1,721,136 research outputs found
Imaging in hepatocellular carcinoma: Guidelines and future prospects
Full text linkBackground: Non-invasive diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhosis is nowadays the option of choice, as reported by both Western and Eastern guidelines. Methods: Currently, the diagnosis is still focused on the detection of the typical, neoplastic, vascular pattern, characterized by lesion hypervascularization in the arterial phase and by wash-out in the late vascular phase, by means of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In cases of atypical nodules, Western international guidelines suggest, depending on the cases, to perform a second imaging examination, but not contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), or biopsy tissue sampling. On the contrary, Eastern guidelines have additionally included RES(reticuloendothelial system)-targeted ultrasound or MR examination or hepatobiliary MR imaging for these difficult cases. Results: On the basis of new findings regarding the histological changes occurring in the pathway towards nodular malignancy, new hepatospecific contrast agents are routinely applied in MR studies, allowing to explore cellular metabolic function also in atypical hypoperfused nodules. Conclusions: In the near future, hepatobiliary MR imaging with hepatocyte-selective contrast agents might be considered the best choice to classify preneoplastic, low-risk lesions or atypical nodules with a high potential of malignancy
Optimizing renewable energy integration in new districts: Power-to-X strategies for improved efficiency and sustainability
No full textTo achieve optimal renewable energy self-sufficiency in new districts, it's crucial to efficiently manage surplus electricity or heat. One effective approach is ‘sector coupling,’ which increases self-consumption by redirecting excess energy via heat pumps (Power-to-Heat) or producing hydrogen (Power-to-Gas). Integrating electric vehicles and storage solutions (Power-to-Power) further enhances system flexibility. Moreover, the implementation of energy communities offers not just an uptick in self-consumption but also encourages consumers to embrace renewable energy technologies. This study evaluates the integration of renewable energy within urban districts through ‘sector coupling’ strategies, aiming to enhance self-sufficiency and consumption by managing surplus electricity and heat. Focusing on a renovated district in Southern Italy, it compares Power-to-X strategies—such as Power-to-Heat, Power-to-Gas, and Power-to-Power—in terms of their impact on primary energy usage, CO2 emissions, and financial costs. Dynamic simulations show these strategies can reduce CO2 emissions by 30 % and energy use by 20 % on average, offering valuable insights for urban energy planning and policy
Liver investigations: Updating on US technique and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)
No full textOver the past few years, the cross sectional imaging techniques (Computed Tomography – CT and Magnetic Resonance – MR) have improved, allowing a more efficient study of focal and diffuse liver diseases. Many papers had been published about the results of a routinely clinical use of the dual source/dual energy CT techniques and the use of hepatobiliary contrast agents in MR liver studies. As a consequence, these new improvements have diverted the attention away from the Ultrasound technique and its technical and conceptual evolutions. In these years of disinterest, US and especially Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound (CEUS) have consolidated and grown in their application in clinical routine for liver pathologies. In particular, thanks to the introduction of new, dedicated software packages, CEUS has allowed not only qualitative, but also quantitative analysis of lesion microcirculation, thus opening a new era in the evaluation of lesion characterization and response to therapy. Moreover, the renewed interest in liver elastography, a baseline ultrasound-based imaging modality, has led to the development of a competitive technique to assess liver stiffness and then for the evaluation of the progression towards cirrhosis, and characterization of focal liver lesions, opening the way to avoid, in selected cases, liver biopsy. The aim of this review is to offer an up-to-date overview on the state of the art of clinical applications of US and CEUS in the study of focal and diffuse liver pathologies. Besides, it aims to highlight the emerging role of perfusion techniques in the assessment of local and systemic treatment response and to show how the liver evolution from steatosis to fibrosis can be revealed by elastography
The Nexus Knowledge-Market and Innovation in University Education: Lessons Learned from University Start Ups
No full textThe pace of evolution of the university education lags behind the changes in the labour
market and it is necessary to accelerate the innovation in the University education to prepare
young people to face a new world order. An empirical search among a relevant sample of the
start ups of the University of Palermo has been carried out in order to identify possible
guidelines for the innovation of several curricula. The authors selected the founders of the
new companies as privileged witnesses of the connection between knowledge and market due
to their experience gained in commercialize knowledge acquired through their university
education. The empirical search pointed out several regularities, common to founders with
different backgrounds, about transversal skills that could be used to innovate the university
education
Optimizing storage capacity in 100 % renewable electricity supply: A GIS-based approach for Italy
No full textHCC diagnosis with liver-specific MRI--close to histopathology
No full textThanks to the sensible and continuous improvements achieved, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can nowadays be considered the most accurate modality to image the liver. Moreover, the technique is the only one able to provide at the same time information about intracellular and vascular changes occurring in parenchymas. For these reasons, MRI plays a major role in the surveillance and follow-up of patients with cirrhosis. If a baseline MR study investigates the progressive alteration of lesion architecture, grading, stromal component, as well as intracellular content of fat, glycogen, or metal ions, thus leading to a frequent confident diagnosis of lesion nature, a dynamic study provides additional information about lesion vascular enhancement, which may represent the only clue for the differential diagnosis between premalignant and malignant lesions. In addition, the introduction of hepatobiliary contrast agents has further implemented the diagnostic confidence of the technique, permitting to explore the so-called grey area in which significant histological changes are already present without an evident arterial supply of the nodule. Although in the evaluation of liver pathologies MRI is mainly applied in the study of cirrhosis, the technique also plays a fundamental role in the assessment of other primitive liver malignancies, such as fibrolamellar carcinoma or cholangiocarcinoma. In these cases in particular, MRI is required to pose a differential diagnosis with other liver malignancies (such as metastases), and, once the nature of the neoplasm is assessed, to give an accurate locoregional staging
Economic benefits of Renewable energy communities in smart districts: A comparative analysis of incentive schemes for NZEBs
No full textGoing Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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