Can semi-quantitative evaluation of uncertain (type II) time-intensity curves improve diagnosis in breast DCE-MRI?

Objective/Background: Qualitative assessment of uncertain (type II) time-intensity curves (TICs) in breast DCE-MRI is problematic and operator dependent. The aim of this work is to evaluate if a semi-quantitative assessment of uncertain TICs could improve overall diagnostic performance. Methods: In this study 49 lesions from 44 patients were retrospectively analysed. Per each lesion one region-of-interest (ROI)- averaged TIC was qualitatively evaluated by two radiologists in consensus: all the ROIs resulted in type II (uncertain) TIC. The same TICs were semi-quantitatively re-classified on the basis of the difference between the signal intensities of the last-time-point and of the peak: this difference was classified according to two different cut-off ranges (±5% and ±3%). All patients were cytological or histological biopsy proven. Fisher test and McNemar test were performed to evaluate if results were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Results: Using ±5% cut-off 16 TICs were reclassified as type III and 12 as type I while 21 were reclassified again as type II. Using ±3% 22 TICs were reclassified as type III and 16 as type I while 11 were reclassified again as type II. The semi-quantitative classification was compared to the histological-cytological results: the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values obtained with ±3% were 77%, 91%, 91% and 78% respectively while using ±5% were 58%, 96%, 94% and 68% respectively. Using the ±5% cut-off 26/28 (93%) TICs were correctly reclassified while using the ±3% cut-off 34/38 (90%) TICs were correctly reclassified (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Semi-quantitative methods in kinetic curve assessment on DCE-MRI could improve classification of qualitatively uncertain TICs, leading to a more accurate classification of suspicious breast lesions.

EVALUATION OF THE TIME DEPENDENT FAILURE ASSESSMENT CURVES FOR 10CrMo910 AND 316 SS AT 550℃

10CrMo910 and 316 stainless steel are widely adopted in high temperature structures of power generations, chemical processing plants and petroleum refineries. In this work, a total of 10000 hour tensile creep test on 16 specimens of such two materials was conducted at 550℃. On the basis of the experimental results, the isochronous stress-strain curves and time-dependent failure assessment curves of the two materials were given. Finally, the formulae of time dependent failure assessment curve for 10CrMo910 and 316 stainless steel corresponding to long-term creep cases, which could be utilized in the high temperature defects assessment, were established. The procedure for defining the time-dependent failure assessment curves was also presented.

DIRECTIONAL DERIVATIVE OF VECTOR FIELD AND REGULAR CURVES ON TIME SCALES

The general idea in this paper is to study curves of the parametric equations where the parameter varies in a so-called time scale, which may be an arbitrary closed subset of the set of all real numbers. We introduce the directional derivative according to the vector fields.

Stereo Matching of Planar Curves Composed of Time Stamped Points

Matching features such as curve segments in stereo images play a very important role in scene recomtruction. In this paper, a stereo matching algorithm for the trajectories composed of time stamped points is proposed. Based on time stamped points, planar curve match measurements are given first, such as time constraint, cross-ratio invariant constraint and eplpolar geometry constraint; then, a trajectory matching method is proposed based on epipolar geometry constraint and cross-ratio invariant constraint. In order to match the planar curve segments projected by perspective projection system, the curve start time and end time are selected first to prepare match candidates. Then, the epipolar equation is used to discard the unmatched curve segment candidates. At last, a cross ratio invariant constxaint is used to find the most matched curve segments. If their match measurement is higher than the specialized threshold, a candidate with the least cross ratio difference is then selected as the match result; otherwise, no match is found. Unlike the conventional planar curve segments matching algorithm, this paper presents a weakly calibrated binocular stereo vision system which is based on wide baseline. The stamped points are obtained by targets detecting method of flying objects from image sequences. Due to wide baseline, there must exist the projection not in epipolar monotonic order or the curve segments located in very short distance and keeping the epipolar monotonic order. By using the method mentioned above, experiments are made to match planar curve segments not only in epipolar monotonic order but also not in epipolar monotonic order. The results show that the performance of our curve matching algorithm is effective for matching the arc-like planar trajectories composed of time stamped points.

