Project Artifacts Research Articles

Learning and Distributed Expertise in Community‐Based Science

ABSTRACTIn the face of growing social‐ecological challenges, multiple forms of expertise must be brought to bear in environmental problem‐solving. As such, community‐based science has been touted as a potential way to “democratize” scientific knowledge production, allowing for multiple sources of expertise to be harnessed and for learning across stakeholders to occur in new ways. The extent to which this occurs, however, is mediated by a variety of factors. Focusing on the context of a dam removal and river restoration initiative in the Western United States, we leverage community science literacy as a conceptual lens to critically interrogate if and how multiple forms of expertise are taken up through community‐based science toward the goal of watershed revitalization. Based on an analysis of empirical evidence collected from interviews, ethnographic observations, and project artifacts, we found that local residents in the watershed demonstrated robust forms of situated local knowledge that they often leveraged toward the work of science. This occurred through processes of coordination work, which were mediated by opportunities for individuals to shift between roles, the contributions of brokers and boundary spanners, and issues of power, status, and rank. While individuals demonstrated and shared their nuanced local knowledge, dominant science still structured if, when, and how this was taken up in the project. Ultimately, we suggest that leveling hierarchies in community‐based science—and affording broader publics greater epistemic agency in shaping the work of science—is key to fostering social‐ecological transformation through science learning in informal settings.

Method of automated knowledge base construction for вusiness process management information systems

The object of research is the process of automated construction and enrichment of a knowledge base. An approach has been defined to address the problem of automated knowledge base construction in information system development projects. Research has been conducted on models and methods for the automatic construction of a knowledge base for process management information systems. It has been determined that finite predicates, as well as predicate models describing IT project artifacts, are suitable as the mathematical apparatus. The method for automated construction and enrichment of a knowledge base for process management information systems has been improved based on modified predicate models. The modification involves adding new predicates and aligning event logs with classes of artifacts and their properties. The feasibility of applying the proposed method in decision support tasks under intrusion detection conditions for processes in computer systems has been verified. The architecture and description of the main characteristics of the automated knowledge base construction system for decision-making tasks in IT enterprises, are provided. The proposed solutions have been tested during the automated construction of a knowledge base in an IT project. Advantages and disadvantages of the method were identified during the automated construction of a production knowledge base. Further development of the modified method may involve analyzing the success of predictions made using the knowledge base and adjusting the initial set of predicates based on the results of this analysis.

Research rivers: Flows of agency through crisis

From early 2020, as the spread of COVID-19 and related restrictions intersected with everyday lives and, inevitably, social research practices, the ability to act and continue research was a significant concern in the social research community. In a project aimed at supporting methodological responses to the pandemic context the authors ran a series of online knowledge exchange workshops. The invitation to participate suggested researchers convey recent times of their research experiences by drawing and presenting a river sketch. The paper critically engages with the research rivers by creating a new interference pattern of a new materialist approach combined with experiences and project artefacts. The compatibility of new materialism and qualitative inquiry is discussed. Through an analysis focussed on two of the rivers, the ways the research river activity entangled matter and meaning is examined and the paper shows how a new materialist understanding of exclusion transforms the ethical dimensions of researchers’ methodological decisions. We conclude that research rivers produce particular forms of retrospective agency that highlighted affect throughout the pandemic and reframes the ethics for choosing and developing methods along an axis of inclusion and exclusion.

Quantitative Volumetric Analysis of Retinal Ischemia with an Oxygen Diffusion Model and OCT Angiography

