Determination of regional flow by use of intravascular PET tracers: Microvascular theory and experimental validation for pig livers

Today, the standard approach for the kinetic analysis of dynamic PET studies is compartment models, in which the tracer and its metabolites are confined to a few well-mixed compartments. We examine whether the standard model is suitable for modern PET data or whether theories including more physiologic realism can advance the interpretation of dynamic PET data. A more detailed microvascular theory is developed for intravascular tracers in single-capillary and multiple-capillary systems. The microvascular models, which account for concentration gradients in capillaries, are validated and compared with the standard model in a pig liver study. Methods: Eight pigs underwent a 5-min dynamic PET study after O-15-carbon monoxide inhalation. Throughout each experiment, hepatic arterial blood and portal venous blood were sampled, and flow was measured with transit-time flow meters. The hepatic dual-inlet concentration was calculated as the flow-weighted inlet concentration. Dynamic PET data were analyzed with a traditional single-compartment model and 2 microvascular models. Results: Microvascular models provided a better fit of the tissue activity of an intravascular tracer than did the compartment model. In particular, the early dynamic phase after a tracer bolus injection was much improved. The regional hepatic blood flow estimates provided by the microvascular models (1.3 +/- 0.3 mL min(-1) mL(-1) for the single-capillary model and 1.14 +/- 0.14 min(-1) mL(-1) for the multiple-capillary model) (mean +/- SEM mL of blood min(-1) mL of liver tissue(-1)) were in agreement with the total blood flow measured by flow meters and normalized to liver weight (1.03 +/- 0.12 mL min(-1) mL(-1)). Conclusion: Compared with the standard compartment model, the 2 microvascular models provide a superior description of tissue activity after an intravascular tracer bolus injection. The microvascular models include only parameters with a clear-cut physiologic interpretation and are applicable to capillary beds in any organ. In this study, the microvascular models were validated for the liver and provided quantitative regional flow estimates in agreement with flow measurements.

Numerical investigation of turbulent flow around a rotating stepped cylinder for corrosion study

Direct numerical simulation has been carried out for turbulent flow set up by a rotating cylinder with two backward-facing steps axisymmetrically mounted in the circumferential direction. This flow geometry creates a qualitatively similar flow pattern as observed near, a sudden, pipe expansion or a plane backward-facing step, characterized by flow separation and reattachment. A region of intense turbulence intensity and high wall-shear-stress fluctuations is formed in,the recirculating I region downstream of the step, where high mass-transfer capacity was also experimentally observed. Since, corrosion is frequently mass-transfer., controlled, our findings, put forward this apparatus as useful tool for future corrosion research.

Heat transfer and flow behind a step in high enthalpy superorbital flow

Heat transfer levels have been investigated behind a rearward-facing step in a superorbital expansion tube. The heat transfer was measured along a flat plate and behind 2 and 3mm steps with the same length to step height ratio. Results were obtained with air as the test gas at speeds of 6.76kms(-1) and 9-60kms(-1) corresponding to stagnation enthalpies of 26MJ/kg and 48MJ/kg respectively. A laminar boundary layer was established on the flat plate and measured heat transfer levels were consistent with classical empirical correlations. In the case of flow behind a step, the measurements showed a gradual rise in heat transfer from the rear of the step to a plateau several step heights downstream for both flow conditions. Reattachment distance was estimated to be approximately 1.6 step heights downstream of the 2mm step at the low enthalpy condition through the use of flow visualisation.

Gene flow in great bustard populations across the Strait of Gibraltar as elucidated from excremental PCR and mtDNA sequencing

Recent advances in molecular biology have made it possible to use the trace amounts of DNA in faeces to non-invasively sample endangered species for genetic studies. Here we use faeces as a source of DNA and mtDNA sequence data to elucidate the relationship among Spanish and Moroccan populations of great bustards. 834 bp of combined control region and cytochrome-b mtDNA fragments revealed four variable sites that defined seven closely related haplotypes in 54 individuals. Morocco was fixed for a single mtDNA haplotype that occurs at moderate frequency (28%) in Spain. We could not differentiate among the sampled Spanish populations of Caceres and Andalucia but these combined populations were differentiated from the Moroccan population. Estimates of gene flow (Nm = 0.82) are consistent with extensive observations on the southern Iberian peninsular indicating that few individuals fly across the Strait of Gibraltar. We demonstrate that both this sea barrier and mountain barriers in Spain limit dispersal among adjacent great bustard populations to a similar extent. The Moroccan population is of high ornithological significance as it holds the only population of great bustards in Africa. This population is critically small and genetic and observational data indicate that it is unlikely to be recolonised via immigration from Spain should it be extirpated. In light of the evidence presented here it deserves the maximum level of protection.

