Volume flow rates in the feeding arteries of the brain are measured to evaluate blood flow dynamics in vascular disease. Although these flow values are thought to be effected by anatomic variations ...in the circle of Willis, few reports have described the effect. This study reports on the relationship between variations in the circle of Willis and volume flow rates in the bilateral internal carotid and basilar arteries of normal volunteers.
We prospectively examined 125 healthy volunteers by MR imaging. Variations in the circle of Willis were classified as "textbook" type, hypoplasia of the precommunicating segment of the anterior cerebral artery (A1), hypoplasia of the precommunicating segment of the posterior cerebral artery (P1), or "other." Volume flow rates were measured by 2D cine phase-contrast MR imaging. Lumen boundaries and volume flow rates were semiautomatically determined by pulsatility-based segmentation.
Of the 117 subjects (61 men, 56 women; mean age, 23.6 years) considered suitable for flow measurement, 105 showed textbook type, and 6 each showed A1 hypoplasia and P1 hypoplasia. Total flow rates for the 3 variations were 781 +/- 151 mL/min (mean +/- SD), 744 +/- 119, and 763 +/- 129, respectively. Relative contributions by flow rates of the internal carotid arteries and the basilar artery for the 3 variations were 39.8%:38.9%:21.3%, 31.8%:49.1%:19.0%, and 46.6%:41.6%:11.7%, respectively, showing statistically significant differences.
Variations in the circle of Willis correlate significantly with relative contributions by the flow rates of the bilateral internal carotid and basilar arteries.
Summary Objective Previous studies have shown that meniscectomy results in an increase of local load transmission and may cause degeneration of the knee cartilage. Using 3D reconstructed T2 mapping, ...we examined the influence on the femoral cartilage under loading after medial meniscectomy. Design Ten porcine knees were imaged using a pressure device and a 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. Consecutive sagittal T2 maps were obtained in neutral alignment with and without compression, and under compression at 10° varus alignment. After medial meniscectomy, the aforementioned MRI was repeated. Cartilage T2 before and after meniscectomy under each condition were compared at the 12 regions of interest (ROIs) defined on the 3D weight-bearing area of the femoral cartilage. Results Before meniscectomy, large decreases in T2 under neutral compression were mainly seen at the anterior and central ROIs of the medial cartilage, which shifted to the posterior ROIs after meniscectomy. There were significant differences in decrease in T2 ratio with loading before and after meniscectomy (9.8%/4.3% at the anterior zone, 4.0%/11.4% at the posterior zone, P < 0.05). By applying varus compression, a more remarkable decrease in the cartilage T2 in posterior ROIs after meniscectomy was achieved. (Before/after meniscectomy: 8.7%/2.5% at the anterior zone, 7.2%/18.7% at the posterior zone, P < 0.05). Conclusions Assuming a decrease in T2 with loading correlated with the applied pressure, a deficiency of the medial meniscus resulted in a shift of the primary area with a maximal decrease of cartilage T2 with loading posteriorly in the porcine knee joint, presumably reflecting the intraarticular environment of load transmission.
