and incapable of producing multiple readings rapidly. The research described in this work introduces a simple mechanism to integrate computer vision based tracking to enhance the quality of measurements and to new ways of looking at experiments. The case study consists of three standard experiments. In the first experiment a motion of the simple pendulum was tracked. Using computer vision students were able to obtain a correlation of 0.99 between the calculated period and the theoretical period. In addition, it was possible to calculate the position and the velocity of the bob more than 30 times during a single oscillation. Students were able to plot the extra data points for a better understanding of the simple harmonic motion, which was not possible in the manual method. Second experiment was focused on measuring the terminal velocity of a ball moving through a viscous medium. Final case study was on tracking multiple particles in a moving fluid. In all three experiments computer vision based system provided more accurate and higher number of data points than the manual method. This helps students to understanding the underline theory better. The tracking system was consisted of a digital camera, image preprocessing sub system, feature extraction subsystem, object identification subsystem and data export subsystem. The system was successfully tested on a normal PC which is cost effective to be used in high schools. Based on the case studies it was concluded that such systems can be used in high schools to improve the quality of experiments conducted.

The role of gender in the decision to pursue a surgical career: A qualitative, interview-based study

Background: Previous literature has explored the underrepresentation of women in surgery. However, this research has often been quantitative or limited by considering only the perspectives and experiences of women at more advanced career stages. Here, we use a qualitative methodology and a sample of women and men across the career continuum to identify the role that gender plays in the decision to pursue a surgical career. Methods: We audio-recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 women and 12 men ranging in their level of medical training from medical students to residents to staff surgeons. We used Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach to thematic analysis to analyze the data, maintaining trustworthiness and credibility by employing strategies including reflexivity and participant input.  Results: Our findings suggested that the characteristics of surgery and early exposure to the profession served as important factors in participants’ decisions to pursue a surgical career. Although not explicitly mentioned by participants, each of these areas may implicitly be gendered. Gender-based factors explicitly mentioned by participants included the surgical lifestyle and experiences with gender discrimination, including sexual harassment. These factors were perceived as challenges that disproportionately affected women and needed to be overcome when pursuing a surgical career. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that gender is more likely to act as a barrier to a career in surgery than as a motivator, especially among women. This suggests a need for early experiences in the operating room and mentorship. Policy change promoting work-life integration and education to target gender discrimination is also recommended

Des preuves récentes sur les habiletés visuo- spatiales pour la formation en chirurgie : revue exploratoire

Background: Understanding the relationships between structures is critical for surgical trainees. However, the heterogeneity of the literature on visual-spatial ability (VSA) in surgery makes it challenging for educators to make informed decisions on incorporating VSA into their programs. We conducted a scoping review of the literature on VSA in surgery to provide a map of the literature and identify where gaps still exist for future research. Methods: We searched databases until December 2019 using keywords related to VSA and surgery. The resulting articles were independently screened by two researchers for inclusion in our review. Results: We included 117 articles in the final review. Fifty-nine articles reported significant correlations between VSA tests and surgical performance, and this association is supported by neuroimaging studies. However, it remains unclear whether VSA should be incorporated into trainee selection and whether there is a benefit of three-dimensional (3D) over two-dimensional (2D) training. Conclusions: It appears that VSA correlates with surgical performance in the simulated environment, particularly for novice learners. Based on our findings, we make suggestions for how surgical educators may use VSA to support novice learners. Further research should determine whether VSA remains correlated to surgical performance when trainees move into the operative environment.Contexte :  Il est fondamental pour les chirurgiens en formation de comprendre les liens qui unissent les diverses structures corporelles. Étant donné l’hétérogénéité de la littérature portant sur les habiletés visuo-spatiales (HVS) nécessaires en chirurgie, les éducateurs ont de la difficulté à prendre des décisions éclairées quant à l’enseignement des HVS dans leurs programmes. On a effectué une étude exploratoire de la littérature sur les HVS en chirurgie afin de répertorier la littérature et de cerner des lacunes pouvant faire l’objet de recherches ultérieures. Méthodologie : On a interrogé des bases de données jusqu’à décembre 2019 à l’aide de mots-clés reliés aux HVS et à la chirurgie.  Les articles trouvés ont été évalués de façon indépendante par deux chercheurs pour déterminer leur inclusion à la revue. Résultats :  Au total, 117 articles ont été inclus dans la revue finale. Cinquante-neuf faisaient état d’importantes corrélations entre les tests d’évaluation des HVS et la performance chirurgicale. Cette association est étayée par les résultats d’études en neuro-imagerie.   Il n’est pas clair cependant si les HVS devraient faire partie des critères de sélection des résidents et si une formation sur les techniques de visualisation en trois dimensions (3D) est préférable à une formation sur les techniques de visualisation en deux dimensions (2D). Conclusions : Il semble exister un lien entre les HVS et la performance chirurgicale en contexte de simulation, particulièrement chez les apprenants novices. À la lumière de nos résultats, nous présentons des recommandations sur la façon dont les formateurs en chirurgie pourraient se servir des HVS pour aider les apprenants novices. D’autres travaux de recherche devraient permettre de savoir si les HVS restent reliés à la performance chirurgicale lorsque les stagiaires passent à un environnement opératoire réel

Measurement of Pion Enhancement at Low Transverse Momentum and of the Delta-Resonance Abundance in Si-Nucleus Collisions at AGS Energy

We present measurements of the pion transverse momentum (p_t) spectra in central Si-nucleus collisions in the rapidity range 2.0<y<5.0 for p_t down to and including p_t=0. The data exhibit an enhanced pion yield at low p_t compared to what is expected for a purely thermal spectral shape. This enhancement is used to determine the Delta-resonance abundance at freeze-out. The results are consistent with a direct measurement of the Delta-resonance yield by reconstruction of proton-pion pairs and imply a temperature of the system at freeze-out close to 140 MeV.Comment: 12 pages + 4 figures (uuencoded at end-of-file

Two-pion correlations in Au+Au collisions at 10.8 GeV/c per nucleon

Two-particle correlation functions for positive and negative pions have been measured in Au+Au collisions at 10.8~GeV/c per nucleon. The data were analyzed using one- and three-dimensional correlation functions. From the results of the three-dimensional fit the phase space density of pions was calculated. It is consistent with local thermal equilibrium.Comment: 5 pages RevTeX (including 3 Figures

Directed flow of antiprotons in Au+Au collisions at AGS

Directed flow of antiprotons is studied in Au+Au collisions at a beam momentum of 11.5A GeV/c. It is shown that antiproton directed flow is anti-correlated to proton flow. The measured transverse momentum dependence of the antiproton flow is compared with predictions of the RQMD event generator.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Hadron yields and spectra in Au+Au collisions at the AGS

Inclusive double differential multiplicities and rapidity density distributions of hadrons are presented for 10.8 A GeV/c Au+Au collisions as measured at the AGS by the E877 collaboration. The results indicate that large amounts of stopping and collective transverse flow effects are present. The data are also compared to the results from the lighter Si+Al system.Comment: 12 pages, latex, 10 figures, submitted to Nuclear Physics A (Quark Matter 1996 Proceedings