Ecological direct action and the nature of anarchism : explorations from 1992 to 2005

In this thesis I study the radical environmental movement, of which I am part, by combining the analysis of texts and the textual record of discussions with my own extensive participant observation. More specifically, I look at the direct action undertaken by radical eco-activists and examine the relationship between this and the anarchist tradition. My research demonstrates, first, that anarchism is alive and well, albeit in a somewhat modified form from the `classical anarchism' of the 19th and early 20th centuries. In researching today's direct activists, therefore, I have also been examining the nature of anarchism itself. I show that anarchism is to be found most strongly in the dialogue that takes place between activists on the ground, engaged in practical struggles. It is from here, in the strategic debates, self-produced pamphlets, and open-ended discussions of radical environmentalists focussed on practical and immediate issues, that I draw much of my data and ideas. In pursuing this project, I present an understanding of anarchism as a pluralistic and dynamic discourse in which there is no single, correct line on each issue. Instead, the vigour of anarchism is revealed through the dissent and reflexive debate of its practitioners. This understanding of anarchism, while contrary to a static project of ideological mapping or comprehensive summary of a tradition, may be in keeping with both contemporary theory, and also the anarchist tradition itself. To pursue this understanding of anarchism, I elaborate an `anarchist methodology of research' which is both collective and subjective, ethically-bounded and reflexive. This draws on the experience of politically engaged researchers who have sought to draw lines of consistency between their ideals and the practice of research. The various forms of ecological direct action manifested in the UK between 1992 and 2005 provide the main source material for this thesis. I survey the practice and proclamations of anti-roads protesters, Earth First!, GM crop-trashers, peat saboteurs, Reclaim the Streets and others, particularly my own local group, `Tyneside Action for People and Planet'. Also considered are the explicitly anarchist organisations of the UK, and the direct action wings of related social movements. Comparison with these non-ecological movements serves to highlight influences, alternatives and criticisms across the cultures of anarchistic direct action, and contributes to the overall diversity of the anarchism studied.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Анкетирование в выделении групп риска развития рака молочной железы, как возможный компонент программы скрининга

МОЛОЧНОЙ ЖЕЛЕЗЫ НОВООБРАЗОВАНИЯНОВООБРАЗОВАНИЯ ПО ЛОКАЛИЗАЦИИ (ВНЕШ)МОЛОЧНОЙ ЖЕЛЕЗЫ БОЛЕЗНИАНКЕТИРОВАНИЕДАННЫХ СБОРФАКТОРЫ РИСКАДИАГНОСТИЧЕСКИ СВЯЗАННЫЕ ГРУППЫ БОЛЬНЫ

Inflow artifact reduction using an adaptive flip-angle navigator restore pulse for late gadolinium enhancement of the left atrium

Purpose Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) of the left atrium is susceptible to artifacts arising from the right pulmonary veins, caused by inflowing blood tagged by the navigator restore pulse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new method to reduce the inflow artifact using an adaptive flip-angle restore pulse. Methods A low-restore angle reduces the inflow artifact but may lead to a poor navigator SNR. The proposed approach aims to determine the patient-specific restore angle, which optimizes the trade-off between inflow artifacts and navigator SNR. Three-dimensional LGE with adaptive navigator restore (3D LGE(A)) was implemented by incrementing the flip angle of the restore pulse from a starting value of 0 degrees, based on the navigator normalized cross-correlation. Magnetic resonance imaging experiments were performed on a 1.5T scanner. The value of 3D LGE(A) was compared with 3D LGE with a constant 180 degrees restore pulse (3D LGE(180)) in 22 patients with heart diseases. The values of 3D LGE(A) and 3D LGE(180) were compared in terms of pulmonary vein blood signal relative to reference blood in the descending aorta (PVrel) and visual scoring to determine level of motion artifacts using a 4-point scale (1 = severe artifacts; 4 = no artifacts). Results The value of PVrel was significantly lower for 3D LGE(A) than for 3D LGE(180) (1.16 +/- 0.23 vs. 1.59 +/- 0.29, P &amp;lt; .001). Furthermore, visual scoring of the motion artifacts yielded no difference (P = .78). Conclusion Adaptively adjusting the navigator restore flip angle based on the navigator normalized cross-correlation reduces the 3D LGE inflow artifact without affecting image quality or the scan time.Funding Agencies|County Council of Ostergotland [LIO-797721]; Medicinska Forskningsradet [2018-02779]; VetenskapsradetSwedish Research Council [2018-04164]; Swedish Heart and Lung FoundationSwedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20170440]</p

