BACKGROUND Cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)has been reported to identify myocardial damage inducing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest(OHCA).However,the usefulness of CMR may be affected by the medical institutions,patient...BACKGROUND Cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)has been reported to identify myocardial damage inducing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest(OHCA).However,the usefulness of CMR may be affected by the medical institutions,patients’ages,and myocardial diseases.AIM To clarify the clinical usefulness and limitation of CMR for identifying myocardial damage in the survivors of OHCA in midtown.METHODS Nineteen patients underwent CMR to detect myocardial damage related to OHCA in the midtown of a capital city.Cine,T1 and T2 mapping,T2-weighted,and late gadolinium enhancement(LGE)imaging were acquired using a 1.5 T scanner.We described the clinical characteristics of the survivors of OHCA and evaluated usefulness of CMR for identifying myocardial damage related to OHCA.RESULTS Among 19 patients experiencing OHCA,7 experienced it in trains or on railway platforms,4 while practicing sports,and 4 during their daily work.Ten of the 19 survivors were diagnosed with coronary vasospasm(CVS),in whom CMR failed to depict its characteristic findings.CMR was useful for identifying myocardial damage associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM)or myocardial infarction(MI).LGE was related to serious ventricular arrhythmias after implantable cardioverter defibrillator(ICD)installation in 3 patients(CVS,2;HCM,1).CONCLUSION CMR is useful for identifying myocardial damage of HCM or MI inducing OHCA and predicting ventricular arrhythmias after ICD implantation but has limited capability for detecting myocardial damage of CVS.展开更多
The early and precise identification of Alzheimer’s Disease(AD)continues to pose considerable clinical difficulty due to subtle structural alterations and overlapping symptoms across the disease phases.This study pre...The early and precise identification of Alzheimer’s Disease(AD)continues to pose considerable clinical difficulty due to subtle structural alterations and overlapping symptoms across the disease phases.This study presents a novel Deformable Attention Vision Transformer(DA-ViT)architecture that integrates deformable Multi-Head Self-Attention(MHSA)with a Multi-Layer Perceptron(MLP)block for efficient classification of Alzheimer’s disease(AD)using Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)scans.In contrast to traditional vision transformers,our deformable MHSA module preferentially concentrates on spatially pertinent patches through learned offset predictions,markedly diminishing processing demands while improving localized feature representation.DA-ViT contains only 0.93 million parameters,making it exceptionally suitable for implementation in resource-limited settings.We evaluate the model using a class-imbalanced Alzheimer’s MRI dataset comprising 6400 images across four categories,achieving a test accuracy of 80.31%,a macro F1-score of 0.80,and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)of 1.00 for the Mild Demented category.Thorough ablation studies validate the ideal configuration of transformer depth,headcount,and embedding dimensions.Moreover,comparison research indicates that DA-ViT surpasses state-of-theart pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)models in terms of accuracy and parameter efficiency.展开更多
Glasses were prepared from the compositions of 25Gd_2O_3-10 CaO-10 SiO_2-（55–x）B_2O_3-xDy_2O_3（where x is 0.0 mol.%–1.0 mol.%） by the conventional melt-quenching technique at 1400 oC. The results demonstrated th...Glasses were prepared from the compositions of 25Gd_2O_3-10 CaO-10 SiO_2-（55–x）B_2O_3-xDy_2O_3（where x is 0.0 mol.%–1.0 mol.%） by the conventional melt-quenching technique at 1400 oC. The results demonstrated the increase in the glass density with respect to the increase in the doping concentrations of Dy_2O_3. Nine absorption bands were observed. The emission spectra of the developed glass showed two strong peaks at 577 nm（~4F_（9/2）→~6H_（13/2）） and 482 nm（~4F_（9/2）→~6H_（15/2））. The highest emission intensity was observed from the developed glass prepared at 0.4 mol.% of Dy_2O_3, as the efficient energy transfer took place from Gd^（3＋） to Dy^（3＋）. From the X-ray induced optical luminescence, the emission spectra were identical to those from PL measurements, but with the highest intensity observed from the glass quenched at 0.45 mol.% of Dy_2O_3. Finally, the integral scintillation efficiency of the developed glass was determined at 27% of that of the commercially available BGO crystal.展开更多
The radiation shielding efficiency of material depends upon photon attenuation, exposure buildup factors and neutron removal capacity. A newly developed Pb-free gadolinium-based glasses in compositions(80-x) B_2O_3-10...The radiation shielding efficiency of material depends upon photon attenuation, exposure buildup factors and neutron removal capacity. A newly developed Pb-free gadolinium-based glasses in compositions(80-x) B_2O_3-10 Si O_2-10 Ca O-x Gd_2O_3(where x = 15, 20, 25, 30 and35 mol%) had completely been investigated for their shielding efficiency with Geant4 simulation for mass attenuation coefficients and neutron total macroscopic cross section and by calculating exposure buildup factors.The exposure buildup factors for photon energy from 0.015 to 15 Me V had been calculated up to 40 mean free paths using five factors geometric progression method. The mass attenuation coefficients of the Pb-free glasses were simulated for energies from 223 to 2614 ke V and compared with the possible available experimental results. The neutron shielding efficiency of these glasses was discussed by calculating neutron total macroscopic cross section for energies from 1 e V to 14.1 Me V. Present investigations are found to be very useful for applications in nuclear engineering.展开更多
Currently,ionizing radiation(IR)plays a key role in the agricultural and medical industry,while accidental exposure resulting from leakage of radioactive sources or radiological terrorism is a serious concern.Exposure...Currently,ionizing radiation(IR)plays a key role in the agricultural and medical industry,while accidental exposure resulting from leakage of radioactive sources or radiological terrorism is a serious concern.Exposure to IR has various detrimental effects on normal tissues.Although an increased risk of carcinogenesis is the best-known long-term consequence of IR,evidence has shown that other diseases,particularly diseases related to inflammation,are common disorders among irradiated people.Autoimmune disorders are among the various types of immune diseases that have been investigated among exposed people.Thyroid diseases and diabetes are two autoimmune diseases potentially induced by IR.However,the precise mechanisms of IR-induced thyroid diseases and diabetes remain to be elucidated,and several studies have shown that chronic increased levels of inflammatory cytokines after exposure play a pivotal role.Thus,cytokines,including interleukin-1(IL-1),tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α)and interferon gamma(IFN-α),play a key role in chronic oxidative damage following exposure to IR.Additionally,these cytokines change the secretion of insulin and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH).It is likely that the management of inflammation and oxidative damage is one of the best strategies for the amelioration of these diseases after a radiological or nuclear disaster.In the present study,we reviewed the evidence of radiation-induced diabetes and thyroid diseases,as well as the potential roles of inflammatory responses.In addition,we proposed that the mitigation of inflammatory and oxidative damage markers after exposure to IR may reduce the incidence of these diseases among individuals exposed to radiation.展开更多
