In vivo identification of uric acid stones with dual-energy CT: diagnostic performance evaluation in patients

Background: To prospectively investigate the in vivo diagnostic performance of dual-energy (DE) computed tomography (CT) for the differentiation between uric acid (UA)-containing and non-UA-containing urinary stones. Methods: DE CT scans were performed in 180 patients with suspected urinary stone disease using a dual-source CT scanner in the DE mode (tube voltages 80 and 140kV). Urinary stones were classified as UA-containing or non-UA-containing based on CT number measurements and DE software results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPV) for the detection of UA-containing urinary stones were calculated using the crystallographic stone analysis as the reference standard. Results: DE CT detected 110/180 patients (61%) with urinary stone disease. In 53 patients, stones were sampled. Forty-four out of 53 stones (83%) were non-UA-containing; and nine stones (17%) were UA-containing. The software automatically mapped 52/53 (98%) stones. One non-UA-containing stone (UA, 2mm) was missed; one UA-containing stone (3mm) was misclassified by software analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV for the detection of UA-containing stones was 89% (8/9, 95% CI: 52-100%), 98% (43/44, 95% CI: 88-100%), 89% (8/9, 95% CI: 52-100%), and 98% (43/44, 95% CI: 88-100%). Conclusion: Our results indicate that DE dual-source CT permits for the accurate in vivo differentiation between UA-containing and non-UA-containing urinary stone

Effects of rumensin and bovatec on growth, feed intake, and feed efficiency in dairy calves

One hundred Holstein heifers were used to examine the effects of monensin (Rumensin®) and lasalocid (Bovatec®) included in calf starter and grower diets. Heifers were assigned alternately at birth to a starter feed containing either Rumensin (28 g/ton, 90% dry matter basis) or Bovatec (40 g/ton, 90% dry matter basis). The Bovatec group was switched to a starter feed containing 28 g Bovatec/ton (90% dry matter basis) at 6 weeks of age. Both groups were switched at 8 weeks of age to grower diets designed to deliver 100 mg/head/day of either Rumensin or Bovatec. No treatment differences were observed between birth and 8 weeks of age. Heifers were moved from individual hutches at 8 weeks of age to group pens (five heifers/pen) and remained on the same treatment for the next 84 days. During this 84-day period, heifers receiving Rumensin gained more weight at a faster rate and tended to be more efficient than heifers fed Bovatec. No differences were observed in feed intake, skeletal growth as measured by hip height, or body condition score

Sampling techniques for and interpretation of milk urea nitrogen concentration

Representative MUN values can be obtained by testing a milk sample before milking, at AM or PM milking, or with an in-line siphon sampling device. MUN values obtained from homogenous milking strings are as accurate as an average MUN value obtained by sampling each cow in the string. Bulk tank sampling is not advisable because of the variation in MUN caused by stage of lactation. Small herds that feed a single TMR should use the average MUN from cows between 60 and 200 days in milk. Monthly sampling is recommended to build a database. The effect of diet changes on MUN can be assessed within 7 days

High-pitch dual-source CT coronary angiography: systolic data acquisition at high heart rates

Objective: To assess the effect of systolic data acquisition for electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered high-pitch computed tomography (CT) on motion artefacts of coronary arteries in patients with high heart rates (HRs). Methods: Eighty consecutive patients (15 women, age 67 ± 14years) with HR ≥70bpm underwent CT angiography of the thoracic aorta (CTA) on 128-slice dual-source CT in ECG-triggered high-pitch acquisition mode (pitch = 3.2) set at 60% (group A, n = 40) or 30% (group B, n = 40) of the RR interval. Two blinded readers graded coronary artery image quality on a three-point scale. Radiation doses were calculated. Results: Inter-observer agreement in grading image quality of the 1,154 coronary segments was good (κ = 0.62). HRs were similar in groups A and B (85 ± 13bpm vs 85 ± 14bpm, p not significant). Significantly fewer coronary segments with non-diagnostic image quality occurred (i.e. score 3) in group B than in group A [2.8% (16/579) vs 8.3% (48/575), p < 0.001]. Seventeen patients (42.5%) of group A and 12 patients (30.0%) of group B had at least one non-diagnostic segment. Effective radiation doses were 2.3 ± 0.3mSv for chest CTA. Conclusion: A systolic acquisition window for high-pitch dual-source CTA in patients with high HRs (≥70bpm) significantly improves coronary artery image quality at a low radiation dos

Diagnostic accuracy of whole-body MRI/DWI image fusion for detection of malignant tumours: a comparison with PET/CT

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of whole-body T2-weighted (wbT2), whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (wbDWI) and wbT2/wbDWI image fusion for malignant tumour detection compared with PET/CT. Methods: Sixty-eight patients (44 men; 60 ± 14years) underwent PET/CT for staging of malignancy and were consecutively examined by 1.5-Tesla MRI including wbT2 and wbDWI. Two radiologists independently assessed wbDWI, wbT2, wbT2 + wbDWI (side-by-side) and wbT2 + wbDWI + wbT2/wbDWI image fusion for the presence of malignancy. PET/CT served as a reference standard. Results: PET/CT revealed 374 malignant lesions in 48/64 (75%) patients. Detection rates and positive predictive value (PPV) of wbT2 and wbDWI alone were 64% and 84%, and 57% and 93%, respectively. Detection rates and PPV of wbT2 and wbDWI for side-by-side analysis without and with fused images were 72% and 89%, and 74% and 91%, respectively. The detection rate was significantly higher with side-by-side analysis and fused image analysis compared with wbT2 and wbDWI alone (p = .0159; p < .0001). There was no significant difference between fused image interpretation and side-by-side analysis. Conclusions: WbDWI allows detection of malignant lesions with a similar detection rate to wbT2. Side-by-side analysis of wbT2 and wbDWI significantly improves the overall detection rate and fused image data provides no added valu