Myocardial arterial spin labeling in systole and diastole using flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery with parallel imaging and compressed sensing

Quantitative myocardial perfusion can be achieved without contrast agents using flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) arterial spin labeling. However, FAIR has an intrinsically low sensitivity, which may be improved by mitigating the effects of physiological noise or by increasing the area of artifact-free myocardium. The aim of this study was to investigate if systolic FAIR may increase the amount of analyzable myocardium compared with diastolic FAIR and its effect on physiological noise. Furthermore, we compare parallel imaging acceleration with a factor of 2 with compressed sensing acceleration with a factor of 3 for systolic FAIR. Twelve healthy subjects were scanned during rest on a 3 T scanner using diastolic FAIR with parallel imaging factor 2 (FAIR-PI2(D)), systolic FAIR with the same acceleration (FAIR-PI2(S)) and systolic FAIR with compressed sensing factor 3 (FAIR-CS3(S)). The number of analyzable pixels in the myocardium, temporal signal-to-noise ratio (TSNR) and mean myocardial blood flow (MBF) were calculated for all methods. The number of analyzable pixels using FAIR-CS3(S) (663 +/- 55) and FAIR-PI2(S) (671 +/- 58) was significantly higher than for FAIR-PI2(D) (507 +/- 82; P = .001 for both), while there was no significant difference between FAIR-PI2(S) and FAIR-CS3(S). The mean TSNR of the midventricular slice for FAIR-PI2(D) was 11.4 +/- 3.9, similar to that of FAIR-CS3(S,) which was 11.0 +/- 3.3, both considerably higher than for FAIR-PI2(S,) which was 8.4 +/- 3.1 (P &amp;lt; .05 for both). Mean MBF was similar for all three methods. The use of compressed sensing accelerated systolic FAIR benefits from an increased number of analyzable myocardial pixels compared with diastolic FAIR without suffering from a TSNR penalty, unlike systolic FAIR with parallel imaging acceleration.Funding Agencies|Hjart-Lungfonden [20170440]; Lansstyrelsen Ostergotland [LIO-797721, LIO-825791]; Medicinska Forskningsradet [2018-02779]; VetenskapsradetSwedish Research Council [2018-04164]</p

Clinical evaluation of the Multimapping technique for simultaneous myocardial T-1 and T-2 mapping

The Multimapping technique was recently proposed for simultaneous myocardial T-1 and T-2 mapping. In this study, we evaluate its correlation with clinical reference mapping techniques in patients with a range of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and compare image quality and inter- and intra-observer repeatability. Multimapping consists of an ECG-triggered, 2D single-shot bSSFP readout with inversion recovery and T-2 preparation modules, acquired across 10 cardiac cycles. The sequence was implemented at 1.5T and compared to clinical reference mapping techniques, modified Look-Locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) and T-2 prepared bSSFP with four echo times (T(2)bSSFP), and compared in 47 patients with CVD (of which 44 were analyzed). In diseased myocardial segments (defined as the presence of late gadolinium enhancement), there was a high correlation between Multimapping and MOLLI for native myocardium T-1 (r(2) = 0.73), ECV (r(2) = 0.91), and blood T-1 (r(2) = 0.88), and Multimapping and T(2)bSSFP for native myocardial T-2 (r(2) = 0.80). In healthy myocardial segments, a bias for native T-1 (Multimapping = 1,116 +/- 21 ms, MOLLI = 1,002 +/- 21, P &amp;lt; 0.001), post-contrast T-1 (Multimapping = 479 +/- 31 ms, MOLLI = 426 +/- 27 ms, 0.001), ECV (Multimapping = 21.5 +/- 1.9%, MOLLI = 23.7 +/- 2.3%, P = 0.001), and native T-2 (Multimapping = 48.0 +/- 3.0 ms, T(2)bSSFP = 53.9 +/- 3.5 ms, P &amp;lt; 0.001) was observed. The image quality for Multimapping was scored as higher for all mapping techniques (native T-1, post-contrast T-1, ECV, and T(2)bSSFP) compared to the clinical reference techniques. The inter- and intra-observer agreements were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC &amp;gt; 0.9) for most measurements, except for inter-observer repeatability of Multimapping native T-1 (ICC = 0.87), post-contrast T-1 (ICC = 0.73), and T(2)bSSFP native T-2 (ICC = 0.88). Multimapping shows high correlations with clinical reference mapping techniques for T-1, T-2, and ECV in a diverse cohort of patients with different cardiovascular diseases. Multimapping enables simultaneous T-1 and T-2 mapping and can be performed in a short breath-hold, with image quality superior to that of the clinical reference techniques.Funding Agencies|Swedish Medical Research Council [2018-02779]; Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation [20170440]; ALF Grants Region Ostergotland [LIO-797721]; Swedish Research Council [2018-04164]</p

