Sample records for everyday thinking pet

  1. Learning Pedagogy in Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harlow, Danielle B.; Swanson, Lauren H.; Dwyer, Hilary A.; Bianchini, Julie A.

    2010-10-01

    We report on an adapted version of the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum. A unique aspect of PET is its inclusion of special activities that focus on Learning about Learning (LAL) in which undergraduates analyze videos of children talking about science and explicitly consider the nature of science. To create a course that intentionally linked science content, children's ideas, and strategies for science instruction, we augmented the existing LAL activities with discussions about teaching, and added activities focused on LAL from companion curricula such as Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (PSET) and Learning Physical Science (LEPS). To compensate for the additional time on LAL, we reduced the content activities to only those that directly supported LAL activities. We found that students made significant gains on the CLASS and expressed beliefs about teaching consistent with the PET pedagogy.

  2. Critical classroom structures for empowering students to participate in science discourse

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belleau, Shelly N.; Otero, Valerie K.

    2013-01-01

    We compared contextual characteristics that impacted the nature and substance of "summarizing discussions" in a physics and a chemistry classroom in an Hispanic-serving urban high school. Specifically, we evaluated structural components of curricula and classrooms necessary to develop a culture of critical inquiry. Using the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum in the physics course, we found that students demonstrated critical thinking, critical evaluation, and used laboratory evidence to support ideas in whole-class summarizing discussions. We then implemented a model similar to PET in the chemistry course. However, chemistry students' statements lacked evidence, opposition and critical evaluation, and required greater teacher facilitation. We hypothesize that the designed laboratories and the research basis of PET influenced the extent to which physics students verbalized substantive scientific thought, authentic appeals to evidence, and a sense of empowerment to participate in the classroom scientific community.

  3. An Investigation of How a Physics Professional Development Course Influenced the Teaching Practices of Five Elementary School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harlow, Danielle B.

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports the results of an investigation of how a professional development content course based on the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum affected the teaching practices of five case study elementary school teachers. The findings of this study highlight different ways that teachers use what they learn in content courses to…

  4. An Investigation of How a Physics Professional Development Course Influenced the Teaching Practices of Five Elementary School Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harlow, Danielle B.

    2014-02-01

    This paper reports the results of an investigation of how a professional development content course based on the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum affected the teaching practices of five case study elementary school teachers. The findings of this study highlight different ways that teachers use what they learn in content courses to teach science to elementary children. While some teachers transferred pedagogical practices along with the content, others transformed the content to be useful in already existing pedagogical frameworks, and still others show little or no evidence of transfer. The range of transfer is explained by considering how each teacher interacted with the learning context (the PET curriculum) and their initial ideas about teaching science.

  5. Promoting Children's Understanding And Interest In Science Through Informal Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartley, Jessica E.; Mayhew, Laurel M.; Finkelstein, Noah D.

    2009-11-01

    We present results from the University of Colorado's Partnership for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC) in which university participants work in afterschool programs on inquiry-based activities with primary school children from populations typically under represented in science. This university-community partnership is designed to positively impact youth, university students, and the institutions that support them while improving children's attitudes towards and understanding of science. Children worked through circuit activities adapted from the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum and demonstrated increased understanding of content area as well as favorable beliefs about science.

  6. Creativity, Overinclusion, and Everyday Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ottemiller, Dylan D.; Elliott, Colette Seter; Giovannetti, Tania

    2014-01-01

    This study examined relations between creative thinking and performance on routine, everyday tasks. Results were considered in light of past research on the putative relation between creativity and schizophrenia/psychotic thinking. Thirty healthy undergraduates completed the Alternative Uses Task, a measure of divergent thinking, and the 2 × 3…

  7. Beyond Logic and Argument Analysis: Critical Thinking, Everyday Problems and Democratic Deliberation in Cambridge International Examinations' Thinking Skills Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lim, Leonel

    2011-01-01

    It is widely held that, by teaching individuals how to reason through and analyse everyday problems, the teaching of critical thinking develops the deliberative capacities essential to the healthy functioning of democracy. Implicit in this view is the assumption that a certain commensurability exists between the problems presented in such…

  8. Creature comforts: personal communities, pets and the work of managing a long-term condition.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Helen L; Rogers, Anne; Kapadia, Dharmi; Pilgrim, Jack; Reeves, David; Vassilev, Ivaylo

    2013-06-01

    To explore in the context of peoples' personal social networks, the contribution that pets make to 'the work' associated with the management of long-term conditions. Mixed methods survey with nested parallel qualitative study; 300 participants were drawn from diabetes and chronic heart disease registers of General Practices across Greater Manchester in the North West of England. Notions of 'work' were used to describe the illness and everyday activities associated with chronic illness. Nineteen percent of participants identified at least one pet within their network. Pets contributed mostly to managing emotions (emotional work), to enhancing a sense of self identity (biographical work) and to a lesser extent practical tasks (everyday work). There were indicators that pets mediated relationships for people living with a long-term condition through very weak ties with others in domestic and community settings. The findings suggest that pets have unique qualities and are not simply substitutes for human relationships in long-term condition management. The study has potential implications for furthering a social contextual analysis of chronic illness, the understanding of relationships, and the meaning and the role of companion animals in long-term condition management.

  9. Creature comforts: personal communities, pets and the work of managing a long-term condition

    PubMed Central

    Brooks, Helen L; Rogers, Anne; Kapadia, Dharmi; Pilgrim, Jack; Reeves, David; Vassilev, Ivaylo

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: To explore in the context of peoples’ personal social networks, the contribution that pets make to ‘the work’ associated with the management of long-term conditions. Method: Mixed methods survey with nested parallel qualitative study; 300 participants were drawn from diabetes and chronic heart disease registers of General Practices across Greater Manchester in the North West of England. Notions of ‘work’ were used to describe the illness and everyday activities associated with chronic illness. Results: Nineteen percent of participants identified at least one pet within their network. Pets contributed mostly to managing emotions (emotional work), to enhancing a sense of self identity (biographical work) and to a lesser extent practical tasks (everyday work). There were indicators that pets mediated relationships for people living with a long-term condition through very weak ties with others in domestic and community settings. Conclusion: The findings suggest that pets have unique qualities and are not simply substitutes for human relationships in long-term condition management. The study has potential implications for furthering a social contextual analysis of chronic illness, the understanding of relationships, and the meaning and the role of companion animals in long-term condition management. PMID:22777565

  10. Assessment of Undergraduates' Real-World Outcomes of Critical Thinking in Everyday Situations.

    PubMed

    Franco, Amanda R; Costa, Patrício S; Butler, Heather A; Almeida, Leandro S

    2017-01-01

    Critical thinking is a kind of "good" thinking that integrates a set of cognitive skills and dispositions to use those skills with knowledge to increase the chances of success in academic settings, job market, and daily life. The impact of critical thinking on life events, in face of everyday decisions and challenges, is still unclear, and further research is needed. In this exploratory study, a sample of 230 first-year students of a Bachelor's Degree or a Master's Degree in Portugal completed an experimental Portuguese version of the Real-World Outcomes, a self-report inventory measuring everyday negative life events that are mediated by a lack of critical thinking. Based on exploratory factor analysis results and theoretical premises, changes were made to the Portuguese version of the inventory that was administered, and items were aggregated into six dimensions, creating a new version that is more familiar to Portuguese young adults in college. This original proposal of the inventory presents six types of negative life events resulting from a lack of critical thinking: health neglect, mismanagement, slackness, poor impulse control, academic negligence, and rashness. Both limitations and future potentialities of this version are presented.

  11. Pet Health

    MedlinePlus

    ... Before getting a pet, think carefully about which animal is best for your family. What is each ... Does anyone have pet allergies? What type of animal suits your lifestyle and budget? Once you own ...

  12. Raising a Thinking Child: Help Your Young Child To Resolve Everyday Conflicts and Get Along with Others. First Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shure, Myrna B.; DiGeronimo, Theresa Foy

    Based upon the principles of "I Can Problem Solve" (ICPS), this books offers parents dialogues, activities, and communication techniques to teach their children how to resolve day-to-day conflicts with friends, teachers, and family members. The book provides parents with tools to teach their children how to think about everyday problems and…

  13. Using 'How People Learn' as a Blueprint for Developing Teaching Strategies in an Introductory Geology Course

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Debari, S. M.; Bachmann, J.; Dougan, B.; Fackler-Adams, B.; Kratz, R.; Linneman, S.; Plake, T.; Smith, B.

    2008-12-01

    A new curriculum for an introductory geology course, Geology and Everyday Thinking (GET), incorporates the key research findings of How People Learn (NAS, 1999), and is based on the pedagogical approach of Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET; http://petproject.sdsu.edu/). These key findings have profound implications for developing teaching strategies that promote student learning. They suggest that for learning to occur: 1) students' preconceptions must be engaged, 2) students must be able to build their own conceptual framework, and 3) students must be given an opportunity to reflect on their learning (metacognition). Our curriculum has been carefully constructed into cycles that apply these key findings while exploring a key geologic concept. Each cycle engages students' 'Initial Ideas' about these concepts (and continuously revisits those Initial Ideas), sequentially builds upon concepts in a logical framework, and requires reflective writing. The curriculum employs questioning, small group work, and small and large class discussions. Students construct concepts by doing inquiry lab activities, but embedded group discussions that promote discourse and questioning among students is a crucial tool in the sense-making and solidification of those concepts. The questioning and discourse occur throughout each module so that students' preconceptions about a particular concept are brought out early on, and are revisited and challenged again as students construct their new understanding. Whiteboarding, or the process of sharing small-group ideas to a larger group, is the primary method of generating discussion. The instructor's role as facilitator and questioner is the cornerstone in this process. The primary audience for this course is future elementary teachers, who are required take a year-long science sequence. The year-long sequence includes physics (PET), geology (GET), and a correlative new curriculum in biology (BET). Class size is limited to 24 students, and the sequence is taught at a 4-year university as well as at four regional feeder community colleges. These courses model an inquiry-based teaching methodology that our pre-service teachers will use to teach science to their future students. Both quantitative and qualitative assessment data collected from our students show impressive gains both in attitudes about science and science content, especially compared to larger lecture-based introductory courses.

  14. Subclinical delusional ideation and a self-reference bias in everyday reasoning.

    PubMed

    Galbraith, Niall; Manktelow, Ken; Morris, Neil

    2008-02-01

    Previous studies (e.g. Moller & Husby, 2000; Blackwood et al., 2004) have revealed that delusional thinking is accompanied by an exaggerated focus upon the self and upon stimuli that are perceived to be related to the self. The objective was to examine whether those high in subclinical delusional ideation exhibit a heightened tendency for self-reference. Using a mixed design, healthy individuals, classified into high- and low-scoring groups on the Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (Peters, Day, & Garety, 1996), were compared on everyday reasoning tasks across three experiments. High-PDI scorers, in contrast to the low-PDI group, rated self-referent objections to everyday arguments as stronger than other-referent objections and formulated more self-referent assertion-based objections to everyday arguments. The findings support the notion that subclinical delusional ideation is linked to a self-reference bias, which is evident in the sort of everyday thinking that people engage in when forming or evaluating their beliefs and which may contribute to delusion formation.

  15. Critical Thinking: The Importance of Teaching.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Strickland, Glen

    Modern society is full of examples of people's inability to employ techniques of critical thinking in everyday situations. Learning to think critically is important because within this complex society, individuals are constantly placed into situations where difficult choices must be made. An ability to analyze critically available alternatives…

  16. Play with online virtual pets as a method to improve mirror neuron and real world functioning in autistic children.

    PubMed

    Altschuler, Eric Lewin

    2008-01-01

    Autism is a severe disease with no known cause and no cure or treatment. Recently, ourselves and subsequently others found that so-called "mirror neurons" - neurons that respond not only when a person moves, but upon observation of movement in another - are dysfunctional in autistic children. Here I suggest an easy, simple, inexpensive and fun method to improve mirror neuron functioning in autistic children, increase appreciation in autistic children for the theory of mind and thinking of others, and most importantly hopefully to improve real world functioning: play with virtual online pets that are the "embodiment" of a stuffed animal the child has. Adoption and then care and play with online pets forces, in a fun way, one to think about the world through the eyes and needs of the pet. A simple method to test this play with online virtual pet therapy is described.

  17. Foundations of Children's Self-Concepts about Everyday Activities: Identities and Comparative Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fisher, Laurel

    2014-01-01

    Children's motivations to engage in everyday activities draw on their experiences in thinking of oneself and the activities. In theory, these personal and social realities provide the complex foundations of self-concepts. The aim of this project was to define the foundations of children's self-concepts about everyday activities; to focus…

  18. How Babies Think

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bachleda, Amelia R.; Thompson, Ross A.

    2018-01-01

    Babies think differently than adults, and understanding how they think can help us see their explosive brain growth in everyday behavior. Infants learn language faster than adults do, use statistics to understand how the world works, and even reason about the minds of others. But these achievements can be hidden by their poor self-regulatory…

  19. Teaching Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Science Courses.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hager, Paul; Sleet, Ray; Logan, Peter; Hooper, Mal

    2003-01-01

    Explains the design and evaluation of a project aimed at fostering the critical thinking abilities and dispositions of first year students at an Australian university. Most of the tasks relate to applications of chemistry and physics in everyday life. Many students revealed that their thinking skills were enhanced by their experience in attempting…

  20. A teaching-learning sequence about weather map reading

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mandrikas, Achilleas; Stavrou, Dimitrios; Skordoulis, Constantine

    2017-07-01

    In this paper a teaching-learning sequence (TLS) introducing pre-service elementary teachers (PET) to weather map reading, with emphasis on wind assignment, is presented. The TLS includes activities about recognition of wind symbols, assignment of wind direction and wind speed on a weather map and identification of wind characteristics in a weather forecast. Sixty PET capabilities and difficulties in understanding weather maps were investigated, using inquiry-based learning activities. The results show that most PET became more capable of reading weather maps and assigning wind direction and speed on them. Our results also show that PET could be guided to understand meteorology concepts useful in everyday life and in teaching their future students.

  1. Switching between Everyday and Scientific Language

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blown, Eric J.; Bryce, Tom G. K.

    2017-01-01

    The research reported here investigated the everyday and scientific repertoires of children involved in semi-structured, Piagetian interviews carried out to check their understanding of dynamic astronomical concepts like daytime and night-time. It focused on the switching taking place between embedded and disembedded thinking; on the imagery which…

  2. Learning to Think Spatially in an Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Computational Design Context: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ben Youssef, Belgacem; Berry, Barbara

    2012-01-01

    Spatial thinking skills are vital for success in everyday living and work, not to mention the centrality of spatial reasoning in scientific discoveries, design-based disciplines, medicine, geosciences and mathematics to name a few. This case study describes a course in spatial thinking and communicating designed and delivered by an…

  3. Friends with benefits: on the positive consequences of pet ownership.

    PubMed

    McConnell, Allen R; Brown, Christina M; Shoda, Tonya M; Stayton, Laura E; Martin, Colleen E

    2011-12-01

    Social support is critical for psychological and physical well-being, reflecting the centrality of belongingness in our lives. Human interactions often provide people with considerable social support, but can pets also fulfill one's social needs? Although there is correlational evidence that pets may help individuals facing significant life stressors, little is known about the well-being benefits of pets for everyday people. Study 1 found in a community sample that pet owners fared better on several well-being (e.g., greater self-esteem, more exercise) and individual-difference (e.g., greater conscientiousness, less fearful attachment) measures. Study 2 assessed a different community sample and found that owners enjoyed better well-being when their pets fulfilled social needs better, and the support that pets provided complemented rather than competed with human sources. Finally, Study 3 brought pet owners into the laboratory and experimentally demonstrated the ability of pets to stave off negativity caused by social rejection. In summary, pets can serve as important sources of social support, providing many positive psychological and physical benefits for their owners.

  4. Dialectics and Operatory Thinking. A Commentary on 'Youniss Operations' and Everyday Thinking. A Commentary on 'Dialectical Operations'

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wozniak, R. H.

    1974-01-01

    A criticism of Youniss' (1975) dialectical conception of Piaget's figurative-operative distinction. It is suggested that the figurative-operative distinction does not meet the criteria for a subject-object dialectic. (JMB)

  5. What Do "Ode to Joy," the Nobel Peace Prize, Umbrellas and Cartoons Have in Common? Why Critical Thinking Matters and How Higher Education Moulds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franco, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    Critical thinking is the kind of 'good' thinking used in everyday life to increase the chances of success. A critical thinker combines skill and will when working the odds in one's advantage. Nevertheless, thinking is very often far from rational. Since people are built to believe, since living is all about choosing and since education liberates,…

  6. Selecting and Designing Questions to Facilitate Spatial Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jo, Injeong; Bednarz, Sarah; Metoyer, Sandra

    2010-01-01

    One measure of the impact of a new idea in geography education is how well it is incorporated into teachers' everyday practice. "Spatial thinking" is not really a new idea in geography education; spatial analysis has long been one of its core traditions, but the use of the term is novel and only beginning to be widely used. By spatial thinking the…

  7. From Vibration to Vocalization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Merricks, Jessica; Henderson, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    Sound is typically thought of something that is heard. Can it be seen or felt? Most students experience the noises that surround them in everyday life, but few stop to think about what sound is, how it travels, and the biological challenges associated with perceiving sound. Since students are already familiar with everyday sounds, inquiry-based…

  8. Learning in/through Everyday Resistance: A Cultural-Historical Perspective on Community Resources and Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pacheco, Mariana

    2012-01-01

    This essay addresses the value of leveraging the unique learning, thinking, and knowledge students develop in home-community spaces for school curriculum. The author explores "everyday resistance" to highlight a particular set of enacted political actions and practices in which students, families, and communities participate to negotiate the…

  9. Unpacking the Relationship between Science Education and Applied Scientific Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowell, Amanda; Schunn, Christian

    2016-01-01

    Scientific literacy has many meanings: it can be thought of as foundational knowledge, foundational critical thinking skills, or the application of these two foundations to everyday decision making. Here, we examine the far transfer scenario: do increases in science education lead to everyday decision-making becoming more consistent with consensus…

  10. Naturalistic Cognition: A Research Paradigm for Human-Centered Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Storkerson, Peter

    2010-01-01

    Naturalistic thinking and knowing, the tacit, experiential, and intuitive reasoning of everyday interaction, have long been regarded as inferior to formal reason and labeled primitive, fallible, subjective, superstitious, and in some cases ineffable. But, naturalistic thinking is more rational and definable than it appears. It is also relevant to…

  11. Situative Creativity: Larger Physical Spaces Facilitate Thinking of Novel Uses for Everyday Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chan, Joel; Nokes-Malach, Timothy J.

    2016-01-01

    People often use spatial metaphors (e.g., think "laterally," "outside the box") to describe exploration of the problem space during creative problem solving. In this paper, we probe the potential cognitive underpinnings of these spatial metaphors. Drawing on theories of situative cognition, semantic foraging theory, and…

  12. Everyday Maths through Everyday Provision: Developing Opportunities for Mathematics in the Early Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bennett, Elaine; Weidner, Jenny

    2011-01-01

    Children are born naturally mathematical, so why is it sometimes so difficult to observe children being mathematical? Why do so many of us think we are "bad" at maths and how does this subconsciously affect the provision, experiences and opportunities we provide for young children who are starting their mathematical learning journey? This easily…

  13. "Small Science": Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Science in Everyday Family Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sikder, Shukla; Fleer, Marilyn

    2015-01-01

    Vygotsky (1987) stated that the restructured form of everyday concepts learned at home and in the community interact with scientific concepts introduced in formal school settings, leading to a higher level of scientific thinking for school-aged children. But, what does this mean for the scientific learning of infants and toddlers? What kinds of…

  14. Poison Ivy Rash

    MedlinePlus

    ... Poison ivy rash is a type of allergic contact dermatitis caused by an oily resin called urushiol. It's ... so can help reduce the severity of the rash. If you think your pet may be ... think you've come into contact with poison ivy, wash your clothing promptly with ...

  15. Thinking Comprehensively about Education: Spaces of Educative Possibility and Their Implications for Public Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dixon-Roman, Ezekiel, Ed.; Gordon, Edmund W., Ed.

    2012-01-01

    While much is known about the critical importance of educative experiences outside of school, little is known about the social systems, community programs, and everyday practices that can facilitate learning outside of the classroom. "Thinking Comprehensively About Education" sheds much-needed light on those systems, programs, and…

  16. Learning to Think Critically.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Social Studies Project.

    Having a twofold purpose, this booklet serves as an instructional guide for teachers and as a text for junior high students. Emphasis is upon students learning to think reflectively about major issues facing a Democratic society and to analyze various claims that they read and hear everyday in the world around them. An objective of the study is to…

  17. Creative and Critical Thinking Skills in Problem-Based Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Birgili, Bengi

    2015-01-01

    Creative and critical thinking skills are the abilities, which can sometimes be used interchangeably in definition. In fact, they have different constructs because they differentiate in outcome of human behaviours. Also one of today's requirements is that individuals should approach everyday problems by using both competences. So, one of the…

  18. Thinking Skills and Propaganda Detection.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price, John L.; Mann, George

    This paper points out that one of the most appropriate and needed areas in which students should engage in critical thinking is in their everyday responses to messages aimed at them in attempts to persuade and convince them to buy or believe something. Ten commonly used tactics noted in the media are described. Examples are given of slanted or…

  19. Investigating Elementary Teachers' Thinking about and Learning to Notice Students' Science Ideas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luna, Melissa Jo

    2013-01-01

    Children naturally use observations and everyday thinking to construct explanations as to why phenomena happen in the world. Science instruction can benefit by starting with these ideas to help children build coherent scientific understandings of how the physical world works. To do so, science teaching must involve attending to students'…

  20. A Vermont Perspective. From Factoids to Fairy Dust: Cultivating the Enlightened Imagination in an Age of High Stakes Accountability.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kemple, Martin T.

    2000-01-01

    Nonlinear imagination-based thinking draws on intuition to allow insight into the unseen realms that govern everyday life. Largely abandoned by Western education in favor of materialist rationalism, this faculty is being promoted by a sustainability center in Montpelier (Vermont) that demonstrates methods of harmonizing thinking, learning, and…

  1. "Sliders" Android Game - Improving Logical Skills of People with Disabilities.

    PubMed

    Guzsvinecz, Tibor; Koszegi-Vigh, David; Szucs, Veronika; Sik Lanyi, Cecilia

    2017-01-01

    Logic is part of our everyday life. However, there are some cases where people have difficulties using deductive reasoning. The aim of this work is to help people with mild intellectual disability or learning disability to learn the basis of logical thinking. We developed an application on Android operating system to improve logical thinking.

  2. Student Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching Systems Thinking: Effects of Different Interventions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosenkränzer, Frank; Hörsch, Christian; Schuler, Stephan; Riess, Werner

    2017-01-01

    Systems' thinking has become increasingly relevant not only in education for sustainable development but also in everyday life. Even if teachers know the dynamics and complexity of living systems in biology and geography, they might not be able to effectively explain it to students. Teachers need an understanding of systems and their behaviour…

  3. PsychBusters: A Means of Fostering Critical Thinking in the Introductory Course

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blessing, Stephen B.; Blessing, Jennifer S.

    2010-01-01

    We discuss a project given to introductory psychology students that increased their critical thinking regarding psychological findings, such as those that might appear in news reports (e.g., "listening to Mozart makes you smarter") or everyday life (e.g., "birds of a feather flock together"). Relative to students who did not do the project,…

  4. Possibility Thinking and Social Change in Primary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Craft, Anna Rachel; Chappell, Kerry Anne

    2016-01-01

    This paper reviews the nature of possibility thinking (PT) (transformation from what is to what might be, in everyday contexts for children and teachers) and reports on how PT manifested in two English primary schools engaged in social change. It identifies shared characteristics across the schools as well as unique ways in which PT manifested.…

  5. An analysis of narratives to identify critical thinking contexts in psychiatric clinical practice.

    PubMed

    Mun, Mi Suk

    2010-02-01

    The development of students' critical thinking abilities is one of the greatest challenges facing contemporary nursing educators. Nursing educators should know about what kind of contents or situations need critical thinking. The research was undertaken to identify the critical thinking contexts that nursing students confront in psychiatric clinical practices. Students were asked to document their everyday experience. The narratives were analysed and interpreted from the philosophical notion of hermeneutics. Four themes emerged as critical thinking contexts: anxiety, conflict, hyper-awareness, dilemmas. Writing narratives appear to provide opportunities for reflection in addition to facilitating critical thinking and communicative skills in students. Also, for the instructor, students' clinical narratives could provide insight to understand how students are thinking and to share student's personal difficulties.

  6. The continual innovation of commercial PET/CT solutions in nuclear cardiology: Siemens Healthineers.

    PubMed

    Bendriem, Bernard; Reed, Jessie; McCullough, Kathryn; Khan, Mohammad Raza; Smith, Anne M; Thomas, Damita; Long, Misty

    2018-04-10

    Cardiac PET/CT is an evolving, non-invasive imaging modality that impacts patient management in many clinical scenarios. Beyond offering the capability to assess myocardial perfusion, inflammatory cardiac pathologies, and myocardial viability, cardiac PET/CT also allows for the non-invasive quantitative assessment of myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR). Recognizing the need for an enhanced comprehension of coronary physiology, Siemens Healthineers implemented a sophisticated solution for the calculation of MBF and MFR in 2009. As a result, each aspect of their innovative scanner and image-processing technology seamlessly integrates into an efficient, easy-to-use workflow for everyday clinical use that maximizes the number of patients who potentially benefit from this imaging modality.

  7. Shared scientific thinking in everyday parent-child activity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crowley, Kevin; Callanan, Maureen A.; Jipson, Jennifer L.; Galco, Jodi; Topping, Karen; Shrager, Jeff

    2001-11-01

    Current accounts of the development of scientific reasoning focus on individual children's ability to coordinate the collection and evaluation of evidence with the creation of theories to explain the evidence. This observational study of parent-child interactions in a children's museum demonstrated that parents shape and support children's scientific thinking in everyday, nonobligatory activity. When children engaged an exhibit with parents, their exploration of evidence was observed to be longer, broader, and more focused on relevant comparisons than children who engaged the exhibit without their parents. Parents were observed to talk to children about how to select and encode appropriate evidence and how to make direct comparisons between the most informative kinds of evidence. Parents also sometimes assumed the role of explainer by casting children's experience in causal terms, connecting the experience to prior knowledge, or introducing abstract principles. We discuss these findings with respect to two dimensions of children's scientific thinking: developments in evidence collection and developments in theory construction.

  8. Taking Advantage of the Paradigmatic Crisis: Brazilian Everyday Life Studies as a New Epistemological Approach to the Understanding of Teachers' Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Süssekind, Maria Luiza

    2014-01-01

    This article presents an epistemological overview of abyssal thinking and its impact on the field of education, particularly in relation to teachers' work, as it is done and understood. It argues that the clearest expression of abyssal thinking is the hegemony of science which explains two school phenomena: the historical subalternisation of the…

  9. So, You're Thinking about Starting a Ukulele Program?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giebelhausen, Robin

    2016-01-01

    Ukulele has become popular both for music classrooms and for the everyday musician. Within this article, I outline major considerations for teachers who would like to integrate the ukulele into their curriculum.

  10. Public health ethics and a status for pets as person-things : revisiting the place of animals in urbanized societies.

    PubMed

    Rock, Melanie; Degeling, Chris

    2013-12-01

    Within the field of medical ethics, discussions related to public health have mainly concentrated on issues that are closely tied to research and practice involving technologies and professional services, including vaccination, screening, and insurance coverage. Broader determinants of population health have received less attention, although this situation is rapidly changing. Against this backdrop, our specific contribution to the literature on ethics and law vis-à-vis promoting population health is to open up the ubiquitous presence of pets within cities and towns for further discussion. An expanding body of research suggests that pet animals are deeply relevant to people's health (negatively and positively). Pet bylaws adopted by town and city councils have largely escaped notice, yet they are meaningful to consider in relation to everyday practices, social norms, and cultural values, and thus in relation to population health. Nevertheless, not least because they pivot on defining pets as private property belonging to individual people, pet bylaws raise emotionally charged ethical issues that have yet to be tackled in any of the health research on pet ownership. The literature in moral philosophy on animals is vast, and we do not claim to advance this field here. Rather, we pragmatically seek to reconcile philosophical objections to pet ownership with both animal welfare and public health. In doing so, we foreground theorizations of personhood and property from sociocultural anthropology.

  11. Experience and Distribution of Attention: Pet Exposure and Infants' Scanning of Animal Images

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurley, Karinna B.; Oakes, Lisa M.

    2015-01-01

    Although infants' cognitions about the world must be influenced by experience, little research has directly assessed the relation between everyday experience and infants' visual cognition in the laboratory. Eye-tracking procedures were used to measure 4-month-old infants' eye movements as they visually investigated a series of…

  12. Small Talk: Children's Everyday `Molecule' Ideas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jakab, Cheryl

    2013-08-01

    This paper reports on 6-11-year-old children's `sayings and doings' (Harré 2002) as they explore molecule artefacts in dialectical-interactive teaching interviews (Fleer, Cultural Studies of Science Education 3:781-786, 2008; Hedegaard et al. 2008). This sociocultural study was designed to explore children's everyday awareness of and meaning-making with cultural molecular artefacts. Our everyday world is populated with an ever increasing range of molecular or nanoworld words, symbols, images, and games. What do children today say about these artefacts that are used to represent molecular world entities? What are the material and social resources that can influence a child's everyday and developing scientific ideas about `molecules'? How do children interact with these cognitive tools when given expert assistance? What meaning-making is afforded when children are socially and materially assisted in using molecular tools in early chemical and nanoworld thinking? Tool-dependent discursive studies show that provision of cultural artefacts can assist and direct developmental thinking across many domains of science (Schoultz et al., Human Development 44:103-118, 2001; Siegal 2008). Young children's use of molecular artefacts as cognitive tools has not received much attention to date (Jakab 2009a, b). This study shows 6-11-year-old children expressing everyday ideas of molecular artefacts and raising their own questions about the artefacts. They are seen beginning to domesticate (Erneling 2010) the words, symbols, and images to their own purposes when given the opportunity to interact with such artefacts in supported activity. Discursive analysis supports the notion that using `molecules' as cultural tools can help young children to begin `putting on molecular spectacles' (Kind 2004). Playing with an interactive game (ICT) is shown to be particularly helpful in assisting children's early meaning-making with representations of molecules, atoms, and their chemical symbols.

  13. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

    MedlinePlus

    ... and abnormal cells based on metabolic activity a gallium scan, if the doctor thinks a PET might ... option. In this test, a radioactive material called gallium is injected into the body to help show ...

  14. Illusions of causality: how they bias our everyday thinking and how they could be reduced.

    PubMed

    Matute, Helena; Blanco, Fernando; Yarritu, Ion; Díaz-Lago, Marcos; Vadillo, Miguel A; Barberia, Itxaso

    2015-01-01

    Illusions of causality occur when people develop the belief that there is a causal connection between two events that are actually unrelated. Such illusions have been proposed to underlie pseudoscience and superstitious thinking, sometimes leading to disastrous consequences in relation to critical life areas, such as health, finances, and wellbeing. Like optical illusions, they can occur for anyone under well-known conditions. Scientific thinking is the best possible safeguard against them, but it does not come intuitively and needs to be taught. Teaching how to think scientifically should benefit from better understanding of the illusion of causality. In this article, we review experiments that our group has conducted on the illusion of causality during the last 20 years. We discuss how research on the illusion of causality can contribute to the teaching of scientific thinking and how scientific thinking can reduce illusion.

  15. Illusions of causality: how they bias our everyday thinking and how they could be reduced

    PubMed Central

    Matute, Helena; Blanco, Fernando; Yarritu, Ion; Díaz-Lago, Marcos; Vadillo, Miguel A.; Barberia, Itxaso

    2015-01-01

    Illusions of causality occur when people develop the belief that there is a causal connection between two events that are actually unrelated. Such illusions have been proposed to underlie pseudoscience and superstitious thinking, sometimes leading to disastrous consequences in relation to critical life areas, such as health, finances, and wellbeing. Like optical illusions, they can occur for anyone under well-known conditions. Scientific thinking is the best possible safeguard against them, but it does not come intuitively and needs to be taught. Teaching how to think scientifically should benefit from better understanding of the illusion of causality. In this article, we review experiments that our group has conducted on the illusion of causality during the last 20 years. We discuss how research on the illusion of causality can contribute to the teaching of scientific thinking and how scientific thinking can reduce illusion. PMID:26191014

  16. An Observation of the Sluss-Tiller Civil Affairs Culmination Exercise at Freedom Village

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-08-01

    of everyday life. Arab-style modern music filled the air as we walked to meet our “guides” for the day. In addition, smoke from a small fire...Adaptive Thinking and Leadership (ATL) coach, the Special Operations Cognitive Enhancement Program (SOCEP) coach, and a unit psychologist. These...think of your next question while staying engaged? • Self-awareness: Were you able you calm yourself and remain focused? • Brain power ( cognitive

  17. Aesthetic engagements: "being" in everyday life with advanced cancer.

    PubMed

    la Cour, Karen; Hansen, Helle Ploug

    2012-03-01

    Living with advanced cancer can present an overwhelming challenge. It may impact the everyday life of the individual with respect to an array of psychological, physical, social, and existential issues. We focus on ways in which people with advanced cancer experience and use their engagement in daily activities when confronting nearing death. Through a phenomenological analysis based on Heidegger's thinking, we illuminate the complexities of "being toward death" and the human striving for authentic being through engagement in daily living. The main findings demonstrate how sensory experiences support being through an appreciation of everyday aesthetics. Furthermore, the making of material things was identified as a means to express the value of self and others in relation to the involved individual's past, present, and future.

  18. Gesture Facilitates Children's Creative Thinking.

    PubMed

    Kirk, Elizabeth; Lewis, Carine

    2017-02-01

    Gestures help people think and can help problem solvers generate new ideas. We conducted two experiments exploring the self-oriented function of gesture in a novel domain: creative thinking. In Experiment 1, we explored the relationship between children's spontaneous gesture production and their ability to generate novel uses for everyday items (alternative-uses task). There was a significant correlation between children's creative fluency and their gesture production, and the majority of children's gestures depicted an action on the target object. Restricting children from gesturing did not significantly reduce their fluency, however. In Experiment 2, we encouraged children to gesture, and this significantly boosted their generation of creative ideas. These findings demonstrate that gestures serve an important self-oriented function and can assist creative thinking.

  19. Young Children's Mathematics References during Free Play in Family Childcare Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hendershot, Shawnee M.; Berghout Austin, Ann M.; Blevins-Knabe, Belinda; Ota, Carrie

    2016-01-01

    Very little is known about children's discussion of mathematics topics during unstructured play. Ginsburg, Lin, Ness, and Seo [2003. Young American and Chinese children's everyday mathematical activity. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 5(4), 235-258. Retrieved from…

  20. Degradation and depolymerization of plastic waste by local bacterial isolates and bubble column reactor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hussein, Amal A.; Alzuhairi, Mohammed; Aljanabi, Noor H.

    2018-05-01

    Accumulation of plastics, especially Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), is an ever increasing ecological threat due to its excessive usage in everyday human life. Nowadays, there are many methods to get rid of plastic wastes including burning, recycling and burying. However, these methods are not very active since their long period, anaerobic conditions that increase the rate of toxic materials released into the environment. This work aims to study the biological degradation of PET microorganism isolated from soil sample. Thirty eight (38) bacterial isolates were isolated from ten soil and plastic waste sample collected from four different waste disposal sites in Baghdad city during different periods between December 2016 and March 2017. Isolation was performed using enrichment culture method (flasks method) by culturing the soil samples in flasks with MSM medium where there is no carbon source only PET. Results showed that Al-Za'farania sample gave a higher number of isolates (13 isolates), while other samples gave less number of isolates. Screening was performed depending on their ability to grow in liquid MSM which contains PET powder and pieces and change the color of the PET-emulsified liquid medium as well as their ability to form the clear zone on PET-MSM agar. The results showed that NH-D-1 isolate has the higher ability to degrade DPET and PET pieces. According to morphological, biochemical characterization and Vitek-2 technique, the most active isolate was identified as Acinetobacter baumannii.

  1. Creativity meets neuroscience: experimental tasks for the neuroscientific study of creative thinking.

    PubMed

    Fink, Andreas; Benedek, Mathias; Grabner, Roland H; Staudt, Beate; Neubauer, Aljoscha C

    2007-05-01

    The psychometric assessment of different facets of creative abilities as well as the availability of experimental tasks for the neuroscientific study of creative thinking has replaced the view of creativity as an unsearchable trait. In this article we provide a brief overview of contemporary methodologies used for the operationalization of creative thinking in a neuroscientific context. Empirical studies are reported which measured brain activity (by means of EEG, fMRI, NIRS or PET) during the performance of different experimental tasks. These tasks, along with creative idea generation tasks used in our laboratory, constitute useful tools in uncovering possible brain correlates of creative thinking. Nevertheless, much more work is needed in order to establish reliable and valid measures of creative thinking, in particular measures of novelty or originality of creative insights.

  2. Observations in public settings

    Treesearch

    Robert G. Lee

    1977-01-01

    Straightforward observation of children in their everyday environments is a more appropriate method of discovering the meaning of their relationships to nature than complex methodologies or reductionist commonsense thinking. Observational study requires an explicit conceptual framework and adherence to procedures that allow scientific inference. Error may come from...

  3. Effects of episodic future thinking on discounting: Personalized age-progressed pictures improve risky long-term health decisions.

    PubMed

    Kaplan, Brent A; Reed, Derek D; Jarmolowicz, David P

    2016-03-01

    Many everyday choices are associated with both delayed and probabilistic outcomes. The temporal attention hypothesis suggests that individuals' decision making can be improved by focusing attention on temporally distal events and implies that environmental manipulations that bring temporally distal outcomes into focus may alter an individual's degree of discounting. One such manipulation, episodic future thinking, has shown to lower discount rates; however, several questions remain about the applicability of episodic future thinking to domains other than delay discounting. The present experiments examine the effects of a modified episodic-future-thinking procedure in which participants viewed age-progressed computer-generated images of themselves and answered questions related to their future, on probability discounting in the context of both a delayed health gain and loss. Results indicate that modified episodic future thinking effectively altered individuals' degree of discounting in the predicted directions and demonstrate the applicability of episodic future thinking to decision making of socially significant outcomes. © 2015 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

  4. Evolution of Theoretical Perspectives in My Research

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Otero, Valerie K.

    2009-11-01

    Over the past 10 years I have been using socio-cultural theoretical perspectives to understand how people learn physics in a highly interactive, inquiry-based physics course such as Physics and Everyday Thinking [1]. As a result of using various perspectives (e.g. Distributed Cognition and Vygotsky's Theory of Concept Formation), my understanding of how these perspectives can be useful for investigating students' learning processes has changed. In this paper, I illustrate changes in my thinking about the role of socio-cultural perspectives in understanding physics learning and describe elements of my thinking that have remained fairly stable. Finally, I will discuss pitfalls in the use of certain perspectives and discuss areas that need attention in theoretical development for PER.

  5. The place of dignity in everyday ethics.

    PubMed

    O'Mathúna, Dónal P

    2011-01-01

    Although ethics is often thought of in terms of "life-and-death" matters, many everyday situations involve ethics. Human dignity, a more recent way of expressing the belief that humans are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), captures the controversial notion that all humans are uniquely valuable and ought to be esteemed highly. Nurses have great opportunity to promote or demote dignity. A Christian holistic approach to ethics, exemplified by the narrative of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), acknowledges the difficulty of always being ethical and integrates feeling, thinking, acting, and spirituality.

  6. A Cultural-Historical Study of the Development of Children's Scientific Thinking about Clouds in Everyday Life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fragkiadaki, Glykeria; Fleer, Marilyn; Ravanis, Konstantinos

    2017-09-01

    Research into early childhood children's understandings in science has a long history. However, few studies have drawn upon cultural-historical theory to frame their research. Mostly, what is known has come from studies which have examined individual understandings of science concepts, without reference to culture, context or the collective nature in which children learn, play and live. The cultural-historical study reported in this paper examines the process of constructing understandings about clouds by kindergarten children (16 children, aged 4.5 to 6 years, mean age of 5. 3 years) in an urban area of Greece. The research examines how children form relevant representations of clouds, how they conceptualize meteorological understandings in everyday life and how understandings transform through communications with others. The collection of the data was achieved through expanded, open-type conversations between pairs of children and one of the researchers, totalling 4 h of data. In depth analysis, using Rogoff's three foci of analysis (personal, interpersonal and context focusing) allowed for an examination of children's representations of clouds, how social and cultural factors framed thinking and gave insights into the processes of scientific thinking. On this basis, theoretical and methodological insights of this study of natural science by young children are discussed.

  7. The lived experience of engaging in everyday occupations in persons with mild to moderate aphasia.

    PubMed

    Niemi, Tuuli; Johansson, Ulla

    2013-10-01

    Impairment of language ability, aphasia, can cause barriers to communication and hence impact on participation in many life situations. This study aimed to describe and explore how persons with aphasia following stroke experience engaging in everyday occupations. Six persons from Southwest Finland who had aphasia due to stroke one to four years previously were interviewed for the study. A modified form of the empirical phenomenological psychological method was used for data analysis. Three main characteristics of experiences of engaging in everyday occupations were identified: (1) encountering new experiences in everyday occupations, (2) striving to handle everyday occupations and (3) going ahead with life. The participants had experienced an altering life-world. Engagement in occupations affected their perceptions of competence and identity, and experiences of belonging and well-being. It was also through engagement in everyday occupations that they had discovered and learnt to handle changes in their everyday life. Aphasia can have a long-term impact on engagement in everyday occupations and participation in society, but conversely, engagement in meaningful occupations can also contribute to adaptation to disability and life changes. Aphasia can have a long-term impact on engagement in everyday occupations and participation in society. Health care professionals need to determine what clients with aphasia think about their occupations and life situations in spite of difficulties they may have verbalizing their thoughts. Experiences of engaging in meaningful occupations can help clients with aphasia in reconstructing their life stories, thereby contributing to adaptation to disability and life changes.

  8. A protocol for a randomised active-controlled trial to evaluate the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on executive control, critical thinking and key thinking dispositions in a university student sample.

    PubMed

    Noone, Chris; Hogan, Michael J

    2016-04-12

    While most modern research focuses on the clinical benefits of mindfulness, an emerging body of work suggests that mindfulness can facilitate self-regulation of everyday thinking in typically developing individuals. This behaviour is best captured using critical thinking assessments. The aim of this paper is to describe a rigorous, pre-registered study which will investigate the effect of an online mindfulness intervention on Executive Functioning, critical thinking skills and associated thinking dispositions. The design employed is a randomised-controlled 2 (condition) X 2 (time) parallel-group design which is explanatory in nature. A sample of at least 60 participants will be recruited from the pool of students at NUI Galway, with those between the ages of 18 and 65 with an adequate level of English included. Participants will be randomly assigned following screening, using block randomisation with a fixed block of 6 and a 1:1 ratio, to either the mindfulness meditation group or a sham meditation group. Both groups will be given access to the Headspace app. This is an app which provides guided meditations to users. Participants in each group will receive unique codes granting access to either the experimental or active-control intervention materials. Group allocation will be double-blinded. The primary outcome measures will assess mindfulness, executive functioning, critical thinking, actively open-minded thinking and need for cognition. Secondary outcome measures will assess eudaimonic and hedonic wellbeing, positive and negative affect, and real-world outcomes. These will be measured at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Manipulation checks will assess adherence to the intervention, meditation quality and task difficulty and enjoyment. If this intervention proves effective, it will show the potential of mindfulness practice to facilitate everyday critical thinking and should stimulate more interest in this line of research. If ineffective, claims regarding mindfulness and thinking skills should be tempered. This research was funded by a Galway Doctoral Research Scholarship awarded to the first author and was facilitated by Headspace Inc. who provided the intervention materials. The trial is registered in the ISRCTN registry and any protocol amendments will be recorded there (RCT ID: ISRCTN16588423. Registered 7th January 2016).

