Data-Driven Method for Wind Turbine Yaw Angle Sensor Zero-Point Shifting Fault Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan Pei

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Wind turbine yaw control plays an important role in increasing the wind turbine production and also in protecting the wind turbine. Accurate measurement of yaw angle is the basis of an effective wind turbine yaw controller. The accuracy of yaw angle measurement is affected significantly by the problem of zero-point shifting. Hence, it is essential to evaluate the zero-point shifting error on wind turbines on-line in order to improve the reliability of yaw angle measurement in real time. Particularly, qualitative evaluation of the zero-point shifting error could be useful for wind farm operators to realize prompt and cost-effective maintenance on yaw angle sensors. In the aim of qualitatively evaluating the zero-point shifting error, the yaw angle sensor zero-point shifting fault is firstly defined in this paper. A data-driven method is then proposed to detect the zero-point shifting fault based on Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA data. The zero-point shifting fault is detected in the proposed method by analyzing the power performance under different yaw angles. The SCADA data are partitioned into different bins according to both wind speed and yaw angle in order to deeply evaluate the power performance. An indicator is proposed in this method for power performance evaluation under each yaw angle. The yaw angle with the largest indicator is considered as the yaw angle measurement error in our work. A zero-point shifting fault would trigger an alarm if the error is larger than a predefined threshold. Case studies from several actual wind farms proved the effectiveness of the proposed method in detecting zero-point shifting fault and also in improving the wind turbine performance. Results of the proposed method could be useful for wind farm operators to realize prompt adjustment if there exists a large error of yaw angle measurement.

Korea-South Africa nuclear energy focal point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y. H.; Lee, K. H.; Park, M. K.; Chae, J. S.; Cheon, K. J.

2007-09-01

The major objective of the project is to hold Korea-S. Africa joint nuclear or workshop and establish a network of nuclear experts between the two countries. In addition, identification of the collaboration items is another objective of this project. the outcome of this program would be a cornerstone for the nuclear collaboration between Korea and S. Africa. African countries is usually very abundant in the natural resources and developed countries are trying to improve relationships with African countries to secure the natural resources, S. Africa is also very rich with some resources including uranium. Therefore, Korea depending on foreign resources needs to improve the relationship with S. Africa form the viewpoint of securing natural resources. S. Africa has two PWR-type nuclear power plants and is planning to deploy more PWRs to increase the nuclear capacity. In addition, S. Africa is a leading country in developing the PBMR, which is a type of Generation-IV VHTR (very high temperature reactor). In Korea, the VHTR technologies are also under development for the nuclear hydrogen. Although Korea has its own PWR brand, it is not well known to S. Africa. The focal point program would lay a cornerstone for mutually beneficial nuclear collaborations between two countries

Can fisheries-induced evolution shift reference points for fisheries management?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heino, Mikko; Baulier, Loїc; Boukal, David S.

2013-01-01

Biological reference points are important tools for fisheries management. Reference points are not static, but may change when a population's environment or the population itself changes. Fisheries-induced evolution is one mechanism that can alter population characteristics, leading to “shifting...

The positive impact of simultaneous implementation of the BD FocalPoint GS Imaging System and lean principles on the operation of gynecologic cytology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Rebecca; Levi, Angelique W; Harigopal, Malini; Schofield, Kevin; Chhieng, David C

2012-02-01

Our cytology laboratory, like many others, is under pressure to improve quality and provide test results faster while decreasing costs. We sought to address these issues by introducing new technology and lean principles. To determine the combined impact of the FocalPoint Guided Screener (GS) Imaging System (BD Diagnostics-TriPath, Burlington, North Carolina) and lean manufacturing principles on the turnaround time (TAT) and productivity of the gynecologic cytology operation. We established a baseline measure of the TAT for Papanicolaou tests. We then compared that to the performance after implementing the FocalPoint GS Imaging System and lean principles. The latter included value-stream mapping, workflow modification, and a first in-first out policy. The mean (SD) TAT for Papanicolaou tests before and after the implementation of FocalPoint GS Imaging System and lean principles was 4.38 (1.28) days and 3.20 (1.32) days, respectively. This represented a 27% improvement in the average TAT, which was statistically significant (P implementation of FocalPoint GS Imaging System in conjunction with lean principles resulted in a significant decrease in the average TAT for Papanicolaou tests and a substantial increase in the productivity of cytotechnologists while maintaining the diagnostic quality of gynecologic cytology.

Pengaruh Harga, Lokasi, dan Gaya Hidup Terhadap Loyalitas Pelanggan pada Starbucks Focal Point Medan

OpenAIRE

Purba, Emir Syahfuad

2016-01-01

The objective of this research is to know the effect of Price, Place, and Lifestyle towards Customer Loyalty at Starbucks Focal Point Medan. The kind of this research is associative explanation research. Methods of data collection used questionnaire and literature. The methods of data analysis using Software SPSS 20.0 for Windows used 90 respondents which determined by using Purposive Sampling. The result of this research by analysis of multiple linear regression shows that variable of ...

Focal points of environmental policy at the beginning of the Eighties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1981-01-01

This speech was held by the Federal Home Secretary Baum in front of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Umweltfragen (AGU) on 3rd February 1981. He said that environmental policy must be determined even more by the principle of providence in this decade; the main issue is the orientation towards the future in German economic, social, and welfare policy. Vehicles and environment, vehicle noise, advantageous conditions in competition for environmentally-minded and energy conserving vehicles, nuclear energy etc., and international pollution protection are considered focal points of future environmental policy. According to his opinion, the consumption situation and compatibility tests as to environmental conditions are necessary. Increasing pollution protection ought to be promoted by special financing programmes and model projects of the Federal Government. (HSCH) [de

Basin boundaries and focal points in a map coming from Bairstow's method.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardini, Laura; Bischi, Gian-Italo; Fournier-Prunaret, Daniele

1999-06-01

This paper is devoted to the study of the global dynamical properties of a two-dimensional noninvertible map, with a denominator which can vanish, obtained by applying Bairstow's method to a cubic polynomial. It is shown that the complicated structure of the basins of attraction of the fixed points is due to the existence of singularities such as sets of nondefinition, focal points, and prefocal curves, which are specific to maps with a vanishing denominator, and have been recently introduced in the literature. Some global bifurcations that change the qualitative structure of the basin boundaries, are explained in terms of contacts among these singularities. The techniques used in this paper put in evidence some new dynamic behaviors and bifurcations, which are peculiar of maps with denominator; hence they can be applied to the analysis of other classes of maps coming from iterative algorithms (based on Newton's method, or others). (c) 1999 American Institute of Physics.

HIGH PERFORMANCE PIAA CORONAGRAPHY WITH COMPLEX AMPLITUDE FOCAL PLANE MASKS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guyon, Olivier; Martinache, Frantz; Belikov, Ruslan; Soummer, Remi

2010-01-01

We describe a coronagraph approach where the performance of a Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA) coronagraph is improved by using a partially transmissive phase-shifting focal plane mask and a Lyot stop. This approach combines the low inner working angle offered by phase mask coronagraphy, the full throughput and uncompromized angular resolution of the PIAA approach, and the design flexibility of Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph. A PIAA complex mask coronagraph (PIAACMC) is fully described by the focal plane mask size, or, equivalently, its complex transmission which ranges from 0 (opaque) to -1 (phase shifting). For all values of the transmission, the PIAACMC theoretically offers full on-axis extinction and 100% throughput at large angular separations. With a pure phase focal plane mask (complex transmission = -1), the PIAACMC offers 50% throughput at 0.64 λ/D while providing total extinction of an on-axis point source. This performance is very close to the 'fundamental performance limit' of coronagraphy derived from first principles. For very high contrast level, imaging performance with PIAACMC is in practice limited by the angular size of the on-axis target (usually a star). We show that this fundamental limitation must be taken into account when choosing the optimal value of the focal plane mask size in the PIAACMC design. We show that the PIAACMC enables visible imaging of Jupiter-like planets at ∼1.2 λ/D from the host star, and can therefore offer almost three times more targets than a PIAA coronagraph optimized for this type of observation. We find that for visible imaging of Earth-like planets, the PIAACMC gain over a PIAA is probably much smaller, as coronagraphic performance is then strongly constrained by stellar angular size. For observations at 'low' contrast (below ∼ 10 8 ), the PIAACMC offers significant performance enhancement over PIAA. This is especially relevant for ground-based high contrast imaging systems in the near-IR, where

Continuously variable focal length lens

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Bernhard W; Chollet, Matthieu C

2013-12-17

A material preferably in crystal form having a low atomic number such as beryllium (Z=4) provides for the focusing of x-rays in a continuously variable manner. The material is provided with plural spaced curvilinear, optically matched slots and/or recesses through which an x-ray beam is directed. The focal length of the material may be decreased or increased by increasing or decreasing, respectively, the number of slots (or recesses) through which the x-ray beam is directed, while fine tuning of the focal length is accomplished by rotation of the material so as to change the path length of the x-ray beam through the aligned cylindrical slows. X-ray analysis of a fixed point in a solid material may be performed by scanning the energy of the x-ray beam while rotating the material to maintain the beam's focal point at a fixed point in the specimen undergoing analysis.

Systems considerations in mosaic focal planes

Science.gov (United States)

White, K. P., III

1983-08-01

Two key reasons for pursuing the development of mosaic focal planes are reviewed and it is shown that rapid frame repetition rate is the only requirement that can be solved no other way than through mosaic focal planes. With the view that spaceborne mosaic focal plane sensors are necessarily 'smart sensors' requiring a lot of onboard processing just to function, it is pointed out that various artificial intelligence techniques may be the most appropriate to incorporate in the data processing. Finally, a novel mosaic focal plane design is proposed, termed a virtual mosaic focal plane, in response to other system constraints.

Focal point pricing: A challenge to the successful implementation of Section 10a (introduced by the Competition Amendment Act

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mike Holland

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The Competition Amendment Act introduced section 10A, which provides the Competition Commission with the powers to investigate complex monopoly conduct in a market and allows the Competition Tribunal, under certain conditions, to prohibit such behaviour. Although more than five years have elapsed since the Competition Amendment Act was promulgated, this provision has yet to come into force. However, when it eventually does so, it will mark a significant change in South African competition law, as it seeks to regulate firms’ consciously parallel conduct. This is coordinated conduct that occurs without communication or agreement, but results in the prevention or substantial lessening of competition. Examples of horizontal tacit coordination practices include price leadership and facilitating practices, such as information exchanges and price signaling. The successful implementation of the amendment poses problems for the competition authorities in assessing the competitive effects of complex monopoly conduct and in providing effective remedies. Oligopoly markets result in mutual interdependent decision-making by firms, which can lead to market outcomes similar to explicit collusion. However, a further and little noticed issue is that firms in oligopolistic markets have opportunities to use focal points to determine coordinated strategies. This paper explores the nature and role of focal point pricing, which can lead to prices that are above competitive levels. The South African banking industry is used as an example. We find that focal point pricing is difficult to control, making the successful implementation of section 10A even more problematic. Moreover, the proposed amendment provides scope for the imposition of structural remedies by the Competition Tribunal, a function that the Competition Tribunal is ill-suited to perform.

Focal pancreatic enlargement: differentiation between pancreatic adenocarcinoma and focal pancreatitis on CT and ERCP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun Kyung; Kim, Ki Whang; Lee, Jong Tae; Kim, Hee Soo; Yoo, Hyung Sik; Yu, Jeong Sik; Yoon, Sang Wook

1995-01-01

To differentiate the pancreatic adenocarcinoma from focal pancreatitis on CT and ERCP in cases of focal pancreatic enlargement. We analysed CT findings of 66 patients of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 45) or focal pancreatitis (n = 21) with respect to size, density, calcification, pancreatic or biliary duct dilatation, fat plane obliteration around the vessels, direction of retroperitoneal extension, lymphadenopathy, pseudocyst formation and atrophy of pancreas. ERCP available in 48 patients were analysed in respect to morphologic appearance of CBD and pancreatic duct, and distance between the two ducts. The patients in focal pancreatitis were younger with more common history of alcohol drinking. There was no statistical difference in calcifications of the mass (18% in the adenocarcinoma, 33% in the focal pancreatitis), but a tendency of denser, larger number of calcifications was noted in focal pancreatitis. The finding of fat plane obliteration around the vessels were more common in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and fascial thickenings were more prominent in focal pancreatitis, although not statistically significant. On ERCP, there were no differential points of CBD, pancreatic duct morphology, but distance between the two ducts at the lesion center was more wider in focal pancreatitis. Differentiating focal pancreatitis from pancreatic adenocarcinoma is difficult. However, we should consider the possibility of focal pancreatitis in cases of patients with young age, having alcoholic history in association with CT findings of large numbers of and dense calcifications, and ERCP findings of prominent separation of two duct at the lesion center

Semiclassical asymptotics for the scattering amplitude in the presence of focal points at infinity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hohberger, H.

2006-10-16

We consider scattering in R{sup n}, n{>=}2, described by the Schroedinger operator P(h)=-h{sup 2}{delta}+V, where V is a short-range potential. With the aid of Maslov theory, we give a geometrical formula for the semiclassical asymptotics as h{yields}0 of the scattering amplitude f({omega}{sub -},{omega}{sub +};{lambda},h) ({omega}{sub +}{ne}{omega}{sub -}) which remains valid in the presence of focal points at infinity (caustics). Crucial for this analysis are precise estimates on the asymptotics of the classical phase trajectories and the relationship between caustics in euclidean phase space and caustics at infinity. (orig.)

Diagnostic imaging in focal epilepsy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zlatareva, D.

2013-01-01

Focal epilepsies account for 60% of all seizure disorders worldwide. In this review the classic and new classification system of epileptic seizures and syndromes as well as genetic forms are discussed. Magnetic resonance (MR) is the technique of choice for diagnostic imaging in focal epilepsy because of its sensitivity and high tissue contrast. The review is focused on the lack of consensus of imaging protocols and reported findings in refractory epilepsy. The most frequently encountered MRI findings in epilepsy are reported and their imaging characteristics are depicted. Diagnosis of hippocampal sclerosis and malformations of cortical development as two major causes of refractory focal epilepsy is described in details. Some promising new techniques as positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET/CT) and MR and PET/CT fusion are briefly discussed. Also the relevance of adequate imaging in focal epilepsy, some practical points in imaging interpretation and differential diagnosis are highlighted. (author)

Numerical study and ex vivo assessment of HIFU treatment time reduction through optimization of focal point trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Grisey, A.; Yon, S.; Pechoux, T.; Letort, V.; Lafitte, P.

2017-03-01

Treatment time reduction is a key issue to expand the use of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) surgery, especially for benign pathologies. This study aims at quantitatively assessing the potential reduction of the treatment time arising from moving the focal point during long pulses. In this context, the optimization of the focal point trajectory is crucial to achieve a uniform thermal dose repartition and avoid boiling. At first, a numerical optimization algorithm was used to generate efficient trajectories. Thermal conduction was simulated in 3D with a finite difference code and damages to the tissue were modeled using the thermal dose formula. Given an initial trajectory, the thermal dose field was first computed, then, making use of Pontryagin's maximum principle, the trajectory was iteratively refined. Several initial trajectories were tested. Then, an ex vivo study was conducted in order to validate the efficicency of the resulting optimized strategies. Single pulses were performed at 3MHz on fresh veal liver samples with an Echopulse and the size of each unitary lesion was assessed by cutting each sample along three orthogonal planes and measuring the dimension of the whitened area based on photographs. We propose a promising approach to significantly shorten HIFU treatment time: the numerical optimization algorithm was shown to provide a reliable insight on trajectories that can improve treatment strategies. The model must now be improved in order to take in vivo conditions into account and extensively validated.

Poliomyelitis eradication – the review of notifications from the years 2010-2016 sent to National IHR Focal Point

Science.gov (United States)

Radziszewski, Franciszek; Janiec, Janusz; Henszel, Łukasz; Izdebski, Radosław; Polański, Piotr

Polio eradication programme was launched after World Health Assembly in 1988. Despite considerable decrease in reported cases it still constitutes a significant public health threat. All WHO member state is bound to appoint National IHR Focal Point, which operates based on International Health Regulations (2005), which were enacted during the World Health Assembly in 2005. In Poland National IHR Focal Point (IHR NFP in Poland) operates since 2007, and is located in the Department of Epidemiology, in National Institute of Public Health - National Institute of Hygiene. Its aim is to acquire, assess and to transfer information on events which may constitute an international threat for the public health. IHR NFP in Poland has an access to WHO’s Event Information Site (EIS) as well as Early Warning and Response System (EWRS) with reading-only credentials. Both platforms are of limited access (1). Among recipients of IHR NFP notifications and information are experts from many fields such as epidemiology, virology, bacteriology and others- related to specific type of notification, as well as specific and appointed members of state’s administration and authorities in the field of public health. In this paper a review of notifications on the subject of poliomyelitis, sent to IHR NFP in Poland in the years 2010-2016 is presented, as well as references to poliomyelitis epidemiological situation were made based on the date from Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Focal spot motion of linear accelerators and its effect on portal image analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonke, Jan-Jakob; Brand, Bob; Herk, Marcel van

2003-01-01

The focal spot of a linear accelerator is often considered to have a fully stable position. In practice, however, the beam control loop of a linear accelerator needs to stabilize after the beam is turned on. As a result, some motion of the focal spot might occur during the start-up phase of irradiation. When acquiring portal images, this motion will affect the projected position of anatomy and field edges, especially when low exposures are used. In this paper, the motion of the focal spot and the effect of this motion on portal image analysis are quantified. A slightly tilted narrow slit phantom was placed at the isocenter of several linear accelerators and images were acquired (3.5 frames per second) by means of an amorphous silicon flat panel imager positioned ∼0.7 m below the isocenter. The motion of the focal spot was determined by converting the tilted slit images to subpixel accurate line spread functions. The error in portal image analysis due to focal spot motion was estimated by a subtraction of the relative displacement of the projected slit from the relative displacement of the field edges. It was found that the motion of the focal spot depends on the control system and design of the accelerator. The shift of the focal spot at the start of irradiation ranges between 0.05-0.7 mm in the gun-target (GT) direction. In the left-right (AB) direction the shift is generally smaller. The resulting error in portal image analysis due to focal spot motion ranges between 0.05-1.1 mm for a dose corresponding to two monitor units (MUs). For 20 MUs, the effect of the focal spot motion reduces to 0.01-0.3 mm. The error in portal image analysis due to focal spot motion can be reduced by reducing the applied dose rate

Shift of the eutectoid point in the Fe-C binary system by a high magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Y D; Esling, C; Calcagnotto, M; Gong, M L; Zhao, X; Zuo, L

2007-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to investigate experimentally the shift of the eutectoid point in the Fe-C binary system when applying a high magnetic field. The eutectoid carbon content is observed to shift from 0.77 wt% to 0.83 wt% under a 12 T magnetic field. A practical and complete calculation method is proposed-on the basis of the statistical thermodynamic model-to calculate the Gibbs free energy of the related phases and predict the shift of the eutectoid point due to a magnetic field in both composition and temperature coordinates. The composition values are seen to be in fair agreement with the experimental data. The calculation of both shifts shows that the rise in eutectoid temperature because of the 12 T field is 28.97 deg. C. The impact of the magnetic field on both eutectoid carbon content and eutectoid temperature is not linear. The rate of the shift of both carbon content and temperature decreases as the magnetic field rises

Tuskegee as Sacred Rhetoric: Focal Point for the Emergent Field of African American Religion and Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Laws, Terri

2018-02-01

Scholars in African American religion engage the Tuskegee Syphilis Study as the focal point of the African American experience in institutional medicine. Seeking a way forward from this history and its intentional evil, the author proposes to position Tuskegee as a form of Lynch's culturally contextual sacred rhetoric to make use of its metaphoric value in the emerging field of African American religion and health. In this broader meaning-making frame, Tuskegee serves as a reminder that African American religious sensibility has long been an agential resource that counters abuse of the Black body. It also acknowledges the complex decisions facing African American clinical trial participants.

A multifocal collimator with circularly distributed focal points for SPECT imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillemaud, R.; Grangeat, P.

1994-01-01

The authors propose a new circular multifocal collimator which has multiple axial focal points distributed on a transverse circle. This distribution provides a strong focusing at the center of the detector like a cone-beam collimator, with a good sensitivity, and a weak transverse focusing at the periphery, to ensure acquisition of sufficient data, in order to prevent truncation artifacts. For a circular acquisition trajectory, each projection set of the multifocal geometry is equivalent to a virtual cone-beam projection set with a larger detector. Due to this equivalence, the authors derive a first solution for an analytical multifocal reconstruction algorithm: to rebin the projection set from multifocal to cone-beam geometry, then to use a 3D cone-beam reconstruction algorithm. The authors propose to use the Grangeat algorithm in order to deal with a large cone-beam aperture. Finally, the authors present results on simulated data for heart phantom, for a Defrise phantom and for a MTF study. The conclusion is that, from a multifocal projection set, objects are reconstructed without truncation artifacts, with a good precision at their center and with a loss of resolution at the periphery. In addition, the 3D cone-beam artifacts are reduced with the use of the Grangeat algorithm for the reconstruction step

Isotope effect on the zero point energy shift upon condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornblum, Z.C.; Ishida, T.

1977-07-01

The various isotope-dependent and independent atomic and molecular properties that pertain to the isotopic difference between the zero point energy (ZPE) shifts upon condensation were derived. The theoretical development of the change of the ZPE associated with the internal molecular vibrations, due to the condensation of the gaseous molecules, is presented on the basis of Wolfsberg's second-order perturbation treatment of the isotope-dependent London dispersion forces between liquid molecules. The isotope effect on the ZPE shift is related to the difference between the sums of the integrated intensities of the infrared absorption bands of the two gaseous isotopic molecules. The effective atomic charges are also calculated from available experimental infrared intensity data. The effects of isotopic substitutions of carbon-13 for carbon-12 and/or deuterium for protium, in ethylene, methane, and the fluorinated methanes, CH 3 F, CH 2 F 2 , CHF 3 , and CF 4 , on the ZPE shift upon condensation are calculated. These results compare well with the Bigeleisen B-factors, which are experimentally obtained from vapor pressure measurements of the isotopic species. Each of the following molecular properties will tend to increase the isotopic difference between the ZPE shifts upon condensation: (1) large number of highly polar bonds, (2) high molecular weight, (3) non-polar (preferably) or massive molecule, (4) non-hydrogenous molecule, and (5) closely packed liquid molecules. These properties will result in stronger dispersion forces in the liquid phase between the lighter molecules than between the isotopically heavier molecules. 36 tables, 9 figures

Focal decompositions for linear differential equations of the second order

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Birbrair

2003-01-01

two-points problems to itself such that the image of the focal decomposition associated to the first equation is a focal decomposition associated to the second one. In this paper, we present a complete classification for linear second-order equations with respect to this equivalence relation.

Giant Dirac point shift of graphene phototransistors by doped silicon substrate current

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masaaki Shimatani

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Graphene is a promising new material for photodetectors due to its excellent optical properties and high-speed response. However, graphene-based phototransistors have low responsivity due to the weak light absorption of graphene. We have observed a giant Dirac point shift upon white light illumination in graphene-based phototransistors with n-doped Si substrates, but not those with p-doped substrates. The source-drain current and substrate current were investigated with and without illumination for both p-type and n-type Si substrates. The decay time of the drain-source current indicates that the Si substrate, SiO2 layer, and metal electrode comprise a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS capacitor due to the presence of defects at the interface between the Si substrate and SiO2 layer. The difference in the diffusion time of the intrinsic major carriers (electrons and the photogenerated electron-hole pairs to the depletion layer delays the application of the gate voltage to the graphene channel. Therefore, the giant Dirac point shift is attributed to the n-type Si substrate current. This phenomenon can be exploited to realize high-performance graphene-based phototransistors.

Giant Dirac point shift of graphene phototransistors by doped silicon substrate current

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimatani, Masaaki; Ogawa, Shinpei, E-mail: Ogawa.Shimpei@eb.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp; Fujisawa, Daisuke [Advanced Technology R& D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, 8-1-1 Tsukaguchi-Honmachi, Amagasaki, Hyogo 661-8661 (Japan); Okuda, Satoshi [Advanced Technology R& D Center, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, 8-1-1 Tsukaguchi-Honmachi, Amagasaki, Hyogo 661-8661 (Japan); The Institute of the Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Kanai, Yasushi; Ono, Takao; Matsumoto, Kazuhiko [The Institute of the Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan)

2016-03-15

Graphene is a promising new material for photodetectors due to its excellent optical properties and high-speed response. However, graphene-based phototransistors have low responsivity due to the weak light absorption of graphene. We have observed a giant Dirac point shift upon white light illumination in graphene-based phototransistors with n-doped Si substrates, but not those with p-doped substrates. The source-drain current and substrate current were investigated with and without illumination for both p-type and n-type Si substrates. The decay time of the drain-source current indicates that the Si substrate, SiO{sub 2} layer, and metal electrode comprise a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor due to the presence of defects at the interface between the Si substrate and SiO{sub 2} layer. The difference in the diffusion time of the intrinsic major carriers (electrons) and the photogenerated electron-hole pairs to the depletion layer delays the application of the gate voltage to the graphene channel. Therefore, the giant Dirac point shift is attributed to the n-type Si substrate current. This phenomenon can be exploited to realize high-performance graphene-based phototransistors.

Isotope effect on the zero point energy shift upon condensation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornblum, Z.C.

1977-01-01

The various isotope-dependent and independent atomic and molecular properties that pertain to the isotopic difference between the zero point energy (ZPE) shifts upon condensation have been derived. The theoretical development of the change of the ZPE associated with the internal molecular vibrations, due to the condensation of the gaseous molecules, has been presented on the basis of Wolfsberg's second-order perturbation treatment of the isotope-dependent London dispersion forces between liquid molecules. The isotope effect on the ZPE shift is related to the difference between the sums of the integrated intensities of the infrared absorption bands of the two gaseous isotopic molecules. Each intensity sum is expressed, in part, in terms of partial derivatives of the molecular dipole moment with respect to atomic cartesian coordinates. These derivatives are related to the isotope-independent effective charges of the atoms, which are theoretically calculated by means of a modified CNDO/2 computer program. The effective atomic charges are also calculated from available experimental infrared intensity data. The effects of isotopic substitutions of carbon-13 for carbon-12 and/or deuterium for protium, in ethylene, methane, and the fluorinated methanes, CH 3 F, CH 2 F 2 , CHF 3 , and CF 4 , on the ZPE shift upon condensation are calculated. These results compare well with the Bigeleisen B-factors, which are experimentally obtained from vapor pressure measurements of the isotopic species. Each of the following molecular properties will tend to increase the isotopic difference between the ZPE shifts upon condensation: (1) large number of highly polar bonds, (2) high molecular weight, (3) non-polar (preferably) or massive molecule, (4) non-hydrogenous molecule, and (5) closely packed liquid molecules. These properties will result in stronger dispersion forces in the liquid phase between the lighter molecules than between the isotopically heavier molecules

When teams shift among processes: insights from simulation and optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Deanna M; McComb, Sara A

2014-09-01

This article introduces process shifts to study the temporal interplay among transition and action processes espoused in the recurring phase model proposed by Marks, Mathieu, and Zacarro (2001). Process shifts are those points in time when teams complete a focal process and change to another process. By using team communication patterns to measure process shifts, this research explores (a) when teams shift among different transition processes and initiate action processes and (b) the potential of different interventions, such as communication directives, to manipulate process shift timing and order and, ultimately, team performance. Virtual experiments are employed to compare data from observed laboratory teams not receiving interventions, simulated teams receiving interventions, and optimal simulated teams generated using genetic algorithm procedures. Our results offer insights about the potential for different interventions to affect team performance. Moreover, certain interventions may promote discussions about key issues (e.g., tactical strategies) and facilitate shifting among transition processes in a manner that emulates optimal simulated teams' communication patterns. Thus, we contribute to theory regarding team processes in 2 important ways. First, we present process shifts as a way to explore the timing of when teams shift from transition to action processes. Second, we use virtual experimentation to identify those interventions with the greatest potential to affect performance by changing when teams shift among processes. Additionally, we employ computational methods including neural networks, simulation, and optimization, thereby demonstrating their applicability in conducting team research. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Automatic Optimization of Focal Point Position in CO2 Laser Welding with Neural Network in A Focus Control System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gong, Hui; Olsen, Flemming Ove

CO2 lasers are increasingly being utilized for quality welding in production. Considering the high cost of equipment, the start-up time and the set-up time should be minimized. Ideally the parameters should be set up and optimized more or less automatically. In this paper a control system...... is designed and built to automatically optimize the focal point position, one of the most important parameters in CO2 laser welding, in order to perform a desired deep/full penetration welding. The control system mainly consists of a multi-axis motion controller - PMAC, a light sensor - Photo Diode, a data...

The Cult of Ancestors: A Focal Point for Prayers in African Traditional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Religion Dept

The spiritual world of Africa peoples is very densely populated with spiritual beings; ... (2).Who is the focal recipient/addressee in African traditional prayer. ... war or raids, the acceptance of sacrifices and offerings, and ..... weeping, Rachel weeps for her children, she refuses to be .... thought, M. Fortes and G. Dieterlen.

Cortisol shifts financial risk preferences.

Science.gov (United States)

Kandasamy, Narayanan; Hardy, Ben; Page, Lionel; Schaffner, Markus; Graggaber, Johann; Powlson, Andrew S; Fletcher, Paul C; Gurnell, Mark; Coates, John

2014-03-04

Risk taking is central to human activity. Consequently, it lies at the focal point of behavioral sciences such as neuroscience, economics, and finance. Many influential models from these sciences assume that financial risk preferences form a stable trait. Is this assumption justified and, if not, what causes the appetite for risk to fluctuate? We have previously found that traders experience a sustained increase in the stress hormone cortisol when the amount of uncertainty, in the form of market volatility, increases. Here we ask whether these elevated cortisol levels shift risk preferences. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over protocol we raised cortisol levels in volunteers over 8 d to the same extent previously observed in traders. We then tested for the utility and probability weighting functions underlying their risk taking and found that participants became more risk-averse. We also observed that the weighting of probabilities became more distorted among men relative to women. These results suggest that risk preferences are highly dynamic. Specifically, the stress response calibrates risk taking to our circumstances, reducing it in times of prolonged uncertainty, such as a financial crisis. Physiology-induced shifts in risk preferences may thus be an underappreciated cause of market instability.

Cortisol shifts financial risk preferences

Science.gov (United States)

Kandasamy, Narayanan; Hardy, Ben; Page, Lionel; Schaffner, Markus; Graggaber, Johann; Powlson, Andrew S.; Fletcher, Paul C.; Gurnell, Mark; Coates, John

2014-01-01

Risk taking is central to human activity. Consequently, it lies at the focal point of behavioral sciences such as neuroscience, economics, and finance. Many influential models from these sciences assume that financial risk preferences form a stable trait. Is this assumption justified and, if not, what causes the appetite for risk to fluctuate? We have previously found that traders experience a sustained increase in the stress hormone cortisol when the amount of uncertainty, in the form of market volatility, increases. Here we ask whether these elevated cortisol levels shift risk preferences. Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over protocol we raised cortisol levels in volunteers over 8 d to the same extent previously observed in traders. We then tested for the utility and probability weighting functions underlying their risk taking and found that participants became more risk-averse. We also observed that the weighting of probabilities became more distorted among men relative to women. These results suggest that risk preferences are highly dynamic. Specifically, the stress response calibrates risk taking to our circumstances, reducing it in times of prolonged uncertainty, such as a financial crisis. Physiology-induced shifts in risk preferences may thus be an underappreciated cause of market instability. PMID:24550472

TRIM15 is a focal adhesion protein that regulates focal adhesion disassembly

Science.gov (United States)

Uchil, Pradeep D.; Pawliczek, Tobias; Reynolds, Tracy D.; Ding, Siyuan; Hinz, Angelika; Munro, James B.; Huang, Fang; Floyd, Robert W.; Yang, Haitao; Hamilton, William L.; Bewersdorf, Joerg; Xiong, Yong; Calderwood, David A.; Mothes, Walther

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Focal adhesions are macromolecular complexes that connect the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix. Dynamic turnover of focal adhesions is crucial for cell migration. Paxillin is a multi-adaptor protein that plays an important role in regulating focal adhesion dynamics. Here, we identify TRIM15, a member of the tripartite motif protein family, as a paxillin-interacting factor and a component of focal adhesions. TRIM15 localizes to focal contacts in a myosin-II-independent manner by an interaction between its coiled-coil domain and the LD2 motif of paxillin. Unlike other focal adhesion proteins, TRIM15 is a stable focal adhesion component with restricted mobility due to its ability to form oligomers. TRIM15-depleted cells display impaired cell migration and reduced focal adhesion disassembly rates, in addition to enlarged focal adhesions. Thus, our studies demonstrate a cellular function for TRIM15 as a regulatory component of focal adhesion turnover and cell migration. PMID:25015296

Cardinal and anti-cardinal points, equalities and chromatic dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Tanya; Harris, William F

2017-05-01

Cardinal points are used for ray tracing through Gaussian systems. Anti-principal and anti-nodal points (which we shall refer to as the anti-cardinal points), along with the six familiar cardinal points, belong to a much larger set of special points. The purpose of this paper is to obtain a set of relationships and resulting equalities among the cardinal and anti-cardinal points and to illustrate them using Pascal's ring. The methodology used relies on Gaussian optics and the transference T. We make use of two equations, obtained via the transference, which give the locations of the six cardinal and four anti-cardinal points with respect to the system. We obtain equalities among the cardinal and anti-cardinal points. We utilise Pascal's ring to illustrate which points depend on frequency and their displacement with change in frequency. Pascal described a memory schema in the shape of a hexagon for remembering equalities among the points and illustrating shifts in these points when an aspect of the system changes. We modify and extend Pascal's ring to include the anti-cardinal points. We make use of Pascal's ring extended to illustrate which points are dependent on the frequency of light and the direction of shift of the equalities with change in frequency. For the reduced eye the principal and nodal points are independent of frequency, but the focal points and the anti-cardinal points depend on frequency. For Le Grand's four-surface model eye all six cardinal and four anti-cardinal points depend on frequency. This has implications for definitions, particularly of chromatic aberrations of the eye, that make use of cardinal points and that themselves depend on frequency. Pascal's ring and Pascal's ring extended are novel memory schema for remembering the equalities among the cardinal and anti-cardinal points. The rings are useful for illustrating changes among the equalities and direction of shift of points when an aspect of a system changes. Care should be taken

Detection is unaffected by the deployment of focal attention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeff eMoher

2013-05-01

Full Text Available There has been much debate regarding how much information humans can extract from their environment without the use of limited attentional resources. In a recent study, Theeuwes, Van der Burg, and Belopolsky (2008 argued that even detection of simple feature targets is not possible without selection by focal attention. Supporting this claim, they found response time benefits in a simple feature (color detection task when a target letter’s identity was repeated on consecutive trials, suggesting that the letter was selected by focal attention and identified prior to detection. This intertrial repetition benefit remained even when observers were required to simultaneously identify a central digit. However, we found that intertrial repetition benefits disappeared when a simple color target was presented among a heterogeneously (rather than homogeneously colored set of distractors, thus reducing its bottom-up salience. Still, detection performance remained high. Thus, detection performance was unaffected by whether a letter was focally attended and identified prior to detection or not. Intertrial identity repetition benefits also disappeared when observers were required to perform a simultaneous, attention-demanding central task (Experiment 2, or when unfamiliar Chinese characters were used (Experiment 3. Together, these results suggest that while shifts of focal attention can be affected by target salience, by the availability of excess cognitive resources, and by target familiarity, detection performance itself is unaffected by these manipulations and is thus unaffected by the deployment of focal attention.

Stereovision-based integrated system for point cloud reconstruction and simulated brain shift validation.

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Yang, Xiaochen; Clements, Logan W; Luo, Ma; Narasimhan, Saramati; Thompson, Reid C; Dawant, Benoit M; Miga, Michael I

2017-07-01

Intraoperative soft tissue deformation, referred to as brain shift, compromises the application of current image-guided surgery navigation systems in neurosurgery. A computational model driven by sparse data has been proposed as a cost-effective method to compensate for cortical surface and volumetric displacements. We present a mock environment developed to acquire stereoimages from a tracked operating microscope and to reconstruct three-dimensional point clouds from these images. A reconstruction error of 1 mm is estimated by using a phantom with a known geometry and independently measured deformation extent. The microscope is tracked via an attached tracking rigid body that facilitates the recording of the position of the microscope via a commercial optical tracking system as it moves during the procedure. Point clouds, reconstructed under different microscope positions, are registered into the same space to compute the feature displacements. Using our mock craniotomy device, realistic cortical deformations are generated. When comparing our tracked microscope stereo-pair measure of mock vessel displacements to that of the measurement determined by the independent optically tracked stylus marking, the displacement error was [Formula: see text] on average. These results demonstrate the practicality of using tracked stereoscopic microscope as an alternative to laser range scanners to collect sufficient intraoperative information for brain shift correction.

Ballistic Target PHD Filter Based on Infrared Focal Plane Ambiguous Observation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Zhao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Space-based early warning system, the main detection means of which is passive detection based on focal plane, is an important part of ballistic missile defense system. The focal plane is mainly composed of CCD, and its size can reach the micron level, so the pixel is often regarded as point of no area in image postprocessing. The design of traditional tracking methods is based on this, and the observation based on the focal plane is modeled as the azimuth with random noise. However, this modeling is inaccurate. In the context of space-based detection, CCD cannot be simplified as a point, and its size should be considered. And the corresponding observation cannot be treated as azimuth with random noise. In this paper, the observation based on focal plane is modeled as Unambiguously Generated Ambiguous (UGA measurement. The PHD filter algorithm is redesigned and simplified. The simulation results show that the algorithm based on UGA measurement observation model has better tracking effect compared with that based on traditional observation model. This method provides technical support for more accurate target tracking for space-based early warning system.

Focal myositis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kransdorf, M.J.; Temple, H.T.; Sweet, D.E.

1998-01-01

Focal myositis is a pseudotumor of soft tissue that typically occurs in the deep soft tissue of the extremities, and is a relatively rare lesion. There is a wide clinical spectrum, with approximately one-third of patients with focal myositis subsequently developing polymyositis, and clinical symptoms of generalized weakness, fever, myalgia, and weight loss, with elevation of creatine phosphokinase. We report the case of a patient with focal myositis who subsequently developed myositis ossificans-like features. (orig.)

Focal myositis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kransdorf, M.J. [Saint Mary`s Hospital, Richmond, VA (United States). Dept. of Radiol.]|[Department of Radiologic Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC (United States); Temple, H.T. [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia (United States)]|[Department of Orthopedic Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC (United States); Sweet, D.E. [Department of Orthopedic Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC (United States)

1998-05-01

Focal myositis is a pseudotumor of soft tissue that typically occurs in the deep soft tissue of the extremities, and is a relatively rare lesion. There is a wide clinical spectrum, with approximately one-third of patients with focal myositis subsequently developing polymyositis, and clinical symptoms of generalized weakness, fever, myalgia, and weight loss, with elevation of creatine phosphokinase. We report the case of a patient with focal myositis who subsequently developed myositis ossificans-like features. (orig.) With 3 figs., 25 refs.

Deriving the effective focal plane for the CBM-RICH detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kres, Ievgenii [Wuppertal University (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at the future FAIR complex will investigate the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter at high baryon density and moderate temperatures in A+A collisions from 2-11 AGeV (SIS100). A central component of the proposed detector setup is a ring imaging Cherenkov detector (RICH) using CO2 as radiator gas, and a focussing optic with a large spherical mirror. In the present design, the optimal focal plane is approximated using four individual, flat detection surfaces. However, the exact shape and position of the ideal focal plane is subject to further optimization due to effects from tilting the focussing mirror and from momentum dependant deflection of the electron tracks in the magnetic stray field. In this talk, we present a new approach to derive the effective 3-dimensional shape of the focal plane based on a set of Monte Carlo simulations, comparing the ring sharpness at each point of a preliminary focal plane as function of z-position.

Two-dimensional NMR measurement and point dipole model prediction of paramagnetic shift tensors in solids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walder, Brennan J.; Davis, Michael C.; Grandinetti, Philip J. [Department of Chemistry, Ohio State University, 100 West 18th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210 (United States); Dey, Krishna K. [Department of Physics, Dr. H. S. Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh 470003 (India); Baltisberger, Jay H. [Division of Natural Science, Mathematics, and Nursing, Berea College, Berea, Kentucky 40403 (United States)

2015-01-07

A new two-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiment to separate and correlate the first-order quadrupolar and chemical/paramagnetic shift interactions is described. This experiment, which we call the shifting-d echo experiment, allows a more precise determination of tensor principal components values and their relative orientation. It is designed using the recently introduced symmetry pathway concept. A comparison of the shifting-d experiment with earlier proposed methods is presented and experimentally illustrated in the case of {sup 2}H (I = 1) paramagnetic shift and quadrupolar tensors of CuCl{sub 2}⋅2D{sub 2}O. The benefits of the shifting-d echo experiment over other methods are a factor of two improvement in sensitivity and the suppression of major artifacts. From the 2D lineshape analysis of the shifting-d spectrum, the {sup 2}H quadrupolar coupling parameters are 〈C{sub q}〉 = 118.1 kHz and 〈η{sub q}〉 = 0.88, and the {sup 2}H paramagnetic shift tensor anisotropy parameters are 〈ζ{sub P}〉 = − 152.5 ppm and 〈η{sub P}〉 = 0.91. The orientation of the quadrupolar coupling principal axis system (PAS) relative to the paramagnetic shift anisotropy principal axis system is given by (α,β,γ)=((π)/2 ,(π)/2 ,0). Using a simple ligand hopping model, the tensor parameters in the absence of exchange are estimated. On the basis of this analysis, the instantaneous principal components and orientation of the quadrupolar coupling are found to be in excellent agreement with previous measurements. A new point dipole model for predicting the paramagnetic shift tensor is proposed yielding significantly better agreement than previously used models. In the new model, the dipoles are displaced from nuclei at positions associated with high electron density in the singly occupied molecular orbital predicted from ligand field theory.

Detection of fat in focal liver lesions using chemical-shift MR imaging: its significance in patients with and without hepatic cirrhosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, J.

1999-01-01

To determine the utility of the chemical shift technique in MRI for the detection of fact in focal hepatic lesions and to see its significance in patients with and without hepatic cirrhosis. 159 patients with 207 hepatic lesions were studied using MRI (IT). Two groups were established: a) patients with hepatic cirrhosis (n=63 with 69 lesions) and b) patients without cirrhosis (n=96 with 138 lesions). Images were obtained in phase (P) and in opposite phase (OP) with gradient echo sequences (RG). The parameter used to differentiate the lesions with fat from those without fat was the variation percentage of the intensity of the signal (VIS) between the images in P and in OP. The statistical valuation was carried out using Student's t tests and the area under the ROC curve. The chemical shift technique detected fat in 25 lesions (12%), 10 hepatocarcinomas in the patients with cirrhosis and two angiomyolipomas and 13 nodular fat infiltrations in the patients who did not have cirrhosis. The average VIS percentage in the 10 hepatocarcinomas was 174.77% (ranging from 88.64% to 369.33%) while in the remaining 59 hepatocarcinomas it was -4.03% (ranging from 12.79% to -19.10%) (p=0.003). In the patients who did not have cirrhosis the average VIS percentage of the lesions with fat was 161.23 (ranging from 19.82 to 605.78) while in the lesions without fat it was -0.41 (ranging from -18.96 to 19.52) (p=0.003). The area under the ROC curve was 1 for the VIS parameter. The chemical shift technique allowed for fat to be detected within hepatic lesions. Based on our study, a nodule with fat in a patient with hepatic cirrhosis is suspected to have hepatocarcinomas while in patients who do not suffer from cirrhosis the existence of fat in a nodule favours its bening nature. (Author) 39 refs

Focal retinal phlebitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoang, Quan V; Freund, K Bailey; Klancnik, James M; Sorenson, John A; Cunningham, Emmett T; Yannuzzi, Lawrence A

2012-01-01

To report three cases of solitary, focal retinal phlebitis. An observational case series. Three eyes in three patients were noted to have unilateral decreased vision, macular edema, and a focal retinal phlebitis, which was not at an arteriovenous crossing. All three patients developed a branch retinal vein occlusion at the site of inflammation. These patients had no other evidence of intraocular inflammation, including vitritis, retinitis, retinal vasculitis, or choroiditis, nor was there any systemic disorder associated with inflammation, infection, or coagulation identified. Focal retinal phlebitis appears to be an uncommon and unique entity that produces macular edema and ultimately branch retinal vein occlusion. In our patients, the focal phlebitis and venous occlusion did not occur at an arteriovenous crossing, which is the typical site for branch retinal venous occlusive disease. This suggests that our cases represent a distinct clinical entity, which starts with a focal abnormality in the wall of a retinal venule, resulting in surrounding exudation and, ultimately, ends with branch retinal vein occlusion.

Dosimetry Modeling for Focal Low-Dose-Rate Prostate Brachytherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Qaisieh, Bashar [Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds (United Kingdom); Mason, Josh, E-mail: joshua.mason@nhs.net [Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds (United Kingdom); Bownes, Peter; Henry, Ann [Leeds Cancer Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds (United Kingdom); Dickinson, Louise [Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London (United Kingdom); Department of Radiology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West NHS Trust, London (United Kingdom); Ahmed, Hashim U. [Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London (United Kingdom); University College London Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Emberton, Mark [University College London Hospital, London (United Kingdom); Langley, Stephen [St Luke' s Cancer Centre, Guildford (United Kingdom)

2015-07-15

Purpose: Focal brachytherapy targeted to an individual lesion(s) within the prostate may reduce side effects experienced with whole-gland brachytherapy. The outcomes of a consensus meeting on focal prostate brachytherapy were used to investigate optimal dosimetry of focal low-dose-rate (LDR) prostate brachytherapy targeted using multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) and transperineal template prostate mapping (TPM) biopsy, including the effects of random and systematic seed displacements and interseed attenuation (ISA). Methods and Materials: Nine patients were selected according to clinical characteristics and concordance of TPM and mp-MRI. Retrospectively, 3 treatment plans were analyzed for each case: whole-gland (WG), hemi-gland (hemi), and ultra-focal (UF) plans, with 145-Gy prescription dose and identical dose constraints for each plan. Plan robustness to seed displacement and ISA were assessed using Monte Carlo simulations. Results: WG plans used a mean 28 needles and 81 seeds, hemi plans used 17 needles and 56 seeds, and UF plans used 12 needles and 25 seeds. Mean D90 (minimum dose received by 90% of the target) and V100 (percentage of the target that receives 100% dose) values were 181.3 Gy and 99.8% for the prostate in WG plans, 195.7 Gy and 97.8% for the hemi-prostate in hemi plans, and 218.3 Gy and 99.8% for the focal target in UF plans. Mean urethra D10 was 205.9 Gy, 191.4 Gy, and 92.4 Gy in WG, hemi, and UF plans, respectively. Mean rectum D2 cm{sup 3} was 107.5 Gy, 77.0 Gy, and 42.7 Gy in WG, hemi, and UF plans, respectively. Focal plans were more sensitive to seed displacement errors: random shifts with a standard deviation of 4 mm reduced mean target D90 by 14.0%, 20.5%, and 32.0% for WG, hemi, and UF plans, respectively. ISA has a similar impact on dose-volume histogram parameters for all plan types. Conclusions: Treatment planning for focal LDR brachytherapy is feasible. Dose constraints are easily met with a notable

Focal myositis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galloway, H.R.; Dahlstrom, J.E.; Bennett, G.M.

2001-01-01

Focal myositis is a rare, benign focal inflammation of muscle. The lesion often presents as a mass that may be mistaken for a soft tissue sarcoma. This report describes the MRI and histopathological features of a case and illustrates how the diagnosis may be suspected on the basis of the MR findings. Copyright (2001) Blackwell Science Pty Ltd

Retro-cue benefits in working memory without sustained focal attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Rerko, Laura; Souza, Alessandra S; Oberauer, Klaus

2014-07-01

In working memory (WM) tasks, performance can be boosted by directing attention to one memory object: When a retro-cue in the retention interval indicates which object will be tested, responding is faster and more accurate (the retro-cue benefit). We tested whether the retro-cue benefit in WM depends on sustained attention to the cued object by inserting an attention-demanding interruption task between the retro-cue and the memory test. In the first experiment, the interruption task required participants to shift their visual attention away from the cued representation and to a visual classification task on colors. In the second and third experiments, the interruption task required participants to shift their focal attention within WM: Attention was directed away from the cued representation by probing another representation from the memory array prior to probing the cued object. The retro-cue benefit was not attenuated by shifts of perceptual attention or by shifts of attention within WM. We concluded that sustained attention is not needed to maintain the cued representation in a state of heightened accessibility.

Annual meeting on nuclear technology '88. Technical session on focal points of the atomic energy law and the radiation protection law in 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

This issue of Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology reports presents the papers of the technical session on 'Focal points of the atomic energy law and the radiation protection law in 1988'. The titles are: Is there a binding link between decisions of the atomic energy authority and criminal law? Conclusions to be drawn from the Alkem case court decision. - Recent developments in atomic energy law. - Current radiation protection law. - Codetermination at plant level in a nuclear installation. - The legal position of foreigners from neigbour countries in the field of atomic energy law. The licensing of nuclear installations near the border. (RST) [de

Valence coordinate contributions to zero-point energy shifts due to hydrogen isotope substitutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oi, Takao; Ishida, Takanobu

1986-01-01

The orthogonal approximation method for the zero-point energy (ZPE) developed previously has been applied to analyze the shifts in the ZPE, δ(ZPE), due to monodeuterium substitutions in methane, ethylene, ethane and benzene in terms of elements of F and G matrices. The δ(ZPE) can be expressed with a reasonable precision as a sum of contributions of individual valence coordinates and correction terms consisting of the first-order interactions between the coordinates. A further refinement in the precision is achieved by a set of small number of second-order terms, which can be estimated by a simple procedure. (author)

Focal airtrapping at expiratory high-resolution CT: comparison with pulmonary function tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kauczor, H.U.; Hast, J.; Heussel, C.P.; Mildenberger, P.; Thelen, M.; Schlegel, J.

2000-01-01

This study was undertaken to determine prevalence, extent, and severity of focal airtrapping at expiratory high-resolution CT, and to compare focal airtrapping with age, gender, pulmonary function tests, and blood gas analysis. Two-hundred seventeen patients with and without pulmonary disease underwent paired inspiratory/expiratory high-resolution CT. Six scan pairs with corresponding scan levels were visually assessed for focal - not diffuse - airtrapping using a four-point scale. Pulmonary function tests and blood gas analysis were available for correlation in all patients (mean interval 5 days). Focal airtrapping with lower lung predominance was observed in 80 % of patients. Twenty-six of 26 patients with restrictive lung function impairment exhibited focal airtrapping (mean score 2.4), whereas only 72 of 98 (74 %) patients with obstruction did (mean score 1.5; p < 0.05). Fifty-eight of 70 (83 %) patients with normal lung function (mean score 1.8) and 19 of 23 (83 %) patients with mixed impairment (mean score 1.8) had focal airtrapping. Focal airtrapping showed negative correlations with static lung volumes (-0.27 to -0.37; p < 0.001) in all patients and moderate positive correlations with dynamic parameters (0.3-0.4; p < 0.001) in patients with obstruction. No significant correlations were found with age, gender, and blood gas analysis. Visual assessment of focal - not diffuse - airtrapping at expiratory high-resolution CT does not correlate with physiological evidence of obstruction as derived from pulmonary function tests since the perception of focal airtrapping requires an adequate expiratory increase in lung density. (orig.)

Transparent meta-analysis: does aging spare prospective memory with focal vs. non-focal cues?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bob Uttl

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Prospective memory (ProM is the ability to become aware of a previously-formed plan at the right time and place. For over twenty years, researchers have been debating whether prospective memory declines with aging or whether it is spared by aging and, most recently, whether aging spares prospective memory with focal vs. non-focal cues. Two recent meta-analyses examining these claims did not include all relevant studies and ignored prevalent ceiling effects, age confounds, and did not distinguish between prospective memory subdomains (e.g., ProM proper, vigilance, habitual ProM (see Uttl, 2008, PLoS ONE. The present meta-analysis focuses on the following questions: Does prospective memory decline with aging? Does prospective memory with focal vs. non-focal cues decline with aging? Does the size of age-related declines with focal vs. non-focal cues vary across ProM subdomains? And are age-related declines in ProM smaller than age-related declines in retrospective memory? METHODS AND FINDINGS: A meta-analysis of event-cued ProM using data visualization and modeling, robust count methods, and conventional meta-analysis techniques revealed that first, the size of age-related declines in ProM with both focal and non-focal cues are large. Second, age-related declines in ProM with focal cues are larger in ProM proper and smaller in vigilance. Third, age-related declines in ProM proper with focal cues are as large as age-related declines in recall measures of retrospective memory. CONCLUSIONS: The results are consistent with Craik's (1983 proposal that age-related declines on ProM tasks are generally large, support the distinction between ProM proper vs. vigilance, and directly contradict widespread claims that ProM, with or without focal cues, is spared by aging.

“Focal thyroid inferno” on color Doppler ultrasonography: A specific feature of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Xianshui; Guo, Limei; Zhang, Huabin; Ran, Weiqiang; Fu, Peng; Li, Zhiqiang; Chen, Wen; Jiang, Ling; Wang, Jinrui; Jia, Jianwen

2012-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate color-Doppler features predictive of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Materials and methods: A total of 521 patients with 561 thyroid nodules that underwent surgeries or gun biopsies were included in this study. These nodules were divided into three groups: focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis (104 nodules in 101 patients), benignity other than focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis (73 nodules in 70 patients), and malignancy (358 nodules in 350 patients). On color Doppler sonography, four vascularity types were determined as: hypovascularity, marked internal flow, marked peripheral flow and focal thyroid inferno. The χ 2 test was performed to seek the potential vascularity type with the predictive ability of certain thyroid pathology. Furthermore, the gray-scale features of each nodule were also studied. Results: The vascularity type I (hypovascularity) was more often seen in focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis than other benignity and malignancy (46% vs. 20.5% and 19%). While the type II (marked internal flow) showed the opposite tendency (26.9% [focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis] vs. 45.2% [other benignity] and 52.8% [malignancy]). However, type III (marked peripheral flow) was unable to predict any thyroid pathology. Importantly, type IV (focal thyroid inferno) was exclusive to focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis. All 8 type IV nodules appeared to be solid, hypoechoic, and well-defined. Using “focal thyroid inferno” as an indicator of FHT, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 7.7% and 100% respectively. Conclusions: The vascularity type of “focal thyroid inferno” is specific for focal Hashimoto thyroiditis. Recognition of this particular feature may avoid unnecessary interventional procedures for some solid hypoechoic thyroid nodules suspicious of malignancy.

Kalman Filter for Calibrating a Telescope Focal Plane

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Bryan; Bayard, David

2006-01-01

The instrument-pointing frame (IPF) Kalman filter, and an algorithm that implements this filter, have been devised for calibrating the focal plane of a telescope. As used here, calibration signifies, more specifically, a combination of measurements and calculations directed toward ensuring accuracy in aiming the telescope and determining the locations of objects imaged in various arrays of photodetectors in instruments located on the focal plane. The IPF Kalman filter was originally intended for application to a spaceborne infrared astronomical telescope, but can also be applied to other spaceborne and ground-based telescopes. In the traditional approach to calibration of a telescope, (1) one team of experts concentrates on estimating parameters (e.g., pointing alignments and gyroscope drifts) that are classified as being of primarily an engineering nature, (2) another team of experts concentrates on estimating calibration parameters (e.g., plate scales and optical distortions) that are classified as being primarily of a scientific nature, and (3) the two teams repeatedly exchange data in an iterative process in which each team refines its estimates with the help of the data provided by the other team. This iterative process is inefficient and uneconomical because it is time-consuming and entails the maintenance of two survey teams and the development of computer programs specific to the requirements of each team. Moreover, theoretical analysis reveals that the engineering/ science iterative approach is not optimal in that it does not yield the best estimates of focal-plane parameters and, depending on the application, may not even enable convergence toward a set of estimates.

Improved image quality for asymmetric double-focal cone-beam SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cao, Z.J.; Tsui, B.M.W.

1993-01-01

To optimize both spatial resolution and detection efficiency in brain SPECT imaging using a rectangular camera, an asymmetric double-focal cone-beam collimator is proposed with the focal points located near the base plane of the patient's head. To fit the entire head into the field-of-view of the collimator with dimensions of 50cmx40cm and at a radius-of-rotation of 15 cm, the focal lengths of the collimator are 55 and 70 cm, respectively, in the transverse and axial directions. With this geometry, the artifacts in the reconstructed image produced by the Feldkamp algorithm are more severe compared to those in a symmetric cone-beam geometry, due to the larger vertex angle between the top of the head and the base plane. To improve the reconstructed image quality, a fully three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction algorithm developed previously for single-focal cone-beam SPECT was extended to the asymmetric double-focal cone-beam geometry. The algorithm involves nonstationary 2D filtering and a reprojection technique for estimation of the missing data caused by a single-orbit cone-beam geometry. The results from simulation studies with the 3D Defrise slab phantom demonstrated that the fully 3D algorithm provided a much improved image quality in terms of reduced slice-to-slice cross talks and shape elongation compared to that produced by the conventional Feldkamp algorithm

Dual-layer electrode-driven liquid crystal lens with electrically tunable focal length and focal plane

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y. A.; Lin, C. F.; Lin, J. P.; Zeng, X. Y.; Yan, Q.; Zhou, X. T.; Guo, T. L.

2018-04-01

Electric-field-driven liquid crystal (ELC) lens with tunable focal length and their depth of field has been extensively applied in 3D display and imaging systems. In this work, a dual-layer electrode-driven liquid crystal (DELC) lens with electrically tunable focal length and controllable focal plane is demonstrated. ITO-SiO2-AZO electrodes with the dual-layer staggered structure on the top substrate are used as driven electrodes within a LC cell, which permits the establishment of an alternative controllability. The focal length of the DELC lens can be adjusted from 1.41 cm to 0.29 cm when the operating voltage changes from 15 V to 40 V. Furthermore, the focal plane of the DELC lens can selectively move by changing the driving method of the applied voltage to the next driven electrodes. This work demonstrates that the DELC lens has potential applications in imaging systems because of electrically tunable focal length and controllable focal plane.

Spherical aberration compensation method for long focal-length measurement based on Talbot interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yupeng; Huang, Xiao; Bai, Jian; Du, Juan; Liu, Qun; Luo, Yujie; Luo, Jia

2017-08-01

Large-aperture and long focal-length lens is widely used in high energy laser system. The method based on Talbot interferometry is a reliable method to measure the focal length of such elements. By employing divergent beam and two gratings of different periods, this method could realize full-aperture measurement, higher accuracy and better repeatability. However, it does not take into account the spherical aberration of the measured lens resulting in the moiré fringes bending, which will introduce measurement error. Furthermore, in long-focal measurement with divergent beam, this error is an important factor affecting the measurement accuracy. In this paper, we propose a new spherical aberration compensation method, which could significantly reduce the measurement error. Characterized by central-symmetric scanning window, the proposed method is based on the relationship between spherical aberration and the lens aperture. Angle data of moiré fringes in each scanning window is retrieved by Fourier analysis and statistically fitted to estimate a globally optimum value for spherical-aberration-free focal length calculation. Simulation and experiment have been carried out. Compared to the previous work, the proposed method is able to reduce the relative measurement error by 50%. The effect of scanning window size and shift step length on the results is also discussed.

THERMAL EFFECTS ON CAMERA FOCAL LENGTH IN MESSENGER STAR CALIBRATION AND ORBITAL IMAGING

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S. Burmeister

2018-04-01

Full Text Available We analyse images taken by the MErcury Surface, Space ENviorment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER spacecraft for the camera’s thermal response in the harsh thermal environment near Mercury. Specifically, we study thermally induced variations in focal length of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS. Within the several hundreds of images of star fields, the Wide Angle Camera (WAC typically captures up to 250 stars in one frame of the panchromatic channel. We measure star positions and relate these to the known star coordinates taken from the Tycho-2 catalogue. We solve for camera pointing, the focal length parameter and two non-symmetrical distortion parameters for each image. Using data from the temperature sensors on the camera focal plane we model a linear focal length function in the form of f(T = A0 + A1 T. Next, we use images from MESSENGER’s orbital mapping mission. We deal with large image blocks, typically used for the production of a high-resolution digital terrain models (DTM. We analyzed images from the combined quadrangles H03 and H07, a selected region, covered by approx. 10,600 images, in which we identified about 83,900 tiepoints. Using bundle block adjustments, we solved for the unknown coordinates of the control points, the pointing of the camera – as well as the camera’s focal length. We then fit the above linear function with respect to the focal plane temperature. As a result, we find a complex response of the camera to thermal conditions of the spacecraft. To first order, we see a linear increase by approx. 0.0107 mm per degree temperature for the Narrow-Angle Camera (NAC. This is in agreement with the observed thermal response seen in images of the panchromatic channel of the WAC. Unfortunately, further comparisons of results from the two methods, both of which use different portions of the available image data, are limited. If leaving uncorrected, these effects may pose significant difficulties in

BER Analysis of Coherent Free-Space Optical Communication Systems with a Focal-Plane-Based Wavefront Sensor

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Cao, Jingtai; Zhao, Xiaohui; Liu, Wei; Gu, Haijun

2018-03-01

A wavefront sensor is one of most important units for an adaptive optics system. Based on our previous works, in this paper, we discuss the bit-error-rate (BER) performance of coherent free space optical communication systems with a focal-plane-based wavefront sensor. Firstly, the theory of a focal-plane-based wavefront sensor is given. Then the relationship between the BER and the mixing efficiency with a homodyne receiver is discussed on the basis of binary-phase-shift-keying (BPSK) modulation. Finally, the numerical simulation results are shown that the BER will be decreased obviously after aberrations correction with the focal-plane-based wavefront sensor. In addition, the BER will decrease along with increasing number of photons received within a single bit. These analysis results will provide a reference for the design of the coherent Free space optical communication (FSOC) system.

METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF FOCAL PLANE LOCATION OF FOCUSING COMPONENTS

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A. I. Ivashko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Mass-production of different laser systems often requires utilization of the focal spot size method for determination of output laser beam spatial characteristics. The main challenge of this method is high accuracy maintenance of a CCD camera beam profiler in the collecting lens focal plane. The aim of our work is development of new method for placing of photodetector array in the collecting lens focal plane with high accuracy.Proposed technique is based on focusing of several parallel laser beams. Determination of the focal plane position requires only longitudinal translation of the CCD-camera to find a point of laser beams intersection. Continuous-wave (CW diode-pumped laser emitting in the spectral region near 1μm was created to satisfy the requirements of the developed technique. Designed microchip laser generates two stigmatic Gaussian beams with automatically parallel beam axes due to independent pumping of different areas of the one microchip crystal having the same cavity mirrors.It was theoretically demonstrated that developed method provides possibility of the lenses focal plane determination with 1 % accuracy. The microchip laser generates two parallel Gaussian beams with divergence of about 10 mrad. Laser output power can be varied in the range of 0.1–1.5 W by changing the pumping laser diode electrical current. The distance between two beam axes can be changed in the range of 0.5–5.0 mm.We have proposed method for determination of positive lens focal plane location by using of CCDcamera and two laser beams with parallel axes without utilization of additional optical devices. We have developed CW longitudinally diode pumped microchip laser emitting in the 1-μm spectral region that can be used in the measuring instrument that doesn’t require precision mechanical components for determination of focal plane location with 1 % accuracy. The overall dimensions of laser head was 70 × 40 × 40 mm3 and maximum power consumption was

Classification of Focal and Non Focal Epileptic Seizures Using Multi-Features and SVM Classifier.

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Sriraam, N; Raghu, S

2017-09-02

Identifying epileptogenic zones prior to surgery is an essential and crucial step in treating patients having pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a significant measurement benchmark to assess patients suffering from epilepsy. This paper investigates the application of multi-features derived from different domains to recognize the focal and non focal epileptic seizures obtained from pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy patients from Bern Barcelona database. From the dataset, five different classification tasks were formed. Total 26 features were extracted from focal and non focal EEG. Significant features were selected using Wilcoxon rank sum test by setting p-value (p z > 1.96) at 95% significance interval. Hypothesis was made that the effect of removing outliers improves the classification accuracy. Turkey's range test was adopted for pruning outliers from feature set. Finally, 21 features were classified using optimized support vector machine (SVM) classifier with 10-fold cross validation. Bayesian optimization technique was adopted to minimize the cross-validation loss. From the simulation results, it was inferred that the highest sensitivity, specificity, and classification accuracy of 94.56%, 89.74%, and 92.15% achieved respectively and found to be better than the state-of-the-art approaches. Further, it was observed that the classification accuracy improved from 80.2% with outliers to 92.15% without outliers. The classifier performance metrics ensures the suitability of the proposed multi-features with optimized SVM classifier. It can be concluded that the proposed approach can be applied for recognition of focal EEG signals to localize epileptogenic zones.

Self-Calibration Method Based on Surface Micromaching of Light Transceiver Focal Plane for Optical Camera

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Jin Li

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In remote sensing photogrammetric applications, inner orientation parameter (IOP calibration of remote sensing camera is a prerequisite for determining image position. However, achieving such a calibration without temporal and spatial limitations remains a crucial but unresolved issue to date. The accuracy of IOP calibration methods of a remote sensing camera determines the performance of image positioning. In this paper, we propose a high-accuracy self-calibration method without temporal and spatial limitations for remote sensing cameras. Our method is based on an auto-collimating dichroic filter combined with a surface micromachining (SM point-source focal plane. The proposed method can autonomously complete IOP calibration without the need of outside reference targets. The SM procedure is used to manufacture a light transceiver focal plane, which integrates with point sources, a splitter, and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensor. A dichroic filter is used to fabricate an auto-collimation light reflection element. The dichroic filter, splitter, and SM point-source focal plane are integrated into a camera to perform an integrated self-calibration. Experimental measurements confirm the effectiveness and convenience of the proposed method. Moreover, the method can achieve micrometer-level precision and can satisfactorily complete real-time calibration without temporal or spatial limitations.

Influence of rotational setup error on tumor shift in bony anatomy matching measured with pulmonary point registration in stereotactic body radiotherapy for early lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Osamu; Nishiyama, Kinji; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Miyazaki, Masayoshi; Tsujii, Katsutomo

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the correlation between the patient rotational error measured with pulmonary point registration and tumor shift after bony anatomy matching in stereotactic body radiotherapy for lung cancer. Twenty-six patients with lung cancer who underwent stereotactic body radiotherapy were the subjects. On 104 cone-beam computed tomography measurements performed prior to radiation delivery, rotational setup errors were measured with point registration using pulmonary structures. Translational registration using bony anatomy matching was done and the three-dimensional vector of tumor displacement was measured retrospectively. Correlation among the three-dimensional vector and rotational error and vertebra-tumor distance was investigated quantitatively. The median and maximum rotational errors of the roll, pitch and yaw were 0.8, 0.9 and 0.5, and 6.0, 4.5 and 2.5, respectively. Bony anatomy matching resulted in a 0.2-1.6 cm three-dimensional vector of tumor shift. The shift became larger as the vertebra-tumor distance increased. Multiple regression analysis for the three-dimensional vector indicated that in the case of bony anatomy matching, tumor shifts of 5 and 10 mm were expected for vertebra-tumor distances of 4.46 and 14.1 cm, respectively. Using pulmonary point registration, it was found that the rotational setup error influences the tumor shift. Bony anatomy matching is not appropriate for hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy with a tight margin. (author)

Ultrasound elastographic techniques in focal liver lesions.

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Conti, Clara Benedetta; Cavalcoli, Federica; Fraquelli, Mirella; Conte, Dario; Massironi, Sara

2016-03-07

Elastographic techniques are new ultrasound-based imaging techniques developed to estimate tissue deformability/stiffness. Several ultrasound elastographic approaches have been developed, such as static elastography, transient elastography and acoustic radiation force imaging methods, which include point shear wave and shear wave imaging elastography. The application of these methods in clinical practice aims at estimating the mechanical tissues properties. One of the main settings for the application of these tools has been liver stiffness assessment in chronic liver disease, which has been studied mainly using transient elastography. Another field of application for these techniques is the assessment of focal lesions, detected by ultrasound in organs such as pancreas, prostate, breast, thyroid, lymph nodes. Considering the frequency and importance of the detection of focal liver lesions through routine ultrasound, some studies have also aimed to assess the role that elestography can play in studying the stiffness of different types of liver lesions, in order to predict their nature and thus offer valuable non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of liver masses.

'Focal thyroid inferno' on color Doppler ultrasonography: A specific feature of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis

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Fu, Xianshui, E-mail: fuxs1968@163.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Guo, Limei, E-mail: guolimei@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Pathology, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Zhang, Huabin, E-mail: huabinzhang@bjmu.edu.cn [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Ran, Weiqiang, E-mail: ranwq-sina@vip.sina.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Fu, Peng, E-mail: fupeng01@gmail.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Li, Zhiqiang, E-mail: lizhq126@126.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Chen, Wen, E-mail: wendy7989@sina.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Jiang, Ling, E-mail: papayaling@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Wang, Jinrui, E-mail: jinrui_wang@sina.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China); Jia, Jianwen, E-mail: drjia88@sohu.com [Department of Ultrasound, Peking University Third Hospital, 49 Huayuanbeilu Road, Beijing 100191 (China)

2012-11-15

Purpose: To evaluate color-Doppler features predictive of focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Materials and methods: A total of 521 patients with 561 thyroid nodules that underwent surgeries or gun biopsies were included in this study. These nodules were divided into three groups: focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis (104 nodules in 101 patients), benignity other than focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis (73 nodules in 70 patients), and malignancy (358 nodules in 350 patients). On color Doppler sonography, four vascularity types were determined as: hypovascularity, marked internal flow, marked peripheral flow and focal thyroid inferno. The {chi}{sup 2} test was performed to seek the potential vascularity type with the predictive ability of certain thyroid pathology. Furthermore, the gray-scale features of each nodule were also studied. Results: The vascularity type I (hypovascularity) was more often seen in focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis than other benignity and malignancy (46% vs. 20.5% and 19%). While the type II (marked internal flow) showed the opposite tendency (26.9% [focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis] vs. 45.2% [other benignity] and 52.8% [malignancy]). However, type III (marked peripheral flow) was unable to predict any thyroid pathology. Importantly, type IV (focal thyroid inferno) was exclusive to focal Hashimoto's thyroiditis. All 8 type IV nodules appeared to be solid, hypoechoic, and well-defined. Using 'focal thyroid inferno' as an indicator of FHT, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 7.7% and 100% respectively. Conclusions: The vascularity type of 'focal thyroid inferno' is specific for focal Hashimoto thyroiditis. Recognition of this particular feature may avoid unnecessary interventional procedures for some solid hypoechoic thyroid nodules suspicious of malignancy.

Focal dermal hypoplasia without focal dermal hypoplasia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Contreras-Capetillo, Silvina N.; Lombardi, Maria Paola; Pinto-Escalante, Doris; Hennekam, Raoul C.

2014-01-01

Focal dermal hypoplasia (FDH; Goltz-Gorlin syndrome) is an X-linked dominant disorder affecting mainly tissues of ectodermal and mesodermal origin. The phenotype is characterized by hypoplastic linear skin lesions, eye malformations, hair and teeth anomalies, and multiple limbs malformations. The

Fast Focal Point Correction in Prism-Coupled Total Internal Reflection Scanning Imager Using an Electronically Tunable Lens

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Chenggang Zhu

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Total internal reflection (TIR is useful for interrogating physical and chemical processes that occur at the interface between two transparent media. Yet prism-coupled TIR imaging microscopes suffer from limited sensing areas due to the fact that the interface (the object plane is not perpendicular to the optical axis of the microscope. In this paper, we show that an electrically tunable lens can be used to rapidly and reproducibly correct the focal length of an oblique-incidence scanning microscope (OI-RD in a prism-coupled TIR geometry. We demonstrate the performance of such a correction by acquiring an image of a protein microarray over a scan area of 4 cm2 with an effective resolution of less than 20 microns. The electronic focal length tuning eliminates the mechanical movement of the illumination lens in the scanning microscope and in turn the noise and background drift associated with the motion.

Spatial and temporal observation of phase-shift nano-emulsions assisted cavitation and ablation during focused ultrasound exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Qiao, Yangzi; Zong, Yujin; Yin, Hui; Chang, Nan; Li, Zhaopeng; Wan, Mingxi

2014-09-01

Phase-shift nano-emulsions (PSNEs) with a small initial diameter in nanoscale have the potential to leak out of the blood vessels and to accumulate at the target point of tissue. At desired location, PSNEs can undergo acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) process, change into gas bubbles and enhance focused ultrasound efficiency. The threshold of droplet vaporization and influence of acoustic parameters have always been research hotspots in order to spatially control the potential of bioeffects and optimize experimental conditions. However, when the pressure is much higher than PSNEs' vaporization threshold, there were little reports on their cavitation and thermal effects. In this study, PSNEs induced cavitation and ablation effects during pulsed high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) exposure were investigated, including the spatial and temporal information and the influence of acoustic parameters. Two kinds of tissue-mimicking phantoms with uniform PSNEs were prepared because of their optical transparency. The Sonoluminescence (SL) method was employed to visualize the cavitation activities. And the ablation process was observed as the heat deposition could produce white lesion. Precisely controlled HIFU cavitation and ablation can be realized at a relatively low input power. But when the input power was high, PSNEs can accelerate cavitation and ablation in pre-focal region. The cavitation happened layer by layer advancing the transducer. While the lesion appeared to be separated into two parts, one in pre-focal region stemmed from one point and grew quickly, the other in focal region grew much more slowly. The influence of duty cycle has also been examined. Longer pulse off time would cause heat transfer to the surrounding media, and generate smaller lesion. On the other hand, this would give outer layer bubbles enough time to dissolve, and inner bubbles can undergo violent collapse and emit bright light. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sighting optics including an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length

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Crandall, David Lynn [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-08-01

One embodiment of sighting optics according to the teachings provided herein may include a front sight and a rear sight positioned in spaced-apart relation. The rear sight includes an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length. The first focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a distance separating the optical element and the front sight and the second focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a target distance. The optical element thus brings into simultaneous focus, for a user, images of the front sight and the target.

Using avian focal species to inform rangeland management in California oak woodland

Science.gov (United States)

Alicia D. Young; Breanna Owens; Melissa Odell; Corey Shake; Wendell Gilgert; Geoffrey R. Geupel

2015-01-01

Biological knowledge about bird focal species may be used to inform planning, habitat management, and restoration efforts, with the assumption that the implementation of these species-based recommendations will maintain and enhance healthy functioning habitats and the ecosystems services they provide. Point Blue Conservation Science in collaboration with the Natural...

Computation of focal values and stability analysis of 4-dimensional systems

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Bo Sang

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This article presents a recursive formula for computing the n-th singular point values of a class of 4-dimensional autonomous systems, and establishes the algebraic equivalence between focal values and singular point values. The formula is linear and then avoids complicated integrating operations, therefore the calculation can be carried out by computer algebra system such as Maple. As an application of the formula, bifurcation analysis is made for a quadratic system with a Hopf equilibrium, which can have three small limit cycles around an equilibrium point. The theory and methodology developed in this paper can be used for higher-dimensional systems.

Evaluation of Hemodynamics in Focal Steatosis and Focal Spared Lesion of the Liver Using Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography with Sonazoid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiozawa, K.; Watanabe, M.; Ikehara, T.; Kogame, M.; Shinohara, M.; Shinohara, M.; Ishii, K.; Igarashi, Y.; Sumino, Y.; Shiozawa, K.; Makino, H.

2014-01-01

We aim to investigate the hemodynamics in focal steatosis and focal spared lesion of the liver using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid. The subjects were 47 patients with focal steatosis and focal spared lesion. We evaluated enhancement patterns (hyper enhancement, iso enhancement, and hypo enhancement) in the vascular phase and the presence or absence of a hypoechoic area in the post vascular phase for these lesions using CEUS. Of the 24 patients with focal steatosis, the enhancement pattern was iso enhancement in 19 and hypo enhancement in 5. Hypoechoic areas were noted in the post vascular phase in 3 patients. Of the 23 patients with focal spared lesions, the enhancement pattern was iso enhancement in 18 and hyper enhancement in 5. No hypoechoic areas were noted in the post vascular phase in any patient. The hemodynamics in focal steatosis and focal spared lesions in non diffuse fatty liver can be observed using low-invasive procedures in real-time by CEUS. It was suggested that differences in the dynamics of enhancement in the vascular phase of CEUS were influenced by the fat deposits in the target lesion, the surrounding liver parenchyma, and the third inflow.

Isotope effect on the zero point energy shift upon condensation. I. Formulation and application to ethylene, methane, and fluoromethanes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kornblum, Z.C.; Ishida, T.

1978-01-01

A method of evaluating the isotope effect (IE) on the zero point energy (ZPE) shift upon condensation due to the London dispersion forces in the liquid has been formulated. It is expressed to the first order, as a product of an isotope-independent liquid factor and a factor of isotopic differences in gas-phase properties. The theory has been tested by calculating the effective atomic charges for carbon and hydrogen in ethylene, according to the CNDO/2 molecular orbital algorithm, and it correctly predicts the magnitude of the IE on the ZPE shift and the first-order sum rules involving the isotopic ethylenes. However, it fails to explain the difference in vapor pressures of isotopic isomers. The theory has also been applied to the D/H and to the 13 C/ 12 C isotope effects in methane and fluoromethanes. The results obtained from the CNDO/2 calculations have been compared with the experimental values of the total infrared absorption intensities and of the IE on the ZPE shift of isotopic methanes. Based on these calculations, the molecular properties that enhance the stronger dispersion forces in the liquid phase between the lighter molecules than between the isotopically heavier molecules, and hence favor a large IE on the ZPE shift, have been deduced

Focal midbrain tumors in children

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vandertop, W. P.; Hoffman, H. J.; Drake, J. M.; Humphreys, R. P.; Rutka, J. T.; Amstrong, D. C.; Becker, L. E.

1992-01-01

The clinical and neuroradiological features of focal midbrain tumors in 12 children are described, and the results of their surgical management are presented. Patients with a focal midbrain tumor usually exhibit either symptoms and signs of raised intracranial pressure caused by an obstructive

RTG diagnostics of dental focal infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrasova, A.; Ondrasovicova, J.; Cecctkova, A.

2008-01-01

The theory of focal infection has always been and still is a controversial issue for many dentists and scientists. Even though the focal infection does not occupy the first place in modern medicine, its understanding is imperative. The authors summarized the knowledge about dental focal infection and its relationship to systemic the diseases of the whole body in their publication and they also focused on the radiodiagnostics of this disease. (authors)

Penalized maximum-likelihood sinogram restoration for dual focal spot computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forthmann, P; Koehler, T; Begemann, P G C; Defrise, M

2007-01-01

Due to various system non-idealities, the raw data generated by a computed tomography (CT) machine are not readily usable for reconstruction. Although the deterministic nature of corruption effects such as crosstalk and afterglow permits correction by deconvolution, there is a drawback because deconvolution usually amplifies noise. Methods that perform raw data correction combined with noise suppression are commonly termed sinogram restoration methods. The need for sinogram restoration arises, for example, when photon counts are low and non-statistical reconstruction algorithms such as filtered backprojection are used. Many modern CT machines offer a dual focal spot (DFS) mode, which serves the goal of increased radial sampling by alternating the focal spot between two positions on the anode plate during the scan. Although the focal spot mode does not play a role with respect to how the data are affected by the above-mentioned corruption effects, it needs to be taken into account if regularized sinogram restoration is to be applied to the data. This work points out the subtle difference in processing that sinogram restoration for DFS requires, how it is correctly employed within the penalized maximum-likelihood sinogram restoration algorithm and what impact it has on image quality

The dispersion-focalization theory of sound systems

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Jean-Luc; Abry, Christian; Boë, Louis-Jean; Vallée, Nathalie; Ménard, Lucie

2005-04-01

The Dispersion-Focalization Theory states that sound systems in human languages are shaped by two major perceptual constraints: dispersion driving auditory contrast towards maximal or sufficient values [B. Lindblom, J. Phonetics 18, 135-152 (1990)] and focalization driving auditory spectra towards patterns with close neighboring formants. Dispersion is computed from the sum of the inverse squared inter-spectra distances in the (F1, F2, F3, F4) space, using a non-linear process based on the 3.5 Bark critical distance to estimate F2'. Focalization is based on the idea that close neighboring formants produce vowel spectra with marked peaks, easier to process and memorize in the auditory system. Evidence for increased stability of focal vowels in short-term memory was provided in a discrimination experiment on adult French subjects [J. L. Schwartz and P. Escudier, Speech Comm. 8, 235-259 (1989)]. A reanalysis of infant discrimination data shows that focalization could well be the responsible for recurrent discrimination asymmetries [J. L. Schwartz et al., Speech Comm. (in press)]. Recent data about children vowel production indicate that focalization seems to be part of the perceptual templates driving speech development. The Dispersion-Focalization Theory produces valid predictions for both vowel and consonant systems, in relation with available databases of human languages inventories.

Seven tesla MRI improves detection of focal cortical dysplasia in patients with refractory focal epilepsy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Veersema, Tim J; Ferrier, Cyrille H; van Eijsden, Pieter; Gosselaar, Peter H; Aronica, Eleonora; Visser, Fredy; Zwanenburg, Jaco M; de Kort, Gerard A P; Hendrikse, Jeroen; Luijten, Peter R; Braun, Kees P J

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine whether the use of 7 tesla (T) MRI in clinical practice leads to higher detection rates of focal cortical dysplasias in possible candidates for epilepsy surgery. Methods: In our center patients are referred for 7 T MRI if lesional focal epilepsy is

An efficient and novel computation method for simulating diffraction patterns from large-scale coded apertures on large-scale focal plane arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Shrekenhamer, Abraham; Gottesman, Stephen R.

2012-10-01

A novel and memory efficient method for computing diffraction patterns produced on large-scale focal planes by largescale Coded Apertures at wavelengths where diffraction effects are significant has been developed and tested. The scheme, readily implementable on portable computers, overcomes the memory limitations of present state-of-the-art simulation codes such as Zemax. The method consists of first calculating a set of reference complex field (amplitude and phase) patterns on the focal plane produced by a single (reference) central hole, extending to twice the focal plane array size, with one such pattern for each Line-of-Sight (LOS) direction and wavelength in the scene, and with the pattern amplitude corresponding to the square-root of the spectral irradiance from each such LOS direction in the scene at selected wavelengths. Next the set of reference patterns is transformed to generate pattern sets for other holes. The transformation consists of a translational pattern shift corresponding to each hole's position offset and an electrical phase shift corresponding to each hole's position offset and incoming radiance's direction and wavelength. The set of complex patterns for each direction and wavelength is then summed coherently and squared for each detector to yield a set of power patterns unique for each direction and wavelength. Finally the set of power patterns is summed to produce the full waveband diffraction pattern from the scene. With this tool researchers can now efficiently simulate diffraction patterns produced from scenes by large-scale Coded Apertures onto large-scale focal plane arrays to support the development and optimization of coded aperture masks and image reconstruction algorithms.

Variational estimates of point-kinetics parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favorite, J.A.; Stacey, W.M. Jr.

1995-01-01

Variational estimates of the effect of flux shifts on the integral reactivity parameter of the point-kinetics equations and on regional power fractions were calculated for a variety of localized perturbations in two light water reactor (LWR) model problems representing a small, tightly coupled core and a large, loosely coupled core. For the small core, the flux shifts resulting from even relatively large localized reactivity changes (∼600 pcm) were small, and the standard point-kinetics approximation estimates of reactivity were in error by only ∼10% or less, while the variational estimates were accurate to within ∼1%. For the larger core, significant (>50%) flux shifts occurred in response to local perturbations, leading to errors of the same magnitude in the standard point-kinetics approximation of the reactivity worth. For positive reactivity, the error in the variational estimate of reactivity was only a few percent in the larger core, and the resulting transient power prediction was 1 to 2 orders of magnitude more accurate than with the standard point-kinetics approximation. For a large, local negative reactivity insertion resulting in a large flux shift, the accuracy of the variational estimate broke down. The variational estimate of the effect of flux shifts on reactivity in point-kinetics calculations of transients in LWR cores was found to generally result in greatly improved accuracy, relative to the standard point-kinetics approximation, the exception being for large negative reactivity insertions with large flux shifts in large, loosely coupled cores

Periodontitis in patients with focal tuberculosis

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Alexandrova Е.А.

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The research goal is to investigate the mechanisms of formation and peculiarities of periodontitis in patients with focal tuberculosis. Patients with periodontitis and focal tuberculosis are proved to develop local inflammatory reaction with increased infection and activation of proinflammatory cytokines in parodontal pockets fluid. The main risk factor of frequent and durable recurrence of parodontal pathology in case of focal tuberculosis was the development of pathologic process as a cause of disbalance of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant system, endotoxicosis syndrome

Expansive focal cemento-osseous dysplasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulut, Emel Uzun; Acikgoz, Aydan; Ozan, Bora; Zengin, Ayse Zeynep; Gunhan, Omer

2012-01-01

To present a case of expansive focal cemento-osseous dysplasia and emphasize the importance of differential diagnosis. Cemento-osseous dysplasia is categorized into three subtypes on the basis of the clinical and radiographic features: Periapical, focal and florid. The focal type exhibits a single site of involvement in any tooth-bearing or edentulous area of the jaws. These lesions are usually asymptomatic; therefore, they are frequently diagnosed incidentally during routine radiographic examinations. Lesions are usually benign, show limited growth, and do not require further surgical intervention, but periodic follow-up is recommended because occasionally, this type of dysplasia progresses into florid osseous dysplasia and simple bone cysts are formed. A 24-year-old female patient was referred to our clinic for swelling in the left edentulous mandibular premolarmolar region and felt discomfort when she wore her prosthetics. She had no pain, tenderness or paresthesia. Clinical examination showed that the swelling in the posterior mandible that was firm, nonfluctuant and covered by normal mucosa. On panoramic radiography and computed tomography, a well defined lesion of approximately 1.5 cm in diameter of mixed density was observed. The swelling increased slightly in size over 2 years making it difficult to use prosthetics and, therefore, the lesion was totally excised under local anesthesia, and surgical specimens were submitted for histopathological examination. The histopathological diagnosis was focal cemento-osseous dysplasia. In the present case, because of the increasing size of the swelling making it difficult to use prosthetics, young age of the patient and localization of the lesion, in the initial examination, cemento-ossifying fibroma was suspected, and the lesion was excised surgically; the histopathological diagnosis confirmed it as focal cemento-osseous dysplasia. We present a case of expansive focal cemento-osseous dysplasia. Differential diagnosis

Linear beam-beam tune shift calculations for the Tevatron Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, D.

1989-01-01

A realistic estimate of the linear beam-beam tune shift is necessary for the selection of an optimum working point in the tune diagram. Estimates of the beam-beam tune shift using the ''Round Beam Approximation'' (RBA) have over estimated the tune shift for the Tevatron. For a hadron machine with unequal lattice functions and beam sizes, an explicit calculation using the beam size at the crossings is required. Calculations for various Tevatron lattices used in Collider operation are presented. Comparisons between the RBA and the explicit calculation, for elliptical beams, are presented. This paper discusses the calculation of the linear tune shift using the program SYNCH. Selection of a working point is discussed. The magnitude of the tune shift is influenced by the choice of crossing points in the lattice as determined by the pbar ''cogging effects''. Also discussed is current cogging procedures and presents results of calculations for tune shifts at various crossing points in the lattice. Finally, a comparison of early pbar tune measurements with the present linear tune shift calculations is presented. 17 refs., 13 figs., 3 tabs

Expression of Neurotrophin-3 and trkC following Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Adult Rat Brain with Treadmill Exercise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Young Chung

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3 is a neurotrophic factor that mainly binds to the tyrosine kinase C (trkC receptor. NT-3 has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in focal cerebral ischemia. Exercise also has ability to induce functional recovery in focal cerebral ischemia. However, the relationship between NT-3, its receptor trkC, and exercise has not been revealed. In this study, we assessed the expressions of NT-3 and trkC in focal cerebral ischemia. We also assessed the expression of NT-3 and trkC with treadmill exercise in focal cerebral ischemia. The results showed that, in a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion rat model, exercise increased NT-3 and trkC expression. However, the patterns of expression of NT-3 and trkC at different time points varied. These results suggest that exercise-induced functional recovery in focal cerebral ischemia was related to NT-3 and trkC, but the role on times of NT-3 and trkC differed, although trkC is the receptor kinase for NT-3.

Focal lesions in the central nervous system: stereotaxic radioneurosurgery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabrikant, J.I.; Budinger, T.f.; Hosobuchi, Y.; Born, J.L.; Tobias, C.A.

1981-01-01

The application of heavy-ion beams for fundamental and applied brain research has unusual potential. Methods are being developed in our laboratory for producing focal lesions in the central nervous system (e.g., the hypothalamus, thalamus, pituitary gland) to investigate nerve pathways and neuroendocrine responses, and for treating certain pathological disorders of the brain with stereotaxic Bragg peak heavy-ion radiosurgery. Studies in animals are demonstrating the value of this neuroscience tool for investigating mammalian brain response to induction of discrete focal lesions in the hypothalamus or in the cerebral cortex. These studies are also elucidating the neuroendocrinological response follwing ablation of various portions of the midbrain, without requiring complex neurosurgical preparations. Clinical studies are demonstrating the feasibility of stereotaxic neurological radiosurgery for treating certain inoperable vascular disorders of the brain [e.g., arteriovenous malformations (AVM), internal carotid artery-cavernous sinus fistulas and other cerebrovascular disorders] in patients who are already demonstrating progressive neurological deficit. Further applications of focal lesion production with the Bragg ionization peak can be extended to include localized radiation to centers of the brain and spinal cord for treatment of such disorders as Parkinson's disease, pituitary microadenomas, acoustic neuromas, and the control of pain. The eventual application of radioactive beams will provide accurate localization of the stopping points of the beam, thereby making it feasible to stop the beam accurately at a defined depth within the central nervous system

Shift systems in nuclear power plants - aspects for planning, shift systems, utility practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grauf, E.

1986-01-01

This lecture contains the most important aspects of shift structure and shift organisation. The criteria for shift planning involving essential tasks, duties, laws and regulations, medical aspects, social aspects, will be presented. In the Federal Republic of Germany some basic models were established, which will be shown and explained with special reference to the number of teams, size of shift crews and absence regulations. Moreover, the lecture will deal with rotation systems and provisions for the transfer of shift responsibilities. By example of a utility plant commissioning time scale (1300 MW PWR) the practice of shift installations will be shown as well as the most important points of education and training. Within this compass the criteria and requirements for training and education of operational personnel in the Federal Republic of Germany will also be touched. (orig.)

An empirical assessment of the focal species hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindenmayer, D B; Lane, P W; Westgate, M J; Crane, M; Michael, D; Okada, S; Barton, P S

2014-12-01

Biodiversity surrogates and indicators are commonly used in conservation management. The focal species approach (FSA) is one method for identifying biodiversity surrogates, and it is underpinned by the hypothesis that management aimed at a particular focal species will confer protection on co-occurring species. This concept has been the subject of much debate, in part because the validity of the FSA has not been subject to detailed empirical assessment of the extent to which a given focal species actually co-occurs with other species in an assemblage. To address this knowledge gap, we used large-scale, long-term data sets of temperate woodland birds to select focal species associated with threatening processes such as habitat isolation and loss of key vegetation attributes. We quantified co-occurrence patterns among focal species, species in the wider bird assemblage, and species of conservation concern. Some, but not all, focal species were associated with high levels of species richness. One of our selected focal species was negatively associated with the occurrence of other species (i.e., it was an antisurrogate)-a previously undescribed property of nominated focal species. Furthermore, combinations of focal species were not associated with substantially elevated levels of bird species richness, relative to levels associated with individual species. Our results suggest that although there is some merit to the underpinning concept of the FSA, there is also a need to ensure that actions are sufficiently flexible because management tightly focused on a given focal species may not benefit some other species, including species of conservation concern, such of which might not occur in species-rich assemblages. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Turning point for US diets? Recessionary effects or behavioral shifts in foods purchased and consumed.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Shu Wen; Slining, Meghan M; Popkin, Barry M

2014-03-01

In the past decade, the United States has seen declining energy intakes and plateauing obesity levels. We examined whether these observed trends suggest a longer-term shift in dietary and health behavior that is independent of adverse economic conditions. We used nationally representative cross-sectional surveys on intake and longitudinal household food purchase data along with random-effects models to address this question. Data included individuals in NHANES 2003-2004 to 2009-2010 (children: n = 13,422; adults: n = 10,791) and households from the 2000-2011 Nielsen Homescan Panel (households with children: n = 57,298; households with adults only: n = 108,932). In both data sets, we showed that children decreased their calories the most. Even after we controlled for important socioeconomic factors, caloric purchases fell significantly from 2003 to 2011 (P purchases, in which a 1-percentage point increase in unemployment in the local market was associated with a 1.6-4.1-kcal · capita⁻¹ · d⁻¹ (P purchased. Results also indicated shifts in caloric purchases were driven more by declines in caloric purchases from beverages than food. US consumers have exhibited changes in intake and purchasing behavior since 2003 that were independent from changing economic conditions linked with the Great Recession or food prices. Public health efforts in the past decade may have contributed to this trend.

Familial temporal lobe epilepsy due to focal cortical dysplasia type IIIa.

Science.gov (United States)

Fabera, Petr; Krijtova, Hana; Tomasek, Martin; Krysl, David; Zamecnik, Josef; Mohapl, Milan; Jiruska, Premysl; Marusic, Petr

2015-09-01

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) represents a common cause of refractory epilepsy. It is considered a sporadic disorder, but its occasional familial occurrence suggests the involvement of genetic mechanisms. Siblings with intractable epilepsy were referred for epilepsy surgery evaluation. Both patients were examined using video-EEG monitoring, MRI examination and PET imaging. They underwent left anteromedial temporal lobe resection. Electroclinical features pointed to left temporal lobe epilepsy and MRI examination revealed typical signs of left-sided hippocampal sclerosis and increased white matter signal intensity in the left temporal pole. PET examination confirmed interictal hypometabolism in the left temporal lobe. Histopathological examination of resected tissue demonstrated the presence FCD type IIIa, i.e. hippocampal sclerosis and focal cortical dysplasia in the left temporal pole. We present a unique case of refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in siblings, characterized by an identical clinical profile and histopathology of FCD type IIIa, who were successfully treated by epilepsy surgery. The presence of such a high concordance between the clinical and morphological data, together with the occurrence of epilepsy and febrile seizures in three generations of the family pedigree points towards a possible genetic nature of the observed FCD type IIIa. Copyright © 2015 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental Focal Cerebral Ischemia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Thomas

2007-01-01

Focal cerebral ischemia due to occlusion of a major cerebral artery is the cause of ischemic stroke which is a major reason of mortality, morbidity and disability in the populations of the developed countries. In the seven studies summarized in the thesis focal ischemia in rats induced by occlusion...... in the penumbra is recruited in the infarction process leading to a progressive growth of the infarct. The penumbra hence constitutes an important target for pharmacological treatment because of the existence of a therapeutic time window during which treatment with neuroprotective compounds may prevent...

Sighting optics including an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length and methods for sighting

Science.gov (United States)

Crandall, David Lynn

2011-08-16

Sighting optics include a front sight and a rear sight positioned in a spaced-apart relation. The rear sight includes an optical element having a first focal length and a second focal length. The first focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a distance separating the optical element and the front sight and the second focal length is selected so that it is about equal to a target distance. The optical element thus brings into simultaneous focus for a user images of the front sight and the target.

Sensorimotor and executive function slowing in anesthesiology residents after overnight shifts.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, George W; Shankar, Bairavi; Klier, Eliana M; Chuang, Alice Z; El Marjiya-Villarreal, Salma; Nwokolo, Omonele O; Sharma, Aanchal; Sereno, Anne B

2017-08-01

Medical residents working overnight call shifts experience sleep deprivation and circadian clock disruption. This leads to deficits in sensorimotor function and increases in workplace accidents. Using quick tablet-based tasks, we investigate whether measureable executive function differences exist following a single overnight call versus routine shift, and whether factors like stress, rest and caffeine affect these measures. A prospective, observational, longitudinal, comparison study was conducted. An academic tertiary hospital's main operating room suite staffed by attending anesthesiologists, anesthesiology residents, anesthesiologist assistants and nurse anesthetists. Subjects were 30 anesthesiology residents working daytime shifts and 30 peers working overnight call shifts from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Before and after their respective work shifts, residents completed the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS) and the ProPoint and AntiPoint tablet-based tasks. These latter tasks are designed to measure sensorimotor and executive functions, respectively. The SSS is a self-reported measure of sleepiness. Response times (RTs) are measured in the pointing tasks. Call residents exhibited increased RTs across their shifts (post-pre) on both ProPoint (p=0.002) and AntiPoint (pRoutine residents. Increased stress was associated with decreases in AntiPoint RT for Routine (p=0.007), but with greater increases in sleepiness for Call residents (proutine daytime shift residents, (2) sensorimotor slowing is greater in overnight Call residents who drink caffeine habitually, and (3) increased stress during a shift reduces (improves) cognitive RTs during routine daytime but not overnight call shifts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flux-redistribution in the focal region of a planar Fresnel ring mirror

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sastroamidjojo, M.S.A. (Gadjah Mada Univ., Indonesia); Lubis, W.

1979-01-01

The results of an investigation of flux redistribution at the focal region of a planar Fresnel ring mirror are reported. A parabolic mirror of large aperture was used to provide a parallel beam of light which was directed at the Fresnel test object. A cotton thread grid was used as a mapping aid to provide a 25 x 25 matrix of spatial data points. (SPH)

Blind phase retrieval for aberrated linear shift-invariant imaging systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Rotha P; Paganin, David M

2010-01-01

We develop a means to reconstruct an input complex coherent scalar wavefield, given a through focal series (TFS) of three intensity images output from a two-dimensional (2D) linear shift-invariant optical imaging system with unknown aberrations. This blind phase retrieval technique unites two methods, namely (i) TFS phase retrieval and (ii) iterative blind deconvolution. The efficacy of our blind phase retrieval procedure has been demonstrated using simulated data, for a variety of Poisson noise levels.

Do focal colors look particularly "colorful"?

Science.gov (United States)

Witzel, Christoph; Franklin, Anna

2014-04-01

If the most typical red, yellow, green, and blue were particularly colorful (i.e., saturated), they would "jump out to the eye." This would explain why even fundamentally different languages have distinct color terms for these focal colors, and why unique hues play a prominent role in subjective color appearance. In this study, the subjective saturation of 10 colors around each of these focal colors was measured through a pairwise matching task. Results show that subjective saturation changes systematically across hues in a way that is strongly correlated to the visual gamut, and exponentially related to sensitivity but not to focal colors.

Transient attenuation of visual evoked potentials during focal status epilepticus in a patient with occipital lobe epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Meng-Han; Hsu, Shih-Pin; Huang, Chi-Ren; Chang, Chen-Sheng; Chuang, Yao-Chung

2010-06-01

Seizures originating in the occipital areas are relatively uncommon. They are usually characterized by visual hallucinations and illusions or other symptoms related to the eyes and vision. In a 54-year-old woman with occipital lobe epilepsy, complex visual hallucinations, illusions, and migraine-like headache constitute the major clinical manifestations. During focal status epilepticus, ictal electroencephalography revealed rhythmic focal spikes in the right occipital region, rapidly propagating to the right parietal and contralateral occipital areas. Ictal brain single-photon emission computed topography revealed hyperperfusion of the right occipital region. Using a full-field pattern-shift visual evoked potential (VEP) study, we found that the P100 responses on both sides were markedly attenuated in amplitude during occipital focal status epilepticus, whereas the latencies of the VEPs were normal. The amplitude and morphology of P100 responses on both sides, however, returned to the normal range 7 days after cessation of the seizures. In addition to clinical seizure semiology, scalp EEG, SPECT and neuroimaging studies, VEP studies may be used as a supplementary examination tool to provide further information in the patients with occipital lobe seizures or epilepsies.

Inverse-designed stretchable metalens with tunable focal distance

Science.gov (United States)

Callewaert, Francois; Velev, Vesselin; Jiang, Shizhou; Sahakian, Alan Varteres; Kumar, Prem; Aydin, Koray

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present an inverse-designed 3D-printed all-dielectric stretchable millimeter wave metalens with a tunable focal distance. A computational inverse-design method is used to design a flat metalens made of disconnected polymer building blocks with complex shapes, as opposed to conventional monolithic lenses. The proposed metalens provides better performance than a conventional Fresnel lens, using lesser amount of material and enabling larger focal distance tunability. The metalens is fabricated using a commercial 3D-printer and attached to a stretchable platform. Measurements and simulations show that the focal distance can be tuned by a factor of 4 with a stretching factor of only 75%, a nearly diffraction-limited focal spot, and with a 70% relative focusing efficiency, defined as the ratio between power focused in the focal spot and power going through the focal plane. The proposed platform can be extended for design and fabrication of multiple electromagnetic devices working from visible to microwave radiation depending on scaling of the devices.

The focal boundary value problem for strongly singular higher-order nonlinear functional-differential equations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mukhigulashvili, Sulkhan; Půža, B.

2015-01-01

Roč. 2015, January (2015), s. 17 ISSN 1687-2770 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : higher order nonlinear functional-differential equations * two-point right-focal boundary value problem * strong singularity Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.642, year: 2015 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186%2Fs13661-014-0277-1

Astigmatic single photon emission computed tomography imaging with a displaced center of rotation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, H.; Smith, M.F.; Stone, C.D.; Jaszczak, R.J.

1998-01-01

A filtered backprojection algorithm is developed for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging with an astigmatic collimator having a displaced center of rotation. The astigmatic collimator has two perpendicular focal lines, one that is parallel to the axis of rotation of the gamma camera and one that is perpendicular to this axis. Using SPECT simulations of projection data from a hot rod phantom and point source arrays, it is found that a lack of incorporation of the mechanical shift in the reconstruction algorithm causes errors and artifacts in reconstructed SPECT images. The collimator and acquisition parameters in the astigmatic reconstruction formula, which include focal lengths, radius of rotation, and mechanical shifts, are often partly unknown and can be determined using the projections of a point source at various projection angles. The accurate determination of these parameters by a least squares fitting technique using projection data from numerically simulated SPECT acquisitions is studied. These studies show that the accuracy of parameter determination is improved as the distance between the point source and the axis of rotation of the gamma camera is increased. The focal length to the focal line perpendicular to the axis of rotation is determined more accurately than the focal length to the focal line parallel to this axis. copyright 1998 American Association of Physicists in Medicine

Examining gender focal point (gfp roles to implement gender mainstreaming: The experiences of public sectors in malaysia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nur Syakiran Akmal Ismail

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The participation of women in all spheres of life has been accelerated by strategies such as gender mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming, which was launched in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, is a global strategy used to promote gender equality. It refers to the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs, in all areas and at all levels. Hence, Malaysia has agreed to comply with GM procedure when the population of women in this country achieves 49 percent. Malaysian’s Gender Gap Index (MGGI was used to evaluate the achievement of gender equality. It was developed by the Organization C that responsibility to women and community development in Malaysia with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP in 2004. Four dimensions are used as parameters to evaluate MGGI. They are (i women empowerment in politics, (ii activities in economics, (iii health and (iv education. This paper discusses the roles of gender focal point (GFP as a case study in two selected public sector organizations in implementation of Gender Mainstreaming in Malaysia. This study uses interview and content analysis. The results of this study show that the GFPs appointed have performed their roles based on the tasks listed by the Organization C. However the tasks were carried out based on the needs and interests of the respective GFPs organizations only.   Similar to other countries, the implementation of GM in the ministries also faces similar problems such as vague understanding of GM, and lack of commitment from the institutions’ leadership.

Consistency of Trend Break Point Estimator with Underspecified Break Number

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingjing Yang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the consistency of trend break point estimators when the number of breaks is underspecified. The consistency of break point estimators in a simple location model with level shifts has been well documented by researchers under various settings, including extensions such as allowing a time trend in the model. Despite the consistency of break point estimators of level shifts, there are few papers on the consistency of trend shift break point estimators in the presence of an underspecified break number. The simulation study and asymptotic analysis in this paper show that the trend shift break point estimator does not converge to the true break points when the break number is underspecified. In the case of two trend shifts, the inconsistency problem worsens if the magnitudes of the breaks are similar and the breaks are either both positive or both negative. The limiting distribution for the trend break point estimator is developed and closely approximates the finite sample performance.

Pharmacological response of systemically derived focal epileptic lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Remler, M.P.; Sigvardt, K.; Marcussen, W.H.

1986-11-01

Focal epileptic lesions were made in rats by systemic focal epileptogenesis. In this method, a focal lesion of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is produced by focal alpha irradiation followed by repeated systemic injection of a convulsant drug that cannot cross the normal BBB, resulting in a chronic epileptic focus. Changes in the spike frequency of these foci in response to various drugs was recorded. The controls, saline and chlorpromazine, produced no change. Phenytoin, phenobarbital, chlordiazepoxide, and valproic acid produced the expected decrease in spike frequency. Pentobarbital and diazepam produced a paradoxical increase in spike frequency.

[Adipose-derived stem cell transplantation promotes the expression of netrin-1 in the rat cortex after focal cerebral ischemia].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jiehua; Hong, Zhuquan; Pan, Ying; Li, Guoqian

2017-01-01

Objective To observe the effect of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) transplantation on the expression of netrin-1 in rats after focal cerebral ischemia. Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group and ADSC group. ADSCs were harvested and purified. Focal cerebral ischemia models were established in rats by the suture method. ADSCs were injected into the lateral ventricle of ADSC group rats and the same does of PBS was given to model group rats. At day 4, 7 and 14 after reperfusion, six rats were sacrificed to remove the brain tissues at each time point. The expression of netrin-1 was detected by reverse-transcription PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Results Compared with the control group, the expression of netrin-1 in the brain tissues of the model group increased after focal cerebral ischemia, reached the peak at 4 days, and the expression of netrin-1 was significantly higher than that of the control group at each time point. Compared with the model group, the expression of netrin-1 in the ADSC group increased further, reached the peak at 7 days, and the expression of netrin-1 in the ADSC group was significantly higher than that of the model group at each time point. Conclusion ADSC transplantation could up-regulate the expression of netrin-1, and promote axon regeneration and the recovery of neurological functions.

The timing of control signals underlying fast point-to-point arm movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghafouri, M; Feldman, A G

2001-04-01

It is known that proprioceptive feedback induces muscle activation when the facilitation of appropriate motoneurons exceeds their threshold. In the suprathreshold range, the muscle-reflex system produces torques depending on the position and velocity of the joint segment(s) that the muscle spans. The static component of the torque-position relationship is referred to as the invariant characteristic (IC). According to the equilibrium-point (EP) hypothesis, control systems produce movements by changing the activation thresholds and thus shifting the IC of the appropriate muscles in joint space. This control process upsets the balance between muscle and external torques at the initial limb configuration and, to regain the balance, the limb is forced to establish a new configuration or, if the movement is prevented, a new level of static torques. Taken together, the joint angles and the muscle torques generated at an equilibrium configuration define a single variable called the EP. Thus by shifting the IC, control systems reset the EP. Muscle activation and movement emerge following the EP resetting because of the natural physical tendency of the system to reach equilibrium. Empirical and simulation studies support the notion that the control IC shifts and the resulting EP shifts underlying fast point-to-point arm movements are gradual rather than step-like. However, controversies exist about the duration of these shifts. Some studies suggest that the IC shifts cease with the movement offset. Other studies propose that the IC shifts end early in comparison to the movement duration (approximately, at peak velocity). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the duration of the IC shifts underlying fast point-to-point arm movements. Subjects made fast (hand peak velocity about 1.3 m/s) planar arm movements toward different targets while grasping a handle. Hand forces applied to the handle and shoulder/elbow torques were, respectively, measured from a force sensor placed

Shift in the isoelectric-point of milk proteins as a consequence of adaptive divergence between the milks of mammalian species.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Khaldi, Nora

2011-07-29

Abstract Background Milk proteins are required to proceed through a variety of conditions of radically varying pH, which are not identical across mammalian digestive systems. We wished to investigate if the shifts in these requirements have resulted in marked changes in the isoelectric point and charge of milk proteins during evolution. Results We investigated nine major milk proteins in 13 mammals. In comparison with a group of orthologous non-milk proteins, we found that 3 proteins κ-casein, lactadherin, and muc1 have undergone the highest change in isoelectric point during evolution. The pattern of non-synonymous substitutions indicate that selection has played a role in the isoelectric point shift, since residues that show significant evidence of positive selection are much more likely to be charged (p = 0.03 for κ-casein; p < 10-8 for muc1). However, this selection does not appear to be solely due to adaptation to the diversity of mammalian digestive systems, since striking changes are seen among species that resemble each other in terms of their digestion. Conclusion The changes in charge are most likely due to changes of other protein functions, rather than an adaptation to the different mammalian digestive systems. These functions may include differences in bioactive peptide releases in the gut between different mammals, which are known to be a major contributing factor in the functional and nutritional value of mammalian milk. This raises the question of whether bovine milk is optimal in terms of particular protein functions, for human nutrition and possibly disease resistance. This article was reviewed by Fyodor Kondrashov, David Liberles (nominated by David Ardell), and Christophe Lefevre (nominated by Mark Ragan).

Efficacy of 'fine' focal spot imaging in CT abdominal angiography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Lawrence Chia Wei; Devapalasundaram, Ashwini; Ardley, Nicholas [Monash Health, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Lau, Kenneth K. [Monash Health, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Monash University, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Victoria (Australia); Buchan, Kevin [Phillips Healthcare, Clinical Science, PO Box 312, Mont Albert, Victoria (Australia); Huynh, Minh [RMIT University, School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, Victoria (Australia)

2014-12-15

To assess the efficacy of fine focal spot imaging in calcification beam-hardening artefact reduction and vessel clarity on CT abdominal angiography (CTAA). Adult patients of any age and gender who presented for CTAA were included. Thirty-nine patients were examined with a standard focal spot size (SFSS) of 1 x 1 mm in the first 3 months while 31 consecutive patients were examined with a fine focal spot size (FFSS) of 1 x 0.5 mm in the following 3 months. Vessel clarity and calcification beam-hardening artefacts of the abdominal aorta, celiac axis, superior mesenteric artery, inferior mesenteric artery, renal arteries, and iliac arteries were assessed using a 5-point grading scale by two blinded radiologists randomly. Cohen's Kappa test indicated that on average, there was substantial agreement among reviewers for vessel wall clarity and calcification artefact grading. Mann-Whitney test showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups, with FFSS performing significantly better for vessel clarity (U, 6481.50; p < 0.001; r, 0.73) and calcification artefact reduction (U, 1916; p < 0.001; r, 0.77). Fine focus CT angiography produces images with better vessel wall clarity and less vessel calcification beam-hardening artefact. (orig.)

Recurrent Bilateral Focal Myositis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagafuchi, Hiroko; Nakano, Hiromasa; Ooka, Seido; Takakuwa, Yukiko; Yamada, Hidehiro; Tadokoro, Mamoru; Shimojo, Sadatomo; Ozaki, Shoichi

This report describes a rare case of recurrent bilateral focal myositis and its successful treatment via methotrexate. A 38-year-old man presented myalgia of the right gastrocnemius in May 2005. Magnetic resonance imaging showed very high signal intensity in the right gastrocnemius on short-tau inversion recovery images. A muscle biopsy revealed inflammatory CD4+ cell-dominant myogenic change. Focal myositis was diagnosed. The first steroid treatment was effective. Tapering of prednisolone, however, repeatedly induced myositis relapse, which progressed to multiple muscle lesions of both lower limbs. Initiation of methotrexate finally allowed successful tapering of prednisolone, with no relapse in the past 4 years.

C-point and V-point singularity lattice formation and index sign conversion methods

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar Pal, Sushanta; Ruchi; Senthilkumaran, P.

2017-06-01

The generic singularities in an ellipse field are C-points namely stars, lemons and monstars in a polarization distribution with C-point indices (-1/2), (+1/2) and (+1/2) respectively. Similar to C-point singularities, there are V-point singularities that occur in a vector field and are characterized by Poincare-Hopf index of integer values. In this paper we show that the superposition of three homogenously polarized beams in different linear states leads to the formation of polarization singularity lattice. Three point sources at the focal plane of the lens are used to create three interfering plane waves. A radial/azimuthal polarization converter (S-wave plate) placed near the focal plane modulates the polarization states of the three beams. The interference pattern is found to host C-points and V-points in a hexagonal lattice. The C-points occur at intensity maxima and V-points occur at intensity minima. Modulating the state of polarization (SOP) of three plane waves from radial to azimuthal does not essentially change the nature of polarization singularity lattice as the Poincare-Hopf index for both radial and azimuthal polarization distributions is (+1). Hence a transformation from a star to a lemon is not trivial, as such a transformation requires not a single SOP change, but a change in whole spatial SOP distribution. Further there is no change in the lattice structure and the C- and V-points appear at locations where they were present earlier. Hence to convert an interlacing star and V-point lattice into an interlacing lemon and V-point lattice, the interferometer requires modification. We show for the first time a method to change the polarity of C-point and V-point indices. This means that lemons can be converted into stars and stars can be converted into lemons. Similarly the positive V-point can be converted to negative V-point and vice versa. The intensity distribution in all these lattices is invariant as the SOPs of the three beams are changed in an

Multi-focal Vision and Gaze Control Improve Navigation Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kolja Kuehnlenz

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Multi-focal vision systems comprise cameras with various fields of view and measurement accuracies. This article presents a multi-focal approach to localization and mapping of mobile robots with active vision. An implementation of the novel concept is done considering a humanoid robot navigation scenario where the robot is visually guided through a structured environment with several landmarks. Various embodiments of multi-focal vision systems are investigated and the impact on navigation performance is evaluated in comparison to a conventional mono-focal stereo set-up. The comparative studies clearly show the benefits of multi-focal vision for mobile robot navigation: flexibility to assign the different available sensors optimally in each situation, enhancement of the visible field, higher localization accuracy, and, thus, better task performance, i.e. path following behavior of the mobile robot. It is shown that multi-focal vision may strongly improve navigation performance.

Flotillins Regulate Focal Adhesions by Interacting with α-Actinin and by Influencing the Activation of Focal Adhesion Kinase

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antje Banning

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Cell–matrix adhesion and cell migration are physiologically important processes that also play a major role in cancer spreading. In cultured cells, matrix adhesion depends on integrin-containing contacts such as focal adhesions. Flotillin-1 and flotillin-2 are frequently overexpressed in cancers and are associated with poor survival. Our previous studies have revealed a role for flotillin-2 in cell–matrix adhesion and in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. We here show that flotillins are important for cell migration in a wound healing assay and influence the morphology and dynamics of focal adhesions. Furthermore, anchorage-independent growth in soft agar is enhanced by flotillins. In the absence of flotillins, especially flotillin-2, phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and extracellularly regulated kinase is diminished. Flotillins interact with α-actinin, a major regulator of focal adhesion dynamics. These findings are important for understanding the molecular mechanisms of how flotillin overexpression in cancers may affect cell migration and, especially, enhance metastasis formation.

CT appearance of focal fatty infiltration of the liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halvorsen, R.A.; Korobkin, M.; Ram, P.C.; Thompson, W.M.

1982-01-01

Focal fatty infiltration of the liver is an entity that may be confused with liver metastasis on computed tomography (CT). The imaging results and medical records of 16 patients with CT appearance suggestive of focal fatty liver were reviewed, three of whom had the simultaneous presence of metastitic liver disease. Focal fatty liver often has a distinctive appearance with CT, usually with a nonspherical shape, absence of mass effect, and density close to water. Liver metastases are usually round or oval, and unless cystic or necrotic, they have CT attenuation values closer to normal liver parenchyma than water. A radionuclide liver scan almost always resolves any confusion about the differential diagnosis of focal fatty liver: a well defined focus of photon deficiency is due to neoplasm rather than focal fatty infiltration. Sonography sometimes helps to confirm the CT impression, but may be misleading if the diagnosis of focal or diffuse fatty infiltration is not suspected before the examination

The study of the focal trough in panoramic radiograph

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, C. S.; Kim, H. P.

1982-01-01

In the study of the focal trough of panoramic radiograph, using the Moritta company Panex EC a series of 48 exposures were taken with the 6-18 brass pins placed in the holes of the plastic model plate, then evaluated by 4 observers. The author analyzed the focal trough defined by the sharpness criteria and calculated the vertical and horizontal magnification range in the corrected focal trough. The results were as follows; 1. Continuous focal trough was not defined in the anterior region using a very high degree of sharpness. 2. As degree of sharpness used in the analysis became less, focal trough was continuous in the anterior and posterior regions, symmetrized bilaterally, and the widths of the focal trough increased more in the posterior region. 3. As sharpness criteria were reduced, the percentage range of image magnification increased in both vertical and horizontal magnification, and especially the percentage range of horizontal magnification was greater than that of vertical magnification.

Correlation of zero-point energy with molecular structure and molecular forces. 3. Approximation for H/D isotope shifts and linear frequency sum rule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oi, T.; Ishida, T.

1984-01-01

The approximation methods for the zero-point energy (ZPE) previously developed using the Lanczo's tau method have been applied to the shifts in ZPE due to hydrogen isotope substitutions. Six types of approximation methods have been compared and analyzed on the basis of a weighing function Ω(lambda) varies as lambda/sup k/ and the actual eigenvalue shift spectra. The method generated by the most general optimzation treatment yields a predictable and generally satisfactory precision of the order of 1% or better. A linear frequency sum rule has been derived, which approximately holds for the sets of isotopic molecules which satisfy the second-order frequency sum rule. 19 references, 3 figures, 3 tables

Focal myositis: A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Devic, P; Gallay, L; Streichenberger, N; Petiot, P

2016-11-01

Amongst the heterogeneous group of inflammatory myopathies, focal myositis stands as a rare and benign dysimmune disease. Although it can be associated with root and/or nerve lesions, traumatic muscle lesions and autoimmune diseases, its triggering factors remain poorly understood. Defined as an isolated inflammatory pseudotumour usually restricted to one skeletal muscle, clinical presentation of focal myositis is that of a rapidly growing solitary mass within a single muscle, usually in the lower limbs. Electromyography shows spontaneous activity associated with a myopathic pattern. MRI reveals a contrast enhanced enlarged muscle appearing hyper-intense on FAT-SAT T2 weighted images. Adjacent structures are spared and there are no calcifications. Serum creatine kinase (CK) levels are usually moderately augmented and biological markers of systemic inflammation are absent in most cases. Pathological histological features include marked variation in fibre size, inflammatory infiltrates mostly composed of T CD4+ lymphocytes and macrophages, degenerating/regenerating fibres and interstitial fibrosis. Differential diagnoses are numerous and include myositis of other origin with focal onset. Steroid treatment should be reserved for patients who present with major pain, nerve lesions, associated autoimmune disease, or elevated C reactive protein or CK. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of focal musculoskeletal anomalies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Jung-Kyu; Cho, Jeong-Yeon; Choi, Jong-Sun

2003-01-01

Focal musculoskeletal anomalies vary, and can manifest as part of a syndrome or be accompanied by numerous other conditions such as genetic disorders, karyotype abnormalities, central nervous system anomalies and other skeletal anomalies, lsolated focal musculoskeletal anomaly does, however, also occur; its early prenatal diagnosis is important in deciding prenatal care, and also helps in counseling parents about the postnatal effects of numerous possible associated anomalies. We have encountered 50 cases involving focal musculoskeletal anomalies, including total limb dysplasia [radial ray abnormality (n=3), mesomelic dysplasia (n=1)]; anomalies of the hand [polydactyly (n=8), syndactyly (n=3), ectrodactyly (n=1), clinodactyly (n=6), clenched hand (n=5)]; anomalies of the foot [clubfoot (n=10), rockerbottom foot (n=5), sandal gap deformity (n=1), curly toe (n=2)]; amniotic band syndrome (n=3); and anomalies of the focal spine [block vertebra (n=1), hemivertebra (n=1)]. Among these 50 cases, five [polydactyly (n=1), syndactyly (n=2) and curly toe (n=2) were confirmed by postnatal physical evaluation, two (focal spine anomalies) were diagnosed after postnatal radiologic examination, and the remaining 43 were proven at autopsy. For each condition, we describe the prenatal sonographic findings, and include a brief review

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of focal musculoskeletal anomalies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryu, Jung-Kyu; Cho, Jeong-Yeon; Choi, Jong-Sun [Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2003-12-15

Focal musculoskeletal anomalies vary, and can manifest as part of a syndrome or be accompanied by numerous other conditions such as genetic disorders, karyotype abnormalities, central nervous system anomalies and other skeletal anomalies, lsolated focal musculoskeletal anomaly does, however, also occur; its early prenatal diagnosis is important in deciding prenatal care, and also helps in counseling parents about the postnatal effects of numerous possible associated anomalies. We have encountered 50 cases involving focal musculoskeletal anomalies, including total limb dysplasia [radial ray abnormality (n=3), mesomelic dysplasia (n=1)]; anomalies of the hand [polydactyly (n=8), syndactyly (n=3), ectrodactyly (n=1), clinodactyly (n=6), clenched hand (n=5)]; anomalies of the foot [clubfoot (n=10), rockerbottom foot (n=5), sandal gap deformity (n=1), curly toe (n=2)]; amniotic band syndrome (n=3); and anomalies of the focal spine [block vertebra (n=1), hemivertebra (n=1)]. Among these 50 cases, five [polydactyly (n=1), syndactyly (n=2) and curly toe (n=2) were confirmed by postnatal physical evaluation, two (focal spine anomalies) were diagnosed after postnatal radiologic examination, and the remaining 43 were proven at autopsy. For each condition, we describe the prenatal sonographic findings, and include a brief review.

Dynamic Pointing Triggers Shifts of Visual Attention in Young Infants

Science.gov (United States)

Rohlfing, Katharina J.; Longo, Matthew R.; Bertenthal, Bennett I.