Quantitative Assessment of Coronary Flow Reserve by the Variables of Time-Intensity Curve with Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography

The reliability and reliable indexes of q ua ntitative assessment of coronary flow reserve (CFR) by using time intensity cur ve (TIC) via myocardial contrast echocardiography were investigated. The TIC var iables were obtained by employing acoustic densitometry (AD) technique before an d after acetylcholine (Ach) injection in 12 dogs. Meanwhile, the correlation be tween these variables and CFR was analyzed. Among the variables derived from TIC , peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC) and descending slope (DS) were increased significantly ( P <0.05) with the increase of coronary blood flow a fter Ach injection. Conversely, time to peak (TP), half time of descent (HT) , and mean transit time (MTT) were decreased remarkably ( P <0.0001). Th e P I and AUC ratios from post to pre Ach injection were strongly associated with CFR with the correlation coefficient (r) being 0.8366 and 0.8824, respectively. It is reliable by using the variables derived from TIC with myocardial contrast echocardiography to quantitatively evaluate regional myocardial CFR. The PI an d AUC ratios from post to pre Ach injection are the reliable indexes for quan titative assessment of CFR.

The application of breast DCE-MRI combined with time signal curve in diagnosing early breast cancer

Objective： The aim of this study was to investigate the application value of breast dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging combined with time signal curve in diagnosis of early breast cancer. Methods： Conducted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and drew the time signal curves of breast lesions in 60 patients with breast disease （malignant 46, benign 14）. Results： Morphological features of malignant tumors mostly showed blurred or thin spiculate outlines, irregular shape or Iobular signs, signal heterogeneity or peripheral enhancement in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Time signal curve showed type III or II. Morphologic features of benign tumors mostly showed clear edge, regular shape and homogeneous signal, or diffuse spot enhancement. Time signal curve showed type I or II. Conclusion： breast dynamic contrast enhanced scan in MRI can provide morphology and functional diagnosis information of the breast tissues. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI combined with time signal curve can further improve the accuracy of diagnosis of early breast cancer.

Learning curves of robot-assisted pedicle screw fixations based on the cumulative sum test

BACKGROUND In robot-assisted(RA)spine surgery,the relationship between the surgical outcome and the learning curve remains to be evaluated.AIM To analyze the learning curve of RA pedicle screw fixation(PSF)through fitting the operation time curve based on the cumulative summation method.METHODS RA PSFs that were initially completed by two surgeons at the Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from July 2016 to March 2019 were analyzed retrospectively.Based on the cumulative sum of the operation time,the learning curves of the two surgeons were drawn and fit to polynomial curves.The learning curve was divided into the early and late stages according to the shape of the fitted curve.The operation time and screw accuracy were compared between the stages.RESULTS The turning point of the learning curves from Surgeons A and B appeared in the 18th and 17th cases,respectively.The operation time[150(128,188)min vs 120(105,150)min,P=0.002]and the screw accuracy(87.50%vs 96.30%,P=0.026)of RA surgeries performed by Surgeon A were significantly improved after he completed 18 cases.In the case of Surgeon B,the operation time(177.35±28.18 min vs 150.00±34.64 min,P=0.024)was significantly reduced,and the screw accuracy(91.18%vs 96.15%,P=0.475)was slightly improved after the surgeon completed 17 RA surgeries.CONCLUSION After completing 17 to 18 cases of RA PSFs,surgeons can pass the learning phase of RA technology.The operation time is reduced afterward,and the screw accuracy shows a trend of improvement.

Detection and Identification of Six Foodborne Bacteria by Two-tube Multiplex Real Time PCR and Melting Curve Analysis

Objective This study is aimed to develop a two-tube melting curve-based multiplex real time PCR assay （MCMRT-PCR） for the simultaneous detection of six common foodborne pathogenic bacteria （diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and 5higella in tube 1, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Listeria monocytogenes in tube 2）. Methods A two-tube MCMRT-PCR assay was performed on 7900HT Fast Real-Time PCR System {Applied Biosystems, USA）. Amplification by PCR was optimized to obtain high efficiency. The sensitivity and specificity of assays were investigated. Results The detection limit of optimized MCMRT-PCR assay was 3.9x102 CFU/mLfor S. aureus, 4.4x102 CFU/mL for L. monocytogenes, 3.0x102 CFU/mL for Salmonella, 2.5x102 CFU/mL for Shigella, 2.1x102 CFU/mL for V. parahaemolyticus, and 1.2x102 CFU/mL for E. coll. The feasibility of MCMRT-PCR was further evaluated using artificially contaminated milk, the sensitivity was at the level of 10s CFU/mL. Conclusion A two-tube MCMRT-PCR assay using six primer sets was developed for detection of multiple pathogens. Our findings demonstrates that the proposed two-tube assay is reliable, useful and rapid for simultaneous detection of six foodborne pathogenic bacteria with an intended application in provincial Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention （CDC）.