The left ventricular contractility of the rat heart is modulated by changes in flow and a1-adrenoceptor stimulation

Myocardial contractility depends on several mechanisms such as coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) and flow as well as on a1-adrenoceptor stimulation. Both effects occur during the sympathetic stimulation mediated by norepinephrine. Norepinephrine increases force development in the heart and produces vasoconstriction increasing arterial pressure and, in turn, CPP. The contribution of each of these factors to the increase in myocardial performance needs to be clarified. Thus, in the present study we used two protocols: in the first we measured mean arterial pressure, left ventricular pressure and rate of rise of left ventricular pressure development in anesthetized rats (N = 10) submitted to phenylephrine (PE) stimulation before and after propranolol plus atropine treatment. These observations showed that in vivo a1-adrenergic stimulation increases left ventricular-developed pressure (P<0.05) together with arterial blood pressure (P<0.05). In the second protocol, we measured left ventricular isovolumic systolic pressure (ISP) and CPP in Langendorff constant flow-perfused hearts. The hearts (N = 7) were perfused with increasing flow rates under control conditions and PE or PE + nitroprusside (NP). Both CPP and ISP increased (P<0.01) as a function of flow. CPP changes were not affected by drug treatment but ISP increased (P<0.01). The largest ISP increase was obtained with PE + NP treatment (P<0.01). The results suggest that both mechanisms, i.e., direct stimulation of myocardial a1-adrenoceptors and increased flow, increased cardiac performance acting simultaneously and synergistically.

An optical flow-based sensing system for reactive mobile robot navigation

This work discusses the use of optical flow to generate the sensorial information a mobile robot needs to react to the presence of obstacles when navigating in a non-structured environment. A sensing system based on optical flow and time-to-collision calculation is here proposed and experimented, which accomplishes two important paradigms. The first one is that all computations are performed onboard the robot, in spite of the limited computational capability available. The second one is that the algorithms for optical flow and time-to-collision calculations are fast enough to give the mobile robot the capability of reacting to any environmental change in real-time. Results of real experiments in which the sensing system here proposed is used as the only source of sensorial data to guide a mobile robot to avoid obstacles while wandering around are presented, and the analysis of such results allows validating the proposed sensing system.

Remo����o do herbicida 2,4-D por meio do tratamento convencional da ��gua e adsor����o em carv��o ativado granular em instala����o piloto

O crescimento populacional empurra a produ����o agr��cola em dire����o ao uso intensivo dos agrot��xicos que aumentam a produtividade. Por��m, seu uso incorreto pode resultar em grave problema para as esta����es de tratamento da ��gua e impactar negativamente na sa��de p��blica. Segundo estudos em escala laboratorial, o tratamento convencional, um dos mais utilizados no Brasil, apresenta remo����o insignificante do 2,4-D. A adsor����o em carv��o ativado tem se demonstrado como tecnologia eficiente na remo����o de diversos contaminantes, dentre eles os agrot��xicos. Assim, foi avaliada a remo����o dos herbicidas 2,4-D e 2,4,5-T e metab��lito 2,4-DCP, utilizando o tratamento convencional e a adsor����o em coluna de carv��o ativado granular em instala����o piloto. O carv��o ativado granular empregado foi o derivado da casca de coco. A concentra����o dos herbicidas foi analisada por cromatografia l��quida de alta efici��ncia com detector por arranjo de diodos e extra����o em fase s��lida. A associa����o do tratamento convencional com a adsor����o em carv��o ativado granular apresentou elevada remo����o do 2,4-D (99%) atingindo concentra����es finais abaixo do limite da Portaria MS n�� 2914/2011. O tratamento convencional, no entanto, tamb��m apresentou remo����o do 2,4-D (35 a 59%), sendo o maior percentual obtido na decanta����o (30 a 52%), indicando que houve intera����o entre a mat��ria org��nica natural e o 2,4-D, contribuindo para sua remo����o nessa etapa. O 2,4-DCP e 2,4,5-T apresentaram concentra����es abaixo do limite de detec����o.

