Search Results (289)

Commercial video games represent cities through navigable images, maps, and rule systems, but evidence remains limited on how geography teaching can turn these representations into subject-specific model critique. This article reports a multiphase exploratory mixed-methods case study in one upper-secondary geography course in Germany. A preparatory think-aloud analysis with five geography teachers and geography -education experts informed a six-lesson sequence using Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour and SimCity BuildIt. Classroom evidence comprised matched self-assessment items and criterion-scored open pre-/post-test tasks (n = 16), classroom artefacts, and one recorded student reflection. Mean criterion scores increased from 11.63 to 15.78 out of 70; gains clustered in tasks requiring model application, comparison, adaptation, and critique, while absolute achievement remained low, formal definitions did not improve, and individual trajectories were heterogeneous. The design cannot isolate a game effect, validate a causal mechanism, or establish retention. Instead, the integrated evidence is consistent with a tentative representation–action–reflection conjecture: game representations may support recognition, mechanics can make selected model assumptions actionable, and structured comparison and debriefing can make those assumptions available for critique. This study conceptualizes commercial games as playable spatial models and proposes seven empirically informed, testable design principles for geography teaching and future design-based research. Full article

Over the past 40 years, thoracic ultrasound (TUS) has relied predominantly on the analysis of artefacts generated by the marked acoustic impedance mismatch between the chest wall and pulmonary air. However, ambiguous terminology has often conflated distinct physical phenomena, compromising their diagnostic utility. This review explores the physical basis underlying the genesis of vertical artefacts (B-lines), starting from the theory of ultrasound propagation in aerated parenchyma. The first comprehensive description of vertical artefacts in pulmonary pathology, termed “radiating streaks”, dates back to 1986. Furthermore, a strict distinction is emphasised between pure, rapidly decaying reverberation phenomena (comet-tail) and resonance phenomena (ring-down or B-lines). By analysing different scenarios, we demonstrate that semantic confusion, combined with an alphabetical nomenclature, has led to an overestimation of the diagnostic potential of TUS artefacts. Although B-lines represent physical artefacts rather than direct anatomical images, they retain valuable clinical utility. For instance, they serve as a rapid screening and diagnostic triage tool in emergency settings, raising the suspicion of underlying pulmonary pathologies (e.g., acute pulmonary oedema, pulmonary fibrosis, or ARDS). “B-lines” on TUS are the manifestation of acoustic phenomena (artefacts) that are also present in the residual cavity of patients who have undergone pneumonectomy, as well as in the abdominal region. These artefacts depend primarily on the soft tissue/air–fluid interface—as demonstrated by the absence of vertical artefacts during intraoperative ultrasound—and not on any actual interstitial anatomical alteration. By analysing different scenarios, this review criticises the overestimation of the diagnostic potential of TUS artefacts. We must move beyond the semi-quantitative counting of these artefacts in favour of an integrated interpretation that acknowledges the physical limitations of the method, thereby avoiding the transformation of a simple TUS software error into a specific pathological measurement. Full article

Background: Endovascular exclusion of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs) with long covered stent-grafts is valuable for patients unfit for open surgery but is undermined by late stent thrombosis, even in fully scaffolded segments without kinking, a failure best clarified by computational fluid dynamics (CFD), which requires anatomically accurate 3D models—difficult to obtain in the mobile knee. Methods: In this prospective, single-centre study, consecutive patients undergoing endovascular PAA repair over 24 months (≥20 patients) underwent CT angiography in three knee positions (full extension, 45° and 90° flexion). Every treated limb was included, with limb as the unit of analysis. Images undergo a geometric pipeline: segmentation in 3D Slicer, then refinement in MeshLab, Meshmixer and VMTK. Meshes are converted to hexahedral volumes (ANSA Cadense) and simulated under pulsatile flow (ANSYS Fluent). Primary endpoints are time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS), oscillatory shear index (OSI) and relative residence time (RRT) over the stented segment, plus the surface proportion meeting thrombogenic criteria; positions are compared via linear mixed-effects models with limb nested within patient. Results: The protocol reproducibly yields watertight, artefact-free models preserving physiological morphology and supporting TAWSS, OSI and RRT quantification across knee positions. Conclusions: This protocol standardizes generation of CFD-ready popliteal geometries, enabling positional analysis of stent thrombosis. Full article

