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Previous studies have explored use of smart glasses in telemedicine, but no study has investigated its use in teleradiography. The purpose of this study was to implement a six-month pilot program for Western Australian X-ray operators (XROs) to use smart glasses to obtain assisted reality support in their radiography practice from their supervising radiographers, and evaluate its effectiveness in terms of XROs' competence improvement and equipment usability. Pretest–posttest design with evaluation of the XROs' competence (including their X-ray image quality) and smart glasses usability by XROs in two remote centers and their supervising radiographers from two sites before and after the program using four questionnaire sets and X-ray image quality review was employed in this experimental study. Paired t-test was used for comparing mean values of the pre- and post-intervention pairs of 11-point scale questionnaire and image quality review items to determine any XROs' radiography competence improvements. Content analysis was used to analyze open questions about the equipment usability. Our study's findings based on 13 participants (11 XROs and 2 supervising radiographers) and 2053 X-ray images show that the assisted reality support helped to improve the XROs' radiography competence (specifically X-ray image quality), with mean post-intervention competence values of 6.16–7.39 (out of 10) and statistical significances (p < 0.001–0.05), and the equipment was considered effective for this purpose but not easy to use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, technological advancements have transformed the industry, highlighting the efficiency of automation and safety. The integration of augmented reality (AR) and gesture recognition has emerged as an innovative approach to create interactive environments for industrial equipment. Gesture recognition enhances AR applications by allowing intuitive interactions. This study presents a web-based architecture for the integration of AR and gesture recognition, designed to interact with industrial equipment. Emphasizing hardware-agnostic compatibility, the proposed structure offers an intuitive interaction with equipment control systems through natural gestures. Experimental validation, conducted using Google Glass, demonstrated the practical viability and potential of this approach in industrial operations. The development focused on optimizing the system's software and implementing techniques such as normalization, clamping, conversion, and filtering to achieve accurate and reliable gesture recognition under different usage conditions. The proposed approach promotes safer and more efficient industrial operations, contributing to research in AR and gesture recognition. Future work will include improving the gesture recognition accuracy, exploring alternative gestures, and expanding the platform integration to improve the user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the feasibility of using smart glasses, specifically Google Glass, for tele-echocardiography in neonates. The study aimed to determine if novices, under the guidance of an experienced pediatric cardiologist through Google Glass, could perform appropriate neonatal echocardiography. The study found that the overall performance of participants was significantly higher when guided by Google Glass compared to unguided, with improved structure and quality scores. Additionally, the time taken for the guided test run was significantly lower. The authors conclude that Google Glass guidance by a pediatric cardiologist could optimize the performance of novices in echocardiography. [Extracted from the article]

This paper concerns the role of the unconscious in technology. The central thesis is that there exists an experience of non-acceptance and failed incorporation of technology, which (a) does not depend on the technical engineering dimension of the artifact but (b) instead concerns the relationship between the human unconscious and the artifact. This thesis is supported and developed through the analysis of a case study – that is, the creation and development of the first version of Google Glass. The failure of the first version of Google Glass is explained in terms of the non-acceptance of this technology. This paper presents an analysis of users' experiences and comments as a basis for interpreting the relationship between the unconscious and technology. Their non-acceptance of this technology is explained and further clarified from a postphenomenological point of view, utilizing the concept of "technological uncanny." The analysis suggests that antimediation can be understood as a form of noise. In fact, as non-acceptance, antimediation directly concerns the relationship between contingency and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling phenomenon defined by the periodic absence or reduction of forward progression of the feet despite the intention to walk. We sought to understand whether Google Glass (GG), a lightweight wearable device that provides simultaneous visual-auditory cues, might improve FOG in parkinsonism. Patients with parkinsonism and FOG utilized GG custom-made auditory-visual cue applications: "Walk With Me" and "Unfreeze Me" in a single session intervention. We recorded ambulation time with and without GG under multiple conditions including 25 feet straight walk, dual task of performing serial 7's while straight walking, 180 degree turn after walking 25 feet, and walking through a doorway. FOG and patient experience questionnaires were administered. Using the GG "Walk With Me" program, improvements were noted in the following: average 25 feet straight walk by 0.32 s (SD 2.12); average dual task of serial 7's and 25 feet straight walk by 1.79 s (SD 2.91); and average walk through doorway by 0.59 s (SD 0.81). Average 180 degree turn after 25 feet walk worsened by 1.89 s (SD 10.66). Using the "Unfreeze Me" program, only the average dual task of serial 7's and 25 feet straight walk improved (better by 0.82 s (SD 3.08 sec). All other tasks had worse performance in terms of speed of completion. This feasibility study provides preliminary data suggesting that some walking tasks may improve with GG, which uses various musical dance programs to provide visual and auditory cueing for patients with FOG. Freezing of gait in parkinsonian syndromes is a disabling motor block described by patients as having their feet stuck to the