Investigating the frontoparietal network in mental calculation in primary school children - An fMRI study

The frontoparietal network activated during calculation processing is investigated in a pediatric population. Subjects assessed correctness of two and three operand equations. Besides traditional frontoparietal activation, clear activation of sites associated with error processing was observed

Quadratic pseudosupersymmetry in two-level systems

Using the intertwining relation we construct a pseudosuperpartner for a (non-Hermitian) Dirac-like Hamiltonian describing a two-level system interacting in the rotating wave approximation with the electric component of an electromagnetic field. The two pseudosuperpartners and pseudosupersymmetry generators close a quadratic pseudosuperalgebra. A class of time dependent electric fields for which the equation of motion for a two level system placed in this field can be solved exactly is obtained. New interesting phenomenon is observed. There exists such a time-dependent detuning of the field frequency from the resonance value that the probability to populate the excited level ceases to oscillate and becomes a monotonically growing function of time tending to 3/4. It is shown that near this fixed excitation regime the probability exhibits two kinds of oscillations. The oscillations with a small amplitude and a frequency close to the Rabi frequency (fast oscillations) take place at the background of the ones with a big amplitude and a small frequency (slow oscillations). During the period of slow oscillations the minimal value of the probability to populate the excited level may exceed 1/2 suggesting for an ensemble of such two-level atoms the possibility to acquire the inverse population and exhibit lasing properties.Comment: 5 figure

A model describing diffusion in prostate cancer

PURPOSE: Quantitative diffusion MRI has frequently been studied as a means of grading prostate cancer. Interpretation of results is complicated by the nature of prostate tissue, which consists of four distinct compartments: vascular, ductal lumen, epithelium, and stroma. Current diffusion measurements are an ill-defined weighted average of these compartments. In this study, prostate diffusion is analyzed in terms of a model that takes explicit account of tissue compartmentalization, exchange effects, and the non-Gaussian behavior of tissue diffusion.  METHOD: The model assumes that exchange between the cellular (ie, stromal plus epithelial) and the vascular and ductal compartments is slow. Ductal and cellular diffusion characteristics are estimated by Monte Carlo simulation and a two-compartment exchange model, respectively. Vascular pseudodiffusion is represented by an additional signal at b = 0. Most model parameters are obtained either from published data or by comparing model predictions with the published results from 41 studies. Model prediction error is estimated using 10-fold cross-validation.  RESULTS: Agreement between model predictions and published results is good. The model satisfactorily explains the variability of ADC estimates found in the literature.  CONCLUSION: A reliable model that predicts the diffusion behavior of benign and cancerous prostate tissue of different Gleason scores has been developed. Magn Reson Med, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

The diagnostic accuracy of high b-value diffusion- and T2-weighted imaging for the detection of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the role of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) in combination for the detection of prostate cancer, specifically assessing the role of high b-values (> 1000 s/mm2), with a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing published data.  Methods: The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and OpenSIGLE were searched between inception and September 1, 2017. Eligible studies were those that reported the sensitivity and specificity of DWI and T2WI for the diagnosis of prostate cancer by visual assessment using a histopathologic reference standard. The QUADAS-2 critical appraisal tool was used to assess the quality of included studies. A meta-analysis with pooling of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood, and diagnostic odds ratios was undertaken, and a summary receiver-operating characteristics (sROC) curve was constructed. Predetermined subgroup analysis was also performed.  Results: Thirty-three studies were included in the final analysis, evaluating 2949 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.69 (95% CI 0.68–0.69) and 0.84 (95% CI 0.83–0.85), respectively, and the sROC AUC was 0.84 (95% CI 0.81–0.87). Subgroup analysis showed significantly better sensitivity with high b-values (> 1000 s/mm2). There was high statistical heterogeneity between studies.  Conclusion: The diagnostic accuracy of combined DWI and T2WI is good with high b-values (> 1000 s/mm2) seeming to improve overall sensitivity while maintaining specificity. However, further large-scale studies specifically looking at b-value choice are required before a categorical recommendation can be made

Ventricular-arterial uncoupling in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction after myocardial infarction in dogs - invasive versus echocardiographic evaluation

Heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and abnormal diastolic function is commonly observed after recovery from an acute myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to investigate the physiopathology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in a model of healed myocardial infarction in dogs.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Théorie cinétique du transport dans un plasma relativiste. Application au current drive

Doctorat en Sciencesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublishe

Techniques for CE-MRA

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe