Dual role of cerebral blood flow in regional brain temperature control in the healthy newborn infant.

Small shifts in brain temperature after hypoxia-ischaemia affect cell viability. The main determinants of brain temperature are cerebral metabolism, which contributes to local heat production, and brain perfusion, which removes heat. However, few studies have addressed the effect of cerebral metabolism and perfusion on regional brain temperature in human neonates because of the lack of non-invasive cot-side monitors. This study aimed (i) to determine non-invasive monitoring tools of cerebral metabolism and perfusion by combining near-infrared spectroscopy and echocardiography, and (ii) to investigate the dependence of brain temperature on cerebral metabolism and perfusion in unsedated newborn infants. Thirty-two healthy newborn infants were recruited. They were studied with cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy, echocardiography, and a zero-heat flux tissue thermometer. A surrogate of cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured using superior vena cava flow adjusted for cerebral volume (rSVC flow). The tissue oxygenation index, fractional oxygen extraction (FOE), and the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen relative to rSVC flow (CMRO2 index) were also estimated. A greater rSVC flow was positively associated with higher brain temperatures, particularly for superficial structures. The CMRO2 index and rSVC flow were positively coupled. However, brain temperature was independent of FOE and the CMRO2 index. A cooler ambient temperature was associated with a greater temperature gradient between the scalp surface and the body core. Cerebral oxygen metabolism and perfusion were monitored in newborn infants without using tracers. In these healthy newborn infants, cerebral perfusion and ambient temperature were significant independent variables of brain temperature. CBF has primarily been associated with heat removal from the brain. However, our results suggest that CBF is likely to deliver heat specifically to the superficial brain. Further studies are required to assess the effect of cerebral metabolism and perfusion on regional brain temperature in low-cardiac output conditions, fever, and with therapeutic hypothermia

ASLPrep: a platform for processing of arterial spin labeled MRI and quantification of regional brain perfusion.

Arterial spin labeled (ASL) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the primary method for noninvasively measuring regional brain perfusion in humans. We introduce ASLPrep, a suite of software pipelines that ensure the reproducible and generalizable processing of ASL MRI data

Sistemas de colheita e manejo da palhada de cana-de-açúcar Harvest systems and residue management of sugarcane

A colheita com cana crua está cada vez mais presente no sistema de produção da cana-de-açúcar no Brasil. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de sistemas de colheita e manejo da cana crua com e sem incorporação da palhada e cana queimada nos atributos físicos do solo e na produção de colmos em cana-de-açúcar cultivada em um Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico. Os tratamentos foram cana-de-açúcar com queima e corte manual; cana-de-açúcar sem queima e corte mecanizado, com incorporação da palha triturada até 0,30 m; e cana-de-açúcar sem queima e corte mecanizado, sem incorporação da palha triturada. Foram determinadas a composição granulométrica, matéria orgânica, estabilidade de agregados, densidade e porosidade do solo nas profundidades de 0,0-0,1, 0,1-0,2 e 0,2-0,3 m e resistência do solo à penetração e teor de água no solo nas profundidades de 0,0-0,1, 0,1-0,2, 0,2-0,3 e 0,3-0,4 m. No sistema de cana crua com incorporação da palhada, a maior produção de colmos foi alcançada, além de maiores valores de matéria orgânica, estabilidade de agregados, macroporosidade e teor de água no solo e menores valores de resistência do solo à penetração e densidade do solo, comparado ao sistema cana crua sem incorporação da palhada e cana queimada.<br>The use of sugarcane harvesting without residue burning is a common harvesting management in Brazil. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of harvest systems and management of sugarcane with and without trash incorporation and of burned sugarcane on soil physical attributes as on production of stems in a Red Yellow Latosol (Typic Hapludox). The treatments can be described as sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) with burning and manual cutting; sugarcane without burning and automated cutting, with incorporation of chopped residue down to 0.30 m; sugarcane without burning and automated cutting, without incorporation of chopped residue. The particle size distribution, soil organic matter, aggregate stability, bulk density and soil porosity in 0.0-0.1, 0.1-0.2 and 0.2-0.3 m depths were determined as well as soil resistance to penetration and soil moisture in 0.0-0.1, 0.1-0.2, 0.2-0.3 and 0.3-0.4 m depths. The systems sugarcane without burning and sugarcane with residue incorporation revealed the highest stalk production and higher values of organic matter, aggregate stability, macroporosity, water content and smaller values of soil resistance to penetration and bulk density of soil, compared to sugarcane system without incorporation of residue and burned sugarcane

Pushing the limits of in vivo diffusion MRI for the Human Connectome Project

Perhaps more than any other “-omics” endeavor, the accuracy and level of detail obtained from mapping the major connection pathways in the living human brain with diffusion MRI depends on the capabilities of the imaging technology used. The current tools are remarkable; allowing the formation of an “image” of the water diffusion probability distribution in regions of complex crossing fibers at each of half a million voxels in the brain. Nonetheless our ability to map the connection pathways is limited by the image sensitivity and resolution, and also the contrast and resolution in encoding of the diffusion probability distribution. The goal of our Human Connectome Project (HCP) is to address these limiting factors by re-engineering the scanner from the ground up to optimize the high b-value, high angular resolution diffusion imaging needed for sensitive and accurate mapping of the brain’s structural connections. Our efforts were directed based on the relative contributions of each scanner component. The gradient subsection was a major focus since gradient amplitude is central to determining the diffusion contrast, the amount of T(2) signal loss, and the blurring of the water PDF over the course of the diffusion time. By implementing a novel 4-port drive geometry and optimizing size and linearity for the brain, we demonstrate a whole-body sized scanner with G(max) = 300mT/m on each axis capable of the sustained duty cycle needed for diffusion imaging. The system is capable of slewing the gradient at a rate of 200 T/m/s as needed for the EPI image encoding. In order to enhance the efficiency of the diffusion sequence we implemented a FOV shifting approach to Simultaneous MultiSlice (SMS) EPI capable of unaliasing 3 slices excited simultaneously with a modest g-factor penalty allowing us to diffusion encode whole brain volumes with low TR and TE. Finally we combine the multi-slice approach with a compressive sampling reconstruction to sufficiently undersample q-space to achieve a DSI scan in less than 5 minutes. To augment this accelerated imaging approach we developed a 64-channel, tight-fitting brain array coil and show its performance benefit compared to a commercial 32-channel coils at all locations in the brain for these accelerated acquisitions. The technical challenges of developing the over-all system are discussed as well as results from SNR comparisons, ODF metrics and fiber tracking comparisons. The ultra-high gradients yielded substantial and immediate gains in the sensitivity through reduction of TE and improved signal detection and increased efficiency of the DSI or HARDI acquisition, accuracy and resolution of diffusion tractography, as defined by identification of known structure and fiber crossing