2012-01-01

Pointing, like eye gaze, is a deictic gesture that can be used to orient the attention of another person towards an object or an event. Previous research suggests that infants first begin to follow a pointing gesture between 10 and 13 months of age. We investigated whether sensitivity to pointing could be seen at younger ages employing a technique…

Improved focal liver lesion detection by increasing flip angle during gadoxetic acid-enhancement in MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Se Jy; Kim, Young Keun

2015-01-01

To study the differences of focal liver lesion image detection at 3 minute, 10 minute and 15 minute time points on gadoxetic acid (GA)’s enhanced MR imaging with a flip angle (FA) of 30° compared with a 11°. The subjects were 69 patients evaluated with GA enhanced MR imaging with 3.0T MR scanner. The patients are total 35(23 men and 7 women at the mean age of 60.4 years), hepatocellular carcinoma(23) and metastsis(12) except for normal, cyst and hemangioma. After GA was injected, FA 11° and 30° images were obtained at 3 minute, 10 minute and 15 minute time points respectively. After quantitative and qualitative assessment of each image was done, statistical analysis was performed by using the independent sample T-test. From both quantitative and qualitative assessment of 3 minute and 10 minute MR images after the injection of GA, FA 30° images was found to be superior than FA 11°, but there were no statistical significance. However, at 15 minute time point, Statistically significant FA 30° image(p<0.05) was better than FA 11° therefore, the FA 30° improves the focal liver lesion detection. FA 30° of MR image can detect liver lesion more sensitively than the existing FA11° image after GA contrast enhancement at 15 minute time point

Zinc translocation accelerates infarction after mild transient focal ischemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J-M; Zipfel, G J; Park, K H; He, Y Y; Hsu, C Y; Choi, D W

2002-01-01

Excess release of chelatable zinc (Zn(2+)) from central synaptic vesicles may contribute to the pathogenesis of selective neuronal cell death following transient forebrain ischemia, but a role in neurodegeneration after focal ischemia has not been defined. Adult male Long-Evans rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 30 min followed by reperfusion developed delayed cerebral infarction reaching completion 3 days after the insult. One day after the insult, many degenerating cerebral neurons exhibited increased intracellular Zn(2+), and some labeled with the antibody against activated caspase-3. I.c.v. administration of the Zn(2+) chelator, EDTA saturated with equimolar Ca(2+) (CaEDTA), 15 min prior to ischemia attenuated subsequent Zn(2+) translocation into cortical neurons, and reduced infarct volume measured 3 days after ischemia. Although the protective effect of CaEDTA at this endpoint was substantial (about 70% infarct reduction), it was lost when insult severity was increased (from 30 to 60 min MCAO), or when infarct volume was measured at a much later time point (14 days instead of 3 days after ischemia). These data suggest that toxic Zn(2+) translocation, from presynaptic terminals to post-synaptic cell bodies, may accelerate the development of cerebral infarction following mild transient focal ischemia.

Focal Atrichia: A Diagnostic Clue in Female Pattern Hair Loss.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Elise A; Whiting, David A

2017-10-07

Focal atrichia is a common clinical finding in female pattern hair loss whose specificity and histologic findings need further clarification. To determine the frequency of focal atrichia in various types of hair loss and its histologic characteristics in female pattern hair loss. Part 1: Review of 250 consecutive female patients seen with hair loss for the presence of focal atrichia and Part 2: paired biopsies of haired areas vs focal atrichia in 18 subjects with female pattern hair loss RESULTS: Focal atrichia was seen in 46/104 (44%) of women with female pattern hair loss, including 67% of late onset vs 15% of early onset, compared to 3/146 (2%) of those with other hair disorders Biopsy findings of focal atrichia in female pattern hair loss showed primarily a more progressive miniaturization process than that of haired areas of the scalp. Some women with female pattern hair loss may have had concomitant chronic telogen effluvium CONCLUSIONS: When present, focal atrichia is a clinical clue to the diagnosis of female pattern hair loss, particularly late onset subtype. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Testing of focal plane arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merriam, J.D.

1988-01-01

Problems associated with the testing of focal plane arrays are briefly examined with reference to the instrumentation and measurement procedures. In particular, the approach and instrumentation used as the Naval Ocean Systems Center is presented. Most of the measurements are made with flooded illumination on the focal plane array. The array is treated as an ensemble of individual pixels, data being taken on each pixel and array averages and standard deviations computed for the entire array. Data maps are generated, showing the pixel data in the proper spatial position on the array and the array statistics

Ion transport under the effect of an electric field in porous medium: application to the separation of rare earths by focalization electrophoresis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieira-Nunes, A.I.

1999-01-01

Trivalent ions of rare earth elements have very similar properties and their difficult separation each from another is usually carried out by liquid-liquid extraction or ion exchange. Focalization electrophoresis represents an alternative route to the usual techniques. The purpose of this work consisted of the fundamental investigation of ion transport phenomena in electrophoretic processes. Focalization electrophoresis is suitable for separation of amphoteric species such as rare earth ions, using a pH gradient in the cell and upon addition of a complexed agent e. g. EDTA. This technique relies upon the difference in iso-electrical points of the considered species, being under the form of free cation near the anode, and in the form of anionic complexed species closer to the cathode. Rare earth species are submitted to the antagonist effects of diffusion and migration, enabling their focalization to occur at the iso-electrical point, corresponding to nil value of their effective mobility. Following a literature survey on rare earth elements and electrophoresis processes, the document describes theoretical and experimental investigations of complexation equilibria of some rare earth elements, namely lanthanum, neodymium, praseodymium and cerium, depending on pH. Values for the iso-electrical points could be estimated. Transport and focalization phenomena in view of rare earth separation, are dealt in the last chapter. Investigations were first carried out without forced circulation of the electrolyte solution and the transient behavior of the system allowed operating conditions to be design and built-up of a continuous device, more suitable to separation, and provided with 42 potential and 42 temperature sensors: the results of the preliminary runs, in form of variable profiles, are presented and discussed. (author)

Terapia Interpessoal: um modelo breve e focal Interpersonal Therapy: a brief and focal model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo Feijó de Mello

2004-06-01

Full Text Available A psicoterapia é uma forma particular de tratamento em psiquiatria. Seu uso é amplamente difundido e conta com várias linhas de abordagem. OBJETIVO: Neste trabalho, o autor faz considerações a respeito da terapia interpessoal (TIP, uma forma breve e focal de psicoterapia. Inicialmente usada para o tratamento da depressão, teve seu espectro de ação ampliado para outros transtornos. A TIP pode ser dividida em 3 fases: inicial, quando é feito um diagnóstico do transtorno nomeando os sintomas ao paciente e diagnosticando o foco interpessoal a ser trabalhado; fase intermediária, onde se trabalha o foco; e fase final, quando o paciente é encorajado a reconhecer e consolidar seus ganhos para usá-los no futuro. MÉTODOS: O autor faz uma revisão das evidências científicas da eficácia da TIP no tratamento da depressão. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados mostram que a TIP é uma forma terapêutica eficaz e bem tolerada de tratamento para a depressão.Psychotherapy is a particular form of treatment in Psychiatry. Its use is widespread and has many different approaches. OBJECTIVE: In this article, the author makes some considerations about Interpersonal Therapy (IPT, a brief and focal psychotherapy. Initially created to treat depression, other researchers had successfully increase its spectrum. It could be divided in three phases. Initial, when the therapist makes the diagnosis of the disorder and also the interpersonal problematic is pointed out; the patient received a sick role. Intermediary when the focus is treated, and the final phase when the therapist encourages the patient to recognize and consolidate gains and prepare the patient to use it in the future. METHODS: It is stressed that IPT is a testable form of psychotherapy and the scientific evidences of its efficacy are showed. CONCLUSIONS: The results assure that IPT is an efficient form of psychotherapy for depression with a great acceptability from the patients.

Focal Length Affects Depicted Shape and Perception of Facial Images.

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Vít Třebický

Full Text Available Static photographs are currently the most often employed stimuli in research on social perception. The method of photograph acquisition might affect the depicted subject's facial appearance and thus also the impression of such stimuli. An important factor influencing the resulting photograph is focal length, as different focal lengths produce various levels of image distortion. Here we tested whether different focal lengths (50, 85, 105 mm affect depicted shape and perception of female and male faces. We collected three portrait photographs of 45 (22 females, 23 males participants under standardized conditions and camera setting varying only in the focal length. Subsequently, the three photographs from each individual were shown on screen in a randomized order using a 3-alternative forced-choice paradigm. The images were judged for attractiveness, dominance, and femininity/masculinity by 369 raters (193 females, 176 males. Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR was measured from each photograph and overall facial shape was analysed employing geometric morphometric methods (GMM. Our results showed that photographs taken with 50 mm focal length were rated as significantly less feminine/masculine, attractive, and dominant compared to the images taken with longer focal lengths. Further, shorter focal lengths produced faces with smaller fWHR. Subsequent GMM revealed focal length significantly affected overall facial shape of the photographed subjects. Thus methodology of photograph acquisition, focal length in this case, can significantly affect results of studies using photographic stimuli perhaps due to different levels of perspective distortion that influence shapes and proportions of morphological traits.

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of focal musculoskeletal anomalies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryu, Jung Kyu; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Lee, Young Ho; Kim, Ei Jeong; Chun, Yi Kyeong [Samsung Cheil Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2002-09-15

Focal musculoskeletal anomalies are various and may be an isolated finding or may be found in conjunction with numerous associations, including genetic syndromes, Karyotype abnormals, central nervous system anomalies and other general musculoskeletal disorders. Early prenatal diagnosis of these focal musculoskeletal anomalies nor only affects prenatal care and postnatal outcome but also helps in approaching other numerous associated anomalies.

Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of focal musculoskeletal anomalies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Jung Kyu; Cho, Jeong Yeon; Lee, Young Ho; Kim, Ei Jeong; Chun, Yi Kyeong

2002-01-01

Focal musculoskeletal anomalies are various and may be an isolated finding or may be found in conjunction with numerous associations, including genetic syndromes, Karyotype abnormals, central nervous system anomalies and other general musculoskeletal disorders. Early prenatal diagnosis of these focal musculoskeletal anomalies nor only affects prenatal care and postnatal outcome but also helps in approaching other numerous associated anomalies.

FOCAL CORTICAL DYSPLASIAS: CLINICAL AND ELECTRO-NEUROIMAGING CHARACTERISTICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Yu. Mukhin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In spite of a notable advance made in epileptology, resistant epilepsies account for approximately 30 % of all forms of epilepsy particularly in patients with focal seizures. One of the main causes of therapy-resistant focal epilepsies is focal cortical dysplasias (FCD. This term was first introduced by D. Taylor et al. in 1971. FCD belongs to abnormal cortical development. Among all abnormalities of cortical development, FCD in surgically treated children amounts to 75 %. FCD is the most common cause of resistant epilepsy in children and the most frequent reason for diagnosing cryptogenic focal epilepsy with intractable seizures. The author gives a detailed literature review dedicated to FCD as a cause of resistant epilepsy, including the classification and histologic characteristics of FCD, its clinical manifestations and prognosis, and approaches to medical and surgical treatments. 

Multispectral linear array (MLA) focal plane mechanical and thermal design

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, A. S.; Kaminski, E. F.

1982-01-01

The mechanical and thermal design of an integrated focal plane subsystem of a Multispectral Linear Array (MLA) instrument is discussed in terms of focal-plane alignment, thermoelastic performance, and thermal requirements. The modular construction and thermal control of the focal plane array are discussed.

The semiology of febrile seizures: Focal features are frequent.

Science.gov (United States)

Takasu, Michihiko; Kubota, Tetsuo; Tsuji, Takeshi; Kurahashi, Hirokazu; Numoto, Shingo; Watanabe, Kazuyoshi; Okumura, Akihisa

2017-08-01

To clarify the semiology of febrile seizures (FS) and to determine the frequency of FS with symptoms suggestive of focal onset. FS symptoms in children were reported within 24h of seizure onset by the parents using a structured questionnaire consisting principally of closed-ended questions. We focused on events at seizure commencement, including changes in behavior and facial expression, and ocular and oral symptoms. We also investigated the autonomic and motor symptoms developing during seizures. The presence or absence of focal and limbic features was determined for each patient. The associations of certain focal and limbic features with patient characteristics were assessed. Information was obtained on FS in 106 children. Various events were recorded at seizure commencement. Behavioral changes were observed in 35 children, changes in facial expression in 53, ocular symptoms in 78, and oral symptoms in 90. In terms of events during seizures, autonomic symptoms were recognized in 78, and convulsive motor symptoms were recognized in 68 children. Focal features were evident in 81 children; 38 children had two or more such features. Limbic features were observed in 44 children, 9 of whom had two or more such features. There was no significant relationship between any patient characteristic and the numbers of focal or limbic features. The semiology of FS varied widely among children, and symptoms suggestive of focal onset were frequent. FS of focal onset may be more common than is generally thought. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The flexible engagement of monitoring processes in non-focal and focal prospective memory tasks with salient cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Hefer, Carmen; Cohen, Anna-Lisa; Jaudas, Alexander; Dreisbach, Gesine

2017-09-01

Prospective memory (PM) refers to the ability to remember to perform a delayed intention. Here, we aimed to investigate the ability to suspend such an intention and thus to confirm previous findings (Cohen, Gordon, Jaudas, Hefer, & Dreisbach, 2016) demonstrating the ability to flexibly engage in monitoring processes. In the current study, we presented a perceptually salient PM cue (bold and red) to rule out that previous findings were limited to non-salient and, thus, easy to ignore PM cues. Moreover, we used both a non-focal (Experiment 1) and a focal PM (Experiment 2) cue. In both Experiments, three groups of participants performed an Eriksen flanker task as an ongoing task with an embedded PM task (they had to remember to press the F1 key if a pre-specified cue appeared). Participants were assigned to either a control condition (performed solely the flanker task), a standard PM condition (performed the flanker task along with the PM task), or a PM delayed condition (performed the flanker task but were instructed to postpone their PM task intention). The results of Experiment 1 with the non-focal PM cue closely replicated those of Cohen et al. (2016) and confirmed that participants were able to successfully postpone the PM cue intention without additional costs even when the PM cue was a perceptually salient one. However, when the PM cue was focal (Experiment 2), it was much more difficult for participants to ignore it as evidenced by commission errors and slower latencies on PM cue trials. In sum, results showed that the focality of the PM cue plays a more crucial role in the flexibility of the monitoring process whereas the saliency of the PM cue does not. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation on the pinch point position in heat exchangers

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Lisheng; Shi, Weixiu

2016-06-01

The pinch point is important for analyzing heat transfer in thermodynamic cycles. With the aim to reveal the importance of determining the accurate pinch point, the research on the pinch point position is carried out by theoretical method. The results show that the pinch point position depends on the parameters of the heat transfer fluids and the major fluid properties. In most cases, the pinch point locates at the bubble point for the evaporator and the dew point for the condenser. However, the pinch point shifts to the supercooled liquid state in the near critical conditions for the evaporator. Similarly, it shifts to the superheated vapor state with the condensing temperature approaching the critical temperature for the condenser. It even can shift to the working fluid entrance of the evaporator or the supercritical heater when the heat source fluid temperature is very high compared with the absorbing heat temperature. A wrong position for the pinch point may generate serious mistake. In brief, the pinch point should be founded by the iterative method in all conditions rather than taking for granted.

Point shear wave speed measurement in differentiating benign and malignant focal liver lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Yi; Wang, Wen-Ping; Xu, Yadan; Cao, Jiaying; Mao, Feng; Dietrich, Cristoph F

2017-06-26

To investigate the value of ElastPQ measurement for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant focal liver lesions (FLLs) by using histologic results as a reference standard. A total of 154 patients were included. ElastPQ measurement was performed for each lesion in which the shear wave speed (SWS) was measured. The difference in SWS and SWS ratio of FLL to surrounding liver were evaluated, and the cut off value was investigated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the diagnostic performance. Histology as a gold standard was obtained by surgery in all patients. A total of 154 lesions including 129 (83.7 %) malignant FLLs and 25 (16.3 %) benign ones were analysed. The SWS of malignant and benign FLLs was significantly different, 2.77±0.68 m/s and 1.57±0.55 m/s (p<0.05). The SWS ratio of each FLL to surrounding liver parenchyma was 2.23±0.49 for malignant and 1.14±0.36 for benign FLLs (p<0.05). The cut off value for differential diagnosis was 2.06 m/s for SWS and 1.67 for SWS ratio.  ElastPQ measurement provides reliable quantitative stiffness information of FLLs and may be helpful in the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign FLLs.

Focal necrotizing pneumonia is a distinct entity from lung abscess.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Hyewon; Cha, Seung-Ick; Shin, Kyung-Min; Lim, Jaekwang; Yoo, Seung-Soo; Lee, Jaehee; Lee, Shin-Yup; Kim, Chang-Ho; Park, Jae-Yong

2013-10-01

'Focal necrotizing pneumonia' was defined as a localized type of necrotizing pneumonia characterized by a single or few cavities of low density without rim enhancement on computed tomography (CT) scan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features and course of patients with focal necrotizing pneumonia, thereby elucidating its clinical relevance. The present study was conducted retrospectively in patients who had been interpreted as having lung abscess or necrotizing pneumonia on CT scan. Clinical and radiological characteristics were compared between the focal necrotizing pneumonia and lung abscess groups. Overall, 68 patients with focal necrotizing pneumonia (n = 35) or lung abscess (n = 33) were included in the present study. The frequency of risk factors for aspiration was significantly lower in the focal necrotizing group, compared with the lung abscess group (14.3% vs 45.5%, P = 0.005). Compared with lung abscess, focal necrotizing pneumonia was observed more commonly in non-gravity-dependent segments (66% vs 36%, P lung abscess group (31% vs 12%, P = 0.08). However, in terms of treatment outcomes, a similar high rate of success was observed in both groups: 97%, respectively. Compared to lung abscess, focal necrotizing pneumonia occurs more commonly in non-gravity-dependent segments with lower incidence of risk factors for aspiration. Similar to lung abscess, the rate of success for treatment of focal necrotizing pneumonia was high. © 2013 The Authors. Respirology © 2013 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Three-dimensional motion-picture imaging of dynamic object by parallel-phase-shifting digital holographic microscopy using an inverted magnification optical system

Science.gov (United States)

Fukuda, Takahito; Shinomura, Masato; Xia, Peng; Awatsuji, Yasuhiro; Nishio, Kenzo; Matoba, Osamu

2017-04-01

We constructed a parallel-phase-shifting digital holographic microscopy (PPSDHM) system using an inverted magnification optical system, and succeeded in three-dimensional (3D) motion-picture imaging for 3D displacement of a microscopic object. In the PPSDHM system, the inverted and afocal magnification optical system consisted of a microscope objective (16.56 mm focal length and 0.25 numerical aperture) and a convex lens (300 mm focal length and 82 mm aperture diameter). A polarization-imaging camera was used to record multiple phase-shifted holograms with a single-shot exposure. We recorded an alum crystal, sinking down in aqueous solution of alum, by the constructed PPSDHM system at 60 frames/s for about 20 s and reconstructed high-quality 3D motion-picture image of the crystal. Then, we calculated amounts of displacement of the crystal from the amounts in the focus plane and the magnifications of the magnification optical system, and obtained the 3D trajectory of the crystal by that amounts.

Hepatic fat quantification using automated six-point Dixon: Comparison with conventional chemical shift based sequences and computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Kie; Namimoto, Tomohiro; Nakagawa, Masataka; Morita, Kosuke; Oda, Seitaro; Nakaura, Takeshi; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

To compare automated six-point Dixon (6-p-Dixon) MRI comparing with dual-echo chemical-shift-imaging (CSI) and CT for hepatic fat fraction in phantoms and clinical study. Phantoms and fifty-nine patients were examined both MRI and CT for quantitative fat measurements. In phantom study, linear regression between fat concentration and 6-p-Dixon showed good agreement. In clinical study, linear regression between 6-p-Dixon and dual-echo CSI showed good agreement. CT attenuation value was strongly correlated with 6-p-Dixon (R 2 =0.852; PDixon and dual-echo CSI were accurate correlation with CT attenuation value of liver parenchyma. 6-p-Dixon has the potential for automated hepatic fat quantification. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spectroscopic measurement of 204Pb isotope shift and 205Pb nuclear spin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schonberger, P.

1984-01-01

The isotope shift of 204 Pb and the nuclear spin of 1.4 X 10 7 -y 205 Pb was determined from a high-resolution optical measurement of the 6p 23 P 0 -6p7s 3 P 1 0 283.3-nm resonance line. The value of the shift, relative to 208 Pb is -140.2(8) x 10 -3 cm -1 , the negative sign indicating a shift to lower wave numbers. The precision is 3-4 times greater than that of previous measurements. The spin of 205 Pb I = 5/2 was obtained from the measurement of the relative intensities of its three hyperfine components. This method of absorption spectroscopy determination of ground state nuclear spin is applicable to any stable or long-lived isotope. High resolution optical absorption spectra were obtained with a 25.4 cm diffraction grating in a 9.1 m focal length Czerny-Turner spectrometer. A signal-averaging scanning technique was used to record the spectra. Increased precision in the isotope shift measurement was attained by using separated isotope samples of 204 Pb and 207 Pb

Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency in Ibadan a Developing ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The cultural aversion to amputation in our environment makes it difficult to employ that option of treatment. Proximal focal femoral deficiency in Ibadan a developing country's perspective and a review of the literature. Keywords: Proximal focal femoral deficiency , congenital malformations , limb malformations , lower limb ...

Implementation of focal zooming on the Nike KrF laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kehne, D. M.; Karasik, M.; Weaver, J. L.; Chan, Y.; Obenschain, S. P. [Plasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States); Aglitsky, Y. [Science Applications International, McLean, Virginia 22150 (United States); Smyth, Z.; Lehmberg, R. H. [Research Support Instruments, Inc., Lanham, Maryland 20706 (United States); Terrell, S. [Commonwealth Technologies, Inc., Alexandria, Virginia 22315 (United States)

2013-01-15

In direct drive inertial confinement laser fusion, a pellet containing D-T fuel is imploded by ablation arising from absorption of laser energy at its outer surface. For optimal coupling, the focal spot of the laser would continuously decrease to match the reduction in the pellet's diameter, thereby minimizing wasted energy. A krypton-fluoride laser ({lambda}= 248 nm) that incorporates beam smoothing by induced spatial incoherence has the ability to produce a high quality focal profile whose diameter varies with time, a property known as focal zooming. A two-stage focal zoom has been demonstrated on the Nike laser at the Naval Research Laboratory. In the experiment, a 4.4 ns laser pulse was created in which the on-target focal spot diameter was 1.3 mm (full width at half maximum) for the first 2.4 ns and 0.28 mm for the final 2 ns. These two diameters appear in time-integrated focal plane equivalent images taken at several locations in the amplification chain. Eight of the zoomed output beams were overlapped on a 60 {mu}m thick planar polystyrene target. Time resolved images of self-emission from the rear of the target show the separate shocks launched by the two corresponding laser focal diameters.

Implementation of focal zooming on the Nike KrF laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehne, D. M.; Karasik, M.; Weaver, J. L.; Chan, Y.; Obenschain, S. P.; Aglitsky, Y.; Smyth, Z.; Lehmberg, R. H.; Terrell, S.

2013-01-01

In direct drive inertial confinement laser fusion, a pellet containing D-T fuel is imploded by ablation arising from absorption of laser energy at its outer surface. For optimal coupling, the focal spot of the laser would continuously decrease to match the reduction in the pellet's diameter, thereby minimizing wasted energy. A krypton-fluoride laser (λ= 248 nm) that incorporates beam smoothing by induced spatial incoherence has the ability to produce a high quality focal profile whose diameter varies with time, a property known as focal zooming. A two-stage focal zoom has been demonstrated on the Nike laser at the Naval Research Laboratory. In the experiment, a 4.4 ns laser pulse was created in which the on-target focal spot diameter was 1.3 mm (full width at half maximum) for the first 2.4 ns and 0.28 mm for the final 2 ns. These two diameters appear in time-integrated focal plane equivalent images taken at several locations in the amplification chain. Eight of the zoomed output beams were overlapped on a 60 μm thick planar polystyrene target. Time resolved images of self-emission from the rear of the target show the separate shocks launched by the two corresponding laser focal diameters.

Implementation of focal zooming on the Nike KrF laser

Science.gov (United States)

Kehne, D. M.; Karasik, M.; Aglitsky, Y.; Smyth, Z.; Terrell, S.; Weaver, J. L.; Chan, Y.; Lehmberg, R. H.; Obenschain, S. P.

2013-01-01

In direct drive inertial confinement laser fusion, a pellet containing D-T fuel is imploded by ablation arising from absorption of laser energy at its outer surface. For optimal coupling, the focal spot of the laser would continuously decrease to match the reduction in the pellet's diameter, thereby minimizing wasted energy. A krypton-fluoride laser (λ = 248 nm) that incorporates beam smoothing by induced spatial incoherence has the ability to produce a high quality focal profile whose diameter varies with time, a property known as focal zooming. A two-stage focal zoom has been demonstrated on the Nike laser at the Naval Research Laboratory. In the experiment, a 4.4 ns laser pulse was created in which the on-target focal spot diameter was 1.3 mm (full width at half maximum) for the first 2.4 ns and 0.28 mm for the final 2 ns. These two diameters appear in time-integrated focal plane equivalent images taken at several locations in the amplification chain. Eight of the zoomed output beams were overlapped on a 60 μm thick planar polystyrene target. Time resolved images of self-emission from the rear of the target show the separate shocks launched by the two corresponding laser focal diameters.

DESI focal plate mechanical integration and cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Lambert, A. R.; Besuner, R. W.; Claybaugh, T. M.; Silber, J. H.

2016-08-01

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is under construction to measure the expansion history of the Universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation technique[1]. The spectra of 40 million galaxies over 14000 sq. deg will be measured during the life of the experiment. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5000 fiber optic positioners. The fibers in turn feed ten broad-band spectrographs. This paper describes the mechanical integration of the DESI focal plate and the thermal system design. The DESI focal plate is comprised of ten identical petal assemblies. Each petal contains 500 robotic fiber positioners. Each petal is a complete, self-contained unit, independent from the others, with integrated power supply, controllers, fiber routing, and cooling services. The major advantages of this scheme are: (1) supports installation and removal of complete petal assemblies in-situ, without disturbing the others, (2) component production, assembly stations, and test procedures are repeated and parallelizable, (3) a complete, full-scale prototype can be built and tested at an early date, (4) each production petal can be surveyed and tested as a complete unit, prior to integration, from the fiber tip at the focal surface to the fiber slit at the spectrograph. The ten petal assemblies will be installed in a single integration ring, which is mounted to the DESI corrector. The aluminum integration ring attaches to the steel corrector barrel via a flexured steel adapter, isolating the focal plate from differential thermal expansions. The plate scale will be kept stable by conductive cooling of the petal assembly. The guider and wavefront sensors (one per petal) will be convectively cooled by forced flow of air. Heat will be removed from the system at ten liquid-cooled cold plates, one per petal, operating at ambient temperature. The entire focal plate structure is enclosed in an insulating shroud, which serves as a thermal barrier

Focal fatty infiltra- tion and focal fatty sparing of the liver

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Enrique

Department of Radiology. Nelson Mandela School of Health Sciences. Durban. Fig. 1a. Unenhanced CT of the liver in case 1 demonstrates multiple focal low density regions in both lobes of the liver. Region of interest 1 over the fatty left lobe measured 10 HU while region of interest 2 over the right lobe measure 40 HU in.

Compensation for unfavorable characteristics of irregular individual shift rotas.

Science.gov (United States)

Knauth, Peter; Jung, Detlev; Bopp, Winfried; Gauderer, Patric C; Gissel, Andreas

2006-01-01

Some employees of TV companies, such as those who produce remote TV programs, have to cope with very irregular rotas and many short-term schedule deviations. Many of these employees complain about the negative effects of such on their wellbeing and private life. Therefore, a working group of employers, council representatives, and researchers developed a so-called bonus system. Based on the criteria of the BESIAK system, the following list of criteria for the ergonomic assessment of irregular shift systems was developed: proportion of night hours worked between 22 : 00 and 01 : 00 h and between 06 : 00 and 07 : 00 h, proportion of night hours worked between 01 : 00 and 06 : 00 h, number of successive night shifts, number of successive working days, number of shifts longer than 9 h, proportion of phase advances, off hours on weekends, work hours between 17 : 00 and 23 : 00 h from Monday to Friday, number of working days with leisure time at remote places, and sudden deviations from the planned shift rota. Each individual rota was evaluated in retrospect. If pre-defined thresholds of criteria were surpassed, bonus points were added to the worker's account. In general, more bonus points add up to more free time. Only in particular cases was monetary compensation possible for some criteria. The bonus point system, which was implemented in the year 2002 for about 850 employees of the TV company, has the advantages of more transparency concerning the unfavorable characteristics of working-time arrangements, incentive for superiors to design "good" rosters that avoid the bonus point thresholds (to reduce costs), positive short-term effects on the employee social life, and expected positive long-term effects on the employee health. In general, the most promising approach to cope with the problems of shift workers in irregular and flexible shift systems seems to be to increase their influence on the arrangement of working times. If this is not possible, bonus point systems

The development of rhythmic attending in auditory sequences: attunement, referent period, focal attending.

Science.gov (United States)

Drake, C; Jones, M R; Baruch, C

2000-12-15

This paper is divided into three sections. The first section is theoretical; it extends Dynamic Attending Theory (Jones, M. R. Psychological Review 83 (1976) 323; Jones, M. R. Perception and Psychophysics 41(6) (1987) 631; Jones, M. R. Psychomusicology 9(2) (1990) 193; Jones, M. R., & Boltz, M. Psychological Review 96(3) (1989) 459) to developmental questions concerning tempo and time hierarchies. Generally Dynamic Attending Theory proposes that, when listening to a complex auditory sequence, listeners spontaneously focus on events occurring at an intermediate rate (the referent level), and they then may shift attention to events occurring over longer or shorter time spans, that is at lower (faster) or higher (slower) hierarchical levels (focal attending). The second section of the paper is experimental. It examines maturational changes of three dynamic attending activities involving referent period and level, attunement, and focal attending. Tasks involve both motor tapping (including spontaneous motor tempo and synchronization with simple sequences and music) and tempo discrimination. We compare performances by 4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-year-old children and adults, with or without musical training. Results indicate three changes with increased age and musical training: (1) a slowing of the mean spontaneous tapping rate (a reflection of the referent period) and mean synchronization rate (a reflection of the referent level), (2) enhanced ability to synchronize tapping and discriminate tempo (improved attunement), and (3) an enlarged range of tapping rates towards slower rates and higher hierarchical levels (improved focal attending). A final section considers results in light of the theory proposed here. It is suggested that growth trends can be expressed in terms of listeners' engagement of slower attending oscillators with age and experience, accompanied by the passage from the initial use of a single oscillator towards the coupling of multiple oscillators.

Thermomechanical architecture of the VIS focal plane for Euclid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martignac, Jerome; Carty, Michael; Tourette, Thierry; Bachet, Damien; Berthe, Michel; Augueres, Jean-Louis; Amiaux, Jerome; Fontignie, Jean; Horeau, Benoit; Renaud, Diana

2014-01-01

One of the main challenges for current and near future space experiments is the increase of focal plane complexity in terms of amount of pixels. In the frame work of the ESA Euclid mission to be launched in 2020, the Euclid Consortium is developing an extremely large and stable focal plane for the VIS instrument. CEA has developed the thermomechanical architecture of that Focal Plane taking into account all the very stringent performance and mission related requirements. The VIS Focal Plane Assembly integrates 36 CCDs (operated at 150 K) connected to their front end electronics (operated at 280 K) as to obtain one of the largest focal plane (0.6 billion pixels) ever built for space application after the GAIA one. The CCDs are CCD273 type specially designed and provided by the e2v company under ESA contract, front end electronics is studied and provided by MSSL. In this paper we first recall the specific requirements that have driven the overall architecture of the VIS-FPA and especially the solutions proposed to cope with the scientific needs of an extremely stable focal plane, both mechanically and thermally. The mechanical structure based on SiC material used for the cold sub assembly supporting the CCDs is detailed. We describe also the modular architecture concept that we have selected taking into account AIT-AIV and programmatic constraints. (authors)

Do Shifts in Renewable Energy Operation Policy Affect Efficiency: Korea’s Shift from FIT to RPS and Its Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyungguen Park

2018-05-01

Full Text Available South Korea’s new and renewable energy (NRE policy experienced a drastic shift from the Feed-in Tariff (FIT to the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS in 2012. This study looks at the changes in the efficiency of NRE policy in this transition through DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis and MI (Malmquist Index methods, using investment for NRE technology development and for NRE dissemination as input factors and the number of firms, the number of employees, and the volume of NRE power generation as output factors. The results show a temporary drop in efficiency in 2012 during the transition period for the NRE industry as a whole. However, apart from those energy types with ulterior factors, the implementation of RPS increased the technical change (TC of most NRE types. Furthermore, the findings highlight that, among South Korea’s three focal NRE industries—photovoltaic, wind power, and fuel cell energies—only fuel cell energies showed an increase in efficiency over time. South Korea’s policy shifts from FIT to RPS and the resulting effects on NRE policy’s efficiency provide a useful reference and guideline for government decision-making on NRE policy changes.

Focal cemento-osseous dysplasia: review and a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Salem, Y M Y; Osman, Y I; Norval, E J G

2010-10-01

Focal cemento-osseous dysplasia is a benign fibro-osseous condition that can be seen in dentate and edentulous patients. It is an asymptomatic lesion and needs no treatment; however follow-up is essential due to the possibility that focal cemento-osseous dysplasia can progress to a condition called florid osseous dysplasia that involves multiple sites. A case report is presented here, along with a review of the differential diagnoses considered in order to reach a final diagnosis of focal cemento-osseous dysplasia.

3D Registration of mpMRI for Assessment of Prostate Cancer Focal Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Orczyk, Clément; Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Mikheev, Artem; Villers, Arnauld; Bernaudin, Myriam; Taneja, Samir S; Valable, Samuel; Rusinek, Henry

2017-12-01

This study aimed to assess a novel method of three-dimensional (3D) co-registration of prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations performed before and after prostate cancer focal therapy. We developed a software platform for automatic 3D deformable co-registration of prostate MRI at different time points and applied this method to 10 patients who underwent focal ablative therapy. MRI examinations were performed preoperatively, as well as 1 week and 6 months post treatment. Rigid registration served as reference for assessing co-registration accuracy and precision. Segmentation of preoperative and postoperative prostate revealed a significant postoperative volume decrease of the gland that averaged 6.49 cc (P = .017). Applying deformable transformation based on mutual information from 120 pairs of MRI slices, we refined by 2.9 mm (max. 6.25 mm) the alignment of the ablation zone, segmented from contrast-enhanced images on the 1-week postoperative examination, to the 6-month postoperative T2-weighted images. This represented a 500% improvement over the rigid approach (P = .001), corrected by volume. The dissimilarity by Dice index of the mapped ablation zone using deformable transformation vs rigid control was significantly (P = .04) higher at the ablation site than in the whole gland. Our findings illustrate our method's ability to correct for deformation at the ablation site. The preliminary analysis suggests that deformable transformation computed from mutual information of preoperative and follow-up MRI is accurate in co-registration of MRI examinations performed before and after focal therapy. The ability to localize the previously ablated tissue in 3D space may improve targeting for image-guided follow-up biopsy within focal therapy protocols. Copyright © 2017 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast multifrequency focal beam analysis for 3D seismic acquisition geometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wei, W.; Fu, L.; Blacquiere, G.

2012-01-01

A method for the efficient computation of multifrequency focal beams for 3D seismic acquisition geometry analysis has been developed. By computing them for all the frequency components of seismic data, single-frequency focal beams can be extended to multifrequency focal beams. However, this

Diffusion-weighted imaging of the liver at 3 T using section-selection gradient reversal: emphasis on chemical shift artefacts and lesion conspicuity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.S.; Kim, Y.K.; Jeong, W.K.; Choi, D.; Lee, W.J.

2015-01-01

Aim: To assess the value of section-selection gradient reversal (SSGR) in liver diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) by comparing it to conventional DWI with an emphasis on chemical shift artefacts and lesion conspicuity. Materials and methods: Forty-eight patients (29 men and 19 women; age range 33–80 years) with 48 liver lesions underwent two DWI examinations using spectral presaturation with inversion recovery fat suppression with and without SSGR at 3 T. Two reviewers evaluated each DWI (b = 100 and b = 800 image) with respect to chemical shift artefacts and liver lesion conspicuity using five-point scales and performed pairwise comparisons between the two DWIs. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the liver and the lesion and the lesion–liver contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were also calculated. Results: SSGR-DWI was significantly better than conventional DWI with respect to chemical shift artefacts and lesion conspicuity in both separate reviews and pairwise comparisons (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in the SNR of the liver (b = 100 and b = 800 images) and lesion (b = 800) between SSGR-DWI and conventional DWI (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Applying the SSGR method to DWI using SPIR fat suppression at 3 T could significantly reduce chemical shift artefacts without incurring additional acquisition time or SNR penalties, which leads to increased conspicuity of focal liver lesions. - Highlights: • Chemical shift artefact in liver DWI is markedly decreased by applying SSGR. • Liver lesion conspicuity is improved by applying SSGR to DWI. • In SNR of the liver, SSGR-DWI is better than conventional DWI

Analyzing algorithms for nonlinear and spatially nonuniform phase shifts in the liquid crystal point diffraction interferometer. 1998 summer research program for high school juniors at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics. Student research reports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jain, N.

1999-03-01

Phase-shifting interferometry has many advantages, and the phase shifting nature of the Liquid Crystal Point Diffraction Interferometer (LCPDI) promises to provide significant improvement over other current OMEGA wavefront sensors. However, while phase-shifting capabilities improve its accuracy as an interferometer, phase-shifting itself introduces errors. Phase-shifting algorithms are designed to eliminate certain types of phase-shift errors, and it is important to chose an algorithm that is best suited for use with the LCPDI. Using polarization microscopy, the authors have observed a correlation between LC alignment around the microsphere and fringe behavior. After designing a procedure to compare phase-shifting algorithms, they were able to predict the accuracy of two particular algorithms through computer modeling of device-specific phase shift-errors

How “Point Blindness” Dilutes the Value of Stock Market Reports

OpenAIRE

Lupia, Arthur; Grafstrom, Cassandra; Krupnikov, Yanna; Levine, Adam Seth; MacMillan, William; McGovern, Erin

2008-01-01

The stock index “point” is a focal component of financial news reports. While much attention is paid to changes in stock index point totals, few people realize that the value of a stock index “point” varies (and has recently declined). We call this perceptual phenomenon “point blindness” and explain its threat to investors. Simple changes in media presentations of stock index information can counter point blindness. These changes are easy to implement and can help audiences make better financ...

Position sensitive proportional counters as focal plane detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, J.L.C. Jr.

1979-01-01

The rise time and charge division techniques for position decoding with RC-line proportional counters are reviewed. The advantages that these detectors offer as focal plane counters for nuclear spectroscopy performed with magnetic spectrographs are discussed. The theory of operation of proportional counters as position sensing devices is summarized, as well as practical aspects affecting their application. Factors limiting the position and energy resolutions obtainable with a focal plane proportional counter are evaluated and measured position and energy loss values are presented for comparison. Detector systems capable of the multiparameter measurements required for particle identification, background suppression and ray-tracing are described in order to illustrate the wide applicability of proportional counters within complex focal plane systems. Examples of the use of these counters other than with magnetic spectrographs are given in order to demonstrate their usefulness in not only nuclear physics but also in fields such as solid state physics, biology, and medicine. The influence of the new focal plane detector systems on future magnetic spectrograph designs is discussed. (Auth.)

Benign focal liver lesions: discrimination from malignant mimickers.

Science.gov (United States)

Alobaidi, Mohammad; Shirkhoda, Ali

2004-01-01

Focal lesions of the liver often have various imaging characteristics which may be interpreted as either benign or malignant. Understanding the underlying pathophysiology of these liver lesions may lead to characteristic imaging manifestations, which direct the radiologist to the diagnosis. Benign lesions include congenital hepatic cyst, autosomal dominant polycystic disease, hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), hepatic adenoma, inflammatory pseudotumor, peliosis hepatis, focal fatty infiltration, hamartoma, and infectious processes such as hepatic abscess, echinococcal cyst, and candidiasis. Characteristic imaging features, clinical symptoms, and treatment/prognosis will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on key reliable features of each disease to develop a method of discriminating these lesions from other benign and malignant disorders.

Actinic Granuloma with Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruedee Phasukthaworn

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Actinic granuloma is an uncommon granulomatous disease, characterized by annular erythematous plaque with central clearing predominately located on sun-damaged skin. The pathogenesis is not well understood, ultraviolet radiation is recognized as precipitating factor. We report a case of a 52-year-old woman who presented with asymptomatic annular erythematous plaques on the forehead and both cheeks persisting for 2 years. The clinical presentation and histopathologic findings support the diagnosis of actinic granuloma. During that period of time, she also developed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The association between actinic granuloma and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis needs to be clarified by further studies.

Natural-focal diseases: mapping experience in Russia.

Science.gov (United States)

Malkhazova, Svetlana M; Mironova, Varvara A; Kotova, Tatiana V; Shartova, Natalia V; Orlov, Dmitry S

2014-06-14

Natural-focal diseases constitute a serious hazard for human health. Agents and vectors of such diseases belong to natural landscapes. The aim of this study is to identify the diversity and geography of natural-focal diseases in Russia and to develop cartographic approaches for their mapping, including mathematical-cartographical modeling. Russian medico-geographical mapping of natural-focal diseases is highly developed regionally and locally but extremely limited at the national level. To solve this problem, a scientific team of the Faculty of Geography at Lomonosov Moscow State University has developed and implemented a project of a medico-geographical Atlas of Russia "Natural-Focal Diseases". The mapping is based on medical statistics data. The Atlas contains a series of maps on disease incidence, long-term dynamics of disease morbidity, etc. In addition, other materials available to the authors were used: mapping of the natural environment, field data, archival materials, analyzed satellite images, etc. The maps are processed using ArcGIS (ESRI) software application. Different methods of rendering of mapped phenomena are used (geographical ranges, diagrams, choropleth maps etc.). A series of analytical, integrated, and synthetic maps shows disease incidence in the population at both the national and regional levels for the last 15 years. Maps of the mean annual morbidity of certain infections and maps of morbidity dynamics and nosological profiles allow for a detailed analysis of the situation for each of 83 administrative units of the Russian Federation. The degree of epidemic hazard in Russia by natural-focal diseases is reflected in a synthetic medico-geographical map that shows the degree of epidemic risks due to such diseases in Russia and allows one to estimate the risk of disease manifestation in a given region. This is the first attempt at aggregation and public presentation of diverse and multifaceted information about natural-focal diseases in Russia

Focal lesions in the central nervous system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabrikant, J.I.; Budinger, T.F.; Tobias, C.A.; Born, J.L.

1980-01-01

This report reviews the animal and human studies currently in progress at LBL with heavy-ion beams to induce focal lesions in the central nervous system, and discusses the potential future prospects of fundamental and applied brain research with heavy-ion beams. Methods are being developed for producing discrete focal lesions in the central nervous system using the Bragg ionization peak to investigate nerve pathways and neuroendocrine responses, and for treating pathological disorders of the brain

Focal plane detector for QDD spectrography in Institute of Nuclear Study and detector for SMART 2nd focal plane in RIKEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuchi, Yoshihide [Tokyo Univ., Tanashi (Japan). Inst. for Nuclear Study

1996-09-01

The focal plane detector for QDD spectrography in Institute of Nuclear Study was composed of drift space and a proportional counter tube, and the latter is composed of position detector and two delta E detector for recognizing the particles. In this detector, a uniform parallel electric field can be obtained by placing a guard plate at the same height as that of a drift plate outer place of the detector. On the other hand, the detector for SMART 2nd focal plate in RIKEN is composed of drift space and a single wire proportional counter, and has two cathode read out single wire drift counters set so as to hold the focal plane. (G.K.)

A targeted resequencing gene panel for focal epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hildebrand, Michael S; Myers, Candace T; Carvill, Gemma L; Regan, Brigid M; Damiano, John A; Mullen, Saul A; Newton, Mark R; Nair, Umesh; Gazina, Elena V; Milligan, Carol J; Reid, Christopher A; Petrou, Steven; Scheffer, Ingrid E; Berkovic, Samuel F; Mefford, Heather C

2016-04-26

We report development of a targeted resequencing gene panel for focal epilepsy, the most prevalent phenotypic group of the epilepsies. The targeted resequencing gene panel was designed using molecular inversion probe (MIP) capture technology and sequenced using massively parallel Illumina sequencing. We demonstrated proof of principle that mutations can be detected in 4 previously genotyped focal epilepsy cases. We searched for both germline and somatic mutations in 251 patients with unsolved sporadic or familial focal epilepsy and identified 11 novel or very rare missense variants in 5 different genes: CHRNA4, GRIN2B, KCNT1, PCDH19, and SCN1A. Of these, 2 were predicted to be pathogenic or likely pathogenic, explaining ∼0.8% of the cohort, and 8 were of uncertain significance based on available data. We have developed and validated a targeted resequencing panel for focal epilepsies, the most important clinical class of epilepsies, accounting for about 60% of all cases. Our application of MIP technology is an innovative approach that will be advantageous in the clinical setting because it is highly sensitive, efficient, and cost-effective for screening large patient cohorts. Our findings indicate that mutations in known genes likely explain only a small proportion of focal epilepsy cases. This is not surprising given the established clinical and genetic heterogeneity of these disorders and underscores the importance of further gene discovery studies in this complex syndrome. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

Spreading depolarizations have prolonged direct current shifts and are associated with poor outcome in brain trauma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hartings, Jed A; Watanabe, Tomas; Bullock, M Ross

2011-01-01

, although prolonged events have not been observed in animal models. To determine whether detrimental penumbral-type depolarizations occur in human brain trauma, we analysed electrocorticographic recordings obtained by subdural electrode-strip monitoring during intensive care. Of 53 patients studied, 10......Cortical spreading depolarizations occur spontaneously after ischaemic, haemorrhagic and traumatic brain injury. Their effects vary spatially and temporally as graded phenomena, from infarction to complete recovery, and are reflected in the duration of depolarization measured by the negative direct...... current shift of electrocorticographic recordings. In the focal ischaemic penumbra, peri-infarct depolarizations have prolonged direct current shifts and cause progressive recruitment of the penumbra into the core infarct. In traumatic brain injury, the effects of spreading depolarizations are unknown...

Magnetic electroanatomical mapping for ablation of focal atrial tachycardias.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchlinski, F; Callans, D; Gottlieb, C; Rodriguez, E; Coyne, R; Kleinman, D

1998-08-01

Uniform success for ablation of focal atrial tachycardias has been difficult to achieve using standard catheter mapping and ablation techniques. In addition, our understanding of the complex relationship between atrial anatomy, electrophysiology, and surface ECG P wave morphology remains primitive. The magnetic electroanatomical mapping and display system (CARTO) offers an on-line display of electrical activation and/or signal amplitude related to the anatomical location of the recorded sites in the mapped chamber. A window of electrical interest is established based on signals timed from an electrical reference that usually represents a fixed electrogram recording from the coronary sinus or the atrial appendage. This window of electrical interest is established to include atrial activation prior to the onset of the P wave activity associated with the site of origin of a focal atrial tachycardia. Anatomical and electrical landmarks are defined with limited fluoroscopic imaging support and more detailed global chamber and more focal atrial mapping can be performed with minimal fluoroscopic guidance. A three-dimensional color map representing atrial activation or voltage amplitude at the magnetically defined anatomical sites is displayed with on-line data acquisition. This display can be manipulated to facilitate viewing from any angle. Altering the zoom control, triangle fill threshold, clipping plane, or color range can all enhance the display of a more focal area of interest. We documented the feasibility of using this single mapping catheter technique for localizing and ablating focal atrial tachycardias. In a consecutive series of 8 patients with 9 focal atrial tachycardias, the use of the single catheter CARTO mapping system was associated with ablation success in all but one patient who had a left atrial tachycardia localized to the medial aspect of the orifice of the left atrial appendage. Only low power energy delivery was used in this patient because of the

Protein kinase C, focal adhesions and the regulation of cell migration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fogh, Betina S; Multhaupt, Hinke A B; Couchman, John Robert

2014-01-01

in their intracellular compartment. Among these are tyrosine kinases, which have received a great deal of attention, whereas the serine/threonine kinase protein kinase C has received much less. Here the status of protein kinase C in focal adhesions and cell migration is reviewed, together with discussion of its roles...... and adhesion turnover. Focal adhesions, or focal contacts, are widespread organelles at the cell-matrix interface. They arise as a result of receptor interactions with matrix ligands, together with clustering. Recent analysis shows that focal adhesions contain a very large number of protein components...

Management of Localized Prostate Cancer by Focal Transurethral Resection of Prostate Cancer: An Application of Radical TUR-PCa to Focal Therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Morita, Masaru; Matsuura, Takeshi

2012-01-01

Background. We analyzed radical TUR-PCa against localized prostate cancer. Patients and Methods. Seventy-nine out of 209 patients with prostate cancer in one lobe were studied. Patients' age ranged from 58 to 91 years and preoperative PSA, 0.70 to 17.30 ng/mL. In other 16 additional patients we performed focal TUR-PCa. Patients' age ranged from 51 to 87 years and preoperative PSA, 1.51 to 25.74 ng/mL. Results. PSA failure in radical TUR-PCa was 5.1% during the mean follow-up period of 58.9 months. The actuarial biochemical non-recurrence rate was 98.2% for pT2a and 90.5% for pT2b. Bladder neck contracture occurred in 28 patients (35.4%). In 209 patients, pathological study revealed prostate cancer of the peripheral zone near the neurovascular bundle bilaterally in 25%, unilaterally in 39% and no cancer bilaterally in 35%, suggesting the possibility of focal TUR-PCa. Postoperative PSA of 16 patients treated by focal TUR-PCa was stable between 0.007 and 0.406 ng/mL at 24.2 months' follow-up. No patients suffered from urinary incontinence. Bladder neck contracture developed in only 1 patient and all 5 patients underwent nerve-preserving TUR-PCa did not show erectile dysfunction. Conclusion. Focal TUR-PCa was considered to be a promising option among focal therapies against localized prostate cancer.

Management of Localized Prostate Cancer by Focal Transurethral Resection of Prostate Cancer: An Application of Radical TUR-PCa to Focal Therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masaru Morita

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Background. We analyzed radical TUR-PCa against localized prostate cancer. Patients and Methods. Seventy-nine out of 209 patients with prostate cancer in one lobe were studied. Patients’ age ranged from 58 to 91 years and preoperative PSA, 0.70 to 17.30 ng/mL. In other 16 additional patients we performed focal TUR-PCa. Patients’ age ranged from 51 to 87 years and preoperative PSA, 1.51 to 25.74 ng/mL. Results. PSA failure in radical TUR-PCa was 5.1% during the mean follow-up period of 58.9 months. The actuarial biochemical non-recurrence rate was 98.2% for pT2a and 90.5% for pT2b. Bladder neck contracture occurred in 28 patients (35.4%. In 209 patients, pathological study revealed prostate cancer of the peripheral zone near the neurovascular bundle bilaterally in 25%, unilaterally in 39% and no cancer bilaterally in 35%, suggesting the possibility of focal TUR-PCa. Postoperative PSA of 16 patients treated by focal TUR-PCa was stable between 0.007 and 0.406 ng/mL at 24.2 months’ follow-up. No patients suffered from urinary incontinence. Bladder neck contracture developed in only 1 patient and all 5 patients underwent nerve-preserving TUR-PCa did not show erectile dysfunction. Conclusion. Focal TUR-PCa was considered to be a promising option among focal therapies against localized prostate cancer.

Focal cortical dysplasia – review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabat, Joanna; Król, Przemysław

2012-01-01

Focal cortical dysplasia is a malformation of cortical development, which is the most common cause of medically refractory epilepsy in the pediatric population and the second/third most common etiology of medically intractable seizures in adults. Both genetic and acquired factors are involved in the pathogenesis of cortical dysplasia. Numerous classifications of the complex structural abnormalities of focal cortical dysplasia have been proposed – from Taylor et al. in 1971 to the last modification of Palmini classification made by Blumcke in 2011. In general, three types of cortical dysplasia are recognized. Type I focal cortical dysplasia with mild symptomatic expression and late onset, is more often seen in adults, with changes present in the temporal lobe. Clinical symptoms are more severe in type II of cortical dysplasia usually seen in children. In this type, more extensive changes occur outside the temporal lobe with predilection for the frontal lobes. New type III is one of the above dysplasias with associated another principal lesion as hippocampal sclerosis, tumor, vascular malformation or acquired pathology during early life. Brain MRI imaging shows abnormalities in the majority of type II dysplasias and in only some of type I cortical dysplasias. The most common findings on MRI imaging include: focal cortical thickening or thinning, areas of focal brain atrophy, blurring of the gray-white junction, increased signal on T2- and FLAIR-weighted images in the gray and subcortical white matter often tapering toward the ventricle. On the basis of the MRI findings, it is possible to differentiate between type I and type II cortical dysplasia. A complete resection of the epileptogenic zone is required for seizure-free life. MRI imaging is very helpful to identify those patients who are likely to benefit from surgical treatment in a group of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. However, in type I cortical dysplasia, MR imaging is often normal, and also in both

Species invasion shifts the importance of predator dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffen, Blaine D; Delaney, David G

2007-12-01

The strength of interference between foraging individuals can influence per capita consumption rates, with important consequences for predator and prey populations and system stability. Here we demonstrate how the replacement of a previously established invader, the predatory crab Carcinus maenas, by the recently invading predatory crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus shifts predation from a species that experiences strong predator interference (strong predator dependence) to one that experiences weak predator interference (weak predator dependence). We demonstrate using field experiments that differences in the strength of predator dependence persist for these species both when they forage on a single focal prey species only (the mussel Mytilus edulis) and when they forage more broadly across the entire prey community. This shift in predator dependence with species replacement may be altering the biomass across trophic levels, consistent with theoretical predictions, as we show that H. sanguineus populations are much larger than C. maenas populations throughout their invaded ranges. Our study highlights that predator dependence may differ among predator species and demonstrates that different predatory impacts of two conspicuous invasive predators may be explained at least in part by different strengths of predator dependence.

Measurement, characterization, and modeling of noise in staring infrared focal plane arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scribner, D.A.; Kruer, M.R.; Gridley, C.J.; Sarkady, K.

1987-01-01

An account is given of selected methods for the measurement and characterization of spatial and temporal noise in staring focal plane arrays (FPAs), in order to demonstrate how these results can be used in simulations and analytic models to predict the performance of selected staring sensors. Attention is given to MIR FPAs applicable to the detection and tracking of point sources, and to the ways in which these spatial and temporal noise measurements can be incorporated into simulations and sensors having staring FPAs. Methods for predicting the performance of selected staring sensor systems are derivable from spatial and temporal noise values. 13 references

High Resolution Depth-Resolved Imaging From Multi-Focal Images for Medical Ultrasound

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Diamantis, Konstantinos; Dalgarno, Paul A.; Greenaway, Alan H.

2015-01-01

An ultrasound imaging technique providing subdiffraction limit axial resolution for point sources is proposed. It is based on simultaneously acquired multi-focal images of the same object, and on the image metric of sharpness. The sharpness is extracted by image data and presents higher values...... calibration curves combined with the use of a maximum-likelihood algorithm is then able to estimate, with high precision, the depth location of any emitter fron each single image. Estimated values are compared with the ground truth demonstrating that an accuracy of 28.6 µm (0.13λ) is achieved for a 4 mm depth...

Managing focal fields of vector beams with multiple polarization singularities.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Lei; Liu, Sheng; Li, Peng; Zhang, Yi; Cheng, Huachao; Gan, Xuetao; Zhao, Jianlin

2016-11-10

We explore the tight focusing behavior of vector beams with multiple polarization singularities, and analyze the influences of the number, position, and topological charge of the singularities on the focal fields. It is found that the ellipticity of the local polarization states at the focal plane could be determined by the spatial distribution of the polarization singularities of the vector beam. When the spatial location and topological charge of singularities have even-fold rotation symmetry, the transverse fields at the focal plane are locally linearly polarized. Otherwise, the polarization state becomes a locally hybrid one. By appropriately arranging the distribution of the polarization singularities in the vector beam, the polarization distributions of the focal fields could be altered while the intensity maintains unchanged.

Focal vitiligo: long-term follow-up of 52 cases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lommerts, J. E.; Schilder, Y.; de Rie, M. A.; Wolkerstorfer, A.; Bekkenk, M. W.

2016-01-01

Focal vitiligo is characterized by depigmented patches located in a small area without a typical segmental distribution. Focal vitiligo is classified as an undetermined type of vitiligo, and a more definitive diagnosis can be made when the lesions have not evolved into non-segmental or segmental

Added Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound on Biopsies of Focal Hepatic Lesions Invisible on Fusion Imaging Guidance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Tae Wook; Lee, Min Woo; Song, Kyoung Doo; Kim, Mimi; Kim, Seung Soo; Kim, Seong Hyun; Ha, Sang Yun

2017-01-01

To assess whether contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid can improve the lesion conspicuity and feasibility of percutaneous biopsies for focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging of real-time ultrasonography (US) with computed tomography/magnetic resonance images, and evaluate its impact on clinical decision making. The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study. Between June 2013 and January 2015, 711 US-guided percutaneous biopsies were performed for focal hepatic lesions. Biopsies were performed using CEUS for guidance if lesions were invisible on fusion imaging. We retrospectively evaluated the number of target lesions initially invisible on fusion imaging that became visible after applying CEUS, using a 4-point scale. Technical success rates of biopsies were evaluated based on histopathological results. In addition, the occurrence of changes in clinical decision making was assessed. Among 711 patients, 16 patients (2.3%) were included in the study. The median size of target lesions was 1.1 cm (range, 0.5-1.9 cm) in pre-procedural imaging. After CEUS, 15 of 16 (93.8%) focal hepatic lesions were visualized. The conspicuity score was significantly increased after adding CEUS, as compared to that on fusion imaging (p making for 11 of 16 patients (68.8%). The addition of CEUS could improve the conspicuity of focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging. This dual guidance using CEUS and fusion imaging may affect patient management via changes in clinical decision-making.

NeuroSeek dual-color image processing infrared focal plane array

Science.gov (United States)

McCarley, Paul L.; Massie, Mark A.; Baxter, Christopher R.; Huynh, Buu L.

1998-09-01

Several technologies have been developed in recent years to advance the state of the art of IR sensor systems including dual color affordable focal planes, on-focal plane array biologically inspired image and signal processing techniques and spectral sensing techniques. Pacific Advanced Technology (PAT) and the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate have developed a system which incorporates the best of these capabilities into a single device. The 'NeuroSeek' device integrates these technologies into an IR focal plane array (FPA) which combines multicolor Midwave IR/Longwave IR radiometric response with on-focal plane 'smart' neuromorphic analog image processing. The readout and processing integrated circuit very large scale integration chip which was developed under this effort will be hybridized to a dual color detector array to produce the NeuroSeek FPA, which will have the capability to fuse multiple pixel-based sensor inputs directly on the focal plane. Great advantages are afforded by application of massively parallel processing algorithms to image data in the analog domain; the high speed and low power consumption of this device mimic operations performed in the human retina.

Context cue focality influences strategic prospective memory monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter Ball, B; Bugg, Julie M

2018-02-12

Monitoring the environment for the occurrence of prospective memory (PM) targets is a resource-demanding process that produces cost (e.g., slower responding) to ongoing activities. However, research suggests that individuals are able to monitor strategically by using contextual cues to reduce monitoring in contexts in which PM targets are not expected to occur. In the current study, we investigated the processes supporting context identification (i.e., determining whether or not the context is appropriate for monitoring) by testing the context cue focality hypothesis. This hypothesis predicts that the ability to monitor strategically depends on whether the ongoing task orients attention to the contextual cues that are available to guide monitoring. In Experiment 1, participants performed an ongoing lexical decision task and were told that PM targets (TOR syllable) would only occur in word trials (focal context cue condition) or in items starting with consonants (nonfocal context cue condition). In Experiment 2, participants performed an ongoing first letter judgment (consonant/vowel) task and were told that PM targets would only occur in items starting with consonants (focal context cue condition) or in word trials (nonfocal context cue condition). Consistent with the context cue focality hypothesis, strategic monitoring was only observed during focal context cue conditions in which the type of ongoing task processing automatically oriented attention to the relevant features of the contextual cue. These findings suggest that strategic monitoring is dependent on limited-capacity processing resources and may be relatively limited when the attentional demands of context identification are sufficiently high.

THE PERMANENT DETECTION OF SHIFTS IN THE PROBLEM OF CALCULATION AUTOMATION OF THE CORRECTION RAIL CURVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Lahuta

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The numerical method of solution of a differential equation of railway shifts is presented allowing to calculate the quantity of shifts in any point of a railway curve during its straightening. Shifts calculated between the points of measurement of bend arrows can be used as control ones.