floor leading to difficulty in initiation of gait and increased risk for falls. Wearable assistive devices such as Google Glass™ use visual and auditory cueing that may improve gait pattern in patients with freezing of gait. Augmented reality programs using wearable assistive devices are a home-based therapy, with the potential for reinforcing physical therapy techniques; this is especially meaningful during the COVID-19 pandemic when access to both medical and rehabilitative care has been curtailed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Our goal was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using telesimulation to deliver an emergency medical services (EMS) course on mass casualty incident (MCI) training to healthcare providers overseas.Methods: We conducted a feasibility study to establish the process for successful delivery of educational content to learners overseas via telesimulation over a five-month period. Participants were registrants in an EMS course on MCI triage broadcast from University of California, Irvine Medical Simulation Center. The intervention was a Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) course. The primary outcome was successful implementation of the course via telesimulation. The secondary outcome was an assessment of participant thoughts, feelings, and attitudes via a qualitative survey. We also sought to obtain quantitative data that would allow for the assessment of triage accuracy. Descriptive statistics were used to express the percentage of participants with favorable responses to survey questions.Results: All 32 participants enrolled in the course provided a favorable response to all questions on the survey regarding their thoughts, feelings, and attitudes toward learning via telesimulation with wearable/mobile technology. Key barriers and challenges identified included dependability of Internet connection, choosing appropriate software platforms to deliver content, and intercontinental time difference considerations. The protocol detailed in this study demonstrated the successful implementation and feasibility of providing education and training to learners at an off-site location.Conclusion: In this feasibility study, we were able to demonstrate the successful implementation of an intercontinental MCI triage course using telesimulation and wearable/mobile technology. Healthcare providers expressed a positive favorability toward learning MCI triage via telesimulation. We were also able to establish a process to obtain quantitative data that would allow for the calculation of triage accuracy for further experimental study designs.

PurposeThis case study explored the use of Google Glass in a clinical examination scenario to capture the first-person perspective of a standardized patient as a way to provide formative feedback on students' communication and empathy skills 'through the patient's eyes.'MethodsDuring a 3-year period between 2014 and 2017, third-year students enrolled in a family medicine clerkship participated in a Google Glass station during a summative clinical examination. At this station, standardized patients wore Google Glass to record an encounter focused on communication and empathy skills 'through the patient's eyes.' Students completed an online survey using a 4-point Likert scale about their perspectives on Google Glass as a feedback tool (N= 255).ResultsWe found that the students' experiences with Google Glass 'through the patient's eyes' were largely positive and that students felt the feedback provided by the Google Glass recording to be helpful. Although a third of the students felt that Google Glass was a distraction, the majority believed that the first-person perspective recordings provided an opportunity for feedback that did not exist before.ConclusionContinuing exploration of first-person perspective recordings using Google Glass to improve education on communication and empathy skills is warranted.

Internationally renowned Nigerian-American sci-fi writer Nnedi Okorafor recently wrote that she no longer wants her work to be considered Afrofuturism, preferring her own term Africanfuturism. Okorafor argues that despite the potential for Afrofuturism to underscore global Blackness, in practice it has privileged African American concerns while marginalising those of Africa. Okorafor, whose work includes several comics including Black Panther, Shuri, and LaGuardia, argues that her work should be understood as explicitly African rather than part of the Black diaspora. She puts this notion into practice by writing novels and comics set in Africa with African characters 'sometimes with aliens, sometimes with witches, often set in a recognizable, future Africa, with African lineages – that are not cultural hybrids but rooted in the history and traditions of the continent, without a desire to look toward Western culture.' Okorafor's need to assert the notion of Africa as an important site of Blackness in comics highlights the marginal standing of representations of Africa in discourses of global Blackness in comics, even in the contemporary era of diversity, inclusion, and equity. This article examines Okorafor's Marvel comic Shuri to further elucidate Africanfuturism and consider the concept as a paradigm for approaching African comic content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This interview, conducted over phone in September 2020, presents a conversation with Orijit Sen. Sen, credited with producing the first graphic novel in India (River of Stories), is an eminent graphic designer and artist. He is also one of the founders of The Pao Collective, a group of five comics artists and scholars who wish to foster the medium in India by collaborating with each other and guiding budding talent. In his chat with the author, Sen discusses the impact of the American underground comix movement on his work, the trajectory of the graphic novel in India, his role as a mentor, and the inescapably political nature of his work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comics are frequently lauded for their affective capabilities, owing in no small part to both their dynamism and their affordances for depicting both experience and emotion. The potential to graphically represent feeling and sensation through abstraction is a powerful tool for the medium, but how deeply can readers feel into comics beyond documentary testimony? This paper takes up the question of pain language and empathy in fiction comics. Beginning