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) enables compact hydraulic manifolds with curved internal channels, reduced part count and integrated functionality. However, these benefits also create major inspection challenges, especially in thick metallic sections containing closely spaced and intersecting passages. This study examines the practical use of X-ray computed tomography (CT) for an industrial hydraulic manifold manufactured from maraging steel MS1 by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Selected cross-sections from the reconstructed CT volume were compared with the nominal computer-aided design (CAD) geometry and evaluated using a qualitative interpretability classification supported by comparative image contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) analysis and approximate projected steel thicknesses. Clearly interpretable regions showed higher and more consistent CNR, whereas geometrically congested regions generally exhibited lower and more variable local contrast. However, projected material thickness alone did not determine interpretability, indicating an additional influence of geometric overlap, orientation and reconstruction artefacts. Particular attention was given to a channel wall adjacent to a locally collapsed external support structure. No spatially persistent through-wall discontinuity was identified, although smaller defects, local wall thinning and metallurgical changes could not be excluded. A pneumatic immersion test at 0.8 MPa showed no visible bubble formation or observable pressure decrease. This pressure exceeded the expected operating pressure of the affected relief or tank channel but was substantially below the 35 MPa maximum intended pressure of the pressure-side circuits and therefore did not constitute structural qualification. The study demonstrates that whole-component CT can provide useful local inspection information for complex LPBF manifolds, but its reliability depends strongly on local geometry and acquisition conditions. Quantitative image assessment and complementary functional testing may therefore be required when CT results are insufficient for complete qualification. Full article

This article offers a thematic classification of traditions attributed to the Companions (ṣaḥāba), the Successors (tābiʿūn), and early Islamic scholars and rulers concerning ring engravings, situating these inscriptions within the framework of aniconism in early Islamic culture. It should be stressed at the outset that the evidence examined here consists of later hadith compilations and ṭabaqāt (biographical) works rather than dated artefacts; the study therefore analyses how the Companions, Successors, and early authorities were remembered and portrayed within a textual tradition committed to writing in subsequent generations, not the objective material history of the earliest Muslim community. The study argues that such engravings were not merely expressions of individual preference, but rather constituted a cultural practice shaped by the aesthetic constraints generated by hadith literature’s cautious stance toward figural representation, a practice that became a shared, collective idiom. The inscriptions are examined under four thematic headings: religious expressions, reminders of death and the transience of worldly life, inscriptions conveying identity and moral counsel, and figural symbols. The expressions and symbols found on rings are then subjected to a sociological reading drawing on the concepts of collective memory, symbolic capital, and productive constraint, within the paradigm of material religion. The findings indicate that figural motifs were at least partially present in the early period, and that written inscriptions subsequently came to occupy a dominant position. This transformation demonstrates that the aniconism in hadith did not merely suppress visual imagery, but functioned as the generative force behind a distinctive symbolic idiom centered on the letter and the word. Furthermore, drawing on Birgit Meyer’s notion of sensational forms, it argues that the ring bound the sacred to sensory experience through legally regulated matter: the prophetic preference for silver over gold, copper, and iron; the Abyssinian stone; the turning of the bezel toward the palm; and the pressure of the seal into clay. Aniconism thus operated not only as a rule about images but as a regime governing the material, tactile, and even olfactory life of a wearable object. While scholarship on Islamic aniconism has focused primarily on monumental art, architecture, and manuscript illustration, this study redirects attention to ring inscriptions as an underexplored domain of material culture, showing that ring inscriptions, though largely overlooked, are informative witnesses to Islamic culture and theology at the most intimate scale of everyday devotional and political life. Full article

This study presents the technical–scientific investigation of a polychrome wooden sculpture attributed to Neroccio di Bartolomeo de’ Landi (1447–1500), a key figure in fifteenth-century Sienese art whose sculptural practice has remained analytically undocumented. The unpublished sculpture, likely representing Saint Ansanus and originally created in the 1470s, was historically reinterpreted as Saint Lazarus following its relocation to the former Hospital of San Lazzaro in Siena (Italy). A multi-analytical diagnostic campaign was undertaken to clarify its complex stratigraphy, guide conservation decisions, and reconstruct the artist’s original materials and techniques. The study integrated multispectral imaging, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, portable ED-XRF, mechanical stratigraphic assays, and cross-section microscopy, enabling a comprehensive reconstruction of both the original polychromy and subsequent repainting campaigns. Results revealed area-specific original paint systems, including a possible organic red lake on an alumina substrate, stable copper-based blue paint layers, and a sophisticated flesh-tone stratigraphy combining cinnabar-modulated “imprimitura” layers with lead-white-based upper tones. The analytical evidence also documented the material traces of the sculpture’s iconographic recontextualization and its post-industrial interventions, firmly dated by the presence of titanium dioxide associated with an iron-based blue compatible with Prussian blue. The conservation treatment, informed by stratigraphic and analytical data, enabled the selective removal of non-original layers while preserving historically significant early reworkings. The findings provide the earliest material characterisation of Neroccio’s polychrome technique, offering new insight into his workshop practice and laying the foundation for future comparative studies across media. More broadly, the study contributes to the technical literature on Italian Renaissance polychrome sculpture and demonstrates the interpretive value of integrated scientific methods in reconstructing the cultural biography of multilayered devotional artefacts. Full article

