Digital chest radiography: an update on modern technology, dose containment and control of image quality

The introduction of digital radiography not only has revolutionized communication between radiologists and clinicians, but also has improved image quality and allowed for further reduction of patient exposure. However, digital radiography also poses risks, such as unnoticed increases in patient dose and suboptimum image processing that may lead to suppression of diagnostic information. Advanced processing techniques, such as temporal subtraction, dual-energy subtraction and computer-aided detection (CAD) will play an increasing role in the future and are all targeted to decrease the influence of distracting anatomic background structures and to ease the detection of focal and subtle lesions. This review summarizes the most recent technical developments with regard to new detector techniques, options for dose reduction and optimized image processing. It explains the meaning of the exposure indicator or the dose reference level as tools for the radiologist to control the dose. It also provides an overview over the multitude of studies conducted in recent years to evaluate the options of these new developments to realize the principle of ALARA. The focus of the review is hereby on adult applications, the relationship between dose and image quality and the differences between the various detector systems

User needs elicitation via analytic hierarchy process (AHP). A case study on a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner

Background: The rigorous elicitation of user needs is a crucial step for both medical device design and purchasing. However, user needs elicitation is often based on qualitative methods whose findings can be difficult to integrate into medical decision-making. This paper describes the application of AHP to elicit user needs for a new CT scanner for use in a public hospital. Methods: AHP was used to design a hierarchy of 12 needs for a new CT scanner, grouped into 4 homogenous categories, and to prepare a paper questionnaire to investigate the relative priorities of these. The questionnaire was completed by 5 senior clinicians working in a variety of clinical specialisations and departments in the same Italian public hospital. Results: Although safety and performance were considered the most important issues, user needs changed according to clinical scenario. For elective surgery, the five most important needs were: spatial resolution, processing software, radiation dose, patient monitoring, and contrast medium. For emergency, the top five most important needs were: patient monitoring, radiation dose, contrast medium control, speed run, spatial resolution. Conclusions: AHP effectively supported user need elicitation, helping to develop an analytic and intelligible framework of decision-making. User needs varied according to working scenario (elective versus emergency medicine) more than clinical specialization. This method should be considered by practitioners involved in decisions about new medical technology, whether that be during device design or before deciding whether to allocate budgets for new medical devices according to clinical functions or according to hospital department

The career prospects of overeducated Americans

Abstract In this paper we analyze career dynamics for US workers who have more schooling than their peers in the same occupation. We use data from the NLSY79 combined with the CPS to analyze transitions into and out of overeducated employment, together with the corresponding effects on wages. Overeducation is a fairly persistent phenomenon at the aggregate and individual levels, with 66% of workers remaining overeducated after 1 year. Overeducation is not just more common but also more persistent among blacks and low-AFQT individuals. Further, the hazard rate out of overeducation drops by about 60% during the first 5 years spent overeducated. However, the estimation of a mixed proportional hazard model suggests that this is attributable to selection on unobservables rather than true duration dependence. Lastly, overeducation is associated with lower current as well as future wages, consistent with scarring effects

Maximizing Price Stability in a Monetary Economy

In this paper we analyze options for the European Central Bank (ECB) to achieve its single mandate of price stability. Viable options for price stability are described, analyzed, and tabulated with regard to both short- and long-term stability and volatility. We introduce an additional tool for promoting price stability and conclude that public purpose is best served by the selection of an alternative buffer stock policy that is directly managed by the ECB

Differences in ebullitive methane release from small, shallow ponds present challenges for scaling

