Free-breathing whole-heart coronary MRA with 3D radial SSFP and self-navigated image reconstruction.

Respiratory motion is a major source of artifacts in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Free-breathing techniques with pencil-beam navigators efficiently suppress respiratory motion and minimize the need for patient cooperation. However, the correlation between the measured navigator position and the actual position of the heart may be adversely affected by hysteretic effects, navigator position, and temporal delays between the navigators and the image acquisition. In addition, irregular breathing patterns during navigator-gated scanning may result in low scan efficiency and prolonged scan time. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a self-navigated, free-breathing, whole-heart 3D coronary MRI technique that would overcome these shortcomings and improve the ease-of-use of coronary MRI. A signal synchronous with respiration was extracted directly from the echoes acquired for imaging, and the motion information was used for retrospective, rigid-body, through-plane motion correction. The images obtained from the self-navigated reconstruction were compared with the results from conventional, prospective, pencil-beam navigator tracking. Image quality was improved in phantom studies using self-navigation, while equivalent results were obtained with both techniques in preliminary in vivo studies.

Effects of verapamil and ryanodine on activity of the embryonic chick heart during anoxia and reoxygenation.

Perturbations of the trans-sarcolemmal and sarcoplasmic Ca2+ transport contribute to the abnormal myocardial activity provoked by anoxia and reoxygenation. Whether Ca2+ pools of the extracellular compartment and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) are involved to the same extent in the dysfunction of the anoxic-reoxygenated immature heart has not been investigated. Spontaneously contracting hearts isolated from 4-day-old chick embryos were submitted to repeated anoxia (1 min) followed by reoxygenation (5 min). Heart rate, atrioventricular propagation velocity, ventricular shortening, velocities of contraction and relaxation, and incidence of arrhythmias were studied, recorded continuously. Addition of verapamil (10 nM), which blocks selectively sarcolemmal L-type Ca2+ channels, was expected to protect against excessive entry of extracellular Ca2+, whereas addition of ryanodine (10 nM), which opens the SR Ca2+ release channel, was expected to increase cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Verapamil (a) had no dromotropic effect by contrast to adult heart, (b) attenuated ventricular contracture induced by repeated anoxia, (c) shortened cardioplegia induced by reoxygenation, and (d) had remarkable antiarrhythmic properties during reoxygenation specially. On the other hand, ryanodine potentiated markedly arrhythmias both during anoxia and at reoxygenation. Thus despite its immaturity, the SR seems to be functional early in the developing chick heart and involved in the reversible dysfunction induced by anoxia-reoxygenation. Moreover, Ca2+ entry through L-type channels appears to worsen arrhythmias especially during reoxygenation. These findings show that the Ca2+-handling systems involved in irregular activity in immature heart, such as the embryonic chick heart, may differ from those in the adult.

Influence of infusion line compliance on drug delivery rate during acute line loop formation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether infusion line compliance contributes to irregular drug delivery during vertical displacement of syringe pumps. DESIGN: Five different commercially available infusion lines were studied at infusion rates of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 ml/h. Zero drug delivery time was measured after acute line loop formation (70 cm) using an electronic balance. Compliance of each infusion line was calculated using a pressure transducer and measurement of the occlusion release bolus at 300 mmHg occlusion pressure. Finally, the influence of infusion line compliance on drug delivery during acute lowering of the syringe pump was studied using low- and high-compliance infusion lines. RESULTS: Acute line loop formation resulted in zero drug delivery time from 5.1 +/- 1.5 to 44.0 +/- 6.8 s at flow rates of 0.5 ml/h. Increased flow rates significantly reduced loop-induced flow variability. A close correlation was found between zero drug delivery time and calculated infusion line compliance at 0.5 ml/h (linear regression R2 = 0.79). Lowering of the syringe pump 50 cm prolonged zero drug delivery time from 295.8 +/- 20.7 s with the low-compliance tube to 463.3 +/- 24.0 s with the high-compliance infusion line. CONCLUSIONS: Infusion line compliance contributes to irregular drug delivery associated with vertical displacement of syringe pumps. Siphoning of the infusion line during patient care should be avoided, and flow rates of 1 ml/h or higher are recommended. Low-compliance infusion lines are indicated whenever highly short-acting vasoactive drugs at low delivery rates are administered.

