Thoracic aorta cardiac-cycle related dynamic changes assessed with a 256-slice CT scanner

Objective: The aim of our study was to demonstrate whether the dynamic changes previously documented at the ascending and abdominal aorta are replicated at the thoracic aorta. Methods and results: A consecutive series of thirty patients referred to our institution to undergo CT angiography of the thoracic aorta (CTA) constituted the study population. Patients with diffuse aortic atherosclerosis were excluded from the analysis. All studies were acquired with a 256-MDCT scanner and ECG-gating was performed in all cases. Two orthogonal imaging planes (maximal and minimal diameters) were obtained at three different levels of the descending thoracic aorta, using the distance from the left subclavian artery as proximal landmark: 10, 40, and 80 mm distance. The mean age was 58.9±15.7 years and 16 (53%) patients were male. Descending aorta measurements at 10, 40, and 80 mm distance from the left subclavian artery were all significantly larger within the systolic window (P<0.01 for all comparisons). Measurements of the maximal diameter were systematically larger than the minimal diameters among all aortic positions including ungated, systolic, and diastolic measurements (P<0.05 for all comparisons). Conclusions: The main finding of our pilot investigation was that the thoracic descending aorta undergoes significant conformational changes during the cardiac cycle, irrespective from the distance from the left subclavian artery.Fil: Carrascosa, Patricia. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Capuñay, Carlos. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Deviggiano, Alejandro. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Granillo, Gaston Alfredo. Diagnóstico Maipú; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sagarduy, María Inés. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Cortines, Patricio. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Carrascosa, Jorge. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Parodi, Juan C.. Sanatorio Trinidad; Argentin

Beam hardening artifact reduction using dual energy computed tomography: implications for myocardial perfusion studies

Background: Myocardial perfusion computed tomography (CTP) using conventional single energy (SE) imaging is influenced by the presence of beam hardening artifacts (BHA), occasionally resembling perfusion defects and commonly observed at the left ventricular posterobasal wall (PB). We therefore sought to explore the ability of dual energy (DE) CTP to attenuate the presence of BHA. Methods: Consecutive patients without history of coronary artery disease who were referred for computed tomography coronary angiography due to atypical chest pain and a normal stress-rest SPECT and had absence or mild coronary atherosclerosis constituted the study population. The study group was acquired using DE and the control group using SE imaging. Results: Demographical characteristics were similar between groups, as well as the heart rate and the effective radiation dose. Myocardial signal density (SD) levels were evaluated in 280 basal segments among the DE group (140 PB segments for each energy level from 40 keV to 100 keV; and 140 reference segments), and in 40 basal segments (at the same locations) among the SE group. Among the DE group, myocardial SD levels and myocardial SD ratio evaluated at the reference segment were higher at low energy levels, with significantly lower SD levels at increasing energy levels. Myocardial signal-to-noise ratio was not significantly influenced by the energy level applied, although 70 keV was identified as the energy level with the best overall signal-to-noise ratio. Significant differences were identified between the PB segment and the reference segment among the lower energy levels, whereas at ≥ 70 keV myocardial SD levels were similar. Compared to DE reconstructions at the best energy level (70 keV), SE acquisitions showed no significant differences overall regarding myocardial SD levels among the reference segments. Conclusions: Beam hardening artifacts that influence the assessment of myocardial perfusion can be attenuated using DE at 70 keV or higher.Fil: Rodriguez Granillo, Gaston Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas; Argentina. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Carrascosa, Patricia. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Cipriano, Silvia. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: De Zan, Macarena. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Deviggiano, Alejandro. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Capunay, Carlos. Diagnóstico Maipú; ArgentinaFil: Cury, Ricardo C.. Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute and Baptist Health; Estados Unido

Accretion and photodesorption of CO ice as a function of the incident angle of deposition

Non-thermal desorption of inter- and circum-stellar ice mantles on dust grains, in particular ultraviolet photon-induced desorption, has gained importance in recent years. These processes may account for the observed gas phase abundances of molecules like CO toward cold interstellar clouds. Ice mantle growth results from gas molecules impinging on the dust from all directions and incidence angles. Nevertheless, the effect of the incident angle for deposition on ice photo-desorption rate has not been studied. This work explores the impact on the accretion and photodesorption rates of the incidence angle of CO gas molecules with the cold surface during deposition of a CO ice layer. Infrared spectroscopy monitored CO ice upon deposition at different angles, ultraviolet-irradiation, and subsequent warm-up. Vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy and a Ni-mesh measured the emission of the ultraviolet lamp. Molecules ejected from the ice to the gas during irradiation or warm-up were characterized by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The photodesorption rate of CO ice deposited at 11 K and different incident angles was rather stable between 0 and 45$^{\circ}$. A maximum in the CO photodesorption rate appeared around 70$^{\circ}$-incidence deposition angle. The same deposition angle leads to the maximum surface area of water ice. Although this study of the surface area could not be performed for CO ice, the similar angle dependence in the photodesorption and the ice surface area suggests that they are closely related. Further evidence for a dependence of CO ice morphology on deposition angle is provided by thermal desorption of CO ice experiments