Wege zu einer genetischen Narratologie oder Von der Geburt und dem Abenteuer der Geschichten am Beispiel von Werkgenesen des Autors Arthur Schnitzler

Over the course of the so-called narrative turn, narrative research has fundamentally expanded its scope and now also shows an interest in, among other things, the pragmatic context of narratives. As a result of the ‘cognitive turn’, narratologists have mainly explored the ways in which narratives are perceived and received. Yet every narrative also involves a production process, a crucial dynamic which should also be of narratological interest. This article draws attention to this particular gap in narrative research and tries to reduce it by examining an exemplary case as well as proposing some theoretical considerations towards a genetic narratology. Drawing on the formalist-structuralist model of ‘narrative constitution’ and the phenomenological concept of a ‘narrative hermeneutics,’ it intro- duces a new methodological approach which seeks to combine research questions and terminologies from the fields of edition philology and narrative theory. The approach will be illustrated with reference to the author Arthur Schnitzler, by investigating his working methods as well as the genesis of his narrative works over several decades. In this context the article particularly focuses on the ‘monologue novella’ Fräulein Else, which – albeit completed in the 1920’s and published in 1924 – probably traces back to a note from the 1890’s

Nach dem ‚narrative turn‘: Handbücher und Lexika des 21. Jahrhunderts

Recent years have seen the appearance of numerous lexica and handbooks devoted to general narratological questions which collect contributions from different disciplines. What are the strengths and weaknesses of these books (each of which is aimed at a large readership)? What kind of knowledge is archived, and what understanding of narratology is codified, in these works? This contribution approaches these questions in the form of an overview, and ultimately arrives at the following conclusion: if narratology is to become a truly transdisciplinary project, the theoretical and methodological bridges between participating disciplines have to be built. After the expansion of research fields and the current phase of consolidation (as documented in handbooks and lexica), such transdisciplinary collaboration would be the next step in the development of narratological research

Wege zu einer genetischen Narratologie oder. Von der Geburt und dem Abenteuer der Geschichten am Beispiel von Werkgenesen des Autors Arthur Schnitzler

Over the course of the so-called narrative turn, narrative research has fundamentally expanded its scope and now also shows an interest in, among other things, the pragmatic context of narratives. As a result of the ‘cognitive turn’, narratologists have mainly explored the ways in which narratives are perceived and received. Yet every narrative also involves a production process, a crucial dynamic which should also be of narratological interest. This article draws attention to this particular gap in narrative research and tries to reduce it by examining an exemplary case as well as proposing some theoretical considerations towards a genetic narratology. Drawing on the formalist-structuralist model of ‘narrative constitution’ and the phenomenological concept of a ‘narrative hermeneutics,’ it introduces a new methodological approach which seeks to combine research questions and terminologies from the fields of edition philology and narrative theory. The approach will be illustrated with reference to the author Arthur Schnitzler, by investigating his working methods as well as the genesis of his narrative works over several decades. In this context the article particularly focuses on the ‘monologue novella’ Fräulein Else, which – albeit completed in the 1920’s and published in 1924 – probably traces back to a note from the 1890’s

Im Dickicht von Kultur und Narration: Albrecht Koschorke versucht Kulturtheorie und Erzählforschung zu vereinen

Albrecht Koschorke: Wahrheit und Erfindung. Grundzüge einer Allgemeinen Erzähltheorie. Frankfurt am Main: S. Fischer 2012. 480 S. EUR 24,99. ISBN 978-3-10-038911-4 Im Zeichen eines viel beschworenen narrative turn hebt man seit etwa zwei Jahrzehnten in den Geistes-, Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften hervor, dass das Erzählen zu den elementaren kulturellen Handlungsformen des Menschen gehört. Und im Zuge einer allgemeinen Öffnung für kulturwissenschaftliche Fragen interessieren sich auch die Vertreter unterschiedlicher Nationalphilologien längst nicht mehr nur für das Erzählen in Romanen und literarischen Texten, d.h., sie reflektieren Formen und Funktionen des Erzählens als, so Hayden White zu Beginn der 1980er Jahre , „panglobal fact of culture“ (1981, 1). Das neue Buch des Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaftlers Albrecht Koschorke greift diese Entwicklung und die mittlerweile bis in die Alltagssprache reichende Hochkonjunktur des Begriffs ‚Narrativ‘ auf und tritt seinerseits mit dem Anspruch an, nunmehr eine, wie der Klappentext verheißt, „Lücke zu schließen“ und die „Grundzüge“ einer „über ihren klassischen Geltungsbereich, die Literatur,“ hinausgehenden „Allgemeinen Erzähltheorie“ zu entwerfen. Aus Sicht des, so Gerald Prince im ersten Heft von DIEGESIS, „narratological tribe“ (Qiao / Prince 2012, 32) bietet Koschorkes Studie im Ergebnis, um es vorwegzunehmen, wenig neue Erkenntnisse zum Phänomen des Erzählens selbst, und sie entwirft auch keine systematisch durchdachte, die Ansätze aktueller Erzählforschung konsequent vorantreibende „Allgemeine Erzähltheorie“. Gleichwohl eröffnet sein Buch interessante Perspektiven. Seine Verdienste liegen in der originellen Zusammenschau einer Reihe von narratologischen Einsichten mit einem breiten Spektrum kulturtheoretischer Ansätze, in denen vom Erzählen bislang nicht oder nur am Rande die Rede war