3,008 research outputs found
Preoperative assessment of nonfunctioning pancreatic endocrine tumours: role of MDCT and MRI
No full textPURPOSE:
This study was done to compare the diagnostic accuracy of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative assessment of nonfunctioning pancreatic endocrine tumours (NFPET).
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Fifty-one patients (25 men, 26 women; mean age, 52 years), preoperatively investigated by both MDCT and MRI and subsequently operated on with a histological diagnosis of NFPET, were included in this study. MDCT and MRI accuracy in evaluating location, size, margins, baseline density/signal intensity, structure, pattern of enhancement, peak enhancement phase, involvement of main pancreatic duct, involvement of adjacent organs, infiltration of peritumoural vessels, involvement of locoregional lymph nodes, and liver metastases was compared using Pearson correlation, Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests. A value of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS:
MDCT and MRI had similar accuracy in assessing size, margins, baseline density/signal intensity, structure, pattern of enhancement, peak enhancement phase, involvement of main pancreatic duct, involvement of adjacent organs, involvement of locoregional lymph nodes, and liver metastases (p>0.05). MDCT was superior to MRI in evaluating the infiltration of peritumoural vessels (p=0.025).
CONCLUSIONS:
MDCT performed better than MRI in assessing vascular involvement and should be considered the best imaging tool for preoperative evaluation of NFPET
Pneumolabyrinth and positional vertigo after stapedectomy.
No full textPneumolabyrinth due to late complications of stapes surgery is a rare entity. Symptoms may include various degrees of hearing loss, tinnitus and dizziness. We report the case of a 67-year-old patient who developed a unique pneumolabyrinth variant affecting the vestibule, cochlea and semicircular canals 28 years after stapedectomy. The patient presented with intractable paroxysmal positional vertigo of the lateral semicircular canal. The pneumolabyrinth was visualized by means of high resolution computed tomography. Exploratory tympanotomy findings were consistent with a perilymphatic fistula. One year after surgical treatment the subject was free of vertigo spells. Pathogenetic mechanisms are discussed
The author as the second translator
No full textParafrazując tytuł tekstu Anny Legeżyńskiej „Tłumacz jako drugi autor” (1999: 20–30), w niniejszym artykule zwracam uwagę na rolę kontaktu z autorem w procesie tworzenia przekładu. Konsultowanie z twórcą oryginału niektórych rozwiązań translatorskich redukuje wątpliwości interpretacyjne widziane z pozycji tłumacza, autorowi zaś daje możliwość zobaczenia swojego tekstu z perspektywy drugiego języka.Paraphrasing the title of Anna Legeżyńska’s text “The translator as the second author” (1999: 20–30), this paper focuses on the role of contact with the author in the translation process. Discussions with the author on certain translation solutions reduce interpretative doubts as seen from the perspective of the translator, while the author is given an opportunity to see his or her text from the perspective of another language. In this text I am referring and quoting selected examples that were included in the letters exchanged with Konstantin Arbienin, the author of “Sleepless Stories” (Сказки на засыпку) whose translation has become the basis for making an audiobook. The project was launched within the activity framework of ‚Perevodka’, a translation section of the Research Association of the Department of Russian Studies at the NCU in cooperation with our friends musicians and graphic artists
Evaluation of periprostatic neurovascular fibers before and after radical prostatectomy by means of 1.5 t mri diffusion tensor imaging
No full textTo evaluate if diffusion tensor Imaging (DTI) is able to detect changes of periprostatic neurovascular fibers (PNFs) before and after radical prostatectomy (RP), and if these changes are related to post-surgical urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction
Assessment of Crohn’s disease activity in the small bowel with MR enteroclysis: clininico-radiological correlations.
No full textBackground: The aim of our study was to evaluate the
accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in
evaluating Crohn disease (CD) activity compared to
clinical/laboratory data.
Methods: Ninety-three consecutive patients with CD
were prospectively studied by MR imaging, before and
after Gadolinium chelates administration, with use of a
biphasic endoluminal contrast agent. MR image analysis
included: number of lesions, presence/absence of bowel
stenosis, upstream bowel dilation, wall thickness, presence
of enhancement, enhancement pattern, presence/
absence of comb sign, lymph nodes, and perianal
fistulas/abscesses. Clinical evaluation was performed by
means of Harvey & Bradshaw Index. Acute-phase
reactants were considered standard of reference to
monitor biological activity (BA). MR imaging findings
were compared with clinical and laboratory data.
Results: MR image analysis detected: In 96 exams
multiple lesions in 16, 1 in 50; no lesions in 30; stenosis
in 52; dilatation in 28; wall thickening in 59; significant
enhancement in 57; layered pattern in 50; comb sign in
37; enlarged lymph nodes in 16; fibro-fatty proliferation
in 40; fistulas in 9.
