Virtual humans playing the role of patients in self‐medication consultations : perspectives of undergraduate pharmacy students

Poster presented at the GRAPP 2016 - 11th International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Application. 27-29 February 2016, RomeN/

MeshPipe: a Python-based tool for easy automation and demonstration of geometry processing pipelines

The popularization of inexpensive 3D scanning, 3D printing, 3D publishing and AR/VR display technologies have renewed the interest in open-source tools providing the geometry processing algorithms required to clean, repair, enrich, optimize and modify point-based and polygonal-based models. Nowadays, there is a large variety of such open-source tools whose user community includes 3D experts but also 3D enthusiasts and professionals from other disciplines. In this paper we present a Python-based tool that addresses two major caveats of current solutions: the lack of easy-to-use methods for the creation of custom geometry processing pipelines (automation), and the lack of a suitable visual interface for quickly testing, comparing and sharing different pipelines, supporting rapid iterations and providing dynamic feedback to the user (demonstration). From the user's point of view, the tool is a 3D viewer with an integrated Python console from which internal or external Python code can be executed. We provide an easy-to-use but powerful API for element selection and geometry processing. Key algorithms are provided by a high-level C library exposed to the viewer via Python-C bindings. Unlike competing open-source alternatives, our tool has a minimal learning curve and typical pipelines can be written in a few lines of Python code.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Customized Versus Noncustomized Sound Therapy for Treatment of Tinnitus: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial.

ObjectivesTo determine the effectiveness of a customized sound therapy and compare its effectiveness to that of masking with broadband noise.MethodsSubjects were randomized to receive either customized sound therapy or broadband noise for 2 hours per day for 3 months and then switched to the other treatment after a washout period. The outcome variables were tinnitus loudness (scored 0-10), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), minimum masking levels (MML), and residual inhibition (RI).ResultsEighteen subjects completed the study. Mean age was 53 ± 11 years, and mean tinnitus duration was 118 ± 99 months. With customized sound therapy, mean loudness decreased from 6.4 ± 2.0 to 4.9 ± 1.9 ( P = .001), mean THI decreased from 42.8 ± 21.6 to 31.5 ± 20.3 ( P < .001), mean BAI decreased from 10.6 ± 10.9 to 8.3 ± 9.9 ( P = .01), and MML decreased from 22.3 ± 11.6 dB SL to 17.2 ± 10.6 dB SL ( P = .005). After 3 months of broadband noise therapy, only BAI and, to a lesser degree, MML decreased ( P = .003 and .04, respectively).ConclusionsCustomized sound therapy can decrease the loudness and THI scores of tinnitus patients, and the results may be superior to broadband noise

GRAPP & IVAPP 2012: Proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications and International Conference on Information Visualization Theory and Applications

This book contains the proceedings of the International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications (GRAPP 2012) and of the International Conference on Information Visualization Theory and Applications (IVAPP 2011) which were organized and sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC). We hope that the proceedings here published, demonstrate new and innovative solutions, and highlight technical problems in each field that are challenging and worthwhile. Thus, GRAPP and IVAPP were organized to promote a discussion forum between researchers, developers, manufactures and end-users, about the conferences research topics and to establish guidelines in the developing of more advanced solutions. We received a high number of paper submissions for this edition of GRAPP, 116 in total, with contributions from all five continents which attest to the success and global dimension of GRAPP. To evaluate each submission, we used a double-blind evaluation method and each paper was reviewed by at least two experts from the International Program Committee. In the end, 20 papers were selected for publication as full papers, 35 papers were accepted for short presentation and 23 were accepted for poster presentation. The result was an oral-paper acceptance ratio of 47% and a high-quality program that is attractive to experts from Computer Graphics area. A high number of paper submissions for this edition of IVAPP was also received, 66 in total, with contributions from all five continents which attest to the success and global dimension of IVAPP. 12 papers were selected for publication as full papers, 7 papers were accepted for short presentation and 15 were accepted for poster presentation. The result was an oral-paper acceptance ratio of 29% and a high-quality program that is attractive to experts from Information Visualization area. We hope that these Conference Proceedings, submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index, INSPEC, DBLP and EI, may help the Computer Graphics community to find interesting research work. Furthermore, a short list of presented papers will be selected to be expanded into a forthcoming book of VISIGRAPP Selected Papers to be published by Springer during 2012. Moreover, the conference also featured a number of keynote lectures delivered by internationally well known experts thus contributing to increase the overall quality of the conference and to provide a deeper understanding of the conference interest fields. In order to promote the development of professional networks the organizing committee has prepared a Conference Dinner in the evening of February 25th. We hope that you enjoy this exciting conference and have an unforgettable stay in the beautiful city of Rome, Italy. Finally, we would like to express our thanks, first of all, to the authors of the technical papers, whose work and dedication make possible to put together a program that we believe very exciting and of high technical quality. Next, we would like to thank all the members of the program committee and auxiliary reviewers, who helped us with their expertise and time. We would also like to thank the invited speakers for their invaluable contribution and for sharing their vision in their talks. Special thanks should be addressed to the INSTICC Steering Committee whose invaluable work made possible this event. We wish you all an exciting conference and an unforgettable stay in Rome, Italy. We hope to meet you again for the next edition of GRAPP and IVAPP, details of which will be shortly available at http://www.grapp.visigrapp.org and http://www.ivapp.visigrapp.org

Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications (GRAPP'15)

