Collaborative Research: ABI Development: Integrated X-Ray Motion Analysis Software and Video Data Management for the Comparative Biomechanics Community

运动形态的X射线重建(XROMM)是一种新的技术，用于可视化快速运动中的骨骼和关节，如鸟类在飞行、青蛙跳跃和人类奔跑。XROMM已经改变了脊椎动物运动的研究，但目前可用于XROMM分析的软件很繁琐，与数据管道的集成也很差。该项目将应用软件工程的最佳做法，创建一个与在线数据管理系统集成的开放源码XROMM分析包。这些软件产品将改善XROMM分析过程的用户体验、速度、健壮性和重复性。当前工具的低吞吐量是一个问题，因为比较生物力学的一个基本目标是比较物种，从而提取形式和功能之间的可靠关系。通过该奖项开发的新工具将显著提高XROMM过程的吞吐量，并提供对复杂数据集的综合分析和管理。该项目将大大加强比较生物力学研究的网络基础设施，并通过技术开发和对科学劳动力的高级培训来提高美国的经济竞争力。所有软件产品和文件都将是开源的，并免费提供，所有源代码将存放在公共代码库中。布朗大学的本科生和研究生，以及普罗维登斯学院(主要是本科院校)的本科生将获得生物学、工程学和计算机科学方面的跨学科培训。作为该项目的一部分，至少有45名学生、研究人员和教育工作者将参加布朗大学的XROMM短期课程(为期3年，每年15门)。布朗大学的XROMM短期课程是向不同职业水平的研究人员和教育工作者教授复杂的XROMM方法的有效途径，这些研究人员和教育工作者来自不同类型的机构，包括学校、学院和博物馆以及研究型大学。该项目的所有产品都将通过www.xRomm.org提供。

X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM) is a new technology for visualizing bones and joints during rapid motion, such as birds in flight, frogs jumping, and humans running. XROMM has already transformed studies of vertebrate animal motion, but the current software available for XROMM analysis is cumbersome and poorly integrated with data pipelines. This project will apply best practices of software engineering to create an open-source XROMM analysis package that is integrated with an online data management system. The software products will improve user experience, speed, robustness, and reproducibility of the XROMM analysis process. The low throughput of current tools is a problem because a fundamental goal of comparative biomechanics is to compare species, and thereby to extract robust relationships between form and function. The new tools developed through this award will significantly increase the throughput of the XROMM process, and also provide integrated analysis and management of complex data sets. This project will substantially enhance the cyberinfrastructure for comparative biomechanics research, and increase US economic competitiveness through technology development and advanced training of the scientific workforce. All software products and documentation will be open source and made freely available, and all source code will be deposited in a public code repository. Undergraduate and graduate students at Brown University, and undergraduates at Providence College (a primarily undergraduate institution), will gain interdisciplinary training in biology, engineering, and computer science. As part of this project, at least 45 students, researchers, and educators will participate in XROMM Short Courses at Brown (15 per year for 3 years). The XROMM Short Courses at Brown are an effective way to teach complex XROMM methods to researchers and educators at a range of career levels and from diverse types of institutions, including schools, colleges, and museums as well as research universities. All products from this project will be made available through www.xromm.org.