13 research outputs found
Commentary on: Survey of UK imaging practice for the investigation of pulmonary embolism in pregnancy.
No full textButane Heat Pipes for Stagnation Temperature Reduction of Solar Thermal Collectors
No full textAbstractHeat pipes in solar thermal collectors enable to reduce the temperature loads in the solar circuit during stagnation periods by exploiting their dry out limit. Typically water, pentane or acetone are used as heat transfer media in collector heat pipes. Butane is very suitable to reach a high temperature gradient of the dry out even if the maximum temperature in the fluid circuit should be designed to 120 ̊C or below. The paper presents experimental results with butane heat pipes that operate up to a maximum temperature of 120 ̊C with a high temperature gradient in the dry-out region. This ensures that the collector performance in the operating range (typically up to 100 ̊C) is not affected negatively by the dry-out. Different approaches to increase the thermal conductance of butane heat pipes by enhancing the inner surface of the condenser or of both, the condenser and the evaporator are experimentally assessed and discussed. Measurement results report an increase of the heat pipes’ thermal conductance from 3 W/K (standard geometry) to 23 W/K
Histochemistry and Cell Biology: 61 years and not tired at all.
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via the DOI in this record.Isaac Newton is credited with quipping, “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. This remark, made more than 300 years ago is still relevant for today’s scientists. Certainly, in our field of Histochemistry and Cell Biology, many of the insights we enjoy and techniques we apply in our research are the result of contributions to the literature provided by our scientific forebearers. As Editors of Histochemistry and Cell Biology, we are entrusted with maintaining the high quality and continued success of the journal instituted by its founders M. Chèvremont, Liège; H.W. Deane, New York; P.B. Diezel, F. Duspiva and H. Reznik, Heidelberg; O. Eränkö, Helsinki; P. Gedigk and N. Schümmelfelder, Bonn; W. Gössner, Tübingen; W. Graumann, Göttingen; A. G. E. Pearse, London; W. Sandritter, Frankfurt/Main; T.H. Schiebler, Kiel; G. Siebert, Mainz; and M. Wolman, Tel-Hashomer. The list of the international editors represented a virtual list of “Who’s Who” in histochemistry at that time.Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC
Ensemble Machine Learning Using Quantitative Chest CT and Clinical Biomarkers to Predict Asthma Severity and Outcomes
No full textArt and the unconscious : a semiotic case study of the painting process
No full textThis dissertation is an attempt to design an interpretation model for the comprehension of unconscious content in artworks, as well as to find painting techniques to free the unconscious mind, allowing it to be expressed through artwork. The interpretation model, still in its infancy, is ripe for further development. The unconscious mind is a fascinating subject—in art production as well as in many scientific fields. This hidden part of the mind, being the source of creativity, constitutes an important foundation for many possible and valuable inquiries in multiple areas of knowledge. In the present study, the unconscious is approached from an art-educational perspective.
The nature of the unconscious is addressed through the theories of Carl Gustav Jung and Charles Sanders Peirce, as well as through the information gained from data the author produced herself during the experimental painting process she devised for this study. For psychological distinctions not addressed by Jung, the theories of Sigmund Freud are used to forward this inquiry into the unconscious mind.
A research method was created to bring Peirce’s theories into consonance with Jung’s amplification method. Since Peirce’s theories are challenging to read, to avoid misinterpretation, the author used Phyllis Chiasson’s 2001 book Peirce’s Pragmatism: The Design for Thinking as a secondary source. Peirce’s three modes of reality—firstness, secondness, and thirdness—were utilized to interpret artworks. This three-mode reality allows interpreters to reflect on their subjective feelings and then to compare them to collected data. The interpreters’ intuitive self-interpretations often correlate well with the more objective data.
In this approach to interpretation, the work of art is seen as a sign, in the Jungian as well as in the Peircean sense, and interpretation seeks to discover a sign’s objects—icon, index, and symbol. Additionally, the objects are studied in combination with Peirce’s designation of the sign’s character elements—sinsign, qualisign, and legisign. Peirce’s theory offers a logical and productive structure for approaching a variety of signs and reaching a multiplicity of interpretations.
