Trauma Computed Tomography in the Modern Era: Not Always Quick and Safe

Background Computed tomography (CT) has emerged as the diagnostic modality of choice in trauma patients. Recent studies suggest its use in hemodynamically unstable patients is safe and potentially lifesaving; however, the incidence of adverse events (AE) during the trauma CT scanning process remains unknown. Study Design Over a 6-month period at a Level 1 trauma center, data on patients undergoing trauma CT (whole-body CT (WBCT) +/− additional CT studies) were prospectively collected. All patients requiring a trauma team activation (TTA) were included. Adverse events and specific time intervals were recorded from the time of TTA notification to the time of return to the resuscitation bay from the CT suite. Results Of the 94 consecutive patients included in the study, 47.9% experienced 1 or more AE. Median duration away from the resuscitation bay for all patients was 24 minutes. Patients with AE spent a significantly longer time away from the resuscitation bay and had longer scan times. Vasopressor support and ongoing transfusion requirement at the time of CT scanning were associated with AE. Conclusion Adverse events of varying clinical significance occur frequently in patients undergoing emergent trauma CT. A standard trauma CT protocol could improve the efficiency and safety of the scanning process.

SCANNER DESIGN SPECIFICITY FOR HELMET-MOUNTED TARGETING SYSTEM

Following design principles are important for helmet-mounted targeting systems. Two scanners on base of the polygonal reflector-type prisms forming the fanned field of view are fastened to head-up display. Three LEDs installed on pilot helmet form a plane, the normal of which is collinear to helmet indi-cator viewing line. Angles of LED bearings are measured with triangulation method and angular position of viewing line is calculat-ed. Two options for organization of scanning process are analyzed in the paper. In the first variant, one prism rotates in clockwise and the other in counterclockwise direction. In the second variant both prisms rotate in the same direction, clockwise for example. It is shown that if the prisms rotate in the same direction the targeting accuracy is greater. The algorithm developed for determination of targeting accuracy may be used to matching the rate of scanning and geometric parameters of helmet-mounted targeting system at prescribed accuracy of targeting.

Possibility of Application of the User Interface of a Conventional Smartphone for Communication of Graphical Information with a Special HW/SW Device

This article is focused on enhancement of HW/SW device by cooperation with a smartphone interface. The device was a programmable Lego Mindstorms Education EV3 set in the form of a robot designed to solve the Rubik’s Cube. The aim of the research was to replace the built-in color sensor with a camera that would allow the cube scanning process to be accelerated. Two approaches were chosen to meet the goal: the NXTcam camera, accessible as an accessory to expand the set, and the camera built into the smartphone. The use of NXTcam led to better scan time, but this result was prone to external influences. The camera on the smartphone sped up the scanning process to 57% of the original time. The impact of external factors on the outcome was significantly lower, compared to NXTcam. In the experiment, the cube solving process was observed in natural light, with addition distractive light source and in artificial light.

Mathematical Approach in Complex Surfaces Toolpaths

This paper represents the focus on developing efficient algorithms that reduce the operations required to be employed in order to obtain complex surfaces milling finishing toolpaths for the three axis NC (Numerical Control) machine within the reverse engineering chain of processes. Direct machining is the process of generating efficient toolpaths directly from the digitized data, meaning the point cloud. The entire research is focused on determining the mathematical calculus able to interpret the data collected through the contact/noncontact 3D scanning process. In this direction, two algorithms were developed to generate ball-end mill finishing toolpaths for freeform surfaces using ordered/unordered point clouds. Practical work that validates author’s employed algorithms of obtaining finishing milling toolpaths uses the point cloud stored from the 3D scanning process in matrix found in ASCII files, which makes data interpreting easy.

The Influence of Language on Spatial Reasoning: Reading Habits Modulate the Formulation of Conclusions and the Integration of Premises

In the present study, we explore how reading habits (e.g., reading from left to right in French or reading from right to left in Arabic) influence the scanning and the construction of mental models in spatial reasoning. For instance, when participants are given a problem like A is to the left of B; B is to the left of C, what is the relation between A and C? They are assumed to construct the model: A B C. If reading habits influence the scanning process, then readers of French should inspect models from left to right, whereas readers of Arabic should inspect them from right to left. The prediction following this analysis is that readers of French should be more inclined to produce “left” conclusions (i.e., A is to the left of C), whereas readers of Arabic should be more inclined to produce “right” conclusions (i.e., C is to the right of A). Furthermore, one may expect that readers of French show a greater ease in constructing models following a left-to-right direction than models following a right-to-left direction, whereas an opposite pattern might be expected for readers of Arabic. We tested these predictions in two experiments involving French and Yemeni participants. Experiment 1 investigated the formulation of conclusions from spatial premises, and Experiment 2, which was based on non-linguistic stimuli, examined the time required to construct mental models from left to right and from right to left. Our results show clear differences between the two groups. As expected, the French sample showed a strong left-to-right bias, but the Yemeni sample did not show the reverse bias. Results are discussed in terms of cultural influences and universal mechanisms.

Indeterminate: Flora, 3D scanning and the instability of data

This article discusses Echo, an environmental media project that explores the possibility of defamiliarizing representational structures of nature through creative practice techniques. Through a reflective, critical analysis of Echo, this article examines how the 3D scanning process, used at the threshold of viability, can illuminate the fragile conditions of data and the complexities of photographic representation. I argue that movements from the plane of environmental forces and forms into a digital materiality carries meaning in addition to signifying practices. This article suggests that viewing environmental photomedia through the lens of posthumanism and materialist philosophy offers the possibility of opening up more-than-representational meanings within materialities, processes, practices and art encounters.