Context-aware QoS management is a new research field dealing with methods by which traditional QoS management algorithms in mobile and fixed networking systems can have more intelligent ...decision-making mechanisms by fully exploiting all context information being available in their network environment. Motivated by addressing the critical problem, we propose a novel context-aware cognitive QoS management approach, which contains three main steps for context discretization, context reduction and QoS guarantee, which can provide the quantitative end-to-end QoS guarantee and management. We developed a context-aware systematic end-to-end QoS management module in a real-life multimedia conferencing system and compared its performance with existing approaches. Experimental results show that our proposed approach outperforms the existing approaches in improving the mobile and fixed networking video transmission quality.
Numerous behavioral observations and brain function studies have demonstrated that neurological differences exist between East Asians and Westerners. However, the extent to which these factors relate ...to differences in brain structure is still not clear. As the basis of brain functions, the anatomical differences in brain structure play a primary and critical role in the origination of functional and behavior differences. To investigate the underlying differences in brain structure between the two cultural/ethnic groups, we conducted a comparative study on education‐matched right‐handed young male adults (age = 22–29 years) from two cohorts, Han Chinese (n = 45) and Caucasians (n = 45), using high‐dimensional structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Using two well‐validated imaging analysis techniques, surface‐based morphometry (SBM) and voxel‐based morphometry (VBM), we performed a comprehensive vertex‐wise morphometric analysis of the brain structures between Chinese and Caucasian cohorts. We identified consistent significant between‐group differences in cortical thickness, volume, and surface area in the frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, and insular lobes as well as the cingulate cortices. The SBM analyses revealed that compared with Caucasians, the Chinese population showed larger cortical structures in the temporal and cingulate regions, and smaller structural measures in the frontal and parietal cortices. The VBM data of the same sample was well‐aligned with the SBM findings. Our findings systematically revealed comprehensive brain structural differences between young male Chinese and Caucasians, and provided new neuroanatomical insights to the behavioral and functional distinctions in the two cultural/ethnic populations.
In this paper, Nd2O3 doped Gd2O3-Ga2O3-GeO2 ternary glass was prepared by traditional melting method. DSC was used to characterize the thermodynamic properties of the parent glass and its ...crystallization mechanism was discussed. The structure of the glass ceramics containing novel GdGaGe2O7 nanocrystal was measured by XRD, SEM and EDS, and the properties were characterized by transmittance and emission spectroscopy. The results show that the glass-ceramics has obvious advantages in fluorescence performance, which the emission intensity at 1060 nm is up to 5.5 times higher than that of the parent glass. Among them, the sample nucleated at 740 ℃ for 6 h and crystallized at 840 ℃ for 1 h has the best performance, which the emission intensity increased by 1.6 times when the transmittance decreased by only 1.6%. The material has great application potential in 1.06 µm band solid-state lasers.
The protracted nature of development makes the cerebellum vulnerable to a broad spectrum of pathologic conditions, especially during the early fetal period. This study aims to characterize normal ...cerebellar growth in human fetuses during the early second trimester. We manually segmented the fetal cerebellum using 7.0-T high-resolution MR images obtained in 35 specimens with gestational ages ranging from 15 to 22 weeks. Volume measurements and shape analysis were performed to quantitatively evaluate global and regional cerebellar growth. The absolute volume of the fetal cerebellum showed a quadratic growth with increasing gestational age, while the pattern of relative volume changes revealed that the cerebellum grew at a greater pace than the cerebrum after 17 gestational weeks. Shape analysis was used to examine the distinctive development of subregions of the cerebellum. The extreme lateral portions of both cerebellar hemispheres showed the lowest rate of growth. The anterior lobe grew faster than most of the posterior lobe. These findings expand our understanding of the early growth pattern of the human cerebellum and could be further used to assess the developmental conditions of the fetal brain.
●We manually segment the fetal cerebellum using 7.0-T MR images and specimens.●Quadratic increase of the absolute cerebellum volume.●Cerebellum with a greater pace of growth than cerebrum after 17 gestational weeks.●The extreme lateral portions of both hemispheres with the lowest rate of growth.●The anterior lobe of the cerebellum grows faster than most of the posterior lobe.