Quantitative Assessment of Right Ventricular Systolic Function by the Analysis of Right Ventricular Contrast Time-intensity Curve

Summary: To study reliability and reliable indices of quantitative assessment of right ventricular systolic function by time-intensity curve (TIC) with right ventricular contrast, 5 % sonicated human albumin was injected intravenously at a does of 0.08 ml/kg into 10 dogs at baseline status and cardiac insufficiency. Apical four-chamber view was observed for washin and washout of contrast agent from right ventricle. The parameters of TIC were obtained by curve fitting. The differences of parameters were analyzed in different states of cardiac functions. Among the parameters derived from TIC, the time constant (k) was decreased significantly with decline of cardiac function (P<0.001). But half-time of decent of peak intensity (HT) and mean-transit-time (MTT) of washout were increased significantly (P<0.001). The k was strongly related to cardiac output of right ventricle (CO) and ejection fraction (EF) of left ventricle and fractional shortening (FS) of left ventricle. Right ventricular systolic function could be assessed reliably by the parameters derived from TIC with right ventricular contrast echocardiography. The k, HT and MTT are reliable indices for quantitative assessment of right ventricular systolic function.

HYPERBOLIC MEAN CURVATURE FLOW:EVOLUTION OF PLANE CURVES

In this paper we investigate the one-dimensional hyperbolic mean curvatureflow for closed plane curves. More precisely, we consider a family of closed curves F ： S1 × [0, T ） → R^2 which satisfies the following evolution equation δ^2F /δt^2 （u, t） = k（u, t）N（u, t）-▽ρ（u, t）, ∨（u, t） ∈ S^1 × [0, T ） with the initial data F （u, 0） = F0（u） and δF/δt （u, 0） = f（u）N0, where k is the mean curvature and N is the unit inner normal vector of the plane curve F （u, t）, f（u） and N0 are the initial velocity and the unit inner normal vector of the initial convex closed curve F0, respectively, and ▽ρ is given by ▽ρ Δ=（δ^2F /δsδt ,δF/δt） T , in which T stands for the unit tangent vector. The above problem is an initial value problem for a system of partial differential equations for F , it can be completely reduced to an initial value problem for a single partial differential equation for its support function. The latter equation is a hyperbolic Monge-Ampere equation. Based on this, we show that there exists a class of initial velocities such that the solution of the above initial value problem exists only at a finite time interval [0, Tmax） and when t goes to Tmax, either the solution convergesto a point or shocks and other propagating discontinuities are generated. Furthermore, we also consider the hyperbolic mean curvature flow with the dissipative terms and obtain the similar equations about the support functions and the curvature of the curve. In the end, we discuss the close relationship between the hyperbolic mean curvature flow and the equations for the evolving relativistic string in the Minkowski space-time R^1,1.

Theoretical Model for Calculating Electric-Power Curves Depicting Accelerated Flyer by Exploding Foil

A theoretical model for calculating electric-power curves of small-size foil during its electrical explosion is given.This technique is based on temperature dependence of foil conductivity.After taking into account the energy conversion of the foil explosion,the power-time curve is applied to the hydrodynamic code.One-dimensional numerical simulations of electric-explosion driving flyers are performed using this code.Calculated flyer velocities lie within ±8% of experimental data from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory （LLNL）,and simulated history curves of flyer velocities coincide well with those measured using velocity interferometer system for any reflector （VISAR）,indicating a helpful work for design optimization of slapper detonators.

Subsurface 1-distance of the Handlebody

For a handlebody H w ith dH = 5, let F belong S be an essential connected subsurface of S. Let C（S） be the curve complex of S, AC（F） be the arc and curve complex of F , D（H） belong C（S） be the disk complex of H and πf（D （H ） ） belong AC（F） be the image of D （H） in AC （F）. We introduce the definition of subsurface 1-distance between the 1-simplices of AC（F） and show that under some hypothesis, πF（D（H） ） comes within subsurface 1-distance at most 4 of every 1-simplex of AC （F）.

Conformal Multi-resolution Time-Domain Method for Scattering Curved Dielectric Objects

A conformal multi-resolution time-domain( CMRTD) method is presented for modeling curved objects. The effective dielectric constant and area weighting are used to derive the update equations of CMRTD. The backward scattering bistatic radar cross sections( RCS) of the dielectric cylinder and ellipsoid are used to validate the proposed method. The results show that the proposed conformal method is more accurate to deal with the complex curved objects in electromagnetic simulations.

