Inductively-overcoupled coil design for high resolution magnetic resonance imaging

BACKGROUND: Maintaining the quality of magnetic resonance images acquired with the current implantable coil technology is challenging in longitudinal studies. To overcome this challenge, the principle of 'inductive overcoupling' is introduced as a method to tune and match a dual coil system. This system consists of an imaging coil built with fixed electrical elements and a matching coil equipped with tuning and matching capabilities. Overcoupling here refers to the condition beyond which the peak of the current in the imaging coil splits. METHODS: The combined coils are coupled inductively to operate like a transformer. Each coil circuit is electrically represented by equivalent lumped-elements. A theoretical analysis is given to identify the frequency response characteristics of the currents in each coil. The predictions from this analysis are translated into experiments and applied to locally image rat spinal cord at 9.4 T using an implantable coil as the imaging coil and an external volume coil as the matching coil. RESULTS: The theoretical analysis indicated that strong coupling between the coils divides the resonance peaks on the response curves of the currents. Once these newly generated peaks were tuned and matched to the desired frequency and impedance of operation, in vivo images were acquired from the rat spinal cord at high quality and high resolution. CONCLUSION: After proper implementation, inductive overcoupling provides a unique opportunity for tuning and matching the coil system, and allows reliable and repeatable acquisitions of magnetic resonance data. This feature is likely to be useful in experimental studies, such as those aimed at longitudinally imaging the rat following spinal cord injury

Imaging corticospinal tract connectivity in injured rat spinal cord using manganese-enhanced MRI

BACKGROUND: Manganese-enhanced MRI (MEI) offers a novel neuroimaging modality to trace corticospinal tract (CST) in live animals. This paper expands this capability further and tests the utility of MEI to image axonal fiber connectivity in CST of injured spinal cord (SC). METHODS: A rat was injured at the thoracic T4 level of the SC. The CST was labeled with manganese (Mn) injected intracortically at two weeks post injury. Next day, the injured SC was imaged using MEI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) modalities. RESULTS: In vivo MEI data obtained from cervical SC confirmed that CST was successfully labeled with Mn. Ex vivo MEI data obtained from excised SC depicted Mn labeling of the CST in SC sections caudal to the lesion, which meant that Mn was transported through the injury, possibly mediated by viable CST fibers present at the injury site. Examining the ex vivo data from the injury epicenter closely revealed a thin strip of signal enhancement located ventrally between the dorsal horns. This enhancement was presumably associated with the Mn accumulation in these intact fibers projecting caudally as part of the CST. Additional measurements with DTI supported this view. CONCLUSION: Combining these preliminary results collectively demonstrated the feasibility of imaging fiber connectivity in experimentally injured SC using MEI. This approach may play important role in future investigations aimed at understanding the neuroplasticity in experimental SCI research

Active Duty Training For Support of Navy\u27s Additive Manufacturing Strategy

Additive manufacturing has recently gained the attention of multiple stakeholders, including those in the advanced manufacturing industry, research and government labs, academia, and the Navy community. Various efforts within the Navy focus on studying the best way for parts to be built and repaired for marine and naval vessels. Rapid manufacturing of spare components is particularly important for sailors, especially while deployed on warships, as they often do not have timely access to spare parts from the supply chain. For that purpose, a multidisciplinary team of engineering and education faculty have developed a series of workshops to train on-duty sailors in designing, testing, reverse engineering, and printing parts needed for their daily operations. The workshop has modules focused on rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, computer aided design, material testing, product data management, and product lifecycle management. The Office of Naval Research Workforce Development program funds this program

The Search for High-Impact Diagnostic and Management Tools for Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Self-Powered Low-Cost Blood Pressure Measurement Device Powered by a Solid-State Vibration Energy Harvester

The World Health Organization has established recommendations for blood pressure measurement devices for use in low-resource venues, setting the triple A expectations of Accuracy, Affordability, and Availability. Because of issues related to training and assessment of proficiency, the pendulum has swung away from manual blood pressure devices and auscultatory techniques towards automatic oscillometric devices. As a result of power challenges in the developing world, there has also been a push towards semiautomatic devices that are not dependent on external power sources or batteries. Beyond solar solutions, disruptive technology related to solid-state vibrational energy harvesting may be the next iterative solution to attain the ultimate goal of a self-powered low-cost validated device that is simple to use and reliable

Chiari type I malformation with high foramen magnum anomaly

A 14-year-old male with a neck pain and hypoesthesia in the upper extremities was diagnosed with Chiari type I malformation (CMI) and syringomyelia. The posterior part of the occipital bone was removed via cranio-cervical decompression. The accuracy of measuring the posterior cranial fossa (PCF) and foramen magnum (FM) dimensions were evaluated and compared with the literature. The linear PCF and FM dimensions as well as volumes were measured using computed tomography (CT) images with different techniques. The volume data were compared with similar data from literature. Use of the posterior fossa approach remains controversial when treating patients with minor little brain stem dislocation, small PCF, and or incomplete C1, but the approach can easily be applied if FM and PCF sizes are known. Linear measurements that were assessed for concordance with CT measurements had the best agreement. Quantification of PCF volume and high FM should be taken into consideration for differential diagnosis of tonsillar herniation and prediction of surgical outcome in CMI