Improving visualization of 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance with four-dimensional angiographic data: generation of a 4D phase-contrast magnetic resonance CardioAngiography (4D PC-MRCA)

Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) and Phase-Contrast MRA (PC-MRA) approaches used for assessment of cardiovascular morphology typically result in data containing information from the entire cardiac cycle combined into one 2D or 3D image. Information specific to each timeframe of the cardiac cycle is, however, lost in this process. This study proposes a novel technique, called Phase-Contrast Magnetic Resonance CardioAngiography (4D PC-MRCA), that utilizes the full potential of 4D Flow CMR when generating temporally resolved PC-MRA data to improve visualization of the heart and major vessels throughout the cardiac cycle. Using non-rigid registration between the timeframes of the 4D Flow CMR acquisition, the technique concentrates information from the entire cardiac cycle into an angiographic dataset at one specific timeframe, taking movement over the cardiac cycle into account. Registration between the timeframes is used once more to generate a time-resolved angiography. The method was evaluated in ten healthy volunteers. Visual comparison of the 4D PC-MRCAs versus PC-MRAs generated from 4D Flow CMR using the traditional approach was performed by two observers using Maximum Intensity Projections (MIPs). The 4D PC-MRCAs resulted in better visibility of the main anatomical regions of the cardiovascular system, especially where cardiac or vessel motion was present. The proposed method represents an improvement over previous PC-MRA generation techniques that rely on 4D Flow CMR, as it effectively utilizes all the information available in the acquisition. The 4D PC-MRCA can be used to visualize the motion of the heart and major vessels throughout the entire cardiac cycle.Funding Agencies|European Research Council [310612]; Swedish Heart and Lung foundation [20140398]; Swedish Research Council [621-2014-6191]</p

Data Quality and Optimal Background Correction Order of Respiratory-Gated k-Space Segmented Spoiled Gradient Echo (SGRE) and Echo Planar Imaging (EPI)-Based 4D Flow MRI

