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Introduction: The use of digital dentistry is rapidly increasing in prosthodontics. However, most dental students are not familiar with applying digital technologies in dental clinics. Thus, the aim of the current study was to assess the perception of dental students at different educational years towards digital impressions in comparison to conventional impressions. Materials and Methods: A cross‐sectional questionnaire‐based study was conducted on various educational years of dental students in the College of Dentistry, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, between February and April 2023. The students had performed at least one intraoral scan (Trios 3shape) and another conventional polyether impression for phantom casts/patients. The questionnaire assessed students' perceptions of digital impressions using a 5‐point scale ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare students' perceptions of digital impressions according to gender and educational year, respectively. Results: The study included 122 students. About 55% were females with a mean (SD) age = 22.51 (3.36). Most students thought that digital impressions are faster and more user‐friendly compared to conventional impressions. Significantly more female students thought that the handpiece was too big for intraoral use (p = 0.04) and that the process of the software was time‐consuming and complicated. In general, higher educational year students were more satisfied with the digital impressions than lower educational year students. Conclusions: Digital impressions were perceived by most students as being faster and easier than conventional ones. However, male students and those with higher educational years showed better perception of digital impression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Overview Conclusions Clinical Significance In extensive prosthetic rehabilitations and in those involving the anterior area, a correct 3D spatial position is of fundamental importance for effective communication between the clinician and the dental technician. The aim of this article is to analyze the different methods used to position in space and/or in an articulator the maxillary arch in analog workflows highlighting shortcomings and difficulties in order to understand how to overcome them when employing digital workflows.Traditional mechanical devices, such as anatomical, kinematic, esthetic and postural facebows, have clear indications, but also limitations, especially in cases of skeletal asymmetries. Modern digital tools, including photography, CBCT, facial scanners and jaw recording devices, are here critically analyzed to illustrate the advantages of working in a virtual space.The adoption of digital tools in the prosthetic workflow represents a significant improvement compared to traditional techniques, as it reduces errors and artifacts of registration and transfer of the position of the maxillary arch in the articulator space. This contributes to more predictable esthetic and functional results, with a positive impact for clinicians and technicians, improving clinical‐laboratory communication, operational efficiency and overall quality of work.The integration of digital tools into prosthetic workflows represents an important advancement in clinical practice since they reduce human error and facilitate communication between the clinician and the laboratory. When carrying out rehabilitations involving changes in esthetics or occlusal plane orientation, the proper and accurate positioning of the upper arch in space is particularly relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article assesses the technical condition of the air supply system of the Ford Transit commercial vehicle. After the analysis, results were obtained that allow identifying the reasons for the failure of the intake system of the diesel engine with the Euro5 emission standards. It was found that the malfunction of the turbocharger directly affects the overall condition of the engine and its performance characteristics. The main failures are associated with the malfunction of the turbocharger itself and the leakiness of the pipes or intercooler. The probabilities of occurrence of these failures are determined for the Duratorq TDCi 2.2 engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Lidar is a promising tool for fast and accurate measurements of trees. There are several approaches to estimate above-ground woody biomass using lidar point clouds. One of the most widely used methods involves fitting geometric primitives (e.g. cylinders) to the point cloud, thereby reconstructing both the geometry and topology of the tree. However, current algorithms are not suited for accurate estimation of the volume of finer branches, because of the unreliable point dispersions from, for example, beam footprint compared to the structure diameter. Method We propose a new method that couples point cloud-based skeletonization and multi-linear statistical modelling based on structural data to make a model (structural model) that accurately estimates the above-ground woody biomass of trees from high-quality lidar point clouds, including finer branches. The structural model was tested at segment, axis and branch level, and compared to a cylinder fitting algorithm and to the pipe model theory. Key Results The model accurately predicted the biomass with 1.6 % normalized root mean square error (nRMSE) at the segment scale from a k -fold cross-validation. It also gave satisfactory results when scaled up to the branch level with a significantly lower error (13 % nRMSE) and bias (−5 %) compared to conventional cylinder fitting to the point cloud (nRMSE: 92 %, bias: 82 %), or using the pipe model theory (nRMSE: 31 %, bias: −27 %). The model was then applied to the whole-tree scale and showed that the sampled trees had more than 1.7 km of structures on average and that 96 % of that length was coming from the twigs (i.e. <5 cm diameter). Our results showed that neglecting twigs can lead to a significant underestimation of