Jungian theories inculcated a combined psychological and artistic perspective for the interpretation of artworks. Jung’s method of amplification is an effort to bring a symbol to life, and it is used as a technique to discover—through the seeking of parallels—a possible context for any unconscious content that an image might have. In amplification, a word or element—from a fantasy, dream, or, in this study, artwork—is associated, through use of what Jung called the active imagination, with another context where it also occurs. It must be remembered that unconscious images in artworks do not easily open themselves up for interpretation. One way to interpret possibly unconscious images is for the interpreter to become vulnerable by employing his or her own unconscious mind to interpret an artwork; such use of the active imagination can enable a subjective experience of the artwork on the part of the interpreter, who might thereby uncover unconscious content.
Moreover, in this study, Jung’s theory of archetypes is employed, in parallel with Peirce’s and Jung’s theories of the sign, to illuminate an artwork’s images by connecting them with collective unconscious archetypes. The author relied upon The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images (Ronnberg and Martin 2010) as the main source for interpreting possibly unconscious elements in the artworks. This approach is especially powerful when artists interpret their own artwork—possibly leading to a galvanizing self-discovery as they revisit past encounters, personal highlights, and other pieces of unconscious content that might reveal previously unknown meaning important to their life. By comparing archetypes to the unconscious content in their own lives, people can discover themselves.
Unconscious phenomena were approached on both the theoretical and empirical levels. Different methods and ideas were used to stimulate the author’s unconscious thinking while performing artwork analyses of three paintings: surrealist Salvador Dalí’s (1904–1989) Assumpta Corpuscularia Lapislazulina; abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock’s (1912-1956) The Deep; and one painting by the author herself, and for which the process of painting is videorecorded (www.astagallery.com/academic.html).
With regard to the third painting interpreted, the author is the study subject, and her artistic production is used as an opportunity to explore the unconscious mind. During the act of painting, an attempt is made to free unconscious thinking by fusing Dalí’s and Pollock’s methods as well as by testing multiple other methods. The author’s artistic production was conjoined with use of a technique that is called the verbal protocol method, which generates additional data not necessarily visible in the final artwork. This method unseals the artist’s tacit knowledge, which in normal circumstances remains silent.
In the verbal protocol method, the author, while engaged in the act of painting, speaks aloud the stream of consciousness that accompanies and guides the art-making activity; the recorded and transcribed monologue from the artistic production is supplied, in both Finnish and English, in appendices. This thinking-aloud technique allows a person to become more self-aware and to create more solutions while struggling with emergent artistic problems. Such narratives can reveal more about the painting than the completed artwork alone can convey. Along with the artist’s finished painting and the videorecorded material, narratives produced during the painting activity were interpreted. Moreover, the discoveries arising from the author’s interpretation of her own artwork are correlated with some of the latest research on the unconscious.
This study allows the reader-viewer an intimate glimpse into the author’s subjective painting experience and demonstrates the participation of the unconscious in an artwork’s creation. The interpretations methodology constitutes an interpretation model suitable for other artists and art educators to follow.
Keywords: unconscious, art, archetype, mandalaei tietoa saavutettavuudest
Magnetic resonance angiography for the primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism: A review from the international workshop for pulmonary functional imaging
No full textPulmonary contrast enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) is useful for the primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE). Many sites have chosen not to use CE-MRA as a first line of diagnostic tool for PE because of the speed and higher efficacy of computerized tomographic angiography (CTA). In this review, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of CE-MRA and the appropriate imaging scenarios for the primary diagnosis of PE derived from our unique multi-institutional experience in this area. The optimal patient for this test has a low to intermediate suspicion for PE based on clinical decision rules. Patients in extremis are not candidates for this test. Younger women (< 35 years of age) and patients with iodinated contrast allergies are best served by using this modality We discuss the history of the use of this test, recent technical innovations, artifacts, direct and indirect findings for PE, ancillary findings, and the effectiveness (patient outcomes) of CE-MRA for the exclusion of PE. Current outcomes data shows that CE-MRA and NM V/Q scans are effective alternative tests to CTA for the primary diagnosis of PE
Expanding applications of pulmonary MRI in the clinical evaluation of lung disorders: Fleischner Society position paper