Effect of knotting on polymer shapes and their enveloping ellipsoids.

We simulate freely jointed chains to investigate how knotting affects the overall shapes of freely fluctuating circular polymeric chains. To characterize the shapes of knotted polygons, we construct enveloping ellipsoids that minimize volume while containing the entire polygon. The lengths of the three principal axes of the enveloping ellipsoids are used to define universal size and shape descriptors analogous to the squared radius of gyration and the inertial asphericity and prolateness. We observe that polymeric chains forming more complex knots are more spherical and also more prolate than chains forming less complex knots with the same number of edges. We compare the shape measures, determined by the enveloping ellipsoids, with those based on constructing inertial ellipsoids and explain the differences between these two measures of polymer shape.

Spiral CT aortography: an efficient technique for the diagnosis of traumatic aortic injury.

The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of spiral CT (SCT) aortography for diagnosing acute aortic lesions in blunt thoracic trauma patients. Between October 1992 and June 1997, 487 SCT scans of the chest were performed on blunt thoracic trauma patients. To assess aortic injury, the following SCT criteria were considered: hemomediastinum, peri-aortic hematoma, irregular aspect of the aortic wall, aortic pseudodiverticulum, intimal flap and traumatic dissection. Aortic injury was diagnosed on 14 SCT examinations (2.9 %), five of the patients having had an additional digital aortography that confirmed the aortic trauma. Twelve subjects underwent surgical repair of the thoracic aorta, which in all but one case confirmed the aortic injury. Two patients died before surgery from severe brain lesions. The aortic blunt lesions were confirmed at autopsy. According to the follow-up of the other 473 patients, we are aware of no false-negative SCT examination. Our limited series shows a sensitivity of 100 % and specificity of 99.8 % of SCT aortography in the diagnosis of aortic injury. It is concluded that SCT aortagraphy is an accurate diagnostic method for the assessment of aortic injury in blunt thoracic trauma patients.

Espacialização da precipitação pluvial por meio de krigagem e cokrigagem

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a cokrigagem ordinária, com dados de altitude e distância do mar, em comparação à krigagem ordinária, na espacialização da precipitação pluvial dos períodos anual, seco e úmido, no Estado do Espírito Santo. Os dados de altitude e distância do mar foram obtidos de pontos de amostragem em grades regulares e irregulares. Foram utilizados dados de 108 postos pluviométricos. A avaliação dos métodos e das variáveis foi realizada com base na validação cruzada, tendo-se considerado os erros dos valores preditos e o ajuste dos modelos de regressão linear para valores observados e preditos. A grade regular para amostragem das covariáveis apresentou melhor acurácia de predição em comparação à grade irregular. A cokrigagem produziu resultados mais acurados do que a krigagem, verificados por pequenas diferenças nos erros médios absolutos, capazes de produzir mapas estatisticamente diferentes. A interpolação por cokrigagem e o uso de grades regulares para amostragem são preferíveis, principalmente se as covariáveis são de fácil obtenção e de baixo custo.

Bud dormancy in apple trees after thermal fluctuations

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of heat waves on the evolution of bud dormancy, in apple trees with contrasting chilling requirements. Twigs of 'Castel Gala' and 'Royal Gala' were collected in orchards in Papanduva, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and were exposed to constant (3°C) or alternating (3 and 15°C for 12/12 hours) temperature, combined with zero, one or two days a week at 25°C. Two additional treatments were evaluated: constant temperature (3°C), with a heat wave of seven days at 25°C, in the beginning or in the middle of the experimental period. Periodically, part of the twigs was transferred to 25°C for daily budburst evaluation of apical and lateral buds. Endodormancy (dormancy induced by cold) was overcome with less than 330 chilling hours (CH) of constant cold in 'Castel Gala' and less than 618 CH in 'Royal Gala'. A daily 15°C-temperature cycle did not affect the endodormancy process. Heat waves during endodormancy resulted in an increased CH to achieve bud requirements. The negative effect of high temperature depended on the lasting of this condition. Chilling was partly cancelled during dormancy when the heat wave lasted 36 continuous hours or more. Therefore, budburst prediction models need adjustments, mainly for regions with mild and irregular winters, such as those of Southern Brazil.