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) has evolved from a niche research sequence into an increasingly valuable adjunct to conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in musculoskeletal (MSK) radiology. By providing qualitative and quantitative information on tissue microstructure through assessment of water diffusion and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping, DWI offers functional insights beyond conventional morphological imaging. We aim to present the current evidence for DWI in MSK imaging organised around established applications and emerging applications, with particular emphasis on composition-related interpretive pitfalls relevant to differentiating tumours and other pathologies, and to review the technique’s evolving role in routine practice. This narrative review synthesises the current literature on the clinical utility of DWI in MSK imaging. It is structured in four parts: foundations and the tissue composition signal framework, including the basis of qualitative and quantitative assessment; established applications; emerging applications; and assessment of tissue composition-related interpretive as well as technical pitfalls, including those arising due to myxoid matrix, chondroid matrix, blood degradation products, organising thrombus, crystalline or mineralised material, keratinaceous debris, purulent content, cellular haematopoietic marrow, by using original cases from the authors’ institution, which have been confirmed either histologically or surgically. Applications are stratified by strength of evidence. Established applications of DWI include soft tissue abscess detection, differentiation of malignant from benign soft tissue tumours, differentiation of malignant from benign vertebral compression fractures, and myeloma staging and response assessment, as well as treatment response in soft tissue and bone sarcomas. Whole-body MRI with DWI for staging and response assessment in multiple myeloma is guideline-endorsed and supported by prospective multicentre data. Soft tissue abscess detection, soft tissue and bone tumour characterisation, and characterisation of vertebral compression fractures are supported by consistent evidence from multiple independent cohorts, although no universally transferable ADC threshold exists. The emerging applications, which are promising adjuncts supported by small, single-centre or heterogeneous studies with thresholds that have not been externally validated, include ADC ghost sign in osteomyelitis (high specificity but sensitivity of only 20%), peripheral nerve sheath tumour characterisation and surveillance in NF1 patients, peripheral neuropathy and plexopathy, predisposing conditions such as Li Fraumeni syndrome in paediatric cancers, inflammatory myopathy, and postsurgical assessment of residual disease, as well as opportunistic detection of venous thrombosis. Radiomics and machine learning approaches remain experimental. Recent technical advances, including reduced field-of-view imaging, multi-shot acquisition and improved fat suppression, have mitigated but not eliminated historical limitations of susceptibility artefacts and limited spatial resolution. DWI has become an important functional imaging technique that complements conventional MRI across a broad range of musculoskeletal disorders. Understanding the relationship between tissue composition and the diffusion signal is central to both interpreting DWI correctly and avoiding its characteristic pitfalls. DWI is best regarded not as a stand-alone technique but as one component of a multiparametric assessment, in which its functional information is integrated with conventional morphological imaging. Ongoing technical improvement and expanding clinical evidence are expected to further support its integration into routine MSK imaging and its development as a quantitative biomarker for diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment monitoring. Full article

Accurate crop type mapping in Sub-Saharan Africa is a challenging task, due to the presence of smallholder farming systems characterized by fragmented landscapes and heterogeneous cropping practices. Persistent cloud cover, particularly significant during the cropping season, systematically limits the exploitation of optical satellite image time series, making things even harder. This study proposes MSF-Net (Multimodal Sentinel Fusion Network), a convolutional neural network-based late-fusion framework that combines Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar and Sentinel-2 multispectral time series for multi-class crop classification in the complex agricultural landscapes of central and northern Benin. The model was evaluated across six sites and three growing seasons (2022–2024) covering 12 land cover classes and compared with a Sentinel-2-only Temporal Convolutional Neural Network (TempCNN), a SAR-only baseline (S1-Branch), an ablated version of the proposed method, and two external state-of-the-art multimodal architectures, TSViT and TWINNS. MSF-Net achieved the highest or joint-highest overall accuracy in 10 of 14 site–year configurations, with overall accuracy ranging from 82.61% to 91.15% and kappa coefficients from 0.79 to 0.89, consistently outperforming both external baselines across all site–year configurations. The largest gains over TempCNN reached up to 30 percentage points for spectrally ambiguous classes such as Shrubby Savannah, Cotton, and Open Forest. In addition, MSF-Net produced more spatially coherent maps, with reduced salt-and-pepper noise, improved parcel-level homogeneity, and fewer modality-specific artefacts. These results demonstrate the value of SAR-optical fusion for operational crop monitoring in tropical West Africa. Full article