  9. Introducing Complex Numbers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trudgian, Timothy

    2009-01-01

    One of the difficulties in any teaching of mathematics is to bridge the divide between the abstract and the intuitive. Throughout school one encounters increasingly abstract notions, which are more and more difficult to relate to everyday experiences. This article examines a familiar approach to thinking about negative numbers, that is an…

  10. From the Los Angeles Zoo to the Classroom: Transforming Real Cases via Role-Play into Productive Learning Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cherif, Abour H.; Verma, Sujata; Somervill, Christine

    1998-01-01

    Explains how to transfer a relevant written article into a learning activity involving active role play. Enables the development of critical thinking skills and helps to humanize science by highlighting its importance in everyday life. (DDR)

  11. Critical Thinking: Nine Strategies for Everyday Life, Part II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elder, Linda; Paul, Richard

    2000-01-01

    Lists nine strategies that help students move from being an "unreflective thinker" to a "master thinker," discussing in detail the last five strategies: reshaping character; dealing with egocentrism; redefining the way to see things; getting in touch with emotions; and analyzing group influences on life. (PGS)

  12. Vitalistic thinking in adults.

    PubMed

    Wilson, Stuart

    2013-11-01

    Vitalistic thinking has traditionally been associated with reasoning about biological phenomena. The current research aimed to investigate a broader range of vitalistic thinking than previously studied. Esoteric notions of 'energy' are frequently used by individuals when making causal attributions for strange occurrences, and previous literature has linked such thinking with paranormal, magical, and superstitious beliefs. Two experiments are described that aim to investigate whether adults are vitalistic when asked to make causal judgments, and whether this can be predicted by thinking styles and prior paranormal belief. Experiment 1 asked participants to rate three causal options (one of which was vitalistic) for six vignettes. Scores on one dimension of paranormal belief (New Age Philosophy) and analytical thinking significantly predicted vitalism, but scores on intuitive thinking and Traditional Paranormal Beliefs did not. Experiment 2 extended the findings by asking participants to generate their own causal responses. Again, paranormal belief was found to be the best predictor of vitalism, but this time Traditional Paranormal Beliefs were associated with vitalistic responses whilst both intuitive and analytical thinking were unable to significantly predict classification. Results challenge previous findings, suggesting that vitalistic thinking may operate differently when applied to everyday causal reasoning. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

  13. What proverb understanding reveals about how people think.

    PubMed

    Gibbs, R W; Beitel, D

    1995-07-01

    The ability to understand proverbial sayings, such as a rolling stone gathers no moss, has been of great interest to researchers in many areas of psychology. Most psychologists assume that understanding the figurative meanings of proverbs requires various kinds of higher order cognitive abilities. The authors review the findings on proverb interpretation to examine the question of what proverb use and understanding reveals about the ways normal and dysfunctional individuals think. The widely held idea that failure to provide a figurative interpretation of a proverb necessarily reflects a deficit in specialized abstract thinking is rejected. Moreover, the ability to correctly explain what a proverb means does not necessarily imply that an individual can think abstractly. Various empirical evidence, nonetheless, suggests that the ability to understand many proverbs reveals the presence of metaphorical schemes that are ubiquitous in everyday thought.

  14. Small Science: Infants and Toddlers Experiencing Science in Everyday Family Life

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sikder, Shukla; Fleer, Marilyn

    2015-06-01

    Vygotsky (1987) stated that the restructured form of everyday concepts learned at home and in the community interact with scientific concepts introduced in formal school settings, leading to a higher level of scientific thinking for school-aged children. But, what does this mean for the scientific learning of infants and toddlers? What kinds of science learning are afforded at home during this early period of life? The study reported in this paper sought to investigate the scientific development of infants-toddlers (10 to 36 months) growing up in Bangladeshi families living in Australia and Singapore. Four families were studied over 2 years. Digital video observations were made of everyday family life and analysed using Vygotsky's theoretical framework of everyday concepts and scientific concepts (51 h of digital observations). While there are many possibilities for developing scientific concepts in infants-toddlers' everyday life, our study found four categories of what we have called small science: multiple possibilities for science; discrete science; embedded science and counter intuitive science. The findings of this study contribute to the almost non-existent literature into infants and toddlers' scientific development and advance new understandings of early childhood science education.

  15. Sensitivity to Landscape Features: A Spatial Analysis of Field Geoscientists on the Move

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Kathleen M.; Petcovic, L. Heather

    2016-01-01

    Intelligent behavior in everyday contexts may depend on both ability and an individual's disposition toward using that ability. Research into patterns of thinking has identified three logically distinct components necessary for dispositional behavior: ability, inclination, and sensitivity. Surprisingly, sensitivity appears to be the most common…

  16. Early Childhood Inclusion: Focus on Change.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guralnick, Michael J., Ed.

    Early childhood inclusion is a field characterized by a philosophy and practice that encourages full participation of children with disabilities and their families in everyday activities with their typically developing peers. Noting that success in inclusion endeavors requires substantial changes in the way our society thinks, feels, and acts,…

  17. One-Step "Change" and "Compare" Word Problems: Focusing on Eye-Movements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moutsios-Rentzos, Andreas; Stamatis, Panagiotis J.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction. In this study, we focus on the relationship between the students' mathematical thinking and their non-mechanically identified eye-movements with the purpose to gain deeper understanding about the students' reasoning processes and to investigate the feasibility of incorporating eye-movement information in everyday pedagogy. Method.…

  18. Learning Simple Machines through Cross-Age Collaborations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lancor, Rachael; Schiebel, Amy

    2008-01-01

    In this project, introductory college physics students (noneducation majors) were asked to teach simple machines to a class of second graders. This nontraditional activity proved to be a successful way to encourage college students to think critically about physics and how it applied to their everyday lives. The noneducation majors benefited by…

  19. Developing Primary School Children's Understanding of Energy Waste.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kruger, Colin; Summers, Mike

    2000-01-01

    Studies 34 elementary school children's understanding of five aspects of energy waste and the ways in which these conceptions develop following teaching. Concludes that the children had good prior awareness of some behaviors that save energy, but their reasons for thinking this were based largely on everyday intuitive ideas that involved…

  20. RunJumpCode: An Educational Game for Educating Programming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hinds, Matthew; Baghaei, Nilufar; Ragon, Pedrito; Lambert, Jonathon; Rajakaruna, Tharindu; Houghton, Travers; Dacey, Simon

    2017-01-01

    Programming promotes critical thinking, problem solving and analytic skills through creating solutions that can solve everyday problems. However, learning programming can be a daunting experience for a lot of students. "RunJumpCode" is an educational 2D platformer video game, designed and developed in Unity, to teach players the…

  1. Personalizing the Abstract with Online Video

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Dennis; Mate, Noni

    2006-01-01

    Video offers an immediacy that can stimulate students' thinking. Sharing the experience of a film documentary in a classroom setting, for instance, creates a bridge between the everyday experience of students and unfamiliar new information. The human faces and voices on the screen and the comfortable structure of narrative can personalize abstract…

  2. Changing Technology and the U.S. Mail

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gandy, S. Kay; Resor, Cynthia Williams

    2012-01-01

    The changes in technology that have affected mail delivery are a dynamic way to encourage students to think critically and make meaningful connections across historical eras. In the classroom, personal communication through the mail can become the "thematic glue" used across historical units to highlight the changes in everyday life caused by…

  3. Inquiry and Ideology: Teaching Everyday Forms of Historical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freedman, Eric B.

    2009-01-01

    In this design-based study, an eleven-week curricular module in recent American history was developed that departed from both the epistemology and ideology of traditional textbooks. The curriculum instantiated a constructivist epistemology by having students assess multiple historical narratives and sources of evidence. It instantiated a…

  4. Integrating Mathematics across the Curriculum. NCTM-Aligned Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Hope

    An effective curriculum gives students the opportunity to perceive relationships among different topics in mathematics, use mathematics in their everyday lives, and apply mathematical thinking and problem solving to other curriculum areas. This book contains fun and creative ways to integrate mathematics across the curriculum with a diversity of…

  5. Investigating Learners' Epistemological Framings of Quantum Mechanics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dini, Vesal

    2017-01-01

    Classical mechanics challenges students to use their intuitions and experiences as a basis for understanding, in effect to approach learning as "a refinement of everyday thinking'' (Einstein, 1936). Moving on to quantum mechanics (QM), students, like physicists, need to adjust this approach, in particular with respect to the roles that…

  6. Object Lessons: Thinking about Material Culture

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burkhart, Anne

    2006-01-01

    This article describes why art educators might consider studying material forms from everyday life, presents suggestions for exploring them in an art classroom, and includes an example to illustrate teaching about an object of material culture. The author presents reasons for studying material culture in the art classroom and offers suggestions…

  7. Exploring Technology Education. Second Edition. Teacher Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, Steve

    This color-coded guide was developed to help teachers provide middle school and junior high students with an activity-oriented approach to learning and thinking about technology. Through the instruction and the activities, students are shown how the different systems interrelate, how they influence everyday life, and how they combine in a…

  8. Everyday Pedagogical Practices in Mathematical Play Situations in German "Kindergarten"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brandt, Birgit

    2013-01-01

    This study describes situations in German daycare facilities (Kindergarten) in which the development of mathematical thinking in children is specifically encouraged through examination of common play objects. Using micro-sociological methods of analysis, the mathematical potential of such interactions between teacher and child is elaborated within…

  9. Home Learning Environment and Concept Formation: A Family Intervention Study with Kindergarten Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niklas, Frank; Cohrssen, Caroline; Tayler, Collette

    2016-01-01

    Children's cognitive development has a neural basis, yet children's learning is facilitated by interactions with more knowledgeable others. Young children experience such interactions in the context of the home learning environment (HLE), when parents support children's thinking and learning during everyday activities. Consequently, one way to…

  10. Magnetized Water: Science or Fraud?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zamora, L. Lahuerta; Anton-Fos, G. M.; Aleman Lopez, P. A.; Martin Algarra, R. V.

    2008-01-01

    Skepticism is one of the cornerstones of scientific learning. Some pseudosciences in domains such as astronomy or pharmacy use a host of issues in everyday life as pretexts for work in the classroom (e.g., astrology) or laboratory (e.g., homeopathy). Chemistry also offers opportunities to promote skeptical thinking in students. Commercial devices…

  11. Student teachers' pedagogical content knowledge for teaching systems thinking: effects of different interventions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosenkränzer, Frank; Hörsch, Christian; Schuler, Stephan; Riess, Werner

    2017-09-01

    Systems' thinking has become increasingly relevant not only in education for sustainable development but also in everyday life. Even if teachers know the dynamics and complexity of living systems in biology and geography, they might not be able to effectively explain it to students. Teachers need an understanding of systems and their behaviour (content knowledge), and they also need to know how systems thinking can be fostered in students (pedagogical content knowledge (PCK)). But the effective development of teachers' professional knowledge in teaching systems thinking is empirically uncertain. From a larger study (SysThema) that investigated teaching systems thinking, this article reports the effects of the three different interventions (technical course, didactic course and mixed course) in student teachers' PCK for teaching systems thinking. The results show that student teachers' PCK for teaching systems thinking can be promoted in teacher education. The conclusion to be drawn from our findings is that a technically orientated course without didactical aspects seems to be less effective in fostering student teachers' PCK for teaching systems thinking. The results inform educators in enhancing curricula of future academic track and non-academic track teacher education.

  12. Teaching Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Science Courses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hager, Paul; Sleet, Ray; Logan, Peter; Hooper, Mal

    This paper reports on the design and evaluation of a project aimed at fostering the critical thinking abilities and dispositions of first year students at an Australian university. Novel paper and pencil problems were designed to foster the range of critical thinking abilities identified by Ennis (1991). Most of these critical thinking tasks relate to applications of chemistry and physics in everyday life. Some of the tasks were developed from information and/or ideas obtained from critical incident interviews with scientists in private and government organisations. The first year university students were required to attempt the tasks in co-operative groups and to interact in these groups in ways aimed at fostering the dispositions of Ennis' ideal critical thinker (Ennis 1996).The project was evaluated from discussions with groups of students, from comments of tutors who observed the students working in groups and from a questionnaire. Evidence obtained from these data indicated that many students considered their thinking skills were enhanced by their experience of attempting the tasks in small co-operative groups.

  13. An exploratory investigation of real-world reasoning in paranoia.

    PubMed

    Huddy, V; Brown, G P; Boyd, T; Wykes, T

    2014-03-01

    Paranoid thinking has been linked to greater availability in memory of past threats to the self. However, remembered experiences may not always closely resemble events that trigger paranoia, so novel explanations must be elaborated for the likelihood of threat to be determined. We investigated the ability of paranoid individuals to construct explanations for everyday situations and whether these modulate their emotional impact. Twenty-one participants experiencing paranoia and 21 healthy controls completed a mental simulation task that yields a measure of the coherence of reasoning in everyday situations. When responses featured positive content, clinical participants produced less coherent narratives in response to paranoid themed scenarios than healthy controls. There was no significant difference between the groups when responses featured negative content. The current study suggests that difficulty in scenario construction may exacerbate paranoia by reducing access to non-threatening explanations for everyday events, and this consequently increases distress. © 2012 The British Psychological Society.

  14. The Role of Intuition and Deliberative Thinking in Experts' Superior Tactical Decision-Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moxley, Jerad H.; Ericsson, K. Anders; Charness, Neil; Krampe, Ralf T.

    2012-01-01

    Current theories argue that human decision making is largely based on quick, automatic, and intuitive processes that are occasionally supplemented by slow controlled deliberation. Researchers, therefore, predominantly studied the heuristics of the automatic system in everyday decision making. Our study examines the role of slow deliberation for…

  15. Technology Use and Learning Characteristics of Students in Higher Education: Do Generational Differences Exist?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Kwok-Wing; Hong, Kian-Sam

    2015-01-01

    As digital technologies form an inextricable part of young people's everyday lives, some commentators claim that the current generation of learners think and learn differently from their predecessors. This study investigated the validity of this claim by surveying 799 undergraduate and 81 postgraduate students at a large research-intensive…

  16. Newton's First Law: A Learning Cycle Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Deborah

    2005-01-01

    To demonstrate how Newton's first law of motion applies to students' everyday lives, the author developed a learning cycle series of activities on inertia. The discrepant event at the heart of these activities is sure to elicit wide-eyed stares and puzzled looks from students, but also promote critical thinking and help bring an abstract concept…

  17. Making the Grounds of Scientific Inquiry Visible in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lucas, Deborah; Broderick, Nichole; Lehrer, Richard; Bohanan, Robert

    2005-01-01

    As every parent knows, children are no slouches at generating questions. But the scientific potential in a child's spontaneous question can easily be lost; children often fail to take the step beyond casual curiosity into systematic inquiry. Questioning is indeed robustly rooted in children's everyday ways of thinking about the world, but serious…

  18. Case Studies Every Day. Using "The Dallas Morning News" in Law-Related Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garrett, Judith; Yarbro, Judy

    Intended to help teachers of law-related education direct student's critical thinking by examining case studies in everyday newspapers, this booklet contains seven activities suitable for use with intermediate and secondary students. By examining daily newspapers and participating in the activities, students (1) determine ways in which the law…

  19. Shaping Partnerships by Doing the Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korum, Kathy

    2013-01-01

    Partnership as an ordinary, everyday way of doing business within Saint Paul Parks and Recreation (P&R) has often been limited to working with individuals, groups, or agencies through a contract, generally to provide fee-based programs or services. This approach does not encourage new ways of thinking about or working with other organizations…

  20. Thematic Continuities: Talking and Thinking about Adaptation in a Socially Complex Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ash, Doris

    2008-01-01

    In this study I rely on sociocultural views of learning and teaching to describe how fifth- sixth-grade students in a Fostering a Community of Learners (FCL) classroom gradually adopted scientific ideas and language in a socially complex classroom. Students practiced talking science together, using everyday, scientific, and hybrid discourses as…

  1. New Civic Voices & the Emerging Media Literacy Landscape

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mihailidis, Paul

    2011-01-01

    The recent protests across the Middle East, generally referred to as the largest civic uprising enabled by social media platforms and mobile technologies, are actively reshaping how one thinks about citizenship, community, and participation in the 21st Century. Within these new spaces have emerged voices--largely those of everyday citizens--that…

  2. Implementing Online Counselling in Australian Secondary Schools: What Principals Think

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glasheen, Kevin; McMahon, Mary; Campbell, Marilyn; Rickwood, Debra; Shochet, Ian

    2018-01-01

    Today's young people have integrated the online world into their everyday reality and schools have generally accepted the importance of technology in the education process. However, there has been limited use in schools of technology to counsel young people, although early indications suggest that school counsellors may be prepared to offer…

  3. An Ethnographic Eye on Religion in Everyday Life

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berglund, Jenny

    2014-01-01

    There are many pitfalls associated with teaching about religions. One such pitfall entails the risk of presenting religions as stereotypical monolithic systems; that is, all who belong to a particular religious tradition think and act in the same way. I like to call this sort of stereotyping the "robotic tendency" because it has a habit…

  4. From Toy to Tool: Audioblogging with Cell Phones

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kolb, Liz

    2006-01-01

    Educators often reject cell phones in the classroom, considering them destructive and distractive "toys." As a former technology coordinator, the author used to think cell phones were harmful for the classroom environment. Over time, she has come to realize that cell phones are part of the students' everyday existence. Today, students use cell…

  5. Deconstructing Evolution Education: The Relationship between Micro- and Macroevolution

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Novick, Laura R.; Schreiber, Emily G.; Catley, Kefyn M.

    2014-01-01

    With applications of Tree of Life data becoming ever more prevalent in everyday contexts, tree thinking has emerged as a vital component of scientific literacy. This article reports a study testing the hypothesis that instruction in natural selection, which is the primary focus of US evolution education at the high school and introductory college…

  6. Case Study of a Successful Learner's Epistemological Framings of Quantum Mechanics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dini, Vesal; Hammer, David

    2017-01-01

    Research on student epistemologies in introductory courses has highlighted the importance of understanding physics as "a refinement of everyday thinking" [A. Einstein, J. Franklin Inst. 221, 349 (1936)]. That view is difficult to sustain in quantum mechanics, for students as for physicists. How might students manage the transition? In…

  7. Taking Time to Reflect on Censorship: Warriors, Wanderers, and Magicians

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perry, Tonya

    2008-01-01

    Many of our children are exposed to practical, everyday issues that would have seemed foreign to us as a society twenty years ago: sexual harassment (regardless of gender), cyberbullying, virtual violence, and stalking by Internet predators. Widespread censorship for middle school students is counterproductive to thinking in such an open and…

  8. Teachers Are Designers: Addressing Problems of Practice in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henriksen, Danah; Richardson, Carmen

    2017-01-01

    Teachers may be confused or put off by buzzwords like "design thinking," but the concept is a useful one: To solve stubborn, everyday problems of practice in schools, they should approach those problems strategically and systematically. Specifically, explain the authors, teachers gain new insights into challenges they face when they take…

  9. Story as World Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Short, Kathy G.

    2012-01-01

    Stories are woven so tightly into the fabric of our everyday lives that it's easy to overlook their significance in framing how we think about ourselves and the world. Stories are meaning making, providing a means of structuring and reflecting on our experiences in order to understand their significance. Story is also life making, a way of…

  10. The Dynamic Role of Symbols in Human Meaning Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tracy, Rita

    2012-01-01

    The author reviews "Symbolic Transformation: The Mind in Movement Through Culture and Society," an important first book in a new series that aimed at understanding the myriad ways "social representation processes operate in one's everyday feeling, thinking and acting." The book consists of a series of chapters brought together to develop a rich…

  11. Mind Wandering and Online Learning: A Latent Variable Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollis, R. Benjamin

    2013-01-01

    Thoughts drift in everyday life and in the classroom. The goal of this study was to investigate how often students reported off-task thinking while watching online lectures. These findings were related to working memory capacity, topic interest, and achievement goal orientations. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate how all of these…

  12. Case study of a successful learner's epistemological framings of quantum mechanics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dini, Vesal; Hammer, David

    2017-06-01

    Research on student epistemologies in introductory courses has highlighted the importance of understanding physics as "a refinement of everyday thinking" [A. Einstein, J. Franklin Inst. 221, 349 (1936), 10.1016/S0016-0032(36)91047-5]. That view is difficult to sustain in quantum mechanics, for students as for physicists. How might students manage the transition? In this article, we present a case study of a graduate student's approaches and reflections on learning over two semesters of quantum mechanics, based on a series of nine interviews. We recount his explicit grappling with the shift in epistemology from classical to quantum, and we argue that his success in learning largely involved his framing mathematics as expressing physical meaning. At the same time, we show he was not entirely stable in these framings, shifting away from them in particular during his study of scattering. The case speaks to literature on students' epistemologies, with respect to the roles of everyday thinking and mathematics. We discuss what this case suggests for further research, with possible implications for instruction.

  13. Modeling: It's More than Just Imitation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horner, Sherri L.; Bhattacharyya, Srilata; O'Connor, Evelyn A.

    2008-01-01

    Anyone who has observed or played with young children probably has noticed how they imitate what they see--their friends, siblings, parents, and teachers; television, movie, and book characters; and sometimes even their family pets. Frequently, this imitation can help children learn appropriate behaviors, attitudes, and thinking patterns.…

  14. Micro-Valences: Perceiving Affective Valence in Everyday Objects

    PubMed Central

    Lebrecht, Sophie; Bar, Moshe; Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Tarr, Michael J.

    2012-01-01

    Perceiving the affective valence of objects influences how we think about and react to the world around us. Conversely, the speed and quality with which we visually recognize objects in a visual scene can vary dramatically depending on that scene’s affective content. Although typical visual scenes contain mostly “everyday” objects, the affect perception in visual objects has been studied using somewhat atypical stimuli with strong affective valences (e.g., guns or roses). Here we explore whether affective valence must be strong or overt to exert an effect on our visual perception. We conclude that everyday objects carry subtle affective valences – “micro-valences” – which are intrinsic to their perceptual representation. PMID:22529828

  15. Math and Science Gateways to California's Fastest Growing Careers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    EdSource, 2008

    2008-01-01

    Some students--and parents--think math and science are not too important for their future. As everyday life becomes more dependent on technology, most people will need a better background in math and science to succeed in today's global economy. To get high-paying jobs in some of California's fastest-growing occupations, a strong background in…

  16. The Miseducation of a Beginning Teacher: One Educator's Critical Reflections on the Functions and Power of Deficit Narratives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pollack, Terry M.

    2012-01-01

    Everyday "storied" teacher talk about students and families can reveal and reinforce deficit thinking about racial/cultural "others." Through personal narrative and critical reflection, the author draws on results from a previous investigation into the nature and content of informal teacher discourse to discuss the miseducative potential of…

  17. Simple Tips for Helping Students Become Safer, Smarter Social Media Users

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agosto, Denise E.; Abbas, June

    2016-01-01

    In thinking about teens and online risks, school librarians need to know researchers generally agree that, despite the popular image of pedophiles and criminals lurking online waiting to harm innocent young people, in reality social media use is only about as risky as most everyday social interactions in the offline world (Agosto and Abbas 2013).…

  18. Syntax and Meaning as Sensuous, Visual, Historical Forms of Algebraic Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Radford, Luis; Puig, Luis

    2007-01-01

    Before the advent of symbolism, i.e. before the end of the 16th Century, algebraic calculations were made using natural language. Through a kind of metaphorical process, a few terms from everyday life (e.g. thing, root) acquired a technical mathematical status and constituted the specialized language of algebra. The introduction of letters and…

  19. Gendered Inequity in Society and the Academy: Policy Initiatives, Economic Realities and Legal Constraints

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waldron-Moore, Pamela; Jacobs, Leslie R.

    2010-01-01

    Of all the social constructs impacting the contemporary world, gender is perhaps the most pervasive and the most insidious. Its inequities creep into our everyday lives with impunity. Across the globe, gender construction has evoked challenge, undergone reform and, in some instances, transformed thinking in societies. Yet, for all the gains made…

  20. Recovering the Street: Relocalising Urban Geography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saunders, Angharad

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores how audio walks can help learners re-experience and rethink the nature of urban geography. Urban thinking has increasingly begun to explore the city not from above, but from below; from the street rather than from the elite and in everyday rather than extraordinary ways. The intention has been to reveal the many stories,…

  1. A Place for Everything: Geographic Analysis and Geospatial Tech in Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fitzpatrick, Charlie

    2011-01-01

    Everyone should be able to read, communicate their ideas, and work effectively with everyday numbers and scientific thinking. But many need a closer tie between book learning and the real world, a reason to dig deeper into facts and principles, the opportunity to relate subjects to what they know. Kids are natural explorers and integrators. The…

  2. Just Imagine: Using Drama to Support Science Learning with Older Primary Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Precious, Wendy; McGregor, Deb

    2014-01-01

    In this project, teachers use mini-speeches, or monologues, as if told by famous scientists from the past, as a springboard to motivate children to think about these scientists as everyday people. The introductory speech describes or introduces the kinds of behaviours, skills, and knowledge the scientists possessed. Talking about the way they…

  3. Domain Specificity and Everyday Biological, Physical, and Psychological Thinking in Normal, Autistic, and Deaf Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Candida C.; Siegal, Michael

    1997-01-01

    Examined reasoning in normal, autistic, and deaf individuals. Found that deaf individuals who grow up in hearing homes without fluent signers show selective impairments in theory of mind similar to those of autistic individuals. Results suggest that conversational differences in the language children hear accounts for distinctive patterns of…

  4. Challenging Traditional Assumptions of High School Science through the Physics and Everyday Thinking Curriculum™

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    Science education in the U.S. has failed for over a century to bring the experience of scientific induction to classrooms, from elementary science to undergraduate courses. The achievement of American students on international comparisons of science proficiency is unacceptable, and the disparities between groups underrepresented in STEM and others…

  5. Changing Channels: Activities Promoting Media Smarts and Creative Problem Solving for Kids.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hoffman, Eric

    When children have healthy ways to process the news and information they see on television, they are better prepared to approach conflict peacefully and solve problems in their everyday lives. This guide presents activities for children to help them learn to think critically about what they see on television, to resolve conflicts productively, and…

  6. Teaching the Moving Child: OT Insights That Will Transform Your K-3 Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berkey, Sybil M.

    2009-01-01

    Because sensorimotor and environmental factors have a profound effect on children's learning, every teacher should know how to weave strategies from occupational therapy (OT) into their everyday instruction. This is the guidebook K-3 teachers need to "think like an OT"--and form effective partnerships with OTs in their schools--so all students can…

  7. Investigating the Preservice Primary School, Mathematics and Science Teachers' STEM Awareness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bakirci, Hasan; Karisan, Dilek

    2018-01-01

    Today's life requires individuals to be prepared for complex world environment, to make complex decisions, and to have critical thinking skills related to everyday life issues at hand. STEM education is thought to be the glorious solution to thrive in a global knowledge driven world. Teachers are key elements for successful STEM education. Present…

  8. The Classrooms All Young Children Need: Lessons in Teaching from Vivian Paley

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Patricia M.

    2009-01-01

    Teacher and author Vivian Paley is highly regarded by parents, educators, and other professionals for her original insights into such seemingly everyday issues as play, story, gender, and how young children think. In "The Classrooms All Young Children Need", Patricia M. Cooper takes a synoptic view of Paley's many books and articles,…

  9. The Squeeze is On. Grades 6-8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rushton, Erik; Ryan, Emily; Swift, Charles

    When asked to list some strong materials, people think of steel, concrete, and wood. In this activity, students learn about the force of compression and how it acts on structural components through a hands-on group problem. Using everyday products such as paper, toothpicks, and tape, students construct a structure that will support the weight of a…

  10. Meritocracy, Deficit Thinking and the Invisibility of the System: Discourses on Educational Success and Failure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clycq, Noel; Nouwen, M. A. Ward; Vandenbroucke, Anneloes

    2014-01-01

    Socio-ethnic stratification and segregation processes present in Flemish society are reflected in the everyday school environment. Pupils with a different socio-ethnic background than the dominant majority and middle class seem to be confronted with a lot of difficulties in this school system. The dominant meritocratic discourse frequently applies…

  11. Thinking around the Corner: The Development of Planning Abilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaller, Cristopher P.; Rahm, Benjamin; Spreer, Joachim; Mader, Irina; Unterrainer, Josef M.

    2008-01-01

    The ability to plan and search ahead is essential for problem solving in most situations in everyday life. To investigate the development of planning and related processes, a sample of four- and five-year-old children was examined in a variant of the Tower of London, a frequently used neuropsychological assessment tool of planning abilities. The…

  12. Thinking like a Forensic Scientist: Learning with Academic and Everyday Texts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guzzetti, Barbara

    2009-01-01

    In this article, the author describes how one high school chemistry teacher, Sharon (pseudonym), implemented a literacy-based unit that appealed to her students by capitalizing on their out-of-school interests in forensics and how her students responded to that unit. The author also describes how two colleagues at her school joined her in teaching…

  13. Using Music to Promote Children's Thinking and Enhance Their Literacy Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salmon, Angela

    2010-01-01

    In an effort to understand how children's literacy is affected by their life experiences, this article analyses the natural disposition of children to engage in musical activities that connect them to previous experiences and allow them to build new thoughts. Music is inherent to children's experiences and is related to sounds heard everyday,…

  14. Moral Action as Social Capital, Moral Thought as Cultural Capital

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kang, Min Ju; Glassman, Michael

    2010-01-01

    This paper explores the idea that moral thought/reasoning and moral actions are actually two separate phenomena that have little relationship to each other. The idea that moral thinking does or can control moral action creates a difficult dualism between our knowledge about morality and our everyday actions. These differences run parallel to the…

  15. Preschool Pathways to Science (PrePS[TM]): Facilitating Scientific Ways of Thinking, Talking, Doing, and Understanding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gelman, Rochel; Brenneman, Kimberly; Macdonald, Gay; Roman, Moises

    2009-01-01

    To ensure they're meeting state early learning guidelines for science, preschool educators need fun, age-appropriate, and research-based ways to teach young children about scientific concepts. The basis for the PBS KIDS show "Sid the Science Kid," this teaching resource helps children ages 3-5 investigate their everyday world and develop the…

  16. Everyday Conversation as a Context for Professional Learning and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haigh, Neil

    2005-01-01

    Because conversation is a constant in our personal and professional lives, we are not inclined to stop and think about it as a phenomenon. However, that is what I have found myself doing. In particular, I have become much more self-conscious, and hopefully more thoughtful, about the conversations that constitute an inevitable aspect of my day to…

  17. Everyday Engineering: What Makes a Squirt Gun Squirt?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moyer, Richard; Everett, Susan

    2009-01-01

    You may not think of engineering and squirt guns in the same sentence. However, like many examples of engineering design, the squirt gun pump mechanism is uncomplicated, yet elegant, and very inexpensive to manufacture. The design is widely used because of its simplicity and low cost. With only a few moving parts, it is able to deliver a stream of…

  18. Urban Primary-Grade Children Think and Talk Science: Curricular and Instructional Practices that Nurture Participation and Argumentation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Varelas, Maria; Pappas, Christine C.; Kane, Justine M.; Arsenault, Amy; Hankes, Jennifer; Cowan, Begona Marnotes

    2008-01-01

    We focus on the concept of matter and explore how young children in urban schools bridge their spontaneous concepts and everyday experiences with scientific concepts introduced to them by children's literature information books and their teacher. The study shows how material artifacts used in a sorting activity became ideational tools--semiotic…

  19. Intervening in Informal Learning: Activity Theory as Teaching Tool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Susan L.

    2013-01-01

    In this article, I argue that a concentrated focus on everyday informal learning about unions is critical not only to re-thinking union education programs, but to the overall project of union renewal. The article offers, by way of example, an inquiry into the grievance system as a routine (and central) union practice and a key site of informal…

  20. Concepts of Plants Held by Young Brazilian Children: An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartoszeck, Amauri Betini; Cosmo, Claudete Rosa; da Silva, Bernadete Rocha; Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale

    2015-01-01

    Children from southern and northern Brazil have a basic knowledge of plants, which they observe during their everyday life. Children ages between 3 to 10 years old (kindergarten & primary school), but the majority of them in the age group of 4-5 (total 145) were asked to draw what they think is a plant (total sample = 332). Afterwards, a equal…

  1. Developing the Learning Physical Science Curriculum: Adapting a Small Enrollment, Laboratory and Discussion Based Physical Science Course for Large Enrollments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldberg, Fred; Price, Edward; Robinson, Stephen; Boyd-Harlow, Danielle; McKean, Michael

    2012-01-01

    We report on the adaptation of the small enrollment, lab and discussion based physical science course, "Physical Science and Everyday Thinking" (PSET), for a large-enrollment, lecture-style setting. Like PSET, the new "Learning Physical Science" (LEPS) curriculum was designed around specific principles based on research on learning to meet the…

  2. Bringing Them Together: What Children Think about the World in Which They Live and How It Could Be Improved

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Serf, Jeff

    2010-01-01

    Attitudes towards environmental issues are influenced by many factors, including what is learned in formal educational settings such as schools and more informally, through such sources as the media, interaction with family and friends and our everyday lived experiences. This study investigated children's ideas about the environment and their…

  3. Using Argument-Based Science Inquiry to Improve Science Achievement for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Jonte C.; Tseng, Ching-mei; Murillo, Angelique; Therrien, William; Hand, Brian

    2018-01-01

    The increased emphasis on STEM related careers and the use of science in everyday life makes learning science content and concepts critical for all students especially for those with disabilities. As suggested by the National Resource Council (2012), more emphasis is being placed on being able to critically think about science concepts in and…

  4. Everyday Thoughts about Nature: An Interpretive Study of 16 Ninth Graders' Conceptualizations of Nature.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cobern, William W.; And Others

    This study investigates student world views in an effort to provide information that will improve the learning environment of the science classroom. The research focuses on furthering knowledge of students as people in the context of investigating what students think about nature or the natural world. The objective of the descriptive case study is…

  5. Everyday science & science every day: Science-related talk & activities across settings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zimmerman, Heather

    To understand the development of science-related thinking, acting, and learning in middle childhood, I studied youth in schools, homes, and other neighborhood settings over a three-year period. The research goal was to analyze how multiple everyday experiences influence children's participation in science-related practices and their thinking about science and scientists. Ethnographic and interaction analysis methodologies were to study the cognition and social interactions of the children as they participated in activities with peers, family, and teachers (n=128). Interviews and participant self-documentation protocols elucidated the participants' understandings of science. An Everyday Expertise (Bell et al., 2006) theoretical framework was employed to study the development of science understandings on three analytical planes: individual learner, social groups, and societal/community resources. Findings came from a cross-case analysis of urban science learners and from two within-case analyses of girls' science-related practices as they transitioned from elementary to middle school. Results included: (1) children participated actively in science across settings---including in their homes as well as in schools, (2) children's interests in science were not always aligned to the school science content, pedagogy, or school structures for participation, yet children found ways to engage with science despite these differences through crafting multiple pathways into science, (3) urban parents were active supporters of STEM-related learning environments through brokering access to social and material resources, (4) the youth often found science in their daily activities that formal education did not make use of, and (5) children's involvement with science-related practices can be developed into design principles to reach youth in culturally relevant ways.

  6. Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blown, Eric J.; Bryce, Tom G. K.

    2017-06-01

    The research reported here investigated the everyday and scientific repertoires of children involved in semi-structured, Piagetian interviews carried out to check their understanding of dynamic astronomical concepts like daytime and night-time. It focused on the switching taking place between embedded and disembedded thinking; on the imagery which subjects referred to in their verbal dialogue and their descriptions of drawings and play-dough models of the Earth, Sun and Moon; and it examined the prevalence and character of animism and figurative speech in children's thinking. Five hundred and thirty-nine children (aged 3-18) from Wairarapa in New Zealand (171 boys and 185 girls) and Changchun in China (99 boys and 84 girls) took part in the study. Modified ordinal scales for the relevant concept categories were used to classify children's responses and data from each age group (with numbers balanced as closely as practicable by culture and gender) analysed with Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample tests (at an alpha level of 0.05). Although, in general, there was consistency of dynamic concepts within and across media and their associated modalities in keeping with the theory of conceptual coherence (see Blown and Bryce 2010; Bryce and Blown 2016), there were several cases of inter-modal and intra-modal switching in both cultures. Qualitative data from the interview protocols revealed how children switch between everyday and scientific language (in both directions) and use imagery in response to questioning. The research indicates that children's grasp of scientific ideas in this field may ordinarily be under-estimated if one only goes by formal scientific expression and vocabulary.

  7. Grief and bereavement of Israeli dog owners: exploring short-term phases pre- and post-euthanization.

    PubMed

    Tzivian, Lilian; Friger, Michael; Kushnir, Talma

    2014-01-01

    Several studies have investigated the grief that owners experience after they euthanized their pets. However, research has not explored the cognitive and emotional processes those dog owners experience. The authors chose an exploratory approach and conducted a content analysis of 29 semistructured interviews of owners in the 2-week period after the death of their dogs. They found 5 main phases in the initial parting process: the decision to euthanize; anticipation and mental preparation; burial; mourning; and thinking about a new pet. All participants experienced these 5 common behavioral and emotional phases. There were only small individual differences among owners' reactions.

  8. From bench to pet shop to bedside? The environment and immune function in mice.

    PubMed

    Kitching, A Richard; Ooi, Joshua D

    2016-12-01

    The generation of inbred mouse strains in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, coupled with the later establishment of specific pathogen-free animal research facilities created a powerful biological platform for exploration of the immune system in health and disease. Studies in this setting have been responsible for huge advances in our understanding of immunobiology and disease, including immune-mediated kidney disease. However, whereas this reductionist and relatively standardized approach allows us to make sense of complex disease biology, it takes place in controlled environments that clearly differ from those that we humans encounter in everyday life. Recent studies comparing the immune systems of wild mice, pet shop mice, and laboratory mice suggest ways in which the murine immune system can be influenced to behave more like the human immune system. Copyright © 2016 International Society of Nephrology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Ontological security and connectivity provided by pets: a study in the self-management of the everyday lives of people diagnosed with a long-term mental health condition.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Helen; Rushton, Kelly; Walker, Sandra; Lovell, Karina; Rogers, Anne

    2016-12-09

    Despite evidence that connecting people to relevant wellbeing-related resources brings therapeutic benefit, there is limited understanding, in the context of mental health recovery, of the potential value and contribution of pet ownership to personal support networks for self-management. This study aimed to explore the role of pets in the support and management activities in the personal networks of people with long-term mental health problems. Semi-structured interviews centred on 'ego' network mapping were conducted in two locations (in the North West and in the South of England) with 54 participants with a diagnosis of a long-term mental health problem. Interviews explored the day-to-day experience of living with a mental illness, informed by the notion of illness work undertaken by social network members within personal networks. Narratives were elicited that explored the relationship, value, utility and meaning of pets in the context of the provision of social support and management provided by other network members. Interviews were recorded, then transcribed verbatim before being analysed using a framework analysis. The majority of pets were placed in the central, most valued circle of support within the network diagrams. Pets were implicated in relational work through the provision of secure and intimate relationships not available elsewhere. Pets constituted a valuable source of illness work in managing feelings through distraction from symptoms and upsetting experiences, and provided a form of encouragement for activity. Pets were of enhanced salience where relationships with other network members were limited or difficult. Despite these benefits, pets were unanimously neither considered nor incorporated into individual mental health care plans. Drawing on a conceptual framework built on Corbin and Strauss's notion of illness 'work' and notions of a personal workforce of support undertaken within whole networks of individuals, this study contributes to our understanding of the role of pets in the daily management of long-term mental health problems. Pets should be considered a main rather than a marginal source of support in the management of long-term mental health problems, and this has implications for the planning and delivery of mental health services.

  10. Assessment of Teaching Methods and Critical Thinking in a Course for Science Majors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Speck, Angela; Ruzhitskaya, L.; Whittington, A. G.

    2014-01-01

    Ability to think critically is a key ingredient to the scientific mindset. Students who take science courses may or may not be predisposed to critical thinking - the ability to evaluate information analytically. Regardless of their initial stages, students can significantly improve their critical thinking through learning and practicing their reasoning skills, critical assessments, conducting and reflecting on observations and experiments, building their questioning and communication skills, and through the use of other techniques. While, there are several of teaching methods that may help to improve critical thinking, there are only a few assessment instruments that can help in evaluating the efficacy of these methods. Critical thinking skills and improvement in those skills are notoriously difficult to measure. Assessments that are based on multiple-choice questions demonstrate students’ final decisions but not their thinking processes. In addition, during the course of studies students may develop subject-based critical thinking while not being able to extend the skills to the general critical thinking. As such, we wanted to design and conduct a study on efficacy of several teaching methods in which we would learn how students’ improve their thinking processes within a science discipline as well as in everyday life situations. We conducted a study among 20 astronomy, physics and geology majors-- both graduate and undergraduate students-- enrolled in our Solar System Science course (mostly seniors and early graduate students) at the University of Missouri. We used the Ennis-Weir Critical Thinking Essay test to assess students’ general critical thinking and, in addition, we implemented our own subject-based critical thinking assessment. Here, we present the results of this study and share our experience on designing a subject-based critical thinking assessment instrument.

  11. The unrealized potential of everyday technology as a context for learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benenson, Gary

    2001-09-01

    This four-part article argues that technology education should play a far more substantial role in the schools. In the first section the article broadly defines the term technology to include the artifacts of everyday life as well as environments and systems. Second is a description of the City Technology Curriculum Guides project, of which most of the thinking in this article is a product. The third section presents a comprehensive set of goals for elementary technology education, using classroom examples from City Technology. Many of these goals coincide with the goals of other school subjects, including math, science, English language arts and social studies. The concluding section suggests a broad role for technology education in providing a context for learning in these areas.

  12. Everyday robotic action: lessons from human action control

    PubMed Central

    de Kleijn, Roy; Kachergis, George; Hommel, Bernhard

    2014-01-01

    Robots are increasingly capable of performing everyday human activities such as cooking, cleaning, and doing the laundry. This requires the real-time planning and execution of complex, temporally extended sequential actions under high degrees of uncertainty, which provides many challenges to traditional approaches to robot action control. We argue that important lessons in this respect can be learned from research on human action control. We provide a brief overview of available psychological insights into this issue and focus on four principles that we think could be particularly beneficial for robot control: the integration of symbolic and subsymbolic planning of action sequences, the integration of feedforward and feedback control, the clustering of complex actions into subcomponents, and the contextualization of action-control structures through goal representations. PMID:24672474

  13. Positron emission tomography imaging of braintumors with Cobalt-55 and L-[1-C11]-tyrosine

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jansen, H.M.L.; Pruim J.; Willemsen, A.T.M.

    1994-05-01

    The applicability of positron emission tomography (PET) with [C-11] tyrosine (TYR) and Cobalt-55 (Co) in patients with known primary brain tumors is reported. We used Co as a Calcium (Ca) marker to study Ca influx in degenerating neural tissue and TYR to indicate incorporation of amino acids into protein. Four patients showing a primary brain tumor with central necrosis on CT/MRI were studied with Co-PET. Additionally, 2 of these patients were consecutively studied with TYR-PET. Diagnostic confirmation was obtained by means of histology and/or cytology shortly after PET. Thirty-seven MBq Co was administered iv. approximately 24 hours before acquisition. Themore » Co-scan was acquired for I hour. Immediately following Co-PET, 2 patients received 370 MBq TYR iv. TYR-PET acquisition was done dynamically for 55 minutes starting from the time of injection. The necrotic center of the tumor revealed no uptake of either Co or TYR. Vital tumor tissue showed intense uptake of TYR, indicating a high protein synthesis rate (PSR). The circumferent zone between necrotic and tumor tissue showed evident uptake of Co, suggesting cell-decay. In conclusion, TYR and Co are both suitable tracers for visualization of different aspects of brain malignancies, ie. PSR and cell-decay. Combining Co and TYR enables differentiation of necrosis vs. tumor growth with clear marking of the border zone. We think these complementary PET-techniques in conjunction with CT and/or MRI allow the visualization of different aspects of tumor tissue: central necrosis (CT/MRI), cell-decay (Co-PET) and vital tumor tissue (TYR-PET).« less

  14. Raising a Thinking Preteen: The "I Can Problem Solve" Program for 8- to 12-Year-Olds.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shure, Myrna B.