AIM To assess the association between liver fat content(LFC) and weight status in young adults using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H MRS) technique.METHODSSeventy-eight healthy young adults, between 19-30 ye...AIM To assess the association between liver fat content(LFC) and weight status in young adults using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H MRS) technique.METHODSSeventy-eight healthy young adults, between 19-30 years of age participated in this study. This group was then separated into a control of 39 subjects and an overweight/obese group(OW/OB group) consisting of 39 subjects. Blood biochemical quantity and 1 H MRS was performed for LFC assessment.RESULTS LFC was found to be almost three times higher in OW/OB group when compared to the control group. A 48.7% incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the OW/OB group was found. Blood biochemical measurements showed statistically higher low-density lipoproteins and triglyceride, lower highdensity lipoproteins, and increased glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting glucose in the OW/OB group. Body mass index was a significant independent predictor for LFC after adjusting for age and sex(multiple linear regression; β = 0.459, P <0.001).CONCLUSION Due to the prevalence of high LFC in the OW/OB group, it can be proposed that weight gain and obesity are sensitive indicators of high hepatic fat content.展开更多
AIM To evaluate the performance of 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET) for esophageal cancer(EC) screening.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data of consecutive asymptomatic individual...AIM To evaluate the performance of 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET) for esophageal cancer(EC) screening.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data of consecutive asymptomatic individuals who underwent FDG-PET and esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD) simultaneously for cancer screening at our institution from February 2004 to March 2013. In total, 14790 FDG-PET and EGD procedures performed for 8468 individuals were included in this study, and the performance of FDGPET for EC screening was assessed by comparing the results of FDG-PET and EGD, considering the latter as the reference.RESULTS Thirty-two EC lesions were detected in 28 individuals(31 squamous cell carcinomas and 1 adenocarcinoma). The median tumor size was 12.5 mm, and the depths of the lesions were as follows: Tis(n = 12), T1a(n = 15), and T1b(n = 5). Among the 14790 FDG-PET procedures, 51 examinations(0.3%) showed positive findings in the esophagus; only 1 was a true-positive finding. The screen sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of FDGPET for ECs were 3.6%(95%CI: 0.1-18.3), 99.7%(95%CI: 99.6-99.7), 2.0%(95%CI: 0.0-10.4), and 99.8%(95%CI: 99.7-99.9), respectively. Of the 50 FDG-PET false-positive cases, 31 were observed in the lower esophagus, and gastroesophageal reflux disease was observed in 17 of these 31 cases.CONCLUSION This study is the first to clarify the FDG-PET performance for EC screening. Based on the low screen sensitivity, FDG-PET is considered to be difficult to use as a screening modality for ECs.展开更多
Aim and Objectives: This study aimed to record the commonly affected veins in the lower limbs, to compare the affected sides and gender and to correlate the Doppler findings and stages of deep venous thrombosis (DVT)....Aim and Objectives: This study aimed to record the commonly affected veins in the lower limbs, to compare the affected sides and gender and to correlate the Doppler findings and stages of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study of 46 already diagnosed cases of lower limb DVT. Results: Out of 46 cases of DVT, 71.74% were females. The majority of patients (93.47%) were affected in unilateral lower limb with significant predominance (65.22%) to affect the left lower limb (p Conclusion: Lower limb deep venous thrombosis affects left lower limb more than right and females more than males. Superficial femoral vein (SFV) and common femoral vein (CFV) are the most common affected veins. Lower limb DVT predominantly present in acute stage with venous distension and absent blood flow.展开更多
The relationship between quantum mechanics and classical mechanics is investigated by taking a Gaussian-type wave packet as a solution of the Schr o¨dinger equation for the Caldirola–Kanai oscillator driven by a...The relationship between quantum mechanics and classical mechanics is investigated by taking a Gaussian-type wave packet as a solution of the Schr o¨dinger equation for the Caldirola–Kanai oscillator driven by a sinusoidal force. For this time-dependent system, quantum properties are studied by using the invariant theory of Lewis and Riesenfeld. In particular,we analyze time behaviors of quantum expectation values of position and momentum variables and compare them to those of the counterpart classical ones. Based on this, we check whether the Ehrenfest theorem which was originally developed in static quantum systems can be extended to such time-varying systems without problems.展开更多
The radiation dosimetry in medical practice requires special phantom to simulate the organs and tissues of a human body. To achieve the same elemental composition as that of the human lung by weight percent, we constr...The radiation dosimetry in medical practice requires special phantom to simulate the organs and tissues of a human body. To achieve the same elemental composition as that of the human lung by weight percent, we constructed lung equivalent phantom (LEP) using cork with absorbed water in order for it to uniformly absorb the water. Then, we presented the physical properties and dosimetric characteristics of other commercial phantoms and the LEP. We found that the physical properties and dosimetric characteristics of the LEP were approximately the same as those of human lung tissue. LEP constitutes a new dosimetry tool because it can provide the dose distributions and point doses similar to those for the body with respiratory motion of lung.展开更多
BACKGROUND Although contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)using gadoxetic acid has been shown to have higher accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity for the detection and characterization of hepatic metastases...BACKGROUND Although contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)using gadoxetic acid has been shown to have higher accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity for the detection and characterization of hepatic metastases compared with other modalities,the long examination time would limit the broad indication.Several abbreviated enhanced MRI(Ab-MRI)protocols without dynamic phases have been proposed to achieve equivalent diagnostic performance for the detection of colorectal liver metastases.However,an optimal protocol has not been established,and no studies have assessed the diagnostic performance of Ab-MRI combined with contrast-enhanced computed tomography(CE-CT),which is the preoperative imaging of colorectal cancer staging in clinical settings,to determine the best therapeutic strategy.AIM To compare the diagnostic performance of two kinds of Ab-MRI protocol with the standard MRI protocol and a combination of the Ab-MRI protocol and CE-CT for the detection of colorectal liver metastases.METHODS Study participants comprised 87 patients(51 males,36 females;mean age,67.2±10.8 years)who had undergone gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and CE-CT during the initial work-up for colorectal cancer from 2010 to 2021.Each exam was independently reviewed by two readers in three reading sessions:(1)Only single-shot fast spin echo(FSE)T2-weighted or fat-suppressed-FSE-T2-weighted,diffusion-weighted,and hepatobiliary-phase images(Ab-MRI protocol 1 or 2);(2)all acquired MRI sequences(standard protocol);and(3)a combination of an Ab-MRI protocol(1 or 2)and CE-CT.Diagnostic performance was then statistically analyzed.RESULTS A total of 380 Lesions were analyzed,including 195 metastases(51.4%).Results from the two Ab-MRI protocols were similar.The sensitivity,specificity,and positive and negative predictive values from Ab-MRI were non-inferior to those from standard MRI(P>0.05),while those from the combination of Ab-MRI protocol and CE-CT tended to be higher than those from Ab-MRI alone,although the difference was not significant(P>0.05),and were quite similar to those from standard MRI(P>0.05).CONCLUSION The diagnostic performances of two Ab-MRI protocols were non-inferior to that of the standard protocol.Combining Ab-MRI with CE-CT provided better diagnostic performance than Ab-MRI alone.展开更多