Colaboración Universidad/Administración: Sesión PBL (Practic Based Learning) para la notificación de preparados cosméticos y dermofarmacéuticos al CPNP (Cosmetic Products Notification Portal) para estudiantes del máster de Demofarmácia y Cosmetología (título propio de la universidad de Barcelona)

Podeu consultar la Vuitena trobada de professorat de Ciències de la Salut completa a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/66524La notificación de toda nueva formulación cosmética al CPNP es obligatoria para poder proceder a su producción y posterior comercialización a nivel europeo. Dicha notificación es informática e implica cumplimentar una información completa acerca de ingredientes, formulación, aspectos legales, etc. en base a las especificaciones legales fijads por el Reglamento Europeo de productos cosméticos (CE1223/2009, DOUE nº342, de 22/12). El acceso a dicho portal implica el registro de la empresa productora del cosmético. Por ello y afin de que los estudiantes de tercer ciclo puedan practicar simulaciones de comunicación al CPNP, guiadas y comentadas por parte de tutores expertos, cuestión que les resultará de gran utilidad en el dia a dia de la actividad profesional para la que se están formando, se propuso al Area Funcional de Sanidad de la Subdelegación del Gobierno en Cataluña, la consecución de un acceso como empresa de elaboración de cosméticos simulada, a nombre de Facultad de Farmacia de la Universidad de Barcelona para el acceso a dicho aplicativo. Ello ha permitido la realización de una sesión práctica en la que se siguen paso a paso las diferentes etapas de la notificación para un ejemplo propuesto por el profesor, y ha permitido la práctica individualizada por parte de los 18 alumnos de la actual promoción del Máster de diferentes casos reales, lo que sirve de “reválida” de los conocimientos adquiridos en las diferentes áreas formativas, cuyo fin es el de capacitar a dichos estudiantes para poder realizar la totalidad de las etapas de I+D de un cosmético, que obviamente concluyen con la comunicación del mismo al CPNP. Este es asimismo el objetivo que se les plantea para la realización y valoración de sus correspondientes proyectos finales

Detecting social emotions with a NAO robot

This article aims to give an approach of a dynamic and emotional propagation, which allows to calculate the propagation of the emotion of a group of humans and/or intelligent entities. The dynamic model is based on the Newton laws in order to calculate the emotional attraction among them. To obtain the emotions we use a NAO robot as a tool to move around of a real environment for interacting with the humans. The robot obtains the emotions through image processing. Moreover, the robot can start a dialogue game with humans in order to estimate the personality of a new individual.This work is partially supported by the MINECO project TIN2015-65515-C4-1- R and the FPI grant AP2013-01276 awarded to Jaime-Andres Rincon

Comparative theoretical analysis between parallel and perpendicular geometries for 2d particle patterning in photovoltaic ferroelectric substrates

This paper describes the dielectrophoretic potential created by the evanescent electric field acting on a particle near a photovoltaic crystal surface depending on the crystal cut. This electric field is obtained from the steady state solution of the Kukhtarev equations for the photovoltaic effect, where the diffusion term has been disregarded. First, the space charge field generated by a small, square, light spot where d ≪ l (being d a side of the square and l the crystal thickness) is studied. The surface charge density generated in both geometries is calculated and compared as their relation determines the different properties of the dielectrophoretic potential for both cuts. The shape of the dielectrophoretic potential is obtained and compared for several distances to the sample. Afterwards other light patterns are studied by the superposition of square spots, and the resulting trapping profiles are analysed. Finally the surface charge densities and trapping profiles for different d/l relations are studiedThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad under grants MAT2011-28379- C03 and MAT2014-57704-C

A dynamic emotional model for agent societies

This paper presents a first approximation of a dynamic emotional model to be employed in agent societies. The proposed model is based on the PAD emotional model and allows the representation of the emotional contagion phenomena of a heterogeneous group of agents which are capable of express emotions. Moreover, the proposal allows the definition of the social emotion of this group of agents. The model is mainly based on three elements: personality, empathy and affinity. These elements allow the characterization of each individual, causing them susceptible to vary in some degre the emotions of other individuals