    Aimed at parents of early adolescents, this book helps parents provide the skills teens need to cope with life's everyday frustrations and to make informed decisions about problems such as the stresses of homework, friendship, contending with peer pressure, and dealing with bullies. The foundation of the book is the "I Can Problem Solve" (ICPS)…

  15. A Shifting Landscape: Using Tablets to Support Learning in Students with Diverse Abilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Anne; Hughes, Janette

    2018-01-01

    As technology becomes a larger part of people's everyday lives, it is logical to think that it should also become a part of the learning process. The use of tablets in classrooms is becoming an area of interest as researchers are trying to understand what the benefits are--if any--to using these devices. This article gives an overview of some of…

  16. The Effect of Context on Training: Is Learning Situated?

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-09-13

    not underlie the central processes of ordinary everyday cognition ? We think not." There are numerous examples where abstract instruction has been shown... instruction , concrete examples, and abstract rules and procedures. Claims made by proponents of Situated Learning Theory suggest that training must be... instruction . This argues against apprenticeship learning during early stages of acquisition for many skills. Further, too much fidelity in simulation may

  17. The Function of Executive Function: Everyday Manifestations of Regulated Thinking in Preschool Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moreno, Amanda J.; Shwayder, Irena; Friedman, Ilana Dvorin

    2017-01-01

    Executive function (EF) encompasses higher-order mental processes necessary for the conscious control of thought and action in the service of goals. Once thought not to apply to children at all, EF is now at the center of a burgeoning body of research on young children over the last 10-15 years indicating that it is a critical foundation of school…

  18. Processes of Categorisation and the Politics of Belonging in Early Childhood Education and Care: An Infant's Experience in Multi-Age Family Day Care

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stratigos, Tina

    2015-01-01

    Belonging is emerging as an important concept for early childhood education and care. However, it is one that requires further theorisation beyond everyday or romanticised understandings. The politics of belonging provides a potentially productive focus for thinking about belonging in early childhood education and care because of its attention to…

  19. "Seeing from a Different Angle:" The Role of Pop Culture in Teaching for Diversity and Critical Media Literacy in Adult Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tisdell, Elizabeth; Thompson, Patricia

    2007-01-01

    Entertainment media is a part of everyday life for most adults, including adult educators. This paper reports on a mixed method study, informed by social constructivism and critical media literacy, exploring US adult educators' consumption of entertainment media, how it affects their thinking about group identities, and how they draw on it in…

  20. Thinking about the Brain to Balance Classroom Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nathanson, Steven A.; Nathanson, Marsha L.

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, we discuss the link between effective literacy practices recommended by the International Reading Association and current research on how the brain learns derived from MRI and PET scan studies begun in the 1990's. Five key areas of brain-based research discussed include time and attention, emotion, the nature of memory, the learning…

  1. Defining Mindfulness by How Poorly I Think I Pay Attention during Everyday Awareness and Other Intractable Problems for Psychology's (Re)Invention of Mindfulness: Comment on Brown Et Al. (2011)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grossman, Paul

    2011-01-01

    The Buddhist construct of mindfulness is a central element of mindfulness-based interventions and derives from an age-old systematic phenomenological program to investigate subjective experience. Recent enthusiasm for "mindfulness" in psychology has resulted in proliferation of self-report inventories that purport to measure mindful awareness as a…

  2. The science in social science

    PubMed Central

    Bernard, H. Russell

    2012-01-01

    A recent poll showed that most people think of science as technology and engineering—life-saving drugs, computers, space exploration, and so on. This was, in fact, the promise of the founders of modern science in the 17th century. It is less commonly understood that social and behavioral sciences have also produced technologies and engineering that dominate our everyday lives. These include polling, marketing, management, insurance, and public health programs. PMID:23213222

  3. Challenging traditional assumptions of high school science through the physics and Everyday Thinking Curriculum(TM)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ross, Michael J.

    Science education in the U.S. has failed for over a century to bring the experience of scientific induction to classrooms, from elementary science to undergraduate courses. The achievement of American students on international comparisons of science proficiency is unacceptable, and the disparities between groups underrepresented in STEM and others are large and resistant to reform efforts. This study investigated the enactment of a physics curriculum designed upon the inductive method in a high school serving mostly students from groups underrepresented in science. The Physics and Everyday Thinking curriculum was designed to model the central practices of science and to provide opportunities for students to both extract general principles of physics and to develop scientific models from laboratory evidence. The findings of this study suggest that scientific induction is not only a process that is well within the capacity of high school students, but they enjoy it as well. Students that engaged in the central practices of science through the inductive method reported a new sense of agency and control in their learning. These findings suggest that modeling the pedagogy of the science classroom upon the epistemology of science can result in a mode of learning that can lead to positive identification with physics and the development of scientific literacy.

  4. The physiological equivalent temperature - a universal index for the biometeorological assessment of the thermal environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Höppe, P.

    With considerably increased coverage of weather information in the news media in recent years in many countries, there is also more demand for data that are applicable and useful for everyday life. Both the perception of the thermal component of weather as well as the appropriate clothing for thermal comfort result from the integral effects of all meteorological parameters relevant for heat exchange between the body and its environment. Regulatory physiological processes can affect the relative importance of meteorological parameters, e.g. wind velocity becomes more important when the body is sweating. In order to take into account all these factors, it is necessary to use a heat-balance model of the human body. The physiological equivalent temperature (PET) is based on the Munich Energy-balance Model for Individuals (MEMI), which models the thermal conditions of the human body in a physiologically relevant way. PET is defined as the air temperature at which, in a typical indoor setting (without wind and solar radiation), the heat budget of the human body is balanced with the same core and skin temperature as under the complex outdoor conditions to be assessed. This way PET enables a layperson to compare the integral effects of complex thermal conditions outside with his or her own experience indoors. On hot summer days, for example, with direct solar irradiation the PET value may be more than 20 K higher than the air temperature, on a windy day in winter up to 15 K lower.

  5. Personality traits in companion dogs-Results from the VIDOPET.

    PubMed

    Turcsán, Borbála; Wallis, Lisa; Virányi, Zsófia; Range, Friederike; Müller, Corsin A; Huber, Ludwig; Riemer, Stefanie

    2018-01-01

    Individual behavioural differences in pet dogs are of great interest from a basic and applied research perspective. Most existing dog personality tests have specific (practical) goals in mind and so focused only on a limited aspect of dogs' personality, such as identifying problematic (aggressive or fearful) behaviours, assessing suitability as working dogs, or improving the results of adoption. Here we aimed to create a comprehensive test of personality in pet dogs that goes beyond traditional practical evaluations by exposing pet dogs to a range of situations they might encounter in everyday life. The Vienna Dog Personality Test (VIDOPET) consists of 15 subtests and was performed on 217 pet dogs. A two-step data reduction procedure (principal component analysis on each subtest followed by an exploratory factor analysis on the subtest components) yielded five factors: Sociability-obedience, Activity-independence, Novelty seeking, Problem orientation, and Frustration tolerance. A comprehensive evaluation of reliability and validity measures demonstrated excellent inter- and intra-observer reliability and adequate internal consistency of all factors. Moreover the test showed good temporal consistency when re-testing a subsample of dogs after an average of 3.8 years-a considerably longer test-retest interval than assessed for any other dog personality test, to our knowledge. The construct validity of the test was investigated by analysing the correlations between the results of video coding and video rating methods and the owners' assessment via a dog personality questionnaire. The results demonstrated good convergent as well as discriminant validity. To conclude, the VIDOPET is not only a highly reliable and valid tool for measuring dog personality, but also the first test to show consistent behavioural traits related to problem solving ability and frustration tolerance in pet dogs.

  6. Personality traits in companion dogs—Results from the VIDOPET

    PubMed Central

    Wallis, Lisa; Virányi, Zsófia; Range, Friederike; Müller, Corsin A.; Huber, Ludwig; Riemer, Stefanie

    2018-01-01

    Individual behavioural differences in pet dogs are of great interest from a basic and applied research perspective. Most existing dog personality tests have specific (practical) goals in mind and so focused only on a limited aspect of dogs’ personality, such as identifying problematic (aggressive or fearful) behaviours, assessing suitability as working dogs, or improving the results of adoption. Here we aimed to create a comprehensive test of personality in pet dogs that goes beyond traditional practical evaluations by exposing pet dogs to a range of situations they might encounter in everyday life. The Vienna Dog Personality Test (VIDOPET) consists of 15 subtests and was performed on 217 pet dogs. A two-step data reduction procedure (principal component analysis on each subtest followed by an exploratory factor analysis on the subtest components) yielded five factors: Sociability-obedience, Activity-independence, Novelty seeking, Problem orientation, and Frustration tolerance. A comprehensive evaluation of reliability and validity measures demonstrated excellent inter- and intra-observer reliability and adequate internal consistency of all factors. Moreover the test showed good temporal consistency when re-testing a subsample of dogs after an average of 3.8 years—a considerably longer test-retest interval than assessed for any other dog personality test, to our knowledge. The construct validity of the test was investigated by analysing the correlations between the results of video coding and video rating methods and the owners’ assessment via a dog personality questionnaire. The results demonstrated good convergent as well as discriminant validity. To conclude, the VIDOPET is not only a highly reliable and valid tool for measuring dog personality, but also the first test to show consistent behavioural traits related to problem solving ability and frustration tolerance in pet dogs. PMID:29634747

  7. Trajectories of Identification Across Social Spaces: Intersections Between Home, School and Everyday Spaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fields, Deborah Anne

    This is a theory-building study taking a wide-angled perspective on youths' development of trajectories of identification across social settings of their everyday lives. I investigated the relationships within and between trajectories of identification across the everyday lives of four youth, studying the conflicts, cohesion, and gaps in their trajectories of identification as they moved across and participated in multiple social settings. I asked how trajectories of identification were built across social settings (i.e. relationships within a trajectory of identification); what kinds of relationships existed between youths' trajectories of identification; and what facilitated the building of trajectories of identification across social settings. To study these questions, I argued for three interrelated lenses on identity: local acting and positioning in practice, the ways one thinks of oneself (self-narratives), and the ways that others think of one (others'-narratives). Using these lenses I shaped a connective ethnography studying four 11-12 year old youth across everyday settings including school, home, hobbies like sports and music, community organizations, and peer groups, following two youth for six months and two youth for one year. I analyzed findings across the four youth. The cases presented in this thesis demonstrate the ways that youth form identities through their travel and not just in a single setting. First, I found that youth build trajectories of identification across social settings and not just in a single setting. As learning is not just within a single mind, so is identity developed beyond a single space. Second, I demonstrated how multiple interacting trajectories of identification within a youth's life may shape each other in inclusive and exclusive ways. Third, throughout the cases I highlighted how traveling artifacts can support building trajectories of identification across social settings, including boundary objects, artifacts created by the youth, and succinct narratives. Their ability to travel depends on how well they encompass values of people from different social settings. In turn, the travel and influence of artifacts are strengthened by certification and brokering.

  8. Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Beaty, Roger E.; Benedek, Mathias; Silvia, Paul J.; Schacter, Daniel L.

    2015-01-01

    Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relationship, actually cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought. PMID:26553223

  9. Health in older cat and dog owners: The Nord-Trondelag Health Study (HUNT)-3 study.

    PubMed

    Enmarker, Ingela; Hellzén, Ove; Ekker, Knut; Berg, Ann-Grethe

    2012-12-01

    The main objective was to compare older male and female cat, dog, and non-owners with regard to demographic and health-related characteristics. Data in the present cross-sectional population study were drawn from HUNT-3 in Norway. A total of 12,297 persons (5631 men; 6666 women) between the ages of 65 and 101 years were included, of whom 2358 were pet owners. The main finding was that owning a dog demonstrated several health-related characteristics to a higher positive degree than both non-pet and cat ownership among the participants. Cat owners showed higher body mass index values and higher systolic blood pressure, and reported worse general health status. They also exercised to a lower degree than the others. As the result implies that older cat owners are negatively outstanding in many aspects of health compared with the dog owners, in the future, more focus must be put on the worse health of those. Further, there were more married male than female cat and dog owners. This probably depends on traditional cultural thinking; the man is the owner of the pet even if the woman lives with and cares about it. It is important to point out that different groups in the population might select different pets. Consequently, the findings showing a correlation between pet ownership and health may be owing to unrelated confounding factors.

  10. Owners and Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom Disagree about What Should Happen during a Small Animal Vaccination Consultation.

    PubMed

    Belshaw, Zoe; Robinson, Natalie J; Dean, Rachel S; Brennan, Marnie L

    2018-01-18

    Dog and cat vaccination consultations are a common part of small animal practice in the United Kingdom. Few data are available describing what happens during those consultations or what participants think about their content. The aim of this novel study was to investigate the attitudes of dog and cat owners and veterinary surgeons towards the content of small animal vaccination consultations. Telephone interviews with veterinary surgeons and pet owners captured rich qualitative data. Thematic analysis was performed to identify key themes. This study reports the theme describing attitudes towards the content of the consultation. Diverse preferences exist for what should be prioritised during vaccination consultations, and mismatched expectations may lead to negative experiences. Vaccination consultations for puppies and kittens were described to have a relatively standardised structure with an educational and preventative healthcare focus. In contrast, adult pet vaccination consultations were described to focus on current physical health problems with only limited discussion of preventative healthcare topics. This first qualitative exploration of UK vaccination consultation expectations suggests that the content and consistency of adult pet vaccination consultations may not meet the needs or expectations of all participants. Redefining preventative healthcare to include all preventable conditions may benefit owners, pets and veterinary surgeons, and may help to provide a clearer structure for adult pet vaccination consultations. This study represents a significant advance our understanding of this consultation type.

  11. Taking Charge: A Practical Guide for Leaders

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1986-01-01

    the stuff of everyday life in many large organizations. Leaders must ensure that they have the procedures and the institutional sup- port available to...represented the most powerful differences between people. The extrovert (E) thinks out loud in the world of people and things, while the introvert (1...to real life occurrences that actually hap- pened to him or his colleagues, by explaining how each case was handled, and by critiquing the ap

  12. Assessing socially situated participation: a way of integrating communication and social assessment approaches.

    PubMed

    Duchan, J F

    2000-01-01

    We have long treated communication and social assessment as related but separate domains. Theorizing by George Herbert Mead on "the social self" offers an alternative to this conceptual separation and a means of evaluating children's social interaction, social participation, and communication simultaneously. This article describes Mead's thinking and presents a framework for assessing children's social reciprocity, interactive stances, and role participation as they participate in everyday life contexts.

  13. Functional Fixedness in Creative Thinking Tasks Depends on Stimulus Modality.

    PubMed

    Chrysikou, Evangelia G; Motyka, Katharine; Nigro, Cristina; Yang, Song-I; Thompson-Schill, Sharon L

    2016-11-01

    Pictorial examples during creative thinking tasks can lead participants to fixate on these examples and reproduce their elements even when yielding suboptimal creative products. Semantic memory research may illuminate the cognitive processes underlying this effect. Here, we examined whether pictures and words differentially influence access to semantic knowledge for object concepts depending on whether the task is close- or open-ended. Participants viewed either names or pictures of everyday objects, or a combination of the two, and generated common, secondary, or ad hoc uses for them. Stimulus modality effects were assessed quantitatively through reaction times and qualitatively through a novel coding system, which classifies creative output on a continuum from top-down-driven to bottom-up-driven responses. Both analyses revealed differences across tasks. Importantly, for ad hoc uses, participants exposed to pictures generated more top-down-driven responses than those exposed to object names. These findings have implications for accounts of functional fixedness in creative thinking, as well as theories of semantic memory for object concepts.

  14. Functional Fixedness in Creative Thinking Tasks Depends on Stimulus Modality

    PubMed Central

    Chrysikou, Evangelia G.; Motyka, Katharine; Nigro, Cristina; Yang, Song-I; Thompson-Schill, Sharon L.

    2015-01-01

    Pictorial examples during creative thinking tasks can lead participants to fixate on these examples and reproduce their elements even when yielding suboptimal creative products. Semantic memory research may illuminate the cognitive processes underlying this effect. Here, we examined whether pictures and words differentially influence access to semantic knowledge for object concepts depending on whether the task is close- or open-ended. Participants viewed either names or pictures of everyday objects, or a combination of the two, and generated common, secondary, or ad hoc uses for them. Stimulus modality effects were assessed quantitatively through reaction times and qualitatively through a novel coding system, which classifies creative output on a continuum from top-down-driven to bottom-up-driven responses. Both analyses revealed differences across tasks. Importantly, for ad hoc uses, participants exposed to pictures generated more top-down-driven responses than those exposed to object names. These findings have implications for accounts of functional fixedness in creative thinking, as well as theories of semantic memory for object concepts. PMID:28344724

  15. Creative Cognition and Brain Network Dynamics.

    PubMed

    Beaty, Roger E; Benedek, Mathias; Silvia, Paul J; Schacter, Daniel L

    2016-02-01

    Creative thinking is central to the arts, sciences, and everyday life. How does the brain produce creative thought? A series of recently published papers has begun to provide insight into this question, reporting a strikingly similar pattern of brain activity and connectivity across a range of creative tasks and domains, from divergent thinking to poetry composition to musical improvisation. This research suggests that creative thought involves dynamic interactions of large-scale brain systems, with the most compelling finding being that the default and executive control networks, which can show an antagonistic relation, tend to cooperate during creative cognition and artistic performance. These findings have implications for understanding how brain networks interact to support complex cognitive processes, particularly those involving goal-directed, self-generated thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Potential Role of Pet Cats As a Sentinel Species for Human Exposure to Flame Retardants

    PubMed Central

    Henríquez-Hernández, Luis A.; Carretón, Elena; Camacho, María; Montoya-Alonso, José Alberto; Boada, Luis D.; Bernal Martín, Verónica; Falcón Cordón, Yaiza; Falcón Cordón, Soraya; Zumbado, Manuel; Luzardo, Octavio P.

    2017-01-01

    Flame retardants are a wide group of chemicals used by the industry to avoid combustion of materials. These substances are commonly found in plastics, electronic equipment, fabrics, and in many other everyday articles. Subsequently, ubiquitous environmental contamination by these common chemical is frequently reported. In the present study, we have evaluated the level of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), and organophosphorous flame retardants (OPFRs) in pet cats through the analysis of their serum. We also analyzed the level exposure to such chemicals in a series of 20 cat owners, trying to disclose the role of pet cats as sentinel species of human exposure to FRs. Our results showed that PCBs, banned 40 years ago, showed the lowest levels of exposure, followed by BDEs—banned recently. Congeners PCB-138 and PCB-180 were detected in ≥50% of the series, while BDE-47 was detected in near 90% of the pet cats. On the other hand, the highest levels were that of OPFRs, whose pattern of detection was similar to that observed in humans, thus suggesting a potential role of cats as a sentinel species for human exposure to these currently used FRs. Six out of 11 OPFRs determined [2-ethylhexyldiphenyl phosphate, tributylphosphate, triisobutylphosphate, triphenylphosphate, tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate, and tris (2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate] were detected in 100% of the samples. It will be interesting to perform future studied aimed to elucidating the potential toxicological effects of these highly detected chemicals both, in cats and humans. PMID:28620612

  17. Counterfactual thinking in Tourette's syndrome: a study using three measures.

    PubMed

    Zago, Stefano; Delli Ponti, Adriana; Mastroianni, Silvia; Solca, Federica; Tomasini, Emanuele; Poletti, Barbara; Inglese, Silvia; Sartori, Giuseppe; Porta, Mauro

    2014-01-01

    Pathophysiological evidence suggests an involvement of frontostriatal circuits in Tourette syndrome (TS) and cognitive abnormalities have been detected in tasks sensitive to cognitive deficits associated with prefrontal damage (verbal fluency, planning, attention shifting, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and social reasoning). A disorder in counterfactual thinking (CFT), a behavioural executive process linked to the prefrontal cortex functioning, has not been investigated in TS. CFT refers to the generation of a mental simulation of alternatives to past factual events, actions, and outcomes. It is a pervasive cognitive feature in everyday life and it is closely related to decision-making, planning, problem-solving, and experience-driven learning-cognitive processes that involve wide neuronal networks in which prefrontal lobes play a fundamental role. Clinical observations in patients with focal prefrontal lobe damage or with neurological and psychiatric diseases related to frontal lobe dysfunction (e.g., Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and schizophrenia) show counterfactual thinking impairments. In this work, we evaluate the performance of CFT in a group of patients with Tourette's syndrome compared with a group of healthy participants. Overall results showed no statistical differences in counterfactual thinking between TS patients and controls in the three counterfactual measures proposed. The possible explanations of this unexpected result are discussed below.

  18. The Role of Mathematical Tools in Addressing Problems in Everyday Life: The Interplay between Socio-Cultural Factors and the Individual's Feelings and Ways of Thinking.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colwell, Dhamma

    This paper describes a case study in which one woman in a focus group of 11 women recounted her use of numerical and mathematical tools in her personal and work life. According to the researcher, the subject's experiences engendered strong feelings and revealed that aspects of her self-identity were bound up with her use of tools and feelings…

  19. Social representations of electricity network technologies: exploring processes of anchoring and objectification through the use of visual research methods.

    PubMed

    Devine-Wright, Hannah; Devine-Wright, Patrick

    2009-06-01

    The aim of this study was to explore everyday thinking about the UK electricity network, in light of government policy to increase the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. Existing literature on public perceptions of electricity network technologies was broadened by adopting a more socially embedded conception of the construction of knowledge using the theory of social representations (SRT) to explore symbolic associations with network technologies. Drawing and association tasks were administered within nine discussion groups held in two places: a Scottish town where significant upgrades to the local transmission network were planned and an English city with no such plans. Our results illustrate the ways in which network technologies, such as high voltage (HV) pylons, are objectified in talk and drawings. These invoked positive as well as negative symbolic and affective associations, both at the level of specific pylons, and the 'National Grid' as a whole and are anchored in understanding of other networks such as mobile telecommunications. We conclude that visual methods are especially useful for exploring beliefs about technologies that are widespread, proximal to our everyday experience but nevertheless unfamiliar topics of everyday conversation.

  20. The ultimate uncertainty-Subjective assessment?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schulte-Fortkamp, Brigitte

    2005-09-01

    The evaluation of acoustic ambiences is influenced by the context, the point in time, and the place in which sounds appear as well as by people's minds. It is necessary to take into account the nature of the social world and to realize that values and interests become part of the process of research. With their help people's behavior, perspectives, and experiences can be explored. Interactions and interrelations between acoustic parameters and phenomena in everyday life can be investigated with regard to people's expectations. The focus is on people's everyday life, these data have primacy; the theoretical framework is not predetermined but derives directly from the data and is context-bound. The context of the participants' lives and work affects their behavior so that it is important to keep in mind that the participants are grounded in their history and temporality. The context of people's lives, events, and actions is studied in everyday-``real life''-settings. Their culture does not only consist of the physical environment but also of particular ideologies, values, and ways of thinking. Human response in measurements depends on the way people interpret and make use of their experiences and on the world which they live in.

  1. Gender differences in older adults’ everyday cognitive collaboration

    PubMed Central

    Margrett, Jennifer A.; Marsiske, Michael

    2010-01-01

    Collaborative cognition research has demonstrated that social partners can positively impact individuals’ thinking and problem-solving performance. Research in adulthood and aging has been less clear about dyadic effects, such as partner gender, on collaborative cognition. The current study examined the objective and subjective experiences of older men and women’s collaboration on three everyday problems. Tasks included comprehension of everyday printed materials, a social dilemma task, and an errand-planning task. A sample of 98 older married couples (N = 196) worked both collaboratively and individually with either their spouse (N = 52 dyads) or a stranger of the other gender (N = 46 dyads). Analyses conducted using the actor-partner methodology (e.g., Gonzalez & Griffin, 1997; Kenny, 1996) suggest that men tended to be more influential during dyadic problem solving, particularly on more ambiguous tasks. Subjective appraisals of collaboration also varied between male and female partners, with familiarity of partner playing a large role in expectations of collaboration. Most notably, women assigned to work with an unfamiliar male partner tended to rate their satisfaction with collaborative teamwork less positively. Both self and partner-rated subjective appraisals, particularly expectations of competitiveness, were predictive of collaborative performance. PMID:20657668

  2. Owners and Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom Disagree about What Should Happen during a Small Animal Vaccination Consultation

    PubMed Central

    Robinson, Natalie J.; Dean, Rachel S.

    2018-01-01

    Dog and cat vaccination consultations are a common part of small animal practice in the United Kingdom. Few data are available describing what happens during those consultations or what participants think about their content. The aim of this novel study was to investigate the attitudes of dog and cat owners and veterinary surgeons towards the content of small animal vaccination consultations. Telephone interviews with veterinary surgeons and pet owners captured rich qualitative data. Thematic analysis was performed to identify key themes. This study reports the theme describing attitudes towards the content of the consultation. Diverse preferences exist for what should be prioritised during vaccination consultations, and mismatched expectations may lead to negative experiences. Vaccination consultations for puppies and kittens were described to have a relatively standardised structure with an educational and preventative healthcare focus. In contrast, adult pet vaccination consultations were described to focus on current physical health problems with only limited discussion of preventative healthcare topics. This first qualitative exploration of UK vaccination consultation expectations suggests that the content and consistency of adult pet vaccination consultations may not meet the needs or expectations of all participants. Redefining preventative healthcare to include all preventable conditions may benefit owners, pets and veterinary surgeons, and may help to provide a clearer structure for adult pet vaccination consultations. This study represents a significant advance our understanding of this consultation type. PMID:29346332

  3. An analysis of 12th-grade students' reasoning styles and competencies when presented with an environmental problem in a social and scientific context

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Fang-Ying

    This study examined reasoning and problem solving by 182 12th grade students in Taiwan when considering a socio-scientific issue regarding the use of nuclear energy. Students' information preferences, background characteristics, and eleven everyday scientific thinking skills were scrutinized. It was found most participants displayed a willingness to take into account both scientific and social information in reasoning the merits of a proposed construction of a nuclear power plant. Students' reasoning scores obtained from the "information reasoning style" test ranged from -0.5 to 1.917. And, the distribution was approximately normal with mean and median at around 0.5. For the purpose of categorization, students whose scores were within one standard deviation from the mean were characterized as having a "equally disposed" reasoning style. One hundred and twenty-five subjects, about 69%, belonged to this category. Students with scores locating at the two tails of the distribution were assigned to either the "scientifically oriented" or the "socially oriented" reasoning category. Among 23 background characteristics investigated using questionnaire data and ANOVA statistical analysis, only students' science performance and knowledge about nuclear energy were statistically significantly related to their information reasoning styles (p < 0.05). The assessed background characteristics addressed dimensions such as gender, academic performances, class difference, future education, career expectation, commitment to study, assessment to educational enrichment, family conditions, epistemological views about science, religion, and the political party preference. For everyday scientific thinking skills, interview data showed that both "scientifically oriented" students and those who were categorized as "equally disposed to using scientific and social scientific sources of data" displayed higher frequencies than "socially oriented" ones in using these skills, except in the use of the "multidisciplinary thinking" skill. Among the 11 skills assessed, the "scientifically oriented" students outperformed the "equally disposed" ones only in the use of 3 thinking skills; namely, searching for or recalling scientific concepts/evidence, recognizing and evaluating alternatives, and making conclusions based on the scientific intuition.

  4. RF EMF Risk Perception Revisited: Is the Focus on Concern Sufficient for Risk Perception Studies?

    PubMed Central

    Wiedemann, Peter M.; Freudenstein, Frederik; Böhmert, Christoph; Wiart, Joe; Croft, Rodney J.

    2017-01-01

    An implicit assumption of risk perception studies is that concerns expressed in questionnaires reflect concerns in everyday life. The aim of the present study is to check this assumption, i.e., the extrapolability of risk perceptions expressed in a survey, to risk perceptions in everyday life. To that end, risk perceptions were measured by a multidimensional approach. In addition to the traditional focus on measuring the magnitude of risk perceptions, the thematic relevance (how often people think about a risk issue) and the discursive relevance (how often people think about or discuss a risk issue) of risk perceptions were also collected. Taking into account this extended view of risk perception, an online survey was conducted in six European countries with 2454 respondents, referring to radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) risk potentials from base stations, and access points, such as WiFi routers and cell phones. The findings reveal that the present study’s multidimensional approach to measuring risk perception provides a more differentiated understanding of RF EMF risk perception. High levels of concerns expressed in questionnaires do not automatically imply that these concerns are thematically relevant in everyday life. We use thematic relevance to distinguish between enduringly concerned (high concern according to both questionnaire and thematic relevance) and not enduringly concerned participants (high concern according to questionnaire but no thematic relevance). Furthermore, we provide data for the empirical value of this distinction: Compared to other participants, enduringly concerned subjects consider radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure to a greater extent as a moral and affective issue. They also see themselves as highly exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. However, despite these differences, subjects with high levels of thematic relevance are nevertheless sensitive to exposure reduction as a means for improving the acceptance of base stations in their neighborhood. This underlines the value of exposure reduction for the acceptance of radio frequency electromagnetic field communication technologies. PMID:28594366

  5. RF EMF Risk Perception Revisited: Is the Focus on Concern Sufficient for Risk Perception Studies?

    PubMed

    Wiedemann, Peter M; Freudenstein, Frederik; Böhmert, Christoph; Wiart, Joe; Croft, Rodney J

    2017-06-08

    An implicit assumption of risk perception studies is that concerns expressed in questionnaires reflect concerns in everyday life. The aim of the present study is to check this assumption, i.e., the extrapolability of risk perceptions expressed in a survey, to risk perceptions in everyday life. To that end, risk perceptions were measured by a multidimensional approach. In addition to the traditional focus on measuring the magnitude of risk perceptions, the thematic relevance (how often people think about a risk issue) and the discursive relevance (how often people think about or discuss a risk issue) of risk perceptions were also collected. Taking into account this extended view of risk perception, an online survey was conducted in six European countries with 2454 respondents, referring to radio frequency electromagnetic field (RF EMF) risk potentials from base stations, and access points, such as WiFi routers and cell phones. The findings reveal that the present study's multidimensional approach to measuring risk perception provides a more differentiated understanding of RF EMF risk perception. High levels of concerns expressed in questionnaires do not automatically imply that these concerns are thematically relevant in everyday life. We use thematic relevance to distinguish between enduringly concerned (high concern according to both questionnaire and thematic relevance) and not enduringly concerned participants (high concern according to questionnaire but no thematic relevance). Furthermore, we provide data for the empirical value of this distinction: Compared to other participants, enduringly concerned subjects consider radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure to a greater extent as a moral and affective issue. They also see themselves as highly exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic fields. However, despite these differences, subjects with high levels of thematic relevance are nevertheless sensitive to exposure reduction as a means for improving the acceptance of base stations in their neighborhood. This underlines the value of exposure reduction for the acceptance of radio frequency electromagnetic field communication technologies.

  6. 3D printing and IoT for personalized everyday objects in nursing and healthcare

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Asano, Yoshihiro; Tanaka, Hiroya; Miyagawa, Shoko; Yoshioka, Junki

    2017-04-01

    Today, application of 3D printing technology for medical use is getting popular. It strongly helps to make complicated shape of body parts with functional materials. We can complement injured, weakened or lacked parts, and recover original shape and functions. However, these cases are mainly focusing on the symptom itself, not on everyday lives of patients. With life span extending, many of us will live a life with chronic disease for long time. Then, we should think about our living environment more carefully. For example, we can make personalized everyday objects and support their body and mind. Therefore, we use 3D printing for making everyday objects from nursing / healthcare perspective. In this project, we have 2 main research questions. The first one is how to make objects which patients really require. We invited many kinds of people such as engineer, nurses and patients to our research activity. Nurses can find patient's real demands firstly, and engineers support them with rapid prototyping. Finally, we found the best collaboration methodologies among nurses, engineers and patients. The second question is how to trace and evaluate usages of created objects. Apparently, it's difficult to monitor user's activity for a long time. So we're developing the IoT sensing system, which monitor activities remotely. We enclose a data logger which can lasts about one month with 3D printed objects. After one month, we can pick up the data from objects and understand how it has been used.

  7. Motivation, cognition and pseudoscience.

    PubMed

    Lindeman, M

    1998-12-01

    The article proposes a framework that views pseudoscientific beliefs as a joint function of the basic social motives and the default way of processing everyday information. The interplay between the basic motives and experiential thinking is illustrated with three examples. The first concerns comprehension of self via astrology and graphology, and the second involves the comprehension of unexpected events (one domain of the motive to comprehend the world). The last example describes health control by alternative medicine, as a modern way of controlling future outcomes.

  8. Pet insurance--essential option?

    PubMed

    Stowe, J D

    2000-08-01

    As Hawn (2) says, "insurance is about risk and peace of mind." She reports that the American Humane Society supports pet insurance because companion animals are able to be treated for disease or accidents that are life-threatening where, otherwise, they would have been euthanized. For veterinarians, she suggests that pet insurance allows them to practice veterinary medicine "as if it were free." It is inevitable that pet insurance will grow as a recourse for veterinary fees. This may be a savior to some families whose budget is stretched to the limit at a critical moment in the health care of their cherished pet. We in the veterinary profession have an advantage over other professions. We have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of insurance, as it applies to human health and dental care. If we work hand-in-hand with our own industries, collectively we may be able to develop a system that wins for everyone, with fees that allow practice to thrive and growth strategies that accommodate new treatment and diagnostic modalities, as well as consistent and exemplary customer service. The path ahead is always fraught with bumps and potholes. We can be a passive passenger and become a victim of the times or an active driver to steer the profession to a clearer route. Pet insurance is but one of the solutions for the profession; the others are a careful assessment of our fees--charging what we are worth, not what we think the client will pay; business management; customer service; leadership of our health care team; lifelong learning; and more efficient delivery systems. Let us stop being a victim, stop shooting ourselves in the professional foot, and seize the day!

  9. The effects of an inquiry-based earth science course on the spatial thinking of pre-service elementary teacher education students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weakley, Kevin Douglas

    This study examined the effectiveness of two geography courses at improving student spatial thinking skills. Spatial thinking is an important cognitive skill in the sciences and everyday life. A taxonomy of spatial thinking was constructed by Gersmehl (2008) in geography education which included core modes assessed in this study: comparison, region, transition, analogy, pattern, and association. Two additional modes related to space over time, change and movement, were also assessed. The central research question in this study is: What are the effects of a pre-service teacher education earth science content course (Geography 1900) that is conceptually designed and inquiry-based on the spatial thinking of university students compared to the Geography 1020 course that follows a lecture format with an atlas study component? The six sub-questions to this central question were: (1) What spatial thinking modes are embedded in the Geography 1900 course based on the Gersmehl (2008) classification of modes of spatial thinking? (2) What modes of spatial thinking do pre-service elementary education students exhibit prior to instruction in Geography 1900 and 1020? (3) What changes occur in spatial thinking and spatial skills as a result of enrolling in and completing a conceptually based, inquiry course (Geography 1900) that has embedded clearly identifiable spatial tasks based on Gersmehl's classification? (4) What are the effects of Geography 1900 on the modes of spatial thinking that students apply at the completion of the course? (5) What modes of spatial thinking do students transfer from the classroom to the outdoors as they move about campus? (6) Are there differences in spatial thinking between the Geography 1900 population and the Geography 1020 comparison sample of students that received a different course treatment? The research used a mixed methods approach with both quantitative and qualitative information. Statistically significant changes were observed in the use of spatial constructs and concepts by students in each of the course treatments that were compared. Students were also observed to apply spatial modes outside the classroom that represented the spatial thinking within the new context of the university environment as they observed and described the landscape.

  10. Development of Early Conceptions in Systems Thinking in an Environmental Context: An Exploratory Study of Preschool Students' Understanding of Stocks & Flows, Behavior Over Time and Feedback

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gillmeister, Kristina M.

    Systems thinking allows learners to look at the world as a series of interconnected parts of a whole. A debate exists in early childhood research literature about whether or not children have the capacity to hold systems thinking conceptions due to the complex thought processing needed for systems thinking. Additionally, many researchers question whether children have enough life experience or cognitive schema to participate fully in systems thinking. However, this study's findings indicate that young children do show signs of more complex understanding in systems thinking than what previous literature suggests a young child has the ability to do. This three part research study was conducted in a universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) classroom in a first-ring suburb of a rust-belt city in the Northeastern United States. The study was grounded in a desire to uncover young children's understanding of systems thinking through everyday classroom activities. Twenty students participated in this qualitative study which utilized read-aloud, water play and the interpretation and creation of graphs through associated structured and semi-structured interviews. Data from student's observations and interviews was transcribed, segmented, coded and analyzed. This student-centered process approach (Gotwals & Alonzo, 2012) allowed for children's ideas to emerge naturally during the research tasks. Data was analyzed according to a three step analysis process using a real-world lens, a systems thinking skills lens, and the development of lower anchors for future learning progressions lens. Across a group of 20 preschool children there was an overarching theme that the ability to think in systems and utilize simple systems thinking tools, such as stock-flow maps, feedback loops and behavior over time graphs, was present. Since children are ready to reason using rudimentary systems thinking, then systems thinking opportunities should be incorporated into their informal and formal learning settings. The knowledge that children have the ability to comprehend basic systems thinking concepts is important to early childhood educators, curriculum developers, teacher preparation programs, professional developers, and standards & policy makers.

  11. A short educational intervention diminishes causal illusions and specific paranormal beliefs in undergraduates.

    PubMed

    Barberia, Itxaso; Tubau, Elisabet; Matute, Helena; Rodríguez-Ferreiro, Javier

    2018-01-01

    Cognitive biases such as causal illusions have been related to paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs and, thus, pose a real threat to the development of adequate critical thinking abilities. We aimed to reduce causal illusions in undergraduates by means of an educational intervention combining training-in-bias and training-in-rules techniques. First, participants directly experienced situations that tend to induce the Barnum effect and the confirmation bias. Thereafter, these effects were explained and examples of their influence over everyday life were provided. Compared to a control group, participants who received the intervention showed diminished causal illusions in a contingency learning task and a decrease in the precognition dimension of a paranormal belief scale. Overall, results suggest that evidence-based educational interventions like the one presented here could be used to significantly improve critical thinking skills in our students.

  12. Effects of the Skills4Genius sports-based training program in creative behavior

    PubMed Central

    Santos, Sara; Jiménez, Sergio; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

    2017-01-01

    Team Sports has been suggested as a suitable environment to investigate creative behavior. This study’s purpose was two-fold: first, it intended to identify the effects of the Skills4Genius sports-bases training program in thinking, motor, and in-game creative behavior in team sports. Second, it aimed to investigate the relationship between creative thinking and in-game creativity. Forty children from primary school were allocated into control (n = 18, age: 9.2±0.4) and experimental (n = 22, age: 9.5±0.7) groups. The experimental group participated in a five-month training program involving either creative thinking, diversification, physical literacy, and nonlinear pedagogy approaches (Skills4Genius). Variables in the study included: a) creative thinking; b) motor performance (vertical jump, speed, and agility); c) in-game individual creative behavior (attempts, fluency, and versatility); and d) in-game collective behavior (positional regularity). The results suggested that the Skills4Genius program fostered creative thinking, agility, and speed performance. Moreover, it stretched the in-game individual creative behavior mainly through the improvement of the attempts and versatility of the player’s actions. Lastly, it nurtured a better learning of the tactical principles, whereas the children were more coordinated with their teammates’ and opponents’ positioning. Additionally, this study presents a positive correlation linking creative thinking and in-game creative performance. These findings highlighted that creativity is facilitated while players become more thinking and game-skilled. Coaches and educators may apply this functional environment to inspire children’s disposition to move outside the box and trigger a creative spark in team sports players. Notwithstanding, the sports environment is ideally suited for fostering creative behavior, a higher-order disposition that will go on to differentiate the everyday life of a child. PMID:28231260

  13. Effects of the Skills4Genius sports-based training program in creative behavior.

    PubMed

    Santos, Sara; Jiménez, Sergio; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

    2017-01-01

    Team Sports has been suggested as a suitable environment to investigate creative behavior. This study's purpose was two-fold: first, it intended to identify the effects of the Skills4Genius sports-bases training program in thinking, motor, and in-game creative behavior in team sports. Second, it aimed to investigate the relationship between creative thinking and in-game creativity. Forty children from primary school were allocated into control (n = 18, age: 9.2±0.4) and experimental (n = 22, age: 9.5±0.7) groups. The experimental group participated in a five-month training program involving either creative thinking, diversification, physical literacy, and nonlinear pedagogy approaches (Skills4Genius). Variables in the study included: a) creative thinking; b) motor performance (vertical jump, speed, and agility); c) in-game individual creative behavior (attempts, fluency, and versatility); and d) in-game collective behavior (positional regularity). The results suggested that the Skills4Genius program fostered creative thinking, agility, and speed performance. Moreover, it stretched the in-game individual creative behavior mainly through the improvement of the attempts and versatility of the player's actions. Lastly, it nurtured a better learning of the tactical principles, whereas the children were more coordinated with their teammates' and opponents' positioning. Additionally, this study presents a positive correlation linking creative thinking and in-game creative performance. These findings highlighted that creativity is facilitated while players become more thinking and game-skilled. Coaches and educators may apply this functional environment to inspire children's disposition to move outside the box and trigger a creative spark in team sports players. Notwithstanding, the sports environment is ideally suited for fostering creative behavior, a higher-order disposition that will go on to differentiate the everyday life of a child.

  14. Effect of thought suppression on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms.

    PubMed

    Erskine, James A K; Ussher, Michael; Cropley, Mark; Elgindi, Abdelaziz; Zaman, Manzir; Corlett, Bethan

    2012-01-01

    Suppressing smoking thoughts has been shown to result in elevated smoking. However, the effect of suppressing smoking thoughts on desire to smoke and withdrawal symptoms has not been investigated. We examined the effects of suppressing smoking thoughts on the subsequent desire to smoke and on tobacco withdrawal symptoms, relative to groups that were either thinking about anything they wished or actively thinking about smoking. A randomised experimental study compared the effects of three manipulations (suppressed smoking thoughts, expressed smoking thoughts and thoughts of anything they wished) on desire and withdrawal immediately after the manipulation and 5 and 10 min after. Suppressing smoking thoughts did not result in elevated subsequent desire to smoke, relative to the other manipulations. Suppressing smoking thoughts resulted in a significant elevation in hunger ratings, relative to the other manipulations, at all measurement times. There were no significant effects for the other withdrawal symptoms. Self-reported greater use of thought suppression in everyday life was significantly associated with greater desire to smoke at baseline and was associated with lower mindfulness scores. Laboratory-instructed suppression of smoking thoughts is associated with increased reports of hunger but did not lead to increases in other withdrawal symptoms or elevated desire to smoke. Reports of everyday use of thought suppression are associated with elevated desire to smoke at baseline. Further investigations need to assess the effect of suppressing smoking cravings, instead of general smoking thoughts, on desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal.

  15. Value of 18F-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine PET/MR image fusion in pediatric supratentorial infiltrative astrocytomas: a prospective pilot study.

