We have previously investigated the effectiveness of a custom-built virtual environment in assisting training of a ventriculostomy procedure, which is a commonly performed procedure by a neurosurgeon and a core task for trainee surgeons. The training tool (called VCath) was initially developed as a low-fidelity app for a tablet platform to provide easy access and availability to trainees. Subsequently, we have developed a high-fidelity version of VCath that uses a stereoscopic display to immerse the trainee in the virtual environment. This article reports on two studies that have been carried out to compare the low- and high-fidelity versions of VCath, particularly to assess the value of stereoscopy. Study 1 was conducted at the second annual boot camp organized for all year-one trainees in neurosurgery in the UK. Study 2 was performed on lay people, with no surgical experience. Our hypothesis was that using stereoscopy in the training task would be beneficial. Results from Study 1 demonstrated that performance improved for both the control group and the group trained with the tablet version of VCath. The group trained on the high-fidelity version of VCath with a stereoscopic display showed no performance improvement. The indication is that our hypothesis is false. In Study 2, six different conditions were investigated that covered the use of training with VCath on a tablet, a mono display at two different sizes, a stereo display at two different sizes, and a control group who received no training. Results from this study with lay people show that stereoscopy can make a significant improvement to the accuracy of needle placement. The possible reasons for these results and the apparent contradiction between the two studies are discussed.
Predatory journals and open access journals are now the scourge of the scientific community.
What are Predatory Journals?These are the journals that publish articles without the time-honored process of peer review. On submission, these journals almost immediately accept these articles for publishing. The author gleefully accepts the offer to publish and then the demand for the steep fee to publish this work is sent to the author. The working process of predatory journals is extremely opaque; their editorial boards are often filled with eminent names who not only have not consented to have their names placed there, but are also completely unaware that their names are placed on these so-called editorial boards. It is only when the steep publishing fee is revealed to the naïve scientist who is the author that the trap is sprung. If the author pleads inability to afford such a steep fees and requests for withdrawing the article, the author's request will be rejected. The journal will also refuse to allow the author to publish elsewhere. A series of negotiations take place where the author negotiates the fee for which the work can be published.Should the author request a reprint, then this is done on the most inexpensive paper and again at a fee.
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