This book contains the proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Graphics Theory and Applications (GRAPP 2015) which was organized and sponsored by the Institute for Systems and Technologies of Information, Control and Communication (INSTICC), in cooperation with ACM SIGGRAPH and technically co-sponsored by IEEE Computer Society, IEEE VGTC and IEEE Technical Committee on Multimedia Computing. The proceedings here published, demonstrate new and innovative solutions, and highlight technical problems in each field that are challenging and worthwhile. GRAPP 2015 was organized to promote a discussion forum between researchers, developers, manufactures and end-users, about the conferences research topics and to establish guidelines in the development of more advanced solutions. We received a high number of paper submissions for this edition of GRAPP, 93 in total, with contributions from all five continents which attest to the success and global dimension of GRAPP. To evaluate each submission, we used a double-blind evaluation method and each paper was reviewed by at least three experts. At least three experts were from the International Program Committee. Among them the Primary expert was in charge of leading a discussion together with all the reviewers of the papers in order to propose an initial recommendation to the Area chairs and Program Chairs. The Area Chairs and Program Chairs made the final selection. In the end, 16 papers were selected for publication as full papers; 16 papers were accepted for short presentation and 28 were accepted for poster presentation. The result was an oral-paper acceptance ratio of 34% and a high-quality program that is attractive to experts from the Computer Graphics area. We hope that these Conference Proceedings, submitted for indexation by Thomson Reuters Conference Proceedings Citation Index, INSPEC, DBLP and EI, may help the Computer Graphics community to find Inspiring research work. Furthermore, a short list of presented papers will be selected to be expanded into a forthcoming book of VISIGRAPP Selected Papers to be published by Springer during 2015 in the CCIS series. All papers presented at this conference will be available at the SCITEPRESS Digital Library. The conference schedule included a Doctoral Consortium which will certainly provide an opportunity for graduate students to explore their research interests in an interdisciplinary workshop, under the guidance of a panel of distinguished experts in the field. Moreover, we are proud to inform that the program also includes four plenary keynote lectures, given by internationally distinguished researchers, namely Andrea Cavallaro (Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom), Daniel Thalmann (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Gerik Scheuermann (Universtät Leipzig, Germany) and Mauro Barni (Universita` di Siena, Italy), thus contributing to increase the overall quality of the conference and to provide a deeper understanding of the conference interest fields. Finally, we would like to express our thanks, first of all, to the authors of the technical papers, whose work and dedication made possible to put together a program that we believe very exciting and of high technical quality. Next, we would like to thank all the members of the program committee and auxiliary reviewers, who helped us with their expertise and time. The area chairs namely Roland Geraerts, Arjan Egges, Tobias Ritschel and Jérôme Grosjean, had a crucial and most essential role in the conference and therefore they also deserve a big thank you. We would also like to thank the invited speakers for their invaluable contribution and for sharing their vision in their talks. Special thanks should be addressed to the INSTICC Steering Committee, and organizing team whose invaluable work made possible this event. We wish you all an exciting conference and an unforgettable stay in Berlin, Germany. We hope to meet you again for the next edition of GRAPP, details of which are available at http://www.grapp.visigrapp.org

Point Cloud Structural Parts Extraction based on Segmentation Energy Minimization

In this work we consider 3D point sets, which in a typical setting represent unorganized point clouds. Segmentation of these point sets requires first to single out structural components of the unknown surface discretely approximated by the point cloud. Structural components, in turn, are surface patches approximating unknown parts of elementary geometric structures, such as planes, ellipsoids, spheres and so on. The approach used is based on level set methods computing the moving front of the surface and tracing the interfaces between different parts of it. Level set methods are widely recognized to be one of the most efficient methods to segment both 2D images and 3D medical images. Level set methods for 3D segmentation have recently received an increasing interest. We contribute by proposing a novel approach for raw point sets. Based on the motion and distance functions of the level set we introduce four energy minimization models, which are used for segmentation, by considering an equal number of distance functions specified by geometric features. Finally we evaluate the proposed algorithm on point sets simulating unorganized point clouds

Effectiveness of Visualisations for Detection of Errors in Segmentation of Blood Vessels

Vascular disease diagnosis often requires a precise segmentation of the vessel lumen. When 3D (Magnetic Resonance Angiography, MRA, or Computed Tomography Angiography, CTA) imaging is available, this can be done automatically, but occasional errors are inevitable. So, the segmentation has to be checked by clinicians. This requires appropriate visualisation techniques. A number of visualisation techniques exist, but there has been little in the way of user studies that compare the different alternatives. In this study we examine how users interact with several basic visualisations, when performing a visual search task, checking vascular segmentation correctness of segmented MRA data. These visualisations are: direct volume rendering (DVR), isosurface rendering, and curved planar reformatting (CPR). Additionally, we examine if visual highlighting of potential errors can help the user find errors, so a fourth visualisation we examine is DVR with visual highlighting. Our main findings are that CPR performs fastest but has higher error rate, and there are no significant differences between the other three visualisations. We did find that visual highlighting actually has slower performance in early trials, suggesting that users learned to ignore them

Naville, P. La passion de l’avenir - Le dernier cahier (1988-1993)

Cet ouvrage peut surprendre. Tout d’abord parce qu’il paraît 17 ans après la mort de P. Naville dont on aurait pu penser que toutes les œuvres étaient publiées, mais aussi parce que ce journal retrouvé derrière d’autres ouvrages dans la bibliothèque de P. Naville par Véronique Nahoum Grapp nous fait entrer dans la vie et la pensée de P. Naville au jour le jour et sur les cinq dernières années de sa vie. Comme le disent V. Nahoum Grapp et M. Burnier, qui avec R. Massari, M. Nadeau et A. Cuenot..

Roll Call: Catholic Physicians\u27 Guilds

The listing below gives the name of the president and moderator of each Catholic Physicians\u27 Guild affiliated with the Federation. These groups constitute the national organization