    PubMed

    Morana, Giovanni; Piccardo, Arnoldo; Milanaccio, Claudia; Puntoni, Matteo; Nozza, Paolo; Cama, Armando; Zefiro, Daniele; Cabria, Massimo; Rossi, Andrea; Garrè, Maria Luisa

    2014-05-01

    Infiltrative astrocytomas (IAs) represent a group of astrocytic gliomas ranging from low-grade to highly malignant, characterized by diffuse invasion of the brain parenchyma. When compared with their adult counterpart, pediatric IAs may be considered biologically distinct entities; nevertheless, similarly to those in adults they represent a complex oncologic challenge. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic role, clinical contribution, and prognostic value of fused (18)F-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ((18)F-DOPA) PET/MR images in pediatric supratentorial IAs. Pediatric patients with supratentorial IAs involving at least 2 cerebral lobes, either newly diagnosed or with suspected disease progression, prospectively underwent (18)F-DOPA PET and conventional MR imaging, performed within 10 d of each other. (18)F-DOPA PET data were interpreted qualitatively and semiquantitatively, fusing images with MR images. PET scans were classified as positive if tumors identified on MR imaging exhibited tracer uptake above the level of the corresponding contralateral normal brain. Maximum standardized uptake values, tumor-to-normal contralateral tissue ratios, and tumor-to-normal striatum ratios were calculated for all tumors. Correlations between the degree and extent of (18)F-DOPA uptake, MR imaging tumor characteristics, and histologic results were investigated. The contribution of (18)F-DOPA PET/MR image fusion was considered relevant if it enabled one to select the most appropriate biopsy site, discriminate between disease progression and treatment-related changes, or influence treatment strategy. The patient's outcome was finally correlated with (18)F-DOPA uptake. Thirteen patients (8 boys and 5 girls) were included (5 diffuse astrocytomas, 2 anaplastic astrocytomas, 5 gliomatosis cerebri, and 1 glioblastoma multiforme). The (18)F-DOPA uptake pattern was heterogeneous in all positive scans (9/13), revealing metabolic heterogeneities within each tumor. Significant differences in terms of (18)F-DOPA uptake were found between low- and high-grade lesions (P < 0.05). The diagnostic and therapeutic contribution of (18)F-DOPA PET/MR image fusion was relevant in 9 of 13 patients (69%). (18)F-DOPA uptake correlated significantly with progression-free survival (P = 0.004). Our results indicate that (18)F-DOPA PET/MR image fusion may be a reliable imaging biomarker of pediatric IAs. Information gathered by this combined imaging approach can be readily transferred to the everyday practice and may help clinicians to better stratify patients with IAs, especially diffuse astrocytomas and gliomatosis cerebri, for diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic purposes.

  16. An approach to facilitate healthcare professionals' readiness to support technology use in everyday life for persons with dementia.

    PubMed

    Malinowsky, Camilla; Rosenberg, Lena; Nygård, Louise

    2014-05-01

    Everyday technologies (ETs) like microwave ovens and automatic telephone services as well as assistive technologies (ATs) are often used in the performance of everyday activities. As a consequence, the ability to manage technology is important. This pilot study aimed to clarify the applicability of a model for knowledge translation to support healthcare professionals, to support technology use among older adults with dementia and their significant others. An additional aim was to explore the process of translating the model into practice. The applicability of the model (comprising a one-day course, including introduction and provision of tools, followed by interviews during and after a period of practice) was clarified for 11 healthcare professionals using a constant comparative approach. The content of the model gave the participants an eye-opening experience of technology use among persons with dementia. They also described how they had incorporated the model as a new way of thinking which supported and inspired new investigations and collaborations with colleagues and significant others. This study provided an applicable model of how research knowledge about technology use can be translated into clinical practice and be used by healthcare professionals to support the use of technology for persons with dementia.

  17. Everyday false memories in older persons with depressive disorder.

    PubMed

    Sejunaite, Karolina; Lanza, Claudia; Riepe, Matthias W

    2018-03-01

    Generally we tend to think that memory in daily living is complete and accurate in healthy persons. However, current memory research has revealed inconspicuous memory faults. Rarely omissions and distortions of memory are researched with tasks resembling everyday life. We investigated healthy older control subjects (HC) and patients with depressive disorder (DD). Cognitive function was assessed with a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery and mood with the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS). We assessed everyday veridical and distorted memories on showing participants original news and commercials. In most aspects of attention, executive functions, and memory, patients with DD performed worse than HC. Regarding memory content on viewing news or commercials the difference between patients with DD and HC was more pronounced for false memory content than for veridical memory content. Linear regression analysis showed the extent of false memory content being associated with mental flexibility as assessed with the Trail Making Test and mood as assessed with the MADRS for both information obtained on viewing news and commercials. Increase of false memories impedes overall accuracy of memory more than decrease of veridical memories in older persons with depressive disorder. Diminished executive functions and depressive mood partly explain these memory distortions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Understanding everyday life of morbidly obese adults-habits and body image.

    PubMed

    Christiansen, Bjørg; Borge, Lisbet; Fagermoen, May Solveig

    2012-01-01

    Morbid obesity is a progressive, chronic condition associated with failed attempts at change and repeated relapses. There seems to be little previous research into the understanding of the everyday life of morbidly obese adults. We wanted to gain more knowledge about characteristics of eating habits and body image as well as motivational forces for change. A qualitative approach was chosen in order to gain insight into how morbidly obese adults experience everyday life. Qualitative interviews are well suited to provide insight into themes from the interviewee's life story from the subjects' own perspectives. To gain insight into such processes, a narrative approach that allowed the informants to give voice to their ways of doing, thinking and feeling in daily life, was adopted. The informants comprised seven women and four men aged of 26-56 years, recruited from a population of obese individuals who had participated in a weight reduction course. A hermeneutic approach was used where the research question was the basis for a reflective interpretation. The following meaning-units were identified: to be perceived as overweight; and to see oneself as overweight. Ingrained habits: the struggle between knowing and doing; acting without knowing; and eating is soothing. Seeing oneself as an obese person is a gradual process that implied experiencing oneself as different from significant others, such as (slim) siblings and friends. To experience a gap between knowing and doing concerning food habits in everyday life indicates that informants value they have a choice. This is an important insight to consider when framing interventions to support this vulnerable group.

  19. Understanding everyday life of morbidly obese adults-habits and body image

    PubMed Central

    Borge, Lisbet; Fagermoen, May Solveig

    2012-01-01

    Background Morbid obesity is a progressive, chronic condition associated with failed attempts at change and repeated relapses. Aim There seems to be little previous research into the understanding of the everyday life of morbidly obese adults. We wanted to gain more knowledge about characteristics of eating habits and body image as well as motivational forces for change. Methods A qualitative approach was chosen in order to gain insight into how morbidly obese adults experience everyday life. Qualitative interviews are well suited to provide insight into themes from the interviewee's life story from the subjects’ own perspectives. To gain insight into such processes, a narrative approach that allowed the informants to give voice to their ways of doing, thinking and feeling in daily life, was adopted. The informants comprised seven women and four men aged of 26–56 years, recruited from a population of obese individuals who had participated in a weight reduction course. A hermeneutic approach was used where the research question was the basis for a reflective interpretation. Results The following meaning-units were identified: to be perceived as overweight; and to see oneself as overweight. Ingrained habits: the struggle between knowing and doing; acting without knowing; and eating is soothing. Conclusions Seeing oneself as an obese person is a gradual process that implied experiencing oneself as different from significant others, such as (slim) siblings and friends. To experience a gap between knowing and doing concerning food habits in everyday life indicates that informants value they have a choice. This is an important insight to consider when framing interventions to support this vulnerable group. PMID:22866062

  20. Learning clinical reasoning.

    PubMed

    Pinnock, Ralph; Welch, Paul

    2014-04-01

    Errors in clinical reasoning continue to account for significant morbidity and mortality, despite evidence-based guidelines and improved technology. Experts in clinical reasoning often use unconscious cognitive processes that they are not aware of unless they explain how they are thinking. Understanding the intuitive and analytical thinking processes provides a guide for instruction. How knowledge is stored is critical to expertise in clinical reasoning. Curricula should be designed so that trainees store knowledge in a way that is clinically relevant. Competence in clinical reasoning is acquired by supervised practice with effective feedback. Clinicians must recognise the common errors in clinical reasoning and how to avoid them. Trainees can learn clinical reasoning effectively in everyday practice if teachers provide guidance on the cognitive processes involved in making diagnostic decisions. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2013 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  1. A short educational intervention diminishes causal illusions and specific paranormal beliefs in undergraduates

    PubMed Central

    Tubau, Elisabet; Matute, Helena

    2018-01-01

    Cognitive biases such as causal illusions have been related to paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs and, thus, pose a real threat to the development of adequate critical thinking abilities. We aimed to reduce causal illusions in undergraduates by means of an educational intervention combining training-in-bias and training-in-rules techniques. First, participants directly experienced situations that tend to induce the Barnum effect and the confirmation bias. Thereafter, these effects were explained and examples of their influence over everyday life were provided. Compared to a control group, participants who received the intervention showed diminished causal illusions in a contingency learning task and a decrease in the precognition dimension of a paranormal belief scale. Overall, results suggest that evidence-based educational interventions like the one presented here could be used to significantly improve critical thinking skills in our students. PMID:29385184

  2. No Pervasive Computing Without Intelligent Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thompson, S. G.; Azvine, B.

    It is interesting to think about the technologies that have become part of our everyday lives and compare their invention and development with those that have fallen by the wayside. Examples of failed technologies such as electrical cars and satellite mobile telephones are not uncommon, but more interestingly numerous other technologies such as instant messaging, text messaging, and b2c eCommerce have moved through the cycle of initial rejection, adoptionby a new user community, and adaptation to its needs, despite the early scepticism of many users and commentators.

  3. Space, Emotions and the Everyday: The Affective Ecology of 1980s London.

    PubMed

    Brooke, Stephen

    2017-03-01

    This article explores the relationship between emotions, space and politics in 1980s London, using the Greater London Council, childcare, and racial harassment as particular foci. It brings together political history, the history of emotions, and geography to offer a new way of thinking about political culture, as well as contributing to the history of the 1980s. It is based upon archival sources. © The Author [2016]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Religion and psychosis: a common evolutionary trajectory?

    PubMed

    Dein, Simon; Littlewood, Roland

    2011-07-01

    In this article we propose that schizophrenia and religious cognition engage cognate mental modules in the over-attribution of agency and the overextension of theory of mind. We argue similarities and differences between assumptions of ultrahuman agents with omniscient minds and certain ''pathological'' forms of thinking in schizophrenia: thought insertion, withdrawal and broadcasting, and delusions of reference. In everyday religious cognition agency detection and theory of mind modules function ''normally,'' whereas in schizophrenia both modules are impaired. It is suggested that religion and schizophrenia have perhaps had a related evolutionary trajectory.

  5. The ethics of waiting and anticipating life beyond.

    PubMed

    Milton, Constance L

    2014-01-01

    Waiting is a common everyday experience. It is particularly important to person(s) and families living with changing complex health patterns and may be especially vital to those who are anticipating the end-of-life and beyond. The author in this column offers a discussion of potential definitions, meanings, and straight thinking responsibilities for healthcare professionals, as they provide professional services with persons and families who may be arduously experiencing the phenomenon of waiting with ever-changing health situations. Implications for professional nurse practice are offered from a humanbecoming perspective.

  6. Ruminative self-focus, negative life events, and negative affect

    PubMed Central

    Moberly, Nicholas J.; Watkins, Edward R.

    2008-01-01

    Ruminative thinking is believed to exacerbate the psychological distress that follows stressful life events. An experience-sampling study was conducted in which participants recorded negative life events, ruminative self-focus, and negative affect eight times daily over one week. Occasions when participants reported a negative event were marked by higher levels of negative affect. Additionally, negative events were prospectively associated with higher levels of negative affect at the next sampling occasion, and this relationship was partially mediated by momentary ruminative self-focus. Depressive symptoms were associated with more frequent negative events, but not with increased reactivity to negative events. Trait rumination was associated with reports of more severe negative events and increased reactivity to negative events. These results suggest that the extent to which a person engages in ruminative self-focus after everyday stressors is an important determinant of the degree of distress experienced after such events. Further, dispositional measures of rumination predict mood reactivity to everyday stressors in a non-clinical sample. PMID:18684437

  7. Culture Three Ways: Culture and Subcultures Within Countries.

    PubMed

    Oyserman, Daphna

    2017-01-03

    Culture can be thought of as a set of everyday practices and a core theme-individualism, collectivism, or honor-as well as the capacity to understand each of these themes. In one's own culture, it is easy to fail to see that a cultural lens exists and instead to think that there is no lens at all, only reality. Hence, studying culture requires stepping out of it. There are two main methods to do so: The first involves using between-group comparisons to highlight differences and the second involves using experimental methods to test the consequences of disruption to implicit cultural frames. These methods highlight three ways that culture organizes experience: (a) It shields reflexive processing by making everyday life feel predictable, (b) it scaffolds which cognitive procedure (connect, separate, or order) will be the default in ambiguous situations, and (c) it facilitates situation-specific accessibility of alternate cognitive procedures. Modern societal social-demographic trends reduce predictability and increase collectivism and honor-based go-to cognitive procedures.

  8. Technology integration performance assessment using lean principles in health care.

    PubMed

    Rico, Florentino; Yalcin, Ali; Eikman, Edward A

    2015-01-01

    This study assesses the impact of an automated infusion system (AIS) integration at a positron emission tomography (PET) center based on "lean thinking" principles. The authors propose a systematic measurement system that evaluates improvement in terms of the "8 wastes." This adaptation to the health care context consisted of performance measurement before and after integration of AIS in terms of time, utilization of resources, amount of materials wasted/saved, system variability, distances traveled, and worker strain. The authors' observations indicate that AIS stands to be very effective in a busy PET department, such as the one in Moffitt Cancer Center, owing to its accuracy, pace, and reliability, especially after the necessary adjustments are made to reduce or eliminate the source of errors. This integration must be accompanied by a process reengineering exercise to realize the full potential of AIS in reducing waste and improving patient care and worker satisfaction. © The Author(s) 2014.

  9. The NETPET Score: Combining FDG and Somatostatin Receptor Imaging for Optimal Management of Patients with Metastatic Well-Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumors.

    PubMed

    Hindié, Elif

    2017-01-01

    Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are often metastatic at the time of diagnosis. Metastatic well-differentiated (G1/G2) NET may display a wide range of behaviors, ranging from indolent to aggressive, even within apparently homogeneous categories. Thus, selecting the optimal treatment strategy is a challenging task. Somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI) is the standard molecular imaging technique for well-differentiated NET. When performed with 68 Ga-labeled somatostatin analogs (SRI-PET), it offers exquisite sensitivity for disease staging. SRI is also a prerequisite for using targeted radionuclide therapy (e.g. 177 Lu-DOTATATE). 18F-FDG imaging has traditionally been reserved for staging poorly-differentiated G3 neuroendocrine carcinomas. However, recent data showed that FDG imaging has prognostic value in patients with well-differentiated NET: high uptake was associated with an increased risk of early progression while low uptake suggested an indolent tumor. In this issue of the Journal, Chan and colleagues propose a grading system where the results from the combined reading of SRI-PET and FDG-PET are reported as a single parameter, the "NETPET" score. While the scoring system still needs validation, it is clear that time has come to think about FDG and SRI in metastatic NET not as competitors but as complementary imaging modalities. Dual-tracer imaging can be viewed as a way to characterize disease phenotype in the whole-body. Moving from the prognostic value of dual-tracer imaging to a tool that allows for individualized management would require prospective trials. This editorial will argue that dual-tracer FDG-PET and SRI-PET might influence management of patients with well-differentiated metastatic NET and help selecting between different therapy options.

  10. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of divergent and convergent thinking in Big-C creativity.

    PubMed

    Japardi, Kevin; Bookheimer, Susan; Knudsen, Kendra; Ghahremani, Dara G; Bilder, Robert M

    2018-02-15

    The cognitive and physiological processes underlying creativity remain unclear, and very few studies to date have attempted to identify the behavioral and brain characteristics that distinguish exceptional ("Big-C") from everyday ("little-c") creativity. The Big-C Project examined functional brain responses during tasks demanding divergent and convergent thinking in 35 Big-C Visual Artists (VIS), 41 Big-C Scientists (SCI), and 31 individuals in a "smart comparison group" (SCG) matched to the Big-C groups on parental educational attainment and estimated IQ. Functional MRI (fMRI) scans included two activation paradigms widely used in prior creativity research, the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) and Remote Associates Task (RAT), to assess brain function during divergent and convergent thinking, respectively. Task performance did not differ between groups. Functional MRI activation in Big-C and SCG groups differed during the divergent thinking task. No differences in activation were seen during the convergent thinking task. Big-C groups had less activation than SCG in frontal pole, right frontal operculum, left middle frontal gyrus, and bilaterally in occipital cortex. SCI displayed lower frontal and parietal activation relative to the SCG when generating alternate uses in the AUT, while VIS displayed lower frontal activation than SCI and SCG when generating typical qualities (the control condition in the AUT). VIS showed more activation in right inferior frontal gyrus and left supramarginal gyrus relative to SCI. All groups displayed considerable overlapping activation during the RAT. The results confirm substantial overlap in functional activation across groups, but suggest that exceptionally creative individuals may depend less on task-positive networks during tasks that demand divergent thinking. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Future thinking improves prospective memory performance and plan enactment in older adults.

    PubMed

    Altgassen, Mareike; Rendell, Peter G; Bernhard, Anka; Henry, Julie D; Bailey, Phoebe E; Phillips, Louise H; Kliegel, Matthias

    2015-01-01

    Efficient intention formation might improve prospective memory by reducing the need for resource-demanding strategic processes during the delayed performance interval. The present study set out to test this assumption and provides the first empirical assessment of whether imagining a future action improves prospective memory performance equivalently at different stages of the adult lifespan. Thus, younger (n = 40) and older (n = 40) adults were asked to complete the Dresden Breakfast Task, which required them to prepare breakfast in accordance with a set of rules and time restrictions. All participants began by generating a plan for later enactment; however, after making this plan, half of the participants were required to imagine themselves completing the task in the future (future thinking condition), while the other half received standard instructions (control condition). As expected, overall younger adults outperformed older adults. Moreover, both older and younger adults benefited equally from future thinking instructions, as reflected in a higher proportion of prospective memory responses and more accurate plan execution. Thus, for both younger and older adults, imagining the specific visual-spatial context in which an intention will later be executed may serve as an easy-to-implement strategy that enhances prospective memory function in everyday life.

  12. Early dynamic 18F-FDG PET to detect hyperperfusion in hepatocellular carcinoma liver lesions.

    PubMed

    Schierz, Jan-Henning; Opfermann, Thomas; Steenbeck, Jörg; Lopatta, Eric; Settmacher, Utz; Stallmach, Andreas; Marlowe, Robert J; Freesmeyer, Martin

    2013-06-01

    In addition to angiographic data on vascularity and vascular access, demonstration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) liver nodule hypervascularization is a prerequisite for certain intrahepatic antitumor therapies. Early dynamic (ED) (18)F-FDG PET/CT could serve this purpose when the current standard method, contrast-enhanced (CE) CT, or other CE morphologic imaging modalities are unsuitable. A recent study showed ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT efficacy in this setting but applied a larger-than-standard (18)F-FDG activity and an elaborate protocol likely to hinder routine use. We developed a simplified protocol using standard activities and easily generated visual and descriptive or quantitative endpoints. This pilot study assessed the ability of these endpoints to detect HCC hyperperfusion and, thereby, evaluated the suitability in of the protocol everyday practice. Twenty-seven patients with 34 HCCs (diameter ≥ 1.5 cm) with hypervascularization on 3-phase CE CT underwent liver ED (18)F-FDG PET for 240 s, starting with (18)F-FDG (250-MBq bolus injection). Four frames at 15-s intervals, followed by 3 frames at 60-s intervals were reconstructed. Endpoints included focal tracer accumulation in the first 4 frames (60 s), subsequent focal washout, and visual and quantitative differences between tumor and liver regions of interest in maximum and mean ED standardized uptake value (ED SUVmax and ED SUVmean, respectively) 240-s time-activity curves. All 34 lesions were identified by early focal (18)F-FDG accumulation and faster time-to-peak ED SUVmax or ED SUVmean than in nontumor tissue. Tumor peak ED SUVmax and ED SUVmean exceeded liver levels in 85% and 53%, respectively, of lesions. Nadir tumor signal showed no consistent pattern relative to nontumor signal. HCC had a significantly shorter time to peak and significantly faster rate to peak for both ED SUVmax and ED SUVmean curves and a significantly higher peak ED SUVmax but not peak ED SUVmean than the liver. This pilot study provided proof of principle that our simplified ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT protocol includes endpoints that effectively detect HCC hypervascularization; this finding suggests that the protocol can be used routinely.

  13. Investigating Elementary Teachers' Thinking About and Learning to Notice Students' Science Ideas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luna, Melissa Jo

    Children naturally use observations and everyday thinking to construct explanations as to why phenomena happen in the world. Science instruction can benefit by starting with these ideas to help children build coherent scientific understandings of how the physical world works. To do so, science teaching must involve attending to students' ideas so that those ideas become the basis for learning. Yet while science education reform requires teachers to pay close attention to their students' ideas, we know little about what teachers think this means in practice. To examine this issue, my dissertation research is two-fold. First, I examine teacher thinking by investigating how teachers understand what it means to pay attention to students' science ideas. Specifically, using new digital technology, three participating teachers captured moments of student thinking in the midst of instruction. Analysis of these moments reveals that teachers capture many different kinds of moments containing students' ideas and think about students' science ideas in different ways at different times. In particular, these three teachers most often think about students' ideas as being (a) from authority, (b) from experience, and (c) under construction. Second, I examine teacher learning through the development of an innovative science teaching video club model. The model differs from previous research on video clubs in several key ways in an attempt to focus teachers on student thinking in a sustained way. I investigate the ways in which this model was effective for engaging teachers in noticing and making sense of their students' science ideas during one implementation. Results indicate that teachers talked about student thinking early, often, and in meaningful ways. Science education leaders have recognized the potential of science teaching video clubs as a form of professional development, and the model presented in this work promotes the conditions for successful teacher learning. This work contributes to research on teacher cognition by advancing what we know about teachers' understanding of attending to students' science ideas. In addition, it provides practical information concerning the design of teacher professional development supporting their learning to attend closely to the ideas students raise about scientific phenomena.

  14. Analyzing Oscillations of a Rolling Cart Using Smartphones and Tablets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Egri, Sándor; Szabó, Lóránt

    2015-03-01

    It is well known that "interactive engagement" helps students to understand basic concepts in physics.1 Performing experiments and analyzing measured data are effective ways to realize interactive engagement, in our view. Some experiments need special equipment, measuring instruments, or laboratories, but in this activity we advocate student use of mobile phones or tablets to take experimental data. Applying their own devices and measuring simple phenomena from everyday life can improve student interest, while still allowing precise analysis of data, which can give deeper insight into scientific thinking and provide a good opportunity for inquiry-based learning.2

  15. Specific Image Characteristics Influence Attitudes about Chimpanzee Conservation and Use as Pets

    PubMed Central

    Ross, Stephen R.; Vreeman, Vivian M.; Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V.

    2011-01-01

    Chimpanzees are endangered in their native Africa but in the United States, they are housed not only in zoos and research centers but owned privately as pets and performers. In 2008, survey data revealed that the public is less likely to think that chimpanzees are endangered compared to other great apes, and that this is likely the result of media misportrayals in movies, television and advertisements. Here, we use an experimental survey paradigm with composite images of chimpanzees to determine the effects of specific image characteristics. We found that those viewing a photograph of a chimpanzee with a human standing nearby were 35.5% more likely to consider wild populations to be stable/healthy compared to those seeing the exact same picture without a human. Likewise, the presence of a human in the photograph increases the likelihood that they consider chimpanzees as appealing as a pet. We also found that respondents seeing images in which chimpanzees are shown in typically human settings (such as an office space) were more likely to perceive wild populations as being stable and healthy compared to those seeing chimpanzees in other contexts. These findings shed light on the way that media portrayals of chimpanzees influence public attitudes about this important and endangered species. PMID:21779372

  16. Specific image characteristics influence attitudes about chimpanzee conservation and use as pets.

    PubMed

    Ross, Stephen R; Vreeman, Vivian M; Lonsdorf, Elizabeth V

    2011-01-01

    Chimpanzees are endangered in their native Africa but in the United States, they are housed not only in zoos and research centers but owned privately as pets and performers. In 2008, survey data revealed that the public is less likely to think that chimpanzees are endangered compared to other great apes, and that this is likely the result of media misportrayals in movies, television and advertisements. Here, we use an experimental survey paradigm with composite images of chimpanzees to determine the effects of specific image characteristics. We found that those viewing a photograph of a chimpanzee with a human standing nearby were 35.5% more likely to consider wild populations to be stable/healthy compared to those seeing the exact same picture without a human. Likewise, the presence of a human in the photograph increases the likelihood that they consider chimpanzees as appealing as a pet. We also found that respondents seeing images in which chimpanzees are shown in typically human settings (such as an office space) were more likely to perceive wild populations as being stable and healthy compared to those seeing chimpanzees in other contexts. These findings shed light on the way that media portrayals of chimpanzees influence public attitudes about this important and endangered species.

  17. Impact of a 3-year pet management program on pet population and owner's perception.

    PubMed

    Dias Costa, Esther; Martins, Camila Marinelli; Cunha, Graziela Ribeiro; Catapan, Dariane Cristina; Ferreira, Fernando; Oliveira, Simone Tostes; Garcia, Rita de Cassia Maria; Biondo, Alexander Welker

    2017-04-01

    Although pet population management programs have been established worldwide, few reports on program evaluation have been carried out to date. Accordingly, a 3-year longitudinal study has been carried out in a 4000 household neighborhood located within the metropolitan area of Curitiba, the eighth most populated city of Brazil. Visits were conducted and questionnaires completed to estimate and characterize the local pet population (animal sex, reproductive and vaccination status, street access). Care provided by owners, community perception on stray dog management and the possible changes were compared in these variables over time (2010 and 2013) were evaluated, after the establishment of a city pet population management program. In addition, associations between having children, owning dogs and cats, responsible pet ownership education and owner's perception on stray dogs were statistically tested. A total of 354/4000 (8.9%) household families were interviewed in 2010 and 70/354 (19.8%) of the same families again in 2013. No significant changes were found in overall number of dogs and cats and average pet age, animal care and owner's perception on stray dogs following the 3-year population management program. In 2010, an average of 1.6 dogs and 0.3 cats were found per family, with slightly more females (51.3% dogs and 51.1% cats), adults (4.0±3.5years for dogs and 2.1±2.4 for cats), intact (not neutered; 94.2% dogs and 84.0% cats) and lacking regular visit to veterinarian (71.6%). Although more families (53.1%) had children under 12 years old, no association was found between having children and having dogs and cats. Questionnaires revealed that owners perceived neutering/spaying to be the best pet population control method (42.4%), with "society" (50%) and "government" (49.4%) as responsible for pet population management. A significant positive association has been found between education level and the best way to control stray dogs (p=0.03), between having dogs and in favor of neutering/spaying (p=0.04) and considering neutering/spaying as the best control method (p=0.02). The chances of thinking the best way to control stray dogs by neutering/spaying and adoption were almost 2.0 fold higher than other methods. In conclusion, the present study has provided indicators (education level, having dogs) for pet population control program assessment and effectiveness evaluation. Moreover, this study may serve as a warning on the real long-term effect of such programs, which should be periodically evaluated to identify necessary adjustments and/or improvements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Reconstruing intolerance: abstract thinking reduces conservatives' prejudice against nonnormative groups.

    PubMed

    Luguri, Jamie B; Napier, Jaime L; Dovidio, John F

    2012-07-01

    Myrdal (1944) described the "American dilemma" as the conflict between abstract national values ("liberty and justice for all") and more concrete, everyday prejudices. We leveraged construal-level theory to empirically test Myrdal's proposition that construal level (abstract vs. concrete) can influence prejudice. We measured individual differences in construal level (Study 1) and manipulated construal level (Studies 2 and 3); across these three studies, we found that adopting an abstract mind-set heightened conservatives' tolerance for groups that are perceived as deviating from Judeo-Christian values (gay men, lesbians, Muslims, and atheists). Among participants who adopted a concrete mind-set, conservatives were less tolerant of these nonnormative groups than liberals were, but political orientation did not have a reliable effect on tolerance among participants who adopted an abstract mind-set. Attitudes toward racial out-groups and dominant groups (e.g., Whites, Christians) were unaffected by construal level. In Study 3, we found that the effect of abstract thinking on prejudice was mediated by an increase in concerns about fairness.

  19. Thinking about memories for everyday and shocking events: do people use ease-of-retrieval cues in memory judgments?

    PubMed

    Echterhoff, Gerald; Hirst, William

    2006-06-01

    Extant research shows that people use retrieval ease, a feeling-based cue, to judge how well they remember life periods. Extending this approach, we investigated the role of retrieval ease in memory judgments for single events. In Experiment 1, participants who were asked to recall many memories of an everyday event (New Year's Eve) rated retrieval as more difficult and judged their memory as worse than did participants asked to recall only a few memories. In Experiment 2, this ease-of-retrieval effect was found to interact with the shocking character of the remembered event: There was no effect when the event was highly shocking (i.e., learning about the attacks of September 11, 2001), whereas an effect was found when the event was experienced as less shocking (due either to increased distance to "9/11" or to the nonshocking nature of the event itself). Memory vividness accounted for additional variance in memory judgments, indicating an independent contribution of content-based cues in judgments of event memories.

  20. Applying systems thinking to inform studies of wildlife trade in primates.

    PubMed

    Blair, Mary E; Le, Minh D; Thạch, Hoàng M; Panariello, Anna; Vũ, Ngọc B; Birchette, Mark G; Sethi, Gautam; Sterling, Eleanor J

    2017-11-01

    Wildlife trade presents a major threat to primate populations, which are in demand from local to international scales for a variety of uses from food and traditional medicine to the exotic pet trade. We argue that an interdisciplinary framework to facilitate integration of socioeconomic, anthropological, and biological data across multiple spatial and temporal scales is essential to guide the study of wildlife trade dynamics and its impacts on primate populations. Here, we present a new way to design research on wildlife trade in primates using a systems thinking framework. We discuss how we constructed our framework, which follows a social-ecological system framework, to design an ongoing study of local, regional, and international slow loris (Nycticebus spp.) trade in Vietnam. We outline the process of iterative variable exploration and selection via this framework to inform study design. Our framework, guided by systems thinking, enables recognition of complexity in study design, from which the results can inform more holistic, site-appropriate, and effective trade management practices. We place our framework in the context of other approaches to studying wildlife trade and discuss options to address foreseeable challenges to implementing this new framework. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. 18F-FDG PET/CT oncologic imaging at extended injection-to-scan acquisition time intervals derived from a single-institution 18F-FDG-directed surgery experience: feasibility and quantification of 18F-FDG accumulation within 18F-FDG-avid lesions and background tissues

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a well-established imaging modality for a wide variety of solid malignancies. Currently, only limited data exists regarding the utility of PET/CT imaging at very extended injection-to-scan acquisition times. The current retrospective data analysis assessed the feasibility and quantification of diagnostic 18F-FDG PET/CT oncologic imaging at extended injection-to-scan acquisition time intervals. Methods 18F-FDG-avid lesions (not surgically manipulated or altered during 18F-FDG-directed surgery, and visualized both on preoperative and postoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging) and corresponding background tissues were assessed for 18F-FDG accumulation on same-day preoperative and postoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. Multiple patient variables and 18F-FDG-avid lesion variables were examined. Results For the 32 18F-FDG-avid lesions making up the final 18F-FDG-avid lesion data set (from among 7 patients), the mean injection-to-scan times of the preoperative and postoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT scans were 73 (±3, 70-78) and 530 (±79, 413-739) minutes, respectively (P < 0.001). The preoperative and postoperative mean 18F-FDG-avid lesion SUVmax values were 7.7 (±4.0, 3.6-19.5) and 11.3 (±6.0, 4.1-29.2), respectively (P < 0.001). The preoperative and postoperative mean background SUVmax values were 2.3 (±0.6, 1.0-3.2) and 2.1 (±0.6, 1.0-3.3), respectively (P = 0.017). The preoperative and postoperative mean lesion-to-background SUVmax ratios were 3.7 (±2.3, 1.5-9.8) and 5.8 (±3.6, 1.6-16.2), respectively, (P < 0.001). Conclusions 18F-FDG PET/CT oncologic imaging can be successfully performed at extended injection-to-scan acquisition time intervals of up to approximately 5 half-lives for 18F-FDG while maintaining good/adequate diagnostic image quality. The resultant increase in the 18F-FDG-avid lesion SUVmax values, decreased background SUVmax values, and increased lesion-to-background SUVmax ratios seen from preoperative to postoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging have great potential for allowing for the integrated, real-time use of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging in conjunction with 18F-FDG-directed interventional radiology biopsy and ablation procedures and 18F-FDG-directed surgical procedures, as well as have far-reaching impact on potentially re-shaping future thinking regarding the “most optimal” injection-to-scan acquisition time interval for all routine diagnostic 18F-FDG PET/CT oncologic imaging. PMID:24942656

  2. PlayDoh and Toothpicks and Gummy Bears... OH MY, They're Models!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kolandaivelu, K. P.; Wilson, M. W.; Glesener, G. B.

    2017-12-01

    Simple, everyday items found around the house are often used in geoscience lab activities. Gummy bears and silly putty can model the bending and breaking behaviour of rocks; shaking buildings during an earthquake can be modeled with some Jello, toothpicks, and marshmallows; PlayDoh can be used to demonstrate layers of sedimentary rocks; and even plumbing pipes filled with pebbles and playground sand become miniature physical models of aquifers. When performed correctly, these activities can help students visualize geoscience phenomena or increase students' motivation to pay attention in class, but how do these activities help students develop ways to think like a scientist? "Developing and using models" is one of the important science and engineering practices recommended in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In this presentation, we will demonstrate a variety of common geoscience lab activities using simple, everyday household items in order to describe ways instructors can help their students develop model-based reasoning skills. Specific areas of interest will be on identifying positive and negative attributes of a model, ways to evaluate the reliability of a model, and how a model can be revised to improve its outcome. We will also outline other kinds of models that can be generated from these lab activities, such as mathematical, graphical, and verbal models. Our goal is to encourage educators to focus more time on helping students develop model-based reasoning skills, which can be used in almost all aspects of everyday life.

  3. Formative assessment and equity: An exploration of opportunities for eliciting, recognizing, and responding within science classroom conversations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morrison, Deb

    Educational inequity can be seen in both student participation and achievement outcomes. In science education, as in many other areas of education, disparities in equity of achievement (NCES, 2011) and equity of participation in science learning environments (Brown & Ryoo, 2008; Calabrese Barton, 2003) have been well documented. Some of these studies highlight the need to understand the components of effective science classroom talk as a way to bridge everyday and scientific discourse practices, to engage students in the intellectual work of sense-making in science. The National Research Council ([NRC]; 2012) specifically named the everyday to scientific connections of science classroom discourse as a focus for work on science learning equity. Formative assessment practices in science classrooms may provide an entree for teachers to improve their connections between everyday and science classroom discourses (Black & Wiliam, 1998b). In this study I examined science classroom conversations during formative assessment discussions in 10th grade biology contexts to determine where opportunities might exist to improve science learning. I engaged a theoretical framework focused on discourse (Gee, 2012) and classroom talk (Michaels, O'Connor, & Resnick, 2008) to socially situate student-teacher interactions in a community of learners (Rogoff, 1994). I used qualitative analysis (Gee, 2011; Carspecken, 1996) to locate patterns of talk during whole class and small group discussions of two science teachers, Robyn and Lisa, as they engaged in a two-year professional development focused on formative assessment. Both teachers' classroom conversation practices showed a number of opportunities to promote equity. Robyn and Lisa used common formative assessment tools to reorganize the way that students participated in their classroom conversations, allowing students individual thinking time prior to classroom talk. While Robyn often expanded reasoning herself, Lisa tended to press students for reasoning instead. Robyn and Lisa linked everyday to scientific language in their classrooms. Additionally, Lisa built on students' everyday experiences in her talk with students. Both teachers framed students' science ideas as misconceptions, however, Robyn did this more often than Lisa. Finally, this study suggested ways in which teachers may be further supported to increase these practices.

  4. Technician and technologist photonics teaching: an Ontario success story

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yatulis, Jay; Beda, Johann; Casey, Peter J.; Chebbi, Brahim; Finnagan, Steve; Grevatt, Treena; McGlashan, Alexander; Nantel, Marc; Tiberi, Leo

    2004-10-01

    Launched in 2001, the Ontario Photonics Education and Training project (PET) has established an completely new Photonics Engineering Technician (2 years) and Photonics Engineering Technologist (3 years) programs at Niagara and Algonquin Colleges. The programs have now completed a full academic cycle at both colleges. This paper will review the history of the program, its collaborators, and industry climate changes. This paper will present recruitment statistics, which will include percentage uptake, student retention, and profiles of the student group. The first year"s intake was characterized by high achieving 'early adopters', including those with non-technical backgrounds and University converts. Lessons learned from recruitment and high school outreach activities will be discussed. We observe that 'photonics' is not a term recognized by the populace at large. An improved public understanding of the pervasive nature of electro-optic technologies in everyday life is desired. Curriculum highlights, recommendations; and the evolution of our facilities will be discussed. We will review employment and destination statistics of our graduates. Challenges for the future will be addressed, including the need for greater program visibility amongst regional photonics employers. In summary, the PET program has created an optics specialist with a practical skill-set that will fill the expertise gap that exists in traditional and non-traditional consumers of optical technologies.

  5. Striatal dopaminergic modulation of reinforcement learning predicts reward-oriented behavior in daily life.

    PubMed

    Kasanova, Zuzana; Ceccarini, Jenny; Frank, Michael J; Amelsvoort, Thérèse van; Booij, Jan; Heinzel, Alexander; Mottaghy, Felix; Myin-Germeys, Inez

    2017-07-01

    Much human behavior is driven by rewards. Preclinical neurophysiological and clinical positron emission tomography (PET) studies have implicated striatal phasic dopamine (DA) release as a primary modulator of reward processing. However, the relationship between experimental reward-induced striatal DA release and responsiveness to naturalistic rewards, and therefore functional relevance of these findings, has been elusive. We therefore combined, for the first time, a DA D 2/3 receptor [ 18 F]fallypride PET during a probabilistic reinforcement learning (RL) task with a six day ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of reward-related behavior in the everyday life of 16 healthy volunteers. We detected significant reward-induced DA release in the bilateral putamen, caudate nucleus and ventral striatum, the extent of which was associated with better behavioral performance on the RL task across all regions. Furthermore, individual variability in the extent of reward-induced DA release in the right caudate nucleus and ventral striatum modulated the tendency to be actively engaged in a behavior if the active engagement was previously deemed enjoyable. This study suggests a link between striatal reward-related DA release and ecologically relevant reward-oriented behavior, suggesting an avenue for the inquiry into the DAergic basis of optimal and impaired motivational drive. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. What History Tells Us about the Distinct Nature of Chemistry.

    PubMed

    Chang, Hasok

    2017-11-01

    Attention to the history of chemistry can help us recognise the characteristics of chemistry that have helped to maintain it as a separate scientific discipline with a unique identity. Three such features are highlighted in this paper. First, chemistry has maintained a distinct type of theoretical thinking, independent from that of physics even in the era of quantum chemistry. Second, chemical research has always been shaped by its ineliminable practical relevance and usefulness. Third, the lived experience of chemistry, spanning the laboratory, the classroom and everyday life, is distinctive in its multidimensional sensuousness. Furthermore, I argue that the combination of these three features makes chemistry an exemplary science.

  7. "Race" and the difficulties of language.

    PubMed

    Phillips, Debby A; Drevdahl, Denise J

    2003-01-01

    "Race," a construct created by scientists, is deeply ingrained in everyday discourses. Using postmodern theories to help us think through the complexities of language in relation to race, we come to understand that truths about race are changing, contingent, and contested products of cultural construction. It is impossible to understand or represent race as an object of study such that it can be known, yet untouched, by language. Health effects are one important consequence of race, particularly related to quality, access, marginalization, and privilege. Analyzing the effects of race bring it visibly into being, and makes evident how language shapes our understandings of the world and its human inhabitants.

  8. Re-thinking the role of radiometal isotopes: Towards a future concept for theranostic radiopharmaceuticals.

    PubMed

    Notni, Johannes; Wester, Hans-Jürgen

    2018-03-01

    The potential and future role of certain metal radionuclides, for example, 44 Sc, 89 Zr, 86 Y, 64 Cu, 68 Ga, 177 Lu, 225 Ac, and 213 Bi, and several terbium isotopes has been controversially discussed in the past decades. Furthermore, the possible benefits of "matched pairs" of isotopes for tandem applications of diagnostics and therapeutics (theranostics) have been emphasized, while such approaches still have not made their way into routine clinical practice. Analysis of bibliographical data illustrates how popularity of certain nuclides has been promoted by cycles of availability and applications. We furthermore discuss the different practical requirements for diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals and the resulting consequences for efficient development of clinically useful pairs of radionuclide theranostics, with particular emphasis on the underlying economical factors. Based on an exemplary assessment of overall production costs for 68 Ga and 18 F radiopharmaceuticals, we venture a look into the future of theranostics and predict that high-throughput PET applications, that is, diagnosis of frequent conditions, will ultimately rely on 18 F tracers. PET radiometals will occupy a niche in the clinical low-throughput sector (diagnosis of rare diseases), but above all, dominate preclinical research and clinical translation. Matched isotope pairs will be of lesser relevance for theranostics but may become important for future PET-based therapeutic dosimetry. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Health-care encounters create both discontinuity and continuity in daily life when living with chronic heart failure-A grounded theory study.

    PubMed

    Östman, Malin; Ung, Eva Jakobsson; Falk, Kristin

    2015-01-01

    Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) often involves lifelong contact with health care, more or less frequently, depending on fluctuating health-generating disruptions in everyday life. To reduce the influence on continuity in life, health-care professionals should preferably focus on supporting patients in managing their daily lives, based on their perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how the interaction in health-care encounters contributes to either continuity or discontinuity in the daily life for persons with CHF. Interviews with 18 participants were carried out, using the grounded theory method, through data collection and analysis. Two core concepts were constructed from data which reveal a model that illuminates the characteristics of the encounters, the actions of health-care professionals and the normative discourse. Patient-centred agenda consists of the categories: "Experiencing a subordinate approach," "Objectifying during the encounter" and "Expected to be compliant." This describes how health-care professionals enhance discontinuity in daily life by using a paternalistic approach in the encounter. Person-centred agenda consists of the categories: "Experiencing an empowering approach," "Person-centredness during the encounter" and "Expected to be capable." It describes how participants perceive that health-care professionals enable them to deal with everyday life which enhances continuity. The findings highlight the importance of health-care professionals' attitudes and communication in encounters with patients. Health care must be designed to support and promote patients' own strategic thinking by strengthening their self-image to enhance continuity in everyday life. The experience of discontinuity is based on the prevailing health-care culture which focuses on disease and medical treatment and regards it as superior to the illness experience in an everyday life context. We therefore strongly suggest a paradigm shift in the health-care organisation and culture in order to support the patients in their efforts to live a meaningful, rich life, in spite of the chronic illness CHF.

  10. Secondary science classroom dissections: Informing policy by evaluating cognitive outcomes and exploring affective outcomes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Allspaw, Kathleen M.

    Animal protection organizations claim that dissection is pedagogically unsound and that it will cause students to lose respect for non-human animals. Science teacher organizations support curricula that teach respect for animal life and include dissection. Prior research compared dissection to dissection alternatives. Four of the six studies revealed no difference between groups on tests of cognitive outcomes. One study revealed that dissection was superior, and one revealed that the alternative was superior. No differences in attitudes toward science, dissection or school were found. Attitudes toward non-human animals were not measured. This study focused on the dissections of earthworms and frogs in middle and high school classrooms. Pre and post-tests of conceptual understanding revealed failing scores and no significant pre/post differences. Because these tests required critical thinking skills, and the dissection activities did not, it is difficult to determine if the poor performance on these tests indicates the inability of the students to think critically, and/or if it indicates the ineffectiveness of dissection. Further studies of dissections that focus on critical thinking would be necessary to make this distinction. Classroom observations, student written narratives, and student and adult interviews revealed mixed attitudes toward non-human animals. Student behaviors during dissection were similar to those behaviors exhibited during non-dissection activities. Most students and adults readily supported worm dissections while they expressed some trepidation about frog dissections. Students and adults universally expressed affection for their pets and opposed the use of their own pets for dissection/research. There was slight support for the use of dogs and cats for dissection/research, but only those students who expressed hate for cats said that they could dissect cats. None of the students or adults expressed a willingness to dissect dogs. Some students abandoned plans for life science careers because they did not want to do further dissections. Students and adults often expressed confliction about the use of animals for food and/or research. Students and adults employed psychological mechanisms including dissociation, conflict reduction and viewing animals as an "outgroup" to rationalize their support for the use of animals for food, dissection and research.