AIM:To predict best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA)by machine learning in patients with ocular trauma who were treated for at least 6mo.METHODS:The internal dataset consisted of 850 patients with 1589 eyes and an averag...AIM:To predict best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA)by machine learning in patients with ocular trauma who were treated for at least 6mo.METHODS:The internal dataset consisted of 850 patients with 1589 eyes and an average age of 44.29y.The initial visual acuity was 0.99 log MAR.The test dataset consisted of 60 patients with 100 eyes collected while the model was optimized.Four different machine-learning algorithms(Extreme Gradient Boosting,support vector regression,Bayesian ridge,and random forest regressor)were used to predict BCVA,and four algorithms(Extreme Gradient Boosting,support vector machine,logistic regression,and random forest classifier)were used to classify BCVA in patients with ocular trauma after treatment for 6mo or longer.Clinical features were obtained from outpatient records,and ocular parameters were extracted from optical coherence tomography images and fundus photographs.These features were put into different machine-learning models,and the obtained predicted values were compared with the actual BCVA values.The best-performing model and the best variable selected were further evaluated in the test dataset.RESULTS:There was a significant correlation between the predicted and actual values[all Pearson correlation coefficient(PCC)>0.6].Considering only the data from the traumatic group(group A)into account,the lowest mean absolute error(MAE)and root mean square error(RMSE)were 0.30 and 0.40 log MAR,respectively.In the traumatic and healthy groups(group B),the lowest MAE and RMSE were 0.20 and 0.33 log MAR,respectively.The sensitivity was always higher than the specificity in group A,in contrast to the results in group B.The classification accuracy and precision were above 0.80 in both groups.The MAE,RMSE,and PCC of the test dataset were 0.20,0.29,and 0.96,respectively.The sensitivity,precision,specificity,and accuracy of the test dataset were 0.83,0.92,0.95,and 0.90,respectively.CONCLUSION:Predicting BCVA using machine-learning models in patients with treated ocular trauma is accurate and helpful in the identification of visual dysfunction.展开更多
Objectives: Hydrogel spacer (HS) was developed to reduce rectal toxicities caused by radiotherapy, but has been reported to cause major adverse events. Our institute has attempted to introduce a hyaluronic acid (HA) a...Objectives: Hydrogel spacer (HS) was developed to reduce rectal toxicities caused by radiotherapy, but has been reported to cause major adverse events. Our institute has attempted to introduce a hyaluronic acid (HA) as an alternative spacer. This study aimed to compare rectal doses and geometric distributions between the HS and HA implantation in prostate cancer.Methods: HS and HA were inserted in 20 and 18 patients undergoing high-dose brachytherapy, respectively. The rectum spacer volumes injected were 10 mL and 22 mL, respectively. In the treatment planning system, 13.5 Gy was administered with common catheter positions. The rectal dose indices were assessed between the spacer groups for dosimetry evaluation. Distances between the prostate and rectum and configurations of the spacers were compared.Results: The mean doses irradiated to 0.1 and 2 mL of the rectum were 10.45 Gy and 6.71 Gy for HS, and 6.73 Gy and 4.90 Gy for HA (p<0.001). The mean minimum distances between the prostate and rectum were 1.23 cm and 1.79 cm for HS and HA, respectively (p<0.05). Geometrical configuration comparisons revealed that HA has a higher ability to expand the space than HS.Conclusion: The rectal dose reduction ability of HA is significantly greater than that of HS, suggesting its potential as a new spacer.展开更多
In coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),medical imaging plays an essential role in the diagnosis,management and disease progression surveillance.Chest radiography and computed tomography are commonly used imaging techni...In coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),medical imaging plays an essential role in the diagnosis,management and disease progression surveillance.Chest radiography and computed tomography are commonly used imaging techniques globally during this pandemic.As the pandemic continues to unfold,many healthcare systems worldwide struggle to balance the heavy strain due to overwhelming demand for healthcare resources.Changes are required across the entire healthcare system and medical imaging departments are no exception.The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on medical imaging practices.It is now time to pay further attention to the profound challenges of COVID-19 on medical imaging services and develop effective strategies to get ahead of the crisis.Additionally,preparation for operations and survival in the post-pandemic future are necessary considerations.This review aims to comprehensively examine the challenges and optimization of delivering medical imaging services in relation to the current COVID-19 global pandemic,including the role of medical imaging during these challenging times and potential future directions post-COVID-19.展开更多
BACKGROUND Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)show podocyte-protective effects in chronic kidney disease.Calycosin(CA),a phytoestrogen,is isolated from Astragalus membranaceus with a kidney-tonifying effe...BACKGROUND Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)show podocyte-protective effects in chronic kidney disease.Calycosin(CA),a phytoestrogen,is isolated from Astragalus membranaceus with a kidney-tonifying effect.CA preconditioning enhances the protective effect of MSCs against renal fibrosis in mice with unilateral ureteral occlusion.However,the protective effect and underlying mechanism of CA-pretreated MSCs(MSCsCA)on podocytes in adriamycin(ADR)-induced focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS)mice remain unclear.AIM To investigate whether CA enhances the role of MSCs in protecting against podocyte injury induced by ADR and the possible mechanism involved.METHODS ADR was used to induce FSGS in mice,and MSCs,CA,or MSCsCA were administered to mice.Their protective effect and possible mechanism of action on podocytes were observed by Western blot,immunohistochemistry,immunofluorescence,and real-time polymerase chain reaction.In vitro,ADR was used to stimulate mouse podocytes(MPC5)to induce injury,and the supernatants from MSC-,CA-,or MSCsCA-treated cells were collected to observe their protective effects on podocytes.Subsequently,the apoptosis of podocytes was detected in vivo and in vitro by Western blot,TUNEL assay,and immunofluorescence.Overexpression of Smad3,which is involved in apoptosis,was then induced to evaluate whether the MSCsCA-mediated podocyte protective effect is associated with Smad3 inhibition in MPC5 cells.RESULTS CA-pretreated MSCs enhanced the protective effect of MSCs against podocyte injury and the ability to inhibit podocyte apoptosis in ADR-induced FSGS mice and MPC5 cells.Expression of p-Smad3 was upregulated in mice with ADR-induced FSGS and MPC5 cells,which was reversed by MSCCA treatment more significantly than by MSCs or CA alone.When Smad3 was overexpressed in MPC5 cells,MSCsCA could not fulfill their potential to inhibit podocyte apoptosis.CONCLUSION MSCsCA enhance the protection of MSCs against ADR-induced podocyte apoptosis.The underlying mechanism may be related to MSCsCA-targeted inhibition of p-Smad3 in podocytes.展开更多
Computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) systems are increasingly being used as an aid by clinicians for detection and interpretation of diseases. In general, a CAD system employs a classifier to detect or disting...Computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) systems are increasingly being used as an aid by clinicians for detection and interpretation of diseases. In general, a CAD system employs a classifier to detect or distinguish between abnormal and normal tissues on images. In the phase of classification, a set of image features and/or texture features extracted from the images are commonly used. In this article, we investigated the characteristic of the output entropy of an image and demonstrated the usefulness of the output entropy acting as a texture feature in CAD systems. In order to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the output-entropy-based texture feature, two well-known texture features, i.e., mean and standard deviation were used for comparison. The database used in this study comprised 50 CT images obtained from 10 patients with pulmonary nodules, and 50 CT images obtained from 5 normal subjects. We used a support vector machine for classification. A leave-one-out method was employed for training and classification. Three combinations of texture features, i.e., mean and entropy, standard deviation and entropy, and standard deviation and mean were used as the inputs to the classifier. Three different regions of interest (ROI) sizes, i.e., 11 × 11, 9 × 9 and 7 × 7 pixels from the database were selected for computation of the feature values. Our experimental results show that the combination of entropy and standard deviation is significantly better than both the combination of mean and entropy and that of standard deviation and mean in the case of the ROI size of 11 × 11 pixels (p < 0.05). These results suggest that information entropy of an image can be used as an effective feature for CAD applications.展开更多
BACKGROUND Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(~1H MRS) is a technique widely used for investigating metabolites in humans. Lipids are stored outside the muscle cell are called extramyocellular lipids(EMCL), and li...BACKGROUND Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(~1H MRS) is a technique widely used for investigating metabolites in humans. Lipids are stored outside the muscle cell are called extramyocellular lipids(EMCL), and lipids stored on the inside of muscle cells are called intramyocellular lipids(IMCL). The relationship between metabolic syndrome and IMCL has been extensively studied.AIM To determine the effects of muscle fiber orientations on muscle metabolites using ~1H MRS.METHODS Chicken muscles were used as the subject in this study. MRS spectra were performed on a 1.5 T Magnetic resonance imaging machine(1.5 Tesla Philips Achieva). A single voxel(8 mm × 8 mm × 20 mm) was placed on the chicken extensor iliotibialis lateralis muscle with the muscle fiber oriented at 0°, 30°, 60°,and 90° to the main magnetic field. ~1H MRS spectra were acquired using a pointresolved spectroscopy, TR = 2000 ms, TE = 30 ms, and NSA = 256. Metabolites of interest from each orientation to the main magnetic field were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Differences less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant with 95%CI.RESULTS The metabolite profiles were different for each orientation of muscle fibers to the main magnetic field. The orientation at 90° was the most different compared to other orientations. The quantity of IMCL and EMCL exhibited statistically significantly changes with impacts at 30°, 60°, and 90° when compared with muscles aligned at 0° to the main magnetic field. Statistical analysis showed statistically significant IMCL(CH_3), EMCL(CH_3), and IMCL(CH_2) at 30°, 60°, and 90°(P = 0.017, 0.018, and 0.018, respectively) and EMCL(CH_2) at 30° and 60°(P =0.017 and 0.042, respectively). EMCL(CH_2) at 90° was unable to be measured in this study. The muscle lipids quantified at 30°, 60°, and 90° tended to be lower when compared to 0°.CONCLUSION Careful positioning is one of the most important factors to consider when studying ~1H MRS metabolites in muscles to ensure reproducibility and uniformity of muscle metabolite spectra.展开更多
Significant advancements in nanoscale material efficiency optimization have made it feasible to substantially adjust the thermoelectric transport characteristics of materials.Motivated by the prediction and enhanced u...Significant advancements in nanoscale material efficiency optimization have made it feasible to substantially adjust the thermoelectric transport characteristics of materials.Motivated by the prediction and enhanced understanding of the behavi-or of two-dimensional(2D)bilayers(BL)of zirconium diselenide(ZrSe_(2)),hafnium diselenide(HfSe_(2)),molybdenum diselenide(MoSe_(2)),and tungsten diselenide(WSe_(2)),we investigated the thermoelectric transport properties using information generated from experimental measurements to provide inputs to work with the functions of these materials and to determine the critical factor in the trade-off between thermoelectric materials.Based on the Boltzmann transport equation(BTE)and Barden-Shockley deformation potential(DP)theory,we carried out a series of investigative calculations related to the thermoelectric properties and characterization of these materials.The calculated dimensionless figure of merit(ZT)values of 2DBL-MSe_(2)(M=Zr,Hf,Mo,W)at room temperature were 3.007,3.611,1.287,and 1.353,respectively,with convenient electronic densities.In ad-dition,the power factor is not critical in the trade-off between thermoelectric materials but it can indicate a good thermoelec-tric performance.Thus,the overall thermal conductivity and power factor must be considered to determine the preference of thermoelectric materials.展开更多