Ydinvoimalan paineakun mallinnus

Tässä työssä on käytetty VTT:n ja Fortumin kehittämääAPROS simulaatio-ohjelmistoa vesi-ilma -täytteisen paineakun käyttäytymisen tutkimiseen. Tavoitteena oli tarkastella APROSin paineakkumallin käyttäytymistä alhaisessa lämpötilassa käyttäen 6-yhtälömallia sekä rakentaa vaihtoehtoiseksi laskentamenetelmäksi kaksi analyyttistä laskentamallia korvaamaan APROSin sisäinen laskenta. Kyseiset analyyttiset mallit ovat isentrooppinen ja isoterminen ja ne on rakennettu kokonaan käyttäen APROSin omia moduuleja. Työ sisältää APROSin version 5.06 sekä työn aikana kehitetyn kehitysversion vertailut eri alkulämpötiloista alkaneissa paisunnoissa, vertailun Pactelin purkaus¬kokeesta saadulla massavirralla sekä osion, jossa analyyttiset mallit on yhdistetty kokonaiseen Pactelin APROS-malliin. Myös purkauksen kulkeutumista primääripiirissä on tarkasteltu. Simulaatiot vahvistavat, että versiolla 5.06 on vaikeuksia paineen laskennassa, kun paisunnan alkulämpötila on alle 30 ºC. Kehitysversiossa painekäyttäytyminen on selvästi parantunut, mutta versio kärsii ongelmista, jotka liittyvät kaasun lämpötilan painumiseen APROSin sisäisten rajoitusten alapuolelleja tätä kautta ongelmiin materiaali¬ominaisuuksien ennustamisessa. Tämän johdosta APROSin kehitysversio päätyy erilaisiin tuloksiin myös tilanteissa, joissa alkuperäinen 5.06 ei kärsi alhaisen lämpötilan ongelmista. Analyyttisistä malleista isentrooppinen malli päätyy antamaan säännönmukaisesti muita malleja ja versioita alempia paineita. Isoterminen malli sen sijaan näyttää päätyvän version 5.06 kanssa melko samankaltaisiin tuloksiin. On kuitenkin muistettava, että kummatkin analyyttiset mallit olettavat kaasun olevan kuivaa ja jättävät massasiirron faasien välillä kokonaan huomiotta.

Modelos de crescimento animal para tempos irregulares

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi propor modelos que considerem estrutura irregular dos dados e avaliá-los em relação a modelos utilizados com tempos regulares. Foram considerados os modelos de crescimento Gompertz, Logístico e Von Bertalanffy com estruturas regular e irregular para os erros. A metodologia foi exemplificada com o uso de dados reais e simulados. Foram utilizados 16 pesos médios de 160 animais da raça Hereford, com pesagens do nascimento até aproximadamente 2 anos de idade. Para cada modelo, os parâmetros do melhor ajuste foram utilizados para simulação. O ajuste dos modelos melhora quando a estrutura original dos dados é levada em consideração, com redução na soma de quadrados dos resíduos e no valor do critério de Akaike.

A case of acute retinal pigment epithelitis: spectral domain optical coherence tomography time course and physiopathologic hypothesis.