  11. Components of aesthetic experience: aesthetic fascination, aesthetic appraisal, and aesthetic emotion

    PubMed Central

    Marković, Slobodan

    2012-01-01

    In this paper aesthetic experience is defined as an experience qualitatively different from everyday experience and similar to other exceptional states of mind. Three crucial characteristics of aesthetic experience are discussed: fascination with an aesthetic object (high arousal and attention), appraisal of the symbolic reality of an object (high cognitive engagement), and a strong feeling of unity with the object of aesthetic fascination and aesthetic appraisal. In a proposed model, two parallel levels of aesthetic information processing are proposed. On the first level two sub-levels of narrative are processed, story (theme) and symbolism (deeper meanings). The second level includes two sub-levels, perceptual associations (implicit meanings of object's physical features) and detection of compositional regularities. Two sub-levels are defined as crucial for aesthetic experience, appraisal of symbolism and compositional regularities. These sub-levels require some specific cognitive and personality dispositions, such as expertise, creative thinking, and openness to experience. Finally, feedback of emotional processing is included in our model: appraisals of everyday emotions are specified as a matter of narrative content (eg, empathy with characters), whereas the aesthetic emotion is defined as an affective evaluation in the process of symbolism appraisal or the detection of compositional regularities. PMID:23145263

  12. Nicholas Epley: Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology.

    PubMed

    2011-11-01

    Presents Nicholas Epley, the 2011 winner of the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology. "For brilliant empirical and theoretical contributions to social cognition in general and for creative insights into how people understand the minds of others in particular. Nicholas Epley's empirical work demonstrates how basic mechanisms of social cognition can lead to interpersonal conflict and misunderstanding. His theoretical work expands social cognition beyond its traditional focus on human beings as targets of judgment, showing how basic mechanisms explain people's understanding of minds of all kinds, from pets to gadgets to gods. His work shows how social psychology, at its best, increases understanding of everyday life and inspires others to understand more." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved). 2011 APA, all rights reserved

  13. Who do you think they were? How family historians make sense of social position and inequality in the past.

    PubMed

    Bottero, Wendy

    2012-03-01

    How do social comparisons over time shape perceptions of inequality? In thinking about subjective inequality, it is important to ask which social comparisons matter in establishing people's sense of relative social position and wider inequalities. These issues are discussed by drawing on a qualitative study of popular genealogy, which examines how people make sense of social position in the past, and explores how social change affects people's sense of social hierarchies. The gaze of family history promotes certain sorts of social comparisons, between 'then and now', and between immediate kin, which can flatten the sense of social hierarchies. However, the ability to determine social position also depends on the quality of information available, and how different practical engagements facilitate 'sideways' comparisons between contemporaries, affording different fields of vision on relative inequalities. On this evidence, when exploring subjective inequality it is necessary to examine when and how people engage in social comparison as part of everyday practical activities. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2012.

  14. Intuition: a bridge to the coenesthetic world of experience.

    PubMed

    Piha, Heikki

    2005-01-01

    The concept of intuition is relatively unestablished in psychoanalysis, where it is often associated with narcissistic meanings and vagueness. But intuition, as an integrated mode of archaic coenesthetic thinking, should be kept conceptually free of those connotations. Its capacity of undifferentiated delineation supplies an instinctive general means of dealing immediately with various rationally indistinct phenomena, such as forms, shades, and multidimensionality, regardless of the boundaries between sensory modalities. It may be impossible to translate intuitive experiences into lexical form; these languages are incommensurable. Intuition as a preconscious nondiscursive thinking process is needed in creativity, as well as less conspicuously in countless everyday activities. In speech communication, intuition rapidly specifies subtle shades of meaning in linguistic content and all the prosody. In psychoanalytic work intuition is like radar, creating preliminary contacts with the inner world of the analysand. The observations gained require, however, rational consideration to be confirmed. Intuition is an essential instrument of the psychoanalyst, and also functions in the service of tact to create working space and adequate forms of interpretations. Clinical vignettes reflecting some problematic fates of special intuitiveness in creativity are presented from psychoanalytic work with artists.

  15. Fathers and their children's health: a telephone interview study.

    PubMed

    Hallberg, A-C; Kristiansson, R; Beckman, A; Petersson, K; Råstam, L; Håkansson, A

    2007-07-01

    To study fathers' perception of, and involvement in, their children's health. Telephone interviews according to a structured guide. County of Skåne, Sweden. Answers regarding care and upbringing of child, child's health and ill health, and role of father. 237 fathers of small children. Fathers seem to be involved in their children to a large extent, both in caring and playing activities with their children. Most of them (82%) think that the child's health is good, and half of them (55%) have, at some time, contacted a doctor. The fathers mention security, love and commitment as important factors for being a good father, and almost all (97%) think that they are good fathers. Yet, only slightly more than half of them (54%) state that they have sufficient time for the child. Today, fathers are subject to quite different expectations to participate actively in their children's everyday life than was the case for previous generations. Therefore, more studies of fathers' involvement in their children are needed, as well as a new approach within the health care system to fathers' participation.

  16. Global perspectives on nursing and its contribution to healthcare and health policy: thoughts on an emerging policy model.

    PubMed

    Shamian, Judith

    2014-12-01

    We know from rigorous evidence that nurses can exert an incredible impact on the everyday lives of people and their health. Nurses can also contribute in much wider spheres of influence by applying their knowledge and skills to address broader issues affecting population health across communities, nations and globally. Despite the prevalence of so many vexing health and social issues, nurses often fail to think globally, or even regionally, when they are lobbying for change. And while much political influence is local, some issues are simply too complex to rely on local influence alone. Importantly in all this, we must acknowledge the ways these complex health issues are shaped by economic and political agendas and not necessarily by healthcare agendas. As such, the nursing community has to act globally and locally, both within and outside of the nursing arena. This paper explores early thinking about an evolving model of spheres--or "bubbles"--of policy influence in which nurses can and must operate to more effectively impact key global health and healthcare challenges.

  17. 'These pushful days': time and disability in the age of eugenics.

    PubMed

    Baynton, Douglas C

    2011-01-01

    At the turn of the twentieth century, social attitudes toward disability turned sharply negative. An international eugenics movement brought about restrictive immigration laws in the United States and other immigrant nations. One cause was the changing understanding of time, both historical and quotidian, that accompanied the advent of evolutionary theory and a competitive industrial economy. As analogies of competition became culturally ubiquitous, new words to talk about disability such as 'handicapped', 'retarded', 'abnormal', 'degenerate', and 'defective', came into everyday use, all of them explicitly or implicitly rooted in new ways of thinking about time. The intense fear of disability that characterised the eugenics movement grew, in good part, from this new and unsettling vision of time.

  18. Pet teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carlowicz, Michael

    Teaching has many rewards, but the federal government thinks there should be at least a few more.The National Science Foundation and the Office of Science and Technology Policy have announced the creation of a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. The awards, which will be bestowed upon as many as 10 individuals and 10 institutions each year, will recognize outstanding mentoring efforts or programs that enhance participation in science by underrepresented groups—particularly ethnic minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Awardees must demonstrate an outstanding and sustained effort to guide students from any setting—K-12, undergraduate school, or graduate school—toward science careers and science literacy.

  19. An Ecological Momentary Intervention for weight loss and healthy eating via smartphone and Internet: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Boh, Bastiaan; Lemmens, Lotte H J M; Jansen, Anita; Nederkoorn, Chantal; Kerkhofs, Vincent; Spanakis, Gerasimos; Weiss, Gerhard; Roefs, Anne

    2016-03-22

    Long-term weight loss maintenance is difficult to achieve. Effectiveness of obesity interventions could be increased by providing extended treatment, and by focusing on person-environment interactions. Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI) can account for these two factors by allowing an indefinite extension of a treatment protocol in everyday life. EMI relies on observations in daily life to intervene by providing appropriate in-the-moment treatment. The Think Slim intervention is an EMI based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and its effectiveness will be investigated in the current study. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted. At least 134 overweight adults (body mass index (BMI) above 25 kg/m(2)) will be randomly assigned to an 8-week immediate intervention group (Diet + Think Slim intervention, n = 67) or to an 8-week diet-only control group (followed by the Think Slim intervention, n = 67). The Think Slim intervention consists of (1) an app-based EMI that estimates and intervenes when people are likely to overeat, based on Ecological Momentary Assessment data, and (2) ten online computerised CBT sessions which work in conjunction with an EMI module in the app. The primary outcome is BMI. Secondary outcomes include (1) scores on self-report questionnaires for dysfunctional thinking, eating styles, eating disorder pathology, general psychological symptomatology, and self-esteem, and (2) eating patterns, investigated via network analysis. Primary and secondary outcomes will be obtained at pre- and post-intervention measurements, and at 3- and 12-month follow-up measurements. This is the first EMI aimed at treating obesity via a cognitive approach, provided via a smartphone app and the Internet, in the context of an RCT. This trial has been registered at the Netherlands Trial Register, part of the Dutch Cochrane Centre ( NTR5473 ; registration date: 26 October 2015).

  20. Use of cognitive artifacts in chemistry learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yengin, Ilker

    In everyday life, we interact with cognitive artifacts to receive and/or manipulate information so as to alter our thinking processes. CHEM/TEAC 869Q is a distance course that includes extensive explicit instruction in the use of a cognitive artifact. This study investigates issues related to the design of that online artifact. In order to understand design implications and how cognitive artifacts contribute to students' thinking and learning, a qualitative research methodology was engaged that utilized think aloud sessions. Participants' described constrained and structured cognitive models while using the artifact. The study also was informed by interviews and researcher's field notes. A purposeful sampling method led to the selection of participants, four males and two females, who had no prior history of using a course from the 869 series but who had experienced the scientific content covered by the CHEM869Q course. Analysis of the results showed both that a cognitive artifact may lead users' minds in decision making, and that problem solving processes were affected by cognitive artifact's design. When there is no design flaw, users generally thought that the cognitive artifact was helpful by simplifying steps, overcoming other limitations, and reducing errors in a reliable, effective, and easy to use way. Moreover, results showed that successful implementation of cognitive artifacts into teaching --learning practices depended on user willingness to transfer a task to the artifact. While users may like the idea of benefiting from a cognitive artifact, nevertheless, they may tend to limit their usage. They sometimes think that delegating a task to a cognitive artifact makes them dependent, and that they may not learn how to perform the tasks by themselves. They appear more willing to use a cognitive artifact after they have done the task by themselves.

  1. TTaPP: Together Take a Pause and Ponder: A Critical Thinking Tool for Exploring the Public/Private Lives of Patients.

    PubMed

    Kuhnel, Leslie

    2018-01-01

    The broad use of social networking and user-generated content has increased the online footprint of many individuals. A generation of healthcare professionals have grown up with online search activities as part of their everyday lives. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have given the public new ways to share intimate details about their public and private lives and the lives of their friends and families. As a result, careproviders have the ability to find out more about their patients with just the tap of a key or the click of a mouse. This type of online searching for patient information is known as patient-targeted googling or PTG. This article provides an overview of the emergence of PTG, identifies the potential benefits and possible pitfalls of engaging in PTG, and explores current ethical frameworks that guide decisions about PTG. The article describes the development of a critical thinking tool developed by the Behavioral Health Ethics Committee at CHI Health, that can serve as a best-practice model for other hospitals and health systems. Called TTaPP (Together Take a Pause and Ponder), this tool is designed to help healthcare professionals across settings practice collaborative critical thinking skills as they consider the ethical questions of whether or not to engage in PTG. Finally, this article suggests areas for further study, including ways to prompt collaboration and appropriate documentation by maximizing electronic medical records systems, exploring the effectiveness of the TTaPP tool as a way to promote a culture of collaborative critical thinking practices, and the attitudes of patients and the public regarding PTG. Copyright 2018 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

  2. [Maintenance and improvement of quality of life among elderly patients using a pet-type robot].

    PubMed

    Kanamori, Masao; Suzuki, Mizue; Tanaka, Misao

    2002-03-01

    There have been reports of cases in which quality of life and loneliness of elderly people have been affected by interaction with the pet-type robot AIBO. In the present comparison between first and 20th sessions of activity with the pet-type robot, statistically significant improvements were observed in speech, emotional words and satisfaction index. The AKO loneliness scale value was 3.33 at the first session, and was 1.00 at the 20th session (statistically significant decrease). In a comparison of health-related QOL before and after interaction with AIBO, using the SF-36 survey, role function (RP) was statistically higher at the 20th session than at the first session. Evaluation by CgA, a mental stress index, showed a statistically significant decrease as the number of AIBO sessions increased. Case 1: The patient was a 68-year-old woman with chronic rheumatoid arthritis. Her AKO loneliness scale value was 4 on the first session and 1 on the 20th session. She said, "I do not think about anything while playing with the pet-type robot. It heals my mind." Case 2: The patient was a 74-year-old woman with cervical osteochondrosis. Her AKO loneliness scale value was 5 on the first session and 2 on the 20th session. She said, "The first time, I didn't like playing with the robot because I was depressed. After I had played with the robot several times, I felt good." Case 3: The patient was an 84-year-old man with cerebral apoplexy sequelae. His AKO loneliness scale value was 6 on the first session and 1 on the 20th session. He sang with the robot occasionally. The amount of conversation between him and his children greatly increased. Unlike animals, a pet robot does not carry the risk of bacterial infection. The present results suggest the possibility of using robots as a substitute for animal-assisted therapy and other psychosocial therapy in aseptic rooms, ICUs, children's wards, and special care wards for patients with dementia.

  3. Web-Based and Mobile Delivery of an Episodic Future Thinking Intervention for Overweight and Obese Families: A Feasibility Study.

    PubMed

    Sze, Yan Yan; Daniel, Tinuke Oluyomi; Kilanowski, Colleen K; Collins, R Lorraine; Epstein, Leonard H

    2015-12-16

    The bias toward immediate gratification is associated with maladaptive eating behaviors and has been cross-sectionally and prospectively related to obesity. Engaging in episodic future thinking, which involves mental self-projection to pre-experience future events, reduces this bias and energy intake in overweight/obese adults and children. To examine how episodic future thinking can be incorporated into clinical interventions, a Web-based system was created to provide training for adults and children in their everyday lives. Our study examined the technical feasibility, usability, and acceptability of a Web-based system that is accessible by mobile devices and adapts episodic future thinking for delivery in family-based obesity interventions. We recruited 20 parent-child dyads (N=40) from the surrounding community and randomized to episodic future thinking versus a nutritional information thinking control to test the feasibility of a 4-week Web-based intervention. Parents were 44.1 (SD 7.8) years of age with BMI of 34.2 (SD 6.8) kg/m(2). Children were 11.0 (SD 1.3) years of age with BMI percentile of 96.0 (SD 1.8). Families met weekly with a case manager for 4 weeks and used the system daily. Adherence was collected through the Web-based system, and perceived acceptance of the Web-based system was assessed postintervention. Measurements of body composition and dietary intake were collected at baseline and after the 4 weeks of intervention. All 20 families completed the intervention and attended all sessions. Results showed parents and children had high adherence to the Web-based system and perceived it to be easy to use, useful, and helpful. No differences between conditions were found in adherence for parents (P=.65) or children (P=.27). In addition, results suggest that basic nutrition information along with episodic future thinking delivered through our Web-based system may reduce energy intake and weight. We showed that our Web-based system is an accepted technology and a feasible utility. Furthermore, results provide initial evidence that our system can be incorporated into family-based treatments targeting behaviors related to weight control. These results show promising utility in using our Web-based system in interventions.

  4. Web-Based and Mobile Delivery of an Episodic Future Thinking Intervention for Overweight and Obese Families: A Feasibility Study

    PubMed Central

    Daniel, Tinuke Oluyomi; Kilanowski, Colleen K; Collins, R Lorraine

    2015-01-01

    Background The bias toward immediate gratification is associated with maladaptive eating behaviors and has been cross-sectionally and prospectively related to obesity. Engaging in episodic future thinking, which involves mental self-projection to pre-experience future events, reduces this bias and energy intake in overweight/obese adults and children. To examine how episodic future thinking can be incorporated into clinical interventions, a Web-based system was created to provide training for adults and children in their everyday lives. Objective Our study examined the technical feasibility, usability, and acceptability of a Web-based system that is accessible by mobile devices and adapts episodic future thinking for delivery in family-based obesity interventions. Methods We recruited 20 parent-child dyads (N=40) from the surrounding community and randomized to episodic future thinking versus a nutritional information thinking control to test the feasibility of a 4-week Web-based intervention. Parents were 44.1 (SD 7.8) years of age with BMI of 34.2 (SD 6.8) kg/m2. Children were 11.0 (SD 1.3) years of age with BMI percentile of 96.0 (SD 1.8). Families met weekly with a case manager for 4 weeks and used the system daily. Adherence was collected through the Web-based system, and perceived acceptance of the Web-based system was assessed postintervention. Measurements of body composition and dietary intake were collected at baseline and after the 4 weeks of intervention. Results All 20 families completed the intervention and attended all sessions. Results showed parents and children had high adherence to the Web-based system and perceived it to be easy to use, useful, and helpful. No differences between conditions were found in adherence for parents (P=.65) or children (P=.27). In addition, results suggest that basic nutrition information along with episodic future thinking delivered through our Web-based system may reduce energy intake and weight. Conclusions We showed that our Web-based system is an accepted technology and a feasible utility. Furthermore, results provide initial evidence that our system can be incorporated into family-based treatments targeting behaviors related to weight control. These results show promising utility in using our Web-based system in interventions. PMID:26678959

  5. Translating climate change effects on species into everyday language: an example of more driving and less fishing

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wagner, Tyler; Jefferson T. Deweber,

    2015-01-01

    Climate science is a complex issue, and we argue that when communicating potential responses of vegetation, fish, and wildlife to nonscientists, creative thinking with respect to the currency of communication will facilitate discussions between scientists, policy makers, and the public. We posit that with some additional thought and relatively simple summaries, the responses of fish and other species to climate change can be translated into everyday language that will facilitate climate science communication. Although such translations are rare, one example of this type of creativity is the translation from changes in habitat suitability for tree species to potential reductions in maple syrup production (West over 2012), which is arguably more interesting and understandable for the general public. Similar translations could be especially important for communicating climate change effects on game fish and other species that are socially and economically important to large groups of people. We demonstrate this translation by communicating the potential effects of climate change on the distribution of a coldwater fish species, the eastern Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis. Rather than communicating the potential forecasted contraction of the Brook Trout's distribution in terms of habitat loss, we report the predicted increases in the driving distance to streams likely offering Brook Trout angling opportunities under a climate change scenario. Travel costs based on distance have been widely used to value ecosystem services such as angling under climate change scenarios (e.g., Pendleton and Mendelsohn 1998; Mendelsohn and Markowski 1999; Ahn et al. 2000) but, to the best of our knowledge, have not been used for communicating potential changes to the public despite the intrinsic link to everyday life.

  6. Cross-cultural Study of Understanding of Scale and Measurement: Does the everyday use of US customary units disadvantage US students?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Delgado, Cesar

    2013-06-01

    Following a sociocultural perspective, this study investigates how students who have grown up using the SI (Système International d'Unités) (metric) or US customary (USC) systems of units for everyday use differ in their knowledge of scale and measurement. Student groups were similar in terms of socioeconomic status, curriculum, native language transparency of number word structure, type of school, and makeup by gender and grade level, while varying by native system of measurement. Their performance on several tasks was compared using binary logistic regression, ordinal logistic regression, and analysis of variance, with gender and grade level as covariates. Participants included 17 USC-native and 89 SI-native students in a school in Mexico, and 31 USC-native students in a school in the Midwestern USA. SI-native students performed at a significantly higher level estimating the length of a metre and a conceptual task (coordinating relative size and absolute size). No statistically significant differences were found on tasks involving factual knowledge about objects or units, scale construction, or estimation of other units. USC-native students in the US school performed at a higher level on smallest known object. These findings suggest that the more transparent SI system better supports conceptual thinking about scale and measurement than the idiosyncratic USC system. Greater emphasis on the SI system and more complete adoption of the SI system for everyday life may improve understanding among US students. Advancing sociocultural theory, systems of units were found to mediate learner's understanding of scale and measurement, much as number words mediate counting and problem solving.

  7. Gender, home and family in cultural capital theory.

    PubMed

    Silva, Elizabeth B

    2005-03-01

    The paper argues that Bourdieu's stress on early familiarization for the highest value of cultural capital is closely linked to his idea, strongly emphasized in Distinction, about the role of family and domestic life for individual development and social positions. The role of women, as mothers and homemakers, is crucial in this process. Yet, Bourdieu defines social origin as deriving from the father. The centrality to Bourdieu's thinking of a resilient traditional pattern of masculine domination and feminine submission constitutive of the Western gender habitus explains both his stress on 'normalcy' for the production of legitimate dispositions, and his resistance to incorporating into his thinking the implications of recent transformations in home family living, which have destabilized the gender order. It is thus important to consider contemporary feminist analyses of the family and home life and their significance for a renewed theory of cultural capital. The paper considers two sets of literature. Firstly, it addresses the manners in which home and family are conceptualized in Bourdieu's key texts where these issues were prominent in the development of his thinking on cultural capital. The second set of literature includes texts by feminist academics in the fields of family, gender and the body, which analyse the destabilizing of the gender order and everyday family living in contemporary society. Two questions are addressed on the basis of these reflections: (1) Is cultural capital an individual or a household resource? (2) How does cultural capital relate to personal interdependencies at the level of family and households?

  8. Stories of learning, identity, navigations and boundary crossings in STEM in non-dominant communities: new imaginaries for research and action

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahm, Jrène

    2016-03-01

    Marta Civil's paper "STEM learning research through a funds of knowledge lens" can be read as a story about her trajectory as a researcher of everyday and school mathematics over time, grounded in sociocultural historical theory. Building on her work, I explore three issues. First, I address the grounding of STEM research in studies of learning and show what this may imply in the context of multilingualism and transculturism. Second, I explore how funds of knowledge can put into question what counts as science. Third, I discuss some of the methodological challenges the article raises. I conclude with some comments to think with for the future of the STEM field and equitable science.

  9. Selected Screen for Engaging Students in Projectile Motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dramae, A.; Toedtanya, K.; Wuttiprom, S.

    2017-09-01

    Connecting physics concepts to activities that are interesting to students or what they encounter in everyday life will help students build a strong foundation. When there is an interesting activity for the student, it will result in the student responding, engaging, and enthusiasm in learning. Learning activities that are based on what students are interested in and regularly experience will enable students to understand the long and memorable experience. Both of these will enhance the student’s learning experience. One of the activities that can be described in this research used the learning activity through movies, which is the application of the basic motion projectile for students to understand the characteristics of such movement. It also aims to further develop critical thinking skills of learners.

  10. The Effectiveness of Project Based Learning in Trigonometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gerhana, M. T. C.; Mardiyana, M.; Pramudya, I.

    2017-09-01

    This research aimed to explore the effectiveness of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) with scientific approach viewed from interpersonal intelligence toward students’ achievement learning in mathematics. This research employed quasi experimental research. The subjects of this research were grade X MIPA students in Sleman Yogyakarta. The result of the research showed that project-based learning model is more effective to generate students’ mathematics learning achievement that classical model with scientific approach. This is because in PjBL model students are more able to think actively and creatively. Students are faced with a pleasant atmosphere to solve a problem in everyday life. The use of project-based learning model is expected to be the choice of teachers to improve mathematics education.

  11. Where Creativity and Innovation are much Needed Fuels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loreto, Vittorio

    Our societies are being thoroughly transformed by the pervasive role technology is playing in our culture and everyday life. Nowadays the term techno-social systems is adopted to quickly refer to social systems in which the technology entangles, in an original and unpredictable way, cognitive, behavioral, and social aspects of human beings. This revolution does not come without a cost and in our complex world new global challenges always emerge that call for new paradigms and original thinking: climate change, global financial crises, global pandemics, growth of cities, urbanization, and migration patterns. In this framework we progressively face the need to increase the number of people able to imagine original and valuable solutions to sustain large human societies safely and prosperously...

  12. Understanding views on everyday use of personal health information: Insights from community dwelling older adults.

    PubMed

    Hartzler, A L; Osterhage, K; Demiris, G; Phelan, E A; Thielke, S M; Turner, A M

    2018-09-01

    Older adults apply various strategies to pursue healthy aging, but we know little about their views and use of personal health information to accomplish those ends. As a first step in formulating the role of personal health information management (PHIM) in healthy aging, we explored the perspectives of older adults on health and health information used in their everyday lives through four focus groups with 25 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and over. We found that the concept of wellness-the holistic and multidimensional nature of health and wellbeing-plays prominently in how older adults think about health and health information. Participants expressed wellness from a position of personal strength, rather than health-related deficits, by focusing on wellness activities for staying healthy through: (1) personal health practices, (2) social network support, and (3) residential community engagement. Although these themes involve personal health information, existing PHIM systems that focus on disease management are generally not designed to support wellness activities. Substantial opportunity exists to fill this wellness support gap with innovative health information technology designed for older adults. Findings carry implications for the design of PHIM tools that support healthy aging and methods for engaging older adults as co-producers of this critical support.

  13. The psychologist who is not a psychologist: a deconstructive reading of Wolfgang Giegerich's idea of psychology proper.

    PubMed

    Marlan, Stanton

    2016-04-01

    This paper represents an archetypal and deconstructive reading of the work of Wolfgang Giegerich. In an attempt to extend and philosophically develop Jung's late-life view of the objective psyche, Giegerich, via Hegel, defines psychology proper as fundamentally separate from the everyday person and the 'human, all-too-human' aspects of the soul. It is argued that, in so doing, Giegerich removes the human person from being the primary focus of his psychology and creates instead a hierarchy of ideas and values privileging syntax over semantics, the logical over the empirical, and thinking over imagination. This bypasses the emotionality of the everyday person/patient and also renders psychology proper unable to address the day-to-day practice of the analyst. Giegerich attempts to rectify this problem by re-incorporating what he had previously rejected, making his theory more complex than is apparent in his binary oppositions. In the end, however, it remains a question to what extent Giegerich is successful in avoiding a binary scission (Saban 2015) or a tendency to regularly de-emphasize the human aspect of the soul (Hoedl 2015) in his need to continue to heroically push off from the ego seeking total freedom from neurosis and from our humanity. © 2016, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

  14. Exploring health navigating design: momentary contentment in a cancer context

    PubMed Central

    Sandén, Ulrika; Harrysson, Lars; Thulesius, Hans; Nilsson, Fredrik

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Purpose: The technocratic and medicalized model of healthcare is rarely optimal for patients. By connecting two different studies we explore the possibilities of increasing quality of life in cancer care. Methods: The first study captures survival strategies in a historically isolated Arctic village in Norway resulting in Momentary contentment theory, which emerged from analysing four years of participant observation and interview data. The second study conceptualizes everyday life of cancer patients based on in-depth interviews with 19 cancer patients; this was conceptualized as Navigating a new life situation. Both studies used classic grounded theory methodology. The connection between the studies is based on a health design approach. Results: We found a fit between cancer patients challenging life conditions and harsh everyday life in an Arctic village. Death, treatments and dependence have become natural parts of life where the importance of creating spaces-of-moments and a Sense of Safety is imminent to well-being. While the cancer patients are in a new life situation, the Arctic people show a natural ability to handle uncertainties. Conclusion: By innovation theories connected to design thinking, Momentary contentment theory modified to fit cancer care would eventually be a way to improve cancer patients’ quality of life. PMID:28911272

  15. [Nutrition consultation in small animal practice - a field for specialized veterinarians].

    PubMed

    Bergler, R; Wechsung, S; Kienzle, E; Hoff, T; Dobenecker, B

    2016-01-01

    The study aimed to identify barriers to the implementation of nutrition consultation in veterinary practice. Differences between individual veterinarians in their problem-solving strategies in nutrition consultation were investigated. Representative online survey of 214 veterinarians (female/male) using a standardized questionnaire. Statistical analysis by correlations, t-test, analysis of variance and factor analysis as well as cluster analysis of types of veterinarians. Over 90% of vets had seen an increase in owners' questions on feeding pets. Forty-one percent estimated the percentage of patients suffering from nutrition-related diseases in their practice to be 20-30%. At the same time, 70% of vets agreed that nutrition consultation was neglected in every-day practice. Vets estimated that only 30% of owners complied with recommendations on nutrition. Over 80% of vets presumed that pet owners gave false information on feeding. For other sensitive questions, including domestic and financial situations, the percentage of presumed false information was below 60%. Approximately 50% of the vets did not feel sufficiently competent with regard to nutrition consultation. Less than 50% asked for payment of nutrition consultation. Only 18% had taken part in continuing education in animal nutrition. The cluster analysis identified five different strategies to cope with nutrition consultation, four of which were based on a low priority for nutrition in their own practice. Some vets referred nutrition problems to specialized colleagues (7.2%), others consulted with representatives of pet food companies (28.2%), another group offered free, quick tips (23.4%), and a small percentage ignored nutrition (13.4%). There was one group with a strong interest in nutrition (27.8%). It is remarkable that this group felt the least competent in small-animal nutrition. Conclusion and practical relevance: The study demonstrates that sound nutrition consultation in small-animal practice requires a high degree of specialization. In addition, special coping strategies to obtain a sound nutrition history and a fair payment are necessary. Vets fulfilling these conditions may find a wide field of work.

  16. Health-care encounters create both discontinuity and continuity in daily life when living with chronic heart failure—A grounded theory study

    PubMed Central

    Östman, Malin; Ung, Eva Jakobsson; Falk, Kristin

    2015-01-01

    Living with chronic heart failure (CHF) often involves lifelong contact with health care, more or less frequently, depending on fluctuating health-generating disruptions in everyday life. To reduce the influence on continuity in life, health-care professionals should preferably focus on supporting patients in managing their daily lives, based on their perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how the interaction in health-care encounters contributes to either continuity or discontinuity in the daily life for persons with CHF. Interviews with 18 participants were carried out, using the grounded theory method, through data collection and analysis. Two core concepts were constructed from data which reveal a model that illuminates the characteristics of the encounters, the actions of health-care professionals and the normative discourse. Patient-centred agenda consists of the categories: “Experiencing a subordinate approach,” “Objectifying during the encounter” and “Expected to be compliant.” This describes how health-care professionals enhance discontinuity in daily life by using a paternalistic approach in the encounter. Person-centred agenda consists of the categories: “Experiencing an empowering approach,” “Person-centredness during the encounter” and “Expected to be capable.” It describes how participants perceive that health-care professionals enable them to deal with everyday life which enhances continuity. The findings highlight the importance of health-care professionals’ attitudes and communication in encounters with patients. Health care must be designed to support and promote patients’ own strategic thinking by strengthening their self-image to enhance continuity in everyday life. The experience of discontinuity is based on the prevailing health-care culture which focuses on disease and medical treatment and regards it as superior to the illness experience in an everyday life context. We therefore strongly suggest a paradigm shift in the health-care organisation and culture in order to support the patients in their efforts to live a meaningful, rich life, in spite of the chronic illness CHF. PMID:28229746

  17. Mexican high school students' social representations of mathematics, its teaching and learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martínez-Sierra, Gustavo; Miranda-Tirado, Marisa

    2015-07-01

    This paper reports a qualitative research that identifies Mexican high school students' social representations of mathematics. For this purpose, the social representations of 'mathematics', 'learning mathematics' and 'teaching mathematics' were identified in a group of 50 students. Focus group interviews were carried out in order to obtain the data. The constant comparative style was the strategy used for the data analysis because it allowed the categories to emerge from the data. The students' social representations are: (A) Mathematics is…(1) important for daily life, (2) important for careers and for life, (3) important because it is in everything that surrounds us, (4) a way to solve problems of daily life, (5) calculations and operations with numbers, (6) complex and difficult, (7) exact and (6) a subject that develops thinking skills; (B) To learn mathematics is…(1) to possess knowledge to solve problems, (2) to be able to solve everyday problems, (3) to be able to make calculations and operations, and (4) to think logically to be able to solve problems; and (C) To teach mathematics is…(1) to transmit knowledge, (2) to know to share it, (3) to transmit the reasoning ability, and (4) to show how to solve problems.

  18. Insensitivity to social reputation in autism

    PubMed Central

    Izuma, Keise; Matsumoto, Kenji; Camerer, Colin F.; Adolphs, Ralph

    2011-01-01

    People act more prosocially when they know they are watched by others, an everyday observation borne out by studies from behavioral economics, social psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. This effect is thought to be mediated by the incentive to improve one's social reputation, a specific and possibly uniquely human motivation that depends on our ability to represent what other people think of us. Here we tested the hypothesis that social reputation effects are selectively impaired in autism, a developmental disorder characterized in part by impairments in reciprocal social interactions but whose underlying cognitive causes remain elusive. When asked to make real charitable donations in the presence or absence of an observer, matched healthy controls donated significantly more in the observer's presence than absence, replicating prior work. By contrast, people with high-functioning autism were not influenced by the presence of an observer at all in this task. However, both groups performed significantly better on a continuous performance task in the presence of an observer, suggesting intact general social facilitation in autism. The results argue that people with autism lack the ability to take into consideration what others think of them and provide further support for specialized neural systems mediating the effects of social reputation. PMID:21987799

  19. Preserving Nuclear Grade Knowledge

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lange, Bob

    2008-02-05

    When people think of the government they think of the President, or Congress, or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but there are thousands of people in government-related jobs doing things most don’t really notice everyday. You can find them everywhere, from the space science folks at NASA, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) watching out for the bad guys. There are Rangers, and Social Workers, Nurses and Agricultural Managers. They are people working to keep the many facets of the USA rolling. One very diverse bunch is The Department of Energy (DOE) , a group who is expanding themore » ways we make and save energy to power our cars, homes, and businesses. Tucked away under the DOE is the National Nuclear Security Administration, the NNSA is an agency that maintains the safety, security, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. It works to reduce global danger from weapons of mass destruction. It provides the U.S. Navy with safe nuclear propulsion, and it responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the United States and abroad, and it supports efforts in science and technology*. (* DOE/NNSA/KCP website info)« less

  20. Idle minds are the devil's tools? Coping, depressed mood and divergent thinking in older adults.

    PubMed

    Mélendez, Juan Carlos; Alfonso-Benlliure, Vicente; Mayordomo, Teresa

    2017-10-20

    The main aim was to test a causal relations model of the problem-focused and emotion-focused coping styles, depressed mood, and divergent thinking (DT) in older adults. It was hypothesized that both forms of coping would have a significant effect on predicting depressed mood, and that problem-focused coping and depressed mood would have a significant effect on DT. Participants were 135 subjects with ages ranging between 55 and 84 years old, who took part in a personal interview and filled out several questionnaires. The statistical analysis included structural equations models (SEM). The initial model led to a final model endorsed by the goodness of fit, composite reliability, and discriminant validity indexes. This model confirms a direct relationship between the two types of coping strategies and depressed mood (with the opposite sign), but not between rational coping and DT. Finally, depressed mood was also confirmed as a mediator variable between coping and DT. The type of coping is a clear predictor of mood in older adults. Advanced age decline is not necessarily translated into inefficacy in everyday problem solving especially in those who, through proble-focused coping, avoid depressed moods and maintain good levels of DT.

  1. Default Mode and Executive Networks Areas: Association with the Serial Order in Divergent Thinking

    PubMed Central

    Heinonen, Jarmo; Numminen, Jussi; Hlushchuk, Yevhen; Antell, Henrik; Taatila, Vesa; Suomala, Jyrki

    2016-01-01

    Scientific findings have suggested a two-fold structure of the cognitive process. By using the heuristic thinking mode, people automatically process information that tends to be invariant across days, whereas by using the explicit thinking mode people explicitly process information that tends to be variant compared to typical previously learned information patterns. Previous studies on creativity found an association between creativity and the brain regions in the prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the default mode network and the executive network. However, which neural networks contribute to the explicit mode of thinking during idea generation remains an open question. We employed an fMRI paradigm to examine which brain regions were activated when participants (n = 16) mentally generated alternative uses for everyday objects. Most previous creativity studies required participants to verbalize responses during idea generation, whereas in this study participants produced mental alternatives without verbalizing. This study found activation in the left anterior insula when contrasting idea generation and object identification. This finding suggests that the insula (part of the brain’s salience network) plays a role in facilitating both the central executive and default mode networks to activate idea generation. We also investigated closely the effect of the serial order of idea being generated on brain responses: The amplitude of fMRI responses correlated positively with the serial order of idea being generated in the anterior cingulate cortex, which is part of the central executive network. Positive correlation with the serial order was also observed in the regions typically assigned to the default mode network: the precuneus/cuneus, inferior parietal lobule and posterior cingulate cortex. These networks support the explicit mode of thinking and help the individual to convert conventional mental models to new ones. The serial order correlated negatively with the BOLD responses in the posterior presupplementary motor area, left premotor cortex, right cerebellum and left inferior frontal gyrus. This finding might imply that idea generation without a verbal processing demand reflecting lack of need for new object identification in idea generation events. The results of the study are consistent with recent creativity studies, which emphasize that the creativity process involves working memory capacity to spontaneously shift between different kinds of thinking modes according to the context. PMID:27627760

  2. Primary Care Practice: Uncertainty and Surprise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crabtree, Benjamin F.

    I will focus my comments on uncertainty and surprise in primary care practices. I am a medical anthropologist by training, and have been a full-time researcher in family medicine for close to twenty years. In this talk I want to look at primary care practices as complex systems, particularly taking the perspective of translating evidence into practice. I am going to discuss briefly the challenges we have in primary care, and in medicine in general, of translating new evidence into the everyday care of patients. To do this, I will look at two studies that we have conducted on family practices, then think about how practices can be best characterized as complex adaptive systems. Finally, I will focus on the implications of this portrayal for disseminating new knowledge into practice.

  3. Success in everyday physics: The role of personality and academic variables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Norvilitis, Jill M.; Reid, Howard M.; Norvilitis, Bret M.

    2002-05-01

    Two studies examined students' intuitive physics ability and characteristics associated with physics competence. In Study 1, although many students did well on a physics quiz, more than 25% of students performed below levels predicted by chance. Better performance on the physics quiz was related to physics grades, highest level of math taken, and students' perceived scholastic competence, but was not related to a number of other hypothesized personality variables. Study 2 further explored personality and academic variables and also examined students' awareness of their own physics ability. Results indicate that the personality variables were again unrelated to ability, but narcissism may be related to subjects' estimates of knowledge. Also, academic variables and how important students think it is to understand the physical world are related to both measured and estimated physics proficiency.

  4. Dramatic (and Simple!) Demonstration of Newton's Third Law

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feldman, Gerald

    2011-02-01

    An operational understanding of Newton's third law is often elusive for students. Typical examples of this concept are given for contact forces that are closer to the students' everyday experience. While this is a good thing in general, the reaction force can sometimes be taken for granted, and the students can miss the opportunity to really think about what is going on. In the case of magnetic forces, however, the notion of action at a distance actually requires a careful inspection of the forces involved and thereby promotes a more detailed analysis of the situation. In this paper, a simple demonstration of Newton's third law is presented in the context of a magnet falling through a hollow conducting tube. The results are unambiguous and lead the students to an irrefutable verification of Newton's third law.

  5. Tiny Moments Matter: Promoting Professionalism in Everyday Practice.

    PubMed

    Bernabeo, Elizabeth C; Chesluk, Benjamin; Lynn, Lorna

    2018-01-01

    Professionalism rests upon a number of individual, environmental, and societal level factors, leading to specific professional behavior in specific situations. Focusing on professional lapses to identify and remediate unprofessional physicians is incomplete. We explored professionalism in practicing internal medicine physicians in the context of everyday practice, to highlight how typical experiences contribute to positive, yet often unnoticed, professional behavior. In-depth interviews were used to uncover 13 physicians' most meaningful experiences of professionalism. Data were collected and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results revealed several themes around which physicians embody professionalism in their daily lives. Physicians feel most professional when they are able to connect and establish trust with patients and colleagues and when they serve as positive role models to others. Physicians conceptualize professionalism as a dynamic and evolving competency, one that requires a lifelong commitment and that provides opportunities for lifelong learning. Focusing on actual perceptions of experiences in practice offers important insights into how physicians think about professionalism beyond a traditional remediation and lapses perspective. Physicians often go out of their way to connect with patients and colleagues, serving and modeling for others, often at the expense of their own work-life balance. These moments help to infuse energy and positivity into physician practices during a time when physicians may feel overburdened, overscheduled, and overregulated. Understanding professionalism as developmental helps frame professionalism as a lifelong competency subject to growth and modification over time.

  6. The Relationship between Spatial and Temporal Magnitude Estimation of Scientific Concepts at Extreme Scales

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Price, Aaron; Lee, H.

    2010-01-01

    Many astronomical objects, processes, and events exist and occur at extreme scales of spatial and temporal magnitudes. Our research draws upon the psychological literature, replete with evidence of linguistic and metaphorical links between the spatial and temporal domains, to compare how students estimate spatial and temporal magnitudes associated with objects and processes typically taught in science class.. We administered spatial and temporal scale estimation tests, with many astronomical items, to 417 students enrolled in 12 undergraduate science courses. Results show that while the temporal test was more difficult, students’ overall performance patterns between the two tests were mostly similar. However, asymmetrical correlations between the two tests indicate that students think of the extreme ranges of spatial and temporal scales in different ways, which is likely influenced by their classroom experience. When making incorrect estimations, students tended to underestimate the difference between the everyday scale and the extreme scales on both tests. This suggests the use of a common logarithmic mental number line for both spatial and temporal magnitude estimation. However, there are differences between the two tests in the errors student make in the everyday range. Among the implications discussed is the use of spatio-temporal reference frames, instead of smooth bootstrapping, to help students maneuver between scales of magnitude and the use of logarithmic transformations between reference frames. Implications for astronomy range from learning about spectra to large scale galaxy structure.

  7. Regular dog-walking improves physical capacity in elderly patients after myocardial infarction.

    PubMed

    Ruzić, Alen; Miletić, Bojan; Ruzić, Tatjana; Persić, Viktor; Laskarin, Gordana

    2011-09-01

    Various positive effects of pet ownership on cardiovascular health are well known. The aim of this prospective and controlled longitudinal study was to determine the effects of everyday dog-walking on physical capacity in elderly patients during the first year after myocardial infarction. Regularly dog-walking for at least 15 minutes three times a day is related to significantly higher work load on the bicycle exercise test (72.5 +/- 10.75 versus 67.6 +/- 11.6 W p < 0.05) in the "dog-walking" group (N = 29, mean age 72.5 years) at 12 months compared to the control group (N = 30, mean age 71.7 years). Our results suggest that dogs may help to maintain continuous physical activity in elderly cardiovascular patients promoting their physical capacity. Further researches are needed to confirm this association as well to identify other possible influences of dog ownership on the cardiovascular health and on the outcome in patients after myocardial infarction.

