SBIR Phase II: Digital Cadaver - An Immersive Environment for the Direct Reconstruction of Anatomical Data Sets

这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目将继续研究和开发数字尸体环境，该软件使学生可以使用虚拟尸体的多个视图，提高计算图像的视觉质量，增加用于渲染图像的数据集的大小和属性，支持使用启发式自动配置成像参数，并支持对用户染色文档的缺失部分进行插值。标志着计算机技术应用于本科解剖学和生理学课程的独特方法，这个环境支持一个互动的工作模式，在这个模式中，学生参与观察、解释和行动的循环，这是历史上“解剖和草图”范式的特征。数字尸体环境允许学生制作他们调查的个人和独特的记录。阶段1演示了作为Java应用程序实现环境核心功能的可行性，并生成了软件的测试版。研究的第二阶段将重点研究扩展这一发展的四个方面：1)将创建学生之间的协作工具，并实施一个直观的项目管理系统，用于管理图像和文档的集合；2)来自可视产品的图像将被引入到环境中，以克服可视人（VH）数据集的缺陷；这些图像还可以作为指向其他内容的链接，例如用于增强当前环境的动画、照片或其他图像和文档；3)工具将扩展到包括所有观看平面（即，矢状面，冠状面和轴向）的图像的体渲染和任意切片的任何图像集；可供学生使用的数据集将扩大到包括女性VH数据集的冷冻切片和男性和女性的MRI（磁共振成像）和CT（计算机断层扫描）图像；4)在服务器端，将实现更复杂的照明模型以增加真实感，将包括用户可选择的图像显示属性（即，将一些组织层设置为透明），并将使用更高分辨率的图像；对更高分辨率图像的改进支持将完成数字尸体沉浸式环境。数字尸体环境使更广泛的人在人体解剖学和生理学方面获得更大的能力。这些能力可以转化为更好的医疗保健、健康倡议和改进的研究成果。利用国家医学图书馆的“看得见的人”项目为卫生专业人员创建新的教学工具，为政府/行业合作提供了一个良好的公共政策模式。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will continue research and development of the Digital Cadaver Environment -- software that makes available to students multiple views of virtual cadavers with improved visual quality of the computed image, an increase in the size and attributes of the data sets used for rendering images, support for automatic configuration of imaging parameter using heuristics, and support for interpolation of missing sections of a user stain document. Marking a unique approach to the application of computer technology to the undergraduate anatomy and physiology curriculum, this environment supports an interactive work model where students engage in the cycle of observation, interpretation, and action that characterizes the historic "dissect & sketch" paradigm. The Digital Cadaver environment allows students to produce an individual and unique record of their investigations. The Phase I demonstrated the feasibility of implementing the core functionality of the environment as a Java application and produced a beta version of the software. Phase II of the research will focus on research extending this development in four areas: 1) Tools for collaboration between students will be created, and an intuitive project management system implemented for managing collections of images and documents; 2) Imagery from Visible Productions will be introduced into the environment to overcome defects in the Visible Human (VH) data sets; these images may also serve as links to other content, such as animations, photographs, or other images and documents that serve to augment the current environment; 3) tools will be expanded to include volume rendering of images in all viewing planes (i.e., sagittal, coronal, and axial) and arbitrary slicing of any image set; the data sets available to the student will be expanded to include selected cryosections of the female VH data set and selected MRI (magnetic resonance imagery) and CT (computerized tomography) imagery from the male and female; and 4) on the server, a more sophisticated illumination model will be implemented for added realism, user selectable image display properties will be included (i.e., setting some tissue layers to transparent), and higher resolution images will be used; improved support for higher resolution images will complete the Digital Cadaver Immersive Environment.The Digital Cadaver Environment enables a wider range of people to gain greater competencies in human anatomy and physiology. These competencies may translate into better health care, wellness initiatives, and improved research outcomes. The use of the National Library of Medicine's Visible Human Project in the creation of new instructional tools for the health professions offers a good public policy model of government/industry collaboration.