PurposeRetinal ischemia is a major feature of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Traditional nonperfused areas measured by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) measure blood supply but not ischemia. We propose a novel 3-dimensional (3D) quantitative method to derive ischemia measurements from OCTA data. DesignCross-sectional study. ParticipantsWe acquired 223 macular OCTA volumes from 33 healthy eyes, 33 diabetic eyes without retinopathy, 7 eyes with non-referable DR, 17 eyes with referable but non-vision-threatening DR, and 133 eyes with vision-threatening DR. MethodsEach eye was scanned using a spectral-domain OCTA system (Avanti RTVue-XR, Visionix/Optovue, Inc) with 1.6 mm scan depth in a 3 × 3-mm region (640 × 304 × 304 voxels) centered on the fovea. For each scanned OCTA volume, a custom algorithm removed flow projection artifacts. We then enhanced, binarized, and skeletonized the vasculature in each OCTA volume and generated a 3D oxygen tension map using a zero-order kinetics oxygen diffusion model. Each volume was scaled to the average retina thickness in healthy controls after foveal registration and flattening of the Bruch membrane. Finally, we extracted 3D ischemia maps by comparison with a reference map established from scans of healthy eyes using the same processing. To assess the ability of the ischemia maps to grade DR severity, we constructed receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves for diagnosing diabetes, referable DR, and vision-threatening DR. Main outcome measuresSpearman correlation coefficient and area under ROC curve (AUC) were used to quantify the ability of the ischemia maps to DR. ResultsThe ischemia maps showed that the ischemic tissues were at or near pathologically non-perfused areas, but not the normally non-vascular tissue, such as the foveal avascular zone. We found multiple novel metrics, including inferred 3D-oxygen tension, ischemia index, and ischemic volume ratio, were strongly correlated with DR severity. The AUCs of ischemia index measured were 0.95 for diabetes, 0.89 for DR, 0.88 for referable DR, and 0.85 for vision threatening DR. ConclusionsA quantitative method to infer 3D oxygen tension and ischemia using OCTA in diabetic eyes can identify ischemic tissue that are more specific to pathologic changes in DR.

Three-dimensional vascular graph construction from depth information of blood vessel centerlines in optical coherence tomography angiography

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a noninvasive imaging technique for visualizing high-resolution volumetric vascular networks. Although OCTA has been widely employed in vascular network analysis, most studies have been limited to the analysis of two-dimensional (2D) en-face projection images because leveraging the full potential of OCTA’s three-dimensional (3D) information has been challenging due to projection artifacts beneath blood vessels. In this study, we propose a semi-automatic method for constructing a 3D vascular graph from 3D OCTA images without relying on data-driven learning strategies such as deep learning. The proposed method estimates the depth information of blood vessel centerlines in 2D en-face images and constructs a 3D vascular graph by integrating the depth estimation results for all vessel centerline segments. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method through experiments conducted on both simulated datasets and real datasets acquired from the dorsal dermis of mice.

Multi-Plexus Nonperfusion Area Segmentation in Widefield OCT Angiography Using a Deep Convolutional Neural Network.

To train and validate a convolutional neural network to segment nonperfusion areas (NPAs) in multiple retinal vascular plexuses on widefield optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). This cross-sectional study included 202 participants with a full range of diabetic retinopathy (DR) severities (diabetes mellitus without retinopathy, mild to moderate non-proliferative DR, severe non-proliferative DR, and proliferative DR) and 39 healthy participants. Consecutive 6 × 6-mm OCTA scans at the central macula, optic disc, and temporal region in one eye from 202 participants in a clinical DR study were acquired with a 70-kHz OCT commercial system (RTVue-XR). Widefield OCTA en face images were generated by montaging the scans from these three regions. A projection-resolved OCTA algorithm was applied to remove projection artifacts at the voxel scale. A deep convolutional neural network with a parallel U-Net module was designed to detect NPAs and distinguish signal reduction artifacts from flow deficits in the superficial vascular complex (SVC), intermediate capillary plexus (ICP), and deep capillary plexus (DCP). Expert graders manually labeled NPAs and signal reduction artifacts for the ground truth. Sixfold cross-validation was used to evaluate the proposed algorithm on the entire dataset. The proposed algorithm showed high agreement with the manually delineated ground truth for NPA detection in three retinal vascular plexuses on widefield OCTA (mean ± SD F-score: SVC, 0.84 ± 0.05; ICP, 0.87 ± 0.04; DCP, 0.83 ± 0.07). The extrafoveal avascular area in the DCP showed the best sensitivity for differentiating eyes with diabetes but no retinopathy (77%) from healthy controls and for differentiating DR by severity: DR versus no DR, 77%; referable DR (rDR) versus non-referable DR (nrDR), 79%; vision-threatening DR (vtDR) versus non-vision-threatening DR (nvtDR), 60%. The DCP also showed the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for distinguishing diabetes from healthy controls (96%), DR versus no DR (95%), and rDR versus nrDR (96%). The three-plexus-combined OCTA achieved the best result in differentiating vtDR and nvtDR (81.0%). A deep learning network can accurately segment NPAs in individual retinal vascular plexuses and improve DR diagnostic accuracy. Using a deep learning method to segment nonperfusion areas in widefield OCTA can potentially improve the diagnostic accuracy of diabetic retinopathy by OCT/OCTA systems.