Calibration is a critical step in image-based dimensional metrology because the calibration coefficient directly determines the conversion between image pixels and physical dimensions. While numerous artefact models are available for optical microscopes, the influence of calibration artefact geometry on measurement performance has not been sufficiently investigated. This study evaluates the effect of linear and circular calibration artefacts on the calibration and verification of a pixel-based optical measuring microscope. Calibration coefficients were determined using linear and circular artefacts with nominal dimensions of 1.000 mm, 0.500/0.508 mm, and 0.200 mm at four objective magnifications (1×–4×). The calibrated microscope was subsequently verified using independent Grade 1 ceramic gauge blocks with nominal dimensions of 1.00504 mm, 1.29999 mm, and 1.50007 mm. Statistical evaluation was performed using Kruskal–Wallis testing, Dunn–Šidák post hoc analysis, effect size assessment, and measurement uncertainty analysis. The results demonstrated that calibration artefact geometry influences the obtained calibration coefficients and can produce statistically significant differences in dimensional measurements. However, uncertainty analysis revealed that the dominant contribution to the uncertainty budget originated from the microscope maximum permissible error, whereas the contribution of calibration artefact geometry remained comparatively small. All verification measurements remained within the declared metrological performance of the microscope. For the investigated microscope and experimental conditions, both calibration target geometries provided satisfactory calibration performance for the investigated microscope and measurement conditions. Full article

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly applied in medical image analysis, although its application in forensic pathology remains limited. The assessment of ligature marks in hanging deaths is challenging and relies on forensic expertise. This pilot study evaluated a deep learning approach for morphological classification of hanging-related ligature marks. Methods: A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was trained on a dataset of 404 standardized JPEG images obtained from forensic medicine atlases and classified into hanging-related ligature marks and non-hanging lesions, including strangulation and post-mortem artefacts. Following internal validation, the model was tested on an independent set of forensic case images provided by forensic pathology experts from Messina, Italy, and Vilnius, Lithuania. Images were annotated and reviewed by a team of two forensic pathologists, with final labels assigned by consensus using morphological criteria. Results: The CNN demonstrated encouraging classification performance with an F1-score of 0.81 ± 0.04, distinguishing hanging-related ligature marks from morphologically similar lesions. The methodological framework and image standardization criteria for AI-assisted forensic analysis were also established. Conclusions: AI-based image analysis may support the evaluation of ligature marks during external examinations. Nevertheless, forensic diagnosis requires the integration of autopsy findings, physical examination, and circumstantial evidence. Larger datasets and multicenter protocols are needed to further assess reliability and applicability. Full article

The article begins with a detailed description of a brief and rare film clip of Indian dancer Ram Gopal applying his black kājal eyeliner in front of the mirror in his dressing room before a performance, giving us an intimate glimpse into a dancer’s essential and careful preparation. Material objects related to dance performance such as make-up, mirrors and costumes are often essential to the presentation of Indian dance, especially in that historical period, but are often overlooked as significant artefacts or objects of dance. In considering this short clip of preparatory make-up, I argue how the materiality of cosmetic stage make-up together with dramatic stage costumes (in particular headdresses) and other material objects assist the process of alteration from dancer into a Hindu deity (Śiva) or mythological character on stage. I examine the process of making up, asking how it might manipulate what comes to be seen on stage and what affect is created through such a process. This article takes an imaginative look at the affective register of selected dance objects and their power to create transformation, drawing on theoretical evidence from philosophy and psychology relating to mirror image and the aesthetics of making up and the use of mirrors in early Indian art. Full article

Four-dimensional (4D) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance assesses advanced haemodynamic parameters like kinetic energy (KE), vorticity, and viscous energy loss (vEL). However, gradient-based metrics (vorticity, vEL) are highly sensitive to partial volume effects near the fluid–tissue boundary. This study investigated the impact of systematic contour boundary offsets on these parameters to standardise analysis. Five cases underwent 4D flow imaging. Deep learning-derived automated segmentations of the cardiac chambers were generated. Haemodynamics were analysed using three contouring methods: the baseline mask, a one-voxel inward offset, and a two-voxel inward offset. KE, vorticity, and vEL decreased progressively with larger offsets. KE declined modestly with erosion (by approximately 18% and 35% at one- and two-voxel offsets, respectively), a reduction commensurate with the loss of integration volume rather than the removal of boundary artefacts. By contrast, the gradient-based metrics were disproportionately sensitive to boundary proximity. In the left ventricle, mean full-cycle vorticity decreased from 249.6 ± 79.9 s⁻¹ (baseline) to 157.0 ± 60.4 s⁻¹ (two-voxel offset; Hedges’ g 2.11), whilst vEL decreased from 549.4 ± 303.0 µW to 351.3 ± 230.0 µW (Hedges’ g 2.00). A one-voxel inward offset optimally reduces boundary noise for sensitive gradient-based parameters. While KE analysis remains satisfactory using unmodified baseline contours, we recommend the uniform application of a one-voxel offset across all parameters to ensure methodological simplicity and pipeline standardisation. Full article