tree above-ground woody biomass (−21 %). Conclusions The structural model approach is an effective method that allows a more accurate estimation of the volumes of smaller branches from lidar point clouds. This method is versatile but requires manual measurements on branches for calibration. Nevertheless, once the model is calibrated, it can provide unbiased and large-scale estimations of tree structure volumes, making it an excellent choice for accurate 3D reconstruction of trees and estimating standing biomass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A debate persists on the prognostic value of the pre-therapeutic standardized uptake value (SUV) of non-tumorous lung tissue for the risk assessment of therapy-related pneumonitis, with most studies lacking significant correlation. However, the influence of patient comorbidities on the pre-therapeutic lung SUV has not yet been systematically evaluated. Thus, we aimed to elucidate the association between comorbidities, biological variables and lung SUVs in pre-therapeutic [18F]FDG-PET/CT. Methods: In this retrospective study, the pre-therapeutic SUV in [18F]FDG-PET/CT was measured in non-tumorous areas of both lobes of the lung. SUVMEAN, SUVMAX and SUV95 were compared to a multitude of patient characteristics and comorbidities with Spearman's correlation analysis, followed by a Bonferroni correction and multilinear regression. Results: In total, 240 patients with lung cancer were analyzed. An elevated BMI was significantly associated with increased SUVMAX (β = 0.037, p < 0.001), SUVMEAN (β = 0.017, p < 0.001) and SUV95 (β = 0.028, p < 0.001). Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed a significantly decreased SUVMAX (β = −0.156, p = 0.001), SUVMEAN (β = −0.107, p < 0.001) and SUV95 (β = −0.134, p < 0.001). Multiple other comorbidities did not show a significant correlation with the SUV of the non-tumorous lung. Conclusions: Failure to consider the influence of BMI and COPD on the pre-therapeutic SUV measurements may lead to an erroneous interpretation of the pre-therapeutic SUV and subsequent treatment decisions in patients with lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, many aerial photographic archives have started to be digitized for multiple purposes, including digital preservation and geoprocessing. This paper analyzes the effects of professional photogrammetric versus consumer-grade scanners on the processing of analog historical aerial photographs. An image block over Warsaw is considered, featuring 38 photographs acquired in 1986 (Wild RC10, Normal Aviogon II lens, 23 × 23 cm format) with a ground sampling distance (GSD) of 4 cm. Aerial triangulation (AT) and dense image matching (DIM) procedures are considered, analyzing how scanning modalities are important in the massive digitization of analog images for georeferencing and 3D product generation. The achieved results show how consumer-grade scanners, unlike more expensive photogrammetric scanners, do not possess adequate recording quality to ensure high accuracy and geometric precision for geoprocessing purposes. However, consumer-grade scanners can be used for time and cost-efficient applications where a partial loss of data quality is not critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cybersecurity failures have become increasingly detrimental to organizations worldwide, impacting their finances, operations, and reputation. This issue is worsened by the scarcity of cybersecurity professionals. Moreover, the specialization required for cybersecurity expertise is both costly and time-consuming. In light of these challenges, this study has concentrated on automating cybersecurity processes, particularly those pertaining to continuous vulnerability detection. A cybersecurity vulnerability scanner was developed, which is freely available to the community and does not necessitate any prior expertise from the operator. The effectiveness of this tool was evaluated by IT companies and systems engineers, some of whom had no background in cybersecurity. The findings indicate that the scanner proved to be efficient, precise, and easy to use. It assisted the operators in safeguarding their systems in an automated fashion, as part of their security audit strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Model alignment in cases of erosive tooth wear can be challenging, and no method has been reported to outweigh the others. Methods: Extracted human teeth were mounted on two models and scanned at different times, from 1 h to 2 weeks, with an intraoral scanner (3Shape TRIOS 4) before and after immersion in Monster® energy drink and tap water. The scans were superimposed (3Shape TRIOS Patient Monitoring, Version 2.2.3.3, 3Shape A/S, Copengagen, Denmark). Best fit, best-fit tooth comparison, reference best fit using fillings, and palatal rugae as reference points were used for alignment. Surface profile differences were calculated in a cross-section view. The nonparametric Bland–Altman and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used. Results: First, statistically significant differences were marked after 4 days of immersion. The measurements obtained after 2 weeks of immersion were statistically significantly different from the measurements obtained at the different time points until 1 week. No statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among the alignment methods at any time. Conclusion: In comparison to the best-fit model, both palatal rugae and fillings can be used. The best-fit tooth comparison method is a reliable option; however, it should be used with caution in cases of major surface loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), which allows for a precise anatomical analysis of the coronary network in a non-invasive manner, has become the first-line exploration tool for chest pain and stable angina. Its high negative predictive value (>98%) can exclude coronary disease if the examination is normal. Functional imaging tools, such as perfusion scanning and FFR-CT (Fractional Flow Reserve derived from Coronary CT Angiography) can be