Universal access: user needs for immersive captioning.

This article focuses on building a prototyping for immersive captioning following a user-centric approach. This methodology is characterised by following a bottom-up approach, where usability and user needs are at the heart of the development. Recent research on user requirements for captioning in immersive environments has shown that there is both a need for improvement and a wealth of research opportunities. The final aim is to identify how to display captions for an optimal viewing experience. This work began four years ago with some partial findings. We build from the lessons learnt, focussing on the user-centric design requirements cornerstone: prototyping. Our prototype framework integrates methods used in existing solutions aiming at instant contrast-and-compare functionalities. The first part of the article presents the state of the art for user requirements identifying the reasons behind the development of the prototyping framework. The second part of the article describes the two-stage framework development. The initial framework concept answered to the challenges resulting from the previous research. As soon as the first framework was developed, it became obvious that a second improved solution was required, almost as a showcase on how ideas can quickly be implemented for user testing, and for users to elicit requirements and creative solutions. The article finishes with a list of functionalities, resulting in new caption modes, and the opportunity of becoming a comprehensive immersive captions testbed, where tools such as eye-tracking, or physiological testing devices could be testing captions across any device with a web browser.

Advances in quadrupole and time-of-flight mass spectrometry for peptide MRM based translational research analysis.

The application of unit resolution tandem quadrupole and high-resolution orthogonal acceleration ToF mass spectrometers for the quantitation and translational analysis of proteolytic peptides is described. The MS platforms were contrasted in terms of sensitivity and linear response. Moreover, the selectivity of the platforms was investigated and the effect on quantitative precision studied. Chromatographic LC conditions, including gradient length and configuration, were investigated with respect to speed/throughput, while minimizing isobaric interferences, thereby providing information with regard to practical sample cohort size limitations of LC-MS for large cohort experiments. In addition to these fundamental analytical performance metrics, precision and linear dynamic ranges were also studied. An LC-MS configuration that encompasses the best combination of throughput and analytical accuracy for translational studies was chosen, despite the MS platforms giving similar quantitative performance, and instances were identified where alternative combinations were found to be beneficial. This configuration was utilized to demonstrate that proteolytically digested nondepleted samples from heart failure patients could be classified with good discriminative power using a subset of proteins previously suggested as candidate biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases.

3D measuring tool for estimating femoroacetabular impingement.

Osteoarthritis of the hip is commonly caused by the repetitive contact between abnormal skeletal prominences between the anterosuperior femoral head-neck junction and the rim of the acetabular socket. Current methods for estimating femoroacetabular impingement by analyzing the sphericity of the femoral head require manual measurements which are both inaccurate and open to interpretation. In this research we provide a prototype software tool for improving this estimation.

A directed particle system for optimised visualization of blood flow in complex networks.

This paper introduces a novel technique for the visualization of blood (or other fluid) flowing through a complex 3D network of vessels. The Directed Particle System (DPS) approach is loosely based on the computer graphics concept of flocking agents. It has been developed and optimised to provide effective real time visualization and qualitative simulation of fluid flow. There are many potential applications of DPS, and one example - a decision support tool for coronary collateralization - is discussed.

A model for flexible tools used in minimally invasive medical virtual environments.

Within the limits of current technology, many applications of a virtual environment will trade-off accuracy for speed. This is not an acceptable compromise in a medical training application where both are essential. Efficient algorithms must therefore be developed. The purpose of this project is the development and validation of a novel physics-based real time tool manipulation model, which is easy to integrate into any medical virtual environment that requires support for the insertion of long flexible tools into complex geometries. This encompasses medical specialities such as vascular interventional radiology, endoscopy, and laparoscopy, where training, prototyping of new instruments/tools and mission rehearsal can all be facilitated by using an immersive medical virtual environment. Our model recognises and uses accurately patient specific data and adapts to the geometrical complexity of the vessel in real time.

Dissecting the Role of the Extracellular Matrix in Heart Disease: Lessons from the Drosophila Genetic Model.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic scaffold within organs and tissues that enables cell morphogenesis and provides structural support. Changes in the composition and organisation of the cardiac ECM are required for normal development. Congenital and age-related cardiac diseases can arise from mis-regulation of structural ECM proteins (Collagen, Laminin) or their receptors (Integrin). Key regulators of ECM turnover include matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs). MMP expression is increased in mice, pigs, and dogs with cardiomyopathy. The complexity and longevity of vertebrate animals makes a short-lived, genetically tractable model organism, such as Drosophila melanogaster, an attractive candidate for study. We survey ECM macromolecules and their role in heart development and growth, which are conserved between Drosophila and vertebrates, with focus upon the consequences of altered expression or distribution. The Drosophila heart resembles that of vertebrates during early development, and is amenable to in vivo analysis. Experimental manipulation of gene function in a tissue- or temporally-regulated manner can reveal the function of adhesion or ECM genes in the heart. Perturbation of the function of ECM proteins, or of the MMPs that facilitate ECM remodelling, induces cardiomyopathies in Drosophila, including cardiodilation, arrhythmia, and cardia bifida, that provide mechanistic insight into cardiac disease in mammals.

A flexible infrastructure for delivering augmented reality enabled transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is the process in which electrical activity in the brain is influenced by a pulsed magnetic field. Common practice is to align an electromagnetic coil with points of interest identified on the surface of the brain, from an MRI scan of the subject. The coil can be tracked using optical sensors, enabling the targeting information to be calculated and displayed on a local workstation. In this paper we explore the hypothesis that using an Augmented Reality (AR) interface for TMS will improve the efficiency of carrying out the procedure. We also aim to provide a flexible infrastructure that if required, can seamlessly deploy processing power from a remote high performance computing resource.