Hemodynamic evaluation in patients with transposition of the great arteries after the arterial switch operation: 4D flow and 2D phase contrast cardiovascular magnetic resonance compared with Doppler echocardiography

Background: Peak velocity measurements are used to evaluate the significance of stenosis in patients with transposition of the great arteries after the arterial switch operation (TGA after ASO). 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) provides 3-directional velocity encoding and full volumetric coverage of the great arteries and may thus improve the hemodynamic evaluation in these patients. The aim of this study was to compare peak velocities measured by 4D flow CMR with 2D phase contrast (PC) CMR and the gold standard Doppler echocardiography (echo) in patients with TGA after ASO. Methods: Nineteen patients (mean age 13 +/- 9 years, range 1-25 years) with TGA after ASO who underwent 2D PC CMR and 4D flow CMR were included in this study. Peak velocities were measured with 4D flow CMR in the aorta and pulmonary arteries and compared to peak velocities measured with 2D PC CMR and Doppler echo. 2D PC CMR data were available in the ascending aorta, main, right and left pulmonary arteries (AAO/MPA/RPA/LPA) for 19/18/ 17/17 scans, respectively, and Doppler echo data were available for 13/9/6/6 scans, respectively. Peak velocities were measured with: 1) a single cross section for 2D PC CMR, 2) velocity maximum intensity projections (MIPs) for 4D flow CMR and 3) Doppler echo. Results: Significantly higher peak velocities were found with 4D flow CMR than 2D PC CMR in the AAO (p = 0.003), MPA (p = 0.002) and RPA (p = 0.005) but not in the LPA (p = 0.200). No difference in peak velocity was found between 4D flow CMR and Doppler echo (p > 0.46) or 2D PC CMR and echo (p > 0.11) for all analyzed vessel segments. Conclusions: 4D flow CMR evaluation of patients with TGA after ASO detected higher peak velocities than 2D PC CMR, indicating the potential of 4D flow CMR to provide improved stenosis assessment in these patients

Feasibility of Refining Arab Oil Share Locally and Transporting It To Western European Market

This thesis is being archived as a Digitized Shelf Copy for campus access to current students and staff only. We currently cannot provide this open access without the author's permission. If you are the author of this work and desire to provide it open access or wish access removed please contact the Wahlstrom Library to discuss permission.The importance of oil to the Arabic Countries is self-evident. At present those countries receive a share of the proceeds as their compensation for these important resources. This theses analyzes the problems and opportunities the Arabic Countries would face if they refined and/or marketed directly a share of the oil produced from their lands. The analysis shows that such is economically feasible. Political, financial, social and other considerations of such a plan are discussed

Au-del\ue0 de l'arabe standard. Moyen arabe et arabe mixe dans les sources m\ue9di\ue9vales, modernes et contemporaines

Il volume presenta un insieme di contributi di autori di fama internazionale, che riguardano principalmente il medio arabo e l'arabo misto nella documentazione di epoca pre-moderna e contemporanea. La documentazione medievale e moderna \ue8 principalemnte suddivisa per confessione religiosa di origine del documento o per genere letterario, per cui si troveranno articoli riguardanti il giudeo-arabo, il medio arabo cristiano o documenti della letteratura epica o popolare. Per quanto riguarda la documentazione contemporanea i contributi presenti nel volume si sono principalmente dedicati alla riflessione dell'uso dell'arabo nei moderni mezzi di comunicazione e nel web: socialnetworks, chatrooms, e-mail, telegiornali etc..