The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a novel wavelet-domain method for digital radiography with low dose examination. Approach of this study is an improved wavelet-transform-based method for potentially red...The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a novel wavelet-domain method for digital radiography with low dose examination. Approach of this study is an improved wavelet-transform-based method for potentially reducing radiation dose while maintaining clinically acceptable image quality. The wavelet algorithm integrates the advantages of wavelet-coefficient-weighted method and the existing Bayes Shrink thresholding method. In order to confirm the usefulness of the proposed method, the resolving and noise characteristics of the processed computed radiography images were measured. In addition, variations of contrast and noise with respect to radiation dose were also examined. Finally, to verify the effect of clinical examination, visual evaluations were also performed in lower abdominal area using phantom. Our quantitative results demonstrated that our wavelet algorithm could improve resolution characteristics while keeping the noise level within acceptable limits. Visual evaluation result demonstrated that the proposed method was superior to other published methods. Our proposed method recognized effect on decreasing in exposure dose in lower abdominal radiographs. As a conclusion, our proposed method’s performance is better when compared with that of the 3 conventional methods. The proposed method has the potential to improve visibility in radiographs when a lower radiation dose is applied.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)has been reported to identify myocardial damage inducing out-of-hospital cardiac arrest(OHCA).However,the usefulness of CMR may be affected by the medical institutions,patients’ages,and myocardial diseases.AIM To clarify the clinical usefulness and limitation of CMR for identifying myocardial damage in the survivors of OHCA in midtown.METHODS Nineteen patients underwent CMR to detect myocardial damage related to OHCA in the midtown of a capital city.Cine,T1 and T2 mapping,T2-weighted,and late gadolinium enhancement(LGE)imaging were acquired using a 1.5 T scanner.We described the clinical characteristics of the survivors of OHCA and evaluated usefulness of CMR for identifying myocardial damage related to OHCA.RESULTS Among 19 patients experiencing OHCA,7 experienced it in trains or on railway platforms,4 while practicing sports,and 4 during their daily work.Ten of the 19 survivors were diagnosed with coronary vasospasm(CVS),in whom CMR failed to depict its characteristic findings.CMR was useful for identifying myocardial damage associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM)or myocardial infarction(MI).LGE was related to serious ventricular arrhythmias after implantable cardioverter defibrillator(ICD)installation in 3 patients(CVS,2;HCM,1).CONCLUSION CMR is useful for identifying myocardial damage of HCM or MI inducing OHCA and predicting ventricular arrhythmias after ICD implantation but has limited capability for detecting myocardial damage of CVS.
基金Prince Sattambin Abdulaziz University for funding this research work through the project number(PSAU/2025/R/1446).
文摘The early and precise identification of Alzheimer’s Disease(AD)continues to pose considerable clinical difficulty due to subtle structural alterations and overlapping symptoms across the disease phases.This study presents a novel Deformable Attention Vision Transformer(DA-ViT)architecture that integrates deformable Multi-Head Self-Attention(MHSA)with a Multi-Layer Perceptron(MLP)block for efficient classification of Alzheimer’s disease(AD)using Magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)scans.In contrast to traditional vision transformers,our deformable MHSA module preferentially concentrates on spatially pertinent patches through learned offset predictions,markedly diminishing processing demands while improving localized feature representation.DA-ViT contains only 0.93 million parameters,making it exceptionally suitable for implementation in resource-limited settings.We evaluate the model using a class-imbalanced Alzheimer’s MRI dataset comprising 6400 images across four categories,achieving a test accuracy of 80.31%,a macro F1-score of 0.80,and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)of 1.00 for the Mild Demented category.Thorough ablation studies validate the ideal configuration of transformer depth,headcount,and embedding dimensions.Moreover,comparison research indicates that DA-ViT surpasses state-of-theart pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)models in terms of accuracy and parameter efficiency.
基金Project supported by National Research Council of Thailand(NRCT)(GB_59_14)
文摘Glasses were prepared from the compositions of 25Gd_2O_3-10 CaO-10 SiO_2-（55–x）B_2O_3-xDy_2O_3（where x is 0.0 mol.%–1.0 mol.%） by the conventional melt-quenching technique at 1400 oC. The results demonstrated the increase in the glass density with respect to the increase in the doping concentrations of Dy_2O_3. Nine absorption bands were observed. The emission spectra of the developed glass showed two strong peaks at 577 nm（~4F_（9/2）→~6H_（13/2）） and 482 nm（~4F_（9/2）→~6H_（15/2））. The highest emission intensity was observed from the developed glass prepared at 0.4 mol.% of Dy_2O_3, as the efficient energy transfer took place from Gd^（3＋） to Dy^（3＋）. From the X-ray induced optical luminescence, the emission spectra were identical to those from PL measurements, but with the highest intensity observed from the glass quenched at 0.45 mol.% of Dy_2O_3. Finally, the integral scintillation efficiency of the developed glass was determined at 27% of that of the commercially available BGO crystal.
基金National Research Council of Thailand(NRCT)for supporting this researchDepartment of Radiologic Technology,Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences,Chiang Mai University for support
文摘The radiation shielding efficiency of material depends upon photon attenuation, exposure buildup factors and neutron removal capacity. A newly developed Pb-free gadolinium-based glasses in compositions(80-x) B_2O_3-10 Si O_2-10 Ca O-x Gd_2O_3(where x = 15, 20, 25, 30 and35 mol%) had completely been investigated for their shielding efficiency with Geant4 simulation for mass attenuation coefficients and neutron total macroscopic cross section and by calculating exposure buildup factors.The exposure buildup factors for photon energy from 0.015 to 15 Me V had been calculated up to 40 mean free paths using five factors geometric progression method. The mass attenuation coefficients of the Pb-free glasses were simulated for energies from 223 to 2614 ke V and compared with the possible available experimental results. The neutron shielding efficiency of these glasses was discussed by calculating neutron total macroscopic cross section for energies from 1 e V to 14.1 Me V. Present investigations are found to be very useful for applications in nuclear engineering.
文摘Currently,ionizing radiation(IR)plays a key role in the agricultural and medical industry,while accidental exposure resulting from leakage of radioactive sources or radiological terrorism is a serious concern.Exposure to IR has various detrimental effects on normal tissues.Although an increased risk of carcinogenesis is the best-known long-term consequence of IR,evidence has shown that other diseases,particularly diseases related to inflammation,are common disorders among irradiated people.Autoimmune disorders are among the various types of immune diseases that have been investigated among exposed people.Thyroid diseases and diabetes are two autoimmune diseases potentially induced by IR.However,the precise mechanisms of IR-induced thyroid diseases and diabetes remain to be elucidated,and several studies have shown that chronic increased levels of inflammatory cytokines after exposure play a pivotal role.Thus,cytokines,including interleukin-1(IL-1),tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α)and interferon gamma(IFN-α),play a key role in chronic oxidative damage following exposure to IR.Additionally,these cytokines change the secretion of insulin and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH).It is likely that the management of inflammation and oxidative damage is one of the best strategies for the amelioration of these diseases after a radiological or nuclear disaster.In the present study,we reviewed the evidence of radiation-induced diabetes and thyroid diseases,as well as the potential roles of inflammatory responses.In addition,we proposed that the mitigation of inflammatory and oxidative damage markers after exposure to IR may reduce the incidence of these diseases among individuals exposed to radiation.
