vessel extraction is a critical task in clinical practice. in this paper, we propose a new approach for vessel extraction using an active contour model by defining a novel vesselness‑based term, based on accurate analysis of the vessel structure in the image. to achieve the novel term, a simple and fast directional filter bank is proposed, which does not employ down sampling and resampling used...

The World-Wide Web has the potential to support education through access to extensive and encyclopedic materials. The materials must be tailored and contextualized to promote the instructional goals. To provide this contextualization, we have applied the concept of a guided path, an ordered list of pages independent of the existing Web structure. Besides creating the structure, a teacher may an...

Why do people self-report an aversion to words like "moist"? The present studies represent an initial scientific exploration into the phenomenon of word aversion by investigating its prevalence and cause. Results of five experiments indicate that about 10-20% of the population is averse to the word "moist." This population often speculates that phonological properties of the word are the cause ...

BACKGROUND Research knowledge is commonly facilitated at conferences via oral presentations, poster presentations and workshops. Current literature exploring the efficacy of academic posters is however limited. The purpose of this initial study was to explore the perceptions of academic poster presentation, together with its benefits and limitations as an effective mechanism for academic knowle...

PURPOSE To examine the effectiveness of guided imagery for immediate smoking cessation and long-term abstinence in adult smokers. DESIGN A repeated measures design was used with 71 smokers recruited from a hospital outpatient clinic, 38 in the intervention group, and 33 in the control group. METHODS Both study groups received educational and counseling sessions in their homes. The intervent...

OBJECTIVE To demonstrate a comprehensive review of published articles regarding endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage. MATERIALS AND METHODS Review of studies regarding EUS-guided biliary drainage including case reports, case series and previous reviews. RESULTS EUS-guided hepaticogastrostomy, coledochoduodenostomy and choledoantrostomy are advanced biliary and pancreatic endo...

PURPOSE To propose a simulation-based ultrasound-guided central venous cannulation skills' training program, during residency. METHODS This study describes the strategies for learning the ultrasound-guided central venous cannulation on low-fidelity bench models. The preparation of bench models, educational goals, processes of skill acquisition, feedback and evaluation methods were also outlin...