US Video Research Articles

Explainable tele-ultrasound diagnosis of blast lung injury via incremental multimodal multistage fusion and video transformer

Blast lung injury (BLI) is a significant concern in cases of explosive events and can have severe consequences for victims. The injury is often irreversible, emphasizing the need for early symptom confirmation and intervention. Tele-ultrasound (Tele-US) is a novel approach that enables healthcare professionals to remotely interpret US images and provide diagnostic assessments, which can offer timely and accurate assessments for BLI. In this study, we propose an explainable two-stream tele-US diagnosis method for BLI, which is an incremental multimodal multistage fusion method (IM3S-Fusion). This method is the first deep learning-based diagnosis method for BLI and, specifically, the first exploration of video Transformers in this field. It integrates optical flow into US videos, enhancing model interpretability and improving diagnostic accuracy. By integrating incremental broad learning system (IBLS), IM3S-Fusion can incrementally update its parameters with new samples in a lifelong learning fashion, especially for those misdiagnosed samples. The results show its superiority in diagnosing BLI with (87.50 ± 2.76)%, (89.06 ± 2.71)%, (88.09 ± 5.26)%, (85.71 ± 7.14)% and (88.43 ± 2.24)% in accuracy, recall, precision, specificity and F1-score, respectively. Explanatory assistance including fused US video with optical flow, class activation map videos and confidence scores, is provided for doctors to facilitate their diagnosis.

Lights, Camera, Capital: Analyzing financial tactics in the streaming entertainment landscape

The US video streaming service industry, due to the nature of the service it provides and the everchanging trends in the space, has always been volatile. With numerous competitors present in the space, strategic companies such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Prime Video have become titans in the space. This paper analyses their decisions regarding investments, financing, dividends, and working capital, and the consequent impact on their financial performance. Aggressive pre-pandemic strategies adopted by these companies, such as rampant content acquisition and production led to significant subscriber growth. However, this led to mounting debt and building pressure to sustain the delivery of such hit content. Amidst this landscape, the onset of the pandemic introduced unprecedented variables to the streaming service industry. The global crisis not only disrupted content production but also altered consumer behaviours, leading to platforms being compelled to reassess their financial strategies. Post-pandemic, platforms shifted towards strategic content spending, diversified revenue streams, and tightened working capital management. While subscriber growth slowed, a focus on profitability emerged, reflected in the introduction of dividends and increased cost efficiency. This paper will delve into this dichotomy of the industry before and after this Covid Era.

The sonographer's and pathologist's perspective of echogenic microfoci in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Punctate echogenic foci (PEF)/microcalcifications are thought to represent psammoma bodies (PB) in histopathology. However, there are few and contradictory data on this. Different types of sonographic echogenic microfoci (EMF) are seen in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and their histopathological equivalents are not clearly known. There is also conflicting data on the interobserver agreement between the sonographers on EMF. We prospectively collected US video records of PTC nodules with and without EMF in two large thyroid centers. All video recordings were independently interpreted by three blinded, experienced sonographers. EMF were classified as true microcalcifications (punctate echogenic foci (PEF) ≤1 mm long), linear microechogenities (>1 mm long, posterior acoustic enhancement of the back wall of a microcystic area), comet-tail artifacts/reverberations or linear microechogenities with comet-tail artifacts/reverberations, non-shadowing coarse echogenic foci (>1 mm nonlinear areas) and unclassifiable. Histopathological evaluation was performed by two blinded, qualified pathologists. A total of 114 malignant nodules were included. The average Cohen's kappa (κ) of three sonographers for the EMF presence was 0.775, indicating substantial agreement. A substantial agreement for PEF with 0.658 κ, only fair agreement for other types of EMF with 0.052 to 0.296 κ were detected. EMF were significantly associated with PB and papillae. PEF had an evident relationship with PB in multivariate analysis. There was a strong positive correlation between the amount of PEF and PB (r = 0.634, P < 0.001). PEF in PTC mainly correspond to PB on histopathology. Although observation of EMF varies among sonographers, this inconsistency can be reduced by classifying EMF into subgroups and keeping the term 'PEF' only for true microcalcifications.

