Cross-Platform Ubiquitous Volume Rendering Using Programmable Shaders in VTK for Scientific and Medical Visualization.

The visualization toolkit (VTK) is a popular cross-platform, open source toolkit for scientific and medical data visualization, processing, and analysis. It supports a wide variety of data formats, algorithms, and rendering techniques for both polygonal and volumetric data. In particular, VTK's volume rendering module has long provided a comprehensive set of features such as plane clipping, color and opacity transfer functions, lighting, and other controls needed for visualization. However, due to VTK's legacy OpenGL backend and its reliance on a deprecated API, the system did not take advantage of the latest improvements in graphics hardware or the flexibility of a programmable pipeline. Additionally, this dependence on an antiquated pipeline posed restrictions when running on emerging computing platforms, thereby limiting its overall applicability. In response to these shortcomings, the VTK community developed a new and improved volume rendering module, which not only provides a modern graphics processing unit-based implementation, but also augments its capabilities with new features such as fast volume clipping, gradient-magnitude-based opacity modulation, render to texture, and hardware-based volume picking.

Small animal behavioral triage: a guide for practitioners.

Behavioral concerns are the principal cause of a weakened human-animal bond and pet relinquishment. Triaging behavioral concerns and providing early intervention may be the difference between a patient remaining in its current home or relinquishment. Prevention and intervention behavior services using a team approach may also improve pet retention through client education and appropriate assistance. Identifying and integrating qualified animal behavior professionals to assist with the hospital's behavior team ensures appropriate support is provided to the client and patient.