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We use several examples to demonstrate the capabilities of the library, ranging from simple signal processing, to online EEG source imaging, cognitive task design, and closed-loop neuromodulation. We further demonstrate the simplicity of developing a sophisticated experimental environment for rodents within this environment.

With the SimBSI library we hope to aid BCI practitioners of dissimilar backgrounds in the development of, much needed, single and cross-species closed-loop neuroscientific experiments. These experiments may provide the necessary mechanistic data for BCIs to become effective therapeutic tools.

With the SimBSI library we hope to aid BCI practitioners of dissimilar backgrounds in the development of, much needed, single and cross-species closed-loop neuroscientific experiments. These experiments may provide the necessary mechanistic data for BCIs to become effective therapeutic tools.Strain measurements by US have been suggested as a method of assessing arterial elasticity prior to arterio venous fistula creation. selleck chemicals llc This pilot study sought to develop an imaging protocol to measure strain in the brachial artery via velocity vector imaging (VVI) and determine if differences in strain could be observed between a healthy group and a group with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and if VVI measurements were associated with arterio-venous fistula malfunction. 40 healthy volunteers and 33 patients with ESRD were included in this study. All participants underwent US assessment of brachial artery strain via VVI. Peak velocity, strain, strain-rate and velocity were assessed. Patients with and without AVF failure at 3-months were assessed for differences in VVI measurement. Mean VVI measurements between the patient and volunteer groups were similar, and no significant differences were observed. Measurements were reproducible. No significant differences were observed in patients with or without AVF dysfunction. The results from this pilot study suggest VVI measurements of brachial artery mechanics are feasible and that VVI measurements may be used to assess age related changes of the brachial artery.Piezoelectric inkjet 3D bioprinting technology is a viable technique for ophthalmological applications. It provides versatility, high sensibility and accuracy, required in ophthalmological procedures. A process flow for biofabrication was described in detail and validated, using piezoelectric inkjet technology, for ophthalmological applications, in vitro and in situ, based on complex images. Ophthalmological problems were documented by diagnostic examinations and were fed to the flow as complex images. The Concept Mapping methodology and the Conceptual Design approach were utilized to elaborate the 3D bioprinting process flow. It was developed a bioink with corneal epithelial cells. To simulate an in situ bioprinting process, eyes of pigs were selected as the substrate to print the cells. Print scripts used the digitally treated images. In order to print on predefined locations, alignment devices and sample holders were built. The proposed process flow has shown to be a potential tool for the biofabrication of ophthalmological solutions.The aim of this paper is to quantify the day-to-day variations of motion models derived from pre-treatment 4-dimensional cone beam CT (4DCBCT) fractions for lung cancer stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) patients. Motion models are built by (1) applying deformable image registration (DIR) on each 4DCBCT image with respect to a reference image from that day, resulting in a set of displacement vector fields (DVFs), and (2) applying principal component analysis (PCA) on the DVFs to obtain principal components representing a motion model. Variations were quantified by comparing the PCA eigenvectors of the motion model built from the first day of treatment to the corresponding eigenvectors of the other motion models built from each successive day of treatment. Three metrics were used to quantify the variations root mean squared (RMS) difference in the vectors, directional similarity, and an introduced metric called the Euclidean Model Norm (EMN). EMN quantifies the degree to which a motion model derived from the first fraction can represent the motion models of subsequent fractions. Twenty-one 4DCBCT scans from five SBRT patient treatments were used in this retrospective study. Experimental results demonstrated that the first two eigenvectors of motion models across all fractions have smaller RMS (0.00017), larger directional similarity (0.528), and larger EMN (0.678) than the last three eigenvectors (RMS 0.00025, directional similarity 0.041, and EMN 0.212). The study concluded that, while the motion model eigenvectors varied from fraction to fraction, the first few eigenvectors were shown to be more stable across treatment fractions than others. This supports the notion that a pre-treatment motion model built from the first few PCA eigenvectors may remain valid throughout a treatment course. Future work is necessary to quantify how day-to-day variations in these models will affect motion reconstruction accuracy for specific clinical tasks.Super-resolution ultrasound imaging relies on the sub-wavelength localization of microbubble contrast agents. By tracking individual microbubbles, the velocity and flow within microvessels can be estimated. It has been shown that the average flow velocity, within a microvessel ranging from tens to hundreds of microns in diameter, can be measured. However, a 2D super-resolution image can only localize bubbles with sub-wavelength resolution in the imaging plane whereas the resolution in the elevation plane is limited by conventional beamwidth physics. Since ultrasound imaging integrates echoes over the elevation dimension, velocity estimates at a single location in the imaging plane include information throughout the imaging slice thickness. This slice thickness is typically a few orders or magnitude larger than the super-resolution limit. It is shown here that in order to estimate the velocity, a spatial integration over the elevation direction must be considered. This operation yields a multiplicative correct.Numerical models are an alternative to measurements of x-ray energy spectra when validated by comparative methods that assess the similarity of experimental and calculated spectra. In this work, we compared x-ray energy spectra using several methodologies and determined the methodology with highest statistical power among them. Experiments and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were used to generate a set of 65 experimental and simulated x-ray mammography spectra pairs typically used in mammography applications. They were generated using Tungsten and Molybdenum targets and Molybdenum and Rhodium filters. The x-ray beams were transmitted through breast tissue equivalent material (bTEM) plates with different glandularities and thicknesses, and the transmitted beam was detected using solid-state x-ray spectrometry with a Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) diode. The MC simulations used the PENELOPE code. Additional uncertainties, beyond that from counting, were propagated using the MC method. Quantitative comparative methods based on the [Formula see text] statistics, the first and second half-value layers, the mean energy, the effective energy, and the non-parametric u-test were applied and their specificity (true negative rate) was assessed. The polyenergetic normalized glandular dose (DgNp) to a 6 cm breast of 50/50 glandularity was derived from the spectra. In this work, the [Formula see text] statistics attained the highest score; therefore, it is the most indicated metric for the x-ray energy spectra comparative evaluations. The contribution of the additional uncertainties was important, being responsible for up to 98% of the spectra total uncertainty and shifting the mean of the evaluated [Formula see text] to 1.2(1), compatible with its expected value. The use of non-parametric test is discouraged by our results, since it failed to distinguish spectra pairs that resulted in up to 72% discrepant DgNp.