Temporal Dispersions of Disgust: Or, Reconceiving Genre Through Direct-to-Video Horror

Many scholars have noted that the US video rental boom of the mid-1980s led to a surge in horror production, yet few acknowledge that these features were not in fact films. Direct-to-video (DTV) horror movies like Breeders–The Sexual Invasion and Video Violence were not made for and never received theatrical release, yet they were repeatedly pilloried as failed films. Dispensing with the preconception that DTV movies would or should follow the same genre norms as films, this essay argues that DTV horror movies demonstrate their creators’ exploration and creation of a new medium. The conventions of 1980s DTV horror are not the same as those of contemporaneous US horror films, and contrasting them shows how genre helped DTV creators develop the automatisms of videotape and how DTV horror can help scholars identify the norms and logic of contemporary on-demand culture.

ОТРАЖЕНИЕ КАРИБСКОГО КРИЗИСА В ВИДЕОИГРАХ: НА ПРИМЕРЕ CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS

The aim of the study is to assess the specifics of the memorial positioning of the Caribbean crisis and the related events in the US video games. The work was carried out on the basis of an appeal to the case of the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops. The research methodology is based on a combination of the descriptive analysis and case studies. The author comes to the conclusion that the Call of Duty: Black Ops memorial mode contextually assumes that the actions of the United States on the eve and during the Caribbean crisis appear rational and morally justified, while the Soviet Union and the Cuban authorities acted as a source of significant risks and threats both to America and to the Cuban people themselves. At the same time, the illegal de facto actions of the US authorities are actually legitimized due to the background narrative, mainly expressed outside the textual form, through the activity approach and the formation of the context of perception. The creators of the game essentially reproduce the memorial narrative that is traditional for describing the Cuban Missile Crisis in American popular culture, which, among other things, involves the legitimization of a number of right-wing political groups from Latin America.

Deep learning fetal ultrasound video model match human observers in biometric measurements

Objective. This work investigates the use of deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) to automatically perform measurements of fetal body parts, including head circumference, biparietal diameter, abdominal circumference and femur length, and to estimate gestational age and fetal weight using fetal ultrasound videos. Approach. We developed a novel multi-task CNN-based spatio-temporal fetal US feature extraction and standard plane detection algorithm (called FUVAI) and evaluated the method on 50 freehand fetal US video scans. We compared FUVAI fetal biometric measurements with measurements made by five experienced sonographers at two time points separated by at least two weeks. Intra- and inter-observer variabilities were estimated. Main results. We found that automated fetal biometric measurements obtained by FUVAI were comparable to the measurements performed by experienced sonographers The observed differences in measurement values were within the range of inter- and intra-observer variability. Moreover, analysis has shown that these differences were not statistically significant when comparing any individual medical expert to our model. Significance. We argue that FUVAI has the potential to assist sonographers who perform fetal biometric measurements in clinical settings by providing them with suggestions regarding the best measuring frames, along with automated measurements. Moreover, FUVAI is able perform these tasks in just a few seconds, which is a huge difference compared to the average of six minutes taken by sonographers. This is significant, given the shortage of medical experts capable of interpreting fetal ultrasound images in numerous countries.

How accessories add value to a platform: the role of innovativeness and nonalignability