Performance and sleepiness in nurses working 12-h day shifts or night shifts in a community hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Marian; Permito, Regan; English, Ashley; Albritton, Sandra; Coogle, Carlana; Van Dongen, Hans P A

2017-10-05

Hospitals are around-the-clock operations and nurses are required to care for patients night and day. The nursing shortage and desire for a more balanced work-to-home life has popularized 12-h shifts for nurses. The present study investigated sleep/wake cycles and fatigue levels in 22 nurses working 12-h shifts, comparing day versus night shifts. Nurses (11day shift and 11 night shift) were recruited from a suburban acute-care medical center. Participants wore a wrist activity monitor and kept a diary to track their sleep/wake cycles for 2 weeks. They also completed a fatigue test battery, which included the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) and the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), at the beginning, middle and end of 4 duty shifts. Daily sleep duration was 7.1h on average. No overall difference in mean daily sleep duration was found between nurses working day shifts versus night shifts. Objective performance on the PVT remained relatively good and stable at the start, middle, and end of duty shifts in day shift workers, but gradually degraded across duty time in night shift workers. Compared to day shift workers, night shift workers also exhibited more performance variability among measurement days and between participants at each testing time point. The same pattern was observed for subjective sleepiness on the KSS. However, congruence between objective and subjective measures of fatigue was poor. Our findings suggest a need for organizations to evaluate practices and policies to mitigate the inevitable fatigue that occurs during long night shifts, in order to improve patient and healthcare worker safety. Examination of alternative shift lengths or sanctioned workplace napping may be strategies to consider. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radiologic manifestations of focal cerebral hyperemia in acute stroke

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Tom Skyhøj; Skriver, E B; Herning, M

1991-01-01

In 16 acute stroke patients with focal cerebral hyperemia angiography and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were studied 1 to 4 days post stroke. CT was performed twice with and without contrast enhancement 3 +/- 1 days and 16 +/- 4 days post stroke. Angiographic evidence of focal cerebral hype...

Earthquake focal mechanism forecasting in Italy for PSHA purposes

Science.gov (United States)

Roselli, Pamela; Marzocchi, Warner; Mariucci, Maria Teresa; Montone, Paola

2018-01-01

In this paper, we put forward a procedure that aims to forecast focal mechanism of future earthquakes. One of the primary uses of such forecasts is in probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA); in fact, aiming at reducing the epistemic uncertainty, most of the newer ground motion prediction equations consider, besides the seismicity rates, the forecast of the focal mechanism of the next large earthquakes as input data. The data set used to this purpose is relative to focal mechanisms taken from the latest stress map release for Italy containing 392 well-constrained solutions of events, from 1908 to 2015, with Mw ≥ 4 and depths from 0 down to 40 km. The data set considers polarity focal mechanism solutions until to 1975 (23 events), whereas for 1976-2015, it takes into account only the Centroid Moment Tensor (CMT)-like earthquake focal solutions for data homogeneity. The forecasting model is rooted in the Total Weighted Moment Tensor concept that weighs information of past focal mechanisms evenly distributed in space, according to their distance from the spatial cells and magnitude. Specifically, for each cell of a regular 0.1° × 0.1° spatial grid, the model estimates the probability to observe a normal, reverse, or strike-slip fault plane solution for the next large earthquakes, the expected moment tensor and the related maximum horizontal stress orientation. These results will be available for the new PSHA model for Italy under development. Finally, to evaluate the reliability of the forecasts, we test them with an independent data set that consists of some of the strongest earthquakes with Mw ≥ 3.9 occurred during 2016 in different Italian tectonic provinces.

DEPDC5 takes a second hit in familial focal epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Matthew P

2018-04-30

Loss-of-function mutations in a single allele of the gene encoding DEP domain-containing 5 protein (DEPDC5) are commonly linked to familial focal epilepsy with variable foci; however, a subset of patients presents with focal cortical dysplasia that is proposed to result from a second-hit somatic mutation. In this issue of the JCI, Ribierre and colleagues provide several lines of evidence to support second-hit DEPDC5 mutations in this disorder. Moreover, the authors use in vivo, in utero electroporation combined with CRISPR-Cas9 technology to generate a murine model of the disease that recapitulates human manifestations, including cortical dysplasia-like changes, focal seizures, and sudden unexpected death. This study provides important insights into familial focal epilepsy and provides a preclinical model for evaluating potential therapies.

Focal points 2010. Mobility with future - correct investment today. Environmental protection - investment restraint for agriculture? Engine for the climate policy: emission trading; Schwerpunkte 2010. Mobilitaet mit Zukunft - heute richtig investieren. Umweltschutz - Investitionshemmnis fuer die Landwirtschaft? Motor fuer die Klimapolitik: Der Emissionshandel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ittershagen, Martin; Mavromati, Fotini (comps.)

2010-04-14

The publication of the German Federal environmental agency on the focal points 2010 covers the following topics: impetus for an ecological-economic policy; mobility with future -best investment for today: more environmentally compatible investments in traffic infrastructure, better technology - more efficiency, missing charging of environmental cost induces wrong stimuli; environmental protection - investment restraints for agriculture? Engine for climate policy: emission trading; the Federal environmental agency: bridge between science and politics, the Federal environmental agency for mankind and environment; data and facts; publications of the employees.

Added value of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced Hepatobiliary phase MR imaging in evaluation of focal solid hepatic lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haimerl, Michael; Wächtler, Max; Platzek, Ivan; Müller-Wille, Rene; Niessen, Christoph; Hoffstetter, Patrick; Schreyer, Andreas Georg; Stroszczynski, Christian; Wiggermann, Philipp

2013-01-01

Correct characterization of focal solid hepatic lesions has always been a challenge and is of great diagnostic and therapeutic relevance. The purpose of this study was to determine the added value of hepatobiliary phase images in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for differentiating focal solid hepatic lesions. In this retrospective trial 84 consecutive patients underwent Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR examinations. MRI was conducted for 64 patients with malignant focal hepatic lesions (34 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 30 metastases) and for 20 patients with benign hepatic lesions (14 focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), 3 adenoma, 3 hemangioma). Five radiologists independently reviewed three sets of MR images by means of a 5-point confidence scale from score 1 (definitely benign) to score 5 (definitely malignant): set 1: unenhanced images; set 2: unenhanced and Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced dynamic images; set 3: hepatobiliary phase images in addition to set 2. Accuracy was assessed by the alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic curve (A z ) and the index of diagnostic performance was calculated. Diagnostic accuracy was significantly improved by the addition of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced dynamic images: A z in set 1 was 0.708 and 0.833 in set 2 (P = 0.0002). The addition of hepatobiliary phase images increased the A z value to 0.941 in set 3 (set 3 vs set 2, P < 0.0001; set 3 vs set 1, P < 0.0001). The index of diagnostic performance was lowest in set 1 (45%), improved in set 2 (71%), and highest in set 3 (94%). Hepatobiliary phase images obtained after Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced dynamic MRI improve the differentiation of focal solid hepatic lesions

Isotope shift studies in gadolinium spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, S.A.; Saksena, G.D.; Venugopalan, A.

1976-01-01

Isotope shift studies have been carried out in the gadolinium spectrum using a recording Fabry-Perot spectrometer and gadolinium samples enriched in 156 Gd and 160 Gd isotopes. Isotope shifts Δsigma(156-160) have been recorded in 134 lines in the region 3930-4140 A. Some of these lines involve the recently identified even configuration 4f 8 5d6s of Gd I and the newly classified transition 4f 8 6s-4f 8 6p of Gd II. From the isotope shift measurements of lines involving the 4f 8 6s-4f 8 6p transition in Gd II, the isotope shift, ΔT(156-160)=87 mK, has been obtained for the 4f 8 6s configuration. Electronic configurations have been suggested for a number of energy levels and configuration mixing has been pointed out in certain cases. (Auth.)

FoCaLiZe: Inside an F-IDE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

François Pessaux

2014-04-01

Full Text Available For years, Integrated Development Environments have demonstrated their usefulness in order to ease the development of software. High-level security or safety systems require proofs of compliance to standards, based on analyses such as code review and, increasingly nowadays, formal proofs of conformance to specifications. This implies mixing computational and logical aspects all along the development, which naturally raises the need for a notion of Formal IDE. This paper examines the FoCaLiZe environment and explores the implementation issues raised by the decision to provide a single language to express specification properties, source code and machine-checked proofs while allowing incremental development and code reusability. Such features create strong dependencies between functions, properties and proofs, and impose an particular compilation scheme, which is described here. The compilation results are runnable OCaml code and a checkable Coq term. All these points are illustrated through a running example.

Rasmussen's encephalitis presenting as focal cortical dysplasia

Science.gov (United States)

O'Rourke, D.J.; Bergin, A.; Rotenberg, A.; Peters, J.; Gorman, M.; Poduri, A.; Cryan, J.; Lidov, H.; Madsen, J.; Harini, C.

2014-01-01

Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare syndrome characterized by intractable seizures, often associated with epilepsia partialis continua and symptoms of progressive hemispheric dysfunction. Seizures are usually the hallmark of presentation, but antiepileptic drug treatment fails in most patients and is ineffective against epilepsia partialis continua, which often requires surgical intervention. Co-occurrence of focal cortical dysplasia has only rarely been described and may have implications regarding pathophysiology and management. We describe a rare case of dual pathology of Rasmussen's encephalitis presenting as a focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) and discuss the literature on this topic. PMID:25667877

Robust segmentation of focal lesions on multi-sequence MRI in multiple sclerosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Lorenzo, Daniel

2010-01-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around 80.000 people in France. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential tool for diagnosis of MS and MRI-derived surrogate markers such as MS lesion volumes are often used as measures in MS clinical trials for the development of new treatments. The manual segmentation of these MS lesions is a time-consuming task that shows high inter- and intra-rater variability. We developed an automatic work flow for the segmentation of focal MS lesions on MRI. The segmentation method is based on the robust estimation of a parametric model of the intensities of the brain; lesions are detected as outliers to the model. We proposed two methods to include spatial information in the segmentation using mean shift and graph cut. We performed a quantitative evaluation of our work flow using synthetic and clinical images of two different centers to verify its accuracy and robustness. (author)

Focal therapy in prostate cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Bos, W.

2016-01-01

Interesting developments took place in the treatment of prostate cancer including focal therapy for less aggressive organ-confined prostate cancer. Fortunately, curative treatment is often still an option for patients suffering from the lower staged tumors. In carefully selected patients, the

Gallbladder adenoma with focal adenocarcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciurea, S; Matei, E; Petrisor, P; Luca, L; Boros, Mirela; Herlea, V; Popescu, I

2008-01-01

The majority of polypoid lesions of the gallbladder are cholesterolosis pseudopolyps. True neoplastic GB polyps are represented mainly by adenomas. The case of a 52-year old male patient with an adenomatous polyp of the GB with focal adenocarcinoma is presented.

Focal Electrically Administered Therapy (FEAT): Device parameter effects on stimulus perception in humans

Science.gov (United States)

Borckardt, Jeffrey J.; Linder, Katie; Ricci, Raffaella; Li, Xingbao; Anderson, Berry; Arana, Ashley; Nahas, Ziad; Amassian, Vahe; Long, James; George, Mark S.; Sackeim, Harold A.

2010-01-01

Background Focal Electrically-Administered Therapy (FEAT) is a new method of transcranial electrical stimulation capable of focal modulation of cerebral activity. Other than invasive studies in animals and examination of motor output in humans, there are limited possibilities for establishing basic principles about how variation in stimulus parameters impact on patterns of intracortical stimulation. This study used a simpler paradigm, and evaluated the effects of different stimulation parameters on subjective perception of the quality and location of scalp pain. Methods In two studies, 19 subjects were randomly stimulated over the left forehead, varying the anode-cathode arrangement, the intensity of stimulation, the electrode size and placement, and whether the current flow was unidirectional or bidirectional. Subjects rated the location of the sensation, and its quality. Results The perceived center of stimulation moved toward the cathode, regardless of placement. This shift in subjective sensation was more prominent when the electricity was unidirectional. Additionally, more intense stimulation, as well as stimulation with a smaller electrode, caused greater perceived pain. Unidirectional stimulation was rated more painful when traveling from a large anode to a small cathode and less painful when traveling from a small anode to a large cathode. Finally, participants were more likely to perceive the electrical stimulation as moving towards a specific direction when the intensity was high than when it was low. Conclusions The intensity and location of sensations can be manipulated by varying the intensity, current direction, or geometry of electrodes. PMID:19092677

Heterogeneity of Focal Adhesions and Focal Contacts in Motile Fibroblasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Gladkikh, Aleena; Kovaleva, Anastasia; Tvorogova, Anna; Vorobjev, Ivan A

2018-01-01

Cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion is an important property of virtually all cells in multicellular organisms. Cell-ECM adhesion studies, therefore, are very significant both for biology and medicine. Over the last three decades, biomedical studies resulted in a tremendous advance in our understanding of the molecular basis and functions of cell-ECM adhesion. Based on morphological and molecular criteria, several different types of model cell-ECM adhesion structures including focal adhesions, focal complexes, fibrillar adhesions, podosomes, and three-dimensional matrix adhesions have been described. All the subcellular structures that mediate cell-ECM adhesion are quite heterogeneous, often varying in size, shape, distribution, dynamics, and, to a certain extent, molecular constituents. The morphological "plasticity" of cell-ECM adhesion perhaps reflects the needs of cells to sense, adapt, and respond to a variety of extracellular environments. In addition, cell type (e.g., differentiation status, oncogenic transformation, etc.) often exerts marked influence on the structure of cell-ECM adhesions. Although molecular, genetic, biochemical, and structural studies provide important maps or "snapshots" of cell-ECM adhesions, the area of research that is equally valuable is to study the heterogeneity of FA subpopulations within cells. Recently time-lapse observations on the FA dynamics become feasible, and behavior of individual FA gives additional information on cell-ECM interactions. Here we describe a robust method of labeling of FA using plasmids with fluorescent markers for paxillin and vinculin and quantifying the morphological and dynamical parameters of FA.

Protein kinase C involvement in focal adhesion formation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Woods, A; Couchman, J R

1992-01-01

Matrix molecules such as fibronectin can promote cell attachment, spreading and focal adhesion formation. Although some interactions of fibronectin with cell surface receptors have now been identified, the consequent activation of intracellular messenger systems by cell/matrix interactions have...... still to be elucidated. We show here that the kinase inhibitors H7 and HA1004 reduce focal adhesion and stress fiber formation in response to fibronectin in a dose-dependent manner, and that activators of protein kinase C can promote their formation under conditions where they do not normally form....... Fibroblasts spread within 1h on substrata composed of fibronectin and formed focal adhesions by 3h, as monitored by interference reflection microscopy (IRM) and by labeling for talin, vinculin and integrin beta 1 subunits. In addition, stress fibers were visible. When cells were allowed to spread for 1h...

A 1.3 giga pixels focal plane for GAIA

Science.gov (United States)

Laborie, Anouk; Pouny, Pierre; Vetel, Cyril; Collados, Emmanuel; Rougier, Gilles; Davancens, Robert; Zayer, Igor; Perryman, Michael; Pace, Oscar

2004-06-01

The astrometric mission GAIA is a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency, due for launch in the 2010 time frame. Requiring extremely demanding performance GAIA calls for the development of an unprecedented large focal plane featuring innovative technologies. For securing the very challenging GAIA development, a significant number of technology activities have been initiated by ESA through a competitive selection process. In this context, an industrial consortium led by EADS-Astrium (France) with e2v technologies (UK) as major subcontractor was selected for the GAIA CCD and Focal Plane Technology Demonstrators programme, which is by far the most significant and the most critical GAIA pre-development for all aspects: science performance, development schedule and cost. This programme has started since August 2002 and will end early 2005 prior to commencement of the GAIA Phase B. While the GAIA payload will host three instruments and related focal planes, the major mission objectives are assigned to the Astrometric (ASTRO) Focal Plane, which is the subject of this presentation.

Focal adhesions, stress fibers and mechanical tension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burridge, Keith, E-mail: Keith_Burridge@med.unc.edu [Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, 12-016 Lineberger, CB#7295, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States); Guilluy, Christophe, E-mail: christophe.guilluy@univ-nantes.fr [Inserm UMR-S1087, CNRS UMR-C6291, L' institut du Thorax, and Université de Nantes, Nantes (France)

2016-04-10

Stress fibers and focal adhesions are complex protein arrays that produce, transmit and sense mechanical tension. Evidence accumulated over many years led to the conclusion that mechanical tension generated within stress fibers contributes to the assembly of both stress fibers themselves and their associated focal adhesions. However, several lines of evidence have recently been presented against this model. Here we discuss the evidence for and against the role of mechanical tension in driving the assembly of these structures. We also consider how their assembly is influenced by the rigidity of the substratum to which cells are adhering. Finally, we discuss the recently identified connections between stress fibers and the nucleus, and the roles that these may play, both in cell migration and regulating nuclear function. - Highlights: • The different types of stress fiber and focal adhesion are described. • We discuss the controversy about tension and assembly of these structures. • We describe the different models used to investigate assembly of these structures. • The influence of substratum rigidity is discussed. • Stress fiber connections to the nucleus are reviewed.

MRI of a family with focal abnormalities of gyration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muntaner, L.; Perez-Ferron, J.J.; Herrera, M.; Rosell, J.; Taboada, D.; Climent, S.

1997-01-01

Focal abnormalities of gyration (FAG) are developmental disorders that may occur in isolated patients or, as in the case being reported, as part of a familial disorder. Analysis of individuals in a family spanning three generations was carried out using MRI. Abnormalities, present in all members of generations II and III, included focal cortical dysplasia (three patients), focal cortical infolding (two patients) and schizencephaly (one patient); associated minor anomalies, such as white matter abnormalities, were seen in the remaining three members of generations II and III. MRI recognition of FAG in the family being reported proved useful in defining their phenotypical expression and providing proper counselling for individual family members. (orig.). With 6 figs

Concordance of MRI and EEG Focal Slowing in Nonsyndromic Epilepsy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Gordon Millichap

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Investigators at the Kangwon National University, Korea, and The Epilepsy Center, Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, USA studied the correlation and significance of EEG focal slowing and focal MRI abnormalities in 253 children with nonsyndromic epilepsy.

Focal low-dose rate brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tong WY

2013-09-01

Full Text Available William Y Tong, Gilad Cohen, Yoshiya Yamada Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, New York, NY, USA Abstract: Whole-gland low-dose rate (LDR brachytherapy has been a well-established modality of treating low-risk prostate cancer. Treatment in a focal manner has the advantages of reduced toxicity to surrounding organs. Focal treatment using LDR brachytherapy has been relatively unexplored, but it may offer advantages over other modalities that have established experiences with a focal approach. This is particularly true as prostate cancer is being detected at an earlier and more localized stage with the advent of better detection methods and newer imaging modalities. Keywords: prostate cancer, focal, low dose rate, brachytherapy

Can this machine rescue physics?

CERN Multimedia

Mone, Gregory

2006-01-01

"When the world's biggest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, opens next year near Geneva, the focal point of the high-energy physics world will shift from U.S. soil for the first time in half a century."

Parasite community dynamics in an invasive vole – From focal introduction to wave front

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah E. Perkins

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Multiple parasite species simultaneously infecting a host can interact with one another, which has the potential to influence host-parasite interactions. Invasive species typically lose members of their parasite community during the invasion process. Not only do the founding population escape their parasites, but the rapid range expansion of invaders once in the invaded range can lead to additional stochastic loss of parasites. As such, parasite community dynamics may change along an invasion gradient, with consequences for host invasion success. Here, we use the bank vole, Myodes glareolus, introduced as a small founding population at a point source in the Republic of Ireland in c.1920's and its ecto- and endoparasites to ask: i how does the parasite community vary across an invasion gradient, and ii are parasite community associations driven by host traits and/or distance from the point of host introduction? We sampled the parasite community of M. glareolus at the proposed focal site of introduction, at mid-wave and the invasion front, and used a parasite interactivity index and statistical models to determine the potential for the parasite community to interact. Bank voles harboured up to six different parasite taxa, with a significantly higher parasite interactivity index at the foci of introduction (z = 2.33, p = 0.02 than elsewhere, suggesting the most established parasite community has greater opportunities to interact. All but one of four synergistic parasite community associations were driven by host traits; sex and body mass. The remaining parasite-parasite associations occurred at the mid-point of the invasion wave, suggesting that specific parasite-parasite interactions are not mediated by distance from a focal point of host introduction. We propose that host traits rather than location along an invasion gradient are more likely to determine parasite-parasite interactions in the invasive bank vole. Keywords: Enemy release

Added value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound on biopsies of focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging guidance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Tae Wook; Lee, Min Woo; Song, Kyoung Doo; Kim, Mimi; Kim, Seung Soo; Kim, Seong Hyun; Ha, Sang Yun [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-01-15

To assess whether contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid can improve the lesion conspicuity and feasibility of percutaneous biopsies for focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging of real-time ultrasonography (US) with computed tomography/magnetic resonance images, and evaluate its impact on clinical decision making. The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study. Between June 2013 and January 2015, 711 US-guided percutaneous biopsies were performed for focal hepatic lesions. Biopsies were performed using CEUS for guidance if lesions were invisible on fusion imaging. We retrospectively evaluated the number of target lesions initially invisible on fusion imaging that became visible after applying CEUS, using a 4-point scale. Technical success rates of biopsies were evaluated based on histopathological results. In addition, the occurrence of changes in clinical decision making was assessed. Among 711 patients, 16 patients (2.3%) were included in the study. The median size of target lesions was 1.1 cm (range, 0.5–1.9 cm) in pre-procedural imaging. After CEUS, 15 of 16 (93.8%) focal hepatic lesions were visualized. The conspicuity score was significantly increased after adding CEUS, as compared to that on fusion imaging (p < 0.001). The technical success rate of biopsy was 87.6% (14/16). After biopsy, there were changes in clinical decision making for 11 of 16 patients (68.8%). The addition of CEUS could improve the conspicuity of focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging. This dual guidance using CEUS and fusion imaging may affect patient management via changes in clinical decision-making.

Added value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound on biopsies of focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging guidance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Tae Wook; Lee, Min Woo; Song, Kyoung Doo; Kim, Mimi; Kim, Seung Soo; Kim, Seong Hyun; Ha, Sang Yun

2017-01-01

To assess whether contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid can improve the lesion conspicuity and feasibility of percutaneous biopsies for focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging of real-time ultrasonography (US) with computed tomography/magnetic resonance images, and evaluate its impact on clinical decision making. The Institutional Review Board approved this retrospective study. Between June 2013 and January 2015, 711 US-guided percutaneous biopsies were performed for focal hepatic lesions. Biopsies were performed using CEUS for guidance if lesions were invisible on fusion imaging. We retrospectively evaluated the number of target lesions initially invisible on fusion imaging that became visible after applying CEUS, using a 4-point scale. Technical success rates of biopsies were evaluated based on histopathological results. In addition, the occurrence of changes in clinical decision making was assessed. Among 711 patients, 16 patients (2.3%) were included in the study. The median size of target lesions was 1.1 cm (range, 0.5–1.9 cm) in pre-procedural imaging. After CEUS, 15 of 16 (93.8%) focal hepatic lesions were visualized. The conspicuity score was significantly increased after adding CEUS, as compared to that on fusion imaging (p < 0.001). The technical success rate of biopsy was 87.6% (14/16). After biopsy, there were changes in clinical decision making for 11 of 16 patients (68.8%). The addition of CEUS could improve the conspicuity of focal hepatic lesions invisible on fusion imaging. This dual guidance using CEUS and fusion imaging may affect patient management via changes in clinical decision-making

Rasmussen's encephalitis presenting as focal cortical dysplasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D.J. O'Rourke

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Rasmussen's encephalitis is a rare syndrome characterized by intractable seizures, often associated with epilepsia partialis continua and symptoms of progressive hemispheric dysfunction. Seizures are usually the hallmark of presentation, but antiepileptic drug treatment fails in most patients and is ineffective against epilepsia partialis continua, which often requires surgical intervention. Co-occurrence of focal cortical dysplasia has only rarely been described and may have implications regarding pathophysiology and management. We describe a rare case of dual pathology of Rasmussen's encephalitis presenting as a focal cortical dysplasia (FCD and discuss the literature on this topic.

Chest pain in focal musculoskeletal disorders

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stochkendahl, Mette Jensen; Christensen, Henrik Wulff

2010-01-01

overlapping conditions and syndromes of focal disorders, including Tietze syndrome, costochondritis, chest wall syndrome, muscle tenderness, slipping rib, cervical angina, and segmental dysfunction of the cervical and thoracic spine, have been reported to cause pain. For most of these syndromes, evidence......The musculoskeletal system is a recognized source of chest pain. However, despite the apparently benign origin, patients with musculoskeletal chest pain remain under-diagnosed, untreated, and potentially continuously disabled in terms of anxiety, depression, and activities of daily living. Several...... arises mainly from case stories and empiric knowledge. For segmental dysfunction, clinical features of musculoskeletal chest pain have been characterized in a few clinical trials. This article summarizes the most commonly encountered syndromes of focal musculoskeletal disorders in clinical practice....

Mechanical design and analysis of focal plate for gravity deformation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jianping; Chu, Jiaru; Hu, Hongzhuan; Li, Kexuan; Zhou, Zengxiang

2014-07-01

The surface accuracy of astronomical telescope focal plate is a key indicator to precision stellar observation. To conduct accurate deformation measurement for focal plate in different status, a 6-DOF hexapod platform was used for attitude adjustment. For the small adjustment range of a classic 6-DOF hexapod platform, an improved structural arrangement method was proposed in the paper to achieve ultimate adjustment of the focal plate in horizontal and vertical direction. To validate the feasibility of this method, an angle change model which used ball hinge was set up for the movement and base plate. Simulation results in MATLAB suggested that the ball hinge angle change of movement and base plate is within the range of the limiting angle in the process of the platform plate adjusting to ultimate attitude. The proposed method has some guiding significance for accurate surface measurement of focal plate.

Brain SPECT with short focal-length cone-beam collimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Mi-Ae; Moore, Stephen C.; Kijewski, Marie Foley

2005-01-01

Single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT) imaging of deep brain structures is compromised by loss of photons due to attenuation. We have previously shown that a centrally peaked collimator sensitivity function can compensate for this phenomenon, increasing sensitivity over most of the brain. For dual-head instruments, parallel-hole collimators cannot provide variable sensitivity without simultaneously degrading spatial resolution near the center of the brain; this suggests the use of converging collimators. We have designed collimator pairs for dual-head SPECT systems to increase sensitivity, particularly in the center of the brain, and compared the new collimation approach to existing approaches on the basis of performance in estimating activity concentration of small structures at various locations in the brain. The collimator pairs we evaluated included a cone-beam collimator, for increased sensitivity, and a fan-beam collimator, for data sufficiency. We calculated projections of an ellipsoidal uniform background, with 0.9-cm-radius spherical lesions at several locations in the background. From these, we determined ideal signal-to-noise ratios (SNR CRB ) for estimation of activity concentration within the spheres, based on the Cramer-Rao lower bound on variance. We also reconstructed, by an ordered-subset expectation-maximization (OS-EM) procedure, images of this phantom, as well as of the Zubal brain phantom, to allow visual assessment and to ensure that they were free of artifacts. The best of the collimator pairs evaluated comprised a cone-beam collimator with 20 cm focal length, for which the focal point is inside the brain, and a fan-beam collimator with 40 cm focal length. This pair yielded increased SNR CRB , compared to the parallel-parallel pair, throughout the imaging volume. The factor by which SNR CRB increased ranged from 1.1 at the most axially extreme location to 3.5 at the center. The gains in SNR CRB were relatively robust to mismatches

Two-sorted Point-Interval Temporal Logics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balbiani, Philippe; Goranko, Valentin; Sciavicco, Guido

2011-01-01

There are two natural and well-studied approaches to temporal ontology and reasoning: point-based and interval-based. Usually, interval-based temporal reasoning deals with points as particular, duration-less intervals. Here we develop explicitly two-sorted point-interval temporal logical framework...... whereby time instants (points) and time periods (intervals) are considered on a par, and the perspective can shift between them within the formal discourse. We focus on fragments involving only modal operators that correspond to the inter-sort relations between points and intervals. We analyze...

Protocol for a randomised controlled implementation trial of point-of-care viral load testing and task shifting: the Simplifying HIV TREAtment and Monitoring (STREAM) study

OpenAIRE

Dorward, Jienchi; Garrett, Nigel; Quame-Amaglo, Justice; Samsunder, Natasha; Ngobese, Hope; Ngomane, Noluthando; Moodley, Pravikrishnen; Mlisana, Koleka; Schaafsma, Torin; Donnell, Deborah; Barnabas, Ruanne; Naidoo, Kogieleum; Abdool Karim, Salim; Celum, Connie; Drain, Paul K

2017-01-01

Introduction Achieving the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS 90-90-90 targets requires models of HIV care that expand antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage without overburdening health systems. Point-of-care (POC) viral load (VL) testing has the potential to efficiently monitor ART treatment, while enrolled nurses may be able to provide safe and cost-effective chronic care for stable patients with HIV. This study aims to demonstrate whether POC VL testing combined with task shift...

Charging as a Focal Practice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Mads

This position paper reflects on Borgmann’s notion of ‘focal things’ and its applicability in the discourse about interaction with technologies in nature. Using the example of a combined cooking burner and thermoelectric 5W smartphone charger (a BioLite cook stove), this position paper gives...

CT findings of focal organizing pneumonia: correlation with pathologic findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Yang Soo; Kim, Young Goo; Park, Un Sup [College of Medicine, Chungang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1994-11-15

To evaluate the CT findings of focal organizing pneumonia and to correlate them with pathologic findings to help differentiating from lung cancer. We evaluated radiologic and pathologic findings of five patients with solitary pulmonary nodule which were confirmed as focal organizing pneumonia pathologically. On CT scan, focal organizing pneumonia had irregular margin contacting the pleura in all five cases. The shape of the nodules were spherical to wedge or elliptical and the size from 3.5cm to 5.5cm(average 4.2 cm) in largest diameter. On postcontrast CT scan, all nodules showed enhancement and four cases showed central low density components. Two nodules contained air within the nodule. In four cases, pleural changes such as effusion and/or focal thickening were noted. No lymphadenopathy was found in all cases. Pathologically, the enhancing portion on CT showed findings of organizing pneumonia such as granulation tissue with fibroblast proliferation in alveolar space and interstitial thickening. The central low density areas on CT were due to ischemic necrosis, abscess and exudate, transudate and infiltration of foamy histiocyte. The possibility of focal organizing pneumonia should be considered when peripherally located solitary pulmonary nodule had enhancing component with no combined lymphadenopathy on CT scan.

CT findings of focal organizing pneumonia: correlation with pathologic findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Yang Soo; Kim, Young Goo; Park, Un Sup

1994-01-01

To evaluate the CT findings of focal organizing pneumonia and to correlate them with pathologic findings to help differentiating from lung cancer. We evaluated radiologic and pathologic findings of five patients with solitary pulmonary nodule which were confirmed as focal organizing pneumonia pathologically. On CT scan, focal organizing pneumonia had irregular margin contacting the pleura in all five cases. The shape of the nodules were spherical to wedge or elliptical and the size from 3.5cm to 5.5cm(average 4.2 cm) in largest diameter. On postcontrast CT scan, all nodules showed enhancement and four cases showed central low density components. Two nodules contained air within the nodule. In four cases, pleural changes such as effusion and/or focal thickening were noted. No lymphadenopathy was found in all cases. Pathologically, the enhancing portion on CT showed findings of organizing pneumonia such as granulation tissue with fibroblast proliferation in alveolar space and interstitial thickening. The central low density areas on CT were due to ischemic necrosis, abscess and exudate, transudate and infiltration of foamy histiocyte. The possibility of focal organizing pneumonia should be considered when peripherally located solitary pulmonary nodule had enhancing component with no combined lymphadenopathy on CT scan

EEG dynamical correlates of focal and diffuse causes of coma.

Science.gov (United States)

Kafashan, MohammadMehdi; Ryu, Shoko; Hargis, Mitchell J; Laurido-Soto, Osvaldo; Roberts, Debra E; Thontakudi, Akshay; Eisenman, Lawrence; Kummer, Terrance T; Ching, ShiNung

2017-11-15

Rapidly determining the causes of a depressed level of consciousness (DLOC) including coma is a common clinical challenge. Quantitative analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG) has the potential to improve DLOC assessment by providing readily deployable, temporally detailed characterization of brain activity in such patients. While used commonly for seizure detection, EEG-based assessment of DLOC etiology is less well-established. As a first step towards etiological diagnosis, we sought to distinguish focal and diffuse causes of DLOC through assessment of temporal dynamics within EEG signals. We retrospectively analyzed EEG recordings from 40 patients with DLOC with consensus focal or diffuse culprit pathology. For each recording, we performed a suite of time-series analyses, then used a statistical framework to identify which analyses (features) could be used to distinguish between focal and diffuse cases. Using cross-validation approaches, we identified several spectral and non-spectral EEG features that were significantly different between DLOC patients with focal vs. diffuse etiologies, enabling EEG-based classification with an accuracy of 76%. Our findings suggest that DLOC due to focal vs. diffuse injuries differ along several electrophysiological parameters. These results may form the basis of future classification strategies for DLOC and coma that are more etiologically-specific and therefore therapeutically-relevant.

Tratamento focal e perifocal contra Aëdes aegypti

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milton Moura Lima

1987-06-01

Full Text Available Em quatro bairros da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, foram feitos ensaios de tratamento focal com abate granulado a 1 ppm e perifocal com pó molhável de Sumition a 2,5%. Esses tratamentos foram feitos tanto isoladamente quanto em conjunto e, também, associados à aplicação de inseticida a ultrabaixo volume. Os índices prediais, levantados um mês depois de terminado o trabalho, mostraram que o tratamento focal dispensa qualquer medida auxiliar. O tratamento perifocal mostrou-se inócuo e incapaz de impedir o aparecimento de larvas de Aëdes aegypti e de outros insetos, em pneus pintados, na face externa, com Sumition e com Malation.In four districts of the city of Rio dc Janeiro focal treatment essays with granulated Abate at 1 ppm and perifocal treatment essays with wettable powder of Sumithion at 2,5% were performed. These were made either alone or in combination as well as associated to insecticides applied at ultra low volume. The premise indices obtained one month after the treatments indicates that the focal treatment alone is effective, no other addicional methods being necessary. The perifocal treatment is not effective and did not prevent the development of Aedes aegypti larvae and other insects in tires which had their external surface painted with Sumithion and Malathion.

[Focal myositis: An unknown disease].

Science.gov (United States)

Gallay, L; Streichenberger, N; Benveniste, O; Allenbach, Y

2017-10-01

Focal myositis are inflammatory muscle diseases of unknown origin. At the opposite from the other idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, they are restricted to a single muscle or to a muscle group. They are not associated with extramuscular manifestations, and they have a good prognosis without any treatment. They are characterized by a localized swelling affecting mostly lower limbs. The pseudo-tumor can be painful, but is not associated with a muscle weakness. Creatine kinase level is normal. Muscle MRI shows an inflammation restricted to a muscle or a muscle group. Muscle biopsy and pathological analysis remain necessary for the diagnosis, showing inflammatory infiltrates composed by macrophages and lymphocytes without any specific distribution within the muscle. Focal overexpression of HLA-1 by the muscle fibers is frequently observed. The muscle biopsy permits to rule out differential diagnosis such a malignancy (sarcoma). Spontaneous remission occurs within weeks or months after the first symptoms, relapse is unusual. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier SAS.

Theory of the mechanical response of focal adhesions to shear flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biton, Y Y; Safran, S A

2010-01-01

The response of cells to shear flow is primarily determined by the asymmetry of the external forces and moments that are sensed by each member of a focal adhesion pair connected by a contractile stress fiber. In the theory presented here, we suggest a physical model in which each member of such a pair of focal adhesions is treated as an elastic body subject to both a myosin-activated contractile force and the shear stress induced by the external flow. The elastic response of a focal adhesion complex is much faster than the active cellular processes that determine the size of the associated focal adhesions and the direction of the complex relative to the imposed flow. Therefore, the complex attains its mechanical equilibrium configuration which may change because of the cellular activity. Our theory is based on the experimental observation that focal adhesions modulate their cross-sectional area in order to attain an optimal shear. Using this assumption, our elastic model shows that such a complex can passively change its orientation to align parallel to the direction of the flow.

Femtosecond-pulse inscription of fiber Bragg gratings with single or multiple phase-shifts in the structure

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Alexey; Dostovalov, Alexandr; Skvortsov, Mikhail; Raspopin, Kirill; Parygin, Alexandr; Babin, Sergey

2018-05-01

In this work, long high-quality fiber Bragg gratings with phase shifts in the structure are inscribed directly in the optical fiber by point-by-point technique using femtosecond laser pulses. Phase shifts are introduced during the inscription process with a piezoelectric actuator, which rapidly shifts the fiber along the direction of its movement in a chosen point of the grating with a chosen shift value. As examples, single and double π phase shifts are introduced in fiber Bragg gratings with a length up to 34 mm in passive fibers, which provide corresponding transmission peaks with bandwidth less than 1 pm. It is shown that 37 mm π -phase-shifted grating inscribed in an active Er-doped fiber forms high-quality DFB laser cavity generating single-frequency radiation at 1550 nm with bandwidth of 20 kHz and signal-to-noise ratio of >70 dB. The inscription technique has a high degree of performance and flexibility and can be easily implemented in fibers of various types.

Focal myositis of lower extremity responsive to botulinum A toxin.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitrovic, Josko; Prka, Zeljko; Zic, Rado; Marusic, Srecko; Morovic-Vergles, Jadranka

2014-01-01

Focal myositis is a rare, mostly benign disease (pseudotumor) of skeletal muscle, histopathologically characterized by interstitial myositis and tumorous enlargement of a single muscle. The etiology of focal myositis remains unknown; however, localized myopathy has been postulated to be caused by denervation lesions. This case report describes a patient that presented with clinical, laboratory, electromyoneurography, and magnetic resonance imaging features of focal myositis complicated with intervertebral disk protrusion in the lumbosacral spine affected with radicular distress. In most cases, focal myositic lesions show spontaneous regression, relapses are rare, and long-term prognosis is good. There is a wide spectrum of therapeutic options, from no therapy at all through nonsteroidal antirheumatics and glucocorticoids to radiotherapy, surgical excision, and immunosuppressants. In the patient presented, treatment with glucocorticoids, methotrexate, and surgical excision failed to produce satisfactory results. Clinical improvement, pain relief, and reduction in lower leg volume were only achieved by local infiltration of botulinum A toxin.

Can this machine rescue physics?

CERN Multimedia

Mone, Gregory

2006-01-01

"When the world's biggest particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, opens next year near Geneva, the focal point of the high-energy physics world will shift from U.S. soil for the first time in half a century." (2/3 page)

Individual Assessment of Brain Tissue Changes in MS and the Effect of Focal Lesions on Short-Term Focal Atrophy Development in MS: A Voxel-Guided Morphometry Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Fox

2016-04-01

Full Text Available We performed voxel-guided morphometry (VGM investigating the mechanisms of brain atrophy in multiple sclerosis (MS related to focal lesions. VGM maps detect regional brain changes when comparing 2 time points on high resolution T1-weighted (T1w magnetic resonace imaging (MRI. Two T1w MR datasets from 92 relapsing-remitting MS patients obtained 12 months apart were analysed with VGM. New lesions and volume changes of focal MS lesions as well as in the surrounding tissue were identified by visual inspection on colour coded VGM maps. Lesions were dichotomized in active and inactive lesions. Active lesions, defined by either new lesions (NL (volume increase > 5% in VGM, chronic enlarging lesions (CEL (pre-existent T1w lesions with volume increase > 5%, or chronic shrinking lesions (CSL (pre-existent T1w lesions with volume reduction > 5% in VGM, were accompanied by tissue shrinkage in surrounding and/or functionally related regions. Volume loss within the corpus callosum was highly correlated with the number of lesions in its close proximity. Volume loss in the lateral geniculate nucleus was correlated with lesions along the optic radiation. VGM analysis provides strong evidence that all active lesion types (NL, CEL, and CSL contribute to brain volume reduction in the vicinity of lesions and/or in anatomically and functionally related areas of the brain.

Focal depth measurement of scanning helium ion microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Hongxuan; Itoh, Hiroshi; Wang, Chunmei; Zhang, Han; Fujita, Daisuke

2014-01-01

When facing the challenges of critical dimension measurement of complicated nanostructures, such as of the three dimension integrated circuit, characterization of the focal depth of microscopes is important. In this Letter, we developed a method for characterizing the focal depth of a scanning helium ion microscope (HIM) by using an atomic force microscope tip characterizer (ATC). The ATC was tilted in a sample chamber at an angle to the scanning plan. Secondary electron images (SEIs) were obtained at different positions of the ATC. The edge resolution of the SEIs shows the nominal diameters of the helium ion beam at different focal levels. With this method, the nominal shapes of the helium ion beams were obtained with different apertures. Our results show that a small aperture is necessary to get a high spatial resolution and high depth of field images with HIM. This work provides a method for characterizing and improving the performance of HIM.

Super-resolution links vinculin localization to function in focal adhesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Giannone, Grégory

2015-07-01

Integrin-based focal adhesions integrate biochemical and biomechanical signals from the extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton. The combination of three-dimensional super-resolution imaging and loss- or gain-of-function protein mutants now links the nanoscale dynamic localization of proteins to their activation and function within focal adhesions.

Membership Functions for Fuzzy Focal Elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Porębski Sebastian

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a study on data-driven diagnostic rules, which are easy to interpret by human experts. To this end, the Dempster-Shafer theory extended for fuzzy focal elements is used. Premises of the rules (fuzzy focal elements are provided by membership functions which shapes are changing according to input symptoms. The main aim of the present study is to evaluate common membership function shapes and to introduce a rule elimination algorithm. Proposed methods are first illustrated with the popular Iris data set. Next experiments with five medical benchmark databases are performed. Results of the experiments show that various membership function shapes provide different inference efficiency but the extracted rule sets are close to each other. Thus indications for determining rules with possible heuristic interpretation can be formulated.

Focal epilepsy in the Belgian shepherd

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berendt, Mette; Gulløv, Christina Hedal; Fredholm, Merete

2009-01-01

and deceased) were ascertained through a telephone interview using a standardised questionnaire regarding seizure history and phenomenology. Living dogs were invited to a detailed clinical evaluation. Litters more than five years of age, or where epilepsy was present in all offspring before the age of five......, were included in the calculations of inheritance. results: Out of 199 family members, 66 dogs suffered from epilepsy. The prevalence of epilepsy in the family was 33%. Fifty-five dogs experienced focal seizures with or without secondary generalisation, while four dogs experienced primary generalised...... seizures. In seven dogs, seizures could not be classified. The mode of inheritance of epilepsy was simple Mendelian. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study identified that the Belgian shepherd suffers from genetically transmitted focal epilepsy. The seizure phenomenology expressed by family members have...

Extensive Focal Epithelial Hyperplasia: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansouri, Zahra; Bakhtiari, Sedigheh; Noormohamadi, Robab

2015-01-01

Focal epithelial hyperplasia (FEH) or Heck's disease is a rare viral infection of the oral mucosa caused by human papilloma virus especially subtypes 13 or 32. The frequency of this disease varies widely from one geographic region and ethnic groups to another. This paper reports an Iranian case of extensive focal epithelial hyperplasia. A 35-year-old man with FEH is described, in whom the lesions had persisted for more than 25 years. The lesion was diagnosed according to both clinical and histopathological features. Dental practitioner should be aware of these types of lesions and histopathological examination together and a careful clinical observation should be carried out for a definitive diagnosis.

Focal splenic masses of the extramedullary hematopoiesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Incedayi, M.; Sivrioglu, A.

2012-01-01

Full text: Extramedullary hematopoiesis arises from pleuripotential stem cells distributed throughout the body. It is most common in patients with congenital hemolytic anemia, such as thalassemia, sickle cell anemia and hereditary spherocytosis as a response to ineffective red blood cell formation. Although microscopic foci of Extramedullary hematopoiesis are commonly seen in the spleen and liver parenchyma, focal mass-like lesion of extramedullary hematopoiesis in the liver and spleen are rare. We report a case of intrasplenic focal extramedullary hematopoiesis lesions and the imaging features of extramedullary hematopoiesis on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Extramedullary hematopoiesis should always be considered as a diagnosis in a patient with a known hematological disorder

Correlation between Focal Nodular Low Signal Changes in Hoffa’s Fat Pad Adjacent to Anterior Femoral Cartilage and Focal Cartilage Defect Underlying This Region and Its Possible Implication

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chermaine Deepa Antony

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. This study investigates the association between focal nodular mass with low signal in Hoffa’s fat pad adjacent to anterior femoral cartilage of the knee (FNMHF and focal cartilage abnormality in this region. Method. The magnetic resonance fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition sequence (MR FIESTA sagittal and axial images of the B1 and C1 region (described later of 148 patients were independently evaluated by two reviewers and categorized into four categories: normal, FNMHF with underlying focal cartilage abnormality, FNMHF with normal cartilage, and cartilage abnormality with no FNMHF. Results. There was a significant association (p=0.00 between FNMHF and immediate adjacent focal cartilage abnormality with high interobserver agreement. The absence of focal nodular lesions next to the anterior femoral cartilage has a very high negative predictive value for chondral injury (97.8%. Synovial biopsy of focal nodular lesion done during arthroscopy revealed some fibrocollagenous tissue and no inflammatory cells. Conclusion. We postulate that the FNMHF adjacent to the cartilage defects is a form of normal healing response to the cartilage damage. One patient with FHMHF and underlying cartilage abnormality was rescanned six months later. In this patient, the FNMHF disappeared and normal cartilage was observed in the adjacent region which may support this theory.

The design of LMJ focal spots for indirect drive experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Garrec, B J; Sajer, J M

2008-01-01

LMJ is a 240 high power laser beam facility for achieving laser matter interaction experiments, high energy density science, including the demonstration of fusion ignition through Inertial Confinement. The Laser Integration Line (LIL) facility is currently a 4-beam prototype for LMJ. The intensity I 0 at the focal spot centre drives hydrodynamic and plasma instabilities and the intensity in the wings must be low to go through the laser entrance Hohlraum. A simple model has been developed to compute the LMJ focal spot. The model gives the intensity at the centre as a function of the focal spot area at 3% of the maximum

Focal myositis of the thigh: unusual MR pattern

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llauger, Jaume; Palmer, Jaume; San Roman, Luis; Bague, Silvia; Matias-Guiu, Xavier; Doncel, Antonio

2002-01-01

Focal myositis is a commonly referenced, infrequently reported and poorly documented benign inflammatory pseudotumor which may be misdiagnosed clinically as a malignant tumor. We report the clinicopathologic features and magnetic resonance imaging findings in a case of focal myositis in the thigh of a 55-year-old woman. A different radiologic presentation of this disorder is described. The gross appearance of the lesion, previously undescribed, appears to be rather specific for such a pseudoneoplastic disorder, and correlates very well with the magnetic resonance imaging features. (orig.)

Focal myositis of the thigh: unusual MR pattern

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Llauger, Jaume; Palmer, Jaume; San Roman, Luis [Department of Radiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona (Spain); Bague, Silvia; Matias-Guiu, Xavier [Department of Pathology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona (Spain); Doncel, Antonio [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona (Spain)

2002-05-01

Focal myositis is a commonly referenced, infrequently reported and poorly documented benign inflammatory pseudotumor which may be misdiagnosed clinically as a malignant tumor. We report the clinicopathologic features and magnetic resonance imaging findings in a case of focal myositis in the thigh of a 55-year-old woman. A different radiologic presentation of this disorder is described. The gross appearance of the lesion, previously undescribed, appears to be rather specific for such a pseudoneoplastic disorder, and correlates very well with the magnetic resonance imaging features. (orig.)

Expansion characteristics of coronary stents in focal stenoses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schmidt Wolfram

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The presented experimental in vitro approach was designed to assess the expansion behavior of stent systems in a resistant focal stenosis model with respect to a potential dog-boning effect. Five different stent systems (nominal diameter 3.0 mm were investigated. The focal stenosis was simulated by a stainless steel tube (ID ≤ 1.20 mm. Stent expansion was performed using a proprietary test device consisting of a test chamber with 37 °C water, 2-axis laser scanner and a pressure controller.

Real-time dynamic coupling of GPC-enhanced diffraction-limited focal spots

Science.gov (United States)

Villangca, Mark; Bañas, Andrew; Kopylov, Oleksii; Palima, Darwin; Glückstad, Jesper

2015-03-01

We have previously demonstrated on-demand dynamic coupling of an optically manipulated wave-guided optical waveguide (WOW) using diffractive techniques on a "point and shoot" approach. In this work, the generation of the coupling focal spots is done in real-time following the position of the WOW. Object-tracking routine has been added in the trapping program to get the position of the WOW. This approach allows continuous coupling of light through the WOWs which may be useful in some application. In addition, we include a GPC light shaper module in the holography setup to efficiently illuminate the spatial light modulator (SLM). The ability to switch from on-demand to continuous addressing with efficient illumination leverages our WOWs for potential applications in stimulation and nonlinear optics.

Real-time Dynamic Coupling of GPC-enhanced Diffraction-limited Focal Spots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villangca, Mark Jayson; Bañas, Andrew Rafael; Kopylov, Oleksii

2015-01-01

We have previously demonstrated on-demand dynamic coupling of an optically manipulated wave-guided optical waveguide (WOW) using diffractive techniques on a “point and shoot” approach. In this work, the generation of the coupling focal spots is done in real-time following the position of the WOW....... Object-tracking routine has been added in the trapping program to get the position of the WOW. This approach allows continuous coupling of light through the WOWs which may be useful in some application. In addition, we include a GPC light shaper module in the holography setup to efficiently illuminate...... the spatial light modulator (SLM). The ability to switch from on-demand to continuous addressing with efficient illumination leverages our WOWs for potential applications in stimulation and nonlinear optics....

Determination of the paraxial focal length using Zernike polynomials over different apertures

Science.gov (United States)

Binkele, Tobias; Hilbig, David; Henning, Thomas; Fleischmann, Friedrich

2017-02-01

The paraxial focal length is still the most important parameter in the design of a lens. As presented at the SPIE Optics + Photonics 2016, the measured focal length is a function of the aperture. The paraxial focal length can be found when the aperture approaches zero. In this work, we investigate the dependency of the Zernike polynomials on the aperture size with respect to 3D space. By this, conventional wavefront measurement systems that apply Zernike polynomial fitting (e.g. Shack-Hartmann-Sensor) can be used to determine the paraxial focal length, too. Since the Zernike polynomials are orthogonal over a unit circle, the aperture used in the measurement has to be normalized. By shrinking the aperture and keeping up with the normalization, the Zernike coefficients change. The relation between these changes and the paraxial focal length are investigated. The dependency of the focal length on the aperture size is derived analytically and evaluated by simulation and measurement of a strong focusing lens. The measurements are performed using experimental ray tracing and a Shack-Hartmann-Sensor. Using experimental ray tracing for the measurements, the aperture can be chosen easily. Regarding the measurements with the Shack-Hartmann- Sensor, the aperture size is fixed. Thus, the Zernike polynomials have to be adapted to use different aperture sizes by the proposed method. By doing this, the paraxial focal length can be determined from the measurements in both cases.

[Eight-step structured decision-making process to assign criminal responsibility and seven focal points for describing relationship between psychopathology and offense].

Science.gov (United States)

Okada, Takayuki

2013-01-01

The author suggested that it is essential for lawyers and psychiatrists to have a common understanding of the mutual division of roles between them when determining criminal responsibility (CR) and, for this purpose, proposed an 8-step structured CR decision-making process. The 8 steps are: (1) gathering of information related to mental function and condition, (2) recognition of mental function and condition,(3) psychiatric diagnosis, (4) description of the relationship between psychiatric symptom or psychopathology and index offense, (5) focus on capacities of differentiation between right and wrong and behavioral control, (6) specification of elements of cognitive/volitional prong in legal context, (7) legal evaluation of degree of cognitive/volitional prong, and (8) final interpretation of CR as a legal conclusion. The author suggested that the CR decision-making process should proceed not in a step-like pattern from (1) to (2) to (3) to (8), but in a step-like pattern from (1) to (2) to (4) to (5) to (6) to (7) to (8), and that not steps after (5), which require the interpretation or the application of section 39 of the Penal Code, but Step (4), must be the core of psychiatric expert evidence. When explaining the relationship between the mental disorder and offense described in Step (4), the Seven Focal Points (7FP) are often used. The author urged basic precautions to prevent the misuse of 7FP, which are: (a) the priority of each item is not equal and the relative importance differs from case to case; (b) each item is not exclusively independent, there may be overlap between items; (c) the criminal responsibility shall not be judged because one item is applicable or because a number of items are applicable, i. e., 7FP are not "criteria," for example, the aim is not to decide such things as 'the motive is understandable' or 'the conduct is appropriate', but should be to describe how psychopathological factors affected the offense specifically in the context of

CT and ERCP findings of chronic focal pancreatitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hee Soo; Lee, Jong Tae; Yoo, Hyung Sik; Kim, Eun Kyeong [Yonsei Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1996-10-01

To evaluate the major radiologic features of chronic focal pancreatitis in various imaging studies, with special emphasis on CT and ERCP findings. From 1991 to 1995, twelve patients were pathologically proved to be suffering from focal chronic pancreatitis after pancreatico-duodenectomy;for retrospective evaluation, imaging studies were available for eight(seven men, one woman;mean age 58.9{+-}6.6, range 47 to 67). Clinical, surgical, and radiological findings, including CT(n=8), ultrasound(n=7), ERCP(n=8) and UGI(n=3) were analysed. Seven male patients had suffered from chronic alcoholism for between 20 and 50 years. Serum bilirubin levels were normal in eight patients and alkaline phosphatase levels were normal in seven patients. Serum CA 19-9 levels were normal in all five patients who had undergone preoperative evaluation. Seven patients(87.5%) showed focal enlargement without definable margin on CT, and five of the six lesions detectable on ultrasound(83.3%) were ill defined hypoechoic nodules. Dilated side branches within lesions were seen in five of eight patients(83.3%) on CT and ERCP. Double duct signs were observed in siven(87.5%) patients, and dilated intrahepatic ducts in six(75%), with diameters ranging from 5 to 8mm(average:5.42{+-}1.96mm). The average ratio of pancreatic duct caliber to gland width was 0.33{+-}0.19. None of the patients had calcification within the lesion and one case showed intraductal calcification. None showed perivascular fat obliteration around the superior mesenteric artery or celiac axis. The average biductal distance between abnormal common bile duct and the immediately adjacent pancreatic duct was 4.0{+-}1.15mm. One of three cases who under went a UGI examination showed severe luminal narrowing and mucosal thickening in the second protion of the duodenum, another showed double contour, and the other merely showed widening of the C-loop of the duodenum. Chronic focal pancreatitis mostly demonstrated ill defined focal

CT and ERCP findings of chronic focal pancreatitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee Soo; Lee, Jong Tae; Yoo, Hyung Sik; Kim, Eun Kyeong

1996-01-01

To evaluate the major radiologic features of chronic focal pancreatitis in various imaging studies, with special emphasis on CT and ERCP findings. From 1991 to 1995, twelve patients were pathologically proved to be suffering from focal chronic pancreatitis after pancreatico-duodenectomy;for retrospective evaluation, imaging studies were available for eight(seven men, one woman;mean age 58.9±6.6, range 47 to 67). Clinical, surgical, and radiological findings, including CT(n=8), ultrasound(n=7), ERCP(n=8) and UGI(n=3) were analysed. Seven male patients had suffered from chronic alcoholism for between 20 and 50 years. Serum bilirubin levels were normal in eight patients and alkaline phosphatase levels were normal in seven patients. Serum CA 19-9 levels were normal in all five patients who had undergone preoperative evaluation. Seven patients(87.5%) showed focal enlargement without definable margin on CT, and five of the six lesions detectable on ultrasound(83.3%) were ill defined hypoechoic nodules. Dilated side branches within lesions were seen in five of eight patients(83.3%) on CT and ERCP. Double duct signs were observed in siven(87.5%) patients, and dilated intrahepatic ducts in six(75%), with diameters ranging from 5 to 8mm(average:5.42±1.96mm). The average ratio of pancreatic duct caliber to gland width was 0.33±0.19. None of the patients had calcification within the lesion and one case showed intraductal calcification. None showed perivascular fat obliteration around the superior mesenteric artery or celiac axis. The average biductal distance between abnormal common bile duct and the immediately adjacent pancreatic duct was 4.0±1.15mm. One of three cases who under went a UGI examination showed severe luminal narrowing and mucosal thickening in the second protion of the duodenum, another showed double contour, and the other merely showed widening of the C-loop of the duodenum. Chronic focal pancreatitis mostly demonstrated ill defined focal enlargement and

[Primary focal dystonia: descriptive study of 205 patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Bartolomé, F M; Fanjul, S; Cantarero, S; Hernández, J; García Ruiz, P J

2003-03-01

To describe the clinical and epidemiologic aspects of different types of focal dystonia. A total of 205 patients with primary focal dystonia were studied retrospectively and the following variables were analyzed: gender, age of onset, age at examination, evolution time, history of trauma, association with other movement disorders, fluctuations of dystonic symptoms as well as a family history of dystonia, Parkinson's disease, tremor, and lefthandedness or stuttering. We compared these variables among the different clinical categories of focal dystonia. Those patients with cranial and laryngeal dystonia were significantly older at the onset of symptoms compared with patients with writer's cramp. Males were more prevalent than females in all categories of focal dystonia except for cranial dystonia. Prior history of trauma and association with tremor were more frequent in patients with cervical dystonia than in those with others dystonic categories. Most patients with cranial, cervical and laryngeal dystonia had fluctuations in the intensity of dystonic symptoms, unlike the patients with writer's cramp. There is a caudo-cranial gradient in age of onset and the age of onset increases as the cranial presentation becomes greater. Females are more prevalent in cranial dystonia and there is a preponderance of males in the dystonias with a lower location. The dystonias with cranial distribution frequently present fluctuations of symptoms during the day. Association with other movement disorders, such as tremor, and prior history of trauma, is common in patients with cervical dystonia.

Quantum-Well Infrared Photodetector (QWIP) Focal Plane Assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Jhabvala, Murzy; Jhabvala, Christine A.; Ewin, Audrey J.; Hess, Larry A.; Hartmann, Thomas M.; La, Anh T.

2012-01-01

A paper describes the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), a QWIP-based instrument intended to supplement the Operational Land Imager (OLI) for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). The TIRS instrument is a far-infrared imager operating in the pushbroom mode with two IR channels: 10.8 and 12 microns. The focal plane will contain three 640x512 QWIP arrays mounted on a silicon substrate. The silicon substrate is a custom-fabricated carrier board with a single layer of aluminum interconnects. The general fabrication process starts with a 4-in. (approx.10-cm) diameter silicon wafer. The wafer is oxidized, a single substrate contact is etched, and aluminum is deposited, patterned, and alloyed. This technology development is aimed at incorporating three large-format infrared detecting arrays based on GaAs QWIP technology onto a common focal plane with precision alignment of all three arrays. This focal plane must survive the rigors of flight qualification and operate at a temperature of 43 K (-230 C) for five years while orbiting the Earth. The challenges presented include ensuring thermal compatibility among all the components, designing and building a compact, somewhat modular system and ensuring alignment to very tight levels. The multi-array focal plane integrated onto a single silicon substrate is a new application of both QWIP array development and silicon wafer scale integration. The Invar-based assembly has been tested to ensure thermal reliability.

Genetics Home Reference: focal dermal hypoplasia

Science.gov (United States)

... in people with focal dermal hypoplasia is an omphalocele , which is an opening in the wall of ... Dermal Hypoplasia MedlinePlus Encyclopedia: Ectodermal dysplasia MedlinePlus Encyclopedia: Omphalocele General Information from MedlinePlus (5 links) Diagnostic Tests ...

Performance of an Achromatic Focal Plane Mask for Exoplanet Imaging Coronagraphy

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Kevin; Belikov, Ruslan; Pluzhnik, Eugene; Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; Wilson, Dan

2014-01-01

Coronagraph technology combined with wavefront control is close to achieving the contrast and inner working angle requirements in the lab necessary to observe the faint signal of an Earth-like exoplanet in monochromatic light. An important remaining technological challenge is to achieve high contrast in broadband light. Coronagraph bandwidth is largely limited by chromaticity of the focal plane mask, which is responsible for blocking the stellar PSF. The size of a stellar PSF scales linearly with wavelength; ideally, the size of the focal plane mask would also scale with wavelength. A conventional hard-edge focal plane mask has a fixed size, normally sized for the longest wavelength in the observational band to avoid starlight leakage. The conventional mask is oversized for shorter wavelengths and blocks useful discovery space. Recently we presented a solution to the size chromaticity challenge with a focal plane mask designed to scale its effective size with wavelength. In this paper, we analyze performance of the achromatic size-scaling focal plane mask within a Phase Induced Amplitude Apodization (PIAA) coronagraph. We present results from wavefront control around the achromatic focal plane mask, and demonstrate the size-scaling effect of the mask with wavelength. The edge of the dark zone, and therefore the inner working angle of the coronagraph, scale with wavelength. The achromatic mask enables operation in a wider band of wavelengths compared with a conventional hard-edge occulter.

Butterfly Wings Are Three-Dimensional: Pupal Cuticle Focal Spots and Their Associated Structures in Junonia Butterflies.

