Rapid phase-modulated water excitation steady-state free precession for fat suppressed cine cardiovascular MR

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The purpose of this article is to describe a steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence for fat-suppressed cine cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR). A rapid phase-modulated binomial water-excitation (WE) pulse is utilized to minimize repetition time and acquisition time.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three different water-excitation pulses were combined with cine-SSFP for evaluation. The frequency response of each sequence was simulated and examined in phantom imaging studies. The ratio of fat to water signal amplitude was measured in phantoms to evaluate the fat-suppression capabilities of each method. Six volunteers underwent CMR of the heart at 1.5T to compare retrospectively-gated cine-SSFP with and without water-excitation. The ratio of fat to myocardium signal amplitude was measured for conventional cine-SSFP and phase-modulated WE-SSFP. The proposed WE-SSFP method was tested in one patient referred for CMR to characterize a cardiac mass.</p> <p>Results and discussion</p> <p>The measured frequency response in a phantom corresponded to the numerical Bloch equation simulation demonstrating the widened stop-band around the fat resonant frequency for all water-excitation pulses tested. <it>In vivo </it>measurements demonstrated that a rapid, phase-modulated water-excitation pulse significantly reduced the signal amplitude ratio of fat to myocardium from 6.92 ± 2.9 to 0.8 ± 0.13 (mean ± SD) without inducing any perceptible artifacts in SSFP cine CMR.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>fat-suppression can be achieved in SSFP cine CMR while maintaining steady-state equilibrium using rapid, phase modulated, binomial water-excitation pulses.</p

Thin Film Cocaine Sensors

Over 7 million Americans suffer from a drug use disorder and up to 60% of individuals treated for addiction will ultimately relapse. We are developing ultra-thin film electrodes on a wearable substrate for a sensor that can detect minute amounts of cocaine in sweat droplets secreted from the skin. This will enable wearable drug monitoring for personalized rehabilitation treatment plans and improve long-term addiction recovery rates. The current research focuses on developing a thin-film sensor that can be applied directly to the skin. First a layer of PVP (poly4-vinylphenol) was prepared and then spun coated onto a piece of glass. This adhesive coated glass acted as a substrate for assembling the sensors. Silver reference electrodes were generated by evaporating silver through a stencil, which contained 1mm by 10mm slits, in a vacuum sealed chamber. The resulting electrodes were tested to verify their conductivity, stability, and reactivity. Upon successfully demonstrating these characteristics, a second stencil was made to evaporate both gold and silver to make a working electrode surface that will react with a cocaine solution, making the first prototype that can successfully detect cocaine

Notas para uma perspectiva teórica a partir de uma abordagem organizacional em gestão de revistas científicas