Preliminary Clinical Study of Real-time Three-dimensional Echo-cardiographic Volume-time Curve in Evaluating Left Ventricular Diastolic Function

The volume-time curve change in patients with normal left ventricular （LV） diastolic function and diastolic dysfunction was evaluated by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography （RT3DE）. LV diastolic dysfunction was defined by E＇〈A＇ in pulse-wave tissue Doppler for inter-ventricular septal （IVS） of mitral annulus. In 24 patients with LV diastolic dysfunction, including 12 patients with delayed relaxation （delayed relaxation group） and 12 patients with pseudo-normal function （pseudo-normal group） and 24 normal volunteers （control group）, data of full-volume image were acquired by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography and subjected to volume-time curve analysis. EDV （end-diastolic volume）, ESV （end-systolic volume）, LVEF （left ventricular ejection fraction）, PER （peak ejection rate）, PFR （peak filling rate） from RT3DE were examined in the three groups. Compared to the control group, PFR （diastolic filling index of RT3DE） was significantly reduced in the delayed relaxation group and pseudo-normal group （P〈0.05）. There were no significant differences in EDV, ESV, LVEE PER （P〉0.05）. It is concluded that PFR, as a diastolic filling index of RT3DE, can reflect the early diastolic function and serve as a new non-invasive, quick and accurate tool for clinical assessment of LV diastolic function.

Time-Dependent Flow with Convective Heat Transfer through a Curved Square Duct with Large Pressure Gradient

A numerical study is presented for the fully developed two-dimensional laminar flow of viscous incompressible fluid through a curved square duct for the constant curvature δ = 0.1. In this paper, a spectral-based computational algorithm is employed as the principal tool for the simulations, while a Chebyshev polynomial and collocation method as secondary tools. Numerical calculations are carried out over a wide range of the pressure gradient parameter, the Dean number, 100 ≤ Dn ≤ 3000 for the Grashof number, Gr, ranging from 100 to 2000. The outer wall of the duct is treated heated while the inner wall cooled, the top and bottom walls being adiabatic. The main concern of the present study is to find out the unsteady flow behavior i.e. whether the unsteady flow is steady-state, periodic, multi-periodic or chaotic, if Dn or Gr is increased. It is found that the unsteady flow is periodic for Dn = 1000 at Gr = 100 and 500 and at Dn = 2000, Gr = 2000 but steady-state otherwise. It is also found that for large values of Dn, for example Dn = 3000, the unsteady flow undergoes in the scenario “periodic→chaotic→periodic”, if Gr is increased. Typical contours of secondary flow patterns and temperature profiles are also obtained, and it is found that the unsteady flow consists of single-, two-, three- and four-vortex solutions. The present study also shows that there is a strong interaction between the heating-induced buoyancy force and the centrifugal force in a curved square passage that stimulates fluid mixing and consequently enhance heat transfer in the fluid.

Finite-difference time-domain modeling of curved material interfaces by using boundary condition equations method

To deal with the staircase approximation problem in the standard finite-difference time-domain（FDTD） simulation,the two-dimensional boundary condition equations（BCE） method is proposed in this paper.In the BCE method,the standard FDTD algorithm can be used as usual,and the curved surface is treated by adding the boundary condition equations.Thus,while maintaining the simplicity and computational efficiency of the standard FDTD algorithm,the BCE method can solve the staircase approximation problem.The BCE method is validated by analyzing near field and far field scattering properties of the PEC and dielectric cylinders.The results show that the BCE method can maintain a second-order accuracy by eliminating the staircase approximation errors.Moreover,the results of the BCE method show good accuracy for cylinder scattering cases with different permittivities.