PurposeThis study aims to distinguish between the indispensable (software) versus discretionary (accessories) complementary products to a platform. It investigates the impact of accessories on increasing the perceived value and sales of a base platform. In particular, the role of two distinct characteristics of accessories – innovativeness and structural nonalignability – in driving the sales of the base platform.Design/methodology/approachCombining sales data from the US video gaming industry with primary data on the above two aspects of accessories, this study quantifies the effect of accessories portfolio on the sales of three brands of video gaming platforms.FindingsA distinct network externality arises from accessories for video gaming platforms, above and beyond the effects of game titles. Importantly, the average level of innovativeness and nonalignability of the accessories portfolio, as well as the frequency of introduction of highly innovative and/or nonalignable accessories positively impact the sales of the platform.Research limitations/implicationsThis research seeks to address the gap in the innovation literature on the role of discretionary complementary products (i.e. accessories) on platform sales. Future research should examine this in other platform contexts as well.Practical implicationsManagers of platform-mediated products should give due consideration to accessories, as an important driver of the sales of the platforms. Product managers can leverage the advantage of innovative and nonalignable accessories to enhance consumer demand for the platform.Originality/valueThis study is the first to conceptualize and empirically verify the network externality arising from accessories, a heretofore much neglected component of platform-based markets.

Tobacco Imagery in the 20 Best-Selling Video Games of 2018.

Video games are played by the majority of American adolescents. A small body of research has shown that video games expose users to tobacco imagery, potentially influencing subsequent smoking behavior. We examine the presence, type, and quantity of tobacco imagery in recent popular video games. After identifying 20 best-selling US video games of 2018 and selecting each YouTube video of all cut scenes and bridging game play, we coded each video for the presence of five types of tobacco imagery. We also recorded the length of time tobacco content was visible during the video. Seven of the top 20 video games contained tobacco imagery, which comprised between 7 seconds and 38 minutes of game play. All five types of tobacco imagery were accounted for: visible tobacco paraphernalia, tobacco products used to further game play, background characters using tobacco products, and main characters (playable and nonplayble) using tobacco products. Visible tobacco paraphernalia was the most common type of tobacco imagery and included both real and fictionalized tobacco brands that sometimes drew on real cigarette brand imagery. Three games allowed players to control tobacco-using characters. Popular video games continue to expose players to tobacco imagery. Because video games are played repeatedly, the potential exists for adolescents to experience even more tobacco imagery than the baseline exposure established here, further increasing the potential for harm. Existing voluntary and regulatory approaches to policing tobacco content are inadequate; thus, policymakers should consider further interventions to minimize tobacco content in video games. Video games, popular among youth and young adults, are known to contain tobacco imagery. Less is known about the quantity and type of this imagery among recent popular games. We found that 7 of the 20 best-selling video games of 2018 in the United States contained a variety of tobacco imagery and exposed players to as much as 38 minutes of tobacco content. Given the established link between exposure to tobacco marketing in media such as films and subsequent smoking behavior, policies to minimize tobacco imagery in video games that exceed the scant protections offered by the Master Settlement Agreement could help reduce smoking prevalence among youth.

Spatio-temporal visual attention modelling of standard biometry plane-finding navigation.

We present a novel multi-task neural network called Temporal SonoEyeNet (TSEN) with a primary task to describe the visual navigation process of sonographers by learning to generate visual attention maps of ultrasound images around standard biometry planes of the fetal abdomen, head (trans-ventricular plane) and femur. TSEN has three components: a feature extractor, a temporal attention module (TAM), and an auxiliary video classification module (VCM). A soft dynamic time warping (sDTW) loss function is used to improve visual attention modelling. Variants of the model are trained on a dataset of 280 video clips, each containing one of the three biometry planes and lasting 3-7 seconds, with corresponding real-time recorded gaze tracking data of an experienced sonographer. We report the performances of the different variants of TSEN for visual attention prediction at standard biometry plane detection. The best model performance is achieved using bi-directional convolutional long-short term memory (biCLSTM) in both TAM and VCM, and it outperforms a previous spatial model on all static and dynamic saliency metrics. As an auxiliary task to validate the clinical relevance of the visual attention modelling, the predicted visual attention maps were used to guide standard biometry plane detection in consecutive US video frames. All spatio-temporal TSEN models achieve higher scores compared to a spatial-only baseline; the best performing TSEN model achieves F1 scores on these standard biometry planes of 83.7%, 89.9% and 81.1%, respectively.