Modelo de escoamento multif��sico para estudo da intera����o onda/sedimento

Modelos de escoamento multif��sico s��o amplamente usados em diversas ��reas de pesquisa ambiental, como leitos fluidizados, dispers��o de g��s em l��quidos e v��rios outros processos que englobam mais de uma propriedade f��sico-qu��mica do meio. Dessa forma, um modelo multif��sico foi desenvolvido e adaptado para o estudo do transporte de sedimentos de fundo devido �� a����o de ondas de gravidade. Neste trabalho, foi elaborado o acoplamento multif��sico de um modelo euleriano n��o-linear de ondas do tipo Boussinesq, baseado na formula����o num��rica encontrada em Wei et al. (1995), com um modelo lagrangiano de part��culas, fundamentado pelo princ��pio Newtoniano do movimento com o esquema de colis��es do tipo esferas r��gidas. O modelo de ondas foi testado quanto �� sua fonte geradora, representada por uma fun����o gaussiana, p��-pist��o e p��-batedor, e quanto �� sua intera����o com a profundidade, atrav��s da n��o-linearidade e de propriedades dispersivas. Nos testes realizados da fonte geradora, foi observado que a fonte gaussiana, conforme Wei et al. (1999), apresentou melhor consist��ncia e estabilidade na gera����o das ondas, quando comparada �� teoria linear para um kh ��� ��� . A n��o-linearidade do modelo de ondas de 2�� ordem para a dispers��o apresentou resultados satisfat��rios quando confrontados com o experimento de ondas sobre um obst��culo trapezoidal, onde a deforma����o da onda sobre a estrutura submersa est�� em concord��ncia com os dados experimentais encontrados na literatura. A partir da��, o modelo granular tamb��m foi testado em dois experimentos. O primeiro simula uma quebra de barragem em um tanque contendo ��gua e o segundo, a quebra de barragem �� simulada com um obst��culo r��gido adicionado ao centro do tanque. Nesses experimentos, o algoritmo de colis��o foi eficaz no tratamento da intera����o entre part��cula-part��cula e part��cula-parede, permitindo a evid��ncia de processos f��sicos que s��o complicados de serem simulados por modelos de malhas regulares. Para o acoplamento do modelo de ondas e de sedimentos, o algoritmo foi testado com base de dados da literatura quanto �� morfologia do leito. Os resultados foram confrontados com dados anal��ticos e de modelos num��ricos, e se mostraram satisfat��rios com rela����o aos pontos de eros��o, de sedimenta����o e na altera����o da forma da barra arenosa

Fast left ventricle tracking in CMR images using localized anatomical affine optical flow

In daily cardiology practice, assessment of left ventricular (LV) global function using non-invasive imaging remains central for the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with cardiovascular diseases. Despite the different methodologies currently accessible for LV segmentation in cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images, a fast and complete LV delineation is still limitedly available for routine use. In this study, a localized anatomically constrained affine optical flow method is proposed for fast and automatic LV tracking throughout the full cardiac cycle in short-axis CMR images. Starting from an automatically delineated LV in the end-diastolic frame, the endocardial and epicardial boundaries are propagated by estimating the motion between adjacent cardiac phases using optical flow. In order to reduce the computational burden, the motion is only estimated in an anatomical region of interest around the tracked boundaries and subsequently integrated into a local affine motion model. Such localized estimation enables to capture complex motion patterns, while still being spatially consistent. The method was validated on 45 CMR datasets taken from the 2009 MICCAI LV segmentation challenge. The proposed approach proved to be robust and efficient, with an average distance error of 2.1 mm and a correlation with reference ejection fraction of 0.98 (1.9 �� 4.5%). Moreover, it showed to be fast, taking 5 seconds for the tracking of a full 4D dataset (30 ms per image). Overall, a novel fast, robust and accurate LV tracking methodology was proposed, enabling accurate assessment of relevant global function cardiac indices, such as volumes and ejection fraction.

Direct Power Control of Matrix Converter Based Unified Power Flow Controllers

This paper presents the Direct Power Control of Three-Phase Matrix Converters (DPC-MC) operating as Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC). Since matrix converters allow direct AC/AC power conversion without intermediate energy storage link, the resulting UPFC has reduced volume and cost, together with higher reliability. Theoretical principles of DPC-MC method are established based on an UPFC model, together with a new direct power control approach based on sliding mode control techniques. As a result, active and reactive power can be directly controlled by selection of an appropriate switching state of matrix converter. This new direct power control approach associated to matrix converters technology guarantees decoupled active and reactive power control, zero error tracking, fast response times and timely control actions. Simulation results show good performance of the proposed system.