used in addition with CCTA to determine the hemodynamic significance of detected coronary stenosis. In addition, the CCTA's role has been expanded beyond simple stenosis quantification through recent technological developments, allowing for plaque analysis and caracterisation, quantification of peri-coronary fat inflammation and plaque burden. The recent introduction of photon-counting scanners on the market is of interest with a potentiel breakthrough with a very good spacial resolution equal to coronary angiography allowing for better acurate diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution presents a detailed methodology for reconstructing the anterior and posterior autopodia (manus and pes elements) of the sauropod dinosaur Neuquensaurus australis. The study utilizes various techniques, including digital three-dimensional (3D) scanning, reconstruction, retrodeformation, scaling, texturing, rendering, 3D printing, and mounting, to create accurate representations of the fossil elements. Two different scanning devices were employed to capture high-resolution 3D models of the fossil elements. The scanned data was processed to align and fuse the points, resulting in detailed 3D models. Related taxa such as Argyrosaurus superbus and 3D modeling techniques were used to reconstruct missing elements. Scaling calculations were performed based on comparative analysis with other titanosaurs to estimate the size of the missing elements. Retrodeformation was applied to correct taphonomic distortion and restore the original shape of the fossil elements. Texturing and rendering techniques were also employed to enhance the visual quality of the 3D models. The 3D models were subsequently 3D printed using white polylactic acid (PLA) filament. Creating physical replicas is useful for further studies, educational purposes, and public outreach. We highlight the advantages of 3D printing in paleontology, such as cost-effectiveness and accessibility, as it creates accurate replicas without compromising the original fossils. Overall, the presented methodologies demonstrate the potential of 3D technologies in paleontological research. The combination of scanning, reconstruction, retrodeformation, scaling, texturing, rendering, and 3D printing provides a comprehensive approach to accurately reconstructing and visualizing fossil elements. These techniques contribute to a better understanding of extinct vertebrates and their biomechanics.

Background: Model alignment in cases of erosive tooth wear can be challenging, and no method has been reported to outweigh the others. Methods: Extracted human teeth were mounted on two models and scanned at different times, from 1 h to 2 weeks, with an intraoral scanner (3Shape TRIOS 4) before and after immersion in Monster® energy drink and tap water. The scans were superimposed (3Shape TRIOS Patient Monitoring, Version 2.2.3.3, 3Shape A/S, Copengagen, Denmark). Best fit, best-fit tooth comparison, reference best fit using fillings, and palatal rugae as reference points were used for alignment. Surface profile differences were calculated in a cross-section view. The nonparametric Bland–Altman and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used. Results: First, statistically significant differences were marked after 4 days of immersion. The measurements obtained after 2 weeks of immersion were statistically significantly different from the measurements obtained at the different time points until 1 week. No statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed among the alignment methods at any time. Conclusion: In comparison to the best-fit model, both palatal rugae and fillings can be used. The best-fit tooth comparison method is a reliable option; however, it should be used with caution in cases of major surface loss.

X-ray imaging technology can be divided into transmission and backscatter according to the signal receiving method, both are widely used security technology. In scenarios where it is not easy to utilize large equipment, there is a need for integrated handheld X-ray transmission and backscatter imaging equipment. Existing handheld integrated imaging devices often only add transmission signal receivers to handheld backscatter devices, and their transmission imaging capabilities are insufficient. In order to explore whether integrated handheld X-ray imaging equipment can be further optimized, a disk scanner for handheld X-ray integrated imaging system was designed and imaging simulation was performed. To improve the inadequate transmission capability of existing handheld X-ray machines, the transmission performance is strengthened by setting up transmission windows, which is capable of performing both flying line transmission and flying spot backscattering, overcoming the disadvantage of the existing equipment that can only use flying line scanning or flying spot scanning only. A dynamic simulation imaging method is developed to study the feasibility of the system, which includes the ray source simulation, the scanning process simulation, and the imaging simulation. The disk scanner with windows designed for the handheld X-ray transmission and backscattering integrated imaging system greatly enhances the transmission capability by sacrificing the backscattering capability through the addition of a window structure, and has a core advantage in the penetration resolution test. Its performance is evaluated by simulating the final imaging through the simulation of backscatter spatial resolution test, backscatter line resolution test, transmission resolution test and transmission penetration resolution test items. • The physical processes of X-ray transmission and backscattering were simulated. • A simulation model was designed based on realistically accessible equipment. • The simulated images of some standard objects irradiated by a continuous spectrum X-ray source are given. • The simulation has been set to perform on several tests. • A dynamic simulation imaging method is developed to study the feasibility of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has