Small, shallow waterbodies are potentially important sites of greenhouse gas release to the atmosphere. The role of ebullition may be enhanced here relative to larger and deeper systems, due to their shallow water, but these features remain relatively infrequently studied in comparison to larger systems.Herein,we quantify ebullitive release ofmethane (CH4) in small shallow ponds in three regions of North America and investigate the role of potential drivers. Shallow ponds exhibited open-water season ebullitive CH4 release rates as high as 40 mmol m–2 d–1, higher than previously reported for similar systems. Ebullitive release of CH4 varied by four orders of magnitude across our 15 study sites, with differences in flux rates both within and between regions. What is less clear are the drivers responsible for these differences. There were few relationships between open water–season ebullitive flux and physicochemical characteristics, including organic matter, temperature, and sulphate. Temperature was only weakly related to ebullitive CH4 release across the studywhen considering all observation intervals. Only four individual sites exhibited significant relationships between temperature and ebullitive CH4 release. Other sites were unresponsive to temperature, and region-specific factors may play a role. There is some evidence that where surface water sulphate concentrations are high, CH4 production and release may be suppressed. Missouri sites (n = 5) had characteristically low ebullitive CH4 release; here bioturbation could be important. While this work greatly expands the number of open-water season ebullition rates for small and shallow ponds, more research is needed to disentangle the role of different drivers. Further investigation of the potential thresholding behaviour of sulphate as a control on ebullitive CH4 release in lentic systems is one such opportunity. What is clear, however, is that efforts to scale emissions (e.g., as a function of temperature) must be undertaken with caution."Fieldwork at US and GHG analyses for the project were funded through an NSERC-DG awarded to CJW. Fieldwork and analysis at UW were funded through an NSERC-DG awarded to NJC. Fieldwork and nutrient analysis atMUwere funded by the Prairie Fork Charitable Endowment Trust to RLN."https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972104760

Functional cooperation between CREM and GCNF directs gene expression in haploid male germ cells

Cellular differentiation and development of germ cells critically depend on a coordinated activation and repression of specific genes. The underlying regulation mechanisms, however, still lack a lot of understanding. Here, we describe that both the testis-specific transcriptional activator CREMτ (cAMP response element modulator tau) and the repressor GCNF (germ cell nuclear factor) have an overlapping binding site which alone is sufficient to direct cell type-specific expression in vivo in a heterologous promoter context. Expression of the transgene driven by the CREM/GCNF site is detectable in spermatids, but not in any somatic tissue or at any other stages during germ cell differentiation. CREMτ acts as an activator of gene transcription whereas GCNF suppresses this activity. Both factors compete for binding to the same DNA response element. Effective binding of CREM and GCNF highly depends on composition and epigenetic modification of the binding site. We also discovered that CREM and GCNF bind to each other via their DNA binding domains, indicating a complex interaction between the two factors. There are several testis-specific target genes that are regulated by CREM and GCNF in a reciprocal manner, showing a similar activation pattern as during spermatogenesis. Our data indicate that a single common binding site for CREM and GCNF is sufficient to specifically direct gene transcription in a tissue-, cell type- and differentiation-specific manner

Performance and efficacy of 320-row computed tomography coronary angiography in patients presenting with acute chest pain: results from a clinical registry

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of 320-row computed tomography angiography (CTA) in the identification of significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients presenting with acute chest pain and to examine the relation to outcome during follow-up. A total of 106 patients with acute chest pain underwent CTA to evaluate presence of CAD. Each CTA was classified as: normal, non-significant CAD (<50% luminal narrowing) and significant CAD (≥50% luminal narrowing). CTA results were compared with quantitative coronary angiography. After discharge, the following cardiovascular events were recorded: cardiac death, non-fatal infarction, and unstable angina requiring revascularization. Among the 106 patients, 23 patients (22%) had a normal CTA, 19 patients (18%) had non-significant CAD on CTA, 59 patients (55%) had significant CAD on CTA, and 5 patients (5%) had non-diagnostic image quality. In total, 16 patients (15%) were immediately discharged after normal CTA and 90 patients (85%) underwent invasive coronary angiography. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values to detect significant CAD on CTA were 100, 87, 93, and 100%, respectively. During mean follow-up of 13.7 months, no cardiovascular events occurred in patients with a normal CTA examination. In patients with non-significant CAD on CTA, no cardiac death or myocardial infarctions occurred and only 1 patient underwent revascularization due to unstable angina. In patients presenting with acute chest pain, an excellent clinical performance for the non-invasive assessment of significant CAD was demonstrated using CTA. Importantly, normal or non-significant CAD on CTA predicted a low rate of adverse cardiovascular events and favorable outcome during follow-up