Repeatability of brown adipose tissue measurements on FDG PET/CT following a simple cooling procedure for BAT activation

Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) is present in a significant number of adult humans and can be activated by exposure to cold. Measurement of active BAT presence, activity, and volume are desirable for determining the efficacy of potential treatments intended to activate BAT. The repeatability of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) measurements of BAT presence, activity, and volume under controlled conditions has not been extensively studied. Eleven female volunteers underwent double baseline FDG PET imaging performed following a simple, regional cold intervention intended to activate brown fat. The cold intervention involved the lightly-clothed participants intermittently placing their feet on a block of ice while sitting in a cooled room. A repeat study was performed under the same conditions within a target of two weeks. FDG scans were obtained and maximum standardized uptake value adjusted for lean body mass (SULmax), CT Hounsfield units (HU), BAT metabolic volume (BMV), and total BAT glycolysis (TBG) were determined according to the Brown Adipose Reporting Criteria in Imaging STudies (BARCIST) 1.0. A Lin's concordance correlation (CCC) of 0.80 was found for BMV between test and retest imaging. Intersession BAT SULmax was significantly correlated (r = 0.54; p < 0.05). The session #1 mean SULmax of 4.92 ± 4.49 g/mL was not significantly different from that of session #2 with a mean SULmax of 7.19 ± 7.34 g/mL (p = 0.16). BAT SULmax was highly correlated with BMV in test and retest studies (r ≥ 0.96, p < 0.001). Using a simplified ice-block cooling method, BAT was activated in the majority (9/11) of a group of young, lean female participants. Quantitative assessments of BAT SUL and BMV were not substantially different between test and retest imaging, but individual BMV could vary considerably. Intrasession BMV and SULmax were strongly correlated. The variability in estimates of BAT activity and volume on test-retest with FDG should inform sample size choice in studies quantifying BAT physiology and support the dynamic metabolic characteristics of this tissue. A more sophisticated cooling method potentially may reduce variations in test-retest BAT studies

Innovation Competence of the Mathematics Teacher

У статті проаналізовано погляди вітчизняних та зарубіжних науковців на поняття «інноваційна компетентність учителя»; визначено поняття «інноваційна компетентність учителя математики» як складову загальної професійної компетентності та необхідну умову формування математичної компетентності, зміст якої зумовлюється особливостями інноваційної діяльності, її суспільною значимістю, творчим характером та спрямованістю на неперервне творення нового, розвиток особистісного й професійного потенціалу педагога; виділено концептуальні положення щодо аналізу структури та змісту цього поняття; виокремлено компоненти інноваційної компетентності вчителя математики та запропоновано напрями її набуття у процесі викладання дисциплін математичного циклу.The article analyzes the views of native and foreign scientists on the concept «innovation competence of the teacher», the concept «innovation competence of the mathematics teacher» is defined, the conceptual provisions concerning the analysis of the structure and content of this concept are described, the components of the innovation competence of the mathematics teacher are outlined and the directions of their formation in the teaching disciplines of mathematical cycle are proposed. The formation of future teachers of mathematics readiness to innovative pedagogical activity is an objective process of purposeful preparation for the creation, implementation and dissemination of educational innovations, which is based on: 1) the adaptation of students to higher education, the implementation of the principle of continuity between the older and the higher school, the formation of motivation of the students for professional activities; 2) maximum use of innovative techniques in the study of the disciplines of mathematical cycle, giving the educational process of students the creative, innovative character; 3) deepening integration of psycho-pedagogical and professional knowledge of future teachers of mathematics; application of innovative information technologies in the educational process; 4) the use of the system principle of training of future specialists in the design, development and partial validation of models of mathematics teacher’s work in the form of a common scheme or plan activities in the implementation of the educational process, based on the predominant activity of students, organized and created by the teacher; 5) the development and application of «prognostic acmeological training» of future teachers of mathematics to innovative pedagogical activity. The predictability of this preparation means its orientation to the school of the future taking into account the main trends in the development of technologies for teaching mathematics. Its implementation on a contextual basis provides a consistent use of all types of preparation of future teachers of mathematics. The innovative competence of teachers of mathematics is seen as part of general professional competence and the necessary condition for the formation of mathematical competence, the content of which is determined by the peculiarities of innovative activity, its social significance, creative nature and focus on continuous creation of something new, development of personal and professional potential of the teacher

Multivariable regression models^a.

<p>Multivariable regression models<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0199889#t003fn001" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p

Characteristics of participants.

<p>Characteristics of participants.</p

Better ear puretone average (PTA) threshold in decibels on audiometry.

<p>Abbreviations: NSI (No Sensory Impairment), VI (Vision Impairment), HI (Hearing Impairment), DI (Dual Impairment).</p

Better eye mean deviation (MD) in decibels on visual field testing.

<p>Abbreviations: NSI (No Sensory Impairment), VI (Vision Impairment), HI (Hearing Impairment), DI (Dual Impairment).</p