PET/CT detectability and classification of simulated pulmonary nodules using an SUV correction scheme

Positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) together are a powerful diagnostic tool, but imperfect image quality contributes to false positive and false negative diagnoses by an observer despite experience and training. This work investigated a PET standard uptake value (SUV) correction scheme, based on partial volume effect (PVE), on the classification of lesions as benign or malignant in PET/CT images. The correction scheme comprised several steps. The observer drew a region of interest (ROI) around the lesion using the CT dataset. The ROI was blurred with the assumed point spread function (PSF) of the PET scanner then re-sampled to the PET voxel size. The magnitude of the ROI-based PVE was used as a scaling factor to correct the lesion’s tumor-to-background ratio (TBR), which was used as a surrogate for SUV in the PET images of the phantom. Computer simulations showed that the accuracy of the correction depends strongly on the accuracy of the ROI drawn on the CT images, especially for small lesions. Correction accuracy was affected slightly by mismatch of the simulation PSF to the actual scanner PSF. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study, using phantom data, was performed to evaluate the effect of the correction scheme on diagnostic performance. The correction scheme significantly increased sensitivity and slightly increased accuracy for all acquisition and reconstruction modes at the cost of a small decrease in specificity. Corrected TBRs more accurately represented actual TBRs than uncorrected TBRs. The observer study also found that, when using PET data alone, 3D ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) outperformed 3D filtered back-projection (FBP), 2D OSEM, and 2D FBP in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and area-under-the-ROC-curve values. However, when PET data was displayed with correlated CT data, with and without PVE correction, no combination of reconstruction algorithm and acquisition mode outperformed any other

A Comparison of Linear and Daily Undulating Periodizied Strength Training Programs.

The purpose of this study is to compare linear periodized (LP) and daily undulating (DUP) periodized strength training programs, and determine if either method of periodization elicits superior gains in 1 Repetitions maximums (1RM) for back squat (BS) and bench press (BP) (core exercises). Nineteen subjects (n=19) underwent a 6-week resistance-training (RT) program. Participants performed both BS and BP two day a week. The LP group linearly increased intensity while decreasing volume. While the DUP group daily changed intensity and volume. Total volume for both BS and BP were equal for both LP and DUP. Both BP and BS increased significantly from pre to post for both groups. However, there was no significant difference in pre-post strength measure in the LP compared to DUP

Changing boundaries and Evolving Organizational Forms in Football: Novelty and Variety among Scottish Clubs

This paper presents a novel theoretical conceptualisation of football clubs and empirical evidence as to how supporter groups, owners and others engaged to resolve threats to their club. We use boundary theory to understand the evolution of two football clubs’ ownership, financing and governance structures, and demonstrate how the blurring of club boundaries was linked to engagements in interface areas between the club and other social groups. We argue that the appropriateness of different combinations of ownership, financing, and governance practices should be evaluated in terms of how they support effective engagement spaces that negotiate relationships with co-dependent social groups. Conceptualising football clubs as boundary objects provides some specific insights into changes observed in Scottish football clubs. However, this approach is relevant to other situations in which club success is dependent on co-operative engagements with multiple social groups that have both convergent and divergent interests in the club

The 'Typical' Club?: A Configuration Analysis of Scottish Football Clubs

First paragraph: Scottish professional football clubs have been facing and continue to face challenging financial circumstances due to a combination of factors including: changes in the economic structure of European football; increased concentration of media income amongst bigger leagues in larger countries; the Scottish economic context; and poor corporate governance in some clubs. These circumstances have had substantive negative consequences with many clubs running up unsustainable levels of debt, reduced squad sizes, falling attendance levels, cuts in players’ wages and in extreme cases administration or liquidation. Different clubs have adopted different solutions to these problems, some more radical than others. A number of clubs have sought new individual owners with deeper financial pockets to bail them out; some have restructured debt with their banks, which in practice has resulted in large debt write offs; while others have adopted new organisational forms such as Community Interest Companies to bring in new forms of finance and resources. Turning to the supporters was often seen as the last option for directors seeking to rescue a club. But the enthusiastic response of supporters in a number of clubs has led many involved in Scottish football now to view supporter involvement as a positive choice rather than considering supporters as ‘lenders of last resort’. The response of supporters, even in cases of previous wrongdoing by directors, provides strong evidence of the value and importance of football clubs as community assets. Scottish professional football clubs have been facing and continue to face challenging financial circumstances due to a combination of factors including: changes in the economic structure of European football; increased concentration of media income amongst bigger leagues in larger countries; the Scottish economic context; and poor corporate governance in some clubs. These circumstances have had substantive negative consequences with many clubs running up unsustainable levels of debt, reduced squad sizes, falling attendance levels, cuts in players’ wages and in extreme cases administration or liquidation. Different clubs have adopted different solutions to these problems, some more radical than others. A number of clubs have sought new individual owners with deeper financial pockets to bail them out; some have restructured debt with their banks, which in practice has resulted in large debt write offs; while others have adopted new organisational forms such as Community Interest Companies to bring in new forms of finance and resources. Turning to the supporters was often seen as the last option for directors seeking to rescue a club. But the enthusiastic response of supporters in a number of clubs has led many involved in Scottish football now to view supporter involvement as a positive choice rather than considering supporters as ‘lenders of last resort’. The response of supporters, even in cases of previous wrongdoing by directors, provides strong evidence of the value and importance of football clubs as community assets

ISCHEMIA: new questions from a landmark trial

No abstract available

Geologic and Hydrologic Characteristics of Existing Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Sites in the Eastern United States - Implications for North Carolina

The geologic and hydrologic characteristics of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) disposal sites in the eastern United States are reviewed in this technical report. Since North Carolina has been designated as the next host for a LLRW faciltiy by the Southeast Compact Commission, this information coupled with the geology/hydrology of North Carolina can be used in the identification of potential siting constraints. In North Carolina, engineered barriers will be incorporated into the selected LLRW technology. In this report concrete degradation mechanisms are reviewed. Based on this information, possible geologic/hydrologic constraints of siting a LLRW disposal facility in North Carolina are discussed.Master of Science in Public Healt

Easily Regenerated Readily Deployable Absorbent for Heavy Metal Removal from Contaminated Water

Although clean and abundant water is the keystone of thriving communities, increasing demand and volatile climate patterns are depleting rivers and aquifers. Moreover, the quality of such water sources is threatened by noxious contaminants, of which heavy metals represents an area of growing concern. Recently, graphene oxide (GO) has been suggested as an adsorbent; however, a support is desirable to ensure a high surface area and an immobile phase. Herein, we described the preparation and characterization of a supported-epoxidized carbon nanotube (SENT) via the growth of multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) onto a quartz substrate. Subsequent epoxidation provides sufficient functionality to enable adsorbent of heavy metals (Cd2+, Co2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Ni2+, and Pb2+) from aqueous solution with initial concentrations (60–6000 ppm) chosen to simulate high industrial wastewater contamination. The SENT adsorption efficiency is >99.4% for all metals and the saturation concentration is significantly greater than observed for either GO or acid treated MWNTs. The SENT adsorbent may be readily regenerated under mild conditions using a globally available household chemical, vinegar. 1 g of SENT has the potential to treat 83,000 L of contaminated water down to WHO limits which would be sufficient for 11,000 people