The purpose of this study was to determine if upper body (UB) and lower body (LB) bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices yield similar estimates of BF% as whole body (WB) BIA.

Ninety-four men and women had their body composition evaluated using a Baseline 12-1190 Body Fat Scale (Fabrication Enterprises Inc.) as the LB BIA device, an Omron HBF-306C Handheld Body Fat Loss Monitor (Omron Healthcare, Inc.) as the UB BIA device, and a Seca Medical Body Composition Analyzer 514 (Seca North America) as the WB BIA device as well as via air displacement plethysmography (ADP; BodPod; Life Measurement Inc.).

in women, the BF% was greater for WB BIA compared to UB BIA and LB BIA (28.9±5.0 versus 23.8±4.4 versus 20.4±5.9%; p<0.001) with no differences between the WB BIA and ADP BF% (28.9±5.0 versus 28.3±7.5%; p=0.982). In men, BF% was greater for WB BIA compared to UB BIA and LB BIA (19.1±6.7 versus 15.5±5.3 versus 14.9±4.0; p<0.001) with no differences between the WB BIA and ADP BF% (19.1±6.7 versus 17.6±7.8; p=0.394).

Our findings suggest that the UB and LB BIA devices used in this study underestimate BF% compared to a WB BIA device and ADP in men and women.

Our findings suggest that the UB and LB BIA devices used in this study underestimate BF% compared to a WB BIA device and ADP in men and women.High-energy photons are being used to treat different kinds of cancer, but it may increase the rate of secondary cancers due to the neutron contamination as well as over exposing of patients and medical staffs in radiation therapy Takam, Bezak, Marcu, and Yeoh, 2011, Radiation Research, 176, 508-520. Due to some difficulties in experimental measurements of neutron contamination, Monte Carlo method is an efficient tool to investigate dose parameters and characteristics in new techniques. The 18-MV photon beam of linac and circular cones have been simulated by MCNP5 code. Various parameters of photon and neutron including mean energy, flux, KERMA, the number of particles crossing a surface at a distance of 100 cm (SSD = 100 cm) as well as the change in photon and neutron spectrum as well as in intensity through the transmission in the circular collimators have been investigated. The results of this study show that the use of a circular collimator decreases neutron dose in the central axis, which is an advantage, but neutron contamination inducing small neutron dose is distributed all over the space. On the surface of phantom, photon dose rate is approximately equal to 3.41E7 (mGy/mA.min) for different collimators, but the neutron dose rate is 1.64E2 (mGy/ mA.min), 2.03E2 (mGy/ mA.min) and 2.52E2 (mGy/mA.min) for diameters of 12, 20 and 40 mm, respectively and it decreases by decreasing the diameter of the collimator. The neutron dose rate decreases from 9.68E7 and 9.74E7 (mGy/min.mA) for open field size 33 cm2 and 55 cm2 to 1.64E2 (mGy/min.mA), 2.02E2 (mGy/min.mA) and 2.52E2 (mGy/min.mA) for collimator diameter of 12 mm, 20 mm and 40 mm. It can be concluded that the use of circular collimators has an advantage of reducing neutron dose in the central axis. It should be mentioned that the off-axis neutron dose surrounding the collimator can be eliminated using an external neutron shield without perturbing the treatment field.