We developed a novel brain atlas template to facilitate computational brain studies of Chinese subjects and populations using high quality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and well-validated image ...analysis techniques. To explore the ethnicity-based structural brain differences, we used the MRI scans of 35 Chinese male subjects (24.03±2.06 years) and compared them to an age-matched cohort of 35 Caucasian males (24.03±2.06 years). Global volumetric measures were used to identify significant group differences in the brain length, width, height and AC–PC line distance. Using the LONI BrainParser, 56 brain structures were automatically labeled and analyzed for all subjects. We identified significant ethnicity differences in brain structure volumes, suggesting that a population-specific brain atlas may be more appropriate for studies involving Chinese populations. To address this, we constructed a 3D Chinese brain atlas based on high resolution 3.0T MRI scans of 56 right-handed male Chinese volunteers (24.46±1.81 years). All Chinese brains were spatially normalized by using linear and nonlinear transformation via the “AIR Make Atlas” pipeline workflow within the LONI pipeline environment. This high-resolution Chinese brain atlas was compared to the ICBM152 template, which was constructed using Caucasian brains.
Few investigators have analyzed fetal ocular growth with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of high magnetic strength. Our purpose is to obtain normative biometrics for fetal ocular development in the ...second trimester of pregnancy. Sixty specimens with a gestational age (GA) of 12-23 weeks were scanned using a 7.0 T MRI scanner. The linear interocular and binocular distances (IOD and BOD, respectively), globe diameter (GD) and lens diameter (LD) were measured on the transverse section of the largest diameter of the eyeballs. The three dimensional (3D) visualization model of the eyeball was reconstructed with Amira software. Then, the globe and lens volumes (GV and LV, respectively) were obtained. All the measurements were plotted as a function of GA. The fetal ocular structures in the second trimester of pregnancy could be clearly delineated on 7.0 T postmortem MRI images. All the linear measurements logarithmically increased with GA, while, the volumetric measurements linearly increased with GA. Postmortem MRI of high magnetic strength can clearly document fetal ocular growth in the second trimester of pregnancy. These quantitative data may be a valuable reference for the assessment of normal fetal eyeball development in clinical settings and may be considered a supplement to anatomical investigations.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective
To determine the performance of intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) parameters and the extracellular volume fraction (ECV) in distinguishing between different subtypes of lung cancer and ...predicting lymph node metastasis (LNM) status in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods
One hundred sixteen patients with lung cancer were prospectively recruited. IVIM, native, and postcontrast T1 mapping examinations were performed, and the T1 values were measured to calculate the ECV. The differences in IVIM parameters and ECV were compared between NSCLC and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), adenocarcinoma (Adeno-Ca) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and NSCLC without and with LNM. The assessment of each parameter’s diagnostic performance was based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).
Results
The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), true diffusion coefficient (
D
), and ECV values in SCLC were considerably lower compared with NSCLC (all
p
< 0.001, AUC > 0.887). The
D
value in SCC was substantially lower compared with Adeno-Ca (
p
< 0.001, AUC = 0.735). The perfusion fraction (
f
) and ECV values in LNM patients were markedly higher compared with those without LNM patients (
p
< 0.01, < 0.001, AUC > 0.708).
Conclusion
IVIM parameters and ECV can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for assisting in the pathological classification and LNM status assessment of lung cancer patients.
Critical relevance statement
IVIM parameters and ECV demonstrated remarkable potential in distinguishing pulmonary carcinoma subtypes and predicting LNM status in NSCLC.
Key Points
Lung cancer is prevalent and differentiating subtype and invasiveness determine the treatment course.
True diffusion coefficient and ECV showed promise for subtyping and determining lymph node status.
These parameters could serve as non-invasive biomarkers to help determine personalized treatment strategies.