Exploring visual quality of multidimensional time series projections

Dimensionality reduction is often used to project time series data from multidimensional to two-dimensional space to generate visual representations of the temporal evolution. In this context, we address the problem of multidimensional time series visualization by presenting a new method to show and handle projection errors introduced by dimensionality reduction techniques on multidimensional temporal data. For visualization, subsequent time instances are rendered as dots that are connected by lines or curves to indicate the temporal dependencies. However, inevitable projection artifacts may lead to poor visualization quality and misinterpretation of the temporal information. Wrongly projected data points, inaccurate variations in the distances between projected time instances, and intersections of connecting lines could lead to wrong assumptions about the original data. We adapt local and global quality metrics to measure the visual quality along the projected time series, and we introduce a model to assess the projection error at intersecting lines. These serve as a basis for our new uncertainty visualization techniques that use different visual encodings and interactions to indicate, communicate, and work with the visualization uncertainty from projection errors and artifacts along the timeline of data points, their connections, and intersections. Our approach is agnostic to the projection method and works for linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction methods alike.

Radiological diagnosis of prevalent osteoporotic vertebral fracture on radiographs: an interim consensus from a group of experts of the ESSR osteoporosis and metabolism subcommittee.

When a low-energy trauma induces an acute vertebral fracture (VF) with clinical symptoms, a definitive diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) can be made. Beyond that, a "gold" radiographic standard to distinguish osteoporotic from non-osteoporotic VFs does not exist. Fracture-shaped vertebral deformity (FSVD) is defined as a deformity radiographically indistinguishable from vertebral fracture according to the best of the reading radiologist's knowledge. FSVD is not uncommon among young populations with normal bone strength. FSVD among an older population is called osteoporotic-like vertebral fracture (OLVF) when the FSVD is likely to be associated with compromised bone strength. In more severe grade deformities or when a vertebra is collapsed, OVF diagnosis can be made with a relatively high degree of certainty by experienced readers. In "milder" cases, OVF is often diagnosed based on a high probability rather than an absolute diagnosis. After excluding known mimickers, singular vertebral wedging in older women is statistically most likely an OLVF. For older women, three non-adjacent minimal grade OLVF (< 20% height loss), one minimal grade OLVF and one mild OLVF (20-25% height loss), or one OLVF with ≥ 25% height loss, meet the diagnosis of osteoporosis. For older men, a single OLVF with < 40% height loss may be insufficient to suggest the subject is osteoporotic. Common OLVF differential diagnoses include X-ray projection artifacts and scoliosis, acquired and developmental short vertebrae, osteoarthritic wedging, oncological deformities, deformity due to high-energy trauma VF, lateral hyperosteogeny of a vertebral body, Cupid's bow, and expansive endplate, among others.

Clinical Features Related to OCT Angiography Artifacts in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema

To investigate the frequency and type of artifacts on OCT angiography (OCTA) images and the relationship with clinical features in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME). Retrospective, cross-sectional comparative study. One hundred ninety-two eyes of 140 patients with DME were included. Medical records, OCT and OCTA images (Spectralis), and ultrawidefield color fundus photographs (Optos plc) were evaluated. The frequency of artifact types (segmentation, motion, projection artifact, and low signal) was determined. The relationships between artifact types and clinical features such as best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), mean central retinal thickness (CRT), foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, perimeter, circularity index, perfusion density (PD), vessel density (VD), fractal dimension (FD) in the superficial capillary plexus, intermediate capillary plexus (ICP), and deep capillary plexus (DCP), flow voids (FVs) in the choriocapillaris, presence of hard exudate (HE), and cataract were determined. The mean age was 71.6 ± 11.4 years, and 86 (61.4%) out of 140 were men. Artifacts were present in 63 (32.8%) of 192 eyes. Twenty-nine (15.1%) eyes had segmentation artifacts, 12 (6.3%) had motion artifacts, 11 (5.7%) had projection artifacts, and 18 (9.4%) had low signal. Best-corrected visual acuity, PD, VD, and FD in ICP and DCP were significantly lower; and CRT, FAZ area and perimeter in ICP and DCP, and presence of cystoid macular edema, HE, and cataract were higher in eyes with artifacts versus eyes without artifacts (P < 0.05 for each). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed a significant association between segmentation artifacts and decreased BCVA (odds ratio [OR],5.277; P= 0.02), increased CRT (OR, 1.015; P < 0.001), increased area of FAZ in DCP (OR, 6.625; P= 0.02), and increased perimeter of FAZ in DCP (OR, 1.775; P < 0.04); there was also a significant association between projection artifacts and presence of HE (OR, 2.017; P= 0.02) and between motion artifacts and presence of cataract (OR, 4.102; P= 0.01). OCT angiography artifacts were present in one third of DME eyes, with segmentation artifacts being the most frequent type. Determining OCTA artifacts is crucial to ensure accurate clinical evaluation. These data could help in developing more standardized clinical protocols for image acquisition and interpretation used in clinical practice and research. Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Requirements Management Methods During Project Implementation in Conditions of Uncertainty