Background A reduction in scan time of 4D Flow MRI would facilitate clinical application. A recent study indicates that echo-planar imaging (EPI) 4D Flow MRI allows for a reduction in scan time and better data quality than the recommended k-space segmented spoiled gradient echo (SGRE) sequence. It was argued that the poor data quality of SGRE was related to the nonrecommended absence of respiratory motion compensation. However, data quality can also be affected by the background offset compensation. Purpose To compare the data quality of respiratory motion-compensated SGRE and EPI 4D Flow MRI and their dependence on background correction (BC) order. Study Type Retrospective. Subjects Eighteen healthy subjects (eight female, mean age 32 +/- 5 years). Field Strength and Sequence 5T. SGRE and EPI-based 4D Flow MRI. Assessment Data quality was investigated visually and by comparing flows through the cardiac valves and aorta. Measurements were obtained from transvalvular flow and pathline analysis. Statistical Tests Linear regression and Bland-Altman analysis were used. Wilcoxon test was used for comparison of visual scoring. Students t-test was used for comparison of flow volumes. Results No significant difference was found by visual inspection (P = 0.08). Left ventricular (LV) flows were strongly and very strongly associated with SGRE and EPI, respectively (R-2 = 0.86-0.94 SGRE; 0.71-0.79 EPI, BC0-4). LV and right ventricular (RV) outflows and LV pathline flows were very strongly associated (R-2 = 0.93-0.95 SGRE; 0.88-0.91 EPI, R-2 = 0.91-0.95 SGRE; 0.91-0.93 EPI, BC1-4). EPI LV outflow was lower than the short-axis-based stroke volume. EPI RV outflow and proximal descending aortic flow were lower than SGREs. Data Conclusion Both sequences yielded good internal data consistency when an adequate background correction was applied. Second and first BC order were considered sufficient for transvalvular flow analysis in SGRE and EPI, respectively. Higher BC orders were preferred for particle tracing. Technical Efficacy Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019.Funding Agencies|Swedish Research Council [621-2014-6191]; Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation [20140398]</p

Non-contrast myocardial perfusion in rest and exercise stress using systolic flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery

Objective To evaluate systolic flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery (FAIR) during rest and exercise stress using 2RR (two cardiac cycles) or 1RR intervals between inversion pulse and imaging. Materials and methods 1RR and 2RR FAIR was implemented on a 3T scanner. Ten healthy subjects were scanned during rest and stress. Stress was performed using an in-bore ergometer. Heart rate, mean myocardial blood flow (MBF) and temporal signal-to-noise ratio (TSNR) were compared using paired t tests. Results Mean heart rate during stress was higher than rest for 1RR FAIR (85.8 +/- 13.7 bpm vs 63.3 +/- 11.1 bpm; p &amp;lt; 0.01) and 2RR FAIR (83.8 +/- 14.2 bpm vs 63.1 +/- 10.6 bpm; p &amp;lt; 0.01). Mean stress MBF was higher than rest for 1RR FAIR (2.97 +/- 0.76 ml/g/min vs 1.43 +/- 0.6 ml/g/min; p &amp;lt; 0.01) and 2RR FAIR (2.8 +/- 0.96 ml/g/min vs 1.22 +/- 0.59 ml/g/min; p &amp;lt; 0.01). Resting mean MBF was higher for 1RR FAIR than 2RR FAIR (p &amp;lt; 0.05), but not during stress. TSNR was lower for stress compared to rest for 1RR FAIR (4.52 +/- 2.54 vs 10.12 +/- 3.69; p &amp;lt; 0.01) and 2RR FAIR (7.36 +/- 3.78 vs 12.41 +/- 5.12; p &amp;lt; 0.01). 2RR FAIR TSNR was higher than 1RR FAIR for rest (p &amp;lt; 0.05) and stress (p &amp;lt; 0.001). Discussion We have demonstrated feasibility of systolic FAIR in rest and exercise stress. 2RR delay systolic FAIR enables non-contrast perfusion assessment during stress with relatively high TSNR.Funding Agencies|Linkoping University; Markus Henningsson (vetenskapsradet) [2018-04164]; Carl-Johan Carlhall (region ostergotland) [LIO-797721]; Johan Kihlberg [LIO-825791]; Carl-Johan Carlhall (medicinska forskningsradet) [2018-02779]; Carl-Johan Carlhall (hjart-lungfonden) [20170440]</p

Using Deep Learning to Emulate the Use of an External Contrast Agent in Cardiovascular 4D Flow MRI