Bringing Anatomy to Life: Evaluating an Ultrasound Curriculum in Medical Clinical Anatomy

IntroductionUltrasound (US) has become more prevalent across medical specialties and therefore requires training earlier in the undergraduate medical curriculum. Given the difficulty of handling, acquiring and interpreting US, early exposure is imperative. Integrated learning has been shown to be beneficial and has led to integrated curricula in medical schools across the country. Finding the right place to integrate US remains a challenge.AimThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an US curriculum based on students’ perceptions of US, confidence in interpreting and acquiring US images, and performance on US exam questions.MethodsAn US curriculum was developed and incorporated into 1st year medical clinical anatomy at Tufts University School of Medicine. Student participation was voluntary and the study was granted exempt status (IRB 12737). Students completed a validated pre‐survey evaluating their confidence in using and perceptions of US on an 11‐point Likert scale. Students were asked to watch US video primers to prepare for lab. Students rotated through an US station during 5 labs, correlating with 5 different regions during the anatomy course. Students watched US being performed and gained hands on experience acquiring US images. US questions were included on written and practical exams. Students completed a post‐survey evaluating changes in confidence and perceptions of US, and open responses to questions about the quality of the US curriculum. Mean ratings on pre‐ and post‐ surveys were compared using a Mann‐Whitney U test. Performance on US based exam questions were expressed as percent correct. Narrative responses were coded by two independent evaluators and qualitative analysis was done using NVivo software to identify common themes across students’ responses.Results211 students completed the US curriculum. 93% of students had no prior exposure to US. Students reported significantly higher mean confidence ratings on understanding US, ability to operate US, obtain US images, recognize artifacts, and interpret normal anatomy images (p&lt;0.0001) after completing the US curriculum. Students also reported that US reinforced anatomy concepts and clinical correlates (9.56, ± 0.97 SD; 9.60, ± 1.05). Students disagreed with items stating learning US is too difficult for a student (1.2, ± 2.2 SD) and that it interfered with learning anatomy (0.68, ± 1.7 SD). The average percent correct on US questions for each exam was 94.2 (Back/Lower Extremity), 91.6 (Upper Extremity/Thorax), 80.6 (Abdomen/Pelvis), and 96.7 (Head/Neck). Qualitative analysis of narrative survey responses identified seven major themes and additional subthemes (see figure ).ConclusionsLimited integration of US has proven to bolster students’ perceptions of bedside US and has given them confidence in image acquisition. Students scored well above passing rate on US knowledge questions, supporting confidence and perceptions data. Qualitative and quantitative analyses found that anatomy is a good setting to teach US, and anatomy concepts and clinical applications of US reinforce each other through the combined curriculum. There is strong desire from students for more US training.Support or Funding InformationFunded by TUSM Innovations in Education GrantThe seven themes and subthemes identified from thematic analysis of first‐year students' narrative comments on the effectiveness of the US curriculum.Figure 1

Video Game Habits &amp;amp; COVID-19

By mid-March 2020 and like most companies in the US, big and small video game developers had started implementing work-from-home policies to ensure the safety of its employees. Ad-hoc policies to take hardware assets out of the office, guidelines to maintain communication between teams or strategies to manage personal stress were not enough to avoid product delays of highly anticipated releases such as Final Fantasy XV, Cyberpunk 2077 or the second installment of The Last of Us. Cancelled staple events like E3 2020 or the Mobile World Congress and fully online esports events added to the disruption, but not all was bad news for developers and distributors. Quarterly sales of video games soared and set records in all platforms. In addition, gaming communities around the world were exposed to school closures, remote work, furloughs, layoffs, and lockdown. What were the direct implications and general impact on gamers? How did their habits change?In this paper, we conduct a survey directed at gamers of different demographics and we examine their shift in motivations and in how they are approaching gaming differently—or similarly—as a result of the pandemic.