Introducing a performance-based objective clinical examination into the pharmacy curriculum for students of Northern Cyprus

Purpose: To describe how a formative Objective Structured Clinical Examination was applied to fourth year pharmacy students at a university in Northern Cyprus.Methods: A blueprint-guided performance-based objective clinical examination was implemented. Group-prepared case scenarios based on course objectives were used to develop 12 exam stations. Scenarios were discussed in common training sessions for both assessors (faculty members) and senior students (standardized patients). Pilot testing of all stations was carried out on the day of the examination. Competencies tested included medical history taking, pharmacotherapeutic  knowledge application, systemic client assessment, evidence-based drug  information (DI) manipulation, drug related problems (DRP) management, patient counseling and communication skills.Results: The exam revealed that students were better in performing patient  counseling (4.4 ± 0.23) and identification/resolution of DRPs (3.68 ± 0.18) than in DI tasks (2.00 ± 0.21) (p < 0.05). The students’ perceptions were positive with no significant differences in their average general performance compared to a written exam that had been previously carried out (p = 1.0).Conclusion: The evaluation revealed that undergraduate pharmacy students in a Turkish school of pharmacy were better in performing patient counseling and identification/ resolution of DRPs than in drug information manipulation tasks.  Student satisfaction with OSCEs was higher compared to the written examination. The design and implementation of the formative assessment was successful with minimum cost, using only the existing available space and personnel.Keywords: Objective structured clinical examination, Formative assessment,  Pharmacy students assessment, Competency, Examinatio

Physicians’ and nurses’ decision making to encounter neonates with poor prognosis in the neonatal intensive care unit

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Sage in Clinical Ethics on 03/06/2020. Available online: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1477750920927173This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Sage in Clinical Ethics on 03/06/2020.Available online: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1477750920927173acceptedVersio

Regular and chaotic vibration in a piezoelectric energy harvester

We examine regular and chaotic responses of a vibrational energy harvester composed of a vertical beam and a tip mass. The beam is excited horizontally by a harmonic inertial force while mechanical vibrational energy is converted to electrical power through a piezoelectric patch. The mechanical resonator can be described by single or double well potentials depending on the gravity force from the tip mass. By changing the tip mass we examine bifurcations from single well oscillations, to regular and chaotic vibrations between the potential wells. The appearance of chaotic responses in the energy harvesting system is illustrated by the bifurcation diagram, the corresponding Fourier spectra, the phase portraits, and is confirmed by the 0–1 test. The appearance of chaotic vibrations reduces the level of harvested energy

The IKKâ related kinase TBK1 activates mTORC1 directly in response to growth factors and innate immune agonists

The innate immune kinase TBK1 initiates inflammatory responses to combat infectious pathogens by driving production of type I interferons. TBK1 also controls metabolic processes and promotes oncogeneâ induced cell proliferation and survival. Here, we demonstrate that TBK1 activates mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) directly. In cultured cells, TBK1 associates with and activates mTORC1 through siteâ specific mTOR phosphorylation (on S2159) in response to certain growth factor receptors (i.e., EGFâ receptor but not insulin receptor) and pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) (i.e., TLR3; TLR4), revealing a stimulusâ selective role for TBK1 in mTORC1 regulation. By studying cultured macrophages and those isolated from genome edited mTOR S2159A knockâ in mice, we show that mTOR S2159 phosphorylation promotes mTORC1 signaling, IRF3 nuclear translocation, and IFNâ β production. These data demonstrate a direct mechanistic link between TBK1 and mTORC1 function as well as physiologic significance of the TBK1â mTORC1 axis in control of innate immune function. These data unveil TBK1 as a direct mTORC1 activator and suggest unanticipated roles for mTORC1 downstream of TBK1 in control of innate immunity, tumorigenesis, and disorders linked to chronic inflammation.SynopsisTBK1, an IKKâ related kinase that drives interferon production as well cancer cell proliferation and survival, phosphorylates mTOR to activate mTORC1 in response to EGF and innate immune agonists, suggesting unanticipated roles for mTORC1 downstream of TBK1 in control of innate immunity and tumorigenesis.TBK1 interacts with mTORC1 and phosphorylates mTOR on S2159 to increase its catalytic activity.Cells lacking TBK1 or expressing a mTOR S2159A allele exhibit reduced mTORC1 signaling in response to EGFâ receptor and TLR3/4 activation.Primary macrophages derived from genome edited mTOR S2159A mice exhibit reduced mTORC1 signaling in response to TLR3/4 activation.Primary macrophages treated with rapamycin as well as those derived from mTORS2159A mice produce reduced levels of IFNâ β due to impaired nuclear translocation of the transcription factor IRF3.Innate immune kinase TBK1â dependent activation of mTORC1 occurs in response to pathogen recognition and EGF receptor activation and drives interferon production, thus highlighting the role of mTOR for innate immunity.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141029/1/embj201696164.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141029/2/embj201696164.reviewer_comments.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141029/3/embj201696164_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141029/4/embj201696164-sup-0001-EVFigs.pd