  8. Educating Executive Function

    PubMed Central

    Blair, Clancy

    2016-01-01

    Executive functions are thinking skills that assist with reasoning, planning, problem solving, and managing one’s life. The brain areas that underlie these skills are interconnected with and influenced by activity in many different brain areas, some of which are associated with emotion and stress. One consequence of the stress-specific connections is that executive functions, which help us to organize our thinking, tend to be disrupted when stimulation is too high and we are stressed out, or too low when we are bored and lethargic. Given their central role in reasoning and also in managing stress and emotion, scientists have conducted studies, primarily with adults, to determine whether executive functions can be improved by training. By and large, results have shown that they can be, in part through computer-based videogame-like activities. Evidence of wider, more general benefits from such computer-based training, however, is mixed. Accordingly, scientists have reasoned that training will have wider benefits if it is implemented early, with very young children as the neural circuitry of executive functions is developing, and that it will be most effective if embedded in children’s everyday activities. Evidence produced by this research, however, is also mixed. In sum, much remains to be learned about executive function training. Without question, however, continued research on this important topic will yield valuable information about cognitive development. PMID:27906522

  9. Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Clinical Urological Practice: Preoperative Control of Bacteriuria and Management of Recurrent UTI.

    PubMed

    Cai, Tommaso; Mazzoli, Sandra; Lanzafame, Paolo; Caciagli, Patrizio; Malossini, Gianni; Nesi, Gabriella; Wagenlehner, Florian M E; Köves, Bela; Pickard, Robert; Grabe, Magnus; Bjerklund Johansen, Truls E; Bartoletti, Riccardo

    2016-01-05

    Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) is a common clinical condition that often leads to unnecessary antimicrobial use. The reduction of antibiotic overuse for ABU is consequently an important issue for antimicrobial stewardship and to reduce the emergence of multidrug resistant strains. There are two issues in everyday urological practice that require special attention: the role of ABU in pre-operative prophylaxis and in women affected by recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs). Nowadays, this is the time to think over our practice and change our way of thinking. Here, we aimed to summarize the current literature knowledge in terms of ABU management in patients undergoing urological surgery and in patients with rUTIs. In the last years, the approach to patient with ABU has changed totally. Prior to all surgical procedures that do not enter the urinary tract, ABU is generally not considered as a risk factor, and screening and treatment are not considered necessary. On the other hand, in the case of all procedures entering the urinary tract, ABU should be treated in line with the results of a urine culture obtained before the procedure. In patients affected by rUTIs, ABU can even have a protective role in preventing symptomatic recurrence, particularly when Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) has been isolated.

  10. Rethinking historical and cultural source of spontaneous mental models of water cycle: in the perspective of South Korea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nam, Younkyeong

    2012-06-01

    This review explores Ben-Zvi Assaraf, Eshach, Orion, and Alamour's paper titled "Cultural Differences and Students' Spontaneous Models of the Water Cycle: A Case Study of Jewish and Bedouin Children in Israel" by examining how the authors use the concept of spontaneous mental models to explain cultural knowledge source of Bedouin children's mental model of water compared to Jewish children's mental model of water in nature. My response to Ben-Zvi Assaraf et al.'s work expands upon their explanations of the Bedouin children's cultural knowledge source. Bedouin children's mental model is based on their culture, religion, place of living and everyday life practices related to water. I suggest a different knowledge source for spontaneous mental model of water in nature based on unique history and traditions of South Korea where people think of water in nature in different ways. This forum also addresses how western science dominates South Korean science curriculum and ways of assessing students' conceptual understanding of scientific concepts. Additionally I argue that western science curriculum models could diminish Korean students' understanding of natural world which are based on Korean cultural ways of thinking about the natural world. Finally, I also suggest two different ways of considering this unique knowledge source for a more culturally relevant teaching Earth system education.

  11. Making Technological Timelines: Anticipatory Repair and Testing in High Performance Scientific Computing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sims, Benjamin

    Think of some examples of repair in everyday life. Maybe you had a car accident and took your car to the body shop. Maybe the head came off your child’s doll and you had to glue it back on. Maybe the handle of your shovel cracked and you wrapped the cracked area with duct tape to hold it together. These are examples of what could be called reactive repair, where an unexpected accident initiates a sequence of action and decision-making that ends in repair. In these cases, most of the thinking and planning surrounding repair takes place after a breakdownmore » has been identified. This type of repair is often taken to be distinct from deliberate design, as it occurs within the context of technology that is already in operation, often has an improvisational character, and may be performed by end users or technicians rather than credentialed experts. But does repair always have to be reactive? And if not, what does this tell us about the distinction between design and repair, and their respective roles in shaping technological change? The short answer is that repair, like design, can play a dynamic and forward-looking role in shaping technological trajectories – not only stabilizing existing systems, but anticipating change and generating new technological futures.« less

  12. Girls on Ice: An Inquiry-Based Wilderness Science Education Program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pettit, E. C.; Koppes, M. N.

    2001-12-01

    We developed a wilderness science education program for high school girls. The program offers opportunities for students to explore and learn about mountain glaciers and the alpine landscape through scientific field studies with geologists and glaciologists. Our purpose is to give students a feeling for the natural processes that create the alpine world and provide an environment that fosters the critical thinking necessary to all scientific inquiry. The program is currently being offered through the North Cascades Institute, a non-profit organization offering outdoor education programs for the general public. We lead eight girls for a weeklong expedition to the remote USGS South Cascade Glacier Research Station in Washington's North Cascades. For four days, we explore the glacier and the nearby alpine valleys. We encourage the girls to observe and think like scientists through making observations and inferences. They develop their own experiments to test ideas about glacier dynamics and geomorphology. In addition to scientific exploration, we engage the students in discussions about the philosophy of science and its role in our everyday lives. Our program exemplifies the success of hands-on, inquiry-based teaching in small groups for science education in the outdoors. The wilderness setting and single gender field team inspires young women's interest in science and provides a challenging environment that increases their physical and intellectual self-confidence.

  13. Making Technological Timelines: Anticipatory Repair and Testing in High Performance Scientific Computing

    DOE PAGES

    Sims, Benjamin

    2017-05-23

    Think of some examples of repair in everyday life. Maybe you had a car accident and took your car to the body shop. Maybe the head came off your child’s doll and you had to glue it back on. Maybe the handle of your shovel cracked and you wrapped the cracked area with duct tape to hold it together. These are examples of what could be called reactive repair, where an unexpected accident initiates a sequence of action and decision-making that ends in repair. In these cases, most of the thinking and planning surrounding repair takes place after a breakdownmore » has been identified. This type of repair is often taken to be distinct from deliberate design, as it occurs within the context of technology that is already in operation, often has an improvisational character, and may be performed by end users or technicians rather than credentialed experts. But does repair always have to be reactive? And if not, what does this tell us about the distinction between design and repair, and their respective roles in shaping technological change? The short answer is that repair, like design, can play a dynamic and forward-looking role in shaping technological trajectories – not only stabilizing existing systems, but anticipating change and generating new technological futures.« less

  14. Medical home implementation: a sensemaking taxonomy of hard and soft best practices.

    PubMed

    Hoff, Timothy

    2013-12-01

    The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care is currently a central focus of U.S. health system reform, but less is known about the model's implementation in the practice of everyday primary care. Understanding its implementation is key to ensuring the approach's continued support and success nationally. This article addresses this gap through a qualitative examination of the best practices associated with PCMH implementation for older adult patients in primary care. I used a multicase, comparative study design that relied on a sensemaking approach and fifty-one in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses, and clinic support staff working in six accredited medical homes located in various geographic areas. My emphasis was on gaining descriptive insights into the staff's experiences delivering medical home care to older adult patients in particular and then analyzing how these experiences shaped the staff's thinking, learning, and future actions in implementing medical home care. I found two distinct taxonomies of implementation best practices, which I labeled "hard" and "soft" because of their differing emphasis and content. Hard implementation practices are normative activities and structural interventions that align well with existing national standards for medical home care. Soft best practices are more relational in nature and derive from the existing practice social structure and everyday interactions between staff and patients. Currently, external stakeholders are less apt to recognize, encourage, or incentivize soft best practices. The results suggest that there may be no standardized, one-size-fits-all approach to making medical home implementation work, particularly for special patient populations such as the elderly. My study also raises the issue of broadening current PCMH assessments and reward systems to include implementation practices that contain heavy social and relational components of care, in addition to the emphasis now placed on building structural supports for medical home work. Further study of these softer implementation practices and a continued call for qualitative methodological approaches that gain insight into everyday practice behavior are warranted. © 2013 Milbank Memorial Fund.

  15. Probability or Reasoning: Current Thinking and Realistic Strategies for Improved Medical Decisions

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    A prescriptive model approach in decision making could help achieve better diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice through methods that are less reliant on probabilistic assessments. Various prescriptive measures aimed at regulating factors that influence heuristics and clinical reasoning could support clinical decision-making process. Clinicians could avoid time-consuming decision-making methods that require probabilistic calculations. Intuitively, they could rely on heuristics to obtain an accurate diagnosis in a given clinical setting. An extensive literature review of cognitive psychology and medical decision-making theory was performed to illustrate how heuristics could be effectively utilized in daily practice. Since physicians often rely on heuristics in realistic situations, probabilistic estimation might not be a useful tool in everyday clinical practice. Improvements in the descriptive model of decision making (heuristics) may allow for greater diagnostic accuracy. PMID:29209469

  16. Probability or Reasoning: Current Thinking and Realistic Strategies for Improved Medical Decisions.

    PubMed

    Nantha, Yogarabindranath Swarna

    2017-11-01

    A prescriptive model approach in decision making could help achieve better diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice through methods that are less reliant on probabilistic assessments. Various prescriptive measures aimed at regulating factors that influence heuristics and clinical reasoning could support clinical decision-making process. Clinicians could avoid time-consuming decision-making methods that require probabilistic calculations. Intuitively, they could rely on heuristics to obtain an accurate diagnosis in a given clinical setting. An extensive literature review of cognitive psychology and medical decision-making theory was performed to illustrate how heuristics could be effectively utilized in daily practice. Since physicians often rely on heuristics in realistic situations, probabilistic estimation might not be a useful tool in everyday clinical practice. Improvements in the descriptive model of decision making (heuristics) may allow for greater diagnostic accuracy.

  17. The Medical Education and Best Practice in Orthopedic Patient Care in Poland.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosiek, Anna; Leksowski, Krzysztof

    2012-07-01

    The leadership organization focuses on education, teamwork, customer relationship and developing strategy which help in building added value, in managing activities, time and quality. Everyday orthopedic experience shows that medical education is a mixture of: specific knowledge, skills and attitudes of people working together, and that creates effective teamwork in a hospital environment. Apart from the main reason of medical education, teaching about disease treatment and health problem solving, medical education should also concentrate on human factors and behavioral aspects of patient treatment in hospital.Assessment of an organization and medical education process by cultural and teamwork criteria, offers a powerful new way to think about performance at the frontlines of healthcare and in the future it could be gold standard for assessing the success of an organization, and standards in medical education, not only in orthopedics.

  18. K-12 science education: A teacher`s view

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Moore, P.

    1994-12-31

    Science education has experienced significant changes over the past two decades. Science is now vital to good citizenship, performance in the workplace, and everyday life.It is time to re-tool and re-design the entire K-12 science education system, employing the same principles and methods used in the practice of science itself. We can no longer ignore the special needs of science instruction. All students need a course that develops their scientific literacy and critical thinking skills every year. Each science program needs meaningful, useful content and skill standards to drive and continuously update the curriculum content and enabel usefull assessment. Sciencemore » teachers must articulate their needs and develop opportunities for professional development and the strengthening of their profession. We need a national plan that gets the many different participants working coherently towards a common goal.« less

  19. A review and exploration of sociotechnical ergonomics.

    PubMed

    Dirkse van Schalkwyk, Riaan; Steenkamp, Rigard J

    2017-09-01

    A holistic review of ergonomic history shows that science remains important for general occupational health and safety (OSH), the broad society, culture, politics and the design of everyday things. Science provides an unconventional and multifaceted viewpoint exploring ergonomics from a social, corporate and OSH perspective. Ergonomic solutions from this mindset may redefine the science, and it will change with companies that change within this socially hyper-connected world. Authentic corporate social responsibility will counter 'misleadership' by not approaching ergonomics with an afterthought. The review concludes that ergonomics will be stronger with social respect and ergonomic thinking based on the optimisation of anthropometric data, digital human models, computer-aided tools, self-empowerment, job enrichment, work enlargement, physiology, industrial psychology, cybernetic ergonomics, operations design, ergonomic-friendly process technologies, ergonomic empowerment, behaviour-based safety, outcome-based employee wellness and fatigue risk management solutions, to mention a few.

  20. Constructing Unfinalizability: A Subject Positioning Analysis of a Couple's Therapy Session Hosted by Tom Andersen.

    PubMed

    Guilfoyle, Michael

    2018-03-08

    The notion of subject positions is a useful tool in thinking through therapeutic interactions. In this article, I discuss positioning as an everyday phenomenon, and highlight the relational and social power dynamics that shape the subject positions persons may inhabit. Analysis is presented of the positional dynamics that play out in the couple's therapy session facilitated by Tom Andersen. Analysis suggests that Andersen adopts a not-knowing, uncertain, and curious position, while constructing the couple as competent, unfinalizable persons able to negotiate the choice-points that arise in front of them. However, if subject positions are grounded in social power dynamics, the session leaves a particular question unanswered: How will these emergent positions take hold outside of the consulting room? © 2018 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

  1. Inter-observer agreement improves with PERCIST 1.0 as opposed to qualitative evaluation in non-small cell lung cancer patients evaluated with F-18-FDG PET/CT early in the course of chemo-radiotherapy.

    PubMed

    Fledelius, Joan; Khalil, Azza; Hjorthaug, Karin; Frøkiær, Jørgen

    2016-12-01

    The purpose of this study is to determine whether a qualitative approach or a semi-quantitative approach provides the most robust method for early response evaluation with 2'-deoxy-2'-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose (F-18-FDG) positron emission tomography combined with whole body computed tomography (PET/CT) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study eight Nuclear Medicine consultants analyzed F-18-FDG PET/CT scans from 35 patients with locally advanced NSCLC. Scans were performed at baseline and after 2 cycles of chemotherapy. Each observer used two different methods for evaluation: (1) PET response criteria in solid tumors (PERCIST) 1.0 and (2) a qualitative approach. Both methods allocate patients into one of four response categories (complete and partial metabolic response (CMR and PMR) and stable and progressive metabolic disease (SMD and PMD)). The inter-observer agreement was evaluated using Fleiss' kappa for multiple raters, Cohens kappa for comparison of the two methods, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for comparison of lean body mass corrected standardized uptake value (SUL) peak measurements. The agreement between observers when determining the percentage change in SULpeak was "almost perfect", with ICC = 0.959. There was a strong agreement among observers allocating patients to the different response categories with a Fleiss kappa of 0.76 (0.71-0.81). In 22 of the 35 patients, complete agreement was observed with PERCIST 1.0. The agreement was lower when using the qualitative method, moderate, having a Fleiss kappa of 0.60 (0.55-0.64). Complete agreement was achieved in only 10 of the 35 patients. The difference between the two methods was statistically significant (p < 0.005) (chi-squared). Comparing the two methods for each individual observer showed Cohen's kappa values ranging from 0.64 to 0.79, translating into a strong agreement between the two methods. PERCIST 1.0 provides a higher overall agreement between observers than the qualitative approach in categorizing early treatment response in NSCLC patients. The inter-observer agreement is in fact strong when using PERCIST 1.0 even when the level of instruction is purposely kept to a minimum in order to mimic the everyday situation. The variability is largely owing to the subjective elements of the method.

  2. An Evidence-based, Longitudinal Curriculum for Resident Physician Wellness: The 2017 Resident Wellness Consensus Summit

    PubMed Central

    Arnold, Jacob; Tango, Jennifer; Walker, Ian; Waranch, Chris; McKamie, Joshua; Poonja, Zafrina

    2018-01-01

    Introduction Physicians are at much higher risk for burnout, depression, and suicide than their non-medical peers. One of the working groups from the May 2017 Resident Wellness Consensus Summit (RWCS) addressed this issue through the development of a longitudinal residency curriculum to address resident wellness and burnout. Methods A 30-person (27 residents, three attending physicians) Wellness Curriculum Development workgroup developed the curriculum in two phases. In the first phase, the workgroup worked asynchronously in the Wellness Think Tank – an online resident community – conducting a literature review to identify 10 core topics. In the second phase, the workgroup expanded to include residents outside the Wellness Think Tank at the live RWCS event to identify gaps in the curriculum. This resulted in an additional seven core topics. Results Seventeen foundational topics served as the framework for the longitudinal resident wellness curriculum. The curriculum includes a two-module introduction to wellness; a seven-module “Self-Care Series” focusing on the appropriate structure of wellness activities and everyday necessities that promote physician wellness; a two-module section on physician suicide and self-help; a four-module “Clinical Care Series” focusing on delivering bad news, navigating difficult patient encounters, dealing with difficult consultants and staff members, and debriefing traumatic events in the emergency department; wellness in the workplace; and dealing with medical errors and shame. Conclusion The resident wellness curriculum, derived from an evidence-based approach and input of residents from the Wellness Think Tank and the RWCS event, provides a guiding framework for residency programs in emergency medicine and potentially other specialties to improve physician wellness and promote a culture of wellness. PMID:29560063

  3. Extending decision making competence to special populations: a pilot study of persons on the autism spectrum

    PubMed Central

    Levin, Irwin P.; Gaeth, Gary J.; Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Yegorova, Vitaliya; Cederberg, Charles; Yan, Haoyang

    2015-01-01

    The area of decision making has much to offer in our effort to understand special populations. This pilot study is an example of just such a project, where we illustrate how traditional decision making tools and tasks can be used to uncover strengths and weaknesses within a growing population of young adults with autism. In this pilot project we extended accounts of autistic behavior such as those derived from “theory of mind” to predict key components of decision making in high-functioning young adults on the autism spectrum. A battery of tests was administered to 15 high-functioning college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on decision making competence (DMC) and other aspects of decision making related to known deficits associated with autism. Data from this group were compared to data from unselected college students receiving the same measures. First, as a test of a key social deficit associated with autism, the target group scored much lower on the Empathy Quotient scale. Traditional elements of decision making competency such as Numeracy and application of decision rules were comparable across groups. However, there were differences in thinking style, with the ASD group showing lesser ability and engagement in intuitive thinking, and they showed lower levels of risk taking. For comparisons within the ASD group, autobiographical reports concerning individual lifestyles and outcomes were used to derive a scale of Social Functioning. The lowest scoring individuals showed the lowest levels of intuitive thinking, the lowest perceived levels of others’ endorsement of socially undesirable behaviors, and the lowest ability to discriminate between “good” and “bad” risks. Results are discussed in terms of interventions that might aid high-functioning young adults with ASD in their everyday decision making. PMID:25972831

  4. Extending decision making competence to special populations: a pilot study of persons on the autism spectrum.

    PubMed

    Levin, Irwin P; Gaeth, Gary J; Foley-Nicpon, Megan; Yegorova, Vitaliya; Cederberg, Charles; Yan, Haoyang

    2015-01-01

    The area of decision making has much to offer in our effort to understand special populations. This pilot study is an example of just such a project, where we illustrate how traditional decision making tools and tasks can be used to uncover strengths and weaknesses within a growing population of young adults with autism. In this pilot project we extended accounts of autistic behavior such as those derived from "theory of mind" to predict key components of decision making in high-functioning young adults on the autism spectrum. A battery of tests was administered to 15 high-functioning college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on decision making competence (DMC) and other aspects of decision making related to known deficits associated with autism. Data from this group were compared to data from unselected college students receiving the same measures. First, as a test of a key social deficit associated with autism, the target group scored much lower on the Empathy Quotient scale. Traditional elements of decision making competency such as Numeracy and application of decision rules were comparable across groups. However, there were differences in thinking style, with the ASD group showing lesser ability and engagement in intuitive thinking, and they showed lower levels of risk taking. For comparisons within the ASD group, autobiographical reports concerning individual lifestyles and outcomes were used to derive a scale of Social Functioning. The lowest scoring individuals showed the lowest levels of intuitive thinking, the lowest perceived levels of others' endorsement of socially undesirable behaviors, and the lowest ability to discriminate between "good" and "bad" risks. Results are discussed in terms of interventions that might aid high-functioning young adults with ASD in their everyday decision making.

  5. HIV-infected adolescents with hemophilia: adaptation and coping. The Hemophilia Behavioral Intervention Evaluation Project.

    PubMed

    Brown, L K; Schultz, J R; Gragg, R A

    1995-09-01

    It is estimated that 70% of individuals with factor VIII deficiency hemophilia who received blood products before 1985 are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The goal of the current study was to assess how adolescents with hemophilia cope with reminders of their HIV status, because adaptation is likely to have implications for these individuals' quality of life and adherence to safer sex recommendations. Participants included 297 HIV-positive adolescents with hemophilia who were recruited from 11 sites across the United States. Adolescents reported on the use and effectiveness of strategies for coping with reminders of their HIV status. A significant degree of distress was reported in response to such reminders, with anger being the most commonly reported emotion. Although a wide variety of coping strategies had been tried, participants reported using resignation (80.9%), self-calming (78.8%), and distraction (76.4%) most frequently in their attempts to cope with reminders of HIV. Self-blame (3.6%), engaging in risky behaviors (22.2%), thinking about sex (25.4%), and drug/alcohol use (29.1%) were used least. These adolescents tended to rate more active cognitive and behavioral coping strategies (eg, cognitive restructuring, seeking social support, physical activity) as most effective, whereas passive strategies (eg, wishful thinking, blaming others) were reported to be least helpful. Those individuals who reported being distressed by reminders of HIV endorsed most of the coping strategies significantly more often than the nondistressed group, although ineffective strategies were commonly chosen. Sexually active adolescents were more likely than their abstinent peers to cope by thinking about sex, engaging in risky behaviors, or using alcohol and drugs. In this population of adolescents who have known their serostatus for several years, distress about everyday reminders of HIV appears to be associated with ineffective coping strategies.

  6. An Evidence-based, Longitudinal Curriculum for Resident Physician Wellness: The 2017 Resident Wellness Consensus Summit.

    PubMed

    Arnold, Jacob; Tango, Jennifer; Walker, Ian; Waranch, Chris; McKamie, Joshua; Poonja, Zafrina; Messman, Anne

    2018-03-01

    Physicians are at much higher risk for burnout, depression, and suicide than their non-medical peers. One of the working groups from the May 2017 Resident Wellness Consensus Summit (RWCS) addressed this issue through the development of a longitudinal residency curriculum to address resident wellness and burnout. A 30-person (27 residents, three attending physicians) Wellness Curriculum Development workgroup developed the curriculum in two phases. In the first phase, the workgroup worked asynchronously in the Wellness Think Tank - an online resident community - conducting a literature review to identify 10 core topics. In the second phase, the workgroup expanded to include residents outside the Wellness Think Tank at the live RWCS event to identify gaps in the curriculum. This resulted in an additional seven core topics. Seventeen foundational topics served as the framework for the longitudinal resident wellness curriculum. The curriculum includes a two-module introduction to wellness; a seven-module "Self-Care Series" focusing on the appropriate structure of wellness activities and everyday necessities that promote physician wellness; a two-module section on physician suicide and self-help; a four-module "Clinical Care Series" focusing on delivering bad news, navigating difficult patient encounters, dealing with difficult consultants and staff members, and debriefing traumatic events in the emergency department; wellness in the workplace; and dealing with medical errors and shame. The resident wellness curriculum, derived from an evidence-based approach and input of residents from the Wellness Think Tank and the RWCS event, provides a guiding framework for residency programs in emergency medicine and potentially other specialties to improve physician wellness and promote a culture of wellness.

  7. “Excessive Thinking” as Explanatory Model for Schizophrenia: Impacts on Stigma and “Moral” Status in Mainland China

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Lawrence H.; Phillips, Michael R.; Lo, Graciete; Chou, Yuwen; Zhang, Xiaoli; Hopper, Kim

    2010-01-01

    Although psychiatric stigma in China is particularly pervasive and damaging, rates of high expressed emotion (“EE” or family members' emotional attitudes that predict relapse) are generally lower than rates found in Western countries. In light of this seemingly incongruous juxtaposition and because Chinese comprise approximately one-fifth of the world's mentally ill, we examine how one of the most widely held causal beliefs of schizophrenia—excessive thinking (xiang tai duo)—may powerfully shape how those exhibiting psychotic symptoms pass from “normal” status to stigmatized “other.” Using a framework by which stigma threatens an actor's capacity to participate in core everyday engagements, we examine how expressions of excessive thinking intersect with psychotic symptoms and how this idiom reduces stigma by preserving essential moral standing. Four focus groups with family members (n = 34 total) of schizophrenia outpatients, who had participated in psychoeducation, were conducted in Beijing. Open coding was conducted by 2 bilingual coders achieving high interrater agreement. Common expressions of excessive thinking—taking things too hard that is perceived as a causal factor and unwarranted suspicion that is used to benignly interpret paranoid symptoms encapsulated disruptive behaviors that closely overlapped with psychotic symptoms. Because excessive thinking is understood to occur universally, this idiom encourages socially accommodating behavior that signifies acceptance of these individuals as full-status community members. In contrast, due to beliefs implying moral contamination, those labeled mentally ill are threatened with both subtle and outright social exclusion. We discuss implications of this idiom for EE and the detection of schizophrenia “prodrome” in China. PMID:19193742

  8. Middle school students' understanding of the natural history of the Earth and life on Earth as a function of deep time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pulling, Azalie Cecile

    The purpose of this study was to use deep time, that is geologic time as a mechanism to explore middle school students' understanding of the natural history of the earth and the evolution of life on earth. Geologic time is a logical precursor to middle school students' understanding of biological evolution. This exploratory, mixed model study used qualitative and quantitative methods in each stage of the research to explore sixth grade students, understanding of geologic time, their worldviews (e.g., conceptual ecology), and conceptual change. The study included fifty-nine students in the large group study and four case studies. The primary data collection instrument was the Geologic Timeline Survey. Additional data collection instruments and methods (e.g., concept evaluation statement, journal entries, word associations, interviews, and formal tests) were used to triangulate the study findings. These data were used to create narrative modal profiles of the categories of student thinking that emerged from the large group analysis: Middle School (MS) Scientists (correct science), MS Protoscientists (approaching correct science), MS Prescientists (dinosaur understanding), and MS Pseudoscientists (fundamental religious understanding). Case studies were used to provide a thick description of each category. This study discovered a pattern of student thinking about geologic time that moved along a knowledge continuum from pseudoscience (fundamental creationist understanding) to prescience (everyday-science understanding) to science (correct or approaching correct science). The researcher described the deep-seated misconceptions produced by the prescience thinking level, e.g., dinosaur misconceptions, and cautioned the science education community about using dinosaurs as a glamour-science topic. The most limiting conceptual frameworks found in this study were prescience (a dinosaur focus) and pseudoscience (a fundamental religious focus). An understanding of geologic time as Piaget's system of time (e.g., chronological ordering of events, before and after relationships, duration or evolutionary time) was a necessary conceptual framework for students to develop a scientific understanding of deep time. An examination of students, worldviews and the interface of science and religion indicated that students often successfully applied a demarcation between science and religion in their public thinking (e.g., the formal classroom setting), but in their private thinking, the demarcation was often blurred.

  9. Illness explanations among patients with medically unexplained symptoms: different idioms for different contexts.

    PubMed

    Risør, Mette Bech

    2009-09-01

    Patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are often considered to be strictly confined to thinking about their symptoms as having only a physical etiology. However, several studies have shown, that the patients also apply other explanations for their sufferings. The aim of this study is to analyse the social construction of illness explanations among patients with MUS, and to illustrate the use of explanatory idioms as being dependent on space, time and setting, legitimizing each idiom. The study is based on repeated, semi-structured, qualitative interviews with nine informants during a period of 1.5 years. A thematic content analysis was performed on a pragmatic and phenomenological basis. We found, that patients with MUS employ at least four different explanatory idioms defined as: (1) the symptomatic idiom; (2) the personal idiom; (3) the social idiom; and (4) the moral idiom. All idioms play an important role in the process of creating meaning in the patients' everyday life. The symptomatic idiom is mainly used at clinical consultations in primary care, but it is not the only idiom of significance for the patients. Simultaneously other idioms exist and gradually become important for especially patients with MUS due to the lack of valid diagnoses and treatment opportunities. Clinical settings, however, call for the employment of the symptomatic idiom and a discrepancy is found between the general practitioners' notion of the bio-psycho-social model and the patients' everyday life idioms.

  10. Counterfactual and Factual Reflection: The Influence of Past Misdeeds on Future Immoral Behavior.

    PubMed

    Gaspar, Joseph P; Seabright, Mark A; Reynolds, Scott J; Yam, Kai Chi

    2015-01-01

    Though the decision to behave immorally is situated within the context of prior immoral behavior, research has provided contradictory insights into this process. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that the effects of prior immoral behavior depend on how individuals think about, or reflect on, their immoral behavior. In Experiment 1, participants who reflected counterfactually on their prior moral lapses morally disengaged (i.e., rationalized) less than participants who reflected factually. In Experiment 2, participants who reflected counterfactually on their prior moral lapses experienced more guilt than those who reflected factually. Finally, in Experiments 3 and 4, participants who reflected counterfactually lied less on unrelated tasks with real monetary stakes than those who reflected factually. Our studies provide important insights into moral rationalization and moral compensation processes and demonstrate the profound influence of reflection in everyday moral life.

  11. [Rehabilitation of the concept of neurosis].

    PubMed

    Tringer, László

    2012-08-26

    The use of the term "neurosis" has been gradually pushed out form the medical literature and from the everyday practice since the eighties of the last century. Instead, the categories of DSM-III, and its new versions, and those of the ICD-10 have become commonly used. The author analyses the advantages and drawbacks of this radical change. He points out that it is not merely the problem of the medical profession. Transformation of the way of diagnostic thinking has been put into a broader social and cultural context. The expression "deconstruction" describes appropriately the process when comprehensive, entire categories resign to small sliced parts of reality. The deconstruction recalls the "Universalia-dispute" of the Middle Ages, namely the question whether the general concepts have real existence, and to what extent. The term "neurosis" as a comprehensive category, which is characteristic of many patients, it has a heuristic value if it is filled up with new contents (anthropology, ontology).

  12. Energy and the Environment: A Thematic Approach to Teaching Physics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cushman, Priscilla

    2000-04-01

    Most physics teachers have a set of core concepts which they believe to be fundamental to understanding physics. However, an attempt to present the complete set to a liberal arts audience in a semester introductory course usually results in a disconnected series of topics. Students compensate by relying on formulae and memorization. Selecting a smaller subset of unrelated topics from a general purpose textbook is not the answer either. Instead, the appropriate choice of unifying theme can force the students to organize their thinking and thereby understand the material. Energy is a useful theme, since it is embedded in all aspects of physics. Maintaining the quality of our environment is an easily accepted ``good" and provides the motivation for worked problems and discussions which make the physics relevant to everyday life. Experience with introducing such a curriculum at the University of Minnesota is presented, including tips for keeping the class on track and involved.

  13. Dual processing and diagnostic errors.

    PubMed

    Norman, Geoff

    2009-09-01

    In this paper, I review evidence from two theories in psychology relevant to diagnosis and diagnostic errors. "Dual Process" theories of thinking, frequently mentioned with respect to diagnostic error, propose that categorization decisions can be made with either a fast, unconscious, contextual process called System 1 or a slow, analytical, conscious, and conceptual process, called System 2. Exemplar theories of categorization propose that many category decisions in everyday life are made by unconscious matching to a particular example in memory, and these remain available and retrievable individually. I then review studies of clinical reasoning based on these theories, and show that the two processes are equally effective; System 1, despite its reliance in idiosyncratic, individual experience, is no more prone to cognitive bias or diagnostic error than System 2. Further, I review evidence that instructions directed at encouraging the clinician to explicitly use both strategies can lead to consistent reduction in error rates.

  14. Framing new research in science literacy and language use: Authenticity, multiple discourses, and the Third Space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wallace, Carolyn S.

    2004-11-01

    This article presents a theoretical framework in the form of a model on which to base research in scientific literacy and language use. The assumption guiding the framework is that scientific literacy is comprised of the abilities to think metacognitively, to read and write scientific texts, and to apply the elements of a scientific argument. The framework is composed of three theoretical constructs: authenticity, multiple discourses, and Bhabha's Third Space. Some of the implications of the framework are that students need opportunities to (a) use scientific language in everyday situations; (b) negotiate readily among the many discourse genres of science; and (c) collaborate with teachers and peers on the meaning of scientific language. These ideas are illustrated with data excerpts from contemporary research studies. A set of potential research issues for the future is posed at the end of the article.

  15. Exploring high school students' use of theory and evidence in an everyday context: the role of scientific thinking in environmental science decision-making

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Fang-Ying

    2004-11-01

    This study examined 10th-grade students' use of theory and evidence in evaluating a socio-scientific issue: the use of underground water, after students had received a Science, Technology and Society-oriented instruction. Forty-five male and 45 female students from two intact, single-sex, classes participated in this study. A flow-map method was used to assess the participants' conceptual knowledge. The reasoning mode was assessed using a questionnaire with open-ended questions. Results showed that, although some weak to moderate associations were found between conceptual organization in memory and reasoning modes, the students' ability to incorporate theory and evidence was in general inadequate. It was also found that students' reasoning modes were consistent with their epistemological perspectives. Moreover, male and female students appear to have different reasoning approaches.

  16. Language and the (im)possibilities of articulating spirituality.

    PubMed

    Bruce, Anne; Sheilds, Laurene; Molzahn, Anita

    2011-03-01

    Despite growing interest in spiritual matters throughout society, definitions and descriptions of spirituality seem incomplete or otherwise unsatisfactory. In this article, the authors consider the possibility that such incompleteness is perhaps necessary and welcomed in addressing spirituality. In particular, they investigate the challenges of using metaphor and metonymic approaches to "languaging" spirituality. By exploring these figures of speech they hope to diversify how nurses articulate deeply personal and perhaps enigmatic human phenomena such as spirituality. Metaphoric language uses everyday structures to help make sense of complex, emotional, and abstract experience. Whereas metaphor creates substitutive relationships between things and provides insights into conceptualizing spirituality, metonymy and metonymic writing establish relationships of contiguity. Whereas metaphor functions to represent and facilitates understanding and feelings about spirituality, metonymy disrupts while opening possibilities of moving beyond binary thinking. Attending to language and its various ontological assumptions opens diverse and potentially more inclusive possibilities.

  17. [Quality assurance and quality improvement in medical practice. Part 1. Definition and importance of quality in medical practice].

    PubMed

    Godény, Sándor

    2012-01-22

    In Hungary, financing of healthcare has decreased relative to the GDP, while the health status of the population is still ranks among the worst in the European Union. Since healthcare financing is not expected to increase, the number of practicing doctors per capita is continuously decreasing. In the coming years, it is an important question that in this situation what methods can be used to prevent further deterioration of the health status of the Hungarian population, and within this is the role of the quality approach, and different methods of quality management. In the present and the forthcoming two articles those standpoints will be summarized which support the need for the integration of quality assurance in the everyday medical practice. In the first part the importance of quality thinking, quality management, quality assurance, necessity of quality measurement and improvement, furthermore, advantages of the quality systems will be discussed.

  18. Historical Techniques of Lie Detection

    PubMed Central

    Vicianova, Martina

    2015-01-01

    Since time immemorial, lying has been a part of everyday life. For this reason, it has become a subject of interest in several disciplines, including psychology. The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of the literature and thinking to date about the evolution of lie detection techniques. The first part explores ancient methods recorded circa 1000 B.C. (e.g., God’s judgment in Europe). The second part describes technical methods based on sciences such as phrenology, polygraph and graphology. This is followed by an outline of more modern-day approaches such as FACS (Facial Action Coding System), functional MRI, and Brain Fingerprinting. Finally, after the familiarization with the historical development of techniques for lie detection, we discuss the scope for new initiatives not only in the area of designing new methods, but also for the research into lie detection itself, such as its motives and regulatory issues related to deception. PMID:27247675

  19. [The medicalization of life: hybrids against the dichotomy Nature/Culture].

    PubMed

    Sy, Anahi

    2018-05-01

    This paper aims to analyze the process of medicalization in current societies, starting from the description of the way in which medicine gradually appropriated various aspects of everyday life that were once part of the life cycle of people. At the theoretical level, we are based on authors such as Descola and Latour, who problematize the dichotomy between Nature and Culture, and propose the need to think from a superior episteme. Methodologically, this theoretical proposal enables an analysis of the medicalization that can illuminate what is hidden in the discourse and biomedical practices: the sociocultural, political and economic processes that are part of these "objects" of Medicine. From this perspective, the presentation of them as scientific facts, objectively isolatable and manipulable by medical science, is in crisis. Thus, our analysis, based on the concept of "quasi-objects" or "hybrids", problematizes such objectification, while providing critical tools to reflect on the medicalization of life in today's societies.

  20. BPM 3.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scheer, August-Wilhelm; Klueckmann, Joerg

    Business Process Management (BPM) is an established management discipline. Since today’s organizations expect every employee to think and act like an entrepreneur, i.e., like a manager, BPM is also increasingly becoming part of everyday operations. But merely adopting a process-based approach across the enterprise is not enough to enable BPM at every level. What is needed is a combination of organizational forms and technologies that support distributed BPM initiatives while simultaneously consolidating them company-wide. Every employee must be empowered to model and optimize their own processes. At the same time, the entire BPM community needs a platform that brings together all the individual initiatives. This is the only way to leverage the full potential of process-oriented management. In the following article, the authors describe the trends in BPM development that are turning users into process managers and supporting the creation of a BPM community.

  1. Social defense: an evolutionary-developmental model of children's strategies for coping with threat in the peer group.

    PubMed

    Martin, Meredith J; Davies, Patrick T; MacNeill, Leigha A

    2014-04-29

    Navigating the ubiquitous conflict, competition, and complex group dynamics of the peer group is a pivotal developmental task of childhood. Difficulty negotiating these challenges represents a substantial source of risk for psychopathology. Evolutionary developmental psychology offers a unique perspective with the potential to reorganize the way we think about the role of peer relationships in shaping how children cope with the everyday challenges of establishing a social niche. To address this gap, we utilize the ethological reformulation of the emotional security theory as a guide to developing an evolutionary framework for advancing an understanding of the defense strategies children use to manage antagonistic peer relationships and protect themselves from interpersonal threat (Davies and Sturge-Apple, 2007). In this way, we hope to illustrate the value of an evolutionary developmental lens in generating unique theoretical insight and novel research directions into the role of peer relationships in the development of psychopathology.

  2. Pediatric Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Current Thinking.

    PubMed

    Nobili, Valerio; Socha, Piotr

    2017-10-31

    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), an increasingly prevalent paediatric disorder is diagnosed and managed by both paediatric gastroenterologists / hepatologists but also frequently by the general paediatrician. This paper updates recent advances in diagnostic and therapeutic approach which may be applied to everyday practice. Diagnosis of NAFLD takes into account the risk factor profile and is a diagnosis of exclusion. Techniques such as transient elastography and specific biomarkers aimed at improving diagnosis and monitoring of NAFLD need further validation in the paediatric population. Defining the risk to develop cirrhosis seems to be of primary importance already in childhood and a combination of genetic, clinical and environmental factors can help in monitoring and making decisions on therapy. Weight reduction therapy should be the aim of treatment approach but the compliance is poor and pharmacological treatment would be helpful- DHA, some probiotics, vitamin E are to be considered but evidence is not sufficient to recommend widespread use.

  3. Counterfactual Thinking Deficit in Huntington's Disease.

    PubMed

    Solca, Federica; Poletti, Barbara; Zago, Stefano; Crespi, Chiara; Sassone, Francesca; Lafronza, Annalisa; Maraschi, Anna Maria; Sassone, Jenny; Silani, Vincenzo; Ciammola, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    Counterfactual thinking (CFT) refers to the generation of mental simulations of alternatives to past events, actions and outcomes. CFT is a pervasive cognitive feature in every-day life and is closely related to decision-making, planning and problem-solving - all of which are cognitive processes linked to unimpaired frontal lobe functioning. Huntington's Disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by motor, behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. Because an impairment in frontal and executive functions has been described in HD, we hypothesised that HD patients may have a CFT impairment. Tests of spontaneous counterfactual thoughts and counterfactual-derived inferences were administered to 24 symptomatic HD patients and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Our results show a significant impairment in the spontaneous generation of CFT and low performance on the Counterfactual Inference Test (CIT) in HD patients. Low performance on the spontaneous CFT test significantly correlates with impaired attention abilities, verbal fluency and frontal lobe efficiency, as measured by Trail Making Test - Part A, Phonemic Verbal Fluency Test and FAB. Spontaneous CFT and the use of this type of reasoning are impaired in HD patients. This deficit may be related to frontal lobe dysfunction, which is a hallmark of HD. Because CFT has a pervasive role in patients' daily lives regarding their planning, decision making and problem solving skills, cognitive rehabilitation may improve HD patients' ability to analyse current behaviors and future actions.

  4. Google Glass: An Evolution in Education or the Next Segway?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bailey, J. E.

    2013-12-01

    When the Segway was unveiled in 2001, amid a cloud of internet buzz, it was supposed to revolutionize personal transportation. There is no denying the Segway is a remarkable piece of technological engineering but that ingenuity never transformed into sales or integration into society outside of security guards and tour guides. When Google announced Glass in 2012, to date the most high profile development from their "moonshot thinking" Project X engineering think-tank, similar life changing proclamations were made. Whether Google Glass will permeate everyday society is still unknown as the device has yet to be made available to the general public, and currently there are fewer than 10,000 pairs in circulation worldwide. However, the possibilities remain intriguing, particularly in the area of educational technology and understanding of student learning. The concept of virtual fieldtrips is well established, but the idea that Glass (using Google Hangouts) can be used to present in and connect to classrooms anywhere in the world, whilst showing views directly from a teacher's perspective is exciting. Alternatively, the idea that a teacher can follow the actions and movements of a student working on an assignment from that student's viewpoint offers huge potential for understanding cognitive learning. This presentation will pose some of the question surrounding Google Glass in education, and seek answers and opinions from others. The device itself will also be demonstrated, and the pros and cons of its design discussed.

  5. How Things Work: Teaching Physics in the Context of Everyday Objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bloomfield, Louis

    2015-03-01

    How Things Work is an unconventional introduction to physics, a course that starts with whole objects and looks inside them to see what makes them work. Effectively ``case-study physics,'' it is designed primarily for non-science students who are unsure of the role of physics in the world and are looking for relevance in their studies. How Things Work is essentially the generalization of context-based introductory courses (Physics of the Human Body, Physics of the Automobile, and Physics of Music) and demonstrates that when physics is taught in the context of ordinary objects, these students are enthusiastic about it, look forward to classes, ask insightful questions, experiment on their own, and find themselves explaining to friends and family how things in their world work. In this talk, I will discuss the concept and structure of a How Things Work course and look briefly at how to teach its objects and assess what students learn from it. Although this course focuses on concepts rather than on calculations, it is rich in physics and requires that students think hard about the world around them. It also teaches problem solving and logical thinking skills, and demands that students face their misconceptions and failures of intuition. Lastly, it is actually quantitative in many respects, though its results are usually more words than numbers: your weight, the battery's voltage, or the acceleration due to gravity.