基金Supported by Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences,Chiang Mai University,Chiang Mai,Thailand,No.6593(4)1180
文摘AIM To assess the association between liver fat content(LFC) and weight status in young adults using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(1H MRS) technique.METHODSSeventy-eight healthy young adults, between 19-30 years of age participated in this study. This group was then separated into a control of 39 subjects and an overweight/obese group(OW/OB group) consisting of 39 subjects. Blood biochemical quantity and 1 H MRS was performed for LFC assessment.RESULTS LFC was found to be almost three times higher in OW/OB group when compared to the control group. A 48.7% incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in the OW/OB group was found. Blood biochemical measurements showed statistically higher low-density lipoproteins and triglyceride, lower highdensity lipoproteins, and increased glycosylated hemoglobin and fasting glucose in the OW/OB group. Body mass index was a significant independent predictor for LFC after adjusting for age and sex(multiple linear regression; β = 0.459, P <0.001).CONCLUSION Due to the prevalence of high LFC in the OW/OB group, it can be proposed that weight gain and obesity are sensitive indicators of high hepatic fat content.
基金Supported by (in part) the National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund,No.27-A-5
文摘AIM To evaluate the performance of 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography(FDG-PET) for esophageal cancer(EC) screening.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data of consecutive asymptomatic individuals who underwent FDG-PET and esophagogastroduodenoscopy(EGD) simultaneously for cancer screening at our institution from February 2004 to March 2013. In total, 14790 FDG-PET and EGD procedures performed for 8468 individuals were included in this study, and the performance of FDGPET for EC screening was assessed by comparing the results of FDG-PET and EGD, considering the latter as the reference.RESULTS Thirty-two EC lesions were detected in 28 individuals(31 squamous cell carcinomas and 1 adenocarcinoma). The median tumor size was 12.5 mm, and the depths of the lesions were as follows: Tis(n = 12), T1a(n = 15), and T1b(n = 5). Among the 14790 FDG-PET procedures, 51 examinations(0.3%) showed positive findings in the esophagus; only 1 was a true-positive finding. The screen sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of FDGPET for ECs were 3.6%(95%CI: 0.1-18.3), 99.7%(95%CI: 99.6-99.7), 2.0%(95%CI: 0.0-10.4), and 99.8%(95%CI: 99.7-99.9), respectively. Of the 50 FDG-PET false-positive cases, 31 were observed in the lower esophagus, and gastroesophageal reflux disease was observed in 17 of these 31 cases.CONCLUSION This study is the first to clarify the FDG-PET performance for EC screening. Based on the low screen sensitivity, FDG-PET is considered to be difficult to use as a screening modality for ECs.
文摘Aim and Objectives: This study aimed to record the commonly affected veins in the lower limbs, to compare the affected sides and gender and to correlate the Doppler findings and stages of deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Materials and Methods: A descriptive retrospective study of 46 already diagnosed cases of lower limb DVT. Results: Out of 46 cases of DVT, 71.74% were females. The majority of patients (93.47%) were affected in unilateral lower limb with significant predominance (65.22%) to affect the left lower limb (p Conclusion: Lower limb deep venous thrombosis affects left lower limb more than right and females more than males. Superficial femoral vein (SFV) and common femoral vein (CFV) are the most common affected veins. Lower limb DVT predominantly present in acute stage with venous distension and absent blood flow.
基金supported by Fund from the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research(Grant No.CNEPRU/D01220120010)the Basic Science Research Program of the year 2015 through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)funded by the Ministry of Education(Grant No.NRF-2013R1A1A2062907)
文摘The relationship between quantum mechanics and classical mechanics is investigated by taking a Gaussian-type wave packet as a solution of the Schr o¨dinger equation for the Caldirola–Kanai oscillator driven by a sinusoidal force. For this time-dependent system, quantum properties are studied by using the invariant theory of Lewis and Riesenfeld. In particular,we analyze time behaviors of quantum expectation values of position and momentum variables and compare them to those of the counterpart classical ones. Based on this, we check whether the Ehrenfest theorem which was originally developed in static quantum systems can be extended to such time-varying systems without problems.
文摘The radiation dosimetry in medical practice requires special phantom to simulate the organs and tissues of a human body. To achieve the same elemental composition as that of the human lung by weight percent, we constructed lung equivalent phantom (LEP) using cork with absorbed water in order for it to uniformly absorb the water. Then, we presented the physical properties and dosimetric characteristics of other commercial phantoms and the LEP. We found that the physical properties and dosimetric characteristics of the LEP were approximately the same as those of human lung tissue. LEP constitutes a new dosimetry tool because it can provide the dose distributions and point doses similar to those for the body with respiratory motion of lung.
基金approved by our institutional review board(No.20210035).
文摘BACKGROUND Although contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)using gadoxetic acid has been shown to have higher accuracy,sensitivity,and specificity for the detection and characterization of hepatic metastases compared with other modalities,the long examination time would limit the broad indication.Several abbreviated enhanced MRI(Ab-MRI)protocols without dynamic phases have been proposed to achieve equivalent diagnostic performance for the detection of colorectal liver metastases.However,an optimal protocol has not been established,and no studies have assessed the diagnostic performance of Ab-MRI combined with contrast-enhanced computed tomography(CE-CT),which is the preoperative imaging of colorectal cancer staging in clinical settings,to determine the best therapeutic strategy.AIM To compare the diagnostic performance of two kinds of Ab-MRI protocol with the standard MRI protocol and a combination of the Ab-MRI protocol and CE-CT for the detection of colorectal liver metastases.METHODS Study participants comprised 87 patients(51 males,36 females;mean age,67.2±10.8 years)who had undergone gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI and CE-CT during the initial work-up for colorectal cancer from 2010 to 2021.Each exam was independently reviewed by two readers in three reading sessions:(1)Only single-shot fast spin echo(FSE)T2-weighted or fat-suppressed-FSE-T2-weighted,diffusion-weighted,and hepatobiliary-phase images(Ab-MRI protocol 1 or 2);(2)all acquired MRI sequences(standard protocol);and(3)a combination of an Ab-MRI protocol(1 or 2)and CE-CT.Diagnostic performance was then statistically analyzed.RESULTS A total of 380 Lesions were analyzed,including 195 metastases(51.4%).Results from the two Ab-MRI protocols were similar.The sensitivity,specificity,and positive and negative predictive values from Ab-MRI were non-inferior to those from standard MRI(P>0.05),while those from the combination of Ab-MRI protocol and CE-CT tended to be higher than those from Ab-MRI alone,although the difference was not significant(P>0.05),and were quite similar to those from standard MRI(P>0.05).CONCLUSION The diagnostic performances of two Ab-MRI protocols were non-inferior to that of the standard protocol.Combining Ab-MRI with CE-CT provided better diagnostic performance than Ab-MRI alone.
