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In this paper, a processing chain is proposed for enhancing larger-scale building structures in magnetometer data using the continuous wavelet transform for extracting the horizontal location, depth, and homogeneity (or shape) of subsurface objects. Even though the values estimated from our data do not clearly describe the archaeological site, they are used as a filter step for removing objects whose depth and homogeneity fall outside a predefined range. This yields a binary map, where valid points represent the horizontal source positions of magnetic anomalies. In a second step, curvilinear subsets of points are identified on a larger scale by the tensor voting framework indicating archaeological relevant structures, such as arcs and lines. Here, a point casts votes on neighbouring points and their values depend on the distance, and relative position of the points. All votes are summed up and the final value discriminates, whether a certain point (and therefore a magnetic source) is part of a salient curve (e.g. arc, line). Thresholding removes points with lower values while keeping those with larger values. Although the result shows many geometric features, it still needs to be combined with other data, e.g. from aerial photography or excavations. In combination, the extracted features continue those structures in the aerial photograph, thus expanding the knowledge about the archaeological site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Congenital heart diseases ( CHD) are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality in neonates. The preliminary diagnosis often is made by noncardiologists. For this reason, there is a huge demand of training in echocardiography of CHD. This is difficult to achieve due to limited resources of specialized centers. Objective The goal of this study was to investigate the training effect of the echocardiography simulator EchoCom on trainee's ability to diagnose CHD. Design/Methods We enrolled 10 residents for simulator-based training in echocardiography of CHD. All participants were instructed on the simulator's basic handling and had one hour to scan the first 9 datasets information (ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, atrioventricular septal defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of great arteries, congenital corrected transposition of great arteries, common arterial trunk, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, normal anatomy) and establish a diagnosis. No help was given except for support regarding simulator related issues. Afterward, 2 rounds of structured simulator based echocardiography training focused on echocardiographic anatomy, spatial orientation, standard views, and echocardiographic anatomy of different CHD followed. All participants completed a standardized questionnaire containing 10 multiple-choice ( MC) questions focusing on basic theoretical knowledge in echocardiographic anatomy and common CHD. Results Almost all of the residents invited from the affiliated children's hospital had little (20%) or no experience (80%) in echocardiography of CHD. Their Pretest and Posttest scores showed significant improvement for both, MC test and performance test, respectively. Conclusions Our study showed that simulator-based training in echocardiography in CHD could be very effective and may assist with training outside the scope of CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To automatically assess hair growth during cosmetic trials, incorporating parameters such as anagen-to-telogen rate, growth rate, and especially hair diameter. We designed and qualified a new and automatic phototrichogram system based on a high-resolution DSLR camera system (theoretical resolution of 2.557 μm/pixel) and modular macrolens system with fixed focus, combined with a trainable pattern recognition software for automated analysis. We improved the standard routine for dermatological phototrichogram technique to overcome inaccuracy in thickness measurements due to hair swelling by using an alternative immersion fluid, and increased the effective resolution for hair size and thickness measurement to <4 μm. After having qualified manual measurements as gold standard for the determination of hair diameters, we established a new trainable automatic picture analysis software able to locate and measure individual hairs in length and thickness even in picture series taken from the same skin area at different time points. Comparisons between manual and automatic measurements of the same hairs showed a >90% correlation, and by comparing the automatic results with manual measurements of the same images without individual hair annotation, we could find a correlation of at least 80%. According to the results and findings generated in this qualification study, we have a reliable tool now that enables us to test cosmetic products for hair treatment in a highly automated way with a sufficient degree of precision and accuracy to detect even small changes in hair diameter during cosmetic trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the latest developments in cardiac three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound. A VR heart model linked to 3-D echocardiographic image datasets provides the observers spatial information regarding a 3-D image dataset and prevents the "lost in space effect" in difficult and relevant coupled diseases when integrated into 3-D reconstruction software. Standardized echocardiographic views can be selected within the integrated developed VR heart model, and this is the first step to automatic 3-D computations with minimal operator interaction. VR heart models open exciting opportunities in the field of teaching echocardiographic cardiology, diagnosis, and examinable states.