Science.gov (United States)

Taira, Wataru; Otaki, Joji M

2016-01-01

Butterfly wing color patterns often contain eyespots, which are developmentally determined at the late larval and early pupal stages by organizing activities of focal cells that can later form eyespot foci. In the pupal stage, the focal position of a future eyespot is often marked by a focal spot, one of the pupal cuticle spots, on the pupal surface. Here, we examined the possible relationships of the pupal focal spots with the underneath pupal wing tissues and with the adult wing eyespots using Junonia butterflies. Large pupal focal spots were found in two species with large adult eyespots, J. orithya and J. almana, whereas only small pupal focal spots were found in a species with small adult eyespots, J. hedonia. The size of five pupal focal spots on a single wing was correlated with the size of the corresponding adult eyespots in J. orithya. A pupal focal spot was a three-dimensional bulge of cuticle surface, and the underside of the major pupal focal spot exhibited a hollowed cuticle in a pupal case. Cross sections of a pupal wing revealed that the cuticle layer shows a curvature at a focal spot, and a positional correlation was observed between the cuticle layer thickness and its corresponding cell layer thickness. Adult major eyespots of J. orithya and J. almana exhibited surface elevations and depressions that approximately correspond to the coloration within an eyespot. Our results suggest that a pupal focal spot is produced by the organizing activity of focal cells underneath the focal spot. Probably because the focal cell layer immediately underneath a focal spot is thicker than that of its surrounding areas, eyespots of adult butterfly wings are three-dimensionally constructed. The color-height relationship in adult eyespots might have an implication in the developmental signaling for determining the eyespot color patterns.

Butterfly Wings Are Three-Dimensional: Pupal Cuticle Focal Spots and Their Associated Structures in Junonia Butterflies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wataru Taira

Full Text Available Butterfly wing color patterns often contain eyespots, which are developmentally determined at the late larval and early pupal stages by organizing activities of focal cells that can later form eyespot foci. In the pupal stage, the focal position of a future eyespot is often marked by a focal spot, one of the pupal cuticle spots, on the pupal surface. Here, we examined the possible relationships of the pupal focal spots with the underneath pupal wing tissues and with the adult wing eyespots using Junonia butterflies. Large pupal focal spots were found in two species with large adult eyespots, J. orithya and J. almana, whereas only small pupal focal spots were found in a species with small adult eyespots, J. hedonia. The size of five pupal focal spots on a single wing was correlated with the size of the corresponding adult eyespots in J. orithya. A pupal focal spot was a three-dimensional bulge of cuticle surface, and the underside of the major pupal focal spot exhibited a hollowed cuticle in a pupal case. Cross sections of a pupal wing revealed that the cuticle layer shows a curvature at a focal spot, and a positional correlation was observed between the cuticle layer thickness and its corresponding cell layer thickness. Adult major eyespots of J. orithya and J. almana exhibited surface elevations and depressions that approximately correspond to the coloration within an eyespot. Our results suggest that a pupal focal spot is produced by the organizing activity of focal cells underneath the focal spot. Probably because the focal cell layer immediately underneath a focal spot is thicker than that of its surrounding areas, eyespots of adult butterfly wings are three-dimensionally constructed. The color-height relationship in adult eyespots might have an implication in the developmental signaling for determining the eyespot color patterns.

Focal thyroid incidentalomas identified with whole-body FDG-PET warrant further investigation.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Prichard, R S

2012-02-01

Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) whole body positron emission computed tomography (PET-CT) detects clinically occult malignancy. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and significance of focal thyroid 18F - fluorodeoxyglucose uptake. A retrospective review of all patients who had FDG PET-CT examinations, in a single tertiary referral centre was performed. PET scan findings and the final pathological diagnosis were collated. 2105 scans were reviewed. Focal uptake was identified in 35 (1.66%) patients. Final surgical histology was available on eight patients, which confirmed papillary carcinoma in four (20%) patients and lymphoma and metastatic disease in two patients respectively. This gave an overall malignancy rate in focal thyroid uptake of at least 33%. Thyroid incidentalomas occurred with a frequency of 2.13%, with an associated malignancy rate of at least 33% in focal thyroid uptake. The high malignancy rate associated with focal thyroid uptake mandates further investigation in medically fit patients.

Regional cerebral blood flow in focal cortical epilepsy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hougaard, Kristina Dupont; Oikawa, T; Sveinsdottir, E

1976-01-01

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was studied in ten patients with focal cortical epilepsy. The blood flow was measured by the intra-arterial injection of xenon 133 (133Xe), and the isotope clearance was recorded by a multidetector scintillation camera with 254 detectors. Three patients were....... This finding accords with earlier studies. All nine patients studied in the interictal phase showed, either spontaneously or during activation by intermittent light, focal flow increases in areas presumed to comprise the epileptic focus. These interictal hyperemic foci probably reflect subictal neuronal...

Continuous contour phase plates for tailoring the focal plane irradiance profile

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixit, S.N.; Rushford, M.C.; Thomas, I.M.; Perry, M.D.

1995-01-01

We present fully continuous phase screens for producing super-Gaussian focal-plane irradiance profiles. Such phase screens are constructed with the assumption of either circular symmetric near-field and far-field profiles or a separable phase screen in Cartesian co-ordinates. In each case, the phase screen is only a few waves deep. Under illumination by coherent light, such phase screens produce high order super-Gaussian profiles in the focal plane with high energy content effects of beam aberrations on the focal profiles and their energy content are also discussed

Characterization of LIL laser UV focal spot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mangeant, M.; Dubois, J.L.; Behar, G.; Arroyo, P.; Durand, V.; Lahonde, C.

2006-01-01

One way to get the fusion of hydrogen in laboratory consists in heating and compressing a DT fuel capsule by using a laser. To reach this aim requires a new generation of high power laser facility. Cea (French board for atomic energy) is developing for this purpose a new 240 laser line facility, the LMJ facility. The LIL which is the prototype of four LMJ laser lines is operational now. In order to confirm the technical choices, a systematic characterization of LIL was carried out. A particular effort has been provided to measure the 3ω high energy focal spot (1.5 kJ/700 ps and 5 ns for one beam) and the synchronization of laser beams onto the target, which are key issues for the plasma production. An experimental device, SAT-3ω (a 3ω laser focal spot analysis) has been designed to perform these measures. That diagnostic which is located at the end of the laser lines delivered its first results during the 2004 quadruplet qualification campaigns. The near field imaging showed no diaphony and vignetting. Low power spots allowed us to control we had no ghost. The energy measurement quality showed the photometric transfer function was perfectly known. Our caustic image are given with an average dynamic range of 800, a spatial resolution of 10 μm and diameter accuracy about 1% for 50% and 3% for 90% of encircled energy. The high energy focal spot diameters are in agreement with low and very low energy diameters. The phase plate and 14 GHz effects are similar to what we had expected. For a laser shot completed with a continuous phase plate at 14 GHz, and for an energy level of 1.5 kJ per beam at 351 nm, the focal beam diameter at 3% of the peak level is (875 ± 45) μm

Frequency-Shift a way to Reduce Aliasing in the Complex Cepstrum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bysted, Tommy Kristensen

1998-01-01

The well-known relation between a time signal and its frequency-shifted spectrum is introduced as an excellent tool for reduction of aliasing in the complex cepstrum. Using N points DFTs the frequency-shift property, when used in the right way, will reduce the aliasing error to a size which...... on average is identical to the one normally requiring 2N points DFTs. The cost is an insignificant increase in the number of operations compared to the total number needed for the transformation to the complex cepstrum domain...

A case of pathological rib fractures: focal osteolysis or osteoporosis?

Science.gov (United States)

Vrbanić, T S L; Novak, S; Sestan, B; Tudor, A; Gulan, G

2008-03-01

This paper reports on a unique, previously unreported, successful outcome in the case of a patient with focal osteolytic lesions of the ribs as a first sign of osteoporosis. The lesions were detected by chance after acute cough-induced rib fractures were seen on plain chest radiographs. The diagnosis had to be approached as a diagnosis of exclusion since known causes of the osteolytic process had to be eliminated. The authors describe multiple focal osteolytic lesions with rib fractures appearing in a pattern that could be confused with metastases. Laboratory results were normal. Final diagnosis was based on plain radiography, bone scan and bone densitometry. Pharmacomedical treatments for osteoporosis were applied. The patient was observed between the year 2000 and 2005. Five years later radiological and bone scintigraphy revealed resolution of the lesion. We conclude that osteoporosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of asymptomatic focal osteolysis of the ribs with rib fractures as a complication of acute cough. The case suggests that focal osteolytic lesions of the ribs may regress over time and become scintigraphically inactive.

The Unicellular State as a Point Source in a Quantum Biological System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John S. Torday

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A point source is the central and most important point or place for any group of cohering phenomena. Evolutionary development presumes that biological processes are sequentially linked, but neither directed from, nor centralized within, any specific biologic structure or stage. However, such an epigenomic entity exists and its transforming effects can be understood through the obligatory recapitulation of all eukaryotic lifeforms through a zygotic unicellular phase. This requisite biological conjunction can now be properly assessed as the focal point of reconciliation between biology and quantum phenomena, illustrated by deconvoluting complex physiologic traits back to their unicellular origins.

Simulation of the Focal Spot of the Accelerator Bremsstrahlung Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Sorokin, V.; Bespalov, V.

2016-06-01

Testing of thick-walled objects by bremsstrahlung radiation (BR) is primarily performed via high-energy quanta. The testing parameters are specified by the focal spot size of the high-energy bremsstrahlung radiation. In determining the focal spot size, the high- energy BR portion cannot be experimentally separated from the low-energy BR to use high- energy quanta only. The patterns of BR focal spot formation have been investigated via statistical modeling of the radiation transfer in the target material. The distributions of BR quanta emitted by the target for different energies and emission angles under normal distribution of the accelerated electrons bombarding the target have been obtained, and the ratio of the distribution parameters has been determined.

Focal adhesions and cell-matrix interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Woods, A; Couchman, J R

1988-01-01

Focal adhesions are areas of cell surfaces where specializations of cytoskeletal, membrane and extracellular components combine to produce stable cell-matrix interactions. The morphology of these adhesions and the components identified in them are discussed together with possible mechanisms...

Radiopneumographic characteristics of focal pneumonia in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnova, A.A.

1980-01-01

Zonal ventilation and blood flow were studied by the radiopneumography method in 50 children of school age with lower-lobe-of-the lung focal pneumonia (26 with left-side and 24 with right-side). It is established that during right-side localization of pneumonic focus preserved was the predomination of ventilation of right lung relative to left. Complete normalization of common and regional indexes of ventilation and blood flow was established by the 21st day from the beginning of treatment during right-side focal pneumonias. In case of left-side localization of pneumonic focus only partial reduction of external respiration and perfusion comes. Therefore, compensatory and reducing capabilities of right lung are preferrable

Action and Church : Pastoral Work as the Focal Point of a Liberating Ecclesiology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Först, Johannes; Dillen, Annemie; Wolfteich, Claire

2016-01-01

Pastoral work is the church in action. That is perhaps the most concise definition of pastoral work. Despite its briefness, however, it offers an ingenious point of departure for reflecting on key issues concerning the church and its task in the world. Based on this short definition, the current

Spectroscopic Measurement of LEAD-204 Isotope Shift and LEAD-205 Nuclear Spin.

Science.gov (United States)

Schonberger, Peter

The isotope shift of ('204)Pb and the nuclear spin of 1.4 x 10('7)-y ('205)Pb was determined from a high -resolution optical measurement of the 6p('2) ('3)P(,o) -6p7s('3)P(,1)('o) 283.3-nm resonance line. The value of the shift, relative to ('208)Pb is -140.2(8) x 10('-3)cm(' -1), the negative sign indicating a shift to lower wave numbers. The precision is 3-4 times greater than that of previous measurements. The spin of ('205)Pb l = 5/2 was obtained from the measurement of the relative intensities of its three hyperfine components. This method of absorption spectroscopy determination of ground state nuclear spin is applicable to any stable or longlived isotope. High resolution optical absorption spectra were obtained with a 25.4cm diffraction grating in a 9.1m focal length Czerny-Turner spectrometer. A signal-averaging scanning technique was used to record the spectra. Increased precision in the isotope shift measurement was attained by using separated isotope samples of ('204)Pb and ('207)Pb. A controlled amount of the later was incorporated in the absorption cell to provide internal calibration by its 6p7s ('3)P(,1)('o) hfs separation. Absorption spectra were recorded for several optical thicknesses of the absorber. A single spin value of increased precision was derived from the entire set of combined data.

Flux dynamics in ultrasensitive superconducting focal planes

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The performance of superconducting focal planes will drive the achievable specifications of ultrasensitive instruments for NASA astrophysics missions, yet they have...

A Mean-Shift-Based Feature Descriptor for Wide Baseline Stereo Matching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiwen Dou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a novel Mean-Shift-based building approach in wide baseline. Initially, scale-invariance feature transform (SIFT approach is used to extract relatively stable feature points. As to each matching SIFT feature point, it needs a reasonable neighborhood range so as to choose feature points set. Subsequently, in view of selecting repeatable and high robust feature points, Mean-Shift controls corresponding feature scale. At last, our approach is employed to depth image acquirement in wide baseline and Graph Cut algorithm optimizes disparity information. Compared with the existing methods such as SIFT, speeded up robust feature (SURF, and normalized cross-correlation (NCC, the presented approach has the advantages of higher robustness and accuracy rate. Experimental results on low resolution image and weak feature description in wide baseline confirm the validity of our approach.

Focal adhesion kinase-dependent focal adhesion recruitment of SH2 domains directs SRC into focal adhesions to regulate cell adhesion and migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jui-Chung; Chen, Yu-Chen; Kuo, Chih-Ting; Wenshin Yu, Helen; Chen, Yin-Quan; Chiou, Arthur; Kuo, Jean-Cheng

2015-12-18

Directed cell migration requires dynamical control of the protein complex within focal adhesions (FAs) and this control is regulated by signaling events involving tyrosine phosphorylation. We screened the SH2 domains present in tyrosine-specific kinases and phosphatases found within FAs, including SRC, SHP1 and SHP2, and examined whether these enzymes transiently target FAs via their SH2 domains. We found that the SRC_SH2 domain and the SHP2_N-SH2 domain are associated with FAs, but only the SRC_SH2 domain is able to be regulated by focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The FAK-dependent association of the SRC_SH2 domain is necessary and sufficient for SRC FA targeting. When the targeting of SRC into FAs is inhibited, there is significant suppression of SRC-mediated phosphorylation of paxillin and FAK; this results in an inhibition of FA formation and maturation and a reduction in cell migration. This study reveals an association between FAs and the SRC_SH2 domain as well as between FAs and the SHP2_N-SH2 domains. This supports the hypothesis that the FAK-regulated SRC_SH2 domain plays an important role in directing SRC into FAs and that this SRC-mediated FA signaling drives cell migration.

WE-E-BRE-04: Dual Focal Spot Dose Painting for Precision Preclinical Radiobiological Investigations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stewart, J; Lindsay, P [Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto (Canada); University of Toronto, Toronto (Canada); Jaffray, D [Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto (Canada); The Techna Institute for the Advancement of Technology for Health, Toronto (Canada)

2014-06-15

Purpose: Recent progress in small animal radiotherapy systems has provided the foundation for delivering the heterogeneous, millimeter scale dose distributions demanded by preclinical radiobiology investigations. Despite advances in preclinical dose planning, delivery of highly heterogeneous dose distributions is constrained by the fixed collimation systems and large x-ray focal spot common in small animal radiotherapy systems. This work proposes a dual focal spot dose optimization and delivery method with a large x-ray focal spot used to deliver homogeneous dose regions and a small focal spot to paint spatially heterogeneous dose regions. Methods: Two-dimensional dose kernels were measured for a 1 mm circular collimator with radiochromic film at 10 mm depth in a solid water phantom for the small and large x-ray focal spots on a recently developed small animal microirradiator. These kernels were used in an optimization framework which segmented a desired dose distribution into low- and high-spatial frequency regions for delivery by the large and small focal spot, respectively. For each region, the method determined an optimal set of stage positions and beam-on times. The method was demonstrated by optimizing a bullseye pattern consisting of 0.75 mm radius circular target and 0.5 and 1.0 mm wide rings alternating between 0 and 2 Gy. Results: Compared to a large focal spot technique, the dual focal spot technique improved the optimized dose distribution: 69.2% of the optimized dose was within 0.5 Gy of the intended dose for the large focal spot, compared to 80.6% for the dual focal spot method. The dual focal spot design required 14.0 minutes of optimization, and will require 178.3 minutes for automated delivery. Conclusion: The dual focal spot optimization and delivery framework is a novel option for delivering conformal and heterogeneous dose distributions at the preclinical level and provides a new experimental option for unique radiobiological investigations

WE-E-BRE-04: Dual Focal Spot Dose Painting for Precision Preclinical Radiobiological Investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, J; Lindsay, P; Jaffray, D

2014-01-01

Purpose: Recent progress in small animal radiotherapy systems has provided the foundation for delivering the heterogeneous, millimeter scale dose distributions demanded by preclinical radiobiology investigations. Despite advances in preclinical dose planning, delivery of highly heterogeneous dose distributions is constrained by the fixed collimation systems and large x-ray focal spot common in small animal radiotherapy systems. This work proposes a dual focal spot dose optimization and delivery method with a large x-ray focal spot used to deliver homogeneous dose regions and a small focal spot to paint spatially heterogeneous dose regions. Methods: Two-dimensional dose kernels were measured for a 1 mm circular collimator with radiochromic film at 10 mm depth in a solid water phantom for the small and large x-ray focal spots on a recently developed small animal microirradiator. These kernels were used in an optimization framework which segmented a desired dose distribution into low- and high-spatial frequency regions for delivery by the large and small focal spot, respectively. For each region, the method determined an optimal set of stage positions and beam-on times. The method was demonstrated by optimizing a bullseye pattern consisting of 0.75 mm radius circular target and 0.5 and 1.0 mm wide rings alternating between 0 and 2 Gy. Results: Compared to a large focal spot technique, the dual focal spot technique improved the optimized dose distribution: 69.2% of the optimized dose was within 0.5 Gy of the intended dose for the large focal spot, compared to 80.6% for the dual focal spot method. The dual focal spot design required 14.0 minutes of optimization, and will require 178.3 minutes for automated delivery. Conclusion: The dual focal spot optimization and delivery framework is a novel option for delivering conformal and heterogeneous dose distributions at the preclinical level and provides a new experimental option for unique radiobiological investigations

Measurement of dew droplets in initial deposition at dew point by using a phase-shift interference microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Matsumoto, Shigeaki; Toyooka, Satoru; Hoshino, Mitsuo

2002-09-01

In order to measure the total mass per unit area of dew droplets deposited on a metal plate in the dew-point hygrometer, the shape of a dew droplet deposited on a copper plate was measured accurately by using an interference microscope that employed a phase-shift technique. The microscope was constructed by adding a piezoelectric transducer to an usual interference microscope. A simple method that uses a conventional speaker horn and an optical fiber cable was introduced to depress speckle noise. The shape of a dew droplet deposited on the copper plate surface with 0.1 μm in average roughness was measured with an accuracy of +/-3nm. The mass of a dew droplet could be calculated numerically from the volume of its shape and was of the order of 10-9 g. The total mass of dew droplets deposited per unit area and the deposition velocity were obtained under a gentle wind. The total mass was the order of 10-5 g/cm2 at the beginning of deposition and the deposition velocity was ranged from 2x10-6 to 6x10-5 g/cm2.min.

Fine focal spot size improves image quality in computed tomography abdomen and pelvis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goh, Yin P.; Low, Keat; Kuganesan, Ahilan [Monash Health, Diagnostic Imaging Department, 246, Clayton Road, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Lau, Kenneth K. [Monash Health, Diagnostic Imaging Department, 246, Clayton Road, Clayton, Victoria (Australia); Monash University, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Victoria (Australia); Buchan, Kevin [Philips Healthcare, Clinical Science, PO Box 312, Mont Albert, Victoria (Australia); Oh, Lawrence Chia Wei [Flinders Medical Centre, Division of Medical Imaging, Bedford Park South (Australia); Huynh, Minh [Swinburne University, Department of Statistics, Data Science and Epidemiology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Hawthorn (Australia)

2016-12-15

To compare the image quality between fine focal spot size (FFSS) and standard focal spot size (SFSS) in computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis (CTAP) This retrospective review included all consecutive adult patients undergoing contrast-enhanced CTAP between June and September 2014. Two blinded radiologists assessed the margin clarity of the abdominal viscera and the detected lesions using a five-point grading scale. Cohen's kappa test was used to examine the inter-observer reliability between the two reviewers for organ margin clarity. Mann-Whitney U testing was utilised to assess the statistical difference of the organ and lesion margin clarity. 100 consecutive CTAPs were recruited. 52 CTAPs were examined with SFSS of 1.1 x 1.2 mm and 48 CTAPs were examined with FFSS of 0.6 x 0.7 mm. Results showed that there was substantial agreement for organ margin clarity (mean κ = 0.759, p < 0.001) among the reviewers. FFSS produces images with clearer organ margins (U = 76194.0, p < 0.001, r = 0.523) and clearer lesion margins (U = 239, p = 0.052, r = 0.269). FFSS CTAP improves image quality in terms of better organ and lesion margin clarity. Fine focus CT scanning is a novel technique that may be applied in routine CTAP imaging. (orig.)

Projected potential profiles across interfaces obtained by reconstructing the exit face wave function from through focal series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, Somnath; Koch, Christoph T.; Ruehle, Manfred

2006-01-01

An iterative method for reconstructing the exit face wave function from a through focal series of transmission electron microscopy image line profiles across an interface is presented. Apart from high-resolution images recorded with small changes in defocus, this method works also well for a large defocus range as used for Fresnel imaging. Using the phase-object approximation the projected electrostatic as well as the absorptive potential profiles across an interface are determined from this exit face wave function. A new experimental image alignment procedure was developed in order to align images with large relative defocus shift. The performance of this procedure is shown to be superior to other image alignment procedures existing in the literature. The reconstruction method is applied to both simulated and experimental images

Focal and Reentrant Mechanisms of Torsades de Pointes: EAD, Reentry, or Chimera?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuji Murakawa, MD

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Torsades de pointes (TdP. is characterized not only by its electrocardiographic morphology but also by a tendency to spontaneously terminate. Although clinical and experimental studies suggested that TdP is triggered exclusively by early afterdepolarization, the reentrant mechanism seems to play a certain role in its maintenance. In this article, I review the studies that investigated the origin and activation sequences of the twisting QRS complexes of TdP, and discuss whether it is fortunate or unfortunate for us if TdP has something to do with reentry.

Production of high energy, uniform focal profiles with the Nike laser

Science.gov (United States)

Lehecka, T.; Lehmberg, R. H.; Deniz, A. V.; Gerber, K. A.; Obenschain, S. P.; Pawley, C. J.; Pronko, M. S.; Sullivan, C. A.

1995-02-01

Nike, a KrF laser facility at the Naval Research Laboratory, is designed to produce high intensity, ultra-uniform focal profiles for experiments relating to direct drive inertial confinement fusion. We present measurements of focal profiles through the next-to-last amplifier, a 20 × 20 cm 2 aperture electron beam pumped amplifier capable of producing more than 120 J of output in a 120 ns pulse. Using echelon free induced spatial incoherence beam smoothing this system has produced focal profiles with less than 2% tilt and curvature and less than 2% rms variation from a flat top distribution.

Adult-onset Rasmussen encephalitis associated with focal cortical dysplasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Hohenbichler, Katharina; Lelotte, Julie; Lhommel, Renaud; Tahry, Riëm El; Vrielynck, Pascal; Santos, Susana Ferrao

2017-12-01

Rasmussen encephalitis is a rare, devastating condition, typically presenting in childhood. Cases of adult-onset Rasmussen have also been described, but the clinical picture is less defined, rendering final diagnosis difficult. We present a case of adult-onset Rasmussen encephalitis with dual pathology, associated with focal cortical dysplasia and encephalitis. We interpreted the Rasmussen encephalitis to be caused by severe and continuous epileptic activity due to focal cortical dysplasia. The best therapeutic approach for such cases remains unclear.

Closed-loop focal plane wavefront control with the SCExAO instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Martinache, Frantz; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Guyon, Olivier

2016-09-01

Aims: This article describes the implementation of a focal plane based wavefront control loop on the high-contrast imaging instrument SCExAO (Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics). The sensor relies on the Fourier analysis of conventional focal-plane images acquired after an asymmetric mask is introduced in the pupil of the instrument. Methods: This absolute sensor is used here in a closed-loop to compensate for the non-common path errors that normally affects any imaging system relying on an upstream adaptive optics system.This specific implementation was used to control low-order modes corresponding to eight zernike modes (from focus to spherical). Results: This loop was successfully run on-sky at the Subaru Telescope and is used to offset the SCExAO deformable mirror shape used as a zero-point by the high-order wavefront sensor. The paper details the range of errors this wavefront-sensing approach can operate within and explores the impact of saturation of the data and how it can be bypassed, at a cost in performance. Conclusions: Beyond this application, because of its low hardware impact, the asymmetric pupil Fourier wavefront sensor (APF-WFS) can easily be ported in a wide variety of wavefront sensing contexts, for ground- as well space-borne telescopes, and for telescope pupils that can be continuous, segmented or even sparse. The technique is powerful because it measures the wavefront where it really matters, at the level of the science detector.

Focal cryotherapy of localized prostate cancer: a systematic review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Taimur Tariq; Ahmed, Hashim; Kanthabalan, Abi; Lau, Benjamin; Ghei, Maneesh; Maraj, Barry; Arya, Manit

2014-11-01

Radical/whole gland treatment for prostate cancer has significant side-effects. Therefore focal treatments such as cryotherapy have been used to treat localized lesions whilst aiming to provide adequate cancer control with minimal side-effects. We performed a systematic review of Pubmed/Medline and Cochrane databases' to yield 9 papers for primary focal prostate cryotherapy and 2 papers for focal salvage treatment (radio-recurrent). The results of 1582 primary patients showed biochemical disease-free survival between 71-93% at 9-70 months follow-up. Incontinence rates were 0-3.6% and ED 0-42%. Recto-urethral fistula occurred in only 2 patients. Salvage focal cryotherapy had biochemical disease-free survival of 50-68% at 3 years. ED occurred in 60-71%. Focal cryotherapy appears to be an effective treatment for primary localized prostate cancer and compares favorably to radical/whole gland treatments in medium-term oncological outcomes and side-effects. Although more studies are needed it is also effective for radio-recurrent cancer with a low complications rates.

Factores pronósticos de recurrencia de la epilepsia focal en el niño Prognostic factors of recurrence of focal epilepsy in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albia Pozo Alonso

2009-12-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCCIÓN. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar los factores pronósticos de recurrencia de las crisis epilépticas focales a los 2 años del diagnóstico y del inicio del tratamiento. MÉTODOS. Este estudio observacional, analítico y prospectivo incluyó a 207 niños que presentaron dos o más crisis epilépticas focales no provocadas, hospitalizados en el Departamento de Neuropediatría del Hospital «William Soler», entre diciembre de 2001 y diciembre de 2003. Al final de los 2 años de seguimiento, 185 pacientes concluyeron el estudio. RESULTADOS. El 33,5 % de los pacientes presentó recurrencias de las crisis epilépticas focales al finalizar el estudio. Constituyeron factores de riesgo de recurrencia de las crisis epilépticas focales los siguientes: edad menor de un año, etiología sintomática, presencia de antecedentes personales de crisis neonatales sintomáticas y discapacidades neurológicas y la persistencia de descargas en el electroencefalograma (EEG evolutivo. El análisis de regresión logística demostró como variables pronósticas de recurrencia la etiología sintomática (p = 0,000; OR = 3,107, el antecedente personal de crisis neonatales sintomáticas (p = 0,037; OR = 4,623 y la persistencia de descargas en el EEG evolutivo (p = 0,000; OR = 2,109. CONCLUSIONES. El antecedente personal de crisis neonatales sintomáticas constituyó el factor independiente con mayor influencia en las recurrencias de las crisis epilépticas focales.INTRODUCTION: The objective of present paper was to determine the recurrent prognostic factors of focal epileptic crises at 2 years of diagnosis and of treatment onset. METHODS: This prospective, analytical and observational study included 207 children presenting two or more non-provoked epileptic crises, admitted in Neuropediatrics Department of "William Soler" Hospital between December, 2001 and December, 2003. At a two years follow-up, 185 patients concluded the study. RESULTS: The

Focal plane for the next generation of earth observation instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Pranyies, P.; Toubhans, I.; Badoil, B.; Tanguy, F.; Descours, Francis

2017-09-01

Sodern is the French focal plane provider for Earth Observation (EO) satellites. Since the 1980's, Sodern has played an active role first in the SPOT program. Within the two-spacecraft constellation Pleiades 1A/1B over the next years, Sodern introduced advanced technologies as Silicon Carbide (SiC) focal plane structure and multispectral strip filters dedicated to multiple-lines detectors.

Magnetic-resonance-guided biopsy of focal liver lesions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Ethan A. [University of Michigan Health System, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Grove, Jason J. [University of Michigan Health System, Division of Interventional Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Der Spek, Abraham F.L.V. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Anesthesiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Jarboe, Marcus D. [University of Michigan Health System, Division of Interventional Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); University of Michigan Health System, Section of Pediatric Surgery, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Department of Surgery, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2017-05-15

Image-guided biopsy techniques are widely used in clinical practice. Commonly used methods employ either ultrasound (US) or computed tomography (CT) for image guidance. In certain patients, US or CT guidance may be suboptimal, or even impossible, because of artifacts, suboptimal lesion visualization, or both. We recently began performing magnetic resonance (MR)-guided biopsy of focal liver lesions in select pediatric patients with lesions that are not well visualized by US or CT. This report describes our experience performing MR-guided biopsy of focal liver lesions, with case examples to illustrate innovative techniques and novel aspects of these procedures. (orig.)

99mTc-HM-PAO SPECT of epileptic patients showing focal paroxysm on electroencephalography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takaishi, Yasuko; Hashimoto, Kiyoshi; Fujino, Osamu; Kamayachi, Satoshi; Fujita, Takehisa; Enokido, Hisashi; Komatsuzaki, Hideki; Kawakami, Yasuhiko; Hirayama, Tsunenori

1995-01-01

The usefulness of 99m Tc-HM-PAO SPECT in diagnosing epilepsy was studied. The subjects were 33 epileptic patients, ranging in age from 5 years and 5 months to 28 years and 3 months, who showed focal paroxysm on electroencephalograms. Lowered accumulation site was found on SPECT in 19 patients. Four patients with abnormal findings on X-ray CT or MRI showed lowered accumulation and focal paroxysm at the same site. Of 29 patients with normal X-ray CT or MRI findings, 15 (52%) showed lowered accumulation. Five patients showed a focal paroxysm at the site of lowered accumulation. In 8 patients the focal paroxysm site was partly coincided with the accumulation site. In some patients the focal site predicted by the findings of clinical symptoms and the lowered accumulation site coincided. SPECT is therefore a useful method in diagnosing a focal site in epilepsy and considered to reflect the severity of disease. (Y.S.)

Measuring the Flatness of Focal Plane for Very Large Mosaic CCD Camera

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hao, Jiangang; Estrada, Juan; Cease, Herman; Diehl, H.Thomas; Flaugher, Brenna L.; Kubik, Donna; Kuk, Keivin; Kuropatkine, Nickolai; Lin, Huan; Montes, Jorge; Scarpine, Vic; /Fermilab

2010-06-08

Large mosaic multiCCD camera is the key instrument for modern digital sky survey. DECam is an extremely red sensitive 520 Megapixel camera designed for the incoming Dark Energy Survey (DES). It is consist of sixty two 4k x 2k and twelve 2k x 2k 250-micron thick fully-depleted CCDs, with a focal plane of 44 cm in diameter and a field of view of 2.2 square degree. It will be attached to the Blanco 4-meter telescope at CTIO. The DES will cover 5000 square-degrees of the southern galactic cap in 5 color bands (g, r, i, z, Y) in 5 years starting from 2011. To achieve the science goal of constraining the Dark Energy evolution, stringent requirements are laid down for the design of DECam. Among them, the flatness of the focal plane needs to be controlled within a 60-micron envelope in order to achieve the specified PSF variation limit. It is very challenging to measure the flatness of the focal plane to such precision when it is placed in a high vacuum dewar at 173 K. We developed two image based techniques to measure the flatness of the focal plane. By imaging a regular grid of dots on the focal plane, the CCD offset along the optical axis is converted to the variation the grid spacings at different positions on the focal plane. After extracting the patterns and comparing the change in spacings, we can measure the flatness to high precision. In method 1, the regular dots are kept in high sub micron precision and cover the whole focal plane. In method 2, no high precision for the grid is required. Instead, we use a precise XY stage moves the pattern across the whole focal plane and comparing the variations of the spacing when it is imaged by different CCDs. Simulation and real measurements show that the two methods work very well for our purpose, and are in good agreement with the direct optical measurements.

Focal masses in a non-cirrhotic liver: The additional benefit of CEUS over baseline imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiorean, L., E-mail: lilichiorean@yahoo.com [Sino-German Research Center of Ultrasound in Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (China); Med. Klinik 2, Caritas Krankenhaus Bad Mergentheim, Uhlandstr. 7, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim (Germany); Département d’imagerie médicale, Clinique des Cévennes, 07100 Annonay (France); Cantisani, V., E-mail: vito.cantisani@uniroma1.it [Dipartimento di Scienze Radiologiche, Oncologiche, Anatomo-patologiche, Policlinico Umberto I, Univ. Sapienza, Roma (Italy); Jenssen, C., E-mail: C.Jenssen@khmol.de [Innere Medizin, Krankenhaus Märkisch Oderland, Prötzeler Chaussee 5, 15433 Strausberg (Germany); Sidhu, P.S., E-mail: paulsidhu@nhs.net [Department of Radiology, King' s College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, England (United Kingdom); Baum, U., E-mail: Ulrich.Baum@ckbm.de [Department of Radiology, Caritas Krankenhaus Bad Mergentheim, Uhlandstr. 7, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim (Germany); Dietrich, C.F., E-mail: christoph.dietrich@ckbm.de [Sino-German Research Center of Ultrasound in Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University (China); Med. Klinik 2, Caritas Krankenhaus Bad Mergentheim, Uhlandstr. 7, D-97980 Bad Mergentheim (Germany)

2015-09-15

Highlights: • Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in detection of focal liver lesions. • Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in characterization of focal liver lesions. • Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in differential diagnosis of focal liver lesions. • Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in final diagnosis of focal liver lesions. • Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in liver metastases screening. • Roles of cross-sectional imaging techniques for focal liver lesions assessment. • Advantages of contrast-enhanced ultrasound over other imaging procedures. - Abstract: Incidentally detected focal liver lesions are commonly encountered in clinical practice presenting a challenge in the daily department work flow. Guidelines for the management of incidental focal liver lesions have been published but comments, illustrations and recommendations regarding practical issues are crucial. The unique features of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in non-invasive assessment of focal liver lesion enhancement throughout the vascular phases in real-time has allowed an impressive improvement in the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound. We highlight the additional benefit of contrast-enhanced ultrasound over conventional B-mode ultrasound imaging in detection, characterization, differential and final diagnosis of focal liver lesions, as well as for liver metastases screening. The current roles of cross-sectional imaging are explained in detail, with indications and limitations for each procedure. The advantages of CEUS, such as non-ionizing radiation exposure, cost benefits, non-iodinate contrast agents, and repeatability are also described ultimately improving patient management.

Shifted knife-edge aperture digital in-line holography for fluid velocimetry.

Science.gov (United States)

Palero, Virginia; Lobera, Julia; Andrés, Nieves; Arroyo, M Pilar

2014-06-01

We describe a digital holography technique that, with the simplicity of an in-line configuration, produces holograms where the real and virtual images are completely separated, as in an off-axis configuration. An in-line setup, in which the object is imaged near the sensor, is modified by placing a shifted knife-edge aperture that blocks half the frequency spectrum at the focal plane of the imaging lens. This simple modification of the in-line holographic configuration allows discriminating the virtual and real images. As a fluid velocimetry technique, the use of this aperture removes the minimum defocusing distance requisite and reduces the out-of-plane velocity measurement errors of classical in-line holography. Results with different test objects are shown.

[A case of focal epilepsy manifesting multiple psychiatric auras].

Science.gov (United States)

Ezura, Michinori; Kakisaka, Yosuke; Jin, Kazutaka; Kato, Kazuhiro; Iwasaki, Masaki; Fujikawa, Mayu; Aoki, Masashi; Nakasato, Nobukazu

2015-01-01

We present a case of epilepsy with multiple types of focal seizures that were misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders. A 20-year-old female patient presented with a variety of episodes, including loss of consciousness, deja vu, fear, delusion of possession, violent movements, and generalized convulsions. Each of these symptoms appeared in a stereotypic manner. She was initially diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and treated with psychoactive medications, which had no effect. Long-term video electroencephalography revealed that her episodes of violent movement with impaired consciousness and secondarily generalized seizure were epileptic events originating in the right hemisphere. High-field brain magnetic resonance imaging for detecting subtle lesions revealed bilateral lesions from periventricular nodular heterotopia. Her final diagnosis was right hemispheric focal epilepsy. Carbamazepine administration was started, which successfully controlled all seizures. The present case demonstrates the pitfall of diagnosing focal epilepsy when it presents with multiple types of psychiatric aura. Epilepsy should thus be included in differential diagnoses, considering the stereotypic nature of symptoms, to avoid misdiagnosis.

Focal hepatic lesions with peripheral eosinophilia: imaging features of various disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seo, Joon Beom; Han, Joon Koo; Kim, Tae Kyoung; Choi, Byung Ihn; Han, Man Chung [Seoul National Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Song, Chi Sung [Seoul City Boramae Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1999-01-01

Due to the recent advent of various imaging modalities such as ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as knowledge of the characteristic imaging features of hepatic lesions, radiologic examination plays a major role in the differential diagnosis of focal hepatic lesions. However, various 'nonspecific' or 'unusual' imaging features of focal hepatic lesions are occasionally encountered, and this makes correct diagnosis difficult. In such a situation, the presence of peripheral eosinophilia helps narrow the differential diagnoses. The aim of this pictorial essay is to describe the imaging features of various disease entities which cause focal hepatic lesions and peripheral eosinophilia.

Paradigm Shift in Distance Education in the 21st Century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet FIRAT

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technologies have been one of a driving force which enables higher education expansion and gives a dynamic structure to the science in the twenty-first century. One of the most effective users of this driving force in higher education is distance education. Previously, distance education was considered to be as a method to ensure equality of opportunity in education, and partly to meet the educational needs of citizens in limited circumstances; today it has undergone an incontrovertible paradigm shift by transforming into an interdisciplinary science field with its functional flexibility, strong technology infrastructure, diversity of programs, innovative teaching approaches and rapidly increasing student numbers. In this study, it is aimed to reveal this paradigm shift with a historical point of view, and the information technology supported rise and paradigm shift of distance education is evaluated by a holistic perspective from different point of views of different perspectives from the studies in literature to the current research topics.

Early signatures of regime shifts in complex dynamical systems

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2015-02-05

Feb 5, 2015 ... journal of. February 2015 ... populations, financial markets, complex diseases and gene circuits. ... A recent exhaustive analysis of recorded ecosystem shifts points to an approach- .... The quantitative estimation of these.

MOVING WINDOW SEGMENTATION FRAMEWORK FOR POINT CLOUDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Sithole

2012-07-01

Full Text Available As lidar point clouds become larger streamed processing becomes more attractive. This paper presents a framework for the streamed segmentation of point clouds with the intention of segmenting unstructured point clouds in real-time. The framework is composed of two main components. The first component segments points within a window shifting over the point cloud. The second component stitches the segments within the windows together. In this fashion a point cloud can be streamed through these two components in sequence, thus producing a segmentation. The algorithm has been tested on airborne lidar point cloud and some results of the performance of the framework are presented.

The Sentinel 4 focal plane subsystem

Science.gov (United States)

Hohn, Rüdiger; Skegg, Michael P.; Hermsen, Markus; Hinger, Jürgen; Williges, Christian; Reulke, Ralf

2017-09-01

The Sentinel 4 instrument is an imaging spectrometer, developed by Airbus under ESA contract in the frame of the joint European Union (EU)/ESA COPERNICUS program with the objective of monitoring trace gas concentrations. Sentinel 4 will provide accurate measurements of key atmospheric constituents such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, formaldehyde, as well as aerosol and cloud properties. Sentinel 4 is unique in being the first geostationary UVN mission. The SENTINEL 4 space segment will be integrated on EUMETSAT's Meteosat Third Generation Sounder satellite (MTG-S). Sentinel 4 will provide coverage of Europe and adjacent regions. The Sentinel 4 instrument comprises as a major element two Focal Plane Subsystems (FPS) covering the wavelength ranges 305 nm to 500 nm (UVVIS) and 750 nm to 775 nm (NIR) respectively. The paper describes the Focal Plane Subsystems, comprising the detectors, the optical bench and the control electronics. Further the design and development approach will be presented as well as first measurement results of FPS Qualification Model.

Focal Colonic FDG Activity with PET/CT: Guidelines for Recommendation of Colonoscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Tianye; Behr, Spencer; Khan, Sana; Osterhoff, Robert; Aparici, Carina Mari

2015-01-01

Focal 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) colonic activity can be incidentally seen in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans. Its clinical significance is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the significance of focal FDG activity in PET/CT scans by correlating the imaging findings to colonoscopy results, and come up with some guidelines for recommendation of follow-up colonoscopy. A total of 133 patients who underwent both 18 F-FDG PET/CT for different oncological indications and colonoscopy within 3 months were retrospectively studied. Imaging, colonoscopy and pathology results were analyzed. Of the 133 FDG-PET/CT scans, 109/133 (82%) did not show focal colonic FDG activity, and 24/133 (18%) did. Of the 109/133 PET/CTs without focal colonic FDG activity, 109/109 (100%) did not have evidence of colon cancer after colonoscopy and histology. Of the 24/133 PET/CTs with focal colonic FDG activity, 10/24 (42%) had pathologic confirmation of colon cancer and 14/24 (58%) did not have evidence of colon cancer after colonoscopy and histological analysis. Sensitivity was 10/10 (100%), specificity 109/123 (89%), positive predictive value (PPV) 10/24 (42%) and negative predictive value (NPV) 109/109 (100%). Incidental focal 18 FDG activity in PET/CT imaging shows a high sensitivity, specificity and NPV for malignancy, with a not so high PPV of 42%. Although some people would argue that a 42% chance of malignancy justifies colonoscopy, this maybe is not possible in all cases. However, the high sensitivity of the test does not allow these studies to be overlooked. We provide our recommendations as per when to send patients with focal FDG colonic activity to have further characterization with colonoscopy

Improved detection of focal pneumonia by chest radiography with bone suppression imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Feng; Engelmann, Roger; Pesce, Lorenzo; Armato, Samuel G.; MacMahon, Heber

2012-01-01

To evaluate radiologists' ability to detect focal pneumonia by use of standard chest radiographs alone compared with standard plus bone-suppressed chest radiographs. Standard chest radiographs in 36 patients with 46 focal airspace opacities due to pneumonia (10 patients had bilateral opacities) and 20 patients without focal opacities were included in an observer study. A bone suppression image processing system was applied to the 56 radiographs to create corresponding bone suppression images. In the observer study, eight observers, including six attending radiologists and two radiology residents, indicated their confidence level regarding the presence of a focal opacity compatible with pneumonia for each lung, first by use of standard images, then with the addition of bone suppression images. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the observers' performance. The mean value of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for eight observers was significantly improved from 0.844 with use of standard images alone to 0.880 with standard plus bone suppression images (P < 0.001) based on 46 positive lungs and 66 negative lungs. Use of bone suppression images improved radiologists' performance for detection of focal pneumonia on chest radiographs. (orig.)

Improved detection of focal pneumonia by chest radiography with bone suppression imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Feng; Engelmann, Roger; Pesce, Lorenzo; Armato, Samuel G.; MacMahon, Heber [University of Chicago, Department of Radiology, MC-2026, Chicago, IL (United States)

2012-12-15

To evaluate radiologists' ability to detect focal pneumonia by use of standard chest radiographs alone compared with standard plus bone-suppressed chest radiographs. Standard chest radiographs in 36 patients with 46 focal airspace opacities due to pneumonia (10 patients had bilateral opacities) and 20 patients without focal opacities were included in an observer study. A bone suppression image processing system was applied to the 56 radiographs to create corresponding bone suppression images. In the observer study, eight observers, including six attending radiologists and two radiology residents, indicated their confidence level regarding the presence of a focal opacity compatible with pneumonia for each lung, first by use of standard images, then with the addition of bone suppression images. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the observers' performance. The mean value of the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for eight observers was significantly improved from 0.844 with use of standard images alone to 0.880 with standard plus bone suppression images (P < 0.001) based on 46 positive lungs and 66 negative lungs. Use of bone suppression images improved radiologists' performance for detection of focal pneumonia on chest radiographs. (orig.)

Nodular focal fatty infiltration of the liver: CT appearance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, M.E.; Silverman, P.M.

1985-01-01

Focal fatty infiltration of the liver is a well recognized entity generally characterized by a nonspherical, low-density area without significant mass effect. CT usually distinguishes this from focal liver processes such as abscess or metastasis by its sharply marginated, geographic pattern and lack of mass effect on hepatic and portal veins. Recently, the authors formed a CT scan of the liver in one patient in whom fatty infiltration appeared nodular or rounded. The clinical presentation and radiographic and pathologic features form the basis of this report

The radiological features of Goltz syndrome: Focal dermal hypoplasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boothyrod, A.E.; Hall, C.M.

1988-01-01

Two female infants with Goltz syndrome (focal dermal hypoplasia) were recently investigated for severe feeding problems and failure to thrive. Both demonstrated severe skeletal malformations and marked gastrooesophageal reflux with laxity of the hiatus. One child (case 1) exhibited nasal regurgitation during feeding. Interestingly, both children had undergone surgery; Case 1 or a right parasagittal abdominal hernia associated with focal dermal hypoplasia of the abdominal wall and Case 2 for an exomphalos also associated with dermal hypoplasia. This observation suggests more widespread mesodermal abnormality. (orig./GDG)

Idiopathic focal epilepsies: the "lost tribe".

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Deb K; Ferrie, Colin; Addis, Laura; Akiyama, Tomoyuki; Capovilla, Giuseppe; Caraballo, Roberto; de Saint-Martin, Anne; Fejerman, Natalio; Guerrini, Renzo; Hamandi, Khalid; Helbig, Ingo; Ioannides, Andreas A; Kobayashi, Katsuhiro; Lal, Dennis; Lesca, Gaetan; Muhle, Hiltrud; Neubauer, Bernd A; Pisano, Tiziana; Rudolf, Gabrielle; Seegmuller, Caroline; Shibata, Takashi; Smith, Anna; Striano, Pasquale; Strug, Lisa J; Szepetowski, Pierre; Valeta, Thalia; Yoshinaga, Harumi; Koutroumanidis, Michalis

2016-09-01

The term idiopathic focal epilepsies of childhood (IFE) is not formally recognised by the ILAE in its 2010 revision (Berg et al., 2010), nor are its members and boundaries precisely delineated. The IFEs are amongst the most commonly encountered epilepsy syndromes affecting children. They are fascinating disorders that hold many "treats" for both clinicians and researchers. For example, the IFEs pose many of the most interesting questions central to epileptology: how are functional brain networks involved in the manifestation of epilepsy? What are the shared mechanisms of comorbidity between epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders? How do focal EEG discharges impact cognitive functioning? What explains the age-related expression of these syndromes? Why are EEG discharges and seizures so tightly locked to slow-wave sleep? In the last few decades, the clinical symptomatology and the respective courses of many IFEs have been described, although they are still not widely appreciated beyond the specialist community. Most neurologists would recognise the core syndromes of IFE to comprise: benign epilepsy of childhood with centro-temporal spikes or Rolandic epilepsy (BECTS/RE); Panayiotopoulos syndrome; and the idiopathic occipital epilepsies (Gastaut and photosensitive types). The Landau-Kleffner syndrome and the related (idiopathic) epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves in sleep (CSWS or ESES) are also often included, both as a consequence of the shared morphology of the interictal discharges and their potential evolution from core syndromes, for example, CSWS from BECTS. Atypical benign focal epilepsy of childhood also has shared electro-clinical features warranting inclusion. In addition, a number of less well-defined syndromes of IFE have been proposed, including benign childhood seizures with affective symptoms, benign childhood epilepsy with parietal spikes, benign childhood seizures with frontal or midline spikes, and benign focal seizures of adolescence. The

Aspectos clínicos y electroencefalográficos de la epilepsia focal en el niño Clinical and electroencephalographic features of focal epilepsy present in children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albia Pozo Alonso

2009-06-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCCIÓN. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue caracterizar un grupo de pacientes con epilepsias focales, según aspectos clínicos y electroencefalográficos. MÉTODOS. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y prospectivo de 185 niños con diagnóstico de epilepsia focal (2 o más crisis epilépticas no provocadas, con edades entre un mes y 14 años, que fueron hospitalizados en el Departamento de Neuropediatría del Hospital «William Soler» entre diciembre de 2001 y diciembre de 2003. RESULTADOS. La edad media de inicio de la primera crisis epiléptica fue de 5 años. El tipo de crisis epiléptica focal más frecuente fue la simple (49,2 %. El 48,6 % de los niños presentó etiología idiopática y el 33,0 % sintomática. Los factores de la etiología sintomática más frecuentes fueron los prenatales (56,2 %. El 91,4 % de los pacientes presentó electroencefalogramas iniciales interictales anormales. El electroencefalograma focal se observó en el 37,3 % de los niños y el multifocal en el 24,9 %. El síndrome epiléptico más frecuente fue la epilepsia benigna con puntas centrotemporales (5,9 %. CONCLUSIONES. Los niños con epilepsia focal tienen variadas manifestaciones clínicas y electroencefalográficas, y en la mayoría de los pacientes no es posible identificar un síndrome epiléptico.INTRODUCTION: The aim of present paper was to characterize a group of patients presenting with focal epilepsies by clinical and electroencephalographic features. METHODS: Authors made a descriptive and cross-sectional study in 185 children diagnosed with focal epilepsy (two or more non-provoked epilepsy crises, aged from one month to 14, admitted in Neurology Department of "William Soler" Children Hospital between December 2001 to December 2003. RESULTS: Mean age of the first epilepsy crisis was at 5 years. The more frequent type of focal epilepsy crisis was the simple one (49, 2%. The 48, 6% of children presented with a idiopathic origin, and the 33

Dual focal-spot imaging for phase extraction in phase-contrast radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donnelly, Edwin F.; Price, Ronald R.; Pickens, David R.

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate dual focal spot imaging as a method for extracting the phase component from a phase-contrast radiography image. All measurements were performed using a microfocus tungsten-target x-ray tube with an adjustable focal-spot size (0.01 mm to 0.045 mm). For each object, high-resolution digital radiographs were obtained with two different focal spot sizes to produce matched image pairs in which all other geometric variables as well as total exposure and tube kVp were held constant. For each image pair, a phase extraction was performed using pixel-wise division. The phase-extracted image resulted in an image similar to the standard image processing tool commonly referred to as 'unsharp masking' but with the additional edge-enhancement produced by phase-contrast effects. The phase-extracted image illustrates the differences between the two images whose imaging parameters differ only in focal spot size. The resulting image shows effects from both phase contrast as well as geometric unsharpness. In weakly attenuating materials the phase-contrast effect predominates, while in strongly attenuating materials the phase effects are so small that they are not detectable. The phase-extracted image in the strongly attenuating object reflects differences in geometric unsharpness. The degree of phase extraction depends strongly on the size of the smallest focal spot used. This technique of dual-focal spot phase-contrast radiography provides a simple technique for phase-component (edge) extraction in phase-contrast radiography. In strongly attenuating materials the phase-component is overwhelmed by differences in geometric unsharpness. In these cases the technique provides a form of unsharp masking which also accentuates the edges. Thus, the two effects are complimentary and may be useful in the detection of small objects

Clinical Significance of Focal Breast Lesions Incidentally Identified by 18F-FDG PET/CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Young Seok; Choi, Joon Young; Lee, Su Jin; Hyun, Seung Hyup; Lee, Ji Young; Choi, Yong; Choe, Yearn Seong; Lee, Kyung Han; Kim, Byung Tae

2008-01-01

We evaluated the incidence and malignant risk of focal breast lesions incidentally detected by 18 F-FDG PET/CT. Various PET/CT findings of the breast lesions were also analyzed to improve the differentiation between benign from malignant focal breast lesions. The subjects were 3,768 consecutive 18 F-FDG PET/CT exams performed in adult females without a history of breast cancer. A focal breast lesion was defined as a focal 18 F-FDG uptake or a focal nodular lesion on CT image irrespective of 18 F-FDG uptake in the breasts. The maximum SUV and CT pattern of focal breast lesions were evaluated, and were compared with final diagnosis. The incidence of focal breast lesions on PET/CT in adult female subjects was 1.4% (58 lesions in 53 subjects). In finally confirmed 53 lesions of 48 subjects, 11 lesions of 8 subjects (20.8%) were proven to be malignant. When the PET/CT patterns suggesting benignancy (maximum attenuation value > 75 HU or 20) were added as diagnostic criteria of PET/CT to differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions along with maximum SUV, the area under ROC curve of PET/CT was significantly increased compared with maximum SUV alone (0.680±0.093 vs. 0.786±0.076, p 18 F-FDG PET/CT is not low, deserving further diagnostic confirmation. Image interpretation considering both 18 F-FDG uptake and PET/CT pattern may be helpful to improve the differentiation from malignant and benign focal breast lesion

Mutations in KCNT1 cause a spectrum of focal epilepsies

Science.gov (United States)

Møller, Rikke S.; Heron, Sarah E.; Larsen, Line H. G.; Lim, Chiao Xin; Ricos, Michael G.; Bayly, Marta A.; van Kempen, Marjan J. A.; Klinkenberg, Sylvia; Andrews, Ian; Kelley, Kent; Ronen, Gabriel M.; Callen, David; McMahon, Jacinta M.; Yendle, Simone C.; Carvill, Gemma L.; Mefford, Heather C.; Nabbout, Rima; Poduri, Annapurna; Striano, Pasquale; Baglietto, Maria G.; Zara, Federico; Smith, Nicholas J.; Pridmore, Clair; Gardella, Elena; Nikanorova, Marina; Dahl, Hans Atli; Gellert, Pia; Scheffer, Ingrid E.; Gunning, Boudewijn; Kragh-Olsen, Bente; Dibbens, Leanne M.

2018-01-01

Summary Autosomal dominant mutations in the sodium-gated potassium channel subunit gene KCNT1 have been associated with two distinct seizure syndromes, nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (NFLE) and malignant migrating focal seizures of infancy (MMFSI). To further explore the phenotypic spectrum associated with KCNT1, we examined individuals affected with focal epilepsy or an epileptic encephalopathy for mutations in the gene. We identified KCNT1 mutations in 12 previously unreported patients with focal epilepsy, multifocal epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and in a family with sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), in addition to patients with NFLE and MMFSI. In contrast to the 100% penetrance so far reported for KCNT1 mutations, we observed incomplete penetrance. It is notable that we report that the one KCNT1 mutation, p.Arg398Gln, can lead to either of the two distinct phenotypes, ADNFLE or MMFSI, even within the same family. This indicates that genotype–phenotype relationships for KCNT1 mutations are not straightforward. We demonstrate that KCNT1 mutations are highly pleiotropic and are associated with phenotypes other than ADNFLE and MMFSI. KCNT1 mutations are now associated with Ohtahara syndrome, MMFSI, and nocturnal focal epilepsy. They may also be associated with multifocal epilepsy and cardiac disturbances. PMID:26122718

Focal Therapy: Patients, Interventions, and Outcomes—A Report from a Consensus Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

Donaldson, Ian A.; Alonzi, Roberto; Barratt, Dean; Barret, Eric; Berge, Viktor; Bott, Simon; Bottomley, David; Eggener, Scott; Ehdaie, Behfar; Emberton, Mark; Hindley, Richard; Leslie, Tom; Miners, Alec; McCartan, Neil; Moore, Caroline M.; Pinto, Peter; Polascik, Thomas J.; Simmons, Lucy; van der Meulen, Jan; Villers, Arnauld; Willis, Sarah; Ahmed, Hashim U.

2015-01-01

Background Focal therapy as a treatment option for localized prostate cancer (PCa) is an increasingly popular and rapidly evolving field. Objective To gather expert opinion on patient selection, interventions, and meaningful outcome measures for focal therapy in clinical practice and trial design. Design, setting, and participants Fifteen experts in focal therapy followed a modified two-stage RAND/University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Appropriateness Methodology process. All participants independently scored 246 statements prior to rescoring at a face-to-face meeting. The meeting occurred in June 2013 at the Royal Society of Medicine, London, supported by the Wellcome Trust and the UK Department of Health. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Agreement, disagreement, or uncertainty were calculated as the median panel score. Consensus was derived from the interpercentile range adjusted for symmetry level. Results and limitations Of 246 statements, 154 (63%) reached consensus. Items of agreement included the following: patients with intermediate risk and patients with unifocal and multifocal PCa are eligible for focal treatment; magnetic resonance imaging–targeted or template-mapping biopsy should be used to plan treatment; planned treatment margins should be 5 mm from the known tumor; prostate volume or age should not be a primary determinant of eligibility; foci of indolent cancer can be left untreated when treating the dominant index lesion; histologic outcomes should be defined by targeted biopsy at 1 yr; residual disease in the treated area of ≤3 mm of Gleason 3 + 3 did not need further treatment; and focal retreatment rates of ≤20% should be considered clinically acceptable but subsequent whole-gland therapy deemed a failure of focal therapy. All statements are expert opinion and therefore constitute level 5 evidence and may not reflect wider clinical consensus. Conclusions The landscape of PCa treatment is rapidly evolving with new

Revisiting the Body-Schema Concept in the Context of Whole-Body Postural-Focal Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Morasso, Pietro; Casadio, Maura; Mohan, Vishwanathan; Rea, Francesco; Zenzeri, Jacopo

2015-01-01

The body-schema concept is revisited in the context of embodied cognition, further developing the theory formulated by Marc Jeannerod that the motor system is part of a simulation network related to action, whose function is not only to shape the motor system for preparing an action (either overt or covert) but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility and the meaning of potential actions. The proposed computational formulation is based on a dynamical system approach, which is linked to an extension of the equilibrium-point hypothesis, called Passive Motor Paradigm: this dynamical system generates goal-oriented, spatio-temporal, sensorimotor patterns, integrating a direct and inverse internal model in a multi-referential framework. The purpose of such computational model is to operate at the same time as a general synergy formation machinery for planning whole-body actions in humanoid robots and/or for predicting coordinated sensory–motor patterns in human movements. In order to illustrate the computational approach, the integration of simultaneous, even partially conflicting tasks will be analyzed in some detail with regard to postural-focal dynamics, which can be defined as the fusion of a focal task, namely reaching a target with the whole-body, and a postural task, namely maintaining overall stability. PMID:25741274

Revisiting the body-schema concept in the context of whole-body postural-focal dynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Morasso, Pietro; Casadio, Maura; Mohan, Vishwanathan; Rea, Francesco; Zenzeri, Jacopo

2015-01-01

The body-schema concept is revisited in the context of embodied cognition, further developing the theory formulated by Marc Jeannerod that the motor system is part of a simulation network related to action, whose function is not only to shape the motor system for preparing an action (either overt or covert) but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility and the meaning of potential actions. The proposed computational formulation is based on a dynamical system approach, which is linked to an extension of the equilibrium-point hypothesis, called Passive Motor Paradigm: this dynamical system generates goal-oriented, spatio-temporal, sensorimotor patterns, integrating a direct and inverse internal model in a multi-referential framework. The purpose of such computational model is to operate at the same time as a general synergy formation machinery for planning whole-body actions in humanoid robots and/or for predicting coordinated sensory-motor patterns in human movements. In order to illustrate the computational approach, the integration of simultaneous, even partially conflicting tasks will be analyzed in some detail with regard to postural-focal dynamics, which can be defined as the fusion of a focal task, namely reaching a target with the whole-body, and a postural task, namely maintaining overall stability.

Revisiting the body-schema concept in the context of Whole-Body Postural-Focal Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro eMorasso

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The body schema concept is revisited in the context of embodied cognition, further developing the theory formulated by Marc Jeannerod that the motor system is part of a simulation network related to action, whose function is not only to shape the motor system for preparing an action (either overt or covert, but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility and the meaning of potential actions. The proposed computational formulation is based on a dynamical system approach, which is linked to an extension of the Equilibrium Point Hypothesis, called Passive Motor Paradigm: this dynamical system generates goal-oriented, spatio-temporal, sensorimotor patterns, integrating a direct and inverse internal model in a multi-referential framework. The purpose of such computational model is to operate at the same time as a general synergy formation machinery for planning whole-body actions in humanoid robots and/or for predicting coordinated sensory-motor patterns in human movements. In order to illustrate the computational approach, the integration of simultaneous, even partially conflicting tasks will be analyzed in some detail with regard to postural-focal dynamics, which can be defined as the fusion of a focal task, namely reaching a target with the whole-body, and a postural task, namely maintaining overall stability.

US and CT findings in splenic focal lesions in AIDS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schinina, V.; Rizzi, E.B.; Mazzuoli, G.; Bibbolilno, C.; David, V.