Graphical Abstract
During the second trimester, the human fetal brain undergoes numerous changes that lead to substantial variation in the neonatal in terms of its morphology and tissue types. As fetal MRI is more and ...more widely used for studying the human brain development during this period, a spatiotemporal atlas becomes necessary for characterizing the dynamic structural changes. In this study, 34 postmortem human fetal brains with gestational ages ranging from 15 to 22weeks were scanned using 7.0T MR. We used automated morphometrics, tensor-based morphometry and surface modeling techniques to analyze the data. Spatiotemporal atlases of each week and the overall atlas covering the whole period with high resolution and contrast were created. These atlases were used for the analysis of age-specific shape changes during this period, including development of the cerebral wall, lateral ventricles, Sylvian fissure, and growth direction based on local surface measurements. Our findings indicate that growth of the subplate zone is especially striking and is the main cause for the lamination pattern changes. Changes in the cortex around Sylvian fissure demonstrate that cortical growth may be one of the mechanisms for gyration. Surface deformation mapping, revealed by local shape analysis, indicates that there is global anterior–posterior growth pattern, with frontal and temporal lobes developing relatively quickly during this period. Our results are valuable for understanding the normal brain development trajectories and anatomical characteristics. These week-by-week fetal brain atlases can be used as reference in in vivo studies, and may facilitate the quantification of fetal brain development across space and time.
•We present week-by-week spatial-temporal brain atlases (15-22 gestational weeks).•The subplate zone is the main cause for the lamination pattern changes.•The cortex around Sylvian fissure has a higher growth rate than other area.•The brain undergoes a global anterior-posterior growth pattern during this period.
Background
Transverse ligament tubercles are unique structures that maintain the stability of the upper cervical spine. However, the density variations of tubercles in different clinical contexts or ...populations have not been carefully studied through multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).
Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between density variations in the transverse ligament tubercles, as measured through multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), with age, gender, or laterality.
Methods
A cohort of 339 Chinese patients that underwent MDCT in the head or neck were recruited. The patients were divided into eight age groups. The densities of the bilateral transverse ligament tubercles were classified through MDCT, and the potential relationship between the density of the tubercles and the age, gender, or laterality was analyzed.
Results
Based on MDCT findings, four different density types of tubercles were identified (type 0–III). Our data suggest that the density of tubercles increased with age (
χ
2
= 637.7,
p
< 0.05). However, the density of tubercles did not correlate with laterality (male:
t
= 0.217,
p
> 0.05, female:
t
= 1.448,
p
> 0.05) or gender (
χ
2
= 5.706,
p
> 0.05).
Conclusions
The density of the transverse ligament tubercles, as measured through MDCT, shows a stereotyped dynamic pattern, i.e., it apparently increases with age, but neither gender nor laterality significantly contribute to these changes.
Background. Few studies focused on the region of interest- (ROI-) related heterogeneity of liver intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The aim of the study was to ...evaluate the differences of liver IVIM parameters among liver segments in cirrhotic livers (chronic viral hepatitis). Material and Methods. This was a retrospective study of 82 consecutive patients with chronic liver disease who underwent MRI examination at the Jinan Infectious Diseases Hospital between January 2015 and December 2016. IVIM DWI (seven different b values) was performed on a Siemens 3.0-T MRI scanner. Pure molecular diffusion (D), pseudodiffusion (D∗), and perfusion fraction (f) in different liver segments were evaluated. Results. f, D, and D∗ were different among the liver segments (all p<0.05), indicating heterogeneity in IVIM parameters among liver segments. f was consistently higher in Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) class A compared with CTP class B + C (p<0.01). D and D∗ were higher in CTP class A compared with CTP class B + C (p<0.05). In patients with mean f value of >0.29, the AUC was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.81-0.96), with 86.8% sensitivity and 81.8% specificity for predicting CTP class A from CTP class B + C. Conclusion. Liver IVIM could be a promising method for classifying the severity of segmental liver dysfunction of chronic viral hepatitis as evaluated by the CTP class, which provides a noninvasive alternative for evaluating segmental liver dysfunction with accurate selection of ROIs. Potentially it can be used to monitor the progression of CLD and LC in the future.
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