Conclusions: MRI is able to depict morphological
changes and is helpful in assessing Crohn inflammatory
disease
Subwavelength spinning of particles in vector cosine-Gaussian field with radial polarization
No full textA new type of radially polarized (RP) cosine-Gaussian (CG) field is proposed. Through the analytical model, it is found that such RP CG beam exhibits completely different focusing properties from the reported RP plane waves. More importantly, a stable three-dimensional trap of Rayleigh particle accompanied by a subwavelength spin motion can be easily achieved using this RP CG beam.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.ImPhys/Optic
Protected area visitor data collection and management: Emerging issues and gaps in current Australian practices
No full textProtected area agencies are charged with the preservation, conservation and management of areas including wilderness, national parks and forests. These agencies are faced with increasing visitor numbers and decreasing budgets at a time where activities like tourism have to be managed alongside their traditional roles as natural resource managers. This paper reports on the outcomes of the first stage of a research project that seeks to guide a nationally consistent approach to visitor use data collection for protected area agencies. First, the paper provides a background literature review of approaches to visitor use data collection for protected area agencies. Second, the paper outlines the participatory action research approach used in the study where thirteen protected area agencies are collaborators in the research process. This approach ensures that the protected areas agencies data needs are central to the research outcomes and recognises the pragmatic organisational cultural issues associated with visitor data collection, management and use. The research process incorporates organisational networking at all levels from head office, regions, branches and individual parks involving management information systems, interviews, focus groups, presentations, briefings and follow-up contact. Third, the paper then presents the emergent themes that examine the issues and gaps in current visitor data collection, management and use systems. The paper concludes with discussion of the challenges to developing a national system of visitor data collection and use
The development and use of strategic business performance improvement frameworks for rapid prototyping and tooling : executive summary
No full textIncreasing global competition within industry has forced businesses to respond by
reducing costs and product development lead times in order to survive. In the
automotive industry, these strategic responses include the specific exploitation of new
technologies and mergers with other companies to gain economies of scale.
BMW AG purchased Rover Group in 1994 but it wasn't until 1998 that competitive
pressure led to the completion of the merger through the creation of a single "Group
Function" structure within BMW Group. The BMW Board stated high-level
objectives for the process but provided no mechanism to convert them into reality.
Similarly, the BMW Group Board initiated a business process "Re-engineering"
programme in 1997/8 and stated cost, time and other objectives that would have to be
met. The technical and process changes that would help to achieve the business
improvements were being largely driven from the bottom of the organisation but
there were no frameworks available to guide strategic technology introduction.
The principal innovations generated during the course of this research are
frameworks for:
• Maximising the business benefits from the creation of 'Group Functions'
• Internal strategy creation for technology-based business sub-units
These two new frameworks have for the first time provided management and staff
with the means to develop meaningful strategies and operational action plans from
the corporate strategic objectives. The economic and business literature concentrates
mainly on whole business strategy and merger activity, neglecting the need for
guidance at the sub-corporate level. Although corporate strategy can provide the
overall direction of a company, it is the managers that have to drive strategic change
within the business.
The frameworks were developed by the author based on an in-depth review of the
literature and the specific context relating to Rapid Prototyping & Tooling (RP&T)
within BMW. The frameworks were validated within the business situation and
further enhanced where appropriate.
The Group Function framework fills the process gap between the high-level
objectives and the need for operational action plans. It provides a straightforward and
easy to communicate structure to the process of optimising duplicated business subunits.
Use of the framework led to the retention of both RP&T teams and the
initiation of beneficial synergistic activities. The framework should be applicable to
other similar groups in similar circumstances.
The author developed a new strategy creation framework that for the first time
combines a range of strategy development approaches from within the literature into
a practical framework for sub-corporate strategy development. The framework was
matched to the specific context of the RP&T case but could be used in other similar
circumstances. The framework was used to successfully develop a new strategy for
RP&T in BMW Group and includes new approaches developed by the author that
reduce the impact of environmental change and uncertainty. The framework has been
described in a stand alone form that can easily be more widely exploited
Microstructural thalamic changes in schizophrenia: a combined anatomic and diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging study
No full textObjective: Several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and postmortem studies have supported the role of the thalamus in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Interestingly, a recent small diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) study showed abnormal thalamic microstructure in patients with schizophrenia. The objective of our study was to use structural MRI and DWI to explore for the first time both thalamic volumes and integrity in schizophrenia. Methods: We measured thalamic volumes and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) measures bilaterally in 71 patients with schizophrenia, representative of those living in the geographically defined catchment area of South Verona (i.e., 100 000 inhabitants), and 75 individuals without schizophrenia. The presence of the adhesio interthalamica was also detected. Results: We found no significant differences in thalamus size between patients with schizophrenia and participants in the control group, with only a trend for decreased left volumes. No abnormal frequency of the adhesio interthalamica was found. In contrast, significantly increased thalamic ADC values were shown in schizophrenia patients. Age significantly inversely correlated with thalamic volumes in both groups and correlated positively with posterior ADCs in patients with schizophrenia. No significant associations between clinical variables and either volumes or ADC values were reported. Conclusion: Widespread altered microstructure integrity and partially preserved thalamus size were found in schizophrenia patients. Therefore, subtle thalamic structural abnormalities are present in schizophrenia, even with maintained volumes. This may result from disruption at the cytoarchitecture level, ultimately supporting corticothalamic misconnection. Future imaging studies should further explore thalamic tissue coherence and its role for cognitive disturbances in patients at high risk for schizophrenia and in first-degree relative
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