with 19th Century cartoonist Rodolphe Töpffer and critic Friedrich Vischer, and proceeding through commentary on aesthetics, comics, and feeling, we outline a framework for applying considerations of empathy and affect to contemporary comics. Our particular focus is on empathy solicited through depictions of both physical pain and affective trauma, and we argue that empathy in comics is frequently bound up in translating these experiences through the medium. In closely reading the empathic techniques in two fiction comics – Eleanor Davis's surrealist How to be Happy and Nick Drnaso's grounded Sabrina – we problematise the empathic potential of comics, suggesting that emotional identification and in-feeling is as much projection as recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proverbs are found in the most varied means of communication. In relation to their use in comic books, they show a creative use that can only take place in certain circumstances: the visual representation of a literal interpretation of the message they convey. Comic books in general are an excellent medium for this, and the works under examination, the adventures of Asterix the Gaul, is the ideal subject of analysis for a study like the present, thanks to the linguistic inclination that its authors have shown. For this paper, the 38 volumes of the adventures have been surveyed for their use of paremiology with the intention of presenting and analysing cases of the use of paremias that seemed of relevance in connection to the graphic side of comic books. On the following pages, some of the most remarkable cases will be dissected in order to determine how this phenomenon works. Moreover, a cross-linguistic analysis of the use of said proverbs will be carried out, presenting the original version in French and comparing it with five other languages to assess how translators deal with the complicated task of translating idiomatic expressions and how the visual content of comic books determines this practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As multimodal texts profiting from a combination of words and pictures, studying the translation of comic books has not received the due attention, which is why the discipline of Translation Studies will always welcome more explorations of comic books. This study examined the employment of Celotti's strategies for translating sound effects from English to Persian, set forth as translation, translation and insertion of a footnote in the gutter, cultural adaptation, leaving untranslated, deletion, and finally, a mix of (some of) the above. In comic books, sound effects are those onomatopoeic expressions that are drawn inside the pictures. Since original Persian comic books are not very common in Iran, translators may not perfectly know how to translate sound effects into Persian. Therefore, Celotti's approach was examined in order to present comic book translators with the most frequent strategies. Seventeen English comics and their Persian translations were carefully studied to discover sound effects and their equivalents; then, Celotti's proposed strategies were applied to the data. As the results presented, there were some strategies in use that the chosen approach did not cover. In addition, source-oriented strategies were adopted in scanlations while target-oriented strategies were found more in published translations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comics has a complex relationship to trauma. Earle argues that comics offers unique representational strategies for narratives of trauma and distress (See). Trauma (specifically the individual experience) is often characterised by symptoms relating to temporality *flashbacks and catatonia), and a compulsion to repeat acts. Comics pivots on an ability to make time visible and to keep it moving through a narrative using sequential images. The relationship between the two offers rich and diverse opportunities to look at how trauma can be made visible to a reader. In this paper, I demonstrate the ways in which the comics adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut, North and Monteys, 2020) visually represents the traumatic experiences within the source text and, moreover, how the book is able to speak to the experience of trauma that trauma theory has been grappling with since Freud. I explain how the presentation of this text in a visual form is able to create something that I am calling traumatic absurdity – the coming together of textual and visual tropes to create a story that neither glorifies, nor condemns, war, but highlights the absurdity of the experience and creates a comic that is at once both amusing and emotionally affective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orijit Sen's graphic narrative The River of Stories is a critique of the exclusionary and discriminatory ideals of traditional humanism, the developmental models based on such ideals, and explores sustainable alternatives and posthumanist perspectives. This article attempts to demonstrate how the narrative visibilizes the otherwise imperceptible violence, both human and ecological, of modern developmental activities rooted in traditional humanism's anthropocentric stances and thereby presents an urgent call for embracing posthumanist perspectives and sustainable models of development. The article also discusses how the narrative exposes the injustices meted out to the others, categorised as the nonhumans and sensitises the readers to rethink the notions of human, nonhuman, ethics, justice and rights from a posthumanist perspective. Furthermore, the paper scrutinises how the narrative with its posthumanist traits and subject matters, juxtaposes multiple temporalities that enable it to capture the crises of the Anthropocene and illustrates the interconnectedness of all life forms, thereby engendering consciousness and posthumanist ways of looking in the readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presented below is a conversation between Ram Devineni and Comics-cum-Gender Studies scholars from India. Leveraging upon these two dimensions, the scholars involved in this interview problematise gender violence in the context of India and explore the possibilities of comics as a genre to sensitise society towards violence against women. In this conversation, Priyanka Tripathi and Bidisha Pal, both scholars of gender studies, lay the basic premise of gender discrimination and violence against women and discuss various