Underwater images exhibit severe colour distortion, low contrast, and blurred details due to light absorption and scattering, which limits their practical use in marine applications. Existing methods face poor generalisation, high computational costs and weak integration of physical priors. To address these issues, this paper proposes TIDE-Net, a triple-branch illumination and detail enhancement network for underwater images. It decomposed inputs into illumination, reflectance intensity, and chromaticity branches for parallel optimisation, enabling decoupled handling of brightness, texture, and colour degradation. A piecewise colour correction module mitigated complex colour casts without introducing artefacts; a lightweight U-Net branch enhanced fine details while suppressing noise; and a local gain compensation module improved brightness uniformity and reduced halo effects. Experiments on four datasets showed that TIDE-Net outperforms some state-of-the-art methods, achieving a PSNR of 29.44 dB, an SSIM of 0.94, and competitive UIQM/UCIQE scores with only 7.74 M parameters. The results confirmed that the proposed triple-branch strategy effectively balances physical interpretability, restoration quality, and computational efficiency. In conclusion, TIDE-Net provides a robust and lightweight solution suitable for deployment on resource-limited underwater platforms, offering practical value for real-world underwater vision tasks. Full article

Over the last decade, augmented reality (AR) has been widely adopted in architectural education, yet it is still often treated as a visualization add-on rather than as an operative design medium. This paper argues that AR becomes pedagogically meaningful when it is anchored to physical or graphic artefacts so that overlays function not as final images, but as reversible instruments for testing, adjustment, and spatial verification. Building on reflection-in-action as a model of situated design learning, the study examines two teaching experiences: one focused on the AR-based translation of complex two-dimensional graphic fields into three-dimensional hypotheses, and another centred on kinematic reasoning through equilibrium and iterative adjustment. The article proposes that error within AR-based workflows has a double pedagogical role: first, as corrective feedback, when mismatch reveals imprecision, insufficient legibility, or unstable alignment in the target; and second, as generative design feedback, when recalibration and reconfiguration trigger new spatial hypotheses or bidirectional transfers between physical and digital models. Evidence is based primarily on analytic observation of documented episodes and on visual documentation of process transformations, complemented by a background evaluative scaffold and supplementary student feedback where available. Results indicate that AR can (a) increase the material and graphic precision of the supporting artefact; (b) strengthen spatial and kinematic understanding by making intermediate states and inconsistencies visible; and (c) turn mismatch and recalibration into operative parts of the design process itself. The paper therefore reframes AR in architectural education not as a representational endpoint, but as a medium of verification, adjustment, and projective transformation. Full article

Mucosal colour assessment is widely used in veterinary medicine as an indicator of physiological states, but current approaches are characterized by inconsistent terminology, variable methodology, and differing levels of validation. This communication introduces the provisional Uldahl Standard, a conceptual framework developed to improve consistency, transparency, and reproducibility in mucosal colour assessment in terrestrial mammals. The framework integrates principles from veterinary medicine, colorimetry, and modern imaging technologies, combining perceptual, computational, and instrument-based approaches to colour analysis. Mucosal colour assessment is defined as a multidimensional process comprising colour category, light saturation level, physiological association, assessment method, and level of validation. Nine principal colour categories and eight standardised saturation modifiers were identified through a literature review and incorporated into the framework. The standard further emphasizes transparent reporting of assessment conditions, validation procedures, artefact evaluation, and analytical pathways, including examples using AI-assisted visual analysis. The framework acknowledges the inherent variability in mucosal colour assessment arising from environmental conditions, limitations of human colour perception, and differences in descriptive methods while providing a structured and comparable terminology, linked to defined levels of validation. It is anticipated that application of the proposed Uldahl Standard will provide markedly more robust and consistent descriptions of mucosal colours, which, provided they are combined with well validated clinical signs of the underlying physiology and/or pathophysiology, will greatly enhance the diagnostic power of the procedure. Full article