The purpose of the article is to study the issue of application of software requirements management methods during project management under conditions of uncertainty. It has been established that the management of requirements under conditions of uncertainty should be considered as permanent processes of system management of requirements throughout all stages of the project life cycle, which involves activities aimed at maintaining, tracking and checking requirements from the moment of their formation to their implementation and beyond. Based on the results of the research, it was found that the most common requirements management methods are: flexible (Agile) approach; advanced requirements analysis; the "Gradual Disclosure" method; models of iterative and incremental development; the "Minimum Viable Product" method; "Just-in-Time" method etc. It has been established that the use of software requirements management methods becomes especially relevant in conditions of uncertainty, as these methods allow you to effectively deal with dynamic changes and ensure the flexibility of the project. It was found that requirements management should focus on the organization, communication and development of requirements, among which the following can be distinguished: change management, traceability of requirements, communication, version control of requirements documents, etc. It has been investigated that change management involves making corrections to specified requirements during project implementation, as well as assessing the impact of corrections, obtaining permission to modify and update the necessary documents. Traceability, in turn, means defining and maintaining traceable relationships between requirements and other project artifacts, such as project documentation, test cases, and code. Therefore, traceability makes it possible to guarantee that all requirements are taken into account and corrections can be traced throughout the development of the project. At that time, communication facilitates effective communication between project stakeholders regarding the requirement and involves the conversion of updates, resolution of problematic aspects, and facilitating that all members of the working group have a common understanding of the formulated requirements. Also, control over the versions of requirements documents in order to track corrections in time. The obtained results of the conducted research serve as a basis for further research in the part of more effective use of requirements management methods during the implementation of projects in conditions of uncertainty.

Initial training in design of computer programs using UML

Introduction. Design is commonly acknowledged as a key process in the life cycle of computer programs and softwareintensive systems. The process efficaciously reveals creative capabilities of the author programmer and predetermines the basic advantages as well as shortcomings of the resulting program product, service or system. Design automation and other kinds of its support have been emerged simultaneously with onset of the software industry. From the beginning of the century the MDA (Model Driven Architecture) approach grew famous, offering to comprehend a design of a program as a process of sequential transformation of the program’s models, represented in UML or in other languages related to UML. Without becoming dominant, the MDA approach successfully evolves inside of a broader approach called MDE (Model Driven Engineering). Mastering UML and understanding of its role in MDE appears to be a prerequisite for a seamless entering of a professional programmer into domain of engineering of program systems. This provision justifies an increased attention to methods of UML teaching and to peculiarities of UML learning, and, moreover, to the professional education in the area of programs and program systems design technologies. This paper is aimed to draw attentions to challenges of the initial training in UML and tackle the challenges contributing a methodology and tools for sake of fostering the quality of education in program design. Materials and methods. The research is based on the university syllabi, the author’s lecture notes on software engineering, reports on laboratory works and course papers, protocols of experimental and sample runs of the developed programs, scientific publications, including pedagogical and engineering periodicals, conference materials, Internet resources, such as sites of the ACM, the OMG and others. The following research methods were used: system analysis of the own experience in program design as well as experience remarkable in student’s works; theoretical conceptual modelling of the program design including modelling of design scenarios; a trial implementation of the developed algorithms. Research results. A conceptual cognitive model of design as of a process during program development is proposed, highlighting the designer’s behavior when dealing with project artefacts. Feasible scenarios of analytic and advisory intervention into the design process are specified, using the model. A sample architecture of a program tool suitable for such an intervention is proposed as well as algorithms that enable online critical evaluation of the project’s current state, prompting feasible tracks of the project’s evolvement, revealing designer’s ideas and pointing some UML misuse. The algorithms are built in a program tool named Procrust that implements the proposed architecture. Trials of Procrust show that it basically fits to primary training of software design using UML and, in particular, to a training in the MDA/MDE methodology. Conclusion. The research results enable to set up an environment for comfortable and efficient program design using UML due to employing the proposed analytic and advisory support of the design process. Algorithms of the support and supporting program tools are targeted at initial design training on curricula of higher school and secondary vocational education. The algorithms foster in-depth study of UML and acquiring of advanced software design skills.