2000-01-01

To evaluate the role of US and CT in focal splenic lesions in AIDS patients in relation to etiology. Material and Methods: A total of 66 patients with AIDS and focal splenic lesions were examined with sonography. CT with administration of contrast medium was performed in 12 cases. Results: Of the focal splenic lesions, 67% were correlated with an infective pathology with prevalence of Mycobacteria tuberculosis (75%), 26% were neoplastic and 6% splenic infarcts. The lesions were hypoechoic in 60% of the cases, while 10% were hypoanechoic and 1% anechoic. At CT, all lesions appeared hypodense, even after i.v. administration of contrast medium. Conclusion: The combination of echographic reports and clinical and laboratory data allows for a diagnosis that can be confirmed, and making a decision for effective therapy of AIDS is possible. CT does not provide any additional information

Socio-economic perspectives on shifting cultivation landscapes in Northern Laos

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heinimann, Andreas; Hett, Cornelia; Hurni, Kaspar

2013-01-01

Despite the rapid agricultural transition that has occurred in the past decade, shifting cultivation remains a widespread agricultural practice in the northern uplands of Lao PDR. Little information is available on the basic socio-economic situation and respective possible patterns in shifting cu...... minorities, pointing to multi-dimensional marginality of these areas. We discuss whether economic growth and increased market accessibility are sufficient to lift these landscapes out of poverty....

MRI in assessing children with learning disability, focal findings, and reduced automaticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Urion, David K; Huff, Hanalise V; Carullo, Maria Paulina

2015-08-18

In children with clinically diagnosed learning disabilities with focal findings on neurologic or neuropsychological evaluations, there is a hypothesized association between disorders in automaticity and focal structural abnormalities observed in brain MRIs. We undertook a retrospective analysis of cases referred to a tertiary-hospital-based learning disabilities program. Individuals were coded as having a focal deficit if either neurologic or neuropsychological evaluation demonstrated focal dysfunction. Those with abnormal MRI findings were categorized based on findings. Children with abnormalities from each of these categories were compared in terms of deficits in automaticity, as measured by the tasks of Rapid Automatized Naming, Rapid Alternating Stimulus Naming, or the timed motor performance battery from the Physical and Neurological Examination for Soft Signs. Data were compared in children with and without disorders of automaticity regarding type of brain structure abnormality. Of the 1,587 children evaluated, 127 had a focal deficit. Eighty-seven had a brain MRI (52 on 1.5-tesla machines and 35 on 3.0-tesla machines). Forty of these images were found to be abnormal. These children were compared with a clinic sample of 150 patients with learning disabilities and no focal findings on examination, who also had undergone MRI. Only 5 of the latter group had abnormalities on MRI. Reduced verbal automaticity was associated with cerebellar abnormalities, whereas reduced automaticity on motor or motor and verbal tasks was associated with white matter abnormalities. Reduced automaticity of retrieval and slow timed motor performance appear to be highly associated with MRI findings. © 2015 American Academy of Neurology.

Profiles of cortical tissue depolarization in cat focal cerebral ischemia in relation to calcium ion homeostasis and nitric oxide production.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohta, K; Graf, R; Rosner, G; Heiss, W D

1997-11-01

Cortical depolarization was investigated in a topographic gradient of ischemic density after 1-hour transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in halothane-anesthetized cats. A laser Doppler flow probe, an ion-selective microelectrode, and a nitric oxide (NO) electrode measured regional CBF (rCBF), direct current (DC) potential, extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]o), and NO concentration in ectosylvian and suprasylvian gyri of nine animals. Recordings revealed 12 of 18 sites with persistent negative shifts of the DC potential, severe rCBF reduction, and a drop of [Ca2+]o characteristic for core regions of focal ischemia. Among these sites, two types were distinguished by further analysis. In Type 1 (n = 5), rapid, negative DC shifts resembled anoxic depolarization as described for complete global ischemia. In this type, ischemia was most severe (8.9 +/- 2.5% of control rCBF), [Ca2+]o dropped fast and deepest (0.48 +/- 0.20 mmol/L), and NO concentration increased transiently (36.1 +/- 24.0 nmol/L at 2.5 minutes), and decreased thereafter. In Type 2 (n = 7), the DC potential fell gradually over the first half of the ischemic episode, rCBF and [Ca2+]o reductions were smaller than in Type 1 (16.2 +/- 8.2%; 0.77 +/- 0.41 mmol/L), and NO increased continuously during ischemia (53.1 +/- 60.4 nmol/L at 60 minutes) suggesting that in this type NO most likely exerts its diverse actions on ischemia-threatened tissue. In the remaining six recording sites, a third type (Type 3) attributable to the ischemic periphery was characterized by minimal DC shifts, mild ischemia (37.2 +/- 13.3%), nonsignificant alterations of [Ca2+]o, but decreased NO concentrations during middle cerebral artery occlusion. Reperfusion returned the various parameters to baseline levels within 1 hour, the recovery of [Ca2+]o and NO concentration being delayed in Type 1. An NO synthase inhibitor (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine, 50 mg/kg intravenously; four animals) abolished NO elevation during ischemia. In

X-ray tube focal spot sizes: comprehensive studies of their measurement and effect of measured size in angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doi, K.; Loo, L.N.; Chan, H.P.

1982-01-01

Thirty-two focal spot sizes of four x-ray tubes were measured by the pinhole, star pattern, slit, and root-mean-square (RMS) methods under various exposure conditions. The modulation transfer functions (MTFs) and line spread functions (LSFs) were also determined. The star pattern focal spot sizes agreed with the effective sizes calculated from the frequencies at the first minimum of the MTF within 0.04 mm for large focal spots and within 0.01 mm for small focal spots. The focal spot size determined by the slit method was approximately equal to the width of the LSF at the cutoff level of 0.15 +/- 0.06 of the peak value. The RMS method provided the best correlation between the measured focal spot sizes and the corresponding image distributions of blood vessels. The pinhole and slit methods tended to overestimate the focal spot size, but the star pattern method tended to underestimate it. For approximately 90% of the focal spots, the average of the star and slit (or pinhole) focal spot sizes agreed with the RMS focal spot size within +/- 0.1 mm

Focal plane scanner with reciprocating spatial window

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Chengye (Inventor)

2000-01-01

A focal plane scanner having a front objective lens, a spatial window for selectively passing a portion of the image therethrough, and a CCD array for receiving the passed portion of the image. All embodiments have a common feature whereby the spatial window and CCD array are mounted for simultaneous relative reciprocating movement with respect to the front objective lens, and the spatial window is mounted within the focal plane of the front objective. In a first embodiment, the spatial window is a slit and the CCD array is one-dimensional, and successive rows of the image in the focal plane of the front objective lens are passed to the CCD array by an image relay lens interposed between the slit and the CCD array. In a second embodiment, the spatial window is a slit, the CCD array is two-dimensional, and a prism-grating-prism optical spectrometer is interposed between the slit and the CCD array so as to cause the scanned row to be split into a plurality of spectral separations onto the CCD array. In a third embodiment, the CCD array is two-dimensional and the spatial window is a rectangular linear variable filter (LVF) window, so as to cause the scanned rows impinging on the LVF to be bandpass filtered into spectral components onto the CCD array through an image relay lens interposed between the LVF and the CCD array.

Evaluation of focused ultrasound algorithms: Issues for reducing pre-focal heating and treatment time.

Science.gov (United States)

Yiannakou, Marinos; Trimikliniotis, Michael; Yiallouras, Christos; Damianou, Christakis

2016-02-01

Due to the heating in the pre-focal field the delay between successive movements in high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) are sometimes as long as 60s, resulting to treatment time in the order of 2-3h. Because there is generally a requirement to reduce treatment time, we were motivated to explore alternative transducer motion algorithms in order to reduce pre-focal heating and treatment time. A 1 MHz single element transducer with 4 cm diameter and 10 cm focal length was used. A simulation model was developed that estimates the temperature, thermal dose and lesion development in the pre-focal field. The simulated temperature history that was combined with the motion algorithms produced thermal maps in the pre-focal region. Polyacrylimde gel phantom was used to evaluate the induced pre-focal heating for each motion algorithm used, and also was used to assess the accuracy of the simulation model. Three out of the six algorithms having successive steps close to each other, exhibited severe heating in the pre-focal field. Minimal heating was produced with the algorithms having successive steps apart from each other (square, square spiral and random). The last three algorithms were improved further (with small cost in time), thus eliminating completely the pre-focal heating and reducing substantially the treatment time as compared to traditional algorithms. Out of the six algorithms, 3 were successful in eliminating the pre-focal heating completely. Because these 3 algorithms required no delay between successive movements (except in the last part of the motion), the treatment time was reduced by 93%. Therefore, it will be possible in the future, to achieve treatment time of focused ultrasound therapies shorter than 30 min. The rate of ablated volume achieved with one of the proposed algorithms was 71 cm(3)/h. The intention of this pilot study was to demonstrate that the navigation algorithms play the most important role in reducing pre-focal heating. By evaluating in

ADAMTS9-Regulated Pericellular Matrix Dynamics Governs Focal Adhesion-Dependent Smooth Muscle Differentiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy J. Mead

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: Focal adhesions anchor cells to extracellular matrix (ECM and direct assembly of a pre-stressed actin cytoskeleton. They act as a cellular sensor and regulator, linking ECM to the nucleus. Here, we identify proteolytic turnover of the anti-adhesive proteoglycan versican as a requirement for maintenance of smooth muscle cell (SMC focal adhesions. Using conditional deletion in mice, we show that ADAMTS9, a secreted metalloprotease, is required for myometrial activation during late gestation and for parturition. Through knockdown of ADAMTS9 in uterine SMC, and manipulation of pericellular versican via knockdown or proteolysis, we demonstrate that regulated pericellular matrix dynamics is essential for focal adhesion maintenance. By influencing focal adhesion formation, pericellular versican acts upstream of cytoskeletal assembly and SMC differentiation. Thus, pericellular versican proteolysis by ADAMTS9 balances pro- and anti-adhesive forces to maintain an SMC phenotype, providing a concrete example of the dynamic reciprocity of cells and their ECM. : Mead et al. identify a proteolytic mechanism that actively maintains a pericellular microenvironment conducive to uterine smooth muscle activation prior to parturition. They show that pericellular matrix proteolysis by the secreted metalloprotease ADAMTS9 is crucial for maintenance of focal adhesions in uterine smooth muscle cells, and its absence impairs parturition. Keywords: metalloprotease, extracellular matrix, smooth muscle, proteoglycan, myometrium, parturition, uterus, focal adhesion, proteolysis, interference reflection microscopy

An algorithm for engineering regime shifts in one-dimensional dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, James P. L.

2018-01-01

Regime shifts are discontinuous transitions between stable attractors hosting a system. They can occur as a result of a loss of stability in an attractor as a bifurcation is approached. In this work, we consider one-dimensional dynamical systems where attractors are stable equilibrium points. Relying on critical slowing down signals related to the stability of an equilibrium point, we present an algorithm for engineering regime shifts such that a system may escape an undesirable attractor into a desirable one. We test the algorithm on synthetic data from a one-dimensional dynamical system with a multitude of stable equilibrium points and also on a model of the population dynamics of spruce budworms in a forest. The algorithm and other ideas discussed here contribute to an important part of the literature on exercising greater control over the sometimes unpredictable nature of nonlinear systems.

The Power of Poincar\\'e: Elucidating the Hidden Symmetries in Focal Conic Domains

OpenAIRE

Alexander, Gareth P.; Chen, Bryan Gin-ge; Matsumoto, Elisabetta A.; Kamien, Randall D.

2010-01-01

Focal conic domains are typically the "smoking gun" by which smectic liquid crystalline phases are identified. The geometry of the equally-spaced smectic layers is highly generic but, at the same time, difficult to work with. In this Letter we develop an approach to the study of focal sets in smectics which exploits a hidden Poincar\\'e symmetry revealed only by viewing the smectic layers as projections from one-higher dimension. We use this perspective to shed light upon several classic focal...

A Micro-Thermal Sensor for Focal Therapy Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Natesan, Harishankar; Hodges, Wyatt; Choi, Jeunghwan; Lubner, Sean; Dames, Chris; Bischof, John

2016-02-01

There is an urgent need for sensors deployed during focal therapies to inform treatment planning and in vivo monitoring in thin tissues. Specifically, the measurement of thermal properties, cooling surface contact, tissue thickness, blood flow and phase change with mm to sub mm accuracy are needed. As a proof of principle, we demonstrate that a micro-thermal sensor based on the supported “3ω” technique can achieve this in vitro under idealized conditions in 0.5 to 2 mm thick tissues relevant to cryoablation of the pulmonary vein (PV). To begin with “3ω” sensors were microfabricated onto flat glass as an idealization of a focal probe surface. The sensor was then used to make new measurements of ‘k’ (W/m.K) of porcine PV, esophagus, and phrenic nerve, all needed for PV cryoabalation treatment planning. Further, by modifying the sensor use from traditional to dynamic mode new measurements related to tissue vs. fluid (i.e. water) contact, fluid flow conditions, tissue thickness, and phase change were made. In summary, the in vitro idealized system data presented is promising and warrants future work to integrate and test supported “3ω” sensors on in vivo deployed focal therapy probe surfaces (i.e. balloons or catheters).

Shift Colors

Science.gov (United States)

Publications & News Shift Colors Pages default Sign In NPC Logo Banner : Shift Colors Search Navy Personnel Command > Reference Library > Publications & News > Shift Colors Top Link Bar Navy Personnel Library Expand Reference Library Quick Launch Shift Colors Shift Colors Archives Mailing Address How to

Role of scintigraphy in focally abnormal sonograms of fatty livers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lisbona, R.; Mishkin, S.; Derbekyan, V.; Novales-Diaz, J.A.; Roy, A.; Sanders, L.

1988-01-01

Fatty infiltration of the liver may cause a range of focal abnormalities on hepatic sonography which may simulate hepatic nodular lesions. Discrete deposits of fat or islands of normal tissue which are uninvolved by fatty infiltration may stand out as potential space-occupying lesions on the sonograms. Twelve patients with such focally abnormal ultrasound images were referred for liver scintigraphy with 133 Xe and /sup 99m/Tc colloidal SPECT studies to clarify the issue. These examinations helped identify, in nine of 12 patients, the innocent nature of the sonographic abnormalities which were simply related to the fat deposition process. Further, [/sup 99m/Tc]RBC scans defined the additional pathologic process in three patients in whom actual space-occupying lesions were indeed present in the liver. Scintigraphy has an important role to play in the understanding of focal hepatic ultrasound abnormalities particularly in unsuspected hepatic steatosis

Role of scintigraphy in focally abnormal sonograms of fatty livers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lisbona, R.; Mishkin, S.; Derbekyan, V.; Novales-Diaz, J.A.; Roy, A.; Sanders, L.

1988-06-01

Fatty infiltration of the liver may cause a range of focal abnormalities on hepatic sonography which may simulate hepatic nodular lesions. Discrete deposits of fat or islands of normal tissue which are uninvolved by fatty infiltration may stand out as potential space-occupying lesions on the sonograms. Twelve patients with such focally abnormal ultrasound images were referred for liver scintigraphy with /sup 133/Xe and /sup 99m/Tc colloidal SPECT studies to clarify the issue. These examinations helped identify, in nine of 12 patients, the innocent nature of the sonographic abnormalities which were simply related to the fat deposition process. Further, (/sup 99m/Tc)RBC scans defined the additional pathologic process in three patients in whom actual space-occupying lesions were indeed present in the liver. Scintigraphy has an important role to play in the understanding of focal hepatic ultrasound abnormalities particularly in unsuspected hepatic steatosis.

The role of executive functioning in memory performance in pediatric focal epilepsy

Science.gov (United States)

Sepeta, Leigh N.; Casaletto, Kaitlin Blackstone; Terwilliger, Virginia; Facella-Ervolini, Joy; Sady, Maegan; Mayo, Jessica; Gaillard, William D.; Berl, Madison M.

2016-01-01

Objective Learning and memory are essential for academic success and everyday functioning, but the pattern of memory skills and its relationship to executive functioning in children with focal epilepsy is not fully delineated. We address a gap in the literature by examining the relationship between memory and executive functioning in a pediatric focal epilepsy population. Methods Seventy children with focal epilepsy and 70 typically developing children matched on age, intellectual functioning, and gender underwent neuropsychological assessment, including measures of intelligence (WASI/DAS), as well as visual (CMS Dot Locations) and verbal episodic memory (WRAML Story Memory and CVLT-C). Executive functioning was measured directly (WISC-IV Digit Span Backward; CELF-IV Recalling Sentences) and by parent report (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF)). Results Children with focal epilepsy had lower delayed free recall scores than controls across visual and verbal memory tasks (p = 0.02; partial η2 = .12). In contrast, recognition memory performance was similar for patients and controls (p = 0.36; partial η2 = .03). Children with focal epilepsy demonstrated difficulties in working memory (p = 0.02; partial η2 = .08) and planning/organization (p = 0.02) compared to controls. Working memory predicted 9–19% of the variance in delayed free recall for verbal and visual memory; organization predicted 9–10% of the variance in verbal memory. Patients with both left and right focal epilepsy demonstrated more difficulty on verbal versus visual tasks (p = 0.002). Memory performance did not differ by location of seizure foci (temporal vs. extra-temporal, frontal vs. extra-frontal). Significance Children with focal epilepsy demonstrated memory ability within age-level expectations, but delayed free recall was inefficient compared to typically developing controls. Memory difficulties were not related to general cognitive impairment or seizure localization

Electrophysiological and pathological study of focal cortical dysplasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodozuka, Akira; Hashizume, Kiyotaka; Hayashi, Yoshimitsu; Tanaka, Tatsuya

2008-01-01

Clinical and experimental studies on focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) were carried out. For the experimental study, an experimental FCD model of rats was developed. Twenty Wistar rats at 0-2 days after birth were used for the study. Kainic acid (KA) solution was injected stereotaxically into medial and lateral sites of the sensori-motor cortex. Bipolar electrodes were inserted. The behavior of the rats and electroencephalography (EEG) were recorded using a digital video-EEG monitoring system. After observation periods of 1, 2 and 6 months, the rats were perfused for pathological study. FCD was observed adjacent to the site of KA injection in all rats more than one month after the injection. EEG recording demonstrated focal spike discharges in and around the site of injection. However, clinical seizure was not observed. Pathological studies showed decrease in gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptors and increase in GABA-B receptors not only in the lesion but also in perilesional areas. Fifteen surgical cases of FCD with intractable epilepsy were included in the clinical study. Neuro-imaging studies including high-resolution MRI and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) were performed. Conventional EEG studies demonstrated focal EEG abnormalities with epileptic phenomena. At surgery, intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG) was performed in order to localize epileptic foci under neuroleptanalgesia. Fourteen patients showed epileptiform discharges on preresection ECoG. All foci in non-eloquent areas were resected. Pathological studies including immunohistochemical staining were performed, and characteristics of the FCD in relation to EEG findings were analyzed. Electrophysiological examination revealed epileptogenecity not only in the lesions but also in perilesional areas. In the lesions, immunohistochemical studies showed decrease in GABA-A receptors and increase in GABA-B receptors in both the lesions and perilesional areas, but N

Fundamental parameters approach applied to focal construct geometry for X-ray diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, K.; Evans, P.; Prokopiou, D.; Dicken, A.; Godber, S.; Rogers, J.

2012-01-01

A novel geometry for the acquisition of powder X-ray diffraction data, referred to as focal construct geometry (FCG), is presented. Diffraction data obtained by FCG have been shown to possess significantly enhanced intensity due to the hollow tube beam arrangement utilized. In contrast to conventional diffraction, the detector is translated to collect images along a primary axis and record the location of Bragg maxima. These high intensity condensation foci are unique to FCG and appear due to the convergence of Debye cones at single points on the primary axis. This work focuses on a two dimensional, fundamental parameter's approach to simulate experimental data and subsequently aid with interpretation. This convolution method is shown to favorably reproduce the experimental diffractograms and can also accommodate preferred orientation effects in some circumstances.

Pathogenesis of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beom Jin Lim

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS is characterized by focal and segmental obliteration of glomerular capillary tufts with increased matrix. FSGS is classified as collapsing, tip, cellular, perihilar and not otherwise specified variants according to the location and character of the sclerotic lesion. Primary or idiopathic FSGS is considered to be related to podocyte injury, and the pathogenesis of podocyte injury has been actively investigated. Several circulating factors affecting podocyte permeability barrier have been proposed, but not proven to cause FSGS. FSGS may also be caused by genetic alterations. These genes are mainly those regulating slit diaphragm structure, actin cytoskeleton of podocytes, and foot process structure. The mode of inheritance and age of onset are different according to the gene involved. Recently, the role of parietal epithelial cells (PECs has been highlighted. Podocytes and PECs have common mesenchymal progenitors, therefore, PECs could be a source of podocyte repopulation after podocyte injury. Activated PECs migrate along adhesion to the glomerular tuft and may also contribute to the progression of sclerosis. Markers of activated PECs, including CD44, could be used to distinguish FSGS from minimal change disease. The pathogenesis of FSGS is very complex; however, understanding basic mechanisms of podocyte injury is important not only for basic research, but also for daily diagnostic pathology practice.

Focal skin defect, limb anomalies and microphthalmia.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jackson, K.E.; Andersson, H.C.

2004-01-01

We describe two unrelated female patients with congenital single focal skin defects, unilateral microphthalmia and limb anomalies. Growth and psychomotor development were normal and no brain malformation was detected. Although eye and limb anomalies are commonly associated, clinical anophthalmia and

A point focusing double parabolic trough concentrator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphree, Quincy C. [Kentucky Mountain Bible College, Vancleve, KY (United States)

2001-07-01

This article shows that a point focusing solar concentrator can be made from two reflective parabolic troughs, a primary and a secondary, by orienting their longitudinal axes in perpendicular directions and separating them by the difference of their focal lengths along the optical axis. This offers a new alternative to the conventional 3-D paraboloidal concentrator permitting more flexibility in designs for applications requiring high concentrations. Both advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The intensity concentration ratio distribution is calculated in the focal plane and has elliptically shaped contours due to the inherent compensation of errant rays by the concave secondary. The ratio of the major to minor axes was 2.61 for the case considered, resulting in a concentration {approx}2.61 times that of a comparable concentrator without the compensation afforded by a concave secondary. Still, geometrical constraints limit the concentration to about 2000 suns for mirror quality errors of 5 mr. Optimisation of the compensation effect holds potential for improved performance for other concentrator designs. Finally, the functional dependence of the peak concentration and shading factor upon design parameters are presented. (Author)

Relationship between thyroid stimulating hormone and night shift work.

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, So-Hyun; Lee, Bum-Joon; Kim, Seong-Jin; Kim, Hwan-Cheol

2016-01-01

Night shift work has well-known adverse effects on health. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between thyroid diseases and night shift work. This study aimed to examine night shift workers and their changes in thyroid stimulating hormones (TSH) levels over time. Medical check-up data (2011-2015) were obtained from 967 female workers at a university hospital in Incheon, Korea. Data regarding TSH levels were extracted from the records, and 2015 was used as a reference point to determine night shift work status. The relationships between TSH levels and night shift work in each year were analyzed using the general linear model (GLM). The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to evaluate the repeated measurements over the 5-year period. The GEE analysis revealed that from 2011 to 2015, night shift workers had TSH levels that were 0.303 mIU/L higher than the levels of non-night shift workers (95 % CI: 0.087-0.519 mIU/L, p  = 0.006) after adjusting for age and department. When we used TSH levels of 4.5 ≥ mIU/L to identify subclinical hypothyroidism, night shift workers exhibited a 1.399 fold higher risk of subclinical hypothyroidism (95 % CI: 1.050-1.863, p  = 0.022), compared to their non-night shift counterparts. This result of this study suggests that night shift workers may have an increased risk of thyroid diseases, compared to non-night shift workers.

Howard S. Becker, La Bonne focale. De l’utilité des cas particuliers en sciences sociales

OpenAIRE

Feryn, Mathieu

2017-01-01

Comment peut-on comprendre de longs processus que nous observons sur le terrain dans le cadre des enquêtes menées en sciences humaines et sociales ? Rédigé par Howard S. Becker, l’ouvrage La Bonne focale. De l’utilité des cas particuliers en sciences sociales illustre la manière dont le sociologue de terrain investit sa recherche en étudiant des cas particuliers. Faisant le point sur sa méthodologie et son évolution depuis les trente dernières années ; d’une part, l’auteur met en relation ses...

Trends in shifting cultivation and the REDD mechanism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mertz, Ole

2009-01-01

of the transitions taking place. The proposed mechanism for reduced greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) can be both a challenge and opportunity for shifting cultivators. Very limited literature is available on this dilemma, but a few sources point to benefits from ‘compensated...

Formation of multiple focal spots using a high NA lens with a complex spiral phase mask

Science.gov (United States)

Lalithambigai, K.; Anbarasan, P. M.; Rajesh, K. B.

2014-07-01

The formation of a transversally polarized beam by transmitting a tightly focused double-ring-shaped azimuthally polarized beam through a complex spiral phase mask and high numerical aperture lens is presented based on vector diffraction theory. The generation of transversally polarized focal spot segment splitting and multiple focal spots is illustrated numerically. Moreover, we found that a properly designed complex spiral phase mask can move the focal spots along the optical axis in the z direction. Therefore, one can achieve a focal segment of two, three or multiple completely transversely polarized focal spots, which finds applications in optical trapping and in material processing technologies.

Lanthanide shift reagents, binding, shift mechanisms and exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boer, J.W.M. de

1977-01-01

Paramagnetic lanthanide shift reagents, when added to a solution of a substrate, induce shifts in the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrum of the substrate molecules. The induced shifts contain information about the structure of the shift reagent substrate complex. The structural information, however, may be difficult to extract because of the following effects: (1) different complexes between shift reagent and substrate may be present in solution, e.g. 1:1 and 1:2 complexes, and the shift observed is a weighed average of the shifts of the substrate nuclei in the different complexes; (2) the Fermi contact interaction, arising from the spin density at the nucleus, contributes to the induced shift; (3) chemical exchange effects may complicate the NMR spectrum. In this thesis, the results of an investigation into the influence of these effects on the NMR spectra of solutions containing a substrate and LSR are presented. The equations describing the pseudo contact and the Fermi contact shift are derived. In addition, it is shown how the modified Bloch equations describing the effect of the chemical exchange processes occurring in the systems studied can be reduced to the familiar equations for a two-site exchange case. The binding of mono- and bifunctional ethers to the shift reagent are reported. An analysis of the induced shifts is given. Finally, the results of the experiments performed to study the exchange behavior of dimethoxyethane and heptafluorodimethyloctanedionato ligands are presented

Taxonomy of multi-focal nematode image stacks by a CNN based image fusion approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Min; Wang, Xueping; Zhang, Hongzhong

2018-03-01

In the biomedical field, digital multi-focal images are very important for documentation and communication of specimen data, because the morphological information for a transparent specimen can be captured in form of a stack of high-quality images. Given biomedical image stacks containing multi-focal images, how to efficiently extract effective features from all layers to classify the image stacks is still an open question. We present to use a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) image fusion based multilinear approach for the taxonomy of multi-focal image stacks. A deep CNN based image fusion technique is used to combine relevant information of multi-focal images within a given image stack into a single image, which is more informative and complete than any single image in the given stack. Besides, multi-focal images within a stack are fused along 3 orthogonal directions, and multiple features extracted from the fused images along different directions are combined by canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Because multi-focal image stacks represent the effect of different factors - texture, shape, different instances within the same class and different classes of objects, we embed the deep CNN based image fusion method within a multilinear framework to propose an image fusion based multilinear classifier. The experimental results on nematode multi-focal image stacks demonstrated that the deep CNN image fusion based multilinear classifier can reach a higher classification rate (95.7%) than that by the previous multilinear based approach (88.7%), even we only use the texture feature instead of the combination of texture and shape features as in the previous work. The proposed deep CNN image fusion based multilinear approach shows great potential in building an automated nematode taxonomy system for nematologists. It is effective to classify multi-focal image stacks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Changes on diffusion-weighted MRI with focal motor status epilepticus: case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loevblad, K.O.; Senn, P.; Zutter, D.; Bassetti, C.; Donati, F.; Loevblad, K.O.; Zeller, O.; Schroth, G.

2003-01-01

Transient imaging abnormalities, including changes on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), may be seen in focal status epilepticus. The changes on DWI provide an insight into the pathophysiology. We report a 53-year-old man with focal motor status epilepticus involving the left hand, arm and face with focal slowing on EEG. The apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were higher in the affected hemisphere than on the other side. At 10 days and 6 weeks after the end of the seizures, we saw normal ADCs and atrophy of the affected hemisphere. We conclude that the MRI findings indicate both cytotoxic and vasogenic oedema during seizure activity and subsequent loss of brain parenchyma. (orig.)

Changes on diffusion-weighted MRI with focal motor status epilepticus: case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loevblad, K O [Neuroradiology, Radiodiagnostic, Hopital Cantonal de Geneve HUG, Geneve (Switzerland); Senn, P; Zutter, D; Bassetti, C; Donati, F [Dept. of Neurology, Inselspital, Univ. Hospital, Berne (Switzerland); Loevblad, K O; Zeller, O; Schroth, G [Div. of Neuroradiology, Inselspital, Univ. Hospital, Berne (Switzerland)

2003-04-01

Transient imaging abnormalities, including changes on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), may be seen in focal status epilepticus. The changes on DWI provide an insight into the pathophysiology. We report a 53-year-old man with focal motor status epilepticus involving the left hand, arm and face with focal slowing on EEG. The apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were higher in the affected hemisphere than on the other side. At 10 days and 6 weeks after the end of the seizures, we saw normal ADCs and atrophy of the affected hemisphere. We conclude that the MRI findings indicate both cytotoxic and vasogenic oedema during seizure activity and subsequent loss of brain parenchyma. (orig.)

Assessment of Macular Function during Vitrectomy: New Approach Using Intraoperative Focal Macular Electroretinograms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celso Soiti Matsumoto

Full Text Available To describe a new technique to record focal macular electroretinograms (FMERGs during vitrectomy to assess macular function.Intraoperative FMERGs (iFMERGs were recorded in ten patients (10 eyes who undergo vitrectomy. iFMERGs were elicited by focal macular stimulation. The stimulus light was directed to the macular area through a 25 gauge (25G glass fiber optic bundle. Background light was delivered through a dual chandelier-type light fiber probe. Focal macular responses elicited with combinations of stimulus and background luminances were analyzed.A stimulus luminance that was approximately 1.75 log units brighter than the background light was able to elicit focal macular responses that were not contaminated by stray light responses. Thus, a stimulus luminance of 160 cd/m2 delivered on a background of 3 cd/m2 elicited iFMEGs from only the stimulated area. This combination of stimulus and background luminances did not elicit a response when the stimulus was projected onto the optic nerve head. The iFMERGs elicited by a 10° stimulus with a duration of 100 ms and an interstimulus interval of 150 ms consisted of an a-, b-, and d-waves, the oscillatory potentials, and the photopic negative response (PhNR.Focal ERGs with all components can be recorded from the macula and other retinal areas during vitreous surgery. This new technique will allow surgeons to assess the function of focal areas of the retina intraoperatively.

Prior task experience and comparable stimulus exposure nullify focal and nonfocal prospective memory retrieval differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Hicks, Jason L; Franks, Bryan A; Spitler, Samantha N

2017-10-01

We explored the nature of focal versus nonfocal event-based prospective memory retrieval. In the context of a lexical decision task, people received an intention to respond to a single word (focal) in one condition and to a category label (nonfocal) for the other condition. Participants experienced both conditions, and their order was manipulated. The focal instruction condition was a single word presented multiple times. In Experiment 1, the stimuli in the nonfocal condition were different exemplars from a category, each presented once. In the nonfocal condition retrieval was poorer and reaction times were slower during the ongoing task as compared to the focal condition, replicating prior findings. In Experiment 2, the stimulus in the nonfocal condition was a single category exemplar repeated multiple times. When this single-exemplar nonfocal condition followed in time the single-item focal condition, focal versus nonfocal performance was virtually indistinguishable. These results demonstrate that people can modify their stimulus processing and expectations in event-based prospective memory tasks based on experience with the nature of prospective cues and with the ongoing task.

Hiperceratose focal acral associada à hipocromia de dermatóglifos Focal acral hyperkeratosis with hypochromic dermatoglyphics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto Rheingantz da Cunha Filho

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Hiperceratose focal acral é dermatose rara caracterizada por pápulas ceratóticas acrais que afetam preferencialmente as superfícies marginais das mãos e dos pés, pertencendo ao grupo das hiperceratoses marginais. Apresentamos variante inédita de mulher de 45 anos de idade, branca, dona-de-casa, sem história familiar, com lesões ceratóticas papulosas localizadas nos pés e hipocromia de dermatóglifos na região afetada. Histologicamente apresentou hiperortoceratose, desnível da epiderme (degrau, acantose e hipergranulose. Os tratamentos com ceratolíticos tópicos foram ineficientes, de forma semelhante aos casos descritos na literatura atual.Focal acral hyperkeratosis is a rare condition, characterized by acral keratotic papules that preferably affect hand and foot surfaces, and are included in the spectrum of marginal papular keratodermas. We report an unpublished variant of this condition, the case of a 45-year-old Caucasian woman with acral keratotic papular lesions and hypochromic dermatoglyphics in the feet. Histological examination revealed orthohyperkeratosis, depression of the epidermis, acanthosis and hypergranulosis. Topical treatments with keratolytics were ineffective, similarly to previously described cases.

Tilt shift determinations with spatial-carrier phase-shift method in temporal phase-shift interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Qian; Wang, Yang; He, Jianguo; Ji, Fang; Wang, Baorui

2014-01-01

An algorithm is proposed to deal with tilt-shift errors in temporal phase-shift interferometry (PSI). In the algorithm, the tilt shifts are detected with the spatial-carrier phase-shift (SCPS) method and then the tilt shifts are applied as priori information to the least-squares fittings of phase retrieval. The algorithm combines the best features of the SCPS and the temporal PSI. The algorithm could be applied to interferograms of arbitrary aperture without data extrapolation for the Fourier transform is not involved. Simulations and experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm. The statistics of simulation results show a satisfied accuracy in detecting tilt-shift errors. Comparisons of the measurements with and without environmental vibration show that the proposed algorithm could compensate tilt-shift errors and retrieve wavefront phase accurately. The algorithm provides an approach to retrieve wavefront phase for the temporal PSI in vibrating environment. (paper)

Fabrication of Transition Edge Sensor Microcalorimeters for X-Ray Focal Planes

Science.gov (United States)

Chervenak, James A.; Adams, Joseph S.; Audley, Heather; Bandler, Simon R.; Betancourt-Martinez, Gabriele; Eckart, Megan E.; Finkbeiner, Fred M.; Kelley, Richard L.; Kilbourne, Caroline; Lee, Sang Jun;

The use of waveform shapes to automatically determine earthquake focal depth

Science.gov (United States)

Sipkin, S.A.

2000-01-01

Earthquake focal depth is an important parameter for rapidly determining probable damage caused by a large earthquake. In addition, it is significant both for discriminating between natural events and explosions and for discriminating between tsunamigenic and nontsunamigenic earthquakes. For the purpose of notifying emergency management and disaster relief organizations as well as issuing tsunami warnings, potential time delays in determining source parameters are particularly detrimental. We present a method for determining earthquake focal depth that is well suited for implementation in an automated system that utilizes the wealth of broadband teleseismic data that is now available in real time from the global seismograph networks. This method uses waveform shapes to determine focal depth and is demonstrated to be valid for events with magnitudes as low as approximately 5.5.

Focal perinatal acquired brain injury - a sonographic study of the course

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Franek, A.

1985-06-01

A case of a perinatal acquired focal brain lesion is reported, and the process of resorption and healing demonstrated by ultrasound. Within four weeks a cortical area of increased echogenicity was resorbed. After two months, the resulting porencephalic cyst had been transformed into glial tissue of very high echogenicity. The neurologic development of two children with such glial focus was good. These cases demonstrate that porencephalic cysts are not always the final state after resorption of a focal brain lesion. They are no reliable prognostic indicator of poor neurological outcome. Traumatic and complicated delivery, asphyxia and coagulopathy are conditions which have been found several times in connection with a focal brain lesion. In contrast to periventricular injury, prematurity does not seem to be a factor of higher risk.

Power of the Poincare Group: Elucidating the Hidden Symmetries in Focal Conic Domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, Gareth P.; Chen, Bryan Gin-ge; Matsumoto, Elisabetta A.; Kamien, Randall D.

2010-01-01

Focal conic domains are typically the 'smoking gun' by which smectic liquid crystalline phases are identified. The geometry of the equally spaced smectic layers is highly generic but, at the same time, difficult to work with. In this Letter we develop an approach to the study of focal sets in smectics which exploits a hidden Poincare symmetry revealed only by viewing the smectic layers as projections from one-higher dimension. We use this perspective to shed light upon several classic focal conic textures, including the concentric cyclides of Dupin, polygonal textures, and tilt-grain boundaries.

Systemic focal epileptogenesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Remler, M.P.; Marcussen, W.H.

1986-01-01

Rats that receive radiation to 0.25 cc of one cerebral hemisphere are clinically and electroencephalographically normal until there is a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) at 3 to 6 months postradiation. This BBB lesion can be detected by transient focal seizure activity produced by the BBB-excluded systemic convulsant bicuculline methiodide. In two rats the seizure activity induced by this one injection was self-sustaining. In seven of 15 other rats tested, the subsequent administration of repeated 2 mg/kg injections created a chronic focus that continued to spike with great frequency for 3 weeks or more without further administration of any convulsant. In three of eight other rats, implanted minipumps delivering 180 micrograms/h of bicuculline methiodide produced self-sustaining epileptic activity.

X-ray focal spot reconstruction by circular penumbra analysis-Application to digital radiography systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Domenico, Giovanni; Cardarelli, Paolo; Contillo, Adriano; Taibi, Angelo; Gambaccini, Mauro

2016-01-01

The quality of a radiography system is affected by several factors, a major one being the focal spot size of the x-ray tube. In fact, the measurement of such size is recognized to be of primary importance during acceptance tests and image quality evaluations of clinical radiography systems. The most common device providing an image of the focal spot emission distribution is a pin-hole camera, which requires a high tube loading in order to produce a measurable signal. This work introduces an alternative technique to obtain an image of the focal spot, through the processing of a single radiograph of a simple test object, acquired with a suitable magnification. The radiograph of a magnified sharp edge is a well-established method to evaluate the extension of the focal spot profile along the direction perpendicular to the edge. From a single radiograph of a circular x-ray absorber, it is possible to extract simultaneously the radial profiles of several sharp edges with different orientations. The authors propose a technique that allows to obtain an image of the focal spot through the processing of these radial profiles by means of a pseudo-CT reconstruction technique. In order to validate this technique, the reconstruction has been applied to the simulated radiographs of an ideal disk-shaped absorber, generated by various simulated focal spot distributions. Furthermore, the method has been applied to the focal spot of a commercially available mammography unit. In the case of simulated radiographs, the results of the reconstructions have been compared to the original distributions, showing an excellent agreement for what regards both the overall distribution and the full width at half maximum measurements. In the case of the experimental test, the method allowed to obtain images of the focal spot that have been compared with the results obtained through standard techniques, namely, pin-hole camera and slit camera. The method was proven to be effective for simulated

X-ray focal spot reconstruction by circular penumbra analysis—Application to digital radiography systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di Domenico, Giovanni, E-mail: didomenico@fe.infn.it; Cardarelli, Paolo; Taibi, Angelo; Gambaccini, Mauro [Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, via Saragat 1, FE I-44122, Italy and INFN - sezione di Ferrara, via Saragat 1, FE I-44122 (Italy); Contillo, Adriano [Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Ferrara, via Saragat 1, FE I-44122 (Italy)

2016-01-15

Purpose: The quality of a radiography system is affected by several factors, a major one being the focal spot size of the x-ray tube. In fact, the measurement of such size is recognized to be of primary importance during acceptance tests and image quality evaluations of clinical radiography systems. The most common device providing an image of the focal spot emission distribution is a pin-hole camera, which requires a high tube loading in order to produce a measurable signal. This work introduces an alternative technique to obtain an image of the focal spot, through the processing of a single radiograph of a simple test object, acquired with a suitable magnification. Methods: The radiograph of a magnified sharp edge is a well-established method to evaluate the extension of the focal spot profile along the direction perpendicular to the edge. From a single radiograph of a circular x-ray absorber, it is possible to extract simultaneously the radial profiles of several sharp edges with different orientations. The authors propose a technique that allows to obtain an image of the focal spot through the processing of these radial profiles by means of a pseudo-CT reconstruction technique. In order to validate this technique, the reconstruction has been applied to the simulated radiographs of an ideal disk-shaped absorber, generated by various simulated focal spot distributions. Furthermore, the method has been applied to the focal spot of a commercially available mammography unit. Results: In the case of simulated radiographs, the results of the reconstructions have been compared to the original distributions, showing an excellent agreement for what regards both the overall distribution and the full width at half maximum measurements. In the case of the experimental test, the method allowed to obtain images of the focal spot that have been compared with the results obtained through standard techniques, namely, pin-hole camera and slit camera. Conclusions: The method was

Relation between second-order moment radius of focal spot and near field distribution of laser beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Xueyan; Su Yi; Ye Yidong; Guan Youguang

2011-01-01

In order to analyze the effect of aberration of amplitude and phase of laser beam on second-order moment radius of focal spot, based on the Fraunhofer formula for light wave scalar diffraction theory and the definition of second-order moment radius, the general expression for focal spot second-order moment radius depending on the complex amplitude of near field is derived. The second-order moment radius of the focal spot depending on intensity distribution and phase distribution of near field is derived, and its clear physical meaning is described. The second-order moment radius and the divergence angle of focal spot may be easily calculated with the second-order moment radius expression of focal spot. At last, the divergence angles of focal spots of several kinds of Gaussian laser beams are calculated directly, and the results are in accordance with those in the related references. (authors)

Two-Gyro Pointing Stability of HST measured with ACS

Science.gov (United States)

Koekemoer, Anton M.; Kozhurina-Platais, Vera; Riess, Adam; Sirianni, Marco; Biretta, John; Pavlovsky

2005-06-01

We present the results of the pointing stability tests for HST, as measured with the ACS/ HRC during the Two-Gyro test program conducted in February 2005. We measure the shifts of 185 exposures of the globular clusters NGC6341 and Omega Centauri, obtained over a total of 13 orbits, and compare the measured pointings to those that were commanded in the observing program. We find in all cases that the measured shifts and rotations have the same level of accuracy as those that were commanded in three-gyro mode. Specifically, the pointing offsets during an orbit relative to the first exposure can be characterized with distributions having a dispersion of 2.3 milliarcseconds for shifts and 0.00097 degrees for rotations, thus less than 0.1 HRC pixels, and agree extremely well with similar values measured for comparable exposures obtained in three-gyro mode. In addition, we successfully processed these two-gyro test data through the MultiDrizzle software which is used in the HST pipeline to perform automated registration, cosmic ray rejection and image combination for multiple exposure sequences, and we find excellent agreement with similar exposures obtained in three-gyro mode. In summary, we find no significant difference between the quality of HST pointing as measured from these two-gyro test data, relative to the nominal behavior of HST in regular three-gyro operations.

Characterisation of adaptive fluidic silicone-membrane lenses

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Schneider, F

2010-03-01

Full Text Available , as can be seen in fig- ure 12, due to the shift of the membrane inflection point. Figure 12: Simulated membrane shapes for a lens volume of 1 たl at divorce homogeneous membrane thicknesses. The measurement of the system behaviour is realized...- branes are reasonable for a large focal length range, a constant optical lens quality and a short response time. On the other hand, the application of lenses with shaped membranes is reasonable for a higher optical lens quality at a smaller focal...

Focal Gray Matter Plasticity as a Function of Long Duration Bedrest: Preliminary Results

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Koppelmans, V.; Erdeniz, B.; De Dios, Y. E.; Wood, S. J.; Reuter-Lorenz, P. A.; Kofman, I.; Bloomberg, J. J.; Mulavara, A. P.; Seidler, R. D.

2014-01-01

Long duration spaceflight (i.e., 22 days or longer) has been associated with changes in sensorimotor systems, resulting in difficulties that astronauts experience with posture control, locomotion, and manual control. It is unknown whether and how spaceflight impacts sensorimotor brain structure and function, and whether such changes may potentially underlie behavioral effects. Long duration head down tilt bed rest has been used repeatedly as an exclusionary analog to study microgravity effects on the sensorimotor system [1]. Bed rest mimics microgravity in body unloading and bodily fluid shifts. We are currently testing sensorimotor function, brain structure, and brain function pre and post a 70-day bed rest period. We will acquire the same measures on NASA crewmembers starting in 2014. Here we present the results of the first eight bed rest subjects. Subjects were assessed at 12 and 7 days before-, at 7, 30, and 70 days in-, and at 8 and 12 days post 70 days of bed rest at the NASA bed rest facility, UTMB, Galveston, TX, USA. At each time point structural MRI scans (i.e., high resolution T1-weighted imaging and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)) were obtained using a 3T Siemens scanner. Focal changes over time in gray matter density were assessed using the voxel based morphometry 8 (VBM8) toolbox under SPM. Focal changes in white matter microstructural integrity were assessed using tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) as part of the FMRIB software library (FSL). TBSS registers all DTI scans to standard space. It subsequently creates a study specific white matter skeleton of the major white matter tracts. Non-parametric permutation based t-tests and ANOVA's were used for voxel-wise comparison of the skeletons. For both VBM and TBSS, comparison of the two pre bed rest measurements did not show significant differences. VBM analysis revealed decreased gray matter density in bilateral areas including the frontal medial cortex, the insular cortex and the caudate nucleus

Improvement of the accuracy of phase observation by modification of phase-shifting electron holography

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Suzuki, Takahiro; Aizawa, Shinji; Tanigaki, Toshiaki [Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Hirosawa 2-1, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Ota, Keishin, E-mail: ota@microphase.co.jp [Microphase Co., Ltd., Onigakubo 1147-9, Tsukuba, Ibaragi 300-2651 (Japan); Matsuda, Tsuyoshi [Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan); Tonomura, Akira [Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Hirosawa 2-1, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate University, Kunigami, Okinawa 904-0495 (Japan); Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd., Hatoyama, Saitama 350-0395 (Japan)

2012-07-15

We found that the accuracy of the phase observation in phase-shifting electron holography is strongly restricted by time variations of mean intensity and contrast of the holograms. A modified method was developed for correcting these variations. Experimental results demonstrated that the modification enabled us to acquire a large number of holograms, and as a result, the accuracy of the phase observation has been improved by a factor of 5. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A modified phase-shifting electron holography was proposed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The time variation of mean intensity and contrast of holograms were corrected. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer These corrections lead to a great improvement of the resultant phase accuracy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A phase accuracy of about 1/4000 rad was achieved from experimental results.

Increased calcineurin expression after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus is associated with brain focal edema and astrogliosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jinzhi; Li, Xiaolin; Chen, Liguang; Xue, Ping; Yang, Qianqian; Wang, Aihua

2015-07-28

Calcineurin plays an important role in the development of neuronal excitability, modulation of receptor's function and induction of apoptosis in neurons. It has been established in kindling models that status epilepticus induces brain focal edema and astrocyte activation. However, the role of calcineurin in brain focal edema and astrocyte activation in status epilepticus has not been fully understood. In this study, we employed a model of lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus and detected calcineurin expression in hippocampus by immunoblotting, brain focal edema by non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI-7T) and astrocyte expression by immunohistochemistry. We found that the brain focal edema was seen at 24 h after status epilepticus, and astrocyte expression was obviously seen at 7 d after status epilepticus. Meanwhile, calcineurin expression was seen at24 h and retained to 7 d after status epilepticus. A FK506, a calcineurin inhibitor, remarkably suppressed the status epilepticus-induced brain focal edema and astrocyte expression. Our data suggested that calcineurin overexpression plays a very important role in brain focal edema and astrocyte expression. Therefore, calcineurin may be a novel candidate for brain focal edema occurring and intracellular trigger of astrogliosis in status epilepticus.

Achromatic Focal Plane Mask for Exoplanet Imaging Coronagraphy

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Newman, Kevin Edward; Belikov, Ruslan; Guyon, Olivier; Balasubramanian, Kunjithapatham; Wilson, Dan

2013-01-01

Recent advances in coronagraph technologies for exoplanet imaging have achieved contrasts close to 1e10 at 4 lambda/D and 1e-9 at 2 lambda/D in monochromatic light. A remaining technological challenge is to achieve high contrast in broadband light; a challenge that is largely limited by chromaticity of the focal plane mask. The size of a star image scales linearly with wavelength. Focal plane masks are typically the same size at all wavelengths, and must be sized for the longest wavelength in the observational band to avoid starlight leakage. However, this oversized mask blocks useful discovery space from the shorter wavelengths. We present here the design, development, and testing of an achromatic focal plane mask based on the concept of optical filtering by a diffractive optical element (DOE). The mask consists of an array of DOE cells, the combination of which functions as a wavelength filter with any desired amplitude and phase transmission. The effective size of the mask scales nearly linearly with wavelength, and allows significant improvement in the inner working angle of the coronagraph at shorter wavelengths. The design is applicable to almost any coronagraph configuration, and enables operation in a wider band of wavelengths than would otherwise be possible. We include initial results from a laboratory demonstration of the mask with the Phase Induced Amplitude Apodization coronagraph.

Attitudes towards rotating shift work in clinical nurses: a Q-methodology study.

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Ha, Eun-Ho

2015-09-01

To identify clinical nurses' attitudes towards rotating shift work. Many hospitals worldwide employ rotating shift work patterns to staff their facilities. Attitudes of clinical nurses towards rotating shift work vary. To understand clinical nurses' attitudes towards rotating shift work, Q-methodology, a method for the analysis of subjective viewpoints with the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative methods, was used. Forty-six selected Q-statements from each of the 39 participants were classified into a normal distribution using an 11-point bipolar scale. The collected data were analysed using pc-QUANL program. Three discrete factors emerged as follows: factor I (rotating shift work is frustrating: objectionable perspective), factor II (rotating shift work is satisfactory: constructive perspective) and factor III (rotating shift work is problematic, but necessary: ambivalent perspective). The subjective viewpoints of the three identified factors can be applied in developing various roster designs for nurses engaging in rotating shift work. The findings provide the baseline for nurse leaders in helping nurses adjust and deal with rotating shift work. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Technique for the focal-length measurement of positive lenses using Fizeau interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavan Kumar, Yeddanapudi; Chatterjee, Sanjib

2009-01-01

We present what we believe is a new technique for the focal-length measurement of positive lenses using Fizeau interferometery. The technique utilizes the Gaussian lens equation. The image distance is measured interferometrically in terms of the radius of curvature of the image-forming wavefront emerging from the lens. The radii of curvature of the image-forming wavefronts corresponding to two different axial object positions of known separation are measured. The focal length of the lens is determined by solving the equations obtained using the Gaussian lens equation for the two object positions. Results obtained for a corrected doublet lens of a nominal focal length of 200.0 mm with a measurement uncertainty of ±2.5% is presented

Prolonged Instability Prior to a Regime Shift | Science ...

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Regime shifts are generally defined as the point of ‘abrupt’ change in the state of a system. However, a seemingly abrupt transition can be the product of a system reorganization that has been ongoing much longer than is evident in statistical analysis of a single component of the system. Using both univariate and multivariate statistical methods, we tested a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset with a known change in species assemblage for a regime shift. Analysis of this dataset with Fisher Information and multivariate time series modeling showed that there was a∼2000 year period of instability prior to the regime shift. This period of instability and the subsequent regime shift coincide with regional climate change, indicating that the system is undergoing extrinsic forcing. Paleoecological records offer a unique opportunity to test tools for the detection of thresholds and stable-states, and thus to examine the long-term stability of ecosystems over periods of multiple millennia. This manuscript explores various methods of assessing the transition between alternative states in an ecological system described by a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset.

Studies on sleep patterns and fatigue due to shift work and their work adaptability. Kotai sagyo ni yoru suimin dotai to hiro oyobi sono sagyo tekiosei no kenkyu

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Matsuoka, N.; Yokota, A. (Univ. of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu (Japan). School of Medicine)

1991-01-01

Studies were made on sleep patterns and fatigue due to shift work and their work adaptability with respect to the following items: (1) With a nurse work system as the object, a survey of rectum temperature, heart rate and rhythm before and after a midnight shift, and sleep at rising in the morning using the OSA survey method; (2) To analyze actual conditions of cumulative fatigue felt by shift workers and fatigue factors, a survey on shift work history, overtime work time, work patterns, symptoms of cumulative fatigue, and and life satisfaction; (3) A survey on daytime sleep record maintained at working places of guards including those of middle or advanced age, and sleep as affected by a nap; (4) A method of improving complains of circadian rhythm disorders because of variations in sleep and emergence rhythms experienced by shift workers, and discussions of usability of light radiation; and (5) Establishment of a technique to indicate effects of psychological burdens and psychogenic stress on visual functions of shift workers using tensions in focal adjustment. 5 figs., 5 tabs.

Landsat 9 OLI 2 focal plane subsystem: design, performance, and status

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Malone, Kevin J.; Schrein, Ronald J.; Bradley, M. Scott; Irwin, Ronda; Berdanier, Barry; Donley, Eric

2017-09-01

The Landsat 9 mission will continue the legacy of Earth remote sensing that started in 1972. The Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI 2) is one of two instruments on the Landsat 9 satellite. The OLI 2 instrument is essentially a copy of the OLI instrument flying on Landsat 8. A key element of the OLI 2 instrument is the focal plane subsystem, or FPS, which consists of the focal plane array (FPA), the focal plane electronics (FPE) box, and low-thermal conductivity cables. This paper presents design details of the OLI 2 FPS. The FPA contains 14 critically-aligned focal plane modules (FPM). Each module contains 6 visible/near-IR (VNIR) detector arrays and three short-wave infrared (SWIR) arrays. A complex multi-spectral optical filter is contained in each module. Redundant pixels for each array provide exceptional operability. Spare detector modules from OLI were recharacterized after six years of storage. Radiometric test results are presented and compared with data recorded in 2010. Thermal, optical, mechanical and structural features of the FPA will be described. Special attention is paid to the thermal design of the FPA since thermal stability is crucial to ensuring low-noise and low-drift operation of the detectors which operate at -63°C. The OLI 2 FPE provides power, timing, and control to the focal plane modules. It also digitizes the video data and formats it for the solid-state recorder. Design improvements to the FPA-FPE cables will be discussed and characterization data will be presented. The paper will conclude with the status of the flight hardware assembly and testing.

Impact of region contouring variability on image-based focal therapy evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Eli; Donaldson, Ian A.; Shah, Taimur T.; Hu, Yipeng; Ahmed, Hashim U.; Barratt, Dean C.

2016-03-01

Motivation: Focal therapy is an emerging low-morbidity treatment option for low-intermediate risk prostate cancer; however, challenges remain in accurately delivering treatment to specified targets and determining treatment success. Registered multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MPMRI) acquired before and after treatment can support focal therapy evaluation and optimization; however, contouring variability, when defining the prostate, the clinical target volume (CTV) and the ablation region in images, reduces the precision of quantitative image-based focal therapy evaluation metrics. To inform the interpretation and clarify the limitations of such metrics, we investigated inter-observer contouring variability and its impact on four metrics. Methods: Pre-therapy and 2-week-post-therapy standard-of-care MPMRI were acquired from 5 focal cryotherapy patients. Two clinicians independently contoured, on each slice, the prostate (pre- and post-treatment) and the dominant index lesion CTV (pre-treatment) in the T2-weighted MRI, and the ablated region (post-treatment) in the dynamic-contrast- enhanced MRI. For each combination of clinician contours, post-treatment images were registered to pre-treatment images using a 3D biomechanical-model-based registration of prostate surfaces, and four metrics were computed: the proportion of the target tissue region that was ablated and the target:ablated region volume ratio for each of two targets (the CTV and an expanded planning target volume). Variance components analysis was used to measure the contribution of each type of contour to the variance in the therapy evaluation metrics. Conclusions: 14-23% of evaluation metric variance was attributable to contouring variability (including 6-12% from ablation region contouring); reducing this variability could improve the precision of focal therapy evaluation metrics.

Hemopexin induces neuroprotection in the rat subjected to focal cerebral ischemia.

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Dong, Beibei; Cai, Min; Fang, Zongping; Wei, Haidong; Zhu, Fangyun; Li, Guochao; Dong, Hailong; Xiong, Lize

2013-06-10

The plasma protein hemopexin (HPX) exhibits the highest binding affinity to free heme. In vitro experiments and gene-knock out technique have suggested that HPX may have a neuroprotective effect. However, the expression of HPX in the brain was not well elucidated and its expression after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was also poorly studied. Furthermore, no in vivo data were available on the effect of HPX given centrally on the prognosis of focal cerebral ischemia. In the present study, we systematically investigated expression of HPX in normal rat brain by immunofluorescent staining. The results showed that HPX was mainly expressed in vascular system and neurons, as well as in a small portion of astrocytes adjacent to the vessels in normal rat brain. Further, we determined the role of HPX in the process of focal cerebral ischemic injury and explored the effects of HPX treatment in a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. After 2 h' middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by 24 h' reperfusion, the expression of HPX was increased in the neurons and astrocytes in the penumbra area, as demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and Western blot techniques. Intracerebroventricular injection of HPX at the onset of reperfusion dose-dependently reduced the infarct volumes and improved measurements of neurological function of the rat subjected to transient focal cerebral ischemia. The neuroprotective effects of HPX sustained for up to 7 days after experiments. Our study provides a new insight into the potential neuroprotective role of HPX as a contributing factor of endogenous protective mechanisms against focal cerebral ischemia injury, and HPX might be developed as a potential agent for treatment of ischemic stroke.

Imaging patterns and focal lesions in fatty liver: a pictorial review.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatesh, Sudhakar K; Hennedige, Tiffany; Johnson, Geoffrey B; Hough, David M; Fletcher, Joel G

2017-05-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common cause of chronic liver disease and affects nearly one-third of US population. With the increasing trend of obesity in the population, associated fatty change in the liver will be a common feature observed in imaging studies. Fatty liver causes changes in liver parenchyma appearance on imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and may affect the imaging characteristics of focal liver lesions (FLLs). The imaging characteristics of FLLs were classically described in a non-fatty liver. In addition, focal fatty change and focal fat sparing may also simulate FLLs. Knowledge of characteristic patterns of fatty change in the liver (diffuse, geographical, focal, subcapsular, and perivascular) and their impact on the detection and characterization of FLL is therefore important. In general, fatty change may improve detection of FLLs on MRI using fat suppression sequences, but may reduce sensitivity on a single-phase (portal venous) CT and conventional ultrasound. In patients with fatty liver, MRI is generally superior to ultrasound and CT for detection and characterization of FLL. In this pictorial essay, we describe the imaging patterns of fatty change in the liver and its effect on detection and characterization of FLLs on ultrasound, CT, MRI, and PET.

Core biopsy as a simple and effective diagnostic tool in head and neck focal myositis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chun Yee; Chong, Sheldon; Shaw, Chi-Kee Leslie

2015-12-01

Most unilateral head and neck masses are benign, although malignancy is a possibility in some cases. However, there are other rare causes of unilateral neck masses, such as focal myositis, which is a rare, benign condition belonging to the family of inflammatory pseudotumors of the skeletal muscles, with rare presentations in the head and neck region. Focal myositis presents as a rapidly enlarging neck mass that can be misdiagnosed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy and/or radiologic imaging as either an infective or a neoplastic process. To date, there are only 5 reported cases of adult focal myositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the medical literature. In this article, the authors present 2 cases involving patients with focal myositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle that were successfully diagnosed with core-needle biopsy and managed conservatively. The pros and cons of fine-needle aspiration biopsy and core-needle biopsy are discussed. Based on the authors' results, fine-needle aspiration biopsy universally fails to provide the diagnosis of focal myositis. In contrast, core-needle biopsy successfully diagnosed focal myositis in both of our patients. Both of them had complete resolution with conservative management.

Comparison of Photopic Negative Response of Full-Field and Focal Electroretinograms in Detecting Glaucomatous Eyes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigeki Machida

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To compare the photopic negative response (PhNR of the full-field electroretinogram (ERG to the PhNR of the focal ERGs in detecting glaucoma. Methods. One hundred and three eyes with glaucoma and 42 normal eyes were studied. Full-field ERGs were elicited by red stimuli on a blue background. The focal ERGs were elicited by a 15∘ white stimulus spot centered on the macula, the superotemporal or the inferotemporal areas of the macula. Results. In early glaucoma, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs were significantly larger for the focal PhNR (0.863–0.924 than those for the full-field PhNR (0.666–0.748 (P<.05. The sensitivity was significantly higher for the focal PhNR than for the full-field PhNR in early (P<.01 and intermediate glaucoma (P<.05. In advanced glaucoma, there was no difference in the AUCs and sensitivities between the focal and full-field PhNRs. Conclusions. The focal ERG has the diagnostic ability with higher sensitivity in detecting early and intermediate glaucoma than the full-field ERG.