Magma flow, exsolution processes and rock metasomatism in the Great Messejana-Plasencia dyke (Iberian Peninsula)

Magma flow in dykes is still not well understood; some reported magnetic fabrics are contradictory and the potential effects of exsolution and metasomatism processes on the magnetic properties are issues open to debate. Therefore, a long dyke made of segments with different thickness, which record distinct degrees of metasomatism, the Messejana-Plasencia dyke (MPD), was studied. Oriented dolerite samples were collected along several cross-sections and characterized by means of microscopy and magnetic analyses. The results obtained show that the effects of metasomatism on rock mineralogy are important, and that the metasomatic processes can greatly influence anisotropy degree and mean susceptibility only when rocks are strongly affected by metasomatism. Petrography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and bulk magnetic analyses show a high-temperature oxidation-exsolution event, experienced by the very early Ti-spinels, during the early stages of magma cooling, which was mostly observed in central domains of the thick dyke segments. Exsolution reduced the grain size of the magnetic carrier (multidomain to single domain transformation), thus producing composite fabrics involving inverse fabrics. These are likely responsible for a significant number of the 'abnormal' fabrics, which make the interpretation of magma flow much more complex. By choosing to use only the 'normal' fabric for magma flow determination, we have reduced by 50 per cent the number of relevant sites. In these sites, the imbrication angle of the magnetic foliation relative to dyke wall strongly suggests flow with end-members indicating vertical-dominated flow (seven sites) and horizontal-dominated flow (three sites).

Thick dyke emplacement and internal flow: A structural and magnetic fabric study of the deep-seated dolerite dyke of Foum Zguid (southern Morocco)

Knowledge on forced magma injection and magma flow in dykes is crucial for the understanding of how magmas migrate through the crust to the Earth's surface. Because many questions still persist, we used the long, thick, and deep-seated Foum Zguid dyke (Morocco) to investigate dyke emplacement and internal flow by means of magnetic methods, structural analysis, petrography, and scanning electron microscopy. We also investigated how the host rocks accommodated the intrusion. Regarding internal flow: 1. Important variations of the rock magnetic properties and magnetic fabric occur with distance from dyke wall; 2. anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization reveals that anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) results mainly from the superposition of subfabrics with distinct coercivities and that the imbrication between magnetic foliation and dyke plane is more reliable to deduce flow than the orientation of the AMS maximum principal axis; and 3. a dominant upward flow near the margins can be inferred. The magnetic fabric closest to the dyke wall likely records magma flow best due to fast cooling, whereas in the core the magnetic properties have been affected by high-temperature exsolution and metasomatic effects due to slow cooling. Regarding dyke emplacement, this study shows that the thick forceful intrusion induced deformation by homogeneous flattening and/or folding of the host sedimentary strata. Dewatering related to heat, as recorded by thick quartz veins bordering the dyke in some localities, may have also helped accommodating dyke intrusion. The spatial arrangement of quartz veins and their geometrical relationship with the dyke indicate a preintrusive to synintrusive sinistral component of strike slip.

As vari��veis condicionantes da previs��o do cash flow operacional aplicado ��s Empresas Portuguesas de vestu��rio e cal��ado

O presente artigo tem por finalidade analisar os factores condicionantes da previs��o do cash flow proveniente da actividade operacional, atrav��s do desenvolvimento de um modelo econom��trico que foi estimado com base numa amostra seccional relativa ao ano de 2000 e constitu��da por 395 empresas portuguesas dos sectores do vestu��rio e cal��ado. O modelo foi estimado atrav��s do m��todo de m��nimos quadrados ordin��rio (MQO) com a correc����o de White e, os resultados obtidos mostraram que o cash flow futuro �� explicado pelas vari��veis explicativas; recursos gerados na actividade operacional, d��vidas de e a terceiros provenientes da actividade operacional e uma vari��vel dummy que diferencia as empresas pelos dois sectores de actividade, todas desfasadas de um per��odo (ano).

Experiencing flow while teaching and learning in individual tuition settings

Confer��ncia anual da ISME