Context. We present the results of our analysis of long Suzaku observations (149 ks and 122 ks for XIS and HXD, respectively) of the most X-ray luminous galaxy cluster, RX J1347.5–1145, at $z=0.451$. ...Aims. To understand the gas physics of a violent, cluster merger, we study physical properties of the hot (~20 keV) gas clump in the south-east (SE) region discovered previously by Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) effect observations. Using hard X-ray data, a signature of non-thermal emission is also explored. Methods. We perform single as well as multi-temperature fits to the Suzaku XIS spectra. The Suzaku XIS and HXD, and the Chandra ACIS-I data are then combined to examine the properties of the hot gas component in the SE region. We finally look for non-thermal emission in the Suzaku HXD data. Results. The single-temperature model fails to reproduce the 0.5–10 keV continuum emission and Fe-K lines measured by XIS simultaneously. A two-temperature model with a very hot component improves the fit, although the XIS data can only provide a lower limit to the temperature of the hot component. In the Suzaku HXD data, we detect hard X-ray emission above the background in the 12–40 keV band at the 9σ level; however, the significance becomes marginal when the systematic error in the background estimation is included. With the joint analysis of the Suzaku and Chandra data, we determine the temperature of the hot gas in the SE region to be $25.3^{+6.1}_{-4.5}$ (statistical; 90% confidence level) $^{+6.9}_{-9.5}$ (systematic; 90% confidence level) keV, which is in an excellent agreement with the previous joint analysis of the SZ effect in radio and the Chandra X-ray data. This is the first time that the X-ray analysis alone provides a good measurement of the hot component temperature in the SE region, which is possible because of Suzaku's unprecedented sensitivity over the wide X-ray band. These results indicate strongly that RX J1347.5–1145 has undergone a recent, violent merger. The spectral analysis shows that the SE component is consistent with being thermal. We measure the 3σ upper limit to the non-thermal flux, $F<8\times10^{-12}~{\rm erg\,s^{-1}\,cm^{-2}}$ in the 12–60 keV band, which provides a limit on the inverse Compton scattering of relativistic electrons off the CMB photons. Combining this limit with the discovery of a radio mini halo in this cluster at 1.4 GHz, which measures the synchrotron radiation, we find a lower limit to the strength of the intracluster magnetic field, such that $B>0.007~{\rm \mu G}$.
Ultimately thin double-gate SOI MOSFETs Ernst, T.; Cristoloveanu, S.; Ghibaudo, G. ...
IEEE transactions on electron devices,
03/2003, Letnik:
50, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The operation of 1-3 nm thick SOI MOSFETs, in double-gate (DG) mode and single-gate (SG) mode (for either front or back channel), is systematically analyzed. Strong interface coupling and threshold ...voltage variation, a large influence of substrate depletion underneath the buried oxide, the absence of drain current transients, and degradation in electron mobility are typical effects in these ultra-thin MOSFETs. The comparison of SG and DG configurations demonstrates the superiority of DG-MOSFETs: ideal subthreshold swing and remarkably improved transconductance (consistently higher than twice the value in SG-MOSFETs). The experimental data and the difference between SG and DG modes is explained by combining classical models with quantum calculations. The key effect in ultimately thin DG-MOSFETs is volume inversion, which primarily leads to an improvement in mobility, whereas the total inversion charge is only marginally modified.
This paper describes the cascade neural network design algorithm (CNNDA), a new algorithm for designing compact, two-hidden-layer artificial neural networks (ANNs). This algorithm determines an ANN's ...architecture with connection weights automatically. The design strategy used in the CNNDA was intended to optimize both the generalization ability and the training time of ANNs. In order to improve the generalization ability, the CNDDA uses a combination of constructive and pruning algorithms and bounded fan-ins of the hidden nodes. A new training approach, by which the input weights of a hidden node are temporarily frozen when its output does not change much after a few successive training cycles, was used in the CNNDA for reducing the computational cost and the training time. The CNNDA was tested on several benchmarks including the cancer, diabetes and character-recognition problems in ANNs. The experimental results show that the CNNDA can produce compact ANNs with good generalization ability and short training time in comparison with other algorithms.
The 256-slice CT-scanner has been developed at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences. Nominal beam width was 128 mm in the longitudinal direction. When scanning continuously at the same ...position to obtain four-dimensional (4D) images, the effective dose is increased in proportion to the scan time. Our purpose in this work was to measure the dose for the 256-slice CT, to compare it with that of the 16-slice CT-scanner, and to make a preliminary assessment of dose for dynamic 3D imaging (volumetric cine imaging). Our group reported previously that the phantom length and integration range for dosimetry needed to be at least 300 mm to represent more than 90% of the line integral dose with the beam width between 20 mm and 138 mm. In order to obtain good estimates of the dose, we measured the line-integral dose over a 300 mm range in PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) phantoms of 160 mm or 320 mm diameter and 300 mm length. Doses for both CT systems were compared for a clinical protocol. The results showed that the 256-slice CT generates a smaller dose than the 16-slice CT in all examinations. For volumetric cine imaging, we found an acceptable scan time would be 6 s to 11 s, depending on examinations, if dose must be limited to the same values as routine examinations with a conventional multidetector CT. Finally, we discussed the studies necessary to make full use of volumetric cine imaging.