  6. Children's Use of Inscriptions in Argumentation about Socioscientific Issues

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, Sihan

    Engaging science in everyday life often means not advancing knowledge or making new claims, but evaluating given claims with available evidence. In everyday situations, evidence is usually presented in some type of inscription (e.g. tables, diagrams, and other images). This study explores elementary students' use of inscriptions as evidence in written arguments about socioscientific issues and how a school year of science instruction may play a role in that use. Three science teachers and their 102 students in 5th and 6th grades at a progressive urban K-6 school participated in this study. I administered a written argument task at the beginning and the end of the 2013--2014 school year, in which students were asked to justify their personal decisions about either alternative energy use or genetically modified organisms. Throughout the year, I worked closely with the teachers to organize classroom instruction towards promoting argumentation and coordination between claims and evidence, and videotaped their science lessons. Content analysis on students' written arguments reveals that photos were cited the most in students' written arguments, while tables were cited the least. Students tended to merely point to an inscription without articulate its relation to a particular claim, or to assert that an inscription "shows" a claim without saying how. They were also likely to credit inscriptions that aligned with their own position rather than discount those that supported counterclaims. From pre to post, these patterns did not change significantly. Analysis on science instruction further shows that the contestability of the claims students encountered in the classroom was low, meaning that they were not framed in arguable ways. The resources available to students for resolving these claims were also limited. The classroom discourse was not open enough for productive argumentation. These patterns may potentially account for the lack of change in students' use of inscriptions in their written arguments. This study extends previous research on what children think counts as evidence in arguing about everyday science. Findings suggest that while students learn to evaluate scientific explanations in school, they are put in a different position of having to justify their decisions when facing everyday science. School science should explicitly link the two tasks. Further, we need to frame the learning of science as stabilizing legitimately contestable claims, and provide relevant resources for students to argue with. Classroom discourse, lastly, should be open to argumentation and integrative with disciplinary and epistemic aspects of scientific practices.

  7. Selected PET radiomic features remain the same.

    PubMed

    Tsujikawa, Tetsuya; Tsuyoshi, Hideaki; Kanno, Masafumi; Yamada, Shizuka; Kobayashi, Masato; Narita, Norihiko; Kimura, Hirohiko; Fujieda, Shigeharu; Yoshida, Yoshio; Okazawa, Hidehiko

    2018-04-17

    We investigated whether PET radiomic features are affected by differences in the scanner, scan protocol, and lesion location using 18 F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR scans. SUV, TMR, skewness, kurtosis, entropy, and homogeneity strongly correlated between PET/CT and PET/MR images. SUVs were significantly higher on PET/MR 0-2 min and PET/MR 0-10 min than on PET/CT in gynecological cancer ( p = 0.008 and 0.008, respectively), whereas no significant difference was observed between PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min images in oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer. TMRs on PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min increased in this order in gynecological cancer and oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer. In contrast to conventional and histogram indices, 4 textural features (entropy, homogeneity, SRE, and LRE) were not significantly different between PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min images. 18 F-FDG PET radiomic features strongly correlated between PET/CT and PET/MR images. Dixon-based attenuation correction on PET/MR images underestimated tumor tracer uptake more significantly in oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer than in gynecological cancer. 18 F-FDG PET textural features were affected less by differences in the scanner and scan protocol than conventional and histogram features, possibly due to the resampling process using a medium bin width. Eight patients with gynecological cancer and 7 with oral cavity/oropharyngeal cancer underwent a whole-body 18 F-FDG PET/CT scan and regional PET/MR scan in one day. PET/MR scans were performed for 10 minutes in the list mode, and PET/CT and 0-2 min and 0-10 min PET/MR images were reconstructed. The standardized uptake value (SUV), tumor-to-muscle SUV ratio (TMR), skewness, kurtosis, entropy, homogeneity, short-run emphasis (SRE), and long-run emphasis (LRE) were compared between PET/CT, PET/MR 0-2 min , and PET/MR 0-10 min images.

  8. The CALLISTO Project: A Summary.

    PubMed

    Day, M J

    2016-07-01

    The European Union (EU) Framework 7-funded project entitled CALLISTO (Companion Animal multisectoriaL interprofessionaL and interdisciplinary Strategic Think tank On zoonoses) ran between 2012 and 2014 and investigated zoonotic infectious diseases transmitted between companion animals and man and food producing animals. There are large numbers of companion animals throughout Europe and these animals, of varied species, play an integral role in human society, providing very real human health and welfare benefits. There is, however, some risk that close human contact with companion animals may lead to the transmission of zoonotic infectious diseases of numerous different types. Companion animals may also be a source of some infections transmitted to farmed livestock. This risk must be communicated to the pet owning public in a balanced fashion by veterinary and human healthcare professionals, the pet industry and governments. The risk may be somewhat ameliorated if the owners of companion animals subscribe to the principles of responsible pet ownership. Nevertheless, there are further policy and research actions that could be implemented by the EU and/or national governments to further reduce the risks associated with the close integration of companion animals into human society. These include the development of systems for identifying and registering the most common companion animal species and establishing surveillance programmes that capture data on zoonoses that occur in these animals. Closer attention should be paid to the health status of animals entering or re-entering the EU from third countries and the welfare surrounding companion animal cross-border movement. Data collection and pathogen assessment in the less studied exotic companion animals being kept is also needed to better understand risks. Disease and disease vector spread within Europe should be monitored and solutions found to limit such spread. The emergence of antimicrobial resistance in companion animals should be monitored. Controls should be placed on the use of human critically important antibiotics in companion animal species, but new approaches to companion animal antimicrobial therapy must be developed in parallel. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Comparison of 18F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MRI in patients with multiple myeloma

    PubMed Central

    Sachpekidis, Christos; Hillengass, Jens; Goldschmidt, Hartmut; Mosebach, Jennifer; Pan, Leyun; Schlemmer, Heinz-Peter; Haberkorn, Uwe; Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss, Antonia

    2015-01-01

    PET/MRI represents a promising hybrid imaging modality with several potential clinical applications. Although PET/MRI seems highly attractive in the diagnostic approach of multiple myeloma (MM), its role has not yet been evaluated. The aims of this prospective study are to evaluate the feasibility of 18F-FDG PET/MRI in detection of MM lesions, and to investigate the reproducibility of bone marrow lesions detection and quantitative data of 18F-FDG uptake between the functional (PET) component of PET/CT and PET/MRI in MM patients. The study includes 30 MM patients. All patients initially underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT (60 min p.i.), followed by PET/MRI (120 min p.i.). PET/CT and PET/MRI data were assessed and compared based on qualitative (lesion detection) and quantitative (SUV) evaluation. The hybrid PET/MRI system provided good image quality in all cases without artefacts. PET/MRI identified 65 of the 69 lesions, which were detectable with PET/CT (94.2%). Quantitative PET evaluations showed the following mean values in MM lesions: SUVaverage=5.5 and SUVmax=7.9 for PET/CT; SUVaverage=3.9 and SUVmax=5.8 for PET/MRI. Both SUVaverage and SUVmax were significantly higher on PET/CT than on PET/MRI. Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between both lesional SUVaverage (r=0.744) and lesional SUVmax (r=0.855) values derived from PET/CT and PET/MRI. Regarding detection of myeloma skeletal lesions, PET/MRI exhibited equivalent performance to PET/CT. In terms of tracer uptake quantitation, a significant correlation between the two techniques was demonstrated, despite the statistically significant differences in lesional SUVs between PET/CT and PET/MRI. PMID:26550538

  10. Comparison of lesion detection and quantitation of tracer uptake between PET from a simultaneously acquiring whole-body PET/MR hybrid scanner and PET from PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Wiesmüller, Marco; Quick, Harald H; Navalpakkam, Bharath; Lell, Michael M; Uder, Michael; Ritt, Philipp; Schmidt, Daniela; Beck, Michael; Kuwert, Torsten; von Gall, Carl C

    2013-01-01

    PET/MR hybrid scanners have recently been introduced, but not yet validated. The aim of this study was to compare the PET components of a PET/CT hybrid system and of a simultaneous whole-body PET/MR hybrid system with regard to reproducibility of lesion detection and quantitation of tracer uptake. A total of 46 patients underwent a whole-body PET/CT scan 1 h after injection and an average of 88 min later a second scan using a hybrid PET/MR system. The radioactive tracers used were (18)F-deoxyglucose (FDG), (18)F-ethylcholine (FEC) and (68)Ga-DOTATATE (Ga-DOTATATE). The PET images from PET/CT (PET(CT)) and from PET/MR (PET(MR)) were analysed for tracer-positive lesions. Regional tracer uptake in these foci was quantified using volumes of interest, and maximal and average standardized uptake values (SUV(max) and SUV(avg), respectively) were calculated. Of the 46 patients, 43 were eligible for comparison and statistical analysis. All lesions except one identified by PET(CT) were identified by PET(MR) (99.2 %). In 38 patients (88.4 %), the same number of foci were identified by PET(CT) and by PET(MR). In four patients, more lesions were identified by PET(MR) than by PET(CT), in one patient PET(CT) revealed an additional focus compared to PET(MR). The mean SUV(max) and SUV(avg) of all lesions determined by PET(MR) were by 21 % and 11 % lower, respectively, than the values determined by PET(CT) (p < 0.05), and a strong correlation between these variables was identified (Spearman rho 0.835; p < 0.01). PET/MR showed equivalent performance in terms of qualitative lesion detection to PET/CT. The differences demonstrated in quantitation of tracer uptake between PET(CT) and PET(MR) were minor, but statistically significant. Nevertheless, a more detailed study of the quantitative accuracy of PET(MR) and the factors governing it is needed to ultimately assess its accuracy in measuring tissue tracer concentrations.

  11. Diagnostic value of CT, PET and combined PET/CT performed with low-dose unenhanced CT and full-dose enhanced CT in the initial staging of lymphoma.

    PubMed

    Pinilla, I; Gómez-León, N; Del Campo-Del Val, L; Hernandez-Maraver, D; Rodríguez-Vigil, B; Jover-Díaz, R; Coya, J

    2011-10-01

    The aim of this paper was to compare the accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), unenhanced low-dose PET/CT (LD-PET/CT) and full-dose enhanced PET/CT (FD-PET/CT) for the initial staging of lymphoma. One hundred and one lymphoma patients were examined by [18F]FDG-PET/CT including unenhanced low-dose CT and enhanced full-dose CT. Each modality of PET/CT was evaluated by a nuclear medicine physician and a radiologist unaware of the other modality, while the CT and PET images were interpreted separately by another independent radiologist and nuclear medicine physician respectively. The nodal and extranodal lesions detected by each technique were compared with a reference standard. For nodal assessment, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (LR+), and negative LR (LR-) of LD-PET/CT were 97%, 96%, 98%, 95%, 26 and 0.02 respectively, and those of FD-PET/CT were 97%, 97%, 98%, 95%, 36 and 0.02. These results were significantly better than those of PET (sensitivity 82%, specificity 81%, PPV 88%, NPV 72%, LR+ 4.3, LR- 0.21). Likewise, both PET/CT displayed a higher sensitivity, NPV and LR- than CT (91%, 84%, 0.1 respectively). For organ evaluation, both modalities of PET/CT also had significantly better sensitivity and NPV than that of PET (LD-PET/CT: sensitivity 92%, NPV 90%; FD-PET/CT sensitivity 94%, NPV 92%; PET: sensitivity 70%, NPV 69%). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV for bone marrow involvement were 29%, 84%, 45% and 72% respectively for PET, and 29%, 90%, 56%, and 74% for both, LD-PET/CT, and FD-PET/CT. No significant differences were found between LD-PET/CT and FD-PET/CT, but FD-PET/CT detected important incidental findings in 5.9% of patients. PET/CT is an accurate technique for the initial staging of lymphomas without significant differences between LD-PET/CT and FD-PET/CT. FD-PET/CT detects relevant incidental findings that are missed on LD-PET/CT.

  12. Medical Home Implementation: A Sensemaking Taxonomy of Hard and Soft Best Practices

    PubMed Central

    Hoff, Timothy

    2013-01-01

    Context The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of care is currently a central focus of U.S. health system reform, but less is known about the model's implementation in the practice of everyday primary care. Understanding its implementation is key to ensuring the approach's continued support and success nationally. This article addresses this gap through a qualitative examination of the best practices associated with PCMH implementation for older adult patients in primary care. Methods I used a multicase, comparative study design that relied on a sensemaking approach and fifty-one in-depth interviews with physicians, nurses, and clinic support staff working in six accredited medical homes located in various geographic areas. My emphasis was on gaining descriptive insights into the staff's experiences delivering medical home care to older adult patients in particular and then analyzing how these experiences shaped the staff's thinking, learning, and future actions in implementing medical home care. Findings I found two distinct taxonomies of implementation best practices, which I labeled “hard” and “soft” because of their differing emphasis and content. Hard implementation practices are normative activities and structural interventions that align well with existing national standards for medical home care. Soft best practices are more relational in nature and derive from the existing practice social structure and everyday interactions between staff and patients. Currently, external stakeholders are less apt to recognize, encourage, or incentivize soft best practices. Conclusions The results suggest that there may be no standardized, one-size-fits-all approach to making medical home implementation work, particularly for special patient populations such as the elderly. My study also raises the issue of broadening current PCMH assessments and reward systems to include implementation practices that contain heavy social and relational components of care, in addition to the emphasis now placed on building structural supports for medical home work. Further study of these softer implementation practices and a continued call for qualitative methodological approaches that gain insight into everyday practice behavior are warranted. PMID:24320169

  13. The Petit Rat (pet/pet), a New Semilethal Mutant Dwarf Rat with Thymic and Testicular Anomalies

    PubMed Central

    Chiba, Junko; Suzuki, Katsushi; Suzuki, Hiroetsu

    2008-01-01

    The petit rat (pet/pet) is a recently discovered semilethal mutant dwarf. The neonatal pet/pet rats had a low body weight and small thymus and testis. During the first 3 d after birth, 50% of the male and 80% of the female pet/pet pups were lost or found dead. Surviving pet/pet rats showed marked retardation of postnatal growth, and their body weights were 41% (female rats) and 32% (male rats) of those of normal rats at the adult stage. The pet/pet rats exhibited proportional dwarfism, and their longitudinal bones were shorter than those of controls without skeletal malformations. Most organs of male pet/pet rats, especially the thymus, testis, adipose tissue surrounding the kidney, and accessory sex organs, weighed markedly less at 140 d of age than did those of their normal counterparts. The thymus of pet/pet rats was small with abnormal thymic follicles. Testes from pet/pet rats exhibited 2 patterns of abnormal histology. Spermatogenesis was present in testes that were only slightly anomalous, but the seminiferous tubules were reduced in diameter. In severely affected testes, most of the seminiferous tubules showed degeneration, and interstitial tissue was increased. Plasma growth hormone concentrations did not differ between pet/pet and normal male rats. The dwarf phenotype of pet/pet rats was inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. These results indicate that the pet/pet rat has a semilethal growth-hormone-independent dwarf phenotype that is accompanied by thymic and testicular anomalies and low birth weight. PMID:19149412

  14. Understanding the context for pet cat and dog feeding and exercising behaviour among pet owners in Ireland: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Downes, Martin J; Devitt, Catherine; Downes, Marie T; More, Simon J

    2017-01-01

    Pet cat and dog obesity contributes to increased risk of several diseases, including cancer and diabetes mellitus as well as a worsening of orthopaedic problems, and a reduction in survival rate. This study aims to develop a better understanding of cat and dog owners' self-reported beliefs and factors that influence owner behaviour around feeding and exercising their pet cat or dog, as there is a lack of in-depth understanding in this area. Seven focus group discussions, with 43 pet owners in total, were conducted. Pet owners often reported a perceived a low level of control over feeding; often undermined by other people feeding of their pet, their pets begging for food, and their pets attitude towards food. Treats were used in the absence of owner control over pet begging and emotional attachment, and to influence pet behaviour. The majority of participants had positive attitudes to pet exercise, which could be related to pet specific requirements, especially differences in cats and dogs. There were some negative experiences of stress associated with dog walking and fears over aggressive confrontations with other dogs. Feeding one's pet is influenced by beliefs about pet specific needs, pet food and pet health, pet owners' perceived control over feeding, and the implications for the pet owner. Pet exercise is influenced by beliefs about pet specific exercise needs, and the implications of exercising one's pet for the pet owner. Understanding owner behaviours on feeding and exercise allows for a more targeted approach to preventing and treating pet obesity.

  15. Evaluation of PET Scanner Performance in PET/MR and PET/CT Systems: NEMA Tests.

    PubMed

    Demir, Mustafa; Toklu, Türkay; Abuqbeitah, Mohammad; Çetin, Hüseyin; Sezgin, H Sezer; Yeyin, Nami; Sönmezoğlu, Kerim

    2018-02-01

    The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of positron emission tomography (PET) component of PET/computed tomography (CT) with new emerging PET/magnetic resonance (MR) of the same vendor. According to National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU2-07, five separate experimental tests were performed to evaluate the performance of PET scanner of General Electric GE company; SIGNATM model PET/MR and GE Discovery 710 model PET/CT. The main investigated aspects were spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, count rate performance, image quality, count loss and random events correction accuracy. The findings of this study demonstrated superior sensitivity (~ 4 folds) of PET scanner in PET/MR compared to PET/CT system. Image quality test exhibited higher contrast in PET/MR (~ 9%) compared with PET/CT. The scatter fraction of PET/MR was 43.4% at noise equivalent count rate (NECR) peak of 218 kcps and the corresponding activity concentration was 17.7 kBq/cc. Whereas the scatter fraction of PET/CT was found as 39.2% at NECR peak of 72 kcps and activity concentration of 24.3 kBq/cc. The percentage error of the random event correction accuracy was 3.4% and 3.1% in PET/MR and PET/CT, respectively. It was concluded that PET/MR system is about 4 times more sensitive than PET/CT, and the contrast of hot lesions in PET/MR was ~ 9% higher than PET/CT. These outcomes also emphasize the possibility to achieve excellent clinical PET images with low administered dose and/or a short acquisition time in PET/MR.

  16. The petit rat (pet/pet), a new semilethal mutant dwarf rat with thymic and testicular anomalies.

    PubMed

    Chiba, Junko; Suzuki, Katsushi; Suzuki, Hiroetsu

    2008-12-01

    The petit rat (pet/pet) is a recently discovered semilethal mutant dwarf. The neonatal pet/pet rats had a low body weight and small thymus and testis. During the first 3 d after birth, 50% of the male and 80% of the female pet/pet pups were lost or found dead. Surviving pet/pet rats showed marked retardation of postnatal growth, and their body weights were 41% (female rats) and 32% (male rats) of those of normal rats at the adult stage. The pet/pet rats exhibited proportional dwarfism, and their longitudinal bones were shorter than those of controls without skeletal malformations. Most organs of male pet/pet rats, especially the thymus, testis, adipose tissue surrounding the kidney, and accessory sex organs, weighed markedly less at 140 d of age than did those of their normal counterparts. The thymus of pet/pet rats was small with abnormal thymic follicles. Testes from pet/pet rats exhibited 2 patterns of abnormal histology. Spermatogenesis was present in testes that were only slightly anomalous, but the seminiferous tubules were reduced in diameter. In severely affected testes, most of the seminiferous tubules showed degeneration, and interstitial tissue was increased. Plasma growth hormone concentrations did not differ between pet/pet and normal male rats. The dwarf phenotype of pet/pet rats was inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. These results indicate that the pet/pet rat has a semilethal growth-hormone-independent dwarf phenotype that is accompanied by thymic and testicular anomalies and low birth weight.

  17. Pet Problems at Home: Pet Problems in the Community.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soltow, Willow

    1984-01-01

    Discusses problems of pets in the community, examining the community's role related to disruptive pets and pet overpopulation. Also discusses pet problems at home, offering advice on selecting a pet, meeting a pet's needs, and disciplining pets. Includes a list of books, films/filmstrips, teaching materials, and various instructional strategies.…

  18. Comparative characteristics of quantitative indexes for 18F-FDG uptake and metabolic volume in sequentially obtained PET/MRI and PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Lee, Soo Jin; Paeng, Jin Chul; Goo, Jin Mo; Lee, Jeong Min; Cheon, Gi Jeong; Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June-Key; Kang, Keon Wook

    2017-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare quantitative indexes for fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose uptake and metabolic volume between PET/MRI and PET/CT. Sixty-six patients with solid tumors (32 with lung cancer and 34 with pancreatic cancer) who underwent sequential fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose PET/MRI and PET/CT were retrospectively enrolled. On PET images, maximum and peak standardized uptake values (SUVmax and SUVpeak, respectively), and maximum tumor-to-liver ratio (TLRmax) were measured. Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total-lesion glycolysis (TLG) with margin thresholds of 50% SUVmax and SUV 2.5 (MTV50%, MTV2.5; TLG50%, TLG2.5, respectively) were compared between PET/MRI and PET/CT, with patients classified into two groups using imaging protocol (the PET/MRI-first and PET/CT-first groups). There were significant correlations of all tested indexes between PET/MRI and PET/CT (r=0.867-0.987, P<0.001). SUVmax and SUVpeak were lower on PET/MRI regardless of imaging protocol (P<0.001 in the PET/MRI-first group). In contrast, TLRmax exhibited reverse results between the PET/MRI-first and PET/CT-first groups. MTV50% and TLG values varied between PET/MRI and PET/CT, as well as between the PET/MRI-first and PET/CT-first groups. However, MTV2.5 was relatively robust against imaging protocol and modality. There are significant correlations of the quantitative indexes between PET/MRI and PET/CT. However, uptake indexes of SUVmax and SUVpeak are lower on PET/MRI than on PET/CT, and volumetric indexes of MTV50% and TLG values also exhibited significant differences. It may be suggested that TLRmax and MTV2.5 are relatively more appropriate indexes than others when PET/MRI and PET/CT are used interchangeably.

  19. Lung PET scan

    MedlinePlus

    ... PET - chest; PET - lung; PET - tumor imaging; PET/CT - lung; Solitary pulmonary nodule - PET ... minutes. PET scans are performed along with a CT scan. This is because the combined information from ...

  20. Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

    DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

    Welch, M. J.

    1990-01-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) assesses biochemical processes in the living subject, producing images of function rather than form. Using PET, physicians are able to obtain not the anatomical information provided by other medical imaging techniques, but pictures of physiological activity. In metaphoric terms, traditional imaging methods supply a map of the body's roadways, its, anatomy; PET shows the traffic along those paths, its biochemistry. This document discusses the principles of PET, the radiopharmaceuticals in PET, PET research, clinical applications of PET, the cost of PET, training of individuals for PET, the role of the United States Department of Energy in PET, and the futures of PET.

  1. ChIA-PET2: a versatile and flexible pipeline for ChIA-PET data analysis

    PubMed Central

    Li, Guipeng; Chen, Yang; Snyder, Michael P.; Zhang, Michael Q.

    2017-01-01

    ChIA-PET2 is a versatile and flexible pipeline for analyzing different types of ChIA-PET data from raw sequencing reads to chromatin loops. ChIA-PET2 integrates all steps required for ChIA-PET data analysis, including linker trimming, read alignment, duplicate removal, peak calling and chromatin loop calling. It supports different kinds of ChIA-PET data generated from different ChIA-PET protocols and also provides quality controls for different steps of ChIA-PET analysis. In addition, ChIA-PET2 can use phased genotype data to call allele-specific chromatin interactions. We applied ChIA-PET2 to different ChIA-PET datasets, demonstrating its significantly improved performance as well as its ability to easily process ChIA-PET raw data. ChIA-PET2 is available at https://github.com/GuipengLi/ChIA-PET2. PMID:27625391

  2. Value-Based Health Care Delivery, Preventive Medicine and the Medicalization of Public Health.

    PubMed

    Vilhelmsson, Andreas

    2017-03-01

    The real paradigm shift for healthcare is often stated to include a transition from accentuating health care production and instead emphasize patient value by moving to a 'value-based health care delivery'. In this transition, personalized medicine is sometimes referred to as almost a panacea in solving the current and future health challenges. In theory, the progress of precision medicine sounds uncontroversial and most welcomed with its promise of a better healthcare for all, with real benefits for the individual patient provided a tailored and optimized treatment plan suitable for his or her genetic makeup. And maybe, therefore, the assumptions underpinning personalized medicine have largely escaped questioning. The use of personalized medicine and the use of digital technologies is reshaping our health care system and how we think of health interventions and our individual responsibility. However, encouraging individuals to engage in preventive health activities possibly avoids one form of medicalization (clinical), but on the other hand, it takes up another form (preventive medicine and 'self-care') that moves medical and health concerns into every corner of everyday life. This ought to be of little value to the individual patient and public health. We ought to instead demand proof of these value ideas and the lacking research. Before this is in place critical appraisal and cynicism are requisite skills for the future. Otherwise, we are just listening to visionaries when we put our future health into their hands and let personalized solutions reach into people's everyday life regardless of patient safety and integrity.

  3. Value-Based Health Care Delivery, Preventive Medicine and the Medicalization of Public Health

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    The real paradigm shift for healthcare is often stated to include a transition from accentuating health care production and instead emphasize patient value by moving to a ‘value-based health care delivery’. In this transition, personalized medicine is sometimes referred to as almost a panacea in solving the current and future health challenges. In theory, the progress of precision medicine sounds uncontroversial and most welcomed with its promise of a better healthcare for all, with real benefits for the individual patient provided a tailored and optimized treatment plan suitable for his or her genetic makeup. And maybe, therefore, the assumptions underpinning personalized medicine have largely escaped questioning. The use of personalized medicine and the use of digital technologies is reshaping our health care system and how we think of health interventions and our individual responsibility. However, encouraging individuals to engage in preventive health activities possibly avoids one form of medicalization (clinical), but on the other hand, it takes up another form (preventive medicine and ‘self-care’) that moves medical and health concerns into every corner of everyday life. This ought to be of little value to the individual patient and public health. We ought to instead demand proof of these value ideas and the lacking research. Before this is in place critical appraisal and cynicism are requisite skills for the future. Otherwise, we are just listening to visionaries when we put our future health into their hands and let personalized solutions reach into people's everyday life regardless of patient safety and integrity. PMID:28409064

  4. 18F-FDG PET/MRI fusion in characterizing pancreatic tumors: comparison to PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Tatsumi, Mitsuaki; Isohashi, Kayako; Onishi, Hiromitsu; Hori, Masatoshi; Kim, Tonsok; Higuchi, Ichiro; Inoue, Atsuo; Shimosegawa, Eku; Takeda, Yutaka; Hatazawa, Jun

    2011-08-01

    To demonstrate that positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion was feasible in characterizing pancreatic tumors (PTs), comparing MRI and computed tomography (CT) as mapping images for fusion with PET as well as fused PET/MRI and PET/CT. We retrospectively reviewed 47 sets of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F -FDG) PET/CT and MRI examinations to evaluate suspected or known pancreatic cancer. To assess the ability of mapping images for fusion with PET, CT (of PET/CT), T1- and T2-weighted (w) MR images (all non-contrast) were graded regarding the visibility of PT (5-point confidence scale). Fused PET/CT, PET/T1-w or T2-w MR images of the upper abdomen were evaluated to determine whether mapping images provided additional diagnostic information to PET alone (3-point scale). The overall quality of PET/CT or PET/MRI sets in diagnosis was also assessed (3-point scale). These PET/MRI-related scores were compared to PET/CT-related scores and the accuracy in characterizing PTs was compared. Forty-three PTs were visualized on CT or MRI, including 30 with abnormal FDG uptake and 13 without. The confidence score for the visibility of PT was significantly higher on T1-w MRI than CT. The scores for additional diagnostic information to PET and overall quality of each image set in diagnosis were significantly higher on the PET/T1-w MRI set than the PET/CT set. The diagnostic accuracy was higher on PET/T1-w or PET/T2-w MRI (93.0 and 90.7%, respectively) than PET/CT (88.4%), but statistical significance was not obtained. PET/MRI fusion, especially PET with T1-w MRI, was demonstrated to be superior to PET/CT in characterizing PTs, offering better mapping and fusion image quality.

  5. PET/MRI: Where Might It Replace PET/CT?

    PubMed Central

    Ehman, Eric C.; Johnson, Geoffrey B.; Villanueva-Meyer, Javier E.; Cha, Soonmee; Leynes, Andrew Palmera; Larson, Peder Eric Zufall; Hope, Thomas A.

    2017-01-01

    Simultaneous positron emission tomography and MRI (PET/MRI) is a technology that combines the anatomic and quantitative strengths of MR imaging with physiologic information obtained from PET. PET and computed tomography (PET/ CT) performed in a single scanning session is an established technology already in widespread and accepted use worldwide. Given the higher cost and complexity of operating and interpreting the studies obtained on a PET/MRI system, there has been question as to which patients would benefit most from imaging with PET/MRI versus PET/CT. In this article, we compare PET/MRI with PET/CT, detail the applications for which PET/MRI has shown promise and discuss impediments to future adoption. It is our hope that future work will prove the benefit of PET/MRI to specific groups of patients, initially those in which PET/CT and MRI are already performed, leveraging simultaneity and allowing for greater degrees of multiparametric evaluation. PMID:28370695

  6. PET-Tool: a software suite for comprehensive processing and managing of Paired-End diTag (PET) sequence data.

    PubMed

    Chiu, Kuo Ping; Wong, Chee-Hong; Chen, Qiongyu; Ariyaratne, Pramila; Ooi, Hong Sain; Wei, Chia-Lin; Sung, Wing-Kin Ken; Ruan, Yijun

    2006-08-25

    We recently developed the Paired End diTag (PET) strategy for efficient characterization of mammalian transcriptomes and genomes. The paired end nature of short PET sequences derived from long DNA fragments raised a new set of bioinformatics challenges, including how to extract PETs from raw sequence reads, and correctly yet efficiently map PETs to reference genome sequences. To accommodate and streamline data analysis of the large volume PET sequences generated from each PET experiment, an automated PET data process pipeline is desirable. We designed an integrated computation program package, PET-Tool, to automatically process PET sequences and map them to the genome sequences. The Tool was implemented as a web-based application composed of four modules: the Extractor module for PET extraction; the Examiner module for analytic evaluation of PET sequence quality; the Mapper module for locating PET sequences in the genome sequences; and the Project Manager module for data organization. The performance of PET-Tool was evaluated through the analyses of 2.7 million PET sequences. It was demonstrated that PET-Tool is accurate and efficient in extracting PET sequences and removing artifacts from large volume dataset. Using optimized mapping criteria, over 70% of quality PET sequences were mapped specifically to the genome sequences. With a 2.4 GHz LINUX machine, it takes approximately six hours to process one million PETs from extraction to mapping. The speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness have proved that PET-Tool is an important and useful component in PET experiments, and can be extended to accommodate other related analyses of paired-end sequences. The Tool also provides user-friendly functions for data quality check and system for multi-layer data management.

  7. Simultaneous whole-body time-of-flight 18F-FDG PET/MRI: a pilot study comparing SUVmax with PET/CT and assessment of MR image quality.

    PubMed

    Iagaru, Andrei; Mittra, Erik; Minamimoto, Ryogo; Jamali, Mehran; Levin, Craig; Quon, Andrew; Gold, Garry; Herfkens, Robert; Vasanawala, Shreyas; Gambhir, Sanjiv Sam; Zaharchuk, Greg

    2015-01-01

    The recent introduction of hybrid PET/MRI scanners in clinical practice has shown promising initial results for several clinical scenarios. However, the first generation of combined PET/MRI lacks time-of-flight (TOF) technology. Here we report the results of the first patients to be scanned on a completely novel fully integrated PET/MRI scanner with TOF. We analyzed data from patients who underwent a clinically indicated F FDG PET/CT, followed by PET/MRI. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) were measured from F FDG PET/MRI and F FDG PET/CT for lesions, cerebellum, salivary glands, lungs, aortic arch, liver, spleen, skeletal muscle, and fat. Two experienced radiologists independently reviewed the MR data for image quality. Thirty-six patients (19 men, 17 women, mean [±standard deviation] age of 61 ± 14 years [range: 27-86 years]) with a total of 69 discrete lesions met the inclusion criteria. PET/CT images were acquired at a mean (±standard deviation) of 74 ± 14 minutes (range: 49-100 minutes) after injection of 10 ± 1 mCi (range: 8-12 mCi) of F FDG. PET/MRI scans started at 161 ± 29 minutes (range: 117 - 286 minutes) after the F FDG injection. All lesions identified on PET from PET/CT were also seen on PET from PET/MRI. The mean SUVmax values were higher from PET/MRI than PET/CT for all lesions. No degradation of MR image quality was observed. The data obtained so far using this investigational PET/MR system have shown that the TOF PET system is capable of excellent performance during simultaneous PET/MR with routine pulse sequences. MR imaging was not compromised. Comparison of the PET images from PET/CT and PET/MRI show no loss of image quality for the latter. These results support further investigation of this novel fully integrated TOF PET/MRI instrument.

  8. Modified physiologically equivalent temperature—basics and applications for western European climate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yung-Chang; Matzarakis, Andreas

    2018-05-01

    A new thermal index, the modified physiologically equivalent temperature (mPET) has been developed for universal application in different climate zones. The mPET has been improved against the weaknesses of the original physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) by enhancing evaluation of the humidity and clothing variability. The principles of mPET and differences between original PET and mPET are introduced and discussed in this study. Furthermore, this study has also evidenced the usability of mPET with climatic data in Freiburg, which is located in Western Europe. Comparisons of PET, mPET, and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) have shown that mPET gives a more realistic estimation of human thermal sensation than the other two thermal indices (PET, UTCI) for the thermal conditions in Freiburg. Additionally, a comparison of physiological parameters between mPET model and PET model (Munich Energy Balance Model for Individual, namely MEMI) is proposed. The core temperatures and skin temperatures of PET model vary more violently to a low temperature during cold stress than the mPET model. It can be regarded as that the mPET model gives a more realistic core temperature and mean skin temperature than the PET model. Statistical regression analysis of mPET based on the air temperature, mean radiant temperature, vapor pressure, and wind speed has been carried out. The R square (0.995) has shown a well co-relationship between human biometeorological factors and mPET. The regression coefficient of each factor represents the influence of the each factor on changing mPET (i.e., ±1 °C of T a = ± 0.54 °C of mPET). The first-order regression has been considered predicting a more realistic estimation of mPET at Freiburg during 2003 than the other higher order regression model, because the predicted mPET from the first-order regression has less difference from mPET calculated from measurement data. Statistic tests recognize that mPET can effectively evaluate the influences of all human biometeorological factors on thermal environments. Moreover, a first-order regression function can also predict the thermal evaluations of the mPET by using human biometeorological factors in Freiburg.

  9. Everyday Technology Use Related to Activity Involvement Among People in Cognitive Decline.

    PubMed

    Hedman, Annicka; Nygård, Louise; Kottorp, Anders

    We investigated how everyday technology use related to activity involvement over 5 yr in people with mild cognitive impairment. Thirty-seven older adults with mild cognitive impairment were evaluated regarding everyday technology use and involvement in activities over time. Information on diagnostic changes was collected from medical files. Linear mixed-effects models were used in data analysis. Ability to use everyday technology showed a significant effect on activity involvement (p = .007) beyond the effects of time, diagnostic change, and age. Decreases in number of everyday technologies used (p < .001) and share of accessible and relevant everyday technologies used (p = .04) were associated with decreasing activity involvement. However, these two aspects did not reinforce each other. When monitoring activity involvement in clients with cognitive decline, health care professionals should take into account clients' ability to use everyday technologies and the amount of everyday technologies they use. Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

  10. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Welch, M.J.

    Positron emission tomography (PET) assesses biochemical processes in the living subject, producing images of function rather than form. Using PET, physicians are able to obtain not the anatomical information provided by other medical imaging techniques, but pictures of physiological activity. In metaphoric terms, traditional imaging methods supply a map of the body's roadways, its, anatomy; PET shows the traffic along those paths, its biochemistry. This document discusses the principles of PET, the radiopharmaceuticals in PET, PET research, clinical applications of PET, the cost of PET, training of individuals for PET, the role of the United States Department of Energy inmore » PET, and the futures of PET. 22 figs.« less

  11. Musings about the word “absolute” in Earth science literature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duffield, Wendell A.

    Rather than face the prospect of old age and retirement sometimes disturbed by the niggling feeling that I should have said something earlier, here is a public statement about a pet peeve concerning the use, if not the abuse and misuse, of the word absolute as it appears in a variety of Earth science literature. The triggering event for taking action, after a couple of decades of inaction, was seeing yet another title of the sort “The Absolute Age of the… Volcanic Rock”, combined with a little too much spare time during evenings in a lonely, isolated field camp.Because my interests are principally in magmatic systems and secondarily in global plate tectonics, I see absolute used mostly with reference to the ages of igneous rocks and to the motions of lithospheric plates. People in other fields of Earth science surely will think of their own examples.

  12. Cultivating gratitude and giving through experiential consumption.

    PubMed

    Walker, Jesse; Kumar, Amit; Gilovich, Thomas

    2016-12-01

    Gratitude promotes well-being and prompts prosocial behavior. Here, we examine a novel way to cultivate this beneficial emotion. We demonstrate that 2 different types of consumption-material consumption (buying for the sake of having) and experiential consumption (buying for the sake of doing)-differentially foster gratitude and giving. In 6 studies we show that reflecting on experiential purchases (e.g., travel, meals out, tickets to events) inspires more gratitude than reflecting on material purchases (e.g., clothing, jewelry, furniture), and that thinking about experiences leads to more subsequent altruistic behavior than thinking about possessions. In Studies 1-2b, we use within-subject and between-subjects designs to test our main hypothesis: that people are more grateful for what they've done than what they have. Study 3 finds evidence for this effect in the real-world setting of online customer reviews: Consumers are more likely to spontaneously mention feeling grateful for experiences they have bought than for material goods they have bought. In our final 2 studies, we show that experiential consumption also makes people more likely to be generous to others. Participants who contemplated a significant experiential purchase behaved more generously toward anonymous others in an economic game than those who contemplated a significant material purchase. It thus appears that shifting spending toward experiential consumption can improve people's everyday lives as well as the lives of those around them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  13. Medical teachers conceptualize a distinctive form of clinical knowledge.

    PubMed

    Barrett, J; Yates, L; McColl, G

    2015-05-01

    For over four decades, there have been efforts to specify the types of knowledge that medical students need, how that knowledge is acquired and how its constituent parts are related. It is one of the areas of continuing concern underlying medical education reform. Despite their importance to medical students' learning and development, the perspectives of medical teachers in hospitals are not always considered in such discourse. This study sought to generate an understanding of these teachers' values, perspectives and approaches by listening to them and seeing them in their everyday teaching work, finding and understanding the meanings they bring to the work of medical teaching in hospitals. In interviews, all of the teachers talked more about the optimal forms of knowledge that are important for students than they talked about the form of the teaching itself. Many revealed to students what knowledge they do and do not value. They had a particular way of thinking about clinical knowledge as existing in the people and the places in which the teaching and the clinical practice happen, and represented this as 'real' knowledge. By implication, there is other knowledge in medical education or in students' heads that is not real and needs to be transformed. Their values, practices and passions add texture and vitality to existing ways of thinking about the characteristics of clinical knowledge, how it is depicted in the discourse and the curriculum and how it is more dynamically related to other knowledge than is suggested in traditional conceptualizations of knowledge relationships.

  14. Counterfactual Thinking Deficit in Huntington’s Disease

    PubMed Central

    Solca, Federica; Poletti, Barbara; Zago, Stefano; Crespi, Chiara; Sassone, Francesca; Lafronza, Annalisa; Maraschi, Anna Maria; Sassone, Jenny; Silani, Vincenzo; Ciammola, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    Background and Objective Counterfactual thinking (CFT) refers to the generation of mental simulations of alternatives to past events, actions and outcomes. CFT is a pervasive cognitive feature in every-day life and is closely related to decision-making, planning and problem-solving – all of which are cognitive processes linked to unimpaired frontal lobe functioning. Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by motor, behavioral and cognitive dysfunctions. Because an impairment in frontal and executive functions has been described in HD, we hypothesised that HD patients may have a CFT impairment. Methods Tests of spontaneous counterfactual thoughts and counterfactual-derived inferences were administered to 24 symptomatic HD patients and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Results Our results show a significant impairment in the spontaneous generation of CFT and low performance on the Counterfactual Inference Test (CIT) in HD patients. Low performance on the spontaneous CFT test significantly correlates with impaired attention abilities, verbal fluency and frontal lobe efficiency, as measured by Trail Making Test – Part A, Phonemic Verbal Fluency Test and FAB. Conclusions Spontaneous CFT and the use of this type of reasoning are impaired in HD patients. This deficit may be related to frontal lobe dysfunction, which is a hallmark of HD. Because CFT has a pervasive role in patients’ daily lives regarding their planning, decision making and problem solving skills, cognitive rehabilitation may improve HD patients’ ability to analyse current behaviors and future actions. PMID:26070155

  15. The Ansel Adams zone system: HDR capture and range compression by chemical processing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCann, John J.

    2010-02-01

    We tend to think of digital imaging and the tools of PhotoshopTM as a new phenomenon in imaging. We are also familiar with multiple-exposure HDR techniques intended to capture a wider range of scene information, than conventional film photography. We know about tone-scale adjustments to make better pictures. We tend to think of everyday, consumer, silver-halide photography as a fixed window of scene capture with a limited, standard range of response. This description of photography is certainly true, between 1950 and 2000, for instant films and negatives processed at the drugstore. These systems had fixed dynamic range and fixed tone-scale response to light. All pixels in the film have the same response to light, so the same light exposure from different pixels was rendered as the same film density. Ansel Adams, along with Fred Archer, formulated the Zone System, staring in 1940. It was earlier than the trillions of consumer photos in the second half of the 20th century, yet it was much more sophisticated than today's digital techniques. This talk will describe the chemical mechanisms of the zone system in the parlance of digital image processing. It will describe the Zone System's chemical techniques for image synthesis. It also discusses dodging and burning techniques to fit the HDR scene into the LDR print. Although current HDR imaging shares some of the Zone System's achievements, it usually does not achieve all of them.

  16. Educating executive function.

    PubMed

    Blair, Clancy

    2017-01-01

    Executive functions are thinking skills that assist with reasoning, planning, problem solving, and managing one's life. The brain areas that underlie these skills are interconnected with and influenced by activity in many different brain areas, some of which are associated with emotion and stress. One consequence of the stress-specific connections is that executive functions, which help us to organize our thinking, tend to be disrupted when stimulation is too high and we are stressed out, or too low when we are bored and lethargic. Given their central role in reasoning and also in managing stress and emotion, scientists have conducted studies, primarily with adults, to determine whether executive functions can be improved by training. By and large, results have shown that they can be, in part through computer-based videogame-like activities. Evidence of wider, more general benefits from such computer-based training, however, is mixed. Accordingly, scientists have reasoned that training will have wider benefits if it is implemented early, with very young children as the neural circuitry of executive functions is developing, and that it will be most effective if embedded in children's everyday activities. Evidence produced by this research, however, is also mixed. In sum, much remains to be learned about executive function training. Without question, however, continued research on this important topic will yield valuable information about cognitive development. WIREs Cogn Sci 2017, 8:e1403. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1403 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. A diabetes dashboard and physician efficiency and accuracy in accessing data needed for high-quality diabetes care.

    PubMed

    Koopman, Richelle J; Kochendorfer, Karl M; Moore, Joi L; Mehr, David R; Wakefield, Douglas S; Yadamsuren, Borchuluun; Coberly, Jared S; Kruse, Robin L; Wakefield, Bonnie J; Belden, Jeffery L

    2011-01-01

    We compared use of a new diabetes dashboard screen with use of a conventional approach of viewing multiple electronic health record (EHR) screens to find data needed for ambulatory diabetes care. We performed a usability study, including a quantitative time study and qualitative analysis of information-seeking behaviors. While being recorded with Morae Recorder software and "think-aloud" interview methods, 10 primary care physicians first searched their EHR for 10 diabetes data elements using a conventional approach for a simulated patient, and then using a new diabetes dashboard for another. We measured time, number of mouse clicks, and accuracy. Two coders analyzed think-aloud and interview data using grounded theory methodology. The mean time needed to find all data elements was 5.5 minutes using the conventional approach vs 1.3 minutes using the diabetes dashboard (P <.001). Physicians correctly identified 94% of the data requested using the conventional method, vs 100% with the dashboard (P <.01). The mean number of mouse clicks was 60 for conventional searching vs 3 clicks with the diabetes dashboard (P <.001). A common theme was that in everyday practice, if physicians had to spend too much time searching for data, they would either continue without it or order a test again. Using a patient-specific diabetes dashboard improves both the efficiency and accuracy of acquiring data needed for high-quality diabetes care. Usability analysis tools can provide important insights into the value of optimizing physician use of health information technologies.

