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Useful Benefits (useful + benefit)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

In vivo proton spectroscopy without solvent suppression

CONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE, Issue 4 2001
David B. Clayton
Abstract In 1H MR spectroscopy of the human brain, it is common practice to suppress the solvent signal prior to acquisition. This reduces the large dynamic range which is otherwise required of the MR receiver and digitizer in order to detect the dilute metabolite resonances in the presence of the much larger water signal. However, complete solvent suppression is not always obtainable, particularly over large volumes and in superficial regions containing large susceptibility gradients. In this work, it demonstrated that modern commercial MR scanners possess the dynamic range necessary to adequately resolve the 1H metabolites in unsuppressed spectra. Moreover, a postacquisition method is presented which can completely remove the intact water signal and accurately quantitate the metabolite peaks. Preserving the water signal in in vivo spectroscopy has several useful benefits, such as providing a high signal-to-noise ratio internal concentration, frequency, and line shape reference. Comparison is made between suppressed and unsuppressed spectra from both a phantom and the human brain acquired at 4 T. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson 13: 260,275, 2001 [source]

A control volume finite-element method for numerical simulating incompressible fluid flows without pressure correction

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN FLUIDS, Issue 4 2007
Ahmed Omri
Abstract This paper presents a numerical model to study the laminar flows induced in confined spaces by natural convection. A control volume finite-element method (CVFEM) with equal-order meshing is employed to discretize the governing equations in the pressure,velocity formulation. In the proposed model, unknown variables are calculated in the same grid system using different specific interpolation functions without pressure correction. To manage memory storage requirements, a data storage format is developed for generated sparse banded matrices. The performance of various Krylov techniques, including Bi-CGSTAB (Bi-Conjugate Gradient STABilized) with an incomplete LU (ILU) factorization preconditioner is verified by applying it to three well-known test problems. The results are compared to those of independent numerical or theoretical solutions in literature. The iterative computer procedure is improved by using a coupled strategy, which consists of solving simultaneously the momentum and the continuity equation transformed in a pressure equation. Results show that the strategy provides useful benefits with respect to both reduction of storage requirements and central processing unit runtime. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Comparison of non-coplanar and coplanar irradiation techniques to treat cancer of the pancreas

JOURNAL OF MEDICAL IMAGING AND RADIATION ONCOLOGY, Issue 5 2006
C Osborne
Summary We compared two different techniques of pancreatic irradiation using measures associated with normal tissue complications. Seven consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer were planned for both coplanar and non-coplanar (NCP) external beam radiation treatments, using the same defined anatomical volumes for each patient, in each case. Each pair of plans was then compared using a range of objective criteria. Individual normal tissues were assessed against traditional tolerance limits. Selected dose-points, normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) and equivalent uniform doses (EUD) were also compared, as were indices combining information from individual tissues , total NTCP and total weighted EUD. All individual normal tissues doses were within established tolerance limits. For NCP relative to coplanar planning, NTCP and EUD were lower for all individual tissues in four cases and one case, respectively, i.e. in most cases a benefit to one tissue was offset by detriment to others. Summary measures demonstrated overall benefits for NCP techniques, with the total NTCP in six patients, and with the total weighted EUD in all patients. NCP techniques show potentially useful benefits. We present a new objective measure, the total weighted EUD, which may be particularly useful comparing plans where there are multiple critical tissues. [source]

The prospects for super-acuity: limits to visual performance after correction of monochromatic ocular aberration

OPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS, Issue 6 2003
W. N. Charman
Abstract It has recently been suggested that correction of the monochromatic aberration of the eye could lead to substantial improvements in visual acuity and contrast sensitivity function. After consideration of the best-corrected visual acuity of normal eyes, the optical and neural limits to visual performance are reviewed. It is concluded that, even if current problems with the accuracy of the suggested techniques of aberration correction, through corneal excimer laser ablation or customised contact lenses, can be overcome, changes in monochromatic ocular aberration over time, the continuing presence of chromatic aberration, errors of focus associated with lags and leads in accommodation, and other factors, are likely to result in only minor improvements in the high-contrast acuity performance of most normal eyes being produced by attempted aberration control. Significant gains in contrast sensitivity might, however, be achievable, particularly under mesopic and scotopic conditions when the pupil is large, provided that correct focus can be maintained. In the immediate future, reduction of the high levels of aberration that are currently found in eyes that have undergone refractive surgery and in some abnormal eyes should bring useful benefits. [source]