Aberrant reactivation of hedgehog (Hh) signaling has been described in a wide variety of human cancers including cancer stem cells. However, involvement of the Hh-signaling system in the bone marrow ...(BM) microenvironment during the development of myeloid neoplasms is unknown. In this study, we assessed the expression of Hh-related genes in primary human CD34(+) cells, CD34(+) blastic cells and BM stromal cells. Both Indian Hh (Ihh) and its signal transducer, smoothened (SMO), were expressed in CD34(+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-derived cells. However, Ihh expression was relatively low in BM stromal cells. Remarkably, expression of the intrinsic Hh-signaling inhibitor, human Hh-interacting protein (HHIP) in AML/MDS-derived stromal cells was markedly lower than in healthy donor-derived stromal cells. Moreover, HHIP expression levels in BM stromal cells highly correlated with their supporting activity for SMO(+) leukemic cells. Knockdown of HHIP gene in stromal cells increased their supporting activity although control cells marginally supported SMO(+) leukemic cell proliferation. The demethylating agent, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine rescued HHIP expression via demethylation of HHIP gene and reduced the leukemic cell-supporting activity of AML/MDS-derived stromal cells. This indicates that suppression of stromal HHIP could be associated with the proliferation of AML/MDS cells.
In this paper we generate a new estimate of the high-energy neutrinos expected from GRBs associated with the first generation of stars in light of new models and constraints on the epoch of ...reionization and a more detailed evaluation of the neutrino emission yields. We also compare the diffuse high- energy neutrino background from Population III stars with the one from 'ordinary stars' (Population II), as estimated consistently within the same cosmological and astrophysical assumptions. In disagreement with previous literature, we find that high-energy neutrinos from Population III stars will not be observable at current or near-future neutrino telescopes, falling below both the sensitivity of a km super(3) telescope and the atmospheric neutrino background, also under the most optimistic predictions for the GRB rate. This rules them out as a viable diagnostic tool for these still-elusive metal-free stars.
Summary Objective Physiological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) under loading or knee malalignment conditions has not been thoroughly investigated. We assessed the influence of static loading and ...knee alignment on T2 (transverse relaxation time) mapping of the knee femoral cartilage of porcine knee joints using a non-metallic pressure device. Methods Ten porcine knee joints were harvested en bloc with intact capsules and surrounding muscles and imaged using a custom-made pressure device and 3.0-T MRI system. Sagittal T2 maps were obtained (1) at knee neutral alignment without external loading (no loading), (2) under mechanical compression of 140 N (neutral loading), and (3) under the same loading conditions as in (2) with the knee at 10° varus alignment (varus loading). T2 values of deep, intermediate, and superficial zones of the medial and lateral femoral cartilages at the weight-bearing area were compared among these conditions using custom-made software. Cartilage contact pressure between the femoral and tibial cartilages, measured by a pressure-sensitive film, was correlated with cartilage T2 measurements. Results In the medial cartilage, mean T2 values of the deep, intermediate, and superficial zones decreased by 1.4%, 13.0%, and 6.0% under neutral loading. They further decreased by 4.3%, 19.3%, and 17.2% under varus loading compared to no loading. In the lateral cartilage, these mean T2 values decreased by 3.9%, 7.7%, and 4.2% under neutral loading, but increased by 1.6%, 9.6%, and 7.2% under varus loading. There was a significant decrease in T2 values in the intermediate zone of the medial cartilage under both neutral and varus loading, and in the superficial zone of the medial cartilage under varus loading ( P < 0.05). Total contact pressure values under neutral loading and varus loading conditions significantly correlated with T2 values in the superficial and intermediate zones of the medial cartilages. Conclusions The response of T2 to change in static loading or alignment varied between the medial and lateral cartilages, and among the deep, intermediate, and superficial zones. These T2 changes were significantly related to the contact pressure measurements. Our results indicate that T2 mapping under loading allows non-invasive, biomechanical assessment of site-specific stress distribution in the cartilage.
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