Global census of the significance of giant mesopelagic protists to the marine carbon and silicon cycles.

Thriving in both epipelagic and mesopelagic layers, Rhizaria are biomineralizing protists, mixotrophs or flux-feeders, often reaching gigantic sizes. In situ imaging showed their contribution to oceanic carbon stock, but left their contribution to element cycling unquantified. Here, we compile a global dataset of 167,551 Underwater Vision Profiler 5 Rhizaria images, and apply machine learning models to predict their organic carbon and biogenic silica biomasses in the uppermost 1000 m.

A GIS-based multicriteria evaluation for aiding risk management Pinus pinaster Ait. forests: a case study in Corsican Island, western Mediterranean Region.

Forest management can benefit from decision support tools, including GIS-based multicriteria decision-aiding approach. In the Mediterranean region, Pinus pinaster forests play a very important role in biodiversity conservation and offer many socioeconomic benefits. However, the conservation of this species is affected by the increase in forest fires and the expansion of Matsucoccus feytaudi.

The use of virtual reality simulation of head trauma in a surgical boot camp.

Surgical "boot camps" provide excellent opportunities to enhance orientation, learning, and preparation of new surgery interns as they enter the clinical arena. This paper describes the utilization of an interactive virtual reality (VR) simulation and associated virtual patient (VP) as an additional tool for surgical boot camps. Complementing other forms of simulation, virtual patients (VPs) require less specialized equipment and can also provide a wide variety of medical scenarios.

Transforming an educational virtual reality simulation into a work of fine art.

This paper outlines user interface and interaction issues, technical considerations, and problems encountered in transforming an educational VR simulation of a reified kidney nephron into an interactive artwork appropriate for a fine arts museum.

Flatland sound services design supports virtual medical training simulations.

This paper describes the evolution of the design of Flatland Sound Service (FSS), a sound system for virtual reality required to support Project TOUCH (Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health), a multi-year collaboration between the Schools of Medicine at the state Universities of Hawaii and of New Mexico. Two virtual sonic environments specific case scenarios, a neurological trauma (Toma) and a virtual kidney nephron (Nephron), were developed using integrated services provided by FSS. Flatland is an open source visualization and virtual reality application development tool created at the University of New Mexico.

Algorithmically generated music enhances VR nephron simulation.

While sonification has enjoyed much attention in VR simulation studies, music has generally been incorporated as ambiance. This is partially due to difficulties with manipulating it interactively in real-time while maintaining a sensible musicality. This paper discusses how algorithmically generated music is used to provide ambiance, characterize the visual representation of molecular particle flow, provide orientation cues to the user, and enhance recognition of chemical gradient balances in a reified model of the kidney nephron.

Virtual reality training improves students' knowledge structures of medical concepts.

Virtual environments can provide training that is difficult to achieve under normal circumstances. Medical students can work on high-risk cases in a realistic, time-critical environment, where students practice skills in a cognitively demanding and emotionally compelling situation. Research from cognitive science has shown that as students acquire domain expertise, their semantic organization of core domain concepts become more similar to those of an expert's.