The OSCAR-MP Consensus Criteria for Quality Assessment of Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a noninvasive high-resolution imaging technique for assessing the retinal vasculature and is increasingly used in various ophthalmologic, neuro-ophthalmologic, and neurologic diseases. To date, there are no validated consensus criteria for quality control (QC) of OCTA. Our study aimed to develop criteria for OCTA quality assessment. To establish criteria through (1) extensive literature review on OCTA artifacts and image quality to generate standardized and easy-to-apply OCTA QC criteria, (2) application of OCTA QC criteria to evaluate interrater agreement, (3) identification of reasons for interrater disagreement, revision of OCTA QC criteria, development of OCTA QC scoring guide and training set, and (4) validation of QC criteria in an international, interdisciplinary multicenter study. We identified 7 major aspects that affect OCTA quality: (O) obvious problems, (S) signal strength, (C) centration, (A) algorithm failure, (R) retinal pathology, (M) motion artifacts, and (P) projection artifacts. Seven independent raters applied the OSCAR-MP criteria to a set of 40 OCTA scans from people with MS, Sjogren syndrome, and uveitis and healthy individuals. The interrater kappa was substantial (κ 0.67). Projection artifacts were the main reason for interrater disagreement. Because artifacts can affect only parts of OCTA images, we agreed that prior definition of a specific region of interest (ROI) is crucial for subsequent OCTA quality assessment. To enhance artifact recognition and interrater agreement on reduced image quality, we designed a scoring guide and OCTA training set. Using these educational tools, 23 raters from 14 different centers reached an almost perfect agreement (κ 0.92) for the rejection of poor-quality OCTA images using the OSCAR-MP criteria. We propose a 3-step approach for standardized quality control: (1) To define a specific ROI, (2) to assess the occurrence of OCTA artifacts according to the OSCAR-MP criteria, and (3) to evaluate OCTA quality based on the occurrence of different artifacts within the ROI. OSCAR-MP OCTA QC criteria achieved high interrater agreement in an international multicenter study and is a promising QC protocol for application in the context of future clinical trials and studies.

Advancing Sustainable-Smart Innovations Through a Transdisciplinary Learning Intervention: Insights From The Quintuple Helix Model

The urgent need to shape the future of societies necessitates complex collaborative partnerships that co-create sustainable solutions. This whilst maintaining a balance between ecological, economic, and sociocultural concerns. The aforementioned creates complexity, calling for a transdisciplinary focus to circumvent the narrow lenses of disciplinary boundaries to develop new systems for educating young professionals. Within this context, we explore how a transdisciplinary learning intervention can result in sustainable-smart innovations that address real-world community challenges. To engage this question, we draw on findings from a longitudinal Design-Based Research (DBR) study that commenced in February 2020. Two iterations of this study have been completed and the third iteration commenced in 2023. Data is drawn from student project artefacts and reflections. This study utilises the potential of transdisciplinary student projects, between urban planning and information system students, and other stakeholders, to develop sustainable-smart innovations. It focuses on community challenges related to SDG 11 as experienced by marginalised township communities in Cape Town, South Africa. The study is founded on key concepts: Education for Sustainable Development, Transdisciplinary, Digital Social Innovations, Society 5.0, and Inclusive collaborative partnerships. These concepts allow the interrogation of the complexities that reside in wicked problems related to the localisation of SDGs. The introduction of the quintuple helix model during the project's third iteration to analyse the wider contribution from different stakeholders and the shift to Mode 3 knowledge application in innovation is of special value. This model lends itself to transdisciplinary methodologies specifically to merge many voices toward sustainable-smart innovations. The co-creation of sustainable-smart innovations involves unifying various stakeholders from academia, industry, government and the community, to jointly develop and implement sustainable and technology-enabled solutions. The contribution of this paper lies in the expansion of discourse on innovations for sustainability through our engagement with the quintuple helix model in a transdisciplinary learning intervention.