Regime shift from phytoplankton to macrophyte dominance in a large river: Top-down versus bottom-up effects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ibanez, Carles, E-mail: carles.ibanez@irta.cat [IRTA Aquatic Ecosystems, Carretera Poble Nou, Km 5.5, 43540 St. Carles de la Rapita, Catalonia (Spain); Alcaraz, Carles; Caiola, Nuno; Rovira, Albert; Trobajo, Rosa [IRTA Aquatic Ecosystems, Carretera Poble Nou, Km 5.5, 43540 St. Carles de la Rapita, Catalonia (Spain); Alonso, Miguel [United Research Services S.L., Urgell 143, 08036 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Duran, Concha [Confederacion Hidrografica del Ebro, Sagasta 24-26, 50071 Zaragoza, Aragon (Spain); Jimenez, Pere J. [Grup Natura Freixe, Major 56, 43750 Flix, Catalonia (Spain); Munne, Antoni [Agencia Catalana de l' Aigua, Provenca 204-208, 08036 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Prat, Narcis [Departament d' Ecologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 645, 08028 Barcelona Catalonia (Spain)

2012-02-01

The lower Ebro River (Catalonia, Spain) has recently undergone a regime shift from a phytoplankton-dominated to a macrophyte-dominated system. This shift is well known in shallow lakes but apparently it has never been documented in rivers. Two initial hypotheses to explain the collapse of the phytoplankton were considered: a) the diminution of nutrients (bottom-up); b) the filtering effect due to the colonization of the zebra mussel (top-down). Data on water quality, hydrology and biological communities (phytoplankton, macrophytes and zebra mussel) was obtained both from existing data sets and new surveys. Results clearly indicate that the decrease in phosphorus is the main cause of a dramatic decrease in chlorophyll and large increase in water transparency, triggering the subsequent colonization of macrophytes in the river bed. A Generalized Linear Model analysis showed that the decrease in dissolved phosphorus had a relative importance 14 times higher than the increase in zebra mussel density to explain the variation of total chlorophyll. We suggest that the described changes in the lower Ebro River can be considered a novel ecosystem shift. This shift is triggering remarkable changes in the biological communities beyond the decrease of phytoplankton and the proliferation of macrophytes, such as massive colonization of Simulidae (black fly) and other changes in the benthic invertebrate communities that are currently investigated. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We show a regime shift in a large river from phytoplankton to macrophyte dominance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Two main hypotheses are considered: nutrient decrease and zebra mussel grazing. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Phosphorus depletion is found to be the main cause of the phytoplankton decline. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We conclude that oligotrophication triggered the colonization of macrophytes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This new regime shift in a river is similar to that described

A study of panoramic focal trough for the six-year-old child

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sang Yeon; Choi, Hang Moon; Han, Jin Woo; Lee, Sul Mi

2004-01-01

To make a focal trough (image layer) for an average maxillary dental arch of 6-year-old Korean in panoramic radiography. Phantom for the maxillary dental arch was designed using intercanine width, intermolar width, tooth size, and interdental spacing to record the data of 6-year-old child. The characteristics of pre-corrected panoramic machine (for adult) was evaluated using the phantom, resolution test pattern for margin of the image layer, and metal ball for the center of the image layer. Panoramic image layer of the child was developed by means of decreasing the speed of film-cassette and positioning the phantom backwards, and then the characteristics of post-corrected panoramic machine (for child) were reevaluated. At post-corrected panoramic image layer, beam projection angles at all interdental areas increased for about 2.6 - 3.8 .deg., the position of the image layer was shifted toward the rotation center for about 2.5 mm at the deciduous central incisior area. The width of image layer decreased at all areas. Increased beam projection angle will reduce the disadvantage of tooth overlap, and the same form between the center of the image layer and dental arch will improve image resolution.

Oral focal epithelial hyperplasia: report of three cases.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghalayani, Parichehr; Tavakoli, Payam; Eftekhari, Mehdi; Haghighi, Mohammad Akhondzadeh

2015-01-01

Focal epithelial hyperplasia or Heck's disease is an infrequent asymptomatic condition caused by human papillomavirus types 13 or 32 affecting the mucous membrane of the mouth and is commonly seen in young individuals. Firstly, it was described in Indians and Eskimos, but it exists in various populations. We present three cases of Heck's disease in an Afghan immigrant family group living in Iran that seem to have familial predominance. The disease was identified as oral focal epithelial hyperplasia on the basis of histopathologic and clinical findings. The lesions were reduced significantly after 4 months of good oral hygiene. Dentists should be familiar with the clinical manifestations of these types of lesions that affect the oral cavity. In fact, histopathologic assessment and clinical observation are necessary to establish the diagnosis.

Focal frontal epileptiform discharges in a patient with eyelid myoclonia and absence seizures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoru Takahashi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Eyelid myoclonia with absences is classified as a unique type of generalized seizure. Its pathogenesis is proposed to involve the functional abnormalities in cortical–subcortical networks. Here, we describe the case of a 7-year-old boy who had eyelid myoclonia with absences, along with focal motor seizures. Video-EEG monitoring demonstrated eyelid myoclonia associated with 4- to 5-Hz generalized polyspike–waves preceded by focal frontal discharges. Interictal EEG showed focal epileptiform discharges over the frontal regions. Our case suggests an important role of the frontal lobe in the generation of eyelid myoclonia with absences.

Focal plane AIT sequence: evolution from HRG-Spot 5 to Pleiades HR

Science.gov (United States)

Le Goff, Roland; Pranyies, Pascal; Toubhans, Isabelle

2017-11-01

Optical and geometrical image qualities of Focal Planes, for "push-broom" high resolution remote sensing satellites, require the implementation of specific means and methods for the AIT sequence. Indeed the geometric performances of the focal plane mainly axial focusing and transverse registration, are duly obtained on the basis of adjustment, setting and measurement of optical and CCD components with an accuracy of a few microns. Since the end of the 1970s, EADS-SODERN has developed a series of detection units for earth observation instruments like SPOT and Helios. And EADS-SODERN is now responsible for the development of the Pleiades High Resolution Focal Plane assembly. This paper presents the AIT sequences. We introduce all the efforts, innovative solutions and improvements made on the assembly facilities to match the technical evolutions and breakthrough of the Pleiades HR FP concept in comparison with the previous High Resolution Geometric SPOT 5 Focal Plane. The main evolution drivers are the implementation of strip filters and the realization of 400 mm continuous retinas. For Pleiades HR AIT sequence, three specific integration and measuring benches, corresponding with the different assembly stages, are used: a 3-D non-contact measurement machine for the assembly of detection module, a 3-D measurement machine for mirror integration on the main Focal Plane SiC structure, and a 3-D geometric coordinates control bench to focus detection module lines and to ensure they are well registered together.

Application-Oriented Optimal Shift Schedule Extraction for a Dual-Motor Electric Bus with Automated Manual Transmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mingjie Zhao

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The conventional battery electric buses (BEBs have limited potential to optimize the energy consumption and reach a better dynamic performance. A practical dual-motor equipped with 4-speed Automated Manual Transmission (AMT propulsion system is proposed, which can eliminate the traction interruption in conventional AMT. A discrete model of the dual-motor-AMT electric bus (DMAEB is built and used to optimize the gear shift schedule. Dynamic programming (DP algorithm is applied to find the optimal results where the efficiency and shift time of each gear are considered to handle the application problem of global optimization. A rational penalty factor and a proper shift time delay based on bench test results are set to reduce the shift frequency by 82.5% in Chinese-World Transient Vehicle Cycle (C-WTVC. Two perspectives of applicable shift rule extraction methods, i.e., the classification method based on optimal operating points and clustering method based on optimal shifting points, are explored and compared. Eventually, the hardware-in-the-loop (HIL simulation results demonstrate that the proposed structure and extracted shift schedule can realize a significant improvement in reducing energy loss by 20.13% compared to traditional empirical strategies.

Focal fatty infiltration of the liver: demonstration by magnetic resonance imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenker, J.C.; Baker, M.K.; Ellis, J.H.; Glant, M.D.

1984-01-01

Focal fatty infiltration of the liver is a recently recognized yet poorly understood entity, which has become more apparent since the onset of widespread computed tomographic (CT) scanning. Recent reports have suggested that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may not be sensitive in the evaluation of diffuse fatty liver. A case is presented in which MRI was as sensitive as CT and sonography in the demonstration of focal fatty change within the liver

The role of focal adhesion kinase in the regulation of cellular mechanical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mierke, Claudia Tanja

2013-01-01

The regulation of mechanical properties is necessary for cell invasion into connective tissue or intra- and extravasation through the endothelium of blood or lymph vessels. Cell invasion is important for the regulation of many healthy processes such as immune response reactions and wound healing. In addition, cell invasion plays a role in disease-related processes such as tumor metastasis and autoimmune responses. Until now the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in regulating mechanical properties of cells and its impact on cell invasion efficiency is still not well known. Thus, this review focuses on mechanical properties regulated by FAK in comparison to the mechano-regulating protein vinculin. Moreover, it points out the connection between cancer cell invasion and metastasis and FAK by showing that FAK regulates cellular mechanical properties required for cellular motility. Furthermore, it sheds light on the indirect interaction of FAK with vinculin by binding to paxillin, which then impairs the binding of paxillin to vinculin. In addition, this review emphasizes whether FAK fulfills regulatory functions similar to vinculin. In particular, it discusses the differences and the similarities between FAK and vinculin in regulating the biomechanical properties of cells. Finally, this paper highlights that both focal adhesion proteins, vinculin and FAK, synergize their functions to regulate the mechanical properties of cells such as stiffness and contractile forces. Subsequently, these mechanical properties determine cellular invasiveness into tissues and provide a source sink for future drug developments to inhibit excessive cell invasion and hence, metastases formation. (paper)

The role of focal adhesion kinase in the regulation of cellular mechanical properties

Science.gov (United States)

Mierke, Claudia Tanja

2013-12-01

The regulation of mechanical properties is necessary for cell invasion into connective tissue or intra- and extravasation through the endothelium of blood or lymph vessels. Cell invasion is important for the regulation of many healthy processes such as immune response reactions and wound healing. In addition, cell invasion plays a role in disease-related processes such as tumor metastasis and autoimmune responses. Until now the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in regulating mechanical properties of cells and its impact on cell invasion efficiency is still not well known. Thus, this review focuses on mechanical properties regulated by FAK in comparison to the mechano-regulating protein vinculin. Moreover, it points out the connection between cancer cell invasion and metastasis and FAK by showing that FAK regulates cellular mechanical properties required for cellular motility. Furthermore, it sheds light on the indirect interaction of FAK with vinculin by binding to paxillin, which then impairs the binding of paxillin to vinculin. In addition, this review emphasizes whether FAK fulfills regulatory functions similar to vinculin. In particular, it discusses the differences and the similarities between FAK and vinculin in regulating the biomechanical properties of cells. Finally, this paper highlights that both focal adhesion proteins, vinculin and FAK, synergize their functions to regulate the mechanical properties of cells such as stiffness and contractile forces. Subsequently, these mechanical properties determine cellular invasiveness into tissues and provide a source sink for future drug developments to inhibit excessive cell invasion and hence, metastases formation.

Treatment planning for prostate focal laser ablation in the face of needle placement uncertainty

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cepek, Jeremy, E-mail: jcepek@robarts.ca; Fenster, Aaron [Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario N6A 5K8, Canada and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9 (Canada); Lindner, Uri; Trachtenberg, John [Department of Surgical Oncology, Division of Urology, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4 (Canada); Davidson, Sean R. H. [Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9 (Canada); Haider, Masoom A. [Department of Medical Imaging, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada and Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2J7 (Canada); Ghai, Sangeet [Department of Medical Imaging, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9 (Canada)

2014-01-15

Purpose: To study the effect of needle placement uncertainty on the expected probability of achieving complete focal target destruction in focal laser ablation (FLA) of prostate cancer. Methods: Using a simplified model of prostate cancer focal target, and focal laser ablation region shapes, Monte Carlo simulations of needle placement error were performed to estimate the probability of completely ablating a region of target tissue. Results: Graphs of the probability of complete focal target ablation are presented over clinically relevant ranges of focal target sizes and shapes, ablation region sizes, and levels of needle placement uncertainty. In addition, a table is provided for estimating the maximum target size that is treatable. The results predict that targets whose length is at least 5 mm smaller than the diameter of each ablation region can be confidently ablated using, at most, four laser fibers if the standard deviation in each component of needle placement error is less than 3 mm. However, targets larger than this (i.e., near to or exceeding the diameter of each ablation region) require more careful planning. This process is facilitated by using the table provided. Conclusions: The probability of completely ablating a focal target using FLA is sensitive to the level of needle placement uncertainty, especially as the target length approaches and becomes greater than the diameter of ablated tissue that each individual laser fiber can achieve. The results of this work can be used to help determine individual patient eligibility for prostate FLA, to guide the planning of prostate FLA, and to quantify the clinical benefit of using advanced systems for accurate needle delivery for this treatment modality.

Next generation sub-millimeter wave focal plane array coupling concepts: an ESA TRP project to develop multichroic focal plane pixels for future CMB polarization experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Trappe, N.; Bucher, M.; De Bernardis, P.; Delabrouille, J.; Deo, P.; DePetris, M.; Doherty, S.; Ghribi, A.; Gradziel, M.; Kuzmin, L.; Maffei, B.; Mahashabde, S.; Masi, S.; Murphy, J. A.; Noviello, F.; O'Sullivan, C.; Pagano, L.; Piacentini, F.; Piat, M.; Pisano, G.; Robinson, M.; Stompor, R.; Tartari, A.; van der Vorst, M.; Verhoeve, P.

2016-07-01

The main objective of this activity is to develop new focal plane coupling array concepts and technologies that optimise the coupling from reflector optics to the large number of detectors for next generation sub millimetre wave telescopes particularly targeting measurement of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In this 18 month TRP programme the consortium are tasked with developing, manufacturing and experimentally verifying a prototype multichroic pixel which would be suitable for the large focal plane arrays which will be demanded to reach the required sensitivity of future CMB polarization missions. One major development was to have multichroic operation to potentially reduce the required focal plane size of a CMB mission. After research in the optimum telescope design and definition of requirements based on a stringent science case review, a number of compact focal plane architecture concepts were investigated before a pixel demonstrator consisting of a planar mesh lens feeding a backend Resonant Cold Electron Bolometer RCEB for filtering and detection of the dual frequency signal was planned for manufacture and test. In this demonstrator the frequencies of the channels was chosen to be 75 and 105 GHz in the w band close to the peak CMB signal. In the next year the prototype breadboards will be developed to test the beams produced by the manufactured flat lenses fed by a variety of antenna configurations and the spectral response of the RCEBs will also be verified.

Methods for studying the focal spot size and resolution of diagnostic X-ray tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fairbanks, R.; Doust, C.

1979-01-01

Attention is given to techniques appropriate for use in the clinical situation. The focal spot size is critical to geometric unsharpness and hence the quality of the finished radiograph, but pinhole imaging of the focal spot is extremely difficult in clinical practice. The resolution of an X-ray tube, although a function of focal spot size, is of more importance in radiography. A comparison is made of various resolution grids suitable for quality control use in X-ray departments. (U.K.)

The Simbol-X Focal Plane

Science.gov (United States)

Laurent, P.

2009-05-01

The Simbol-X focal plane is designed to detect photons focused by the mirror in the 0.5 to 100 keV energy band. Composed of two detectors, it will measure the position, energy, and arrival time of each incoming X-ray. On top of it will be a collimator to shield all photons not coming from the mirror field of view. The whole system is surrounded by an active and passive shielding in order to ensure the required very low background.

Surveillance following Focal Therapy interventions Seguimiento tras el tratamiento focal en el cáncer de próstata localizado

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Postema, A. W.; Catellani, M.; Scheltema, M. J. V.; van den Bos, W.; de la Rosette, J. J. M. C. H.

2016-01-01

Focal therapy (FT) is a tissuesparing treatment paradigm for localized prostate cancer (PCa) with the potential to improve functional outcomes while maintaining oncologic safety. This paper aims to provide an overview of important considerations and practical recommendations relating to the

Effects of cue focality on the neural mechanisms of prospective memory: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Cona, Giorgia; Bisiacchi, Patrizia Silvia; Sartori, Giuseppe; Scarpazza, Cristina

2016-05-17

Remembering to execute pre-defined intentions at the appropriate time in the future is typically referred to as Prospective Memory (PM). Studies of PM showed that distinct cognitive processes underlie the execution of delayed intentions depending on whether the cue associated with such intentions is focal to ongoing activity processing or not (i.e., cue focality). The present activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis revealed several differences in brain activity as a function of focality of the PM cue. The retrieval of intention is supported mainly by left anterior prefrontal cortex (Brodmann Area, BA 10) in nonfocal tasks, and by cerebellum and ventral parietal regions in focal tasks. Furthermore, the precuneus showed increased activation during the maintenance phase of intentions compared to the retrieval phase in nonfocal tasks, whereas the inferior parietal lobule showed increased activation during the retrieval of intention compared to maintenance phase in the focal tasks. Finally, the retrieval of intention relies more on the activity in anterior cingulate cortex for nonfocal tasks, and on posterior cingulate cortex for focal tasks. Such focality-related pattern of activations suggests that prospective remembering is mediated mainly by top-down and stimulus-independent processes in nonfocal tasks, whereas by more automatic, bottom-up, processes in focal tasks.

Task-shifting point-of-care CD4+ testing to lay health workers in HIV care and treatment services in Namibia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaindjee-Tjituka, Francina; Sawadogo, Souleymane; Mutandi, Graham; Maher, Andrew D; Salomo, Natanael; Mbapaha, Claudia; Neo, Marytha; Beukes, Anita; Gweshe, Justice; Muadinohamba, Alexinah; Lowrance, David W

2017-01-01

Access to CD4+ testing remains a common barrier to early initiation of antiretroviral therapy among persons living with HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries. The feasibility of task-shifting of point-of-care (POC) CD4+ testing to lay health workers in Namibia has not been evaluated. From July to August 2011, Pima CD4+ analysers were used to improve access to CD4+ testing at 10 selected public health facilities in Namibia. POC Pima CD4+ testing was performed by nurses or lay health workers. Venous blood samples were collected from 10% of patients and sent to centralised laboratories for CD4+ testing with standard methods. Outcomes for POC Pima CD4+ testing and patient receipt of results were compared between nurses and lay health workers and between the POC method and standard laboratory CD4+ testing methods. Overall, 1429 patients received a Pima CD4+ test; 500 (35.0%) tests were performed by nurses and 929 (65.0%) were performed by lay health workers. When Pima CD4+ testing was performed by a nurse or a lay health worker, 93.2% and 95.2% of results were valid ( p = 0.1); 95.6% and 98.1% of results were received by the patient ( p = 0.007); 96.2% and 94.0% of results were received by the patient on the same day ( p = 0.08). Overall, 97.2% of Pima CD4+ results were received by patients, compared to 55.4% of standard laboratory CD4+ results ( p lay health workers. Rollout of POC CD4+ testing via task-shifting can improve access to CD4+ testing and retention in care between HIV diagnosis and antiretroviral therapy initiation in low- and middle-income countries.

Curved planar reconstruction of MR images in focal cortical dysplasia of the brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Gyung Ho; Lee, Sang Yong; Kim, Chong So; Kim, Young Kon; Lee, Young Hwan; Jeong, Su Hyun

2002-01-01

To describe curved planar reconstruction imaging (CPR) and determine its usefulness in the evaluation of focal cortical dysplasia of the brain. In 17 cases of focal cortical dysplasia (cortical dysplasia (n=9), schizencephaly (n=5), and heterotopia (n=3), CPR images were created using a multiplanar reconstruction program and imaging data obtained during T1 magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient-echo MR imaging. We assessed the precise configuration of abnormalities and their relation to adjacent gyri and sulci. CPRI showed the brain cortex as a 2D panoramic image, demonstrating the precise configurations and locations of dysplasia-associated abnormalities and their relation to adjacent gyri and sulci, and the precise shape of the gray-white matter interface. CPRI can provide important radiological information about the extension and configuration of focal cortical dysplasia, and its relation to neighboring cortical structures. We believe that CPRI should form an essential part of the routine investigation os suspected cases of focal cortical dysplasia

Comparison of different methods for determining the size of a focal spot of microfocus X-ray tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salamon, M.; Hanke, R.; Krueger, P.; Sukowski, F.; Uhlmann, N.; Voland, V.

2008-01-01

The EN 12543-5 describes a method for determining the focal spot size of microfocus X-ray tubes up to a minimum spot size of 5 μm. The wide application of X-ray tubes with even smaller focal spot sizes in computed tomography and radioscopy applications requires the evaluation of existing methods for focal spot sizes below 5 μm. In addition, new methods and conditions for determining submicron focal spot sizes have to be developed. For the evaluation and extension of the present methods to smaller focal spot sizes, different procedures in comparison with the existing EN 12543-5 were analyzed and applied, and the results are presented

Seizure ending signs in patients with dyscognitive focal seizures.

Science.gov (United States)

Gavvala, Jay R; Gerard, Elizabeth E; Macken, Mícheál; Schuele, Stephan U

2015-09-01

Signs indicating the end of a focal seizure with loss of awareness and/or responsiveness but without progression to focal or generalized motor symptoms are poorly defined and can be difficult to determine. Not recognizing the transition from ictal to postictal behaviour can affect seizure reporting accuracy by family members and may lead to delayed or a lack of examination during EEG monitoring, erroneous seizure localization and inadequate medical intervention for prolonged seizure duration. Our epilepsy monitoring unit database was searched for focal seizures without secondary generalization for the period from 2007 to 2011. The first focal seizure in a patient with loss of awareness and/or responsiveness and/or behavioural arrest, with or without automatisms, was included. Seizures without objective symptoms or inadequate video-EEG quality were excluded. A total of 67 patients were included, with an average age of 41.7 years. Thirty-six of the patients had seizures from the left hemisphere and 29 from the right. All patients showed an abrupt change in motor activity and resumed contact with the environment as a sign of clinical seizure ending. Specific ending signs (nose wiping, coughing, sighing, throat clearing, or laughter) were seen in 23 of 47 of temporal lobe seizures and 7 of 20 extra-temporal seizures. Seizure ending signs are often subtle and the most common finding is a sudden change in motor activity and resumption of contact with the environment. More distinct signs, such as nose wiping, coughing or throat clearing, are not specific to temporal lobe onset. A higher proportion of seizures during sleep went unexamined, compared to those during wakefulness. This demonstrates that seizure semiology can be very subtle and arousals from sleep during monitoring should alert staff. Patient accounts of seizure frequency appear to be unreliable and witness reports need to be taken into account. [Published with video sequences].

How to diagnose and treat focal therapy failure and recurrence?

Science.gov (United States)

Barret, Eric; Harvey-Bryan, Kadi-Ann; Sanchez-Salas, Rafael; Rozet, Francois; Galiano, Marc; Cathelineau, Xavier

2014-05-01

Focal therapy presents an alternative option for disease-targeted therapy while preserving erectile and urinary function without compromising oncological outcome. Such treatment, which preserves normal prostate parenchyma, presents a clinical challenge to the urologist, as typical disease surveillance parameters are not as reliable in post-ablation follow-up. We propose an integrated approach to post-ablation surveillance to identify treatment failure as well as recurrence. Post-ablation prostate-specific antigen kinetics, imaging based on multiparametric MRI and control biopsies are the tools currently used to follow patients after focal therapy. Good treatment response is indicated by a negative control biopsy, absence of persistent lesion on post-treatment imaging and a reduction in prostate-specific antigen of at least 50%. When histological evidence of therapeutic failure or recurrence is present, different options of management may be proposed to the patient including active surveillance, focal salvage therapy or radical salvage treatment, depending on the characteristics of the lesion found. A recommended post-ablation surveillance protocol is presented as well as a discussion of management strategies based on the data currently available.

Electric field depth-focality tradeoff in transcranial magnetic stimulation: simulation comparison of 50 coil designs.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhi-De; Lisanby, Sarah H; Peterchev, Angel V

2013-01-01

Various transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) coil designs are available or have been proposed. However, key coil characteristics such as electric field focality and attenuation in depth have not been adequately compared. Knowledge of the coil focality and depth characteristics can help TMS researchers and clinicians with coil selection and interpretation of TMS studies. To quantify the electric field focality and depth of penetration of various TMS coils. The electric field distributions induced by 50 TMS coils were simulated in a spherical human head model using the finite element method. For each coil design, we quantified the electric field penetration by the half-value depth, d(1/2), and focality by the tangential spread, S(1/2), defined as the half-value volume (V(1/2)) divided by the half-value depth, S(1/2) = V(1/2)/d(1/2). The 50 TMS coils exhibit a wide range of electric field focality and depth, but all followed a depth-focality tradeoff: coils with larger half-value depth cannot be as focal as more superficial coils. The ranges of achievable d(1/2) are similar between coils producing circular and figure-8 electric field patterns, ranging 1.0-3.5 cm and 0.9-3.4 cm, respectively. However, figure-8 field coils are more focal, having S(1/2) as low as 5 cm(2) compared to 34 cm(2) for circular field coils. For any coil design, the ability to directly stimulate deeper brain structures is obtained at the expense of inducing wider electrical field spread. Novel coil designs should be benchmarked against comparison coils with consistent metrics such as d(1/2) and S(1/2). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Detection and Characterization of Focal Hepatic lesions using Magnetic resonance Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulgarin, Luis G; Delgado, Jorge Andres; Toro Nancy

2008-01-01

A retrospective one year study was performed from June 2006 to June 2007. A total of ten focal liver lesions in 60 patients were examined, describing their magnetic resonance (MR) characteristics, using T1, T2 and dynamic Gd-enhanced T1 weighted sequences with and without fat suppression. Lesions were classified into benign or malignant tumors and a diagnosis was proposed. Specific diagnoses such as simple cyst, abscess, hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma were reported.

Determination of Shift/Bias in Digital Aerial Triangulation of UAV Imagery Sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Wierzbicki, Damian

2017-12-01

Currently UAV Photogrammetry is characterized a largely automated and efficient data processing. Depicting from the low altitude more often gains on the meaning in the uses of applications as: cities mapping, corridor mapping, road and pipeline inspections or mapping of large areas e.g. forests. Additionally, high-resolution video image (HD and bigger) is more often use for depicting from the low altitude from one side it lets deliver a lot of details and characteristics of ground surfaces features, and from the other side is presenting new challenges in the data processing. Therefore, determination of elements of external orientation plays a substantial role the detail of Digital Terrain Models and artefact-free ortophoto generation. Parallel a research on the quality of acquired images from UAV and above the quality of products e.g. orthophotos are conducted. Despite so fast development UAV photogrammetry still exists the necessity of accomplishment Automatic Aerial Triangulation (AAT) on the basis of the observations GPS/INS and via ground control points. During low altitude photogrammetric flight, the approximate elements of external orientation registered by UAV are burdened with the influence of some shift/bias errors. In this article, methods of determination shift/bias error are presented. In the process of the digital aerial triangulation two solutions are applied. In the first method shift/bias error was determined together with the drift/bias error, elements of external orientation and coordinates of ground control points. In the second method shift/bias error was determined together with the elements of external orientation, coordinates of ground control points and drift/bias error equals 0. When two methods were compared the difference for shift/bias error is more than ±0.01 m for all terrain coordinates XYZ.

A New Eye on History

Science.gov (United States)

Galuszka, Peter

2010-01-01

Two years after the opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the $110 million center, opened with exhibits on how enslaved African-Americans risked their lives to make the northward trek to freedom. Today, however, the center is shifting its focus while serving as an educational focal point, research asset and change agent.…

A case report: Familial glucocorticoid deficiency associated with familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ram Nanik

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by isolated glucocorticoid deficiency in the presence of normal plasma renin and aldosterone level. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS is a form of glomerular disease associated with proteinuria and nephritic syndrome. This is the first case of familial glucocorticoid deficiency associated with familial focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Case presentation An eight month old boy presented with increased genital pigmentation. Initial investigation revealed that he was glucocorticoid deficient and was started on hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone with a diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency. Later fludrocortisone was withdrawn and he was diagnosed to have isolated glucocorticoid deficiency. He later developed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis for which he underwent renal transplantation at the age of five years. Now at the age of twelve years, this boy is doing well on hydrocortisone treatment. His two siblings and a first degree cousin also had isolated glucocorticoid deficiency. One of the above two siblings died due to renal failure secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Conclusion Patients with familial glucocorticoid deficiency should be carefully followed for development of features of nephrotic syndrome.

Comparison of different approaches to the numerical calculation of the LMJ focal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bourgeade A.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The beam smoothing in the focal plane of high power lasers is of particular importance to laser-plasma interaction studies in order to minimize plasma parametric and hydrodynamic instabilities on the target. Here we investigate the focal spot structure in different geometrical configurations where standard paraxial hypotheses are no longer verified. We present numerical studies in the cases of single flat top square beam, LMJ quadruplet and complete ring of quads with large azimuth angle. Different calculations are made with Fresnel diffraction propagation model in the paraxial approximation and full vector Maxwell's equations. The first model is based on Fourier transform from near to far field method. The second model uses first spherical wave decomposition in plane waves with Fourier transform and propagates them to the focal spot. These two different approaches are compared with Miró [1] modeling results using paraxial or Feit and Fleck options. The methods presented here are generic for focal spot calculations. They can be used for other complex geometric configurations and various smoothing techniques. The results will be used as boundary conditions in plasma interaction computations.

New Classification of Focal Cortical Dysplasia: Application to Practical Diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Yoon-Sung; Kang, Hoon-Chul; Kim, Heung Dong; Kim, Se Hoon

2012-01-01

Background and Purpose: Malformation of cortical development (MCD) is a well-known cause of drug-resistant epilepsy and focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is the most common neuropathological finding in surgical specimens from drug-resistant epilepsy patients. Palmini’s classification proposed in 2004 is now widely used to categorize FCD. Recently, however, Blumcke et al. recommended a new system for classifying FCD in 2011. Methods: We applied the new classification system in practical diagnosis of a sample of 117 patients who underwent neurosurgical operations due to drug-resistant epilepsy at Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea. Results: Among 117 cases, a total of 16 cases were shifted to other FCD subtypes under the new classification system. Five cases were reclassified to type IIIa and five cases were categorized as dual pathology. The other six cases were changed within the type I category. Conclusions: The most remarkable changes in the new classification system are the advent of dual pathology and FCD type III. Thus, it will be very important for pathologists and clinicians to discriminate between these new categories. More large-scale research needs to be conducted to elucidate the clinical influence of the alterations within the classification of type I disease. Although the new FCD classification system has several advantages compared to the former, the correlation with clinical characteristics is not yet clear. PMID:24649461

Technology for advanced focal plane arrays of HgCdTe and AIGaN

CERN Document Server

He, Li; Ni, Guoqiang

2016-01-01

This book introduces the basic framework of advanced focal plane technology based on the third-generation infrared focal plane concept. The essential concept, research advances, and future trends in advanced sensor arrays are comprehensively reviewed. Moreover, the book summarizes recent research advances in HgCdTe/AlGaN detectors for the infrared/ultraviolet waveband, with a particular focus on the numerical method of detector design, material epitaxial growth and processing, as well as Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Transistor readout circuits. The book offers a unique resource for all graduate students and researchers interested in the technologies of focal plane arrays or electro-optical imaging sensors.

[Focal hyperhidrosis.Quality of life, socioeconomic importance and use of internal medicinal therapy].

Science.gov (United States)

Rzany, B; Müller, C; Hund, M

2012-06-01

Focal hyperhidrosis can have a substantial influence on the professional, physical, emotional and social life of those affected. This becomes clear when the results of quality of life studies and Health Service Research studies are reviewed, e.g. affected patients were prepared to contribute additional money for treatment of hyperhidrosis. The systemic therapy of focal hyperhidrosis with oral anticholinergic agents is a quite economical treatment strategy. These products can be administered continuously or sporadically. However, only good clinical date for the continous treatment exists. Focal hyperhidrosis is a disease which requires our full attention. It should be discussed whether e.g. QoL questionnaires should be used routinelly.

Focal nodular hyperplasia: imaging findings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kehagias, D.; Moulopoulos, L.; Antoniou, A.; Hatziioannou, A.; Smyrniotis, V.; Trakadas, S.; Lahanis, S.; Vlahos, L. [Dept. of Radiology, University of Athens (Greece)

2001-02-01

Focal nodular hyperplasia is an uncommon benign hepatic tumor that continues to pose diagnostic dilemmas. Imaging techniques are of great value in diagnosis of this tumor. In this article we present the US, CT, MR imaging, scintigraphy, and angiography findings. The demonstration of a central vascular scar is very helpful. Although the radiologic features may be diagnostic, many atypical cases must be differentiated from other benign or malignant hepatic tumors. In these cases excisional biopsy and histopathologic examination are necessary to determine a definite diagnosis. (orig.)

Focal nodular hyperplasia: imaging findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehagias, D.; Moulopoulos, L.; Antoniou, A.; Hatziioannou, A.; Smyrniotis, V.; Trakadas, S.; Lahanis, S.; Vlahos, L.

2001-01-01

Focal nodular hyperplasia is an uncommon benign hepatic tumor that continues to pose diagnostic dilemmas. Imaging techniques are of great value in diagnosis of this tumor. In this article we present the US, CT, MR imaging, scintigraphy, and angiography findings. The demonstration of a central vascular scar is very helpful. Although the radiologic features may be diagnostic, many atypical cases must be differentiated from other benign or malignant hepatic tumors. In these cases excisional biopsy and histopathologic examination are necessary to determine a definite diagnosis. (orig.)

Infrared detectors and focal plane arrays; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 18, 19, 1990

Science.gov (United States)

Dereniak, Eustace L.; Sampson, Robert E.

1990-09-01

The papers contained in this volume provide an overview of recent advances and the current state of developments in the field of infrared detectors and focal plane arrays. Topics discussed include nickel silicide Schottky-barrier detectors for short-wavelength infrared applications; high performance PtSi linear and focal plane arrays; and multispectral band Schottky-barrier IRSSD for remote-sensing applications. Papers are also presented on the performance of an Insi hybrid focal array; characterization of IR focal plane test stations; GaAs CCD readout for engineered bandgap detectors; and fire detection system for aircraft cargo bays.

Incidental Detection of Temporary Focal FDG Retention in the Spleen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Youn Joon; Lee, Jai Hyuen; Jee, Keum Nahn; Namgung, Hwan [Dankook Univ. College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-06-15

F 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool in discriminating malignancy from benign lesion. But because various false positive results reduce the diagnostic specificity, nuclear medicine physicians should be familiar with possible false positive cases. Although many cases of high FDG uptake mimicking malignancy have been reported, temporary intense focal FDG uptake of normal spleen has not been reported previously. We report herein a phenomenon of temporary intense focal FDG uptake of normal spleen without evidence of metastasis in a 46 year old woman with a history of anal cancer.

Impact of variations in fatty liver on sonographic detection of focal hepatic lesions originally identified by CT

OpenAIRE

Wu, Size; Tu, Rong; Nan, Ruixia; Liu, Guangqing; Cui, Xiaojing; Liang, Xian

2015-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of variations in fatty liver on the ultrasonographic detection of focal liver lesions. Methods: A total of 229 patients with varying degrees of fatty liver and focal liver lesions and 200 patients with focal liver lesions but no fatty liver were randomly selected for inclusion in groups I and II, respectively. Findings of focal liver lesions identified on computed tomography were taken as the reference, and findings on ultrasonog...

Focal spot motion of linear accelerators and its effect on portal image analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sonke, Jan-Jakob; Brand, Bob; van Herk, Marcel

2003-01-01

The focal spot of a linear accelerator is often considered to have a fully stable position. In practice, however, the beam control loop of a linear accelerator needs to stabilize after the beam is turned on. As a result, some motion of the focal spot might occur during the start-up phase of

Topographic hot spot before descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty is associated with postoperative hyperopic shift.

Science.gov (United States)

Shimizu, Tsutomu; Yamaguchi, Takefumi; Satake, Yoshiyuki; Shimazaki, Jun

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate topographic "hot spots" on the anterior corneal surface before Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and their effects on postoperative visual acuity and hyperopic shift. Twenty-seven eyes of 27 patients with bullous keratopathy, who underwent DSAEK were studied. We defined a hot spot as a focal area with relatively high refractive power on the anterior corneal surface in eyes with bullous keratopathy. Refractive spherical equivalent, keratometric value, and corneal topography were retrospectively evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Hot spots were identified in 11 eyes (42.3%) before DSAEK and disappeared in 9 eyes of these eyes (81.8%) at 6 months after DSAEK. AS-OCT revealed focal epithelial thickening in the same areas as the hot spots. There was no significant difference in the postoperative visual acuity between eyes with and without hot spots (P > 0.05). The keratometric value of the anterior corneal surface significantly flattened from 45.7 ± 2.7 diopters (D) before DSAEK to 44.2 ± 2.7 D 1 month after DSAEK in eyes with hot spots (P = 0.01), whereas in eyes without hot spots, there were no significant differences in the keratometric values before and after DSAEK. At 6 months, the refractive change was +1.1 ± 1.3 D in eyes with hot spots and -0.2 ± 0.6 D in eyes without hot spots (P = 0.034). In eyes with focal epithelial thickening, topographic hot spots on the anterior corneal surface were observed using AS-OCT. The hot spots disappeared after DSAEK and had no influence on the postoperative visual acuity.

Syndecan-4 and focal adhesion function

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Woods, A; Couchman, J R

2001-01-01

Two groups have now reported the viability of mice that lack syndecan-4. These mice have wound healing/angiogenesis problems, and fibroblasts from these animals differ in adhesion and migration from normal. This is consistent with recent in vitro data indicating a need for signaling via syndecan-4...... for focal adhesion formation, and reports that overexpression of proteins that bind syndecan-4 can modify cell adhesion and migration....

Focal Mechanism of Semi-Volcanic Deep Low-Frequency Earthquakes in Eastern Shimane

Science.gov (United States)

Aso, N.; Ohta, K.; Ide, S.

2012-12-01

Many deep low-frequency earthquakes (LFEs) occur near the island arc Mohorovicic discontinuities and far from both active volcanoes and plate boundaries. They are quite similar to volcanic LFEs beneath active volcanoes, which infers some fluid movement in the source region, and we regard them as "semi-volcanic" LFEs [Aso et al., 2011; 2012 (submitted)]. Several previous studies determined the focal mechanisms of volcanic and semi-volcanic LFEs using a small portion of information of the waveforms. Although the estimated focal mechanisms are various, they may not necessary support the variety of the actual physical process, owing to the large determination error [e.g., Nishidomi and Takeo, 1996; Ohmi and Obara, 2002; Nakamichi et al., 2003]. Here we determine the focal mechanisms by waveform inversion for LFEs in eastern Shimane in western Japan, where many LFEs occurred in a quiet region. The locations are also close to the fault plane of the 2000 western Tottori earthquake of Mw6.6, and right beneath Yokota volcano, which is a Quaternary volcanic cluster. We estimated the focal mechanisms of semi-volcanic LFEs in eastern Shimane by moment tensor inversion. The data are velocity seismograms at five stations of Hi-net near the epicenters. For each seismogram, we extracted a 1.5-second time window beginning from 0.2 seconds before the arrivals of either P-wave in a vertical component or S-wave in a horizontal component. The arrival time of each phase is picked manually first, and then corrected to minimize the variance between observed and synthetic waveforms. The local site amplification is estimated using far-field body waves from deep intraslab earthquakes, and collected for each seismogram. The synthetic waveforms were calculated using the discrete wavenumber integration method developed by Takeo [1985] for a horizontally layered structure. For 38 LFEs, which are equal to or larger than M1.2 (JMA magnitude) and recorded at all five stations, the focal mechanisms

Differential diagnosis of focal pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Gulik, T. M.; Moojen, T. M.; van Geenen, R.; Rauws, E. A.; Obertop, H.; Gouma, D. J.

1999-01-01

The differentiation of focal, chronic pancreatitis (CP) and pancreatic cancer (PAC) poses a diagnostic dilemma. Both conditions may present with the same symptoms and signs. The complexity of differential diagnosis is enhanced because PAC is frequently associated with secondary inflammatory changes

Combined passive acoustic mapping and magnetic resonance thermometry for monitoring phase-shift nanoemulsion enhanced focused ultrasound therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Crake, Calum; Meral, F. Can; Burgess, Mark T.; Papademetriou, Iason T.; McDannold, Nathan J.; Porter, Tyrone M.

2017-08-01

Focused ultrasound (FUS) has the potential to enable precise, image-guided noninvasive surgery for the treatment of cancer in which tumors are identified and destroyed in a single integrated procedure. However, success of the method in highly vascular organs has been limited due to heat losses to perfusion, requiring development of techniques to locally enhance energy absorption and heating. In addition, FUS procedures are conventionally monitored using MRI, which provides excellent anatomical images and can map temperature, but is not capable of capturing the full gamut of available data such as the acoustic emissions generated during this inherently acoustically-driven procedure. Here, we employed phase-shift nanoemulsions (PSNE) embedded in tissue phantoms to promote cavitation and hence temperature rise induced by FUS. In addition, we incorporated passive acoustic mapping (PAM) alongside simultaneous MR thermometry in order to visualize both acoustic emissions and temperature rise, within the bore of a full scale clinical MRI scanner. Focal cavitation of PSNE could be resolved using PAM and resulted in accelerated heating and increased the maximum elevated temperature measured via MR thermometry compared to experiments without nanoemulsions. Over time, the simultaneously acquired acoustic and temperature maps show translation of the focus of activity towards the FUS transducer, and the magnitude of the increase in cavitation and focal shift both increased with nanoemulsion concentration. PAM results were well correlated with MRI thermometry and demonstrated greater sensitivity, with the ability to detect cavitation before enhanced heating was observed. The results suggest that PSNE could be beneficial for enhancement of thermal focused ultrasound therapies and that PAM could be a critical tool for monitoring this process.

Small cardiac lesions: fibrosis of papillary muscles and focal cardiac myocytolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steer, A [Hijiyanna Park, Hiroshima JP; Nakashima, N; Kawashima, T; Lee, K K; Danzig, M D; Robertson, T L; Dock, D S

1977-11-01

Three types of small cardiac lesions were described and illustrated: (1) focal type of papillary muscle fibrosis, evidently a healed infarct of the papillary muscle present in 13% of the autopsies, is a histologically characteristic lesion associated with coronary artery disease and healed myocardial infarction; (2) diffuse type of papillary muscle fibrosis, probably an aging change present in almost half of the autopsies, is associated with sclerosis of the arteries in the papillary muscle, is identifiable histologically; and apparently is not associated with any cardiac abnormality; and (3) focal cardiac myocytolysis, a unique histologic lesion, usually multifocal without predilection for any area of the heart, is associated with ischemic heart disease, death due to cancer complicated by non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis and microthrombi in small cardiac arteries as well as with other diseases. Differentiation of the 2 types of papillary muscle fibrosis is important in the study of papillary muscle and mitral valve dysfunction. Focal cardiac myocytolysis may contribute to the fatal extension of myocardial infarcts.

Small cardiac lesions: fibrosis of papillary muscles and focal cardiac myocytolysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steer, A; Nakashima, T; Kawashima, T; Lee, K K; Danzig, M D; Robertson, T L; Dock, D S

1977-11-01

Three types of small cardiac lesions were described and illustrated: (1) focal type of papillary muscle fibrosis, evidently a healed infarct of the papillary muscle present in 13% of the autopsies, is a histologically characteristic lesion associated with coronary artery disease and healed myocardial infarction, (2) diffuse type of papillary muscle fibrosis, probably an aging change present in almost half of the autopsies, is associated with sclerosis of the arteries in the papillary muscle, is identifiable histologically, and apparently is not associated with any cardiac abnormality, and (3) focal cardiac myochtolysis, a unique histologic lesion, usually multifocal without predilection for any area of the heart, is associated with ischemic heart disease, death due to cancer complicated by nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis and microthrombi in small cardiac arteries as well as with other diseases. Differentiation of the 2 types of papillary muscle fibrosis is important in the study of papillary muscle and mitral valve dysfunction. Focal cardiac myocytolysis may contribute to the fatal extension of myocardial infarcts.

The Interplay between Topic Shift and Focus in the Dynamic Construction of Discourse Representations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaohong Yang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Previous studies have suggested that focusing an element can enhance the activation of the focused element and bring about a number of processing benefits. However, whether and how this local prominence of information interacts with global discourse organization remains unclear. In the present study, we addressed this issue in two experiments. Readers were presented with four-sentence discourses. The first sentence of each discourse contained a critical word that was either focused or unfocused in relation to a wh-question preceding the discourse. The second sentence either maintained or shifted the topic of the first sentence. Participants were told to read for comprehension and for a probe recognition task in which the memory of the critical words was tested. In Experiment 1, when the probe words were tested immediately after the point of topic shift, we found shorter response times for the focused critical words than the unfocused ones regardless of topic manipulation. However, in Experiment 2, when the probe words were tested two sentences away from the point of topic shift, we found the facilitation effect of focus only in the topic-maintained discourses, but not in the topic-shifted discourses. This suggests that the facilitation effect of focus was not immediately suppressed at the point of topic shifting, but when additional information was added to the new topic. Our findings provide evidence for the dynamic interplay between global topic structure and local salience of information and have important implications on how activation of information fluctuates in mental representation.

Professional SharePoint 2010 Cloud-Based Solutions

CERN Document Server

Fox, Steve; Stubbs, Paul; Follette, Donovan

2011-01-01

An authoritative guide to extending SharePoint's power with cloud-based services If you want to be part of the next major shift in the IT industry, you'll want this book. Melding two of the hottest trends in the industry—the widespread popularity of the SharePoint collaboration platform and the rapid rise of cloud computing—this practical guide shows developers how to extend their SharePoint solutions with the cloud's almost limitless capabilities. See how to get started, discover smart ways to leverage cloud data and services through Azure, start incorporating Twitter or LinkedIn

Physical Limitations To Nonuniformity Correction In IR Focal Plane Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Scribner, D. A.; Kruer, M. R.; Gridley, J. C.; Sarkady, K.

1988-05-01

Simple nonuniformity correction algorithms currently in use can be severely limited by nonlinear response characteristics of the individual pixels in an IR focal plane array. Although more complicated multi-point algorithms improve the correction process they too can be limited by nonlinearities. Furthermore, analysis of single pixel noise power spectrums usually show some level of 1 /f noise. This in turn causes pixel outputs to drift independent of each other thus causing the spatial noise (often called fixed pattern noise) of the array to increase as a function of time since the last calibration. Measurements are presented for two arrays (a HgCdTe hybrid and a Pt:Si CCD) describing pixel nonlinearities, 1/f noise, and residual spatial noise (after nonuniforming correction). Of particular emphasis is spatial noise as a function of the lapsed time since the last calibration and the calibration process selected. The resulting spatial noise is examined in terms of its effect on the NEAT performance of each array tested and comparisons are made. Finally, a discussion of implications for array developers is given.

FOCAL EPILEPTIC MYOCLONUS IN KOZHEVNIKOV–RASMUSSEN SYNDROME

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. E. Kvaskova

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents the clinical, electroencephalographic (EEG and neuroimaging features, as well as the results of treatment of patients with focal epileptic myoclonus (FEM with the Kozhevnikov–Rasmussen syndrome (KRS. FEM in KRS-patients was identified in 11 cases, accounting for 0.9 % of all the cases of epilepsy with the onset of seizures up to 18 years (n = 1261. The age at onset of KRS ranged from 3 to 21 years (average – 9.2 ± 5.7 years. In the active period of the disease of all patients in the clinical picture the active FEM appeared and increasing frequency of the secondary generalized seizures (SGS. In addition SGS and FEM, the clinical picture of the disease in most patients (91 % the focal motor (clonic and the somatosensory focal seizures were observed. As the disease progressed, the FEM became more pronounced in frequency and intensity, seized more muscle groups, localizing mainly in the muscles of the trunk and limbs. The typical EEG pattern of FEM patients with KRS was regional epileptiform activity that occurs in the structure of the continued regional slowing localizing maximum of the fronto-central-temporal region. During the magnetic resonance tomography of the brain in dynamics all the patients observed the increase in total cortical hemiatrophy. In all the cases, the appointment of antiepileptic therapy resulted in a slowing of the FEM, however, a complete remission was reached at none of the patients. Two patients were made surgical treatment of epilepsy. In one case remission of epileptic seizures was observed after right-side hemispherotomy. Our study showed that FEM is very resistant type of epileptic seizures. This fact calls for the identification of the FEM at the early stages of the disease with the purpose to improve the prognosis, as well as for an earlier surgical treatment.

The Effect of Focal Distance, Age, and Brightness on Near-Field Augmented Reality Depth Matching

OpenAIRE

Singh, Gujot; Ellis, Stephen R.; Swan II, J. Edward

2017-01-01

Many augmented reality (AR) applications operate within near-field reaching distances, and require matching the depth of a virtual object with a real object. The accuracy of this matching was measured in three experiments, which examined the effect of focal distance, age, and brightness, within distances of 33.3 to 50 cm, using a custom-built AR haploscope. Experiment I examined the effect of focal demand, at the levels of collimated (infinite focal distance), consistent with other depth cues...

Infrared MUSIC from Z technology focal planes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waters, C.R.; Sommese, A.; Johnston, D.; Landau, H.

1989-01-01

Presented is the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm which uses the high frequency differences in sensed time signals to discriminate, count, and accurately locate closely spaced targets. Z technology focal planes allow the implementation of this algorithm and the trade-off between finer spatial resolution systems and systems with coarser resolution but higher sampling rates

SNAP Satellite Focal Plane Development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bebek, C.; Akerlof, C.; Aldering, G.; Amanullah, R.; Astier, P.; Baltay, C.; Barrelet, E.; Basa, S.; Bercovitz, J.; Bergstrom, L.; Berstein, G.P.; Bester, M.; Bohlin, R.; Bonissent, A.; Bower, C.; Campbell, M.; Carithers, W.; Commins, E.; Day, C.; Deustua, S.; DiGennaro, R.; Ealet, A.; Ellis, R.; Emmett, W.; Eriksson, M.; Fouchez, D.; Fruchter, A.; Genat, J-F.; Goldhaber, G.; Goobar, A.; Groom, D.; Heetderks, H.; Holland, S.; Huterer, D.; Johnson, W.; Kadel, R.; Karcher, A.; Kim, A.; Kolbe, W.; Lafever, R.; Lamoureaux, J.; Lampton, M.; Lefevre, O.; Levi, M.; Levin, D.; Linder, E.; Loken, S.; Malina, R.; Mazure, A.; McKay, T.; McKee, S.; Miquel, R.; Morgan, N.; Mortsell, E.; Mostek, N.; Mufson, S.; Musser, J.; Roe, N.; Nugent, P.; Oluseyi, H.; Pain, R.; Palaio, N.; Pankow, D.; Perlmutter, S.; Prieto, E.; Rabinowitz, D.; Refregier, A.; Rhodes, J.; Schubnell, M.; Sholl, M.; Smadja, G.; Smith, R.; Smoot, G.; Snyder, J.; Spadafora, A.; Szymkowiak, A.; Tarle, G.; Taylor, K.; Tilquin, A.; Tomasch, A.; Vincent, D.; von der Lippe, H.; Walder, J-P.; Wang, G.

2003-01-01

The proposed SuperNova/Acceleration Probe (SNAP) mission will have a two-meter class telescope delivering diffraction-limited images to an instrumented 0.7 square degree field in the visible and near-infrared wavelength regime. The requirements for the instrument suite and the present configuration of the focal plane concept are presented. A two year R and D phase, largely supported by the Department of Energy, is just beginning. We describe the development activities that are taking place to advance our preparedness for mission proposal in the areas of detectors and electronics

Spectral stability of shifted states on star graphs

Science.gov (United States)

Kairzhan, Adilbek; Pelinovsky, Dmitry E.

2018-03-01

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS) equation with the subcritical power nonlinearity on a star graph consisting of N edges and a single vertex under generalized Kirchhoff boundary conditions. The stationary NLS equation may admit a family of solitary waves parameterized by a translational parameter, which we call the shifted states. The two main examples include (i) the star graph with even N under the classical Kirchhoff boundary conditions and (ii) the star graph with one incoming edge and N  -  1 outgoing edges under a single constraint on coefficients of the generalized Kirchhoff boundary conditions. We obtain the general counting results on the Morse index of the shifted states and apply them to the two examples. In the case of (i), we prove that the shifted states with even N ≥slant 4 are saddle points of the action functional which are spectrally unstable under the NLS flow. In the case of (ii), we prove that the shifted states with the monotone profiles in the N  -  1 edges are spectrally stable, whereas the shifted states with non-monotone profiles in the N  -  1 edges are spectrally unstable, the two families intersect at the half-soliton states which are spectrally stable but nonlinearly unstable under the NLS flow. Since the NLS equation on a star graph with shifted states can be reduced to the homogeneous NLS equation on an infinite line, the spectral instability of shifted states is due to the perturbations breaking this reduction. We give a simple argument suggesting that the spectrally stable shifted states in the case of (ii) are nonlinearly unstable under the NLS flow due to the perturbations breaking the reduction to the homogeneous NLS equation.

Laparoscopic Partial Hepatectomy of Focal Nodular Hyperplasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mayu Sakata

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Focal nodular hyperplasia is a benign liver lesion incidentally discovered with increasing frequency because of the proliferation of imaging studies. Radiographic characterization can diagnose this pathologic lesion and nonoperative therapy is the standard of care. However, surgical resection may be required for diagnostic reasons or symptomatic patients. Depending on the anatomic location of the lesion, biopsy and/or resection can be performed laparoscopically. We herein report the case of a 26-year-old Japanese woman with a hepatic tumor who required a medical examination. Her medical history was negative for alcohol abuse, oral contraceptive administration and trauma. Clinical examination showed no significant symptoms. Ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a mass located in the left lateral segment of the liver with a diameter of about 40 mm. It was difficult to diagnose the tumor definitively from these imaging studies, so we performed laparoscopic partial hepatectomy with successive firing of endoscopic staplers. The histopathological diagnosis was focal nodular hyperplasia. Surgical procedures and postoperative course were uneventful and the patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 5.

Focal dystonia in musicians: From phenomenology to therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hans-Christian Jabusch

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Musician's dystonia is a task-specific movement disorder which manifests itself as a loss of voluntary motor control in extensively trained movements. In many cases, the disorder terminates the careers of affected musicians. Approximately 1% of all professional musicians are affected.Etiology and Pathophysiology: The pathophysiology of the disorder is still unclear. Findings include (a reduced inhibition in different levels of the central nervous system, (b maladaptive plasticity, e.g. in the somatosensory cortex and in the basal ganglia, and (c alterations in sensorimotor processing. Epidemiological data demon-strated a higher risk for those musicians who play instruments requiring maximal fine-motorskills. For instruments where workload differs across hands, focal dystonia appears more often in the more intensely used hand. In psychological studies, musicians with dystonia had more perfectionist tendencies than healthy musicians. These findings streng then the assumption that behavioral factors may be involved in the etiology of musician's dystonia. Hereditary factors may play a greater role than previously assumed. Preliminary findings suggest a genetic contributiont o focal task-specific dystonia with phenotypic variations including musician's dystonia.Treatment: Treatment options for musician's dystonia include pharmacological interventions such as administration of Trihexyphenidyl or Botulinum Toxin-A as well as retraining programs and ergonomic changes in the instrument. A long-term follow-up study was performed in 144 patients with musician's dystonia. The outcome was revealed on average 8.4 years after onset of symptoms. Outcome was assessed by patients' subjective rating of cumulative treatmentresponse and response to individual therapies. Seventy-seven patients (54% reported an alleviation of symptoms: 33% of the patients with Trihexyphenidyl, 49% with Botulinum Toxin, 50% with pedagogical retraining, 56% with unmonitored

Serial neuroradiological studies in focal cerebritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatta, S.; Mochizuki, H.; Kuru, Y.; Miwa, H.; Kondo, T.; Mori, H.; Mizuno, Y.

1994-01-01

We report serial neuroradiological studies in a patient with focal cerebritis in the head of the left caudate nucleus. On the day after the onset of symptoms, CT showed an ill-defined low density lesion. The lack of contrast enhancement appeared to be the most important finding for differentiating focal cerebritis from an encapsulated brain abscess or a tumour. MRI two days later revealed the centre of the lesion to be of slightly low intensity on T1-weighted inversion recovery (IR) images and very low intensity on T2-weighted spin echo images, which appeared to correspond to the early cerebritis stage of experimentally induced cerebritis and brain abscess. Ten days after the onset of symptoms, CT revealed a thin ring of enhancement in the head of the caudate nucleus, and a similar small ring was seen in the hypothalamus 16 days after the onset, corresponding to the late cerebritis stage. MRI nine days later revealed ill-defined high signal lesions within the involved area on the T1-weighted IR images. To our knowledge, this is the first published MRI documentation of the early cerebritis stage developing into an encapsulated brain abscess. The mechanisms underlying of these radiographic changes are discussed. (orig.)

Focal femoral condyle resurfacing.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Brennan, S A

2013-03-01

Focal femoral inlay resurfacing has been developed for the treatment of full-thickness chondral defects of the knee. This technique involves implanting a defect-sized metallic or ceramic cap that is anchored to the subchondral bone through a screw or pin. The use of these experimental caps has been advocated in middle-aged patients who have failed non-operative methods or biological repair techniques and are deemed unsuitable for conventional arthroplasty because of their age. This paper outlines the implant design, surgical technique and biomechanical principles underlying their use. Outcomes following implantation in both animal and human studies are also reviewed. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2013;95-B:301-4.

Uncooled infrared focal plane array imaging in China

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Shuyu

2015-06-01

This article reviews the development of uncooled infrared focal plane array (UIFPA) imaging in China in the past decade. Sensors based on optical or electrical read-out mechanism were developed but the latter dominates the market. In resistive bolometers, VOx and amorphous silicon are still the two major thermal-sensing materials. The specifications of the IRFPA made by different manufactures were collected and compared. Currently more than five Chinese companies and institutions design and fabricate uncooled infrared focal plane array. Some devices have sensitivity as high as 30 mK; the largest array for commercial products is 640×512 and the smallest pixel size is 17 μm. Emphasis is given on the pixel MEMS design, ROIC design, fabrication, and packaging of the IRFPA manufactured by GWIC, especially on design for high sensitivities, low noise, better uniformity and linearity, better stabilization for whole working temperature range, full-digital design, etc.

Early warning of climate tipping points

Science.gov (United States)

Lenton, Timothy M.

2011-07-01

A climate 'tipping point' occurs when a small change in forcing triggers a strongly nonlinear response in the internal dynamics of part of the climate system, qualitatively changing its future state. Human-induced climate change could push several large-scale 'tipping elements' past a tipping point. Candidates include irreversible melt of the Greenland ice sheet, dieback of the Amazon rainforest and shift of the West African monsoon. Recent assessments give an increased probability of future tipping events, and the corresponding impacts are estimated to be large, making them significant risks. Recent work shows that early warning of an approaching climate tipping point is possible in principle, and could have considerable value in reducing the risk that they pose.

Power of the Poincaré group: elucidating the hidden symmetries in focal conic domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Gareth P; Chen, Bryan Gin-Ge; Matsumoto, Elisabetta A; Kamien, Randall D

2010-06-25

Focal conic domains are typically the "smoking gun" by which smectic liquid crystalline phases are identified. The geometry of the equally spaced smectic layers is highly generic but, at the same time, difficult to work with. In this Letter we develop an approach to the study of focal sets in smectics which exploits a hidden Poincaré symmetry revealed only by viewing the smectic layers as projections from one-higher dimension. We use this perspective to shed light upon several classic focal conic textures, including the concentric cyclides of Dupin, polygonal textures, and tilt-grain boundaries.

Early signatures of regime shifts in gene expression dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Mainak; Pal, Amit Kumar; Ghosh, Sayantari; Bose, Indrani

2013-06-01

Recently, a large number of studies have been carried out on the early signatures of sudden regime shifts in systems as diverse as ecosystems, financial markets, population biology and complex diseases. The signatures of regime shifts in gene expression dynamics are less systematically investigated. In this paper, we consider sudden regime shifts in the gene expression dynamics described by a fold-bifurcation model involving bistability and hysteresis. We consider two alternative models, models 1 and 2, of competence development in the bacterial population B. subtilis and determine some early signatures of the regime shifts between competence and noncompetence. We use both deterministic and stochastic formalisms for the purpose of our study. The early signatures studied include the critical slowing down as a transition point is approached, rising variance and the lag-1 autocorrelation function, skewness and a ratio of two mean first passage times. Some of the signatures could provide the experimental basis for distinguishing between bistability and excitability as the correct mechanism for the development of competence.

Early signatures of regime shifts in gene expression dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal, Mainak; Pal, Amit Kumar; Ghosh, Sayantari; Bose, Indrani

2013-01-01

Recently, a large number of studies have been carried out on the early signatures of sudden regime shifts in systems as diverse as ecosystems, financial markets, population biology and complex diseases. The signatures of regime shifts in gene expression dynamics are less systematically investigated. In this paper, we consider sudden regime shifts in the gene expression dynamics described by a fold-bifurcation model involving bistability and hysteresis. We consider two alternative models, models 1 and 2, of competence development in the bacterial population B. subtilis and determine some early signatures of the regime shifts between competence and noncompetence. We use both deterministic and stochastic formalisms for the purpose of our study. The early signatures studied include the critical slowing down as a transition point is approached, rising variance and the lag-1 autocorrelation function, skewness and a ratio of two mean first passage times. Some of the signatures could provide the experimental basis for distinguishing between bistability and excitability as the correct mechanism for the development of competence. (paper)

Axial and focal-plane diffraction catastrophe integrals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, M V; Howls, C J

2010-01-01

Exact expressions in terms of Bessel functions are found for some of the diffraction catastrophe integrals that decorate caustics in optics and mechanics. These are the axial and focal-plane sections of the elliptic and hyperbolic umbilic diffraction catastrophes, and symmetric elliptic and hyperbolic unfoldings of the X 9 diffraction catastrophes. These representations reveal unexpected relations between the integrals.