  18. Affording Sustainability: Adopting a Theory of Affordances as a Guiding Heuristic for Environmental Policy.

    PubMed

    Kaaronen, Roope O

    2017-01-01

    Human behavior is an underlying cause for many of the ecological crises faced in the 21st century, and there is no escaping from the fact that widespread behavior change is necessary for socio-ecological systems to take a sustainable turn. Whilst making people and communities behave sustainably is a fundamental objective for environmental policy, behavior change interventions and policies are often implemented from a very limited non-systemic perspective. Environmental policy-makers and psychologists alike often reduce cognition 'to the brain,' focusing only to a minor extent on how everyday environments systemically afford pro-environmental behavior. Symptomatic of this are the widely prevalent attitude-action, value-action or knowledge-action gaps, understood in this paper as the gulfs lying between sustainable thinking and behavior due to lack of affordances. I suggest that by adopting a theory of affordances as a guiding heuristic, environmental policy-makers are better equipped to promote policies that translate sustainable thinking into sustainable behavior, often self-reinforcingly, and have better conceptual tools to nudge our socio-ecological system toward a sustainable turn. Affordance theory, which studies the relations between abilities to perceive and act and environmental features, is shown to provide a systemic framework for analyzing environmental policies and the ecology of human behavior. This facilitates the location and activation of leverage points for systemic policy interventions, which can help socio-ecological systems to learn to adapt to more sustainable habits. Affordance theory is presented to be applicable and pertinent to technically all nested levels of socio-ecological systems from the studies of sustainable objects and households to sustainable urban environments, making it an immensely versatile conceptual policy tool. Finally, affordance theory is also discussed from a participatory perspective. Increasing the fit between local thinking and external behavior possibilities entails a deep understanding of tacit and explicit attitudes, values, knowledge as well as physical and social environments, best gained via inclusive and polycentric policy approaches.

  19. Affording Sustainability: Adopting a Theory of Affordances as a Guiding Heuristic for Environmental Policy

    PubMed Central

    Kaaronen, Roope O.

    2017-01-01

    Human behavior is an underlying cause for many of the ecological crises faced in the 21st century, and there is no escaping from the fact that widespread behavior change is necessary for socio-ecological systems to take a sustainable turn. Whilst making people and communities behave sustainably is a fundamental objective for environmental policy, behavior change interventions and policies are often implemented from a very limited non-systemic perspective. Environmental policy-makers and psychologists alike often reduce cognition ‘to the brain,’ focusing only to a minor extent on how everyday environments systemically afford pro-environmental behavior. Symptomatic of this are the widely prevalent attitude–action, value–action or knowledge–action gaps, understood in this paper as the gulfs lying between sustainable thinking and behavior due to lack of affordances. I suggest that by adopting a theory of affordances as a guiding heuristic, environmental policy-makers are better equipped to promote policies that translate sustainable thinking into sustainable behavior, often self-reinforcingly, and have better conceptual tools to nudge our socio–ecological system toward a sustainable turn. Affordance theory, which studies the relations between abilities to perceive and act and environmental features, is shown to provide a systemic framework for analyzing environmental policies and the ecology of human behavior. This facilitates the location and activation of leverage points for systemic policy interventions, which can help socio–ecological systems to learn to adapt to more sustainable habits. Affordance theory is presented to be applicable and pertinent to technically all nested levels of socio–ecological systems from the studies of sustainable objects and households to sustainable urban environments, making it an immensely versatile conceptual policy tool. Finally, affordance theory is also discussed from a participatory perspective. Increasing the fit between local thinking and external behavior possibilities entails a deep understanding of tacit and explicit attitudes, values, knowledge as well as physical and social environments, best gained via inclusive and polycentric policy approaches. PMID:29176955

  20. Comparison of PET/CT with Sequential PET/MRI Using an MR-Compatible Mobile PET System.

    PubMed

    Nakamoto, Ryusuke; Nakamoto, Yuji; Ishimori, Takayoshi; Fushimi, Yasutaka; Kido, Aki; Togashi, Kaori

    2018-05-01

    The current study tested a newly developed flexible PET (fxPET) scanner prototype. This fxPET system involves dual arc-shaped detectors based on silicon photomultipliers that are designed to fit existing MRI devices, allowing us to obtain fused PET and MR images by sequential PET and MR scanning. This prospective study sought to evaluate the image quality, lesion detection rate, and quantitative values of fxPET in comparison with conventional whole-body (WB) PET and to assess the accuracy of registration. Methods: Seventeen patients with suspected or known malignant tumors were analyzed. Approximately 1 h after intravenous injection of 18 F-FDG, WB PET/CT was performed, followed by fxPET and MRI. For reconstruction of fxPET images, MRI-based attenuation correction was applied. The quality of fxPET images was visually assessed, and the number of detected lesions was compared between the 2 imaging methods. SUV max and maximum average SUV within a 1 cm 3 spheric volume (SUV peak ) of lesions were also compared. In addition, the magnitude of misregistration between fxPET and MR images was evaluated. Results: The image quality of fxPET was acceptable for diagnosis of malignant tumors. There was no significant difference in detectability of malignant lesions between fxPET and WB PET ( P > 0.05). However, the fxPET system did not exhibit superior performance to the WB PET system. There were strong positive correlations between the 2 imaging modalities in SUV max (ρ = 0.88) and SUV peak (ρ = 0.81). SUV max and SUV peak measured with fxPET were approximately 1.1-fold greater than measured with WB PET. The average misregistration between fxPET and MR images was 5.5 ± 3.4 mm. Conclusion: Our preliminary data indicate that running an fxPET scanner near an existing MRI system provides visually and quantitatively acceptable fused PET/MR images for diagnosis of malignant lesions. © 2018 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

  1. Simultaneous (68)Ga-DOTA-TOC PET/MRI with gadoxetate disodium in patients with neuroendocrine tumor.

    PubMed

    Hope, Thomas A; Pampaloni, Miguel Hernandez; Nakakura, Eric; VanBrocklin, Henry; Slater, James; Jivan, Salma; Aparici, Carina Mari; Yee, Judy; Bergsland, Emily

    2015-08-01

    To evaluate a simultaneous PET/MRI approach to imaging patients with neuroendocrine tumor using a combination of (68)Ga-DOTA-TOC as a PET contrast agent and gadoxetate disodium as a hepatobiliary MRI contrast agent. Ten patients with neuroendocrine tumor with known or suspected hepatic disease were imaged using a (68)Ga-DOTA-TOC PET/CT immediately followed by a 3.0T time-of-flight PET/MRI, using a combined whole body and liver specific imaging. The presence of lesions and DOTA-TOC avidity were assessed on CT, PET from PET/CT, diffusion weighted imaging, hepatobiliary phase imaging (HBP), and PET from PET/MRI. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) in hepatic lesions and nodal metastases were compared between PET/CT and PET/MRI, as were detection rates using each imaging approach. A total of 101 hepatic lesions were identified, 47 of which were DOTA-TOC avid and able to be individually measured on both PET/CT and PET/MRI. HBP imaging had a higher sensitivity for detection of hepatic lesions compared to CT or PET (99% vs. 46% and 64%, respectively; p values <0.001). There was a strong correlation between SUVmax of liver lesions obtained with PET/CT compared to PET/MR imaging (Pearson's correlation = 0.91). For nodal disease, CT had a higher sensitivity compared to whole body MRI (p = 0.015), although PET acquired from PET/MRI detected slightly more lesions compared to PET from PET/CT. A simultaneous PET/MRI using both (68)Ga-DOTA-TOC and gadoxetate disodium was successful in whole body staging of patients with neuroendocrine tumor. HBP imaging had an increased detection rate for hepatic metastases.

  2. NEMA NU 4-2008 Performance Measurements of Two Commercial Small-Animal PET Scanners: ClearPET and rPET-1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canadas, Mario; Embid, Miguel; Lage, Eduardo; Desco, Manuel; Vaquero, Juan José; Perez, José Manuel

    2011-02-01

    In this work, we compare two commercial positron emission tomography (PET) scanners installed at CIEMAT (Madrid, Spain): the ClearPET and the rPET-1. These systems have significant geometrical differences, such as the axial field of view (110 mm on ClearPET versus 45.6 mm on rPET-1), the configuration of the detectors (whole ring on ClearPET versus one pair of planar blocks on rPET-1) and the use of an axial shift between ClearPET detector modules. We used an assessment procedure that fulfilled the recommendations of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 4-2008 standard. The methodology includes studies of spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, count losses and image quality. Our experiments showed a central spatial resolution of 1.5 mm (transaxial), 3.2 mm (axial) for the ClearPET and 1.5 mm (transaxial), 1.6 mm (axial) for the rPET-1, with a small variation across the transverse axis on both scanners ( 1 mm). The absolute sensitivity at the centre of the field of view was 4.7% for the ClearPET and 1.0% for the rPET-1. The peak noise equivalent counting rate for the mouse-sized phantom was 73.4 kcps reached at 0.51 MBq/mL on the ClearPET and 29.2 kcps at 1.35 MBq/mL on the rPET-1. The recovery coefficients measured using the image quality phantom ranged from 0.11 to 0.89 on the ClearPET and from 0.14 to 0.81 on the rPET-1. The overall performance shows that both the ClearPET and the rPET-1 systems are very suitable for preclinical research and imaging of small animals.

  3. Combined early dynamic (18)F-FDG PET/CT and conventional whole-body (18)F-FDG PET/CT provide one-stop imaging for detecting hepatocellular carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Wang, Shao-Bo; Wu, Hu-Bing; Wang, Quan-Shi; Zhou, Wen-Lan; Tian, Ying; Li, Hong-Sheng; Ji, Yun-Hai; Lv, Liang

    2015-06-01

    It is widely accepted that conventional (18)F-FDG PET/CT (whole-body static (18)F-FDG PET/CT, WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT) has a low detection rate for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We prospectively assessed the role of early dynamic (18)F-FDG PET/CT (ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT) and WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT in detecting HCC, and we quantified the added value of ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT to WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT. Twenty-two patients with 37 HCC tumors (HCCs) who underwent both a liver ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT (performed simultaneously with a 5.5 MBq/kg (18)F-FDG bolus injection and continued for 240 s) and a WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT were enrolled in the study. The WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT and ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT scans were positive in 56.7% (21/37) and 78.4% (29/37) HCCs, respectively (P<0.05). ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT in conjunction with WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT (one-stop (18)F-FDG PET/CT) improved the positive detection rates of WB and ED (18)F-FDG PET/CT alone from 56.7% and 78.4% to 91.9% (34/37) (P<0.001 and P>0.05, respectively). One-stop (18)F-FDG PET/CT appears to be useful to improve WB (18)F-FDG PET/CT for HCC detection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  4. Diagnostic performance of FDG PET or PET/CT in prosthetic infection after arthroplasty: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Jin, H; Yuan, L; Li, C; Kan, Y; Hao, R; Yang, J

    2014-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to systematically review and perform a meta-analysis of published data regarding the diagnostic performance of positron emission tomography (PET) or PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) in prosthetic infection after arthroplasty. A comprehensive computer literature search of studies published through May 31, 2012 regarding PET or PET/CT in patients suspicious of prosthetic infection was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus databases. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of PET or PET/CT in patients suspicious of prosthetic infection on a per prosthesis-based analysis were calculated. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was calculated to measure the accuracy of PET or PET/CT in patients with suspicious of prosthetic infection. Fourteen studies comprising 838 prosthesis with suspicious of prosthetic infection after arthroplasty were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity of PET or PET/CT in detecting prosthetic infection was 86% (95% confidence interval [CI] 82-90%) on a per prosthesis-based analysis. The pooled specificity of PET or PET/CT in detecting prosthetic infection was 86% (95% CI 83-89%) on a per prosthesis-based analysis. The area under the ROC curve was 0.93 on a per prosthesis-based analysis. In patients suspicious of prosthetic infection, FDG PET or PET/CT demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity. FDG PET or PET/CT are accurate methods in this setting. Nevertheless, possible sources of false positive results and influcing factors should kept in mind.

  5. Pet Ownership among Homeless Youth: Associations with Mental Health, Service Utilization and Housing Status

    PubMed Central

    Rhoades, Harmony; Winetrobe, Hailey; Rice, Eric

    2014-01-01

    As many as 25% of homeless persons have pets. To our knowledge, pet ownership has not been studied quantitatively with homeless youth. This study examined pet ownership among 398 homeless youth utilizing two Los Angeles drop-in centers. Twenty-three percent of homeless youth had a pet. The majority of pet owners reported that their pets kept them company and made them feel loved; nearly half reported that their pets made it more difficult to stay in a shelter. Pet owners reported fewer symptoms of depression and loneliness than their non-pet owning peers. Pet ownership was associated with decreased utilization of housing and job-finding services, and decreased likelihood of currently staying in a shelter. These findings elucidate many of the positive benefits of pet ownership for homeless youth, but importantly highlight that pet ownership may negatively impact housing options. Housing and other services must be sensitive to the needs of homeless youth with pets. PMID:24728815

  6. Pet ownership among homeless youth: associations with mental health, service utilization and housing status.

    PubMed

    Rhoades, Harmony; Winetrobe, Hailey; Rice, Eric

    2015-04-01

    As many as 25 % of homeless persons have pets. To our knowledge, pet ownership has not been studied quantitatively with homeless youth. This study examined pet ownership among 398 homeless youth utilizing two Los Angeles drop-in centers. Twenty-three percent of homeless youth had a pet. The majority of pet owners reported that their pets kept them company and made them feel loved; nearly half reported that their pets made it more difficult to stay in a shelter. Pet owners reported fewer symptoms of depression and loneliness than their non-pet owning peers. Pet ownership was associated with decreased utilization of housing and job-finding services, and decreased likelihood of currently staying in a shelter. These findings elucidate many of the positive benefits of pet ownership for homeless youth, but importantly highlight that pet ownership may negatively impact housing options. Housing and other services must be sensitive to the needs of homeless youth with pets.

  7. Sensory analysis of pet foods.

    PubMed

    Koppel, Kadri

    2014-08-01

    Pet food palatability depends first and foremost on the pet and is related to the pet food sensory properties such as aroma, texture and flavor. Sensory analysis of pet foods may be conducted by humans via descriptive or hedonic analysis, pets via acceptance or preference tests, and through a number of instrumental analysis methods. Sensory analysis of pet foods provides additional information on reasons behind palatable and unpalatable foods as pets lack linguistic capabilities. Furthermore, sensory analysis may be combined with other types of information such as personality and environment factors to increase understanding of acceptable pet foods. Most pet food flavor research is proprietary and, thus, there are a limited number of publications available. Funding opportunities for pet food studies would increase research and publications and this would help raise public awareness of pet food related issues. This mini-review addresses current pet food sensory analysis literature and discusses future challenges and possibilities. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. Dual tracer functional imaging of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors using 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT and 18F-FDG PET-CT: competitive or complimentary?

    PubMed

    Naswa, Niraj; Sharma, Punit; Gupta, Santosh Kumar; Karunanithi, Sellam; Reddy, Rama Mohan; Patnecha, Manish; Lata, Sneh; Kumar, Rakesh; Malhotra, Arun; Bal, Chandrasekhar

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performance of Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT with F-FDG PET/CT in the patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). Data of 51 patients with definite histological diagnosis of GEP-NET who underwent both Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT and F-FDG PET-CT within a span of 15 days were selected for this retrospective analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values were calculated for Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT and F-FDG PET-CT, and results were compared both on patientwise and regionwise analysis. Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT is superior to F-FDG PET-CT on patientwise analysis (P < 0.0001). On regionwise analysis, Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT is superior to F-FDG PET-CT only for lymph node metastases (P < 0.003). Although Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT detected more liver and skeletal lesions compared with F-FDG PET-CT, the difference was not statistically significant. In addition, the results of combined imaging helped in selecting candidates who would undergo the appropriate mode of treatment, whether octreotide therapy or conventional chemotherapy Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT seems to be superior to F-FDG PET-CT for imaging GEP-NETs. However, their role seems to be complementary because combination of Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT and F-FDG PET-CT in such patients helps demonstrate the total disease burden and segregate them to proper therapeutic groups.

  9. Colorectal cancer staging: comparison of whole-body PET/CT and PET/MR.

    PubMed

    Catalano, Onofrio A; Coutinho, Artur M; Sahani, Dushyant V; Vangel, Mark G; Gee, Michael S; Hahn, Peter F; Witzel, Thomas; Soricelli, Andrea; Salvatore, Marco; Catana, Ciprian; Mahmood, Umar; Rosen, Bruce R; Gervais, Debra

    2017-04-01

    Correct staging is imperative for colorectal cancer (CRC) since it influences both prognosis and management. Several imaging methods are used for this purpose, with variable performance. Positron emission tomography-magnetic resonance (PET/MR) is an innovative imaging technique recently employed for clinical application. The present study was undertaken to compare the staging accuracy of whole-body positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) with whole-body PET/MR in patients with both newly diagnosed and treated colorectal cancer. Twenty-six patients, who underwent same day whole-body (WB) PET/CT and WB-PET/MR, were evaluated. PET/CT and PET/MR studies were interpreted by consensus by a radiologist and a nuclear medicine physician. Correlations with prior imaging and follow-up studies were used as the reference standard. Correct staging was compared between methods using McNemar's Chi square test. The two methods were in agreement and correct for 18/26 (69%) patients, and in agreement and incorrect for one patient (3.8%). PET/MR and PET/CT stages for the remaining 7/26 patients (27%) were discordant, with PET/MR staging being correct in all seven cases. PET/MR significantly outperformed PET/CT overall for accurate staging (P = 0.02). PET/MR outperformed PET/CT in CRC staging. PET/MR might allow accurate local and distant staging of CRC patients during both at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up.

  10. Sustainable Engineering and Improved Recycling of PET for High-Value Applications: Transforming Linear PET to Lightly Branched PET with a Novel, Scalable Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pierre, Cynthia; Torkelson, John

    2009-03-01

    A major challenge for the most effective recycling of poly(ethylene terephthalate) concerns the fact that initial melt processing of PET into a product leads to substantial degradation of molecular weight. Thus, recycled PET has insufficient melt viscosity for reuse in high-value applications such as melt-blowing of PET bottles. Academic and industrial research has tried to remedy this situation by synthesis and use of ``chain extenders'' that can lead to branched PET (with higher melt viscosity than the linear recycled PET) via condensation reactions with functional groups on the PET. Here we show that simple processing of PET via solid-state shear pulverization (SSSP) leads to enhanced PET melt viscosity without need for chemical additives. We hypothesize that this branching results from low levels of chain scission accompanying SSSP, leading to formation of polymeric radicals that participate in chain transfer and combination reactions with other PET chains and thereby to in situ branch formation. The pulverized PET exhibits vastly enhanced crystallization kinetics, eliminating the need to employ cold crystallization to achieve maximum PET crystallinity. Results of SSSP processing of PET will be compared to results obtained with poly(butylene terephthalate).

  11. Quantitative myocardial blood flow imaging with integrated time-of-flight PET-MR.

    PubMed

    Kero, Tanja; Nordström, Jonny; Harms, Hendrik J; Sörensen, Jens; Ahlström, Håkan; Lubberink, Mark

    2017-12-01

    The use of integrated PET-MR offers new opportunities for comprehensive assessment of cardiac morphology and function. However, little is known on the quantitative accuracy of cardiac PET imaging with integrated time-of-flight PET-MR. The aim of the present work was to validate the GE Signa PET-MR scanner for quantitative cardiac PET perfusion imaging. Eleven patients (nine male; mean age 59 years; range 46-74 years) with known or suspected coronary artery disease underwent 15 O-water PET scans at rest and during adenosine-induced hyperaemia on a GE Discovery ST PET-CT and a GE Signa PET-MR scanner. PET-MR images were reconstructed using settings recommended by the manufacturer, including time-of-flight (TOF). Data were analysed semi-automatically using Cardiac VUer software, resulting in both parametric myocardial blood flow (MBF) images and segment-based MBF values. Correlation and agreement between PET-CT-based and PET-MR-based MBF values for all three coronary artery territories were assessed using regression analysis and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC). In addition to the cardiac PET-MR reconstruction protocol as recommended by the manufacturer, comparisons were made using a PET-CT resolution-matched reconstruction protocol both without and with TOF to assess the effect of time-of-flight and reconstruction parameters on quantitative MBF values. Stress MBF data from one patient was excluded due to movement during the PET-CT scanning. Mean MBF values at rest and stress were (0.92 ± 0.12) and (2.74 ± 1.37) mL/g/min for PET-CT and (0.90 ± 0.23) and (2.65 ± 1.15) mL/g/min for PET-MR (p = 0.33 and p = 0.74). ICC between PET-CT-based and PET-MR-based regional MBF was 0.98. Image quality was improved with PET-MR as compared to PET-CT. ICC between PET-MR-based regional MBF with and without TOF and using different filter and reconstruction settings was 1.00. PET-MR-based MBF values correlated well with PET-CT-based MBF values and the parametric PET-MR images were excellent. TOF and reconstruction settings had little impact on MBF values.

  12. 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance in Lymphoma

    PubMed Central

    Giraudo, Chiara; Raderer, Markus; Karanikas, Georgios; Weber, Michael; Kiesewetter, Barbara; Dolak, Werner; Simonitsch-Klupp, Ingrid; Mayerhoefer, Marius E.

    2016-01-01

    Objectives The aim of this study was to compare 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance (MR) (with and without diffusion-weighted imaging [DWI]) to 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography (CT), with regard to the assessment of nodal and extranodal involvement, in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, without restriction to FDG-avid subytpes. Materials and Methods Patients with histologically proven lymphoma were enrolled in this prospective, institutional review board–approved study. After a single 18F-FDG injection, patients consecutively underwent 18F-FDG PET⁄CT and 18F-FDG PET/MR on the same day for staging or restaging. Three sets of images were analyzed separately: 18F-FDG PET/CT, 18F-FDG PET/MR without DWI, and 18F-FDG PET/MR with DWI. Region-based agreement and examination-based sensitivity and specificity were calculated for 18F-FDG PET/CT, 18F-FDG PET/MR without DWI, and 18F-FDG PET/MR DWI. Maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVmean) on 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/MR were compared and correlated with minimum and mean apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCmin, ADCmean). Results Thirty-four patients with a total of 40 examinations were included. Examination-based sensitivities for 18F-FDG PET/CT, 18F-FDG PET/MR, and 18F-FDG PET/MR DWI were 82.1%, 85.7%, and 100%, respectively; specificities were 100% for all 3 techniques; and accuracies were 87.5%, 90%, and 100%, respectively. 18F-FDG PET/CT was false negative in 5 of 40 examinations (all with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma), and 18F-FDG PET/MR (without DWI) was false negative in 4 of 40 examinations. Region-based percentages of agreement were 99% (κ, 0.95) between 18F-FDG PET/MR DWI and 18F-FDG PET/CT, 99.2% (κ, 0.96) between 18F-FDG PET/MR and 18F-FDG PET/CT, and 99.4% (κ, 0.97) between 18F-FDG PET/MR DWI and 18F-FDG PET/MR. There was a strong correlation between 18F-FDG PET/CT and 18F-FDG PET/MR for SUVmax (r = 0.83) and SUVmean (r = 0.81) but no significant correlation between ADCmin and SUVmax (18F-FDG PET/CT: r = 0.46, P = 0.65; 18F-FDG PET/MR: r = 0.64, P = 0.53) or between ADCmean and SUVmean (respectively, r = −0.14, P = 0.17 for the correlation with PET/CT and r = −0.14, P = 0.14 for the correlation with PET/MR). Conclusions 18F-FDG PET/MR and 18F-FDG PET/CT show a similar diagnostic performance in lymphoma patients. However, if DWI is included in the 18F-FDG PET/MR protocol, results surpass those of 18F-FDG PET/CT because of the higher sensitivity of DWI for mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas. PMID:26784400

  13. Rheological Properties and Foaming Behavior of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalates) Modified with Pyromellitic Dianhydride

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Zhao-Ping; Xin, Chun-Ling; Guo, Ya-Feng; Luo, Yi-Wei; He, Ya-Dong

    2016-05-01

    Improving the melt viscoelasticity of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a well-known method to obtain foamable PET. The aim of this study is to prepare high melt strength PET and evaluate the influence of rheological properties of PET on the foaming behavior. For this purpose, pyromelliticdianhydride was used as the chain extender to modify a linear PET through melt reactive processing. The rheological properties of the unmodified and modified PETs were measured by a dynamic rheometer. Results showed that the modified PET had higher complex viscosity than the unmodified one. Furthermore, the batch foaming by using supercritical CO2 as a blowing agent was carried to evaluate the foamability of modified PETs. It was found that an enlarged foaming temperature window was obtained for modified PETs compared to unmodified PET. Moreover, the modified PETs foams exhibited higher expansion ratio, smaller cell size and higher cell density at high temperatures than the neat PET.

  14. Do allergic families avoid keeping furry pets?

    PubMed

    Bertelsen, R J; Carlsen, K C L; Granum, B; Carlsen, K-H; Håland, G; Devulapalli, C S; Munthe-Kaas, M C; Mowinckel, P; Løvik, M

    2010-06-01

    Studies addressing the relationship between pet keeping and development of asthma and allergies may be influenced by pet avoidance in families with a history of allergic disease. Following a cohort of 1019 children in Oslo till 10 years of age, we studied the association of pet keeping with socio-economic factors and allergic disease in the family. A family history of asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis was not significantly associated with pet ownership at birth or with pet removal by 10 years. Acquiring cats and dogs was less likely if the child had allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, whereas no association was seen with asthma (in any family member). Single parenthood increased the likelihood of acquiring a cat, smoking parents more often had cats or dogs, and having older siblings was associated with keeping dogs and other furry pets. Among 319 families reporting pet avoidance, 70% never had pets, 8% had given up pets, and 22% avoided a particular type of pet only. Twenty-four per cent of the parents failed to retrospectively report pet keeping during the child's first year of life. Overall, allergic rhinitis, but not asthma was associated with actual pet avoidance, whereas the strongest predictors for keeping pets were found to be socio-economic factors. Allergic disease in a child most often does not lead to the removal of the family's furry pet. Pet avoidance is associated with allergic symptoms, but not asthma. Socio-economic factors like parental education, single parenthood and smoking affects the families' decisions on pet keeping, including the type of pets the families will avoid or acquire. The large recall error demonstrated points to the need for prospective data regarding pet keeping.

  15. Thoracic staging in lung cancer: prospective comparison of 18F-FDG PET/MR imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Heusch, Philipp; Buchbender, Christian; Köhler, Jens; Nensa, Felix; Gauler, Thomas; Gomez, Benedikt; Reis, Henning; Stamatis, Georgios; Kühl, Hilmar; Hartung, Verena; Heusner, Till A

    2014-03-01

    Therapeutic decisions in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients depend on the tumor stage. PET/CT with (18)F-FDG is widely accepted as the diagnostic standard of care. The purpose of this study was to compare a dedicated pulmonary (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging protocol with (18)F-FDG PET/CT for primary and locoregional lymph node staging in NSCLC patients using histopathology as the reference. Twenty-two patients (12 men, 10 women; mean age ± SD, 65.1 ± 9.1 y) with histopathologically confirmed NSCLC underwent (18)F-FDG PET/CT, followed by (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging, including a dedicated pulmonary MR imaging protocol. T and N staging according to the seventh edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual was performed by 2 readers in separate sessions for (18)F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR imaging, respectively. Results from histopathology were used as the standard of reference. The mean and maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(mean) and SUV(max), respectively) and maximum diameter of the primary tumor was measured and compared in (18)F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR imaging. PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT agreed on T stages in 16 of 16 of patients (100%). All patients were correctly staged by (18)F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MR (100%), compared with histopathology. There was no statistically significant difference between (18)F-FDG PET/CT and (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging for lymph node metastases detection (P = 0.48). For definition of thoracic N stages, PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT were concordant in 20 of 22 patients (91%). PET/MR imaging determined the N stage correctly in 20 of 22 patients (91%). (18)F-FDG PET/CT determined the N stage correctly in 18 of 22 patients (82%). The mean differences for SUV(mean) and SUV(max) of NSCLC in (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT were 0.21 and -5.06. These differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The SUV(mean) and SUV(max) measurements derived from (18)F-FDG PET/CT and (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging exhibited a high correlation (R = 0.74 and 0.86, respectively; P < 0.0001). Size measurements showed an excellent correlation between (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging and (18)F-FDG PET/CT (R = 0.99; P < 0.0001). The lower and upper limits of agreement between (18)F-FDG PET/CT and (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging using Bland-Altman analysis were -2.34 to 3.89 for SUV(mean), -7.42 to 4.40 for SUV(max), and -0.59 to 0.83 for the tumor size, respectively. (18)F-FDG PET/MR imaging using a dedicated pulmonary MR imaging protocol, compared with (18)F-FDG PET/CT, does not provide advantages in thoracic staging in NSCLC patients.

  16. The 'everyday work' of living with multimorbidity in socioeconomically deprived areas of Scotland.

    PubMed

    O'Brien, Rosaleen; Wyke, Sally; Watt, Graham G C M; Guthrie, Bruce; Mercer, Stewart W

    2014-01-01

    Multimorbidity is common in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and is associated with poor quality of life, but the reasons behind this are not clear. Exploring the 'everyday life work' of patients may reveal important barriers to self-management and wellbeing. To investigate the relationship between the management of multimorbidity and 'everyday life work' in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation in Scotland, as part of a programme of work on multimorbidity and deprivation. Qualitative study: individual semi-structured interviews of 14 patients (8 women and 6 men) living in deprived areas with multimorbidity, exploring how they manage. Analysis was continuous and iterative. We report the findings in relation to everyday life work. The in-depth analysis revealed four key themes: (i) the symbolic significance of everyday life work to evidence the work of being 'normal'; (ii) the usefulness of everyday life work in managing symptoms; (iii) the impact that mental health problems had on everyday life work; and (iv) issues around accepting help for everyday life tasks. Overall, most struggled with the amount of work required to establish a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives, especially in those with mental-physical multimorbidity. Everyday life work is an important component of self-management in patients with multimorbidity in deprived areas, and is commonly impaired, especially in those with mental health problems. Interventions to improve self-management support for patients living with multimorbidity may benefit from an understanding of the role of everyday life work. Journal of Comorbidity 2014;4:1-10.

  17. Constructing a Scientific Explanation—A Narrative Account

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yeo, Jennifer; Gilbert, John K.

    2014-07-01

    Studies analyzing explanations that have been constructed by science students have found that they were generally weak and lack necessary features. The goal of this study was to establish the competencies that one needs to construct a scientific explanation. Scientific explanations can be looked at in three ways, in terms of their function, form and level, as being essentially sign-making processes. Taking a case study approach and using Lemke's multimodal framework, we analyzed the scientific explanation of an electromagnetic induction phenomenon constructed by one high school student. We found that such a construction involves the complex coordination of different types of signs, not only to represent the entities in the phenomenon, but also to support thinking and reasoning about it at abstract levels. Scientific conventions and rules, and everyday material and social tools were found to be crucial in shifting from one level of abstraction to another. The findings highlight the importance of developing the skillful use of schemes of scientific representation by students and familiarizing them with commonly encountered contexts.

  18. Memory and its role in appetite regulation.

    PubMed

    Higgs, Suzanne

    2005-05-19

    The importance of memory processes for the formation and expression of conditioned food preferences and satieties has long been appreciated. Recently, based on the eating of multiple meals in amnesic patients, it has been suggested that information about a recent eating episode may be factored into decisions about how much to consume at the next meal. In support of this, it has been shown that enhancing memory for a recent meal, by cueing neurologically intact participants to recall items eaten at lunch, suppresses intake at a taste test later in the afternoon. This effect is specific to recalling food eaten that day, since asking participants to think about lunch consumed the previous day had no effect on intake. These studies suggest that memory for recent eating has a role to play in controlling everyday eating. However, the involvement of memory and cognition does not exclude learnt control by physiological after effects of the recent meal; indeed, this seems likely from the known functions of the hippocampal system that is damaged in amnesic patients.

  19. Designing for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI): A Design Anthropological Perspective.

    PubMed

    Collier, Guy; Kayes, Nicola; Reay, Stephen; Bill, Amanda

    2017-01-01

    This paper will present a design anthropological perspective on an ongoing project called 'Living Well with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)'. The project explores how people with MCI (and their families) manage and respond to changes in their memory and thinking. One of the primary aims of this project is to design an online resource that will support people to 'Live Well' within the context of possible cognitive decline. The resource was originally proposed to function as a kind of online community, where users could both share and learn about home-grown strategies for managing the cognitive changes associated with MCI in everyday life. Much of this project has been guided by the methodological approach of design anthropology, which encourages project researchers and stakeholders to critically examine underlying assumptions and conceptual frameworks, which in this case revolve around the disputed MCI category. In this paper we will provide some background to the Living Well project before highlighting a number of key insights attained from design anthropology.

  20. Moving beyond normative philosophies and policy concerns: a sociological account of place-based solidarities in diversity.

    PubMed

    Oosterlynck, Stijn

    2018-01-01

    In this commentary, I think with and beyond the normative philosophies and policy-oriented frameworks on how to deal with diversity in contemporary societies formulated by Zapata-Barrero and Modood. I propose to integrate elements of both perspectives in a empirically grounded sociological account of how place-based solidarities in diversity are nurtured in everyday life. Although there is much to be recommended about the arguments of Modood and Zapata-Barrero, I argue that what is needed is an analytical framework that does not a priori privilege specific sources of solidarity on normative-philosophical or policy grounds. We need to focus instead on how people mobilise different sources of solidarity in their attempts to take shared responsibility for the concrete places where they live, work, learn and play together in superdiversity. This micro-level focus does not mean that one ignores macro-level processes. Also, more attention should be paid to the transformative nature of solidarities in diversity.

  1. Learning Physics from the Real World by Direct Observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shaibani, Saami J.

    2012-03-01

    It is axiomatic that hands-on experience provides many learning opportunities, which lectures and textbooks cannot match. Moreover, experiments involving the real world are beneficial in helping students to gain a level of understanding that they might not otherwise achieve. One practical limitation with the real world is that simplifications and approximations are sometimes necessary to make the material accessible; however, these types of adjustments can be viewed with misgiving when they appear arbitrary and/or convenience-based. The present work describes a very familiar feature of everyday life, whose underlying physics is examined without modifications to mitigate difficulties from the lack of control in a non-laboratory environment. In the absence of any immediate formula to process results, students are encouraged to reach ab initio answers with guidance provided by a structured series of worksheets. Many of the latter can be completed as homework assignments prior to activity in the field. This approach promotes thinking and inquiry as valuable attributes instead of unquestioningly following a prescribed path.

  2. Understanding the relationships between self-esteem, experiential avoidance, and paranoia: structural equation modelling and experience sampling studies.

    PubMed

    Udachina, Alisa; Thewissen, Viviane; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Fitzpatrick, Sam; O'kane, Aisling; Bentall, Richard P

    2009-09-01

    Hypothesized relationships between experiential avoidance (EA), self-esteem, and paranoia were tested using structural equation modeling in a sample of student participants (N = 427). EA in everyday life was also investigated using the Experience Sampling Method in a subsample of students scoring high (N = 17) and low (N = 15) on paranoia. Results showed that paranoid students had lower self-esteem and reported higher levels of EA than nonparanoid participants. The interactive influence of EA and stress predicted negative self-esteem: EA was particularly damaging at high levels of stress. Greater EA and higher social stress independently predicted lower positive self-esteem. Low positive self-esteem predicted engagement in EA. A direct association between EA and paranoia was also found. These results suggest that similar mechanisms may underlie EA and thought suppression. Although people may employ EA to regulate self-esteem, this strategy is maladaptive as it damages self-esteem, incurs cognitive costs, and fosters paranoid thinking.

  3. A quantum theory account of order effects and conjunction fallacies in political judgments.

    PubMed

    Yearsley, James M; Trueblood, Jennifer S

    2017-09-06

    Are our everyday judgments about the world around us normative? Decades of research in the judgment and decision-making literature suggest the answer is no. If people's judgments do not follow normative rules, then what rules if any do they follow? Quantum probability theory is a promising new approach to modeling human behavior that is at odds with normative, classical rules. One key advantage of using quantum theory is that it explains multiple types of judgment errors using the same basic machinery, unifying what have previously been thought of as disparate phenomena. In this article, we test predictions from quantum theory related to the co-occurrence of two classic judgment phenomena, order effects and conjunction fallacies, using judgments about real-world events (related to the U.S. presidential primaries). We also show that our data obeys two a priori and parameter free constraints derived from quantum theory. Further, we examine two factors that moderate the effects, cognitive thinking style (as measured by the Cognitive Reflection Test) and political ideology.

  4. The Nature of Science and the Role of Knowledge and Belief

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cobern, William W.

    In everyday language we tend to think of knowledge as reasoned belief that a proposition is true and the natural sciences provide the archetypal example of what it means to know. Religious and ideological propositions are the typical examples of believed propositions. Moreover, the radical empiricist worldview so often associated with modern science has eroded society's meaningful sense of life. Western history, however, shows that knowledge and belief have not always been constructed separately. In addition, modern developments in the philosophy and history of science have seriously undermined the radical empiricist's excessive confidence in scientific methods. Acknowledging in the science classroom the parallel structure of knowledge and belief, and recognizing that science requires a presuppositional foundation that is itself not empirically verifiable would re introduce a valuable discussion on the meaning of science and its impact on life. Science would less likely be taught as a `rhetoric of conclusions'. The discussion would also help students to gain a firmer integration of science with other important knowledge and beliefs that they hold.

  5. The "wh" questions of visual phonics: what, who, where, when, and why.

    PubMed

    Narr, Rachel F; Cawthon, Stephanie W

    2011-01-01

    Visual Phonics is a reading instructional tool that has been implemented in isolated classrooms for over 20 years. In the past 5 years, several experimental studies demonstrated its efficacy with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Through a national survey with 200 participants, this study specifically addresses who, where, how, and why a sample of teachers use Visual Phonics in their everyday reading instruction. Through checklists of teaching practice, rating scales, and open-ended questions, teachers self-reported their use of Visual Phonics, reflected upon its efficacy, and what they think about using it with students with a diverse set of instructional needs. The majority reported that Visual Phonics was easy to use, engaging to students, and easy to integrate into a structured reading curriculum. The majority of respondents agreed that it helps increase phonemic awareness and decoding skills, build vocabulary, as well as increase reading comprehension. The implications of these findings in bridging the research-to-practice gap are discussed.

  6. Celebrating 50 Years of Laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rebel, Heinigerd

    2010-11-01

    When thinking of an innovation that has truly changed our world, it is the laser. Right after discovery back in 1960, it is immediately propelled to a public star. People loved the mystery around this new kind of light. It was soon recognized as a symbol of our entry into the future: The Laser Age has started. Newspapers speculated about ``death rays'' as new weapons. It did not take long time until it appeared in Science fiction movies. However reality was much more beneficial and even more diverse. This device has managed to exceed the wildest predictions of the early laser pioneers when it comes to its applications. Today lasers are not a weird scientist's toy, but are commonly used in our everyday life. Of course, nothing of that was foreseen in the early 1950s. Important fundamentals of lasers have been laid already in 1917 by Albert Einstein, introducing the Einstein coefficient of stimulated emission, and subsequent experimental work by Rudolf Ladenburg, Willis Lamb, Alfred Kastler and others.

  7. Using immersive healthcare simulation for physiology education: initial experience in high school, college, and graduate school curricula.

    PubMed

    Oriol, Nancy E; Hayden, Emily M; Joyal-Mowschenson, Julie; Muret-Wagstaff, Sharon; Faux, Russell; Gordon, James A

    2011-09-01

    In the natural world, learning emerges from the joy of play, experimentation, and inquiry as part of everyday life. However, this kind of informal learning is often difficult to integrate within structured educational curricula. This report describes an educational program that embeds naturalistic learning into formal high school, college, and graduate school science class work. Our experience is based on work with hundreds of high school, college, and graduate students enrolled in traditional science classes in which mannequin simulators were used to teach physiological principles. Specific case scenarios were integrated into the curriculum as problem-solving exercises chosen to accentuate the basic science objectives of the course. This report also highlights the historic and theoretical basis for the use of mannequin simulators as an important physiology education tool and outlines how the authors' experience in healthcare education has been effectively translated to nonclinical student populations. Particular areas of focus include critical-thinking and problem-solving behaviors and student reflections on the impact of the teaching approach.

  8. The cognitive processes underpinning clinical decision in triage assessment: a theoretical conundrum?

    PubMed

    Noon, Amy J

    2014-01-01

    High quality clinical decision-making (CDM) has been highlighted as a priority across the nursing profession. Triage nurses, in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, work in considerable levels of uncertainty and require essential skills including: critical thinking, evaluation and decision-making. The content of this paper aims to promote awareness of how triage nurses make judgements and decisions in emergency situations. By exploring relevant literature on clinical judgement and decision-making theory, this paper demonstrates the importance of high quality decision-making skills underpinning the triage nurse's role. Having an awareness of how judgements and decisions are made is argued as essential, in a time where traditional nurse boundaries and responsibilities are never more challenged. It is hoped that the paper not only raises this awareness in general but also, in particular, engages the triage nurse to look more critically at how they make their own decisions in their everyday practice. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Celebrating 50 Years of Laser

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rebel, Heinigerd

    2010-11-24

    When thinking of an innovation that has truly changed our world, it is the laser. Right after discovery back in 1960, it is immediately propelled to a public star. People loved the mystery around this new kind of light. It was soon recognized as a symbol of our entry into the future: The Laser Age has started. Newspapers speculated about ''death rays'' as new weapons. It did not take long time until it appeared in Science fiction movies. However reality was much more beneficial and even more diverse. This device has managed to exceed the wildest predictions of the earlymore » laser pioneers when it comes to its applications. Today lasers are not a weird scientist's toy, but are commonly used in our everyday life.Of course, nothing of that was foreseen in the early 1950s. Important fundamentals of lasers have been laid already in 1917 by Albert Einstein, introducing the Einstein coefficient of stimulated emission, and subsequent experimental work by Rudolf Ladenburg, Willis Lamb, Alfred Kastler and others.« less

  10. A Case for an Art Education of Everyday Aesthetic Experiences.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncum, Paul

    1999-01-01

    Argues for incorporating everyday sites, such as shopping malls, amusement parks, advertising, the Internet, and television, into art education. Also argues that everyday aesthetic experiences significantly impact the formation of individual identities and world views and that the dynamics behind the influence of everyday aesthetics will only…

  11. Everyday Memory in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, I-Chen; Tsai, Pei-Luen; Hsu, Yung-Wen; Ma, Hui-Ing; Lai, Hsuan-An

    2013-01-01

    Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) have deficits in working memory, but little is known about the everyday memory of these children in real-life situations. We investigated the everyday memory function in children with DCD, and explored the specific profile of everyday memory across different domains. Nineteen children with…

  12. Growing Everyday Multiculturalism: Practice-Based Learning of Chinese Immigrants through Community Gardens in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shan, Hongxia; Walter, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    While official rhetoric of multiculturalism claims to value cultural diversity, everyday multiculturalism focuses on how people of diverse cultural backgrounds live together in their everyday lives. Research on everyday multiculturalism has documented ways through which people negotiate senses, sensibilities, emotionality, and relationality across…

  13. Childhood Attachment to Pets: Associations between Pet Attachment, Attitudes to Animals, Compassion, and Humane Behaviour

    PubMed Central

    Hawkins, Roxanne D.; Williams, Joanne M.

    2017-01-01

    Attachment to pets has an important role in children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, mental health, well-being, and quality of life. This study examined associations between childhood attachment to pets and caring and friendship behaviour, compassion, and attitudes towards animals. This study also examined socio-demographic differences, particularly pet ownership and pet type. A self-report survey of over one thousand 7 to 12 year