Importance of TEM sample thickness for measuring strain fields

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has emerged as a valuable tool for assessing and mapping strain fields within materials. By directly analyzing local atomic spacing variations, TEM enables the precise measurement of local strain with high spatial resolution. However, it is standard practice to use thin specimens in TEM analysis to ensure electron transparency and minimize issues such as projection artifacts and contributions from multiple scattering. This raises an important question regarding the extent of structural modification, such as strain relaxation, induced in thin samples due to the increased surface-to-volume ratio and the thinning process. In this study, we conducted a systematic investigation to quantify the influence of TEM sample thickness on the residual strain field using deformed Fe-based and Zr-based metallic glasses as model systems. The samples were gradually thinned from 300 nm to 70 nm, and the same area was examined using 4D-STEM with identical imaging settings. Our results demonstrate that thinning the sample affects the atomic configuration at both the short-range (SR) and medium-range (MR) scales. Consequently, when the sample is thinned too much, it no longer preserves the native deformation structure. These findings highlight the critical importance of maintaining sufficient TEM sample thickness for obtaining meaningful and accurate strain measurements.

Study of Optic Disc and Macular Vascularity in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Background Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a sight threatening disease. It is the second most common vascular retinal disease after diabetic retinopathy. Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is considered as the most dreadful form, with prevalence of nearly 1 in 1000 in the population aged ≥30 years. Aim of the Work To quantify changes in optic disc and macular vasculature in patients with CRVO using optical coherence tomography angiography. Patients and Methods In our study, we included 20 eyes of twenty patients with treatment naïve cases of CRVO. These cases were selected from the outpatient clinic at Ain shams University Hospital between January 2020 and October 2021. Included subjects were patients diagnosed with CRVO, who received no previous treatment neither by injection nor by laser. Only patients with media opacity that are dense enough to impede sufficient image quality for reliable interpretation were excluded. Results Our study was able to prove the agreement between the quantitative vessel density (VD) measurement in the macula and the current fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) based assessment of macular ischemia. We were able to confirm a deep component to the pathological process in CRVO as proposed by the current literature and be able to assess it simultaneously in relation to the superficial microcirculation using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and FFA. We found the optic disc VD parameters to be a significant indicator of global retina perfusion which could be of value in assessment and follow up of patients especially in the presence of confounding factors for macular VD measurement as extensive edema. We found significant correlation between FAZ size and measured macular vessel density indicating congruity of the two ischemic parameters. Conclusion OCTA is a new modality for retinal imaging, providing a noninvasive alternative for the gold standard FFA. It visualizes microvascular changes in cases of vascular diseases at least with the same sensitivity as FFA. It has the definite advantage of being easily repeated in case of poor quality and patients who needs recurrent follow up imaging. It can be also used in patients who don’t qualify for or with contraindications to FFA. However, OCTA is liable to inaccuracy due to inherent disadvantages as segmentation and projection artifacts.

Signal attenuation-compensated projection-resolved OCT angiography.

Projection artifacts are a significant limitation of optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA). Existing techniques to suppress these artifacts are sensitive to image quality, becoming less reliable on low-quality images. In this study, we propose a novel signal attenuation-compensated projection-resolved OCTA (sacPR-OCTA) algorithm. In addition to removing projection artifacts, our method compensates for shadows beneath large vessels. The proposed sacPR-OCTA algorithm improves vascular continuity, reduces the similarity of vascular patterns in different plexuses, and removes more residual artifacts compared to existing methods. In addition, the sacPR-OCTA algorithm better preserves flow signal in choroidal neovascular lesions and shadow-affected areas. Because sacPR-OCTA processes the data along normalized A-lines, it provides a general solution for removing projection artifacts agnostic to the platform.