[Functional connectivity and complex networks in focal epilepsy. Pathophysiology and therapeutic implications].

Science.gov (United States)

Pastor, Jesús; Sola, Rafael G; Vega-Zelaya, Lorena; Garnes, Óscar; Ortega, Guillermo J

2014-05-01

The traditional surgical approach to treat drug-resistant focal epileptic patients is in the resection or disconnection of the epileptic focus. However, a significant minority of patients continue to experience seizures after surgery, which shows the incomplete level of knowledge that currently we have of this pathology. This paper introduces some concepts of functional connectivity and complex networks methodology with its application to the study of neurophysiological recordings from patients suffering from drug-resistant focal epilepsy. In order to fully understand the new developments in the area of complex networks and its applications to the study of epilepsy, we will here review fundamental concepts in complex networks methodology, synchronization and functional connectivity. Some of the most recent published works dealing with focal epilepsy viewed under this new perspective will be revised and commented. We think that a wider perspective in the study of epilepsy, such as the one reviewed in this work, will allow epileptologists to consider surgical alternatives in the usual treatment of focal epilepsy at those currently performed in most medical centers around the world. Combining the traditional knowledge with new insights provided by network theory will certainly fill many of the gaps we have today in the fragmented understanding of epilepsy.

FAK dimerization controls its kinase-dependent functions at focal adhesions

KAUST Repository

Brami-Cherrier, Karen; Gervasi, Nicolas; Arsenieva, Diana A.; Walkiewicz, Katarzyna; Boutterin, Marie Claude; Ortega, Á lvaro Darí o; Leonard, Paul G.; Seantier, Bastien; Gasmi, Laï la; Bouceba, Tahar; Kadaré , Gress; Girault -, Jean Antoine; Arold, Stefan T.

2014-01-01

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) controls adhesion-dependent cell motility, survival, and proliferation. FAK has kinase-dependent and kinase-independent functions, both of which play major roles in embryogenesis and tumor invasiveness. The precise mechanisms of FAK activation are not known. Using x-ray crystallography, small angle x-ray scattering, and biochemical and functional analyses, we show that the key step for activation of FAK's kinase-dependent functions-autophosphorylation of tyrosine-397-requires site-specific dimerization of FAK. The dimers form via the association of the N-terminal FERM domain of FAK and are stabilized by an interaction between FERM and the C-terminal FAT domain. FAT binds to a basic motif on FERM that regulates co-activation and nuclear localization. FAK dimerization requires local enrichment, which occurs specifically at focal adhesions. Paxillin plays a dual role, by recruiting FAK to focal adhesions and by reinforcing the FAT:FERM interaction. Our results provide a structural and mechanistic framework to explain how FAK combines multiple stimuli into a site-specific function. The dimer interfaces we describe are promising targets for blocking FAK activation. © 2014 The Authors.

FAK dimerization controls its kinase-dependent functions at focal adhesions

KAUST Repository

Brami-Cherrier, Karen

2014-01-30

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) controls adhesion-dependent cell motility, survival, and proliferation. FAK has kinase-dependent and kinase-independent functions, both of which play major roles in embryogenesis and tumor invasiveness. The precise mechanisms of FAK activation are not known. Using x-ray crystallography, small angle x-ray scattering, and biochemical and functional analyses, we show that the key step for activation of FAK\\'s kinase-dependent functions-autophosphorylation of tyrosine-397-requires site-specific dimerization of FAK. The dimers form via the association of the N-terminal FERM domain of FAK and are stabilized by an interaction between FERM and the C-terminal FAT domain. FAT binds to a basic motif on FERM that regulates co-activation and nuclear localization. FAK dimerization requires local enrichment, which occurs specifically at focal adhesions. Paxillin plays a dual role, by recruiting FAK to focal adhesions and by reinforcing the FAT:FERM interaction. Our results provide a structural and mechanistic framework to explain how FAK combines multiple stimuli into a site-specific function. The dimer interfaces we describe are promising targets for blocking FAK activation. © 2014 The Authors.

Radio Telescope Focal Container for the Russian VLBI Network of New Generation

Science.gov (United States)

Ipatov, Alexander; Mardyshkin, Vyacheslav; Cherepanov, Andrey; Chernov, Vitaly; Diky, Dmitry; Khvostov, Evgeny; Yevstigneyev, Alexander

2010-01-01

This article considers the development of the structure of receivers for Russian radio telescopes. The development of these radio telescopes is undertaken within the project for creating a Russian small-antenna-based radio interferometer of new generation. It is shown that for small antennas (10. 12 meter) the principal unit, which provides the best SNR, is the so-called focal container placed at primary focus. It includes the primary feed, HEMT LNA, and cryogenic cooling system down to 20. K. A new multi-band feed based on traveling wave resonators is used. It has small dimensions, low weight, and allows working with circular polarizations. Thus it can be placed into focal container and cooled with the LNA. A sketch of the focal container, with traveling-wave-resonator feed, and calculations of the expected parameters of the multi-band receiver are presented.

The Scenic performance mechanism in the Aristophanes' comedies: the prompter and the focalization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jane Kelly de Oliveira

2017-07-01

Full Text Available In this article, we aimed to point two important mechanisms of scenic performance in the plays of the Greek comedy writer Aristophanes (V BC. Our start assumption is that it is possible to find in the text important marks for the scenic operationalization of those comedies. In the time when those comedies were composed, the author knew the material conditions of scenic performance and he used some interesting strategies, and we highlight two of them: (i he inserted reminder-speech inside the sing of chorus to work as a prompter for the coreutas' choreography; (ii he used the chorus' collective body to indicate to the spectator which scenic elements deserve the attention for being important for the progress of the plot. These two play composition strategies are similar, but not equal, to the contemporary concepts of prompter and focalization.

Fibrocystic change of the breast presenting as a focal lesion mimicking breast cancer in MR imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jeon-Hor; Nalcioglu, Orhan; Su, Min-Ying

2008-12-01

Focal fibrocystic change (FCC) of the breast is a rare form of FCC. Imaging presentations of focal FCC are not well known. This study aimed to analyze its MR imaging features. Eleven patients of pathology-proven focal FCC were retrospectively studied. Of the 11 patients, seven were mass (>or=5 mm), two showed multiple foci, and two were focus (Breast sonography suspected malignancy in seven patients (7/10, 70%). No statistically significant difference was found in the three diagnostic methods. In pathology, all 11 patients showed the typical pathological features of fibrocystic change, with mixed components of stromal fibrosis, cyst formation, apocrine metaplasia, adenosis, and/or focal sclerosing adenosis. In conclusion, MR imaging features of focal FCC usually present as a mass or focus lesion with rapid enhancement and washout kinetics that mimic a malignant breast lesion and lead to unnecessary operation, especially in patients with contralateral malignant breast cancer. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Large-format InGaAs focal plane arrays for SWIR imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Hood, Andrew D.; MacDougal, Michael H.; Manzo, Juan; Follman, David; Geske, Jonathan C.

2012-06-01

FLIR Electro Optical Components will present our latest developments in large InGaAs focal plane arrays, which are used for low light level imaging in the short wavelength infrared (SWIR) regime. FLIR will present imaging from their latest small pitch (15 μm) focal plane arrays in VGA and High Definition (HD) formats. FLIR will present characterization of the FPA including dark current measurements as well as the use of correlated double sampling to reduce read noise. FLIR will show imagery as well as FPA-level characterization data.

Ultrasound and computer tomography in the evaluation of focal liver disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartolozzi, C; Ciatti, S; Lucarelli, E; Villari, N; de Dominicis, R [Florence Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Radiologia

1981-01-01

The results of ultrasound and computer tomography in 150 patients with possible focal liver disease were compared. Ultrasound was more sensitive than CT in detecting lesions but similar information on the nature of the lesion was obtained with both methods. CT provided more complete information than US on the extent of the lesion. Thus, CT and US are supplementary in the evaluation of focal liver disease. Because of the higher sensitivity US should be the first examination, followed, if clinically indicated, by CT for confirmation and possible further information regarding the extent of the lesion.

18 F-FDG uptake in focal organising pneumonia mimicking bronchial carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Baha, Ayse; Yildirim, Fatma; Kokturk, Nurdan; Akdemir, Umit Ozgur; Demircan, Sedat; Turktas, Haluk

2016-11-01

Organising pneumonia (OP) is not a well-known cause of increased 18 F-FDG uptake, and the relationship of the increased 18 F-FDG uptake to clinical parameters has not been clearly identified. This study aims to assess the role of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) for the diagnosis of focal organised pneumonia that may mimic malignity because of mass-like lesions on the radiological images it causes. Among 40 patients of whom histopathological exams were consistent with OP, medical records of 14 focal OP patients diagnosed with surgical biopsy were evaluated retrospectively. There were 10 male (71.4%) and 4 female (28.6%) patients. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 57.2 ± 11.7 years, ranging from 38 to 85 years. Nine subjects (64.3%) were smokers. Eleven patients (78.5%) had symptoms, the remaining 3 patients (21.5%) were asymptomatic. Three patients (21.3%) had a history of malignancy. Focal lung lesion was initially detected by chest radiography in 10 patients (71.4%) and by computed tomography (CT) scan in all patients. CT scan showed a single lesion in 12 (85.7%) patients. The lesions were located in the right lung of the half of patients (50%) and in the left lung of the other half. The median diameter of the lesions was 3.4 cm (range, 1.8-6.0 cm). PET with 18 F-FDG was performed in all patients, and hypermetabolic activity of the focal lung lesion was demonstrated in all cases. The median values of maximum standardized uptake value was 3.5 ± 2.7 (min 2.1-max 13.1). Focal OP is a discrete form of OP that is associated with unifocal lesions on radiological images, and it can easily mimic lung cancer because of positivity on PET scans. There are no specific findings of PET scan for the diagnosis of OP. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Experimental research on energy circled fraction of continuous phase plates in focal spot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yuanhang; Yang Chunlin; Wen Shenglin; Shi Qikai; Wang Jian

2013-01-01

In inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research process, the form of focal spot is extremely crucial. Especially in the indirect driven implosion, energy circled fraction is higher than 95% in focal spot. Based on the offline test platform, the focusing spot of continuous phase plates with different application error is clearly imaged on CCD. By experimental analysis, it is found that the beam rotation error, caliber error, translational error and inclination error have a high tolerance in affecting focal plane of CPP. Energy circled fraction is higher than 95%, the range is less than 0.5%. Nevertheless, the waterfront aberration seriously affects the shaping ability of the CPP. Clearly, the main factor of reducing energy circled fraction to less than 90% is waterfront aberration. (authors)

Mapping Cultural Frame Shifting in Interaction Design with Blending Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Markussen, Thomas; Krogh, Peter Gall

2008-01-01

In this paper, we introduce Gilles Fauconnier & Mark Turner's blending theory as a new conceptual framework for explaining ‘cultural frame shifting' in interaction design. Cultural frame shifting is when people, through their explorative use of technology, are required imaginatively to reorganize...... their cultural background knowledge and expectations. In current HCI research it has occasionally been pointed out that a proper understanding of this phenomenon hinges on addressing the relationship between embodied interaction and cultural meaning construction as part of a larger interactive system. However...... the network model of mental spaces from Fauconnier & Turner's blending theory onto video material and interviews from initial qualitative use studies of a design case. In so doing we explore and argue for how meaning formation and embodied cognition coalesce in cultural frame shifting and provide a tool...

The measurement of tiny dew droplets at the initial deposition stage and dew point using a phase-shift interference microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Shigeaki, Matsumoto

2003-12-01

The shape of a dew droplet deposited on the mirror surface of a copper plate was measured accurately using an interference microscope that employed a phase-shift technique. The microscope was constructed by adding a piezoelectric transducer to an interference microscope. A simple method that uses a conventional speaker horn and an optical fibre cable was used to depress any speckle noise. The shape of a dew droplet deposited at dew point on the plate surface with average roughness of 0.1 µm was measured with an accuracy of ± 3 nm. The mass of a tiny dew droplet could be determined from the volume of its shape and was of the order of 10-9 g. The total mass of a dew droplet deposited per unit area and the deposition velocity under a gentle wind were also obtained in a similar way. The total mass was of the order of 10-5 g cm-2 at the beginning of deposition and the deposition velocity ranged from 1 × 10-5 to 6 × 10-5 g cm-2 min-1 at room temperature.

[Focal Point “Reading Animal”. Hermann Cohn and the Emergence of the Fin de Siècle Hygiene of Reading].

Science.gov (United States)

Grütter, Fabian

2015-12-01

From the 1860s onward, ‘eye experts’ increasingly fretted the alleged surge of myopia attributed to an increase of reading matter circulating in schools. In order to avert the inauspicious prospects, revised school desks designed to prevent children from becoming myopic were introduced. During the 1880s, said experts turned to printed matter, maintaining that books must become more reader friendly. Along with the turn to books, a peculiar shift within the hygiene discourse occurred: While the ill addressed by school desk-revisions was myopia, the goal of revising book design was to make reading less tiring. This paper explores both the shift from the hygiene of the eye to the hygiene of reading as well as the materialization of the stipulations and claims made by reading hygienists. In doing so, the paper demonstrates that optimizing the reading process was closely linked to a fear of overburdening and fatigue which expressed itself in the psychopathological discourse of the time.

Segmented focal plane detector for light and heavy ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolfs, F.L.H.; Bryan, D.C.; Kurz, K.L.; Herrick, D.M.; Perera, P.A.A.; White, C.A.

1992-01-01

A segmented focal plane detector for an Enge split-pole spectrograph has been developed for the study of breakup reactions at very low relative energies. It consists of a 61 cm long segmented position-sensitive parallel plate avalanche counter backed by a large Bragg curve detector. A segmented plastic scintillator is mounted behind the anode of the Bragg curve detector and is used for particle identification of low-ionizing particles. The dead space between the two sections of the focal plane detector is 2.5 mm. The intrinsic position resolution of the detector is 1 mm. The intrinsic energy resolution depends on the energy of the incident ion and can be as good as 0.55%. The nuclear charge and mass resolutions are 0.3 e and 0.3 u, respectively. (orig.)

Laser Beam Caustic Measurement with Focal Spot Analyser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Flemming Ove; Gong, Hui; Bagger, Claus

2005-01-01

In industrial applications of high power CO2-lasers the caustic characteristics of the laser beam have great effects on the performance of the lasers. A welldefined high intense focused spot is essential for reliable production results. This paper presents a focal spot analyser that is developed...

Focal sparing around the gallbladder in fatty liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Kemin; Hiramatsu, Yoshihiro; Yunoki, Masanori; Hirano, Yoko

1989-01-01

In evaluating fatty liver with CT, the residual normal liver tissues without fat deposits are occasionally detected on CT as high attenuation regions, especially surrounding the gallbladder. This study examined the incidence of this phenomenon in terms of the diagnostic value of CT in fatty liver. Fifty-seven patients with fatty liver were examined with CT. The incidence of focal sparing area was the highest in the gallbladder bed (42/57, 74%), followed by the interlobar fissure or subcapsular area (13, 23%), quadrate lobe (8, 14%), caudate lobe (2, 4%), and right lobe (one, 1.8%). These CT appearances were of spot, band, ring, and the mixed type. In 38 patients, fatty liver was too moderate to be detected without CT attenuation numbers. Among them, 27 patients (71%) had focal sparing area surrounding the gallbladder. This CT appearance seemed to be of significance in preventing the missing of moderate fatty liver. (Namekawa, K)

High operating temperature interband cascade focal plane arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tian, Z.-B.; Godoy, S. E.; Kim, H. S.; Schuler-Sandy, T.; Montoya, J. A.; Krishna, S. [Center for High Technology Materials, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 (United States)

2014-08-04

In this paper, we report the initial demonstration of mid-infrared interband cascade (IC) photodetector focal plane arrays with multiple-stage/junction design. The merits of IC photodetectors include low noise and efficient photocarrier extraction, even for zero-bias operation. By adopting enhanced electron barrier design and a total absorber thickness of 0.7 μm, the 5-stage IC detectors show very low dark current (1.10 × 10{sup −7} A/cm{sup 2} at −5 mV and 150 K). Even with un-optimized fabrication and standard commercial (mis-matched) read-out circuit technology, infrared images are obtained by the 320 × 256 IC focal plane array up to 180 K with f/2.3 optics. The minimum noise equivalent temperature difference of 28 mK is obtained at 120 K. These initial results indicate great potential of IC photodetectors, particularly for high operating temperature applications.

High operating temperature interband cascade focal plane arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Z.-B.; Godoy, S. E.; Kim, H. S.; Schuler-Sandy, T.; Montoya, J. A.; Krishna, S.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we report the initial demonstration of mid-infrared interband cascade (IC) photodetector focal plane arrays with multiple-stage/junction design. The merits of IC photodetectors include low noise and efficient photocarrier extraction, even for zero-bias operation. By adopting enhanced electron barrier design and a total absorber thickness of 0.7 μm, the 5-stage IC detectors show very low dark current (1.10 × 10 −7 A/cm 2 at −5 mV and 150 K). Even with un-optimized fabrication and standard commercial (mis-matched) read-out circuit technology, infrared images are obtained by the 320 × 256 IC focal plane array up to 180 K with f/2.3 optics. The minimum noise equivalent temperature difference of 28 mK is obtained at 120 K. These initial results indicate great potential of IC photodetectors, particularly for high operating temperature applications

Focal dermal hypoplasia: A rare case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahana M Srinivas

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Focal dermal hypoplasia (Goltz syndrome is a rare genetic multisystem disorder primarily involving the skin, skeletal system, eyes, and face. We report the case of an eight-month-old female child who presented with multiple hypopigmented atrophic macules along the lines of blaschko, skeletal anomalies, umbilical hernia, developmental delay, hypoplastic nails, syndactyly, and lobster claw deformity characteristic of Goltz syndrome.

Affection of blood supply of focal hepatic mass on apparent diffusion coefficient of the lesions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zaizhi; Wu Yulin; Xu Zhongfei; Yang Zhenghan; Chen Min; Zhou Cheng; Xie Jingxia

2002-01-01

Objective: To investigate the affection of lesion blood supply on apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of focal hepatic mass. Methods: Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with different b values was performed in 87 patients with 159 focal hepatic lesions. ADCs of lesion, liver, spleen, gallbladder were measured in every case. Results: On DWI with small b value and small b value remainder, ADCs were affected by blood perfusion of tissues or lesions. The mean ADC of hypervascular lesions was significantly higher than that of hypovascular lesions on DWI with small b value, and hemoangiomas got the highest mean ADC. The mean ADC of hepatic cysts was not affected by b value. Conclusion: Blood perfusion affects ADC of tissue or focal hepatic lesion, particularly on DWI with small b value, and to some degree, DWI and ADC can reflect the blood supply of focal hepatic lesion

Focal intestinal lymphangiectasia: An unusual cause of acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashish Kumar Jha

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Detection of bleeding lesion in a patient of acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding is a real challenge. Recently, authors have showed superiority of urgent capsule endoscopy (CE over angiography in patients with acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Focal type of intestinal lymphangiectasia is a rare cause of acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Here, we describe a case of focal lymphangiectasia who presented to us with acute overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and diagnosed by urgent CE.

Combining PALM and SOFI for quantitative imaging of focal adhesions in living cells

Science.gov (United States)

Deschout, Hendrik; Lukes, Tomas; Sharipov, Azat; Feletti, Lely; Lasser, Theo; Radenovic, Aleksandra

2017-02-01

Focal adhesions are complicated assemblies of hundreds of proteins that allow cells to sense their extracellular matrix and adhere to it. Although most focal adhesion proteins have been identified, their spatial organization in living cells remains challenging to observe. Photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) is an interesting technique for this purpose, especially since it allows estimation of molecular parameters such as the number of fluorophores. However, focal adhesions are dynamic entities, requiring a temporal resolution below one minute, which is difficult to achieve with PALM. In order to address this problem, we merged PALM with super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) by applying both techniques to the same data. Since SOFI tolerates an overlap of single molecule images, it can improve the temporal resolution compared to PALM. Moreover, an adaptation called balanced SOFI (bSOFI) allows estimation of molecular parameters, such as the fluorophore density. We therefore performed simulations in order to assess PALM and SOFI for quantitative imaging of dynamic structures. We demonstrated the potential of our PALM-SOFI concept as a quantitative imaging framework by investigating moving focal adhesions in living cells.

CAMAC module control from the TPA-1001/i by means of the FOCAL programming language

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Angelov, A.Kh.; Dubovik, L.V.

1977-01-01

The possibility of using FOCAL programming language to control CAMAC modules by minicomputer is considered. This language allows to make effective changes in the program and reduce the time necessary for writing and running programmes. To address CAMAC modules a packet of CAMAC subroutines from the CAMAC-tr A/i software is included into FOCAL language, its operational possibilities and linguistic peculiarities being completely preserved. A big fast memory enables one to add three additional functions to the function list of FOCAL language. An example is given illustrating the use of these functions

High Frequency High Spectral Resolution Focal Plane Arrays for AtLAST

Science.gov (United States)

Baryshev, Andrey

2018-01-01

Large collecting area single dish telescope such as ATLAST will be especially effective for medium (R 1000) and high (R 50000) spectral resolution observations. Large focal plane array is a natural solution to increase mapping speed. For medium resolution direct detectors with filter banks (KIDs) and or heterodyne technology can be employed. We will analyze performance limits of comparable KID and SIS focal plane array taking into account quantum limit and high background condition of terrestrial observing site. For large heterodyne focal plane arrays, a high current density AlN junctions open possibility of large instantaneous bandwidth >40%. This and possible multi frequency band FPSs presents a practical challenge for spatial sampling and scanning strategies. We will discuss phase array feeds as a possible solution, including a modular back-end system, which can be shared between KID and SIS based FPA. Finally we will discuss achievable sensitivities and pixel co unts for a high frequency (>500 GHz) FPAs and address main technical challenges: LO distribution, wire counts, bias line multiplexing, and monolithic vs. discrete mixer component integration.

Interferon Induced Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusuf Kayar

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Behçet’s disease is an inflammatory disease of unknown etiology which involves recurring oral and genital aphthous ulcers and ocular lesions as well as articular, vascular, and nervous system involvement. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS is usually seen in viral infections, immune deficiency syndrome, sickle cell anemia, and hyperfiltration and secondary to interferon therapy. Here, we present a case of FSGS identified with kidney biopsy in a patient who had been diagnosed with Behçet’s disease and received interferon-alpha treatment for uveitis and presented with acute renal failure and nephrotic syndrome associated with interferon.

Computational model of neuron-astrocyte interactions during focal seizure generation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davide eReato

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Empirical research in the last decade revealed that astrocytes can respond to neurotransmitters with Ca2+ elevations and generate feedback signals to neurons which modulate synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability. This discovery changed our basic understanding of brain function and provided new perspectives for how astrocytes can participate not only to information processing, but also to the genesis of brain disorders, such as epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures that can arise focally at restricted areas and propagate throughout the brain. Studies in brain slice models suggest that astrocytes contribute to epileptiform activity by increasing neuronal excitability through a Ca2+-dependent release of glutamate. The underlying mechanism remains, however, unclear. In this study, we implemented a parsimonious network model of neurons and astrocytes. The model consists of excitatory and inhibitory neurons described by Izhikevich's neuron dynamics. The experimentally observed Ca2+ change in astrocytes in response to neuronal activity was modeled with linear equations. We considered that glutamate is released from astrocytes above certain intracellular Ca2+ concentrations thus providing a non-linear positive feedback signal to neurons. Propagating seizure-like ictal discharges (IDs were reliably evoked in our computational model by repeatedly exciting a small area of the network, which replicates experimental results in a slice model of focal ID in entorhinal cortex. We found that the threshold of focal ID generation was lowered when an excitatory feedback-loop between astrocytes and neurons was included. Simulations show that astrocytes can contribute to ID generation by directly affecting the excitatory/inhibitory balance of the neuronal network. Our model can be used to obtain mechanistic insights into the distinct contributions of the different signaling pathways to the generation and

Prediction of microvascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinomas with gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging: Impact of intra-tumoral fat detected on chemical-shift images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Ji Hye [Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Kon, E-mail: jmyr@dreamwiz.com [Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Sanghyeok [Department of Radiology, Guri Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Guri (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Woo Kyoung; Choi, Dongil; Lee, Won Jae [Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2015-06-15

Highlights: • Intra-tumoral fat detected with MR imaging may suggest lower risk for MVI of HCC. • Alfa-fetoprotein, tumor size, and fat component were associated with MVI of HCC. • Chemical shift MRI should be considered for the evaluation of HCC. - Abstract: Purpose: To investigate the impact of intra-tumoral fat detected by chemical-shift MR imaging in predicting the MVI of HCC. Materials and methods: Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging of 365 surgically proven HCCs from 365 patients (306 men, 59 women; mean age, 55.6 years) were evaluated. HCCs were classified into two groups, fat-containing and non-fat-containing, based on the presence of fat on chemical-shift images. Fat-containing HCCs were subdivided into diffuse or focal fatty change groups. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify clinical and MR findings associated with MVI. Results: Based on MR imaging, 66 tumors were classified as fat-containing HCCs and 299 as non-fat-containing HCCs. Among the 66 fat-containing HCCs, 38 (57.6%) showed diffuse fatty changes and 28 (42.4%) showed focal fatty changes. MVI was present in 18 (27.3%) fat-containing HCCs and in 117 (39.1%) non-fat-containing HCCs (P = 0.07). Univariate analysis revealed that serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and tumor size were significantly associated with MVI (P < 0.001). A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that log AFP (odds ratio 1.178, P = 0.0016), tumor size (odds ratio 1.809, P < 0.001), and intra-tumoral fat (odds ratio 0.515, P = 0.0387) were independent variables associated with MVI. Conclusion: Intra-tumoral fat detected with MR imaging may suggest lower risk for MVI of HCC and, therefore, a possibly more favorable prognosis, but the clinical value of this finding is uncertain.

Prediction of microvascular invasion of hepatocellular carcinomas with gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging: Impact of intra-tumoral fat detected on chemical-shift images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Ji Hye; Kim, Young Kon; Lim, Sanghyeok; Jeong, Woo Kyoung; Choi, Dongil; Lee, Won Jae

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Intra-tumoral fat detected with MR imaging may suggest lower risk for MVI of HCC. • Alfa-fetoprotein, tumor size, and fat component were associated with MVI of HCC. • Chemical shift MRI should be considered for the evaluation of HCC. - Abstract: Purpose: To investigate the impact of intra-tumoral fat detected by chemical-shift MR imaging in predicting the MVI of HCC. Materials and methods: Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR imaging of 365 surgically proven HCCs from 365 patients (306 men, 59 women; mean age, 55.6 years) were evaluated. HCCs were classified into two groups, fat-containing and non-fat-containing, based on the presence of fat on chemical-shift images. Fat-containing HCCs were subdivided into diffuse or focal fatty change groups. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify clinical and MR findings associated with MVI. Results: Based on MR imaging, 66 tumors were classified as fat-containing HCCs and 299 as non-fat-containing HCCs. Among the 66 fat-containing HCCs, 38 (57.6%) showed diffuse fatty changes and 28 (42.4%) showed focal fatty changes. MVI was present in 18 (27.3%) fat-containing HCCs and in 117 (39.1%) non-fat-containing HCCs (P = 0.07). Univariate analysis revealed that serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and tumor size were significantly associated with MVI (P < 0.001). A multiple logistic regression analysis showed that log AFP (odds ratio 1.178, P = 0.0016), tumor size (odds ratio 1.809, P < 0.001), and intra-tumoral fat (odds ratio 0.515, P = 0.0387) were independent variables associated with MVI. Conclusion: Intra-tumoral fat detected with MR imaging may suggest lower risk for MVI of HCC and, therefore, a possibly more favorable prognosis, but the clinical value of this finding is uncertain

Recurrent Focal Myositis in Childhood: A Case Report and Systematic Review of the Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Milani, Gregorio P; Mazzoni, Marta B M; Gatti, Helga; Bertolozzi, Giuseppe; Fossali, Emilio F

2017-06-01

Recurrent focal myositis in adulthood has been documented in case reports and case series. Existing textbooks and reviews do not mention or mention only in passing this entity in childhood. We present a patient with recurrent focal myositis and summarize available clinical, laboratory, management, and outcome data on this entity in the pediatric ages. We describe a nine-year-old patient with recurrent myositis of the left biceps. The terms "myositis" and "relapsing" or "recurrent" or "recurrence" were searched using the United States National Library of Medicine and the Excerpta Medica Database. Pertinent secondary references were also screened. Another seven pediatric patients (five males and two females, median age ten years, interquartile range 7-14 years) with recurrent focal myositis were identified. In children, the calf was the most frequently involved muscle. Unlike adults, the myositis in children was usually painful. Episodes could be associated with normal or elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and blood levels of C-reactive protein, creatine kinase, and aspartate aminotransferase. Abnormalities of the creatine kinase value did not seem to be associated with a higher risk of recurrences. Focal myositis has a favorable outcome in children. Recurrent focal myositis is rare and usually benign in childhood. More data are needed to improve the understanding of this condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attention, Exposure Duration, and Gaze Shifting in Naming Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Roelofs, Ardi

2011-01-01

Two experiments are reported in which the role of attribute exposure duration in naming performance was examined by tracking eye movements. Participants were presented with color-word Stroop stimuli and left- or right-pointing arrows on different sides of a computer screen. They named the color attribute and shifted their gaze to the arrow to…

The case for focal brachytherapy for the management of low grade prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, B.J.; Enari, E.

2011-01-01

Full text: Radical therapy of low to intermediate prostate cancer patients can cause substantial adverse events relating to genitourinary and rectal toxicity. Yet there is little evidence that such treatment results in increased life expectancy. On the other hand, watchful waiting is associated with active surveillance and the patient must accept that the cancer remains untreated and has a risk of progression. Focal therapy of low grade prostate cancer provides an intermediate approach to the management of this cancer. The approach is to treat only those positive segments on biopsy and so reduce the likelihood of adverse events. However, continued surveillance is required because of the increased risk of disease progression. Focal therapy needs to be evaluated using available ablative therapies. Recent studies of focal HIFU for 20 patients showed PSA reduced from 7.3 to 1.5 ng/mL at 12 months. 1/20 patients had inadequate erections and 2120 required pads. 17/19 had no histological evidence of cancer and none had evidence of high volume or Gleason = 7 cancer in the treated lobe. Seed brachytherapy is commonly used for radical prostate treatment of low volume disease. As the same template can be used for seed therapy as is used for biopsy, the technique is ideally suited for focal brachytherapy. As any treatment involving less than the entire gland involves the risk of leaving viable cancer cells outside the treatment zone, a phase 3 randomised clinical trial between radical and focal brachytherapy is advocated to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the latter relative to radical therapy.

Importance of point-by-point back projection correction for isocentric motion in digital breast tomosynthesis: Relevance to morphology of structures such as microcalcifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Ying; Lo, Joseph Y.; Dobbins, James T. III

2007-01-01

Digital breast tomosynthesis is a three-dimensional imaging technique that provides an arbitrary set of reconstruction planes in the breast from a limited-angle series of projection images acquired while the x-ray tube moves. Traditional shift-and-add (SAA) tomosynthesis reconstruction is a common mathematical method to line up each projection image based on its shifting amount to generate reconstruction slices. With parallel-path geometry of tube motion, the path of the tube lies in a plane parallel to the plane of the detector. The traditional SAA algorithm gives shift amounts for each projection image calculated only along the direction of x-ray tube movement. However, with the partial isocentric motion of the x-ray tube in breast tomosynthesis, small objects such as microcalcifications appear blurred (for instance, about 1-4 pixels in blur for a microcalcification in a human breast) in traditional SAA images in the direction perpendicular to the direction of tube motion. Some digital breast tomosynthesis algorithms reported in the literature utilize a traditional one-dimensional SAA method that is not wholly suitable for isocentric motion. In this paper, a point-by-point back projection (BP) method is described and compared with traditional SAA for the important clinical task of evaluating morphology of small objects such as microcalcifications. Impulse responses at different three-dimensional locations with five different combinations of imaging acquisition parameters were investigated. Reconstruction images of microcalcifications in a human subject were also evaluated. Results showed that with traditional SAA and 45 deg. view angle of tube movement with respect to the detector, at the same height above the detector, the in-plane blur artifacts were obvious for objects farther away from x-ray source. In a human subject, the appearance of calcifications was blurred in the direction orthogonal to the tube motion with traditional SAA. With point-by-point BP, the

Statin-induced focal myositis of the upper extremity. A report of two cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, M.; Muehldorfer-Fodor, M.; Prommersberger, K.J.; Schmitt, R.

2011-01-01

Statins are widely used to lower increased cholesterol levels with the aim to prevent major cardiovascular events. However, they bare the risk of myotoxic side effects. We report on two patients with focal weakness and pain in the upper extremities. In both patients, abnormal MRI signal heights in the muscle groups involved were indicative of the final diagnosis of focal myositis during statin therapy.

Statin-induced focal myositis of the upper extremity. A report of two cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, M., E-mail: wagner.radiologie@herzchirurgie.de [Department of Radiology, Herz- und Gefaessklinik GmbH, Salzburger Leite 1, D-97616 Bad Neustadt an der Saale (Germany); Muehldorfer-Fodor, M.; Prommersberger, K.J. [Department of Handsurgery, Herz- und Gefaessklinik GmbH, Bad Neustadt an der Saale (Germany); Schmitt, R. [Department of Radiology, Herz- und Gefaessklinik GmbH, Salzburger Leite 1, D-97616 Bad Neustadt an der Saale (Germany)

2011-02-15

Statins are widely used to lower increased cholesterol levels with the aim to prevent major cardiovascular events. However, they bare the risk of myotoxic side effects. We report on two patients with focal weakness and pain in the upper extremities. In both patients, abnormal MRI signal heights in the muscle groups involved were indicative of the final diagnosis of focal myositis during statin therapy.

Automatic test comes to focal plane array production

Science.gov (United States)

Skaggs, Frank L.; Barton, T. D.

1992-08-01

To meet the needs of military and commercial markets, the infrared focal plane array industry must develop new, effective and low cost methods of fabricating and testing imaging detectors. This paper describes Texas Instruments new concepts in automated testing and cold probe technology as they apply to volume production.

The automaticity of vantage point shifts within a synaesthetes' spatial calendar.

Science.gov (United States)

Jarick, Michelle; Jensen, Candice; Dixon, Michael J; Smilek, Daniel

2011-09-01

Time-space synaesthetes report that time units (e.g., months, days, hours) occupy idiosyncratic spatial locations. For the synaesthete (L), the months of the year are projected out in external space in the shape of a 'scoreboard 7', where January to July extend across the top from left to right and August to December make up the vertical segment from top to bottom. Interestingly, L can change the mental vantage point (MVP) from where she views her month-space depending on whether she sees or hears the month name. We used a spatial cueing task to demonstrate that L's attention could be directed to locations within her time-space and change vantage points automatically - from trial to trial. We also sought to eliminate any influence of strategy on L's performance by shortening the interval between the cue and target onset to only 150 ms, and have the targets fall in synaesthetically cued locations on only 15% of trials. If L's performance was attributable to intentionally using the cue to predict target location, these manipulations should eliminate any cueing effects. In two separate experiments, we found that L still showed an attentional bias consistent with her synaesthesia. Thus, we attribute L's rapid and resilient cueing effects to the automaticity of her spatial forms. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

A simulation study on the focal plane detector of the LAUE project

Science.gov (United States)

Khalil, M.; Frontera, F.; Caroli, E.; Virgilli, E.; Valsan, V.

2015-06-01

The LAUE project, supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), is devoted to the development of a long focal length (even 20 m or longer) Laue lens for gamma ray astronomy between 80 and 600 keV. These lenses take advantage of Bragg diffraction to focus radiation onto a small spot drastically improving the signal to noise ratio as well as reducing the required size of the detector significantly. In this paper we present a Monte-Carlo simulation study with MEGALIB to optimize, for space applications, the detector size to achieve high detection efficiency, and to optimize the position resolution of the detector to reconstruct the Point Spread Function of the lens considered for the LAUE project. Then we will show simulations, using the SILVACO semiconductor simulation toolkit, on the optimized detector to estimate its capacitance per channel and depletion voltage. In all of the simulations, two materials were compared; a low density material (Silicon) and a high density material (Germanium).

111In-labeled nonspecific immunoglobulin scanning in the detection of focal infection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubin, R.H.; Fischman, A.J.; Callahan, R.J.; Khaw, B.A.; Keech, F.; Ahmad, M.; Wilkinson, R.; Strauss, H.W.

1989-01-01

We performed radionuclide scanning after the intravenous injection of human IgG labeled with indium-111 in 128 patients with suspected focal sites of inflammation. Localization of 111In-labeled IgG correlated with clinical findings in 51 infected patients (21 with abdominal or pelvic infections, 11 with intravascular infections, 7 with pulmonary infections, and 12 with skeletal infections). Infecting organisms included gram-positive bacteria, gram-negative bacteria, Pneumocystis carinii, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Candida albicans. No focal localization of 111In-labeled IgG was observed in 63 patients without infection. There were five false negative results, and nine results were unusable. Serial scans were carried out in eight patients: continued localization correctly predicted relapse in six, and the absence of localization indicated resolution in two. To determine whether 111In-labeled IgG localization was specific for inflammation, we studied 16 patients with cancer. Focal localization occurred in 13 of these patients (5 with melanomas, 5 with gynecologic cancers, and 1 each with lymphoma, prostate cancer, and malignant fibrous histiocytoma). No localization was seen in patients with renal or colon cancer or metastatic medullary carcinoma of the thyroid. We conclude that 111In-labeled IgG imaging is effective for the detection of focal infection and that serial scans may be useful in assessing therapeutic efficacy. This technique may also be helpful in the evaluation of certain cancers

Focal adhesive arachnoiditis of the spinal cord: Imaging diagnosis and surgical resolution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroki Morisako

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Although adhesive arachnoiditis of the spinal cord can cause progressive symptoms associated with syringomyelia or myelomalacia, its surgical resolution based on the imaging diagnosis is not well characterized. This study aims to describe the use of imaging for the diagnosis of focal adhesive arachnoiditis of the spinal cord and its surgical resolution using microsurgical arachnoidolysis. Materials and Methods: Four consecutive patients with symptomatic syringomyelia or myelomalacia caused by focal adhesive arachnoiditis underwent microsurgical arachnoidolysis. Comprehensive imaging evaluation using constructive interference in steady-state (CISS magnetic resonance imaging (MRI or myelographic MR imaging using true fast imaging with steady-state precession (TrueFISP sequences was included before surgery to determine the surgical indication. Results: In all four patients a focal adhesion was identified at the cervical or thoracic level of the spinal cord, a consequence of infection or trauma. Three patients showed modest or minor improvement in neurological function, and one patient was unchanged after surgery. The syringomyelia or myelomalacia resolved after surgery and no recurrence was noted within the follow-up period, which ranged from 5 months to 30 months. Conclusions: MRI diagnosis of focal adhesive arachnoiditis is critical to determine the surgical indication. Microsurgical arachnoidolysis appears to be a straightforward method for stabilizing the progressive symptoms, though the procedure is technically demanding.

Focal hemodynamic patterns of status epilepticus detected by susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI)

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Aellen, Jerome; Kottke, Raimund; Springer, Elisabeth; Weisstanner, Christian; El-Koussy, Marwan; Schroth, Gerhard; Wiest, Roland; Gralla, Jan; Verma, Rajeev K. [University of Bern, University Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Bern and Inselspital, Bern (Switzerland); Abela, Eugenio; Schindler, Kaspar [University of Bern, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern (Switzerland); Buerki, Sarah E. [Inselspital, Department of Neuropaediatrics, University Children' s Hospital, Bern (Switzerland)

2014-11-15

To investigate pathological findings in the susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) of patients experiencing convulsive (CSE) or non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) with focal hyperperfusion in the acute setting. Twelve patients (six with NCSE confirmed by electroencephalogram (EEG) and six patients with CSE with seizure event clinically diagnosed) underwent MRI in this acute setting (mean time between onset of symptoms and MRI was 3 h 8 min), including SWI, dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging (DSC) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). MRI sequences were retrospectively evaluated and compared with EEG findings (10/12 patients), and clinical symptoms. Twelve out of 12 (100 %) patients showed a focal parenchymal area with pseudo-narrowed cortical veins on SWI, associated with focal hyperperfused areas (increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) and mean transit time (MTT) shortening), and cortical DWI restriction in 6/12 patients (50 %). Additionally, these areas were associated with ictal or postical EEG patterns in 8/10 patients (80 %). Most frequent acute clinical findings were aphasia and/or hemiparesis in eight patients, and all of them showed pseudo-narrowed veins in those parenchymal areas responsible for these symptoms. In this study series with CSE and NCSE patients, SWI showed focally pseudo-narrowed cortical veins in hyperperfused and ictal parenchymal areas. Therefore, SWI might have the potential to identify an ictal region in CSE/NCSE. (orig.)

Focal hemodynamic patterns of status epilepticus detected by susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aellen, Jerome; Kottke, Raimund; Springer, Elisabeth; Weisstanner, Christian; El-Koussy, Marwan; Schroth, Gerhard; Wiest, Roland; Gralla, Jan; Verma, Rajeev K.; Abela, Eugenio; Schindler, Kaspar; Buerki, Sarah E.

2014-01-01

To investigate pathological findings in the susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) of patients experiencing convulsive (CSE) or non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) with focal hyperperfusion in the acute setting. Twelve patients (six with NCSE confirmed by electroencephalogram (EEG) and six patients with CSE with seizure event clinically diagnosed) underwent MRI in this acute setting (mean time between onset of symptoms and MRI was 3 h 8 min), including SWI, dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging (DSC) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). MRI sequences were retrospectively evaluated and compared with EEG findings (10/12 patients), and clinical symptoms. Twelve out of 12 (100 %) patients showed a focal parenchymal area with pseudo-narrowed cortical veins on SWI, associated with focal hyperperfused areas (increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) and mean transit time (MTT) shortening), and cortical DWI restriction in 6/12 patients (50 %). Additionally, these areas were associated with ictal or postical EEG patterns in 8/10 patients (80 %). Most frequent acute clinical findings were aphasia and/or hemiparesis in eight patients, and all of them showed pseudo-narrowed veins in those parenchymal areas responsible for these symptoms. In this study series with CSE and NCSE patients, SWI showed focally pseudo-narrowed cortical veins in hyperperfused and ictal parenchymal areas. Therefore, SWI might have the potential to identify an ictal region in CSE/NCSE. (orig.)

Joint Source Location and Focal Mechanism Inversion: efficiency, accuracy and applications

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, C.; Yu, Y.

2017-12-01

The analysis of induced seismicity has become a common practice to evaluate the results of hydraulic fracturing treatment. Liang et al (2016) proposed a joint Source Scanning Algorithms (jSSA for short) to obtain microseismic events and focal mechanisms simultaneously. The jSSA is superior over traditional SSA in many aspects, but the computation cost is too significant to be applied in real time monitoring. In this study, we have developed several scanning schemas to reduce computation time. A multi-stage scanning schema is proved to be able to improve the efficiency significantly while also retain its accuracy. A series of tests have been carried out by using both real field data and synthetic data to evaluate the accuracy of the method and its dependence on noise level, source depths, focal mechanisms and other factors. The surface-based arrays have better constraints on horizontal location errors (0.5). For sources with varying rakes, dips, strikes and depths, the errors are mostly controlled by the partition of positive and negative polarities in different quadrants. More evenly partitioned polarities in different quadrants yield better results in both locations and focal mechanisms. Nevertheless, even with bad resolutions for some FMs, the optimized jSSA method can still improve location accuracies significantly. Based on much more densely distributed events and focal mechanisms, a gridded stress inversion is conducted to get a evenly distributed stress field. The full potential of the jSSA has yet to be explored in different directions, especially in earthquake seismology as seismic array becoming incleasingly dense.

Focal CT abnormality and epileptogenic focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yagi, Kazuichi; Mihara, Tadahiro; Tottori, Takayasu; Matsuda, Kazumi; Watanabe, Yutaka; Seino, Masakazu

1989-01-01

In 31 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy, the precise site of epileptogenic focus was determined by means of a depth EEG recording as one of the presurgical evaluations. In 13 patients, a CT scan revealed focal lesions; 7 in the left temporal lobe and 6 in the right temporal lobe. In 5 of the 7 patients and in 5 of the 6 patients the epileptogenic foci were determined in the temporal lobe on the side of a CT lesion. However, in 2 of the patients with a CT lesion in the left temporal lobe, independent epileptogenic foci were found in both the temporal lobes, and in the other patient with a CT lesion in the right temporal lobe, they were found in the right frontal and left temporal lobes. Thus, the CT lesions agreed in lateralization and focality with the epileptogenic foci in 10 of the 13 patients (77%), but they disagreed in 3 (23%). A CT lesion disclosed in the temporal lobe does not necessarily indicate the side and/or site where the epileptogenic focus may be localized. Although exceptions may be made, spatial disagreement was exemplified between the CT lesion and epileptogenic focus. Therefore, extreme caution has to be taken on the side and/or site of the epileptogenic focus when functional surgical indication is to be made. (author)

FMC: a one-liner Python program to manage, classify and plot focal mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Álvarez-Gómez, José A.

2014-05-01

The analysis of earthquake focal mechanisms (or Seismic Moment Tensor, SMT) is a key tool on seismotectonics research. Each focal mechanism is characterized by several location parameters of the earthquake hypocenter, the earthquake size (magnitude and scalar moment tensor) and some geometrical characteristics of the rupture (nodal planes orientations, SMT components and/or SMT main axes orientations). The aim of FMC is to provide a simple but powerful tool to manage focal mechanism data. The data should be input to the program formatted as one of two of the focal mechanisms formatting options of the GMT (Generic Mapping Tools) package (Wessel and Smith, 1998): the Harvard CMT convention and the single nodal plane Aki and Richards (1980) convention. The former is a SMT format that can be downloaded directly from the Global CMT site (http://www.globalcmt.org/), while the later is the simplest way to describe earthquake rupture data. FMC is programmed in Python language, which is distributed as Open Source GPL-compatible, and therefore can be used to develop Free Software. Python runs on almost any machine, and has a wide support and presence in any operative system. The program has been conceived with the modularity and versatility of the classical UNIX-like tools. Is called from the command line and can be easily integrated into shell scripts (*NIX systems) or batch files (DOS/Windows systems). The program input and outputs can be done by means of ASCII files or using standard input (or redirection "") and pipes ("|"). By default FMC will read the input and write the output as a Harvard CMT (psmeca formatted) ASCII file, although other formats can be used. Optionally FMC will produce a classification diagram representing the rupture type of the focal mechanisms processed. In order to count with a detailed classification of the focal mechanisms I decided to classify the focal mechanism in a series of fields that include the oblique slip regimes. This approximation

Focal Colonic FDG Activity with PET/CT: Guidelines for Recommendation of Colonoscopy

OpenAIRE

Liu, Tianye; Behr, Spencer; Khan, Sana; Osterhoff, Robert; Aparici, Carina Mari

2015-01-01

Focal 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) colonic activity can be incidentally seen in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans. Its clinical significance is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the significance of focal FDG activity in PET/CT scans by correlating the imaging findings to colonoscopy results, and come up with some guidelines for recommendation of follow-up colonoscopy. A total of 133 patients who underwent both 18F-FDG PET/CT for different onc...

Modified Pippard relationship describing the Raman frequency shifts ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

Abstract. We relate in this study the thermal expansivity, αP, to the Raman frequency shift (1/ν)(∂ν/∂P)T for the rotatory lattice (librational) mode in ammonia solid II near its melting point. We have used our calculated Raman frequencies of this mode for pressures of 3⋅65, 5⋅02 and 6⋅57 kbars for this crystalline system.

Observations of marine wildlife tourism effects on a non-focal species.

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzari, J R; Semmens, J M; Fox, A; Huveneers, C

2017-09-01

A radio-acoustic positioning system was used to assess the effects of shark cage-diving operators (SCDO) on the fine-scale movements of a non-focal species, the smooth stingray Bathytoshia brevicaudata. The results revealed that the time spent in the array was individually variable, but generally increased when SCDO were present and that the presence of SCDO may have the capacity to elicit changes in the space use of B. brevicaudata. These results indicate that the effects of marine wildlife tourism may extend beyond the focal species of interest. © 2017 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

X-ray cine magnification angiography by 0.6 mm focal spot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Isao; Wakamatsu, Takashi; Sano, Toshiya

1983-01-01

To observe microstructures on the X-ray cinematography by 0.6 mm focal spot, usefulness of enlarged shooting was studied. As a result, even at a focus of 0.6 mm, the enlarged shooting (ca. 1.7-fold) revealed the superior total M.T.F. than that of contact photography. Furthermore, Groedel effect upon magnification was as good as the grid system. In the cardiac catheterization by 0.6 mm focal spot being employed most frequently at present, the enlarged shooting without using grid is a useful method. Thus, it is considered to take up this method as much as possible. (author)

The power of PowerPoint.

Science.gov (United States)

Niamtu , J

2001-08-01

Carousel slide presentations have been used for academic and clinical presentations since the late 1950s. However, advances in computer technology have caused a paradigm shift, and digital presentations are quickly becoming standard for clinical presentations. The advantages of digital presentations include cost savings; portability; easy updating capability; Internet access; multimedia functions, such as animation, pictures, video, and sound; and customization to augment audience interest and attention. Microsoft PowerPoint has emerged as the most popular digital presentation software and is currently used by many practitioners with and without significant computer expertise. The user-friendly platform of PowerPoint enables even the novice presenter to incorporate digital presentations into his or her profession. PowerPoint offers many advanced options that, with a minimal investment of time, can be used to create more interactive and professional presentations for lectures, patient education, and marketing. Examples of advanced PowerPoint applications are presented in a stepwise manner to unveil the full power of PowerPoint. By incorporating these techniques, medical practitioners can easily personalize, customize, and enhance their PowerPoint presentations. Complications, pitfalls, and caveats are discussed to detour and prevent misadventures in digital presentations. Relevant Web sites are listed to further update, customize, and communicate PowerPoint techniques.

Intracoronary infusion of catecholamines causes focal arrhythmias in pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Doppalapudi, Harish; Jin, Qi; Dosdall, Derek J; Qin, Hao; Walcott, Gregory P; Killingsworth, Cheryl R; Smith, William M; Ideker, Raymond E; Huang, Jian

2008-09-01

Acute ischemia causes myriad changes including increased catecholamines. We tested the hypothesis that elevated catecholamines alone are arrhythmogenic. A 504 electrode sock was placed over both ventricles in six open-chest pigs. During control infusion of saline through a catheter in the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), no sustained arrhythmias occurred, and the refractory period estimated by the activation recovery interval (ARI) was 175 +/- 14 ms in the LAD bed below the catheter. After infusion of isoproterenol at 0.1 microg/kg/min through the catheter, the ARI in this bed was significantly reduced to 109 +/- 10 ms. A sharp gradient of refractoriness of 43 +/- 10 ms was at the border of the perfused bed. Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia occurred after drug infusion in the perfused bed or near its boundary in all animals with a cycle length of 329 +/- 26 ms and a focal origin. The maximum slope of the ARI restitution curve at the focal origins of the tachyarrhythmias was always <1 (0.62 +/- 0.15). Similar results with a focal arrhythmia origin occurred in two additional pigs in which intramural mapping was performed with 36 plunge needle electrodes in the left ventricular perfused bed. Regional elevation of a catecholamine, which is one of the alterations produced by acute ischemia, can by itself cause tachyarrhythmias. These arrhythmias are closely associated with a shortened refractory period and a large gradient of the spatial distribution of refractoriness but not with a steep restitution curve.

Focal adhesion kinase is required for actin polymerization and remodeling of the cytoskeleton during sperm capacitation

Science.gov (United States)

Roa-Espitia, Ana L.; Hernández-Rendón, Eva R.; Baltiérrez-Hoyos, Rafael; Muñoz-Gotera, Rafaela J.; Cote-Vélez, Antonieta; Jiménez, Irma; González-Márquez, Humberto

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Several focal adhesion proteins are known to cooperate with integrins to link the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton; as a result, many intracellular signaling pathways are activated and several focal adhesion complexes are formed. However, how these proteins function in mammalian spermatozoa remains unknown. We confirm the presence of focal adhesion proteins in guinea pig spermatozoa, and we explore their role during capacitation and the acrosome reaction, and their relationship with the actin cytoskeleton. Our results suggest the presence of a focal adhesion complex formed by β1-integrin, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), paxillin, vinculin, talin, and α-actinin in the acrosomal region. Inhibition of FAK during capacitation affected the protein tyrosine phosphorylation associated with capacitation that occurs within the first few minutes of capacitation, which caused the acrosome reaction to become increasingly Ca2+ dependent and inhibited the polymerization of actin. The integration of vinculin and talin into the complex, and the activation of FAK and paxillin during capacitation, suggests that the complex assembles at this time. We identify that vinculin and α-actinin increase their interaction with F-actin while it remodels during capacitation, and that during capacitation focal adhesion complexes are structured. FAK contributes to acrosome integrity, likely by regulating the polymerization and the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. PMID:27402964

Shared Focal Plane Investigation for Serial Frame Cameras.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-03-01

capability will be restored. 41. -.. TrABLE 1-1 SYSTEM LEADING P) ARTICULARS Lens Focal Length (inches) Range (ft) Contrast 12 18 24 Coverage 22.1...can be expected that signature bands will be apparent in the imagery. Such bands are at best distracting and at worst hindrances to image interpretation

Political globalization and the shift from adult education to lifelong learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milana, Marcella

2012-01-01

the relation between education, work and socio-economic development) has been promoted by transnational and inter-state entities with their own interest in education, the shift cannot be seen simply as the result of top-down power relations. That states are members of these entities suggests some degree......Taking Biesta’s interpretation (2006) of the shift in vocabulary from education to learning as a point of departure, this article will draw on documents produced by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...

Spatial focalization of pheromone/MAPK signaling triggers commitment to cell–cell fusion

Science.gov (United States)

Merlini, Laura

2016-01-01

Cell fusion is universal in eukaryotes for fertilization and development, but what signals this process is unknown. Here, we show in Schizosaccharomyces pombe that fusion does not require a dedicated signal but is triggered by spatial focalization of the same pheromone–GPCR (G-protein-coupled receptor)–MAPK signaling cascade that drives earlier mating events. Autocrine cells expressing the receptor for their own pheromone trigger fusion attempts independently of cell–cell contact by concentrating pheromone release at the fusion focus, a dynamic actin aster underlying the secretion of cell wall hydrolases. Pheromone receptor and MAPK cascade are similarly enriched at the fusion focus, concomitant with fusion commitment in wild-type mating pairs. This focalization promotes cell fusion by immobilizing the fusion focus, thus driving local cell wall dissolution. We propose that fusion commitment is imposed by a local increase in MAPK concentration at the fusion focus, driven by a positive feedback between fusion focus formation and focalization of pheromone release and perception. PMID:27798845

Product Seeding: Word-of-Mouth Effects For and Beyond the Focal Product

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bart Yakov

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In a classic seeded WOM marketing campaign, a company sends product samples to a selected group of influencers, and encourages them share the product information and their own opinions with other consumers. Positive effects include more WOM for the focal product in the target segment, but also in additional segments. But there are additional spillover effects on the brand and the product category level and they are negative. More conversations about the focal product reduced the “off-topic” conversations about other brands in the same category as well as other products of the same brand. These negative brand and category spillover effects are stronger when the focal product is of a more functional nature. Marketers tend to consider only positive spillovers to be beneficial for a company, but negative spillovers should not be immediately classified as “bad news.” There are upsides to this effect that managers can use in their favor.

Focal neuronal loss, reversible subcortical focal T2 hypointensity in seizures with a nonketotic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Raghavendra, S.; Ashalatha, R.; Thomas, Sanjeev V. [Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Department of Neurology, Trivandrum, Kerala (India); Kesavadas, C. [Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Department of Imaging Sciences and Interventional Radiology, Trivandrum (India)

2007-04-15

Neuroimaging in seizures associated with nonketotic hyperglycemia (NKH) is considered normal. We report magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in four patients with NKH and seizures. We prospectively evaluated clinical and radiological abnormalities in four patients with NKH during the period March 2004 to December 2005. All patients presented with seizures, either simple or complex partial seizures or epilepsia partialis continua. Two of them had transient hemianopia. MRI showed subcortical T2 hypointensity in the occipital white matter and in or around the central sulcus (two patients each), T2 hyperintensity of the overlying cortex (two patients), focal overlying cortical enhancement (three patients) and bilateral striatal hyperintensity (one patient). Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) performed in three patients showed restricted diffusion. The ictal semiology and electroencephalographic (EEG) findings correlated with the MRI abnormalities. On clinical recovery, the subcortical T2 hypointensity and striatal hyperintensity reversed in all patients. The initial cortical change evolved to FLAIR hyperintensity suggestive of focal cortical gliosis. The radiological differential diagnosis considered initially included encephalitis, malignancy and hemorrhagic infarct rendering a diagnostic dilemma. We identified subcortical T2 hypointensity rather than hyperintensity as a characteristic feature of seizures associated with NKH. Only very few similar reports exist in literature. Reversible bilateral striatal T2 hyperintensity in NKH has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. (orig.)

Focal neuronal loss, reversible subcortical focal T2 hypointensity in seizures with a nonketotic hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raghavendra, S.; Ashalatha, R.; Thomas, Sanjeev V.; Kesavadas, C.

2007-01-01

Neuroimaging in seizures associated with nonketotic hyperglycemia (NKH) is considered normal. We report magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities in four patients with NKH and seizures. We prospectively evaluated clinical and radiological abnormalities in four patients with NKH during the period March 2004 to December 2005. All patients presented with seizures, either simple or complex partial seizures or epilepsia partialis continua. Two of them had transient hemianopia. MRI showed subcortical T2 hypointensity in the occipital white matter and in or around the central sulcus (two patients each), T2 hyperintensity of the overlying cortex (two patients), focal overlying cortical enhancement (three patients) and bilateral striatal hyperintensity (one patient). Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) performed in three patients showed restricted diffusion. The ictal semiology and electroencephalographic (EEG) findings correlated with the MRI abnormalities. On clinical recovery, the subcortical T2 hypointensity and striatal hyperintensity reversed in all patients. The initial cortical change evolved to FLAIR hyperintensity suggestive of focal cortical gliosis. The radiological differential diagnosis considered initially included encephalitis, malignancy and hemorrhagic infarct rendering a diagnostic dilemma. We identified subcortical T2 hypointensity rather than hyperintensity as a characteristic feature of seizures associated with NKH. Only very few similar reports exist in literature. Reversible bilateral striatal T2 hyperintensity in NKH has not been reported to the best of our knowledge. (orig.)

Midline Shift Threshold Value for Hemiparesis in Chronic Subdural Hematoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Juković, Mirela F; Stojanović, Dejan B

2015-01-01

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) has a variety of clinical presentations, with numerous neurological symptoms and signs. Hemiparesis is one of the leading signs that potentially indicates CSDH. Purpose of this study was to determine the threshold (cut-off) value of midsagittal line (MSL) shift after which hemiparesis is likely to appear. The study evaluated 83 patients with 53 unilateral and 30 bilateral CSDHs in period of three years. Evaluated computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with CSDH were diameter of the hematoma and midsagittal line shift, measured on non-contrast CT scan in relation with occurrence of hemiparesis. Threshold values of MSL shift for both types of CSDHs were obtained as maximal (equal) sensitivity and specificity (intersection of the curves). MSL is a good predictor for hemiparesis occurrence (total sample, AUROC 0.75, p=0.0001). Unilateral and bilateral CSDHs had different threshold values of the MSL for hemiparesis development. Results suggested that in unilateral CSDH the threshold values of MSL could be at 10 mm (AUROC=0.65; p=0.07). For bilateral CSDH the threshold level of MSL shift was 4.5 mm (AUROC=0.77; p=0.01). Our study pointed on the phenomenon that midsagittal line shift can predict hemiparesis occurrence. Hemiparesis in patients with bilateral CSDH was more related to midsagittal line shift compared with unilateral CSDH. When value of midsagittal line shift exceed the threshold level, hemiparesis occurs with certain probability.

Analysis of Shift and Deformation of Planar Surfaces Using the Least Squares Plane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hrvoje Matijević

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Modern methods of measurement developed on the basis of advanced reflectorless distance measurement have paved the way for easier detection and analysis of shift and deformation. A large quantity of collected data points will often require a mathematical model of the surface that fits best into these. Although this can be a complex task, in the case of planar surfaces it is easily done, enabling further processing and analysis of measurement results. The paper describes the fitting of a plane to a set of collected points using the least squares distance, with previously excluded outliers via the RANSAC algorithm. Based on that, a method for analysis of the deformation and shift of planar surfaces is also described.