established as a gold standard in the treatment of elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis. Vascular access marks the first step in a TAVI procedure where the transfemoral access is preferred. Therefore, vascular complications are one of the main concerns of operators. With the increasing number of TAVIs performed, the focus is on the prevention and management of vascular complications. Illustrated by a clinical case, this article attempts to review the main vascular complications, their management and how to prevent them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Presurgical infant orthopedic appliances, such as presurgical nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) devices, are used to attain optimal conditions for primary repair of the lip and nose (PRoLN) in patients with cleft lip. We aimed to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) outcomes of PNAM using an LED surface scanner., Methods: Fifteen patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (CLP) were included in this study and treated using a PNAM device. The patients' faces were digitized pre- and post-PNAM using an Artec Space Spider scanner, and the scanned data were analyzed using 3D software (Geomagic Control X and ANSYS SpaceClaim). The columellar angle (CA), nostril curvature (NC) on the affected (NC&#95;A) and unaffected (NC&#95;U) sides, gap of cleft lip (GCL), alar width (AW), and nasal tip angle (NTA) were measured., Results: CA increased significantly by 10.00° and NC&#95;A by 0.030 mm -1 (p<0.001). GCL decreased by 4.98 mm 2 on average and NC&#95;U by 0.015 mm -1 (p=0.029 and 0.046, respectively). AW also decreased by approximately 1.22 mm pre- and post-treatment (p=0.002), and NTA, which shows a lateral profile, decreased by approximately 3.32° (p=0.002)., Conclusions: This study confirmed the orthopedic benefits of PNAMd treatment through 3D analysis using an LED surface scanner. Further studies involving a larger number of participants are warranted to study the effects of PNAM and analyze longitudinal changes in patients with CLP., Clinical Significance: This study shows that PNAM effectively corrects columellar deviation and nostril shape in patients with unilateral cleft lip, with 3D scanners enhancing primary lip and nose repair outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has established as a gold standard in the treatment of elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis. Vascular access marks the first step in a TAVI procedure where the transfemoral access is preferred. Therefore, vascular complications are one of the main concerns of operators. With the increasing number of TAVIs performed, the focus is on the prevention and management of vascular complications. Illustrated by a clinical case, this article attempts to review the main vascular complications, their management and how to prevent them., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Understanding the causes and mechanisms underlying musculoskeletal pain is crucial for developing effective treatments and improving patient outcomes. Self-report measures, such as the Pain Drawing Scale, involve individuals rating their level of pain on a scale. In this technique, individuals color the area where they experience pain, and the resulting picture is rated based on the depicted pain intensity. Analyzing pain drawings (PDs) typically involves measuring the size of the pain region. There are several studies focusing on assessing the clinical use of PDs, and now, with the introduction of digital PDs, the usability and reliability of these platforms need validation. Comparative studies between traditional and digital PDs have shown good agreement and reliability. The evolution of PD acquisition over the last 2 decades mirrors the commercialization of digital technologies. However, the pen-on-paper approach seems to be more accepted by patients, but there is currently no standardized method for scanning PDs., Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of PD analysis performed by a web platform using various digital scanners. The primary goal was to demonstrate that simple and affordable mobile devices can be used to acquire PDs without losing important information., Methods: Two sets of PDs were generated: one with the addition of 216 colored circles and another composed of various red shapes distributed randomly on a frontal view body chart of an adult male. These drawings were then printed in color on A4 sheets, including QR codes at the corners in order to allow automatic alignment, and subsequently scanned using different devices and apps. The scanners used were flatbed scanners of different sizes and prices (professional, portable flatbed, and home printer or scanner), smartphones with varying price ranges, and 6 virtual scanner apps. The acquisitions were made under normal light conditions by the same operator., Results: High-saturation colors, such as red, cyan, magenta, and yellow, were accurately identified by all devices. The percentage error for small, medium, and large pain spots was consistently below 20% for all devices, with smaller values associated with larger areas. In addition, a significant negative correlation was observed between the percentage of error and spot size (R=-0.237; P=.04). The proposed platform proved to be robust and reliable for acquiring paper PDs via a wide range of scanning devices., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a web platform can accurately analyze PDs acquired through various digital scanners. The findings support the use of simple and cost-effective mobile devices for PD acquisition without compromising the quality of data. Standardizing the scanning process using the proposed platform can contribute to more efficient and consistent PD analysis in clinical and research settings., (© Corrado Cescon, Giuseppe Landolfi, Niko Bonomi, Marco Derboni, Vincenzo Giuffrida, Andrea Emilio Rizzoli, Paolo Maino, Eva Koetsier, Marco Barbero. Originally published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth (https://mhealth.jmir.org).)