PURPOSE: To report the time course of retinal morphologic changes in a patient with acute retinal pigment epithelitis (ARPE) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). METHODS: A 30-year old man was referred for blurred vision of his right eye after five days that appeared suddenly 15 days after recovery from a flu-like syndrome. SD-OCT was performed immediately, followed by fluorescein and infracyanine angiography at eight days and then at three weeks. RESULTS: At presentation, a bubble of sub-macular deposit was observed on the right macula with central golden micronodules in a honeycomb pattern. SD-OCT showed an "anterior dislocation" of all the retinal layers up to the inner/outer segment (IS/OS) line and irregular deposits at the OS level together with thickening of the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) layer. As visual acuity increased, eight days later, the OCT showed reduction of the sub-retinal deposits and an abnormal hyperflectivity of the sub-retinal and RPE layers was observed. The patient showed a positive serology for picornavirus. DISCUSSION: The acute SD-OCT sections of this patient with ARPE were compared with histological sections of a 35 day old Royal College of Surgeons rat. Similar findings could be observed, with preservation of the IS/OS line and accumulation of debris at the OS level, suggesting that ARPE symptoms could result from a transient phagocytic dysfunction of the RPE at the fovea, inducing reversible accumulation of undigested OS. Picornaviruses comprising enterovirus and coxsachievirus described as being associated with acute chorioretinitis. In this case, it was responsible for ARPE. CONCLUSION: We hypothesize that ARPE syndrome results from a transient dysfunction of RPE, which can occur as a post viral reaction.

Efeito da intensidade do frio no tempo e percentagem de gemas brotadas em macieira

A macieira necessita de períodos de baixas temperaturas (4º a 10ºC) no outono e inverno, caso contrário a planta continuará em dormência ou apresentará uma brotação e floração irregular. Sem a ocorrência de baixas temperaturas no outono e inverno, as gemas da macieira continuam em dormência por um maior período. Para mensurar a quantidade de frio necessária para superar a dormência, o método utilizado foi o número de unidades de frio baseado no Modelo Carolina do Norte Modificado. Estacas de 20 a 25 cm de comprimento e estacas de nós isolados receberam zero, 530, 1060 e 1590 unidades de frio durante a dormência. As cultivares testadas foram 'Condessa', 'Baronesa', 'Daiane', 'Imperatriz', 'Gala' e 'Fuji'. As cultivares se diferenciaram quanto ao número de dias para a brotação das gemas, ocorrendo o menor tempo para a brotação quando receberam 1590 unidades de frio, para todas as cultivares, mostrando que há uma relação entre o tempo médio da brotação e a profundidade da dormência. A porcentagem de brotação das gemas foi maior quando as estacas foram submetidas a 1590 unidades de frio, sendo que a cultivar Condessa apresentou o maior percentual de brotação, confirmando as referências que indicam ser esta a cultivar de menor exigência em frio, dentre as estudadas.

Measuring irregularities and surface defects from printed patterns

Quality inspection and assurance is a veryimportant step when today's products are sold to markets. As products are produced in vast quantities, the interest to automate quality inspection tasks has increased correspondingly. Quality inspection tasks usuallyrequire the detection of deficiencies, defined as irregularities in this thesis. Objects containing regular patterns appear quite frequently on certain industries and science, e.g. half-tone raster patterns in the printing industry, crystal lattice structures in solid state physics and solder joints and components in the electronics industry. In this thesis, the problem of regular patterns and irregularities is described in analytical form and three different detection methods are proposed. All the methods are based on characteristics of Fourier transform to represent regular information compactly. Fourier transform enables the separation of regular and irregular parts of an image but the three methods presented are shown to differ in generality and computational complexity. Need to detect fine and sparse details is common in quality inspection tasks, e.g., locating smallfractures in components in the electronics industry or detecting tearing from paper samples in the printing industry. In this thesis, a general definition of such details is given by defining sufficient statistical properties in the histogram domain. The analytical definition allowsa quantitative comparison of methods designed for detail detection. Based on the definition, the utilisation of existing thresholding methodsis shown to be well motivated. Comparison of thresholding methods shows that minimum error thresholding outperforms other standard methods. The results are successfully applied to a paper printability and runnability inspection setup. Missing dots from a repeating raster pattern are detected from Heliotest strips and small surface defects from IGT picking papers.