The Downside of Social Capital in New Industry Creation

abstractIn this article we develop and test the hypothesis that social capital, defined as a regional characteristic, discourages entrepreneurship in a new and contested industry. The argument follows the logic that high levels of social capital reinforce conformity in values and ideas, and inhibit deviant entrepreneurial activity. Once an industry becomes more legitimized—as a result of an increase in the number of firms present in a region—social capital becomes less restrictive on entrepreneurship and can even have a positive effect on the subsequent number of firms founded in a region. We find evidence for our thesis using data on 1,684 firm entries in the US video game industry for the period 1972–2007.

The superiority of point of care ultrasound in localizing central venous line tip position over time.

The primary objective was to study agreement between X-rays and point of care ultrasound (POC-US) in determining central venous line (CVL) tip position. The secondary objective was to examine malposition rates over time using POC-US. Fifty-six neonates were enrolled who had a CVL placed. Initial X-rays and POC-US were obtained. POC-US was performed daily thereafter for the total of 6days. US video clips were acquired in four standard echocardiographic views: subcostal, four-chamber, and short- and long-axis parasternal views. Gwet's agreement coefficient (AC1) for agreement measured inter-rater reliability of X-rays and POC-US (correct position/malposition). A generalized linear mixed model for binary clustered data estimated malposition rate over time. All analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4 and Agree Stat. The study included 108 "pairs" of X-rays and POC-US images. Agreement coefficient (AC1), with respect to correct position/malposition of CVL tip, was high AC1 = 0.872 (UVC-AC1 = 0.814, PICC-AC1 = 0.94). Among birth weight (BW) < 1000g, 1000-1499g, and BW > 1500g, AC1 values were 0.922, 0.774, and 0.873, respectively. CVL tip malposition rate decreased over time.Conclusions: Agreement between POC-US and X-rays for CVL tip position was high, with the highest in BW < 1000g. The data suggest that POC-US can be used for initial confirmation and follow up of CVL tip position. What is Known • X-ray is currently the gold standard for localizing central venous line (CVL) tip position. • Malposition of CVL tip can lead to life-threatening complications. What is New • POC-US is superior to X-ray as it can follow CVL tip position over time, detecting malpositioned lines, adjusting them in a timely manner thus preventing complications. • Standardizing CVL placement, X-ray acquisition, POC-US acquisition with four views with video clips and ultrasound operator training increases accuracy and thus agreement between X-ray and POC-US. • UVC tip is more likely to be malpositoned than PICC tip. Malposition of UVC tip using POC-US decreased over time due to shrinking of the umbilical cord in the first 48 of life.

Follow the Crowd or Follow the Trailblazer? The Differential Role of Firm Experience in Product Entry Decisions in the US Video Game Industry

AbstractFirms take cues from their external environment under uncertainty and imitate the actions of others. However, a firm’s own experience may either substitute for these external clues because the firm can evaluate uncertain situations more accurately, or it may complement them because the firm can act more successfully on the external cues. We argue that the type of external cues determines which of the two holds in the context of product entry decisions into market niches. If firms observe a large wave of entrants, own experience conveys more information than the imprecise signal of a mass of other firms. Conversely, if firms observe trailblazers, i.e., highly successful and influential products in a niche, own experience can help firms develop a strategy as a fast follower in a growing niche. We expect the supporting role of own experience in following trailblazers to be especially pronounced in niches that have not been discovered by a large mass of other firms. We study and test our hypotheses in the context of the US PC video game industry between 1991 and 2010 and find support for both the substitutive relationship between own experience and niche popularity and the complementary relationship of own experience and niche trailblazers. However, support for the complementary relationship is limited to less populated niches.

User-Generated Captions: From Hackers, to the Disability Digerati, to Fansubbers

User-Generated Captions: From Hackers, to the Disability Digerati, to Fansubbers

IS THERE MORE OR LESS COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN SYSTEMS WHEN CONSUMERS ARE KEENER ON A RIVAL SYSTEM’S SOFTWARE?