基金Supported by National Key R&D Program of China(No.2022YFC3302001)the Human Injury and Disability Degree Classification(No.SF20181312)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.62071285)。
文摘AIM:To predict best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA)by machine learning in patients with ocular trauma who were treated for at least 6mo.METHODS:The internal dataset consisted of 850 patients with 1589 eyes and an average age of 44.29y.The initial visual acuity was 0.99 log MAR.The test dataset consisted of 60 patients with 100 eyes collected while the model was optimized.Four different machine-learning algorithms(Extreme Gradient Boosting,support vector regression,Bayesian ridge,and random forest regressor)were used to predict BCVA,and four algorithms(Extreme Gradient Boosting,support vector machine,logistic regression,and random forest classifier)were used to classify BCVA in patients with ocular trauma after treatment for 6mo or longer.Clinical features were obtained from outpatient records,and ocular parameters were extracted from optical coherence tomography images and fundus photographs.These features were put into different machine-learning models,and the obtained predicted values were compared with the actual BCVA values.The best-performing model and the best variable selected were further evaluated in the test dataset.RESULTS:There was a significant correlation between the predicted and actual values[all Pearson correlation coefficient(PCC)>0.6].Considering only the data from the traumatic group(group A)into account,the lowest mean absolute error(MAE)and root mean square error(RMSE)were 0.30 and 0.40 log MAR,respectively.In the traumatic and healthy groups(group B),the lowest MAE and RMSE were 0.20 and 0.33 log MAR,respectively.The sensitivity was always higher than the specificity in group A,in contrast to the results in group B.The classification accuracy and precision were above 0.80 in both groups.The MAE,RMSE,and PCC of the test dataset were 0.20,0.29,and 0.96,respectively.The sensitivity,precision,specificity,and accuracy of the test dataset were 0.83,0.92,0.95,and 0.90,respectively.CONCLUSION:Predicting BCVA using machine-learning models in patients with treated ocular trauma is accurate and helpful in the identification of visual dysfunction.
文摘Objectives: Hydrogel spacer (HS) was developed to reduce rectal toxicities caused by radiotherapy, but has been reported to cause major adverse events. Our institute has attempted to introduce a hyaluronic acid (HA) as an alternative spacer. This study aimed to compare rectal doses and geometric distributions between the HS and HA implantation in prostate cancer.Methods: HS and HA were inserted in 20 and 18 patients undergoing high-dose brachytherapy, respectively. The rectum spacer volumes injected were 10 mL and 22 mL, respectively. In the treatment planning system, 13.5 Gy was administered with common catheter positions. The rectal dose indices were assessed between the spacer groups for dosimetry evaluation. Distances between the prostate and rectum and configurations of the spacers were compared.Results: The mean doses irradiated to 0.1 and 2 mL of the rectum were 10.45 Gy and 6.71 Gy for HS, and 6.73 Gy and 4.90 Gy for HA (p<0.001). The mean minimum distances between the prostate and rectum were 1.23 cm and 1.79 cm for HS and HA, respectively (p<0.05). Geometrical configuration comparisons revealed that HA has a higher ability to expand the space than HS.Conclusion: The rectal dose reduction ability of HA is significantly greater than that of HS, suggesting its potential as a new spacer.
文摘In coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),medical imaging plays an essential role in the diagnosis,management and disease progression surveillance.Chest radiography and computed tomography are commonly used imaging techniques globally during this pandemic.As the pandemic continues to unfold,many healthcare systems worldwide struggle to balance the heavy strain due to overwhelming demand for healthcare resources.Changes are required across the entire healthcare system and medical imaging departments are no exception.The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on medical imaging practices.It is now time to pay further attention to the profound challenges of COVID-19 on medical imaging services and develop effective strategies to get ahead of the crisis.Additionally,preparation for operations and survival in the post-pandemic future are necessary considerations.This review aims to comprehensively examine the challenges and optimization of delivering medical imaging services in relation to the current COVID-19 global pandemic,including the role of medical imaging during these challenging times and potential future directions post-COVID-19.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(General Program),No.82205002Science and Technology Project of Sichuan Province,No.2022YFS0621,No.21ZDYF0348,and No.2022NSFSC1459+1 种基金Luzhou-Southwest Medical University Science and Technology Strategic Cooperation Project,No.2021LZXNYD-P04Southwest Medical University of Affiliated Traditional Medicine Hospital Project,No.2022-CXTD-03.
文摘BACKGROUND Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)show podocyte-protective effects in chronic kidney disease.Calycosin(CA),a phytoestrogen,is isolated from Astragalus membranaceus with a kidney-tonifying effect.CA preconditioning enhances the protective effect of MSCs against renal fibrosis in mice with unilateral ureteral occlusion.However,the protective effect and underlying mechanism of CA-pretreated MSCs(MSCsCA)on podocytes in adriamycin(ADR)-induced focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS)mice remain unclear.AIM To investigate whether CA enhances the role of MSCs in protecting against podocyte injury induced by ADR and the possible mechanism involved.METHODS ADR was used to induce FSGS in mice,and MSCs,CA,or MSCsCA were administered to mice.Their protective effect and possible mechanism of action on podocytes were observed by Western blot,immunohistochemistry,immunofluorescence,and real-time polymerase chain reaction.In vitro,ADR was used to stimulate mouse podocytes(MPC5)to induce injury,and the supernatants from MSC-,CA-,or MSCsCA-treated cells were collected to observe their protective effects on podocytes.Subsequently,the apoptosis of podocytes was detected in vivo and in vitro by Western blot,TUNEL assay,and immunofluorescence.Overexpression of Smad3,which is involved in apoptosis,was then induced to evaluate whether the MSCsCA-mediated podocyte protective effect is associated with Smad3 inhibition in MPC5 cells.RESULTS CA-pretreated MSCs enhanced the protective effect of MSCs against podocyte injury and the ability to inhibit podocyte apoptosis in ADR-induced FSGS mice and MPC5 cells.Expression of p-Smad3 was upregulated in mice with ADR-induced FSGS and MPC5 cells,which was reversed by MSCCA treatment more significantly than by MSCs or CA alone.When Smad3 was overexpressed in MPC5 cells,MSCsCA could not fulfill their potential to inhibit podocyte apoptosis.CONCLUSION MSCsCA enhance the protection of MSCs against ADR-induced podocyte apoptosis.The underlying mechanism may be related to MSCsCA-targeted inhibition of p-Smad3 in podocytes.