No full textPulmonary MRI provides structural and quantitative functional images of the lungs without ionizing radiation, but it has had limited clinical use due to low signal intensity from the lung parenchyma. The lack of radiation makes pulmonary MRI an ideal modality for pediatric examinations, pregnant women, and patients requiring serial and longitudinal follow-up. Fortunately, recent MRI techniques, including ultrashort echo time and zero echo time, are expanding clinical opportunities for pulmonary MRI. With the use of multicoil parallel acquisitions and acceleration methods, these techniques make pulmonary MRI practical for evaluating lung parenchymal and pulmonary vascular diseases. The purpose of this Fleischner Society position paper is to familiarize radiologists and other interested clinicians with these advances in pulmonary MRI and to stratify the Society recommendations for the clinical use of pulmonary MRI into three categories: (a) suggested for current clinical use, (b) promising but requiring further validation or regulatory approval, and (c) appropriate for research investigations. This position paper also provides recommendations for vendors and infrastructure, identifies methods for hypothesis-driven research, and suggests opportunities for prospective, randomized multicenter trials to investigate and validate lung MRI methods
Imaging of pulmonary hypertension in adults: a position paper from the Fleischner Society
No full textPulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined by a mean pulmonary artery pressure greater than 20 mm Hg and classified into five different groups sharing similar pathophysiologic mechanisms, hemodynamic characteristics, and therapeutic management. Radiologists play a key role in the multidisciplinary assessment and management of PH. A working group was formed from within the Fleischner Society based on expertise in the imaging and/or management of patients with PH, as well as experience with methodologies of systematic reviews. The working group identified key questions focusing on the utility of CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine in the evaluation of PH: (a) Is noninvasive imaging capable of identifying PH? (b) What is the role of imaging in establishing the cause of PH? (c) How does imaging determine the severity and complications of PH? (d) How should imaging be used to assess chronic thromboembolic PH before treatment? (e) Should imaging be performed after treatment of PH? This systematic review and position paper highlights the key role of imaging in the recognition, work-up, treatment planning, and follow-up of PH
Proteomic analysis of inflammatory protein expression patterns in cell culture and transgenic animal models for Alzheimer's disease
No full textDementia is a syndrome characterized by failure of recent memory and other cognitive functions that is usually insidious in onset but steadily progresses with age. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of senile dementia. It is neuropathologically characterized by extracellular and perivascular aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide, by the generation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles due to a hyperphosphorylation of tau protein and by an increased rate of neuronal degeneration. The degenerative process starts 20-30 years before the clinical onset of the disease. Clinical diagnosis of AD is difficult but possible, but can only be confirmed by biopsy or autopsy. At present, no biological marker exists for early diagnosis of AD during life. Therefore, identification of biomarkers for AD would be of great value for clinical diagnosis of incipient AD. Recent studies have proven the involvement of inflammatory processes in the neurodegenerative events in AD. Inflammation may not be the first event in the progression of the disease, but it involves activation of glia cells including microglia and astrocytes and subsequent release of proinflammatory mediators. Cytokines released such as IL-1, TNF-α and IL-6 are the main proinflammatory cytokines that can modulate inflammatory responses as well as glial proliferation and activation. Oxidative stress triggered by inflammatory processes causes changes in proteins such as tyrosine nitration or lipid peroxidation. Aβ deposits, tau hyperphosphorylation, inflammation and oxidative stress may finally lead to changes in synaptic connectivity and efficacy including perturbation of long-term potentiation (LTP), important in the formation of memory. Proteomic technology used in these studies is a recent technology which is a two step process: separation of proteins and their subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry. Moreover, this technology can provide new information concerning the expression level, post-translational modification of specific proteins as well as their conformational changes during disease progression. In our study, this technology was modified and improved, e.g by the miniaturization of the complete process. Proteomic technology was also used in parallel with other methods such as chromatography in order to increase the sensitivity of detection by mass spectrometry.
This study aimed:
1) To establish that cytokine treatment of human microglia cells is an efficient method to
study certain aspects of AD pathogenesis. For this analysis, a map of protein expression
in normal and in treated microglia cells was made.
2) To map protein expression in APP/PS2 transgenic mice, a model for human AD, in
order to compare human AD brain with murine models.
3) To identify highly nitrated proteins in brains of transgenic animals. Several proteins
were found to be modified after injury.
4) To provide evidence for instability of synapses in AD brains. To start with this study,
the technologies used to map mouse brain cytosolic proteins were improved.
5) To isolate synaptosomal membranes from the whole brain and to analyse it by massspectrometry.
For mapping synaptic membrane protein expression in controls or
transgenic mouse models, the technology was miniaturizated and optimized. This study is
still in progress