Característica da germinação e morfologia do endocarpo e plântula de taperebá (Spondias mombin L.) - Anacardiaceae

O taperebá (Spondias mombin L.) é uma espécie frutífera bastante apreciada no Norte e Nordeste do País. Porém, alguns problemas fitotécnicos ainda persistem, dentre os quais a germinação irregular e distribuída ao longo do tempo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar as características de germinação das sementes, indicando algumas causas que contribuem para a baixa germinação das sementes, além de contribuir com a produção de mudas de boa qualidade. O trabalho foi desenvolvido sob condições ambientais no Instituto de Ciências Biológicas da Universidade Federal do Amazonas. Os endocarpos foram colocados para secar ao ambiente e, após 24 horas, foram determinadas as massas de 20 endocarpos e, posteriormente, colocados para germinar; a cada cinco dias, este procedimento foi repetido por um período de 135 dias. As sementes de taperebá não perdem a viabilidade quando colocadas para secar ao ambiente por 135 dias. O período de dessecamento das sementes diminuiu o tempo médio de germinação. Os endocarpos de taperebá são euricárpicos, cada endocarpo contém 1 a 4 sementes viáveis. A germinação do taperebá é do tipo epígeo fanerocotiledonar. A protrusão da raiz primária e do hipocótilo ocorre na parte truncada do endocarpo. De cada endocarpo, pode germinar mais de uma semente ao mesmo tempo, porém apenas uma raiz principal se desenvolve.

Dissemination of periodic mammography and patterns of use, by birth cohort, in Catalonia (Spain)

Background: In Catalonia (Spain) breast cancer mortality has declined since the beginning of the 1990s. The dissemination of early detection by mammography and the introduction of adjuvant treatments are among the possible causes of this decrease, and both were almost coincident in time. Thus, understanding how these procedures were incorporated into use in the general population and in women diagnosed with breast cancer is very important for assessing their contribution to the reduction in breast cancer mortality. In this work we have modeled the dissemination of periodic mammography and described repeat mammography behavior in Catalonia from 1975 to 2006. Methods: Cross-sectional data from three Catalan Health Surveys for the calendar years 1994, 2002 and 2006 was used. The dissemination of mammography by birth cohort was modeled using a mixed effects model and repeat mammography behavior was described by age and survey year. Results: For women born from 1938 to 1952, mammography clearly had a period effect, meaning that they started to have periodic mammograms at the same calendar years but at different ages. The age at which approximately 50% of the women were receiving periodic mammograms went from 57.8 years of age for women born in 1938–1942 to 37.3 years of age for women born in 1963–1967. Women in all age groups experienced an increase in periodic mammography use over time, although women in the 50–69 age group have experienced the highest increase. Currently, the target population of the Catalan Breast Cancer Screening Program, 50–69 years of age, is the group that self-reports the highest utilization of periodic mammograms, followed by the 40–49 age group. A higher proportion of women of all age groups have annual mammograms rather than biennial or irregular ones. Conclusion: Mammography in Catalonia became more widely implemented during the 1990s. We estimated when cohorts initiated periodic mammograms and how frequently women are receiving them. These two pieces of information will be entered into a cost-effectiveness model of early detection in Catalonia.

Cultural control of herbicide-resistant Lolium rigidum Gaud. populations in winter cereal in Northeastern Spain

Lolium rigidum Gaud. is one of the most common weed species in winter cereals in Northeastern Spain. Herbicide resistance has been growing since the mid 90's and exclusive herbicide use is not enough in many cases, so that it is necessary to combine as many control tools as possible. Six field trials have been conducted during the cropping seasons 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 on winter cereal infested with herbicide resistant L. rigidum in Northeastern Spain testing different cultural control strategies. Sowing delay was conducted at five fields, mouldboard ploughing at four fields, the combination of sowing delay and ploughing at two fields, increasing the cereal sowing density and combined with sowing delay at one field. Sowing delay was confirmed to have an irregular efficacy depending on the L. rigidum emergence during the delay period. In the trials, weed emergence was reduced up to 88% in the best case but there was no effect in two cases. Ploughing had a more constant efficacy and reduced weed emergence between 50 and 80% although stoniness impeded in one occasion a correct soil inversion causing a very low efficacy. Increasing the cereal sowing rate did not reduce the weed population. The combination of the different methods did not increase significantly the individual efficacy, and one method was clearly more effective than the other, depending on the trial. In fields with high L. rigidum density, these methods are not effective enough and need to be combined with other methods, which are discussed in the text.