Project management methods applied to the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) initial accreditation process

Accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) exemplifies a widely accepted commitment to business school differentiation both in terms of both value and quality. Business schools embarking on the initial accreditation journey must invest significant human and capital resources to achieve this goal. Given this, institutions should employ practices designed to optimize their potential for success. Well-established project management processes can do just that. This paper summarizes the scope of AACSB initial accreditation, reviews applicable project management development approaches, and summarizes the project management methods and artifacts most appropriate for each phase of the accreditation process.

The Seeing Science Project: Using Design-Based Research to Develop a Transformative Experience Intervention.

Drawing on transformative experience theory (Pugh, 2011) and in collaboration with high school science teachers, the authors developed an intervention (Seeing Science project) leveraging everyday mobile technology as a tool for integrating in-school and out-of-school experience. Students were instructed to take pictures when they noticed connections to unit content and post these with a caption on a class site. The current study used design-based research methods to revise and evaluate the Seeing Science project over a 2-year period. Revisions to the project were informed by year one data and principles of the Teaching for Transformative Experiences in Science (TTES) instructional model. Data sources included project artifacts, student interviews, and teacher interviews. Revisions to the project resulted in higher quality posts in pre-AP biology classes and greater participation in regular biology classes. Furthermore, an analysis of posts, classroom observations, and student interviews revealed that the project helped some students connect in-school learning to out-of-school experience and undergo transformative experiences. The current study contributes to transformative experience theory by identifying and developing strategies for fostering transformative experiences. These strategies further inform the TTES model and may support depth of learning and career identification.

Comparison of Six Different Methods for Measuring the Equine Hoof and Recording of its Three-Dimensional Conformation.

Different measuring techniques have been used to objectify the classification of hoof shape. The MicroScribe is a novel tool that might prove useful for measuring hooves without prior reconstruction or compensation of projection artefacts. The aim of this study was to compare biometric data of the equine hoof collected by the MicroScribe tool and measurements collected directly from hooves, scaled photographs and radiographs, from photogrammetry models and computed tomography datasets. The suitability of MicroScribe generated data to differentiate individual hoof conformations was tested. A total of 62 measures were recorded from 16 forehooves. 21 linear and nine angular measures were collected by at least four methods each, and evaluated further by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Ratios and differences of these measures were calculated as suitable for the definition of hoof shapes and analysed as well. Absolute equivalency of methods was detected for five linear and none of the angular measurements. The precision of the tested measurement methods was comparable. In some cases, different methods measure different structures. Radiographs tended to overestimate, while computed tomography slides to underestimate distances. Photogrammetry and scaled photographs were less suitable for measuring hoof angles. The MicroScribe tool can readily be used for hoof measurements. Its values for linear measures showed good equivalency with other methods based on real hooves. For angular measurements, the uneven hoof surface might introduce imprecision. Not all hoof conformations could be detected based on measuring results alone. Diagnosis by a skilled veterinarian is still essential.

Exploring social studies teachers' use of action research to enhance cultural responsiveness

PurposeCulturally responsive teaching is widely recognized as beneficial to students, especially those from historically marginalized communities. The social studies literature includes many studies of what culturally responsive teaching looks like in practice and how it can be taught to pre-service teachers. However, little is known about how in-service social studies teachers advance their knowledge and skills in this area. Studies of professional development (PD) suggest action research is a powerful format for teacher learning, but few closely examine the specific mechanisms through which action research fosters culturally responsive teaching.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative case study of three secondary social studies teachers draws on the following data: two in-depth interviews with each teacher, audio recordings of action research meetings, project artifacts and field notes. Data were analyzed through multiple rounds of inductive and deductive coding using a codebook developed by a diverse group of researchers. The teacher participants reviewed and confirmed the findings.FindingsAll three teachers expanded their use of culturally responsive social studies instruction through systematic inquiry into their own interactions with students. The action research process fostered this growth through the following specific mechanisms: reflecting and reading independently, using data to strengthen relationships and leveraging a structure for addressing race and power in the curriculum.Originality/valueThis study illustrates how teacher action research can foster culturally responsive teaching by allowing educators to self-direct their own critical reflection and data gathering on inequities in their schools. It can also provide a structure for elevating histories that have traditionally been marginalized in standardized curricula.