Introduction: the scientific literature highlights the need to manage the processes, results and subjects involved in one of the key activities that guarantees the persistence of scientific knowledge: scientific publication; particularly in scientific journals. However, the analysis of the references consulted showed the lack of a deep and sufficient study of the essentials of the management of scientific journals from the organizational point of view. Objective: to analyze from the organizational approach, the main references on the management of scientific journals, in order to help reveal the specificities that distinguish it, to reach higher levels of performance of its essence and its approach.Method: a systematization of previous research experiences was carried out in the period between October 2020 to March 2021, at the Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba, through the use of empirical methods (document review, analysis of social networks), theoretical (analysis and synthesis, historical-logical, induction-deduction, hermeneutic-dialectical, holistic-dialectical), and methodological procedures (content analysis). Results: those relevant aspects that, in the opinion of the authors, contribute to developing a theoretical perspective of the management of scientific journals were identified. Conclusions: the management of scientific journals is assumed as a particular case of organizational management, whose purpose is to guarantee scientific publication, integrating processes of a different nature: management, editorial, evaluation and certification of the relevance and originality of the contributions, and evaluation and positioning of magazines; supported on Information and Communication Technologies, to increase their levels of efficiency and effectiveness.Introducción: la literatura científica destaca la necesidad de gestionar los procesos, resultados y sujetos que intervienen en una de las actividades clave que garantiza la persistencia del conocimiento científico: la publicación científica, particularmente en revistas científicas. Sin embargo, el análisis de los referentes consultados evidenció la carencia de un profundo y suficiente estudio de las esencialidades de la gestión de revistas científicas desde lo organizacional. Objetivo: analizar desde el enfoque organizacional, los principales referentes sobre la gestión de revistas científicas, a fin de contribuir a revelar las especificidades que lo distinguen, para alcanzar niveles superiores de interpretación de su esencia y de su abordaje. Método: se realizó una sistematización de experiencias investigativas precedentes en el periodo octubre de 2020 a marzo de 2021 en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Santiago de Cuba, mediante la utilización de métodos empíricos (revisión documental, análisis de redes sociales), teóricos (análisis y síntesis, histórico-lógico, inducción-deducción, hermenéutico-dialéctico, holístico-dialéctico), y procedimientos metodológicos (análisis de contenido). Resultados: se identificaron aquellos aspectos relevantes que, a juicio de los autores, contribuyen a desarrollar una perspectiva teórica de la gestión de revistas científicas.Conclusiones: se asume la gestión de revistas científicas como un caso particular de la gestión organizacional, cuya finalidad es garantizar la publicación científica, integrando procesos de diferente carácter: de dirección, editoriales, de evaluación y certificación de la pertinencia y originalidad de las contribuciones, y de evaluación y posicionamiento de las revistas; soportados sobre las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación, para incrementar sus niveles de eficiencia y eficacia.Introdução: a literatura científica destaca a necessidade de gerenciar os processos, resultados e assuntos envolvidos em uma das principais atividades que garantem a persistência do conhecimento científico: a publicação científica, principalmente em periódicos científicos. No entanto, a análise das referências consultadas evidenciou a falta de um estudo aprofundado e suficiente dos fundamentos da gestão de revistas científicas do ponto de vista organizacional.Objetivo: analisar a partir da abordagem organizacional, as principais referências sobre a gestão de revistas científicas, a fim de ajudar a revelar as especificidades que a distinguem, para alcançar níveis mais elevados de interpretação de sua essência e de sua abordagem.Método: foi realizada uma sistematização de experiências de pesquisa anteriores no período de outubro de 2020 a março de 2021 na Universidade de Ciências Médicas de Santiago de Cuba, por meio do uso de métodos empíricos (revisão documental, análise de redes sociais), teóricos (análise e síntese, histórico-lógico, indução-dedução, hermenêutico-dialético, holístico-dialético) e procedimentos metodológicos (análise de conteúdo).Resultados: foram identificados os aspectos relevantes que, na opinião dos autores, contribuem para o desenvolvimento de uma perspectiva teórica da gestão de periódicos científicos.Conclusões: a gestão de revistas científicas assume-se como um caso particular de gestão organizacional, cuja finalidade é garantir a publicação científica, integrando processos de outra natureza: gestão, editorial, avaliação e certificação da relevância e originalidade das contribuições, e avaliação e posicionamento de revistas; apoiados nas Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação, para aumentar os seus níveis de eficiência e eficácia

Liquid crystal relaxation in three dimensions: the effect of hydrodynamic interactions

We investigate the relaxation of two line defects of opposite strength in a confined nematic liquidcrystal by solving the coupled tensor order parameter evolution and momentum balance equations in three dimensions. The inclusion of hydrodynamic interactions causes the defects to move at different velocities and slows the overall relaxation process, but this effect is suppressed by increasing the degree of confinement. The most notable flow features that develop in the system are large vortices that surround and follow the defects as they approach each other

Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) for the Subaru Telescope: Overview, recent progress, and future perspectives

PFS (Prime Focus Spectrograph), a next generation facility instrument on the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope, is a very wide-field, massively multiplexed, optical and near-infrared spectrograph. Exploiting the Subaru prime focus, 2394 reconfigurable fibers will be distributed over the 1.3 deg field of view. The spectrograph has been designed with 3 arms of blue, red, and near-infrared cameras to simultaneously observe spectra from 380nm to 1260nm in one exposure at a resolution of ~1.6-2.7A. An international collaboration is developing this instrument under the initiative of Kavli IPMU. The project is now going into the construction phase aiming at undertaking system integration in 2017-2018 and subsequently carrying out engineering operations in 2018-2019. This article gives an overview of the instrument, current project status and future paths forward.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures. Proceeding of SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 201