Background Although contrast agents would be beneficial, they are seldom used in four-dimensional (4D) flow magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) due to potential side effects and contraindications. Purpose To develop and evaluate a deep learning architecture to generate high blood-tissue contrast in noncontrast 4D flow MRI by emulating the use of an external contrast agent. Study Type Retrospective. Subjects Of 222 data sets, 141 were used for neural network (NN) training (69 with and 72 without contrast agent). Evaluation was performed on the remaining 81 noncontrast data sets. Field Strength/Sequences Gradient echo or echo-planar 4D flow MRI at 1.5 T and 3 T. Assessment A cyclic generative adversarial NN was trained to perform image translation between noncontrast and contrast data. Evaluation was performed quantitatively using contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), mean squared error (MSE) of edges, and Dice coefficient of segmentations. Three observers performed a qualitative assessment of blood-tissue contrast, noise, presence of artifacts, and image structure visualization. Statistical Tests The Wilcoxon rank-sum test evaluated statistical significance. Kendalls concordance coefficient assessed interobserver agreement. Results Contrast in the regions of interest (ROIs) in the NN enhanced images increased by 88%, CNR increased by 63%, and SNR improved by 48% (all P &amp;lt; 0.001). The SSIM was 0.82 +/- 0.01, and the MSE of edges was 0.09 +/- 0.01 (range [0,1]). Segmentations based on the generated images resulted in a Dice similarity increase of 15.25%. The observers managed to differentiate between contrast MR images and our results; however, they preferred the NN enhanced images in 76.7% of cases. This percentage increased to 93.3% for phase-contrast MR angiograms created from the NN enhanced data. Visual grading scores were blood-tissue contrast = 4.30 +/- 0.74, noise = 3.12 +/- 0.98, and presence of artifacts = 3.63 +/- 0.76. Image structures within and without the ROIs resulted in scores of 3.42 +/- 0.59 and 3.07 +/- 0.71, respectively (P &amp;lt; 0.001). Data Conclusion The proposed approach improves blood-tissue contrast in MR images and could be used to improve data quality, visualization, and postprocessing of cardiovascular 4D flow data. Evidence Level 3 Technical Efficacy Stage 1Funding Agencies|Swedens Innovation Agency VinnovaVinnova [2017-02447]; Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Research CouncilEuropean Commission [2018-04454]; Swedish Medical Research CouncilSwedish Medical Research Council (SMRC)European Commission [2018-02779]; Swedish Heart and Lung FoundationSwedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20180657, 20170440]; Council of Ostergotland [LIO-797721]</p

Circulating microRNA-29-5p can add to the discrimination between dilated cardiomyopathy and ischaemic heart disease

Aims Heart failure describes a large and heterogeneous spectrum of underlying cardiac diseases. MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that in recent years have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful imaging modality for the evaluation of cardiac characteristics in heart failure. In this study, we sought to compare heart failure patients with a diagnosis of either idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or ischaemic heart disease (IHD), in the context of serum levels of certain miRs and also magnetic resonance imaging parameters of cardiac structure and function. Methods and results A total of 135 subjects were studied: 53 patients with DCM (age: 59 +/- 12 years, mean +/- SD), 34 patients with IHD (66 +/- 9 years), and 48 controls (64 +/- 5 years). The participants underwent baseline medical examination, blood sampling, and a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging examination at 3 Tesla (Philips Ingenia). The serum levels of seven different miRs were analysed and assessed: 16-5p, 21-5p, 29-5p, 133a-3p, 191-5p, 320a, and 423-5p, all of which have been demonstrated to play potential roles in the pathogenesis of heart failure. The patients in the DCM and IHD groups had left ventricles that had larger end-diastolic volume (P &amp;lt; 0.001), larger mass ( P &amp;lt; 0.001), and lower ejection fraction (P &amp;lt; 0.001) compared with controls. Serum levels of miR-29-5p were increased in DCM compared with IHD (P &amp;lt; 0.005) and serum levels of miR-320a were elevated in DCM compared with healthy controls ( P &amp;lt; 0.05). There was no significant association between miR levels and magnetic resonance imaging parameters of left ventricular structure and function. Conclusions Circulating miR-320a can add to the discrimination between patients with DCM and healthy controls and circulating miR-29-5p can add to the discrimination between DCM and IHD.Funding Agencies|Swedish Medical Research CouncilSwedish Medical Research Council (SMRC)European Commission [2018-02779, 2019-01673]; Swedish Heart and Lung FoundationSwedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20170440, 20190556]; ALF Region Ostergotland grant [LIO-797721]</p