operating forces in society. Comics scholar Partha Bhattacharjee points and counterpoints the relevance of comics in understanding this liaison between gender and society, especially as an emerging and popular medium with a possibility of massive outreach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Augmented reality (AR) involves digitally overlapping virtual objects onto physical objects in real space so that individuals can interact with both at the same time. AR in medical education seeks to reduce surgical complications through high-quality education. There is uncertainty in the use of AR as a learning tool for interventional radiology procedures. OBJECTIVE: To compare AR with other learning methods in interventional radiology. DESIGN AND SETTING: Systematic review of comparative studies on teaching techniques. METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, Tripdatabase, ERIC, CINAHL, SciELO and LILACS electronic databases for studies comparing AR simulation with other teaching methods in interventional radiology. This systematic review was performed in accordance with PRISMA and the BEME Collaboration. Eligible studies were evaluated using the quality indicators provided in the BEME Collaboration Guide no. 11, and the Kirkpatrick model. RESULTS: Four randomized clinical trials were included in this review. The level of educational evidence found among all the papers was 2B, according to the Kirkpatrick model. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was applied to assess the risk of bias for individual studies and across studies. Three studies showed an improvement in teaching of the proposed procedure through AR; one study showed that the participants took longer to perform the procedure through AR. CONCLUSION: AR, as a complementary teaching tool, can provide learners with additional skills, but there is still a lack of studies with a higher evidence level according to the Kirkpatrick model. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/ACZBM in the Open Science Framework database.

Blind and Visually Impaired People (BVIP) are likely to experience difficulties with tasks that involve scene recognition. Wearable technology has played a significant role in researching and evaluating systems developed for and with the BVIP community. This paper presents a system based on Google Glass designed to assist BVIP with scene recognition tasks, thereby using it as a visual assistant. The camera embedded in the smart glasses is used to capture the image of the surroundings, which is analyzed using the Custom Vision Application Programming Interface (Vision API) from Azure Cognitive Services by Microsoft. The output of the Vision API is converted to speech, which is heard by the BVIP user wearing the Google Glass. A dataset of 5000 newly annotated images is created to improve the performance of the scene description task in Indian scenarios. The Vision API is trained and tested on this dataset, increasing the mean Average Precision (mAP) score from 63% to 84%, with an IoU > 0.5. The overall response time of the proposed application was measured to be less than 1 second, thereby providing accurate results in real-time. A Likert scale analysis was performed with the help of the BVIP teachers and students at the “Roman & Catherine Lobo School for the Visually Impaired” at Mangalore, Karnataka, India. From their response, it can be concluded that the application helps the BVIP better recognize their surrounding environment in real-time, proving the device effective as a potential assistant for the BVIP.

The paper investigates two augmented reality (AR) applications and corresponding consumer responses to their media characteristics. Firstly, it discusses the role of interactivity with AR technology. Secondly, it introduces augmentation as a salient media characteristic of AR applications and tests measurement items of perceived augmentation. Two experimental studies replicate the research design of Van Noort et al. [Van Noort, G., Voorveld, H. A. M., & van Reijmersdal, E. A. (2012). Interactivity in brand web sites: cognitive, affective, and behavioral responses explained by consumers’ online flow experience.Journal of Interactive Marketing,26, 223–234], applying it in the context of AR. The results show that perceived augmentation represents a fitting concept for understanding consumer responses to AR features and, furthermore, that flow mediates effects of perceived augmentation on consumers’ affective responses and behavioural intentions. AR features on the other hand do not increase perception of interactivity. Finally, implications of the study and further research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The last few decades have seen an exponential growth in the development and adoption of novel technologies in medical and surgical training of residents globally. Simulation is an active and innovative teaching method, and can be achieved via physical or digital models. Simulation allows the learners to repeatedly practice without the risk of causing any error in an actual patient and enhance their surgical skills and efficiency. Simulation may also allow the clinical instructor to objectively test the ability of the trainee to carry out the clinical procedure competently and independently prior to trainee's completion of the program. This review aims to explore the role of emerging simulation technologies globally in craniofacial training of students and residents in improving their surgical knowledge and skills. These technologies include 3D printed biomodels, virtual and augmented reality, use of google glass, hololens and haptic feedback, surgical boot camps, serious games and escape games and how they can be implemented in low and middle income countries. Craniofacial surgical training methods will probably go through a sea change in the coming years, with the integration of these new technologies in the surgical curriculum, allowing learning in a safe environment with a virtual patient, through repeated exercise. In future, it may also be used as an assessment tool to perform any specific procedure, without putting the actual patient on risk. Although these new technologies are being enthusiastically welcomed by the young surgeons, they should only be used as an addition to the actual curriculum and not as a replacement to the conventional tools, as the mentor-mentee relationship can never be replaced by any technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]