Optimal Dose of Spinal Bupivacaine on Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Parturients Undergoing Combined Technique for Labor Analgesia: A Randomized Double Blinded Prospective Study

Study Objectives: Maternal hypotension and fetal bradycardia (FB) are recognized complications of combined spinal epidural. Our purpose was to ascertain which of 3 common doses of spinal bupivacaine results in optimal analgesia with minimal side effects, assuming the lowest dose fills all criteria. Design: Prospective, randomized clinical trial. Setting: Labor and Delivery Unit of 514-bed urban teaching hospital. Patients, Interventions and Measurements: Patients were assigned to receive an intrathecal dose of 20 mcg of fentanyl with either 2.5 mg, 1.66 mg, or 1.25 mg of isobaric bupivacaine. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Pain Score, fetal heart rate (FHR), maternal blood pressure (BP), number of hypotensive episodes, doses of vasopressors, nitroglycerin and mode of delivery were recorded at various time points. Main results: 164 patients were enrolled: 66 receiving 1.25 mg, 50 in the 1.66 mg group and 48 in the 2.5 mg. At 6 and 10 minutes, we recorded in the 1.66 mg group: 4.7% and 4.6%, 18.9% and 23.9% fewer hypotensive episodes compared with the 1.25 mg and the 2.5 mg groups respectively and significantly more hypotensive episodes in the 2.5 mg group (p = 0.025 and 0.019 respectively). There was no statistical difference in vasopressors use, mode of delivery or FB. The VAS decreased equally by an average of 7–10 points among all groups. Conclusion: The 1.66 mg spinal dose was associated with the least hypotensive episodes and equivalent pain relief as the 2.5 mg. The 1.25 mg and 1.66 mg doses allowed for adequate BP and FHR stability. Clinical Trial: Study registered on the ClinicalTrial.gov website under the NCT number NCT02159807

Endoscopic Treatment of Duodenal Bleeding Caused by Direct Hepatocellular Carcinoma Invasion with an Ethanol Injection

We report a case of a man who developed duodenal bleeding caused by direct hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) invasion, which was successfully treated with endoscopic ethanol injection. A 57-year-old man with known HCC was admitted for melena and exertional dyspnea. He had been diagnosed with inoperable HCC a year ago. Urgent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed two widely eroded mucosal lesions with irregularly shaped luminal protruding hard mass on the duodenal bulb. Argon plasma coagulation and Epinephrine injection failed to control bleeding. We injected ethanol via endoscopy to control bleeding two times with 14 cc and 15 cc separately without complication. Follow-up EGD catched a large ulcer with necrotic and sclerotic base but no bleeding evidence was present. He was discharged and he did relatively well during the following periods. In conclusion, Endoscopic ethanol injection can be used as a significantly effective and safe therapeutic tool in gastrointestinal tract bleeding caused by HCC invasion

Model-Based Deconvolution of Cell Cycle Time-Series Data Reveals Gene Expression Details at High Resolution

In both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, gene expression is regulated across the cell cycle to ensure “just-in-time” assembly of select cellular structures and molecular machines. However, present in all time-series gene expression measurements is variability that arises from both systematic error in the cell synchrony process and variance in the timing of cell division at the level of the single cell. Thus, gene or protein expression data collected from a population of synchronized cells is an inaccurate measure of what occurs in the average single-cell across a cell cycle. Here, we present a general computational method to extract “single-cell”-like information from population-level time-series expression data. This method removes the effects of 1) variance in growth rate and 2) variance in the physiological and developmental state of the cell. Moreover, this method represents an advance in the deconvolution of molecular expression data in its flexibility, minimal assumptions, and the use of a cross-validation analysis to determine the appropriate level of regularization. Applying our deconvolution algorithm to cell cycle gene expression data from the dimorphic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, we recovered critical features of cell cycle regulation in essential genes, including ctrA and ftsZ, that were obscured in population-based measurements. In doing so, we highlight the problem with using population data alone to decipher cellular regulatory mechanisms and demonstrate how our deconvolution algorithm can be applied to produce a more realistic picture of temporal regulation in a cell

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

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