比较浓度-时间曲线下面积与谷浓度指导万古霉素治疗重症患者的临床随机对照研究

目的探讨浓度-时间曲线下面积和谷浓度指导万古霉素治疗重症患者的临床安全性和疗效差异。方法入选2021年1月至2023年12月收住兰州大学第二医院重症医学科因革兰阳性菌感染且经医师确认需使用万古霉素治疗的患者,经纳排标准筛选后,采用随机数字表法将入选患者分为两组进行前瞻性、随机、单盲对照研究,对照组以万古霉素谷浓度10~20 mg/L为目标靶值,观察组以万古霉素浓度-时间曲线下面积400~600 mg·h/L为目标靶值。经过监测,最终对照组77例、观察组79例符合目标靶值范围并进行相关统计学分析与比较。结果观察组万古霉素相关急性肾损伤(AKI)发生率明显低于对照组(P=0.002),两组临床疗效及总治疗时间差异无统计学意义。根据多因素Logistic回归分析显示,谷浓度(OR=1.021,95%CI 1.019~1.577,P=0.033)及急性生理学和慢性健康状况评价Ⅱ(APACHEⅡ)评分(OR=1.189,95%CI 1.055~1.339,P=0.004)是万古霉素相关AKI独立危险因素,采样总数量(OR=0.476,95%CI 0.247~0.917,P=0.000)是临床转归独立危险因素。对谷浓度与万古霉素相关AKI进行受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线分析,谷浓度预测万古霉素相关AKI临界值为15.65 mg/L,敏感度为0.786,特异度为0.697,ROC曲线下面积为0.727。结论基于浓度-时间曲线下面积为目标靶值的药物监测方法,可以减少万古霉素相关AKI发生,但临床疗效无差别。

聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯的动态黏弹性能

对聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)进行不同频率下的温度扫描试验和不同温度下的频率扫描试验,得到PET材料的玻璃化转变温度及动态黏弹性参数随测试温度、频率的变化特性。根据时间-温度等效原理构建出宽广频域的PET动态黏弹性主曲线,得到相应的移位因子,利用WLF方程对温度移位因子进行拟合,拟合结果与试验结果吻合较好。此外,研究表明,PET损耗模量主曲线和损耗因子主曲线均呈现明显的峰值,且峰值两边具有非对称性,因此,引入改进的分数阶Zener模型(mFDZ)对PET的动态黏弹性试验主曲线进行综合分析,通过建立合适的目标函数,基于Matlab平台对mFDZ模型进行参数识别,得到了统一的模型参数值。根据得到模型参数计算的mFDZ模型曲线与PET黏弹性试验主曲线、非对称的Cole-Cole曲线及Wicket曲线均吻合良好,这表明,mFDZ模型能较好地描述PET材料动态黏弹性的非对称性,可适用于描述PET材料在宽广频域内的动态黏弹性能。

地铁钢轨波磨对车辆-轨道振动及噪声特性的影响

钢轨波磨作为地铁线路中最为常见的轨道损伤问题之一,始终未得到根本性的解决。为研究不同轨道结构形式产生钢轨波磨后车辆内部振动噪声以及轨道结构振动的时频域特性,探究钢轨波磨对车辆和轨道的影响,对某地铁线路进行现场动静态测试,获取了钢轨波磨激励下车辆内部的振动和噪声响应以及轨道各部件的振动响应,使用时域指标统计、1/3倍频程谱分析等方法分析轨道振动响应特征和车内振动及噪声响应特征。结果表明:在小半径曲线地段,浮置板轨道产生了特征波长约为200 mm的钢轨波磨,整体道床轨道产生了特征波长约为60 mm的钢轨波磨;浮置板轨道的钢轨、道床板、隧道壁振动加速度有效值分别是整体道床的1.8、5.8倍及0.3倍;钢轨波磨对轨道振动的影响主要体现在中高频范围,在300~400 Hz附近,浮置板轨道振级从钢轨至隧道壁共衰减66 d B,而整体道床共衰减49 d B;列车通过测试区域时,转向架上方与客室中部垂、纵向振动加速度有效值基本一致,而客室中部横向振动加速度有效值约为转向架上方的2倍;车内转向架位置处的异常振动主要来源于钢轨波磨的激励,且短波长波磨所激励的车内振动及噪声更加剧烈。因此,地铁钢轨波磨产生后在轨道及车辆的振动噪声响应中均占主要成分,应及时对钢轨进行打磨处理,研究结果可为地铁工务维修提供理论指导。

基于动作时限曲线拟合思想的含DG型配电网后备保护新方法

分布式电源(distributed generation,DG)的接入可能会改变电力系统的短路电流特性,从而影响到反时限过流保护的选择性和配合关系。为此,提出一种基于动作时限曲线拟合思想的含DG型配电网后备保护新方法。从配电网主保护和后备保护的动作时间差入手,建立曲线拟合模型,并运用梯度下降法对反时限过流保护的动作时限曲线进行优化。通过在优化整定计算中考虑保护的选择性以及DG接入所带来的影响,使优化参数适用于配电网中各分段位置。然后,在配电网中设置两相、三相短路故障,并根据故障位置、类型进行整定参数再调整,最终得到参数的全局最优解。基于PSCAD/EMTDC仿真软件进行仿真分析,验证了所提方法的有效性和实用性。