A greater level of keenness on a rival system’s software intuitively motivates system manufacturers to raise their degrees of compatibility in order to capture more profit from selling software to rival system users. After constructing a game-theoretic model to investigate system manufacturers’ partial compatibility decisions, this paper surprisingly finds that when consumers are keener on a rival system’s software, hardware price competition is relaxed and system manufacturers reduce the degrees of compatibility. This paper also presents the following three results. First, partial compatibility occurs when the expenditure on system goods is relatively low. Second, the optimal degree of compatibility increases in the expenditure on system goods and decreases in hardware production cost. Third, system manufactures suffer losses on selling hardware when keenness on a rival system’s software is relatively low. According to Lee (2013), this result provides a theoretical interpretation of the phenomenon that platform providers often sell hardware platforms close or below cost in the US video game industry [Lee, R (2013). Vertical integration and exclusively platform and two-sided markets. American Economic Review, 103, 2960–3000].

"미국 기록영화와 한국전쟁 ― 미 육군통신대 영상을 중심으로 ―"

"미국 기록영화와 한국전쟁 ― 미 육군통신대 영상을 중심으로 ―"

A genosonic analysis of ISIL and US counter-extremism video messages

Analyses of extremist video messages typically focus on their discursive content. Using the case of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), this study instead draws upon the emerging subfield of genosonic analysis to understand the allure of extremist videos, as well as the ineffectiveness of US video messages designed to ‘counter violent extremism’ (CVE). Through a genosonic analysis of three high-profile ISIL videos and five popular US State Department CVE videos, the study advances two concepts – sonorous communality and sonic unmaking – to help explain ISIL’s appeal. The lack of equivalent dimensions in US CVE videos renders them sonically sterile in comparison to those of ISIL. The implications of this analysis for scholarship and practice conducted at the intersection of media, war and conflict are discussed.

Funny, scary, dead

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine negative depictions of male homosexuality in US print and video advertising during the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It answers three research questions: What sorts of negative depictions of homosexuality are presented? How, if at all, have pejorative depictions of gay men evolved in the past 100 years? and Why have they changed? Design/methodology/approach The authors specify eight depictions of negative imagery in advertising and, using content analysis, assess 88 print and video advertisements featuring 133 depictions culled from a large sample. Findings Analysis reveals that, once rare, there has been a rapid expansion of negative gay imagery in advertisements beginning in 2000, even as gays are gain increasing acceptance and visibility. Typical advertisement depictions have evolved from men dressed as woman early in the twentieth century to men reacting with fear, revulsion or even violence to concerns that they might be gay or be subject to homosexual advances. Research limitations/implications Given the paucity of available imagery, data collection was opportunistic and resulted in a relatively small sample. Practical implications Practitioners can benefit from explication of how various audiences can view certain advertisement depictions of gay men as insulting or threatening. They can then become more attuned to the impact of negative minority depictions in general. Social implications Society can benefit from heightened awareness of the impact imagery can have on minority or marginalized groups. Results further illustrate society’s evolving and ambivalent views on homosexuality, the visibility of gay imagery in media in general and changing notions of manhood and masculinity. Originality/value The authors are aware of no other study that specifically categorizes and assesses negative depictions of gay advertisement imagery.

Platform Architecture, Multihoming and Complement Quality: Evidence from the U.S. Video Game Industry

Multihoming – the decision to design a complement to operate on multiple platforms – is becoming increasingly common in many platform markets. Perceived wisdom suggests that multihoming is beneficial for complement providers as they expand their market reach, but it reduces differentiation among competing platforms as the same complements become available on different platforms. In a study of the US video game industry, we find that multihoming is not as simple as commonly assumed and that platforms, i.e. game consoles, differ in their attractiveness for multihoming complements, i.e. games. Specifically, we find that the complexity of a console reduces the quality performance of multihoming games so that the same game receives a lower quality score on a more complex platform than on a less complex one. However, games that are released on the complex platform with a delay or developed and marketed by a vertically integrated firm suffer a smaller drop in quality on complex platforms, while the use of standardized technological tools – middleware – does not help to attenuate the performance drop on complex platforms. This has important implications for managers considering expanding their reach through multihoming.