文摘Computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) systems are increasingly being used as an aid by clinicians for detection and interpretation of diseases. In general, a CAD system employs a classifier to detect or distinguish between abnormal and normal tissues on images. In the phase of classification, a set of image features and/or texture features extracted from the images are commonly used. In this article, we investigated the characteristic of the output entropy of an image and demonstrated the usefulness of the output entropy acting as a texture feature in CAD systems. In order to validate the effectiveness and superiority of the output-entropy-based texture feature, two well-known texture features, i.e., mean and standard deviation were used for comparison. The database used in this study comprised 50 CT images obtained from 10 patients with pulmonary nodules, and 50 CT images obtained from 5 normal subjects. We used a support vector machine for classification. A leave-one-out method was employed for training and classification. Three combinations of texture features, i.e., mean and entropy, standard deviation and entropy, and standard deviation and mean were used as the inputs to the classifier. Three different regions of interest (ROI) sizes, i.e., 11 × 11, 9 × 9 and 7 × 7 pixels from the database were selected for computation of the feature values. Our experimental results show that the combination of entropy and standard deviation is significantly better than both the combination of mean and entropy and that of standard deviation and mean in the case of the ROI size of 11 × 11 pixels (p < 0.05). These results suggest that information entropy of an image can be used as an effective feature for CAD applications.
基金Supported by Department of Radiologic Technology,Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences,Chiang Mai University,Thailand
文摘BACKGROUND Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy(~1H MRS) is a technique widely used for investigating metabolites in humans. Lipids are stored outside the muscle cell are called extramyocellular lipids(EMCL), and lipids stored on the inside of muscle cells are called intramyocellular lipids(IMCL). The relationship between metabolic syndrome and IMCL has been extensively studied.AIM To determine the effects of muscle fiber orientations on muscle metabolites using ~1H MRS.METHODS Chicken muscles were used as the subject in this study. MRS spectra were performed on a 1.5 T Magnetic resonance imaging machine(1.5 Tesla Philips Achieva). A single voxel(8 mm × 8 mm × 20 mm) was placed on the chicken extensor iliotibialis lateralis muscle with the muscle fiber oriented at 0°, 30°, 60°,and 90° to the main magnetic field. ~1H MRS spectra were acquired using a pointresolved spectroscopy, TR = 2000 ms, TE = 30 ms, and NSA = 256. Metabolites of interest from each orientation to the main magnetic field were compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Differences less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant with 95%CI.RESULTS The metabolite profiles were different for each orientation of muscle fibers to the main magnetic field. The orientation at 90° was the most different compared to other orientations. The quantity of IMCL and EMCL exhibited statistically significantly changes with impacts at 30°, 60°, and 90° when compared with muscles aligned at 0° to the main magnetic field. Statistical analysis showed statistically significant IMCL(CH_3), EMCL(CH_3), and IMCL(CH_2) at 30°, 60°, and 90°(P = 0.017, 0.018, and 0.018, respectively) and EMCL(CH_2) at 30° and 60°(P =0.017 and 0.042, respectively). EMCL(CH_2) at 90° was unable to be measured in this study. The muscle lipids quantified at 30°, 60°, and 90° tended to be lower when compared to 0°.CONCLUSION Careful positioning is one of the most important factors to consider when studying ~1H MRS metabolites in muscles to ensure reproducibility and uniformity of muscle metabolite spectra.
文摘Significant advancements in nanoscale material efficiency optimization have made it feasible to substantially adjust the thermoelectric transport characteristics of materials.Motivated by the prediction and enhanced understanding of the behavi-or of two-dimensional(2D)bilayers(BL)of zirconium diselenide(ZrSe_(2)),hafnium diselenide(HfSe_(2)),molybdenum diselenide(MoSe_(2)),and tungsten diselenide(WSe_(2)),we investigated the thermoelectric transport properties using information generated from experimental measurements to provide inputs to work with the functions of these materials and to determine the critical factor in the trade-off between thermoelectric materials.Based on the Boltzmann transport equation(BTE)and Barden-Shockley deformation potential(DP)theory,we carried out a series of investigative calculations related to the thermoelectric properties and characterization of these materials.The calculated dimensionless figure of merit(ZT)values of 2DBL-MSe_(2)(M=Zr,Hf,Mo,W)at room temperature were 3.007,3.611,1.287,and 1.353,respectively,with convenient electronic densities.In ad-dition,the power factor is not critical in the trade-off between thermoelectric materials but it can indicate a good thermoelec-tric performance.Thus,the overall thermal conductivity and power factor must be considered to determine the preference of thermoelectric materials.
文摘The primary purpose of this paper is to provide a novel wavelet-domain method for digital radiography with low dose examination. Approach of this study is an improved wavelet-transform-based method for potentially reducing radiation dose while maintaining clinically acceptable image quality. The wavelet algorithm integrates the advantages of wavelet-coefficient-weighted method and the existing Bayes Shrink thresholding method. In order to confirm the usefulness of the proposed method, the resolving and noise characteristics of the processed computed radiography images were measured. In addition, variations of contrast and noise with respect to radiation dose were also examined. Finally, to verify the effect of clinical examination, visual evaluations were also performed in lower abdominal area using phantom. Our quantitative results demonstrated that our wavelet algorithm could improve resolution characteristics while keeping the noise level within acceptable limits. Visual evaluation result demonstrated that the proposed method was superior to other published methods. Our proposed method recognized effect on decreasing in exposure dose in lower abdominal radiographs. As a conclusion, our proposed method’s performance is better when compared with that of the 3 conventional methods. The proposed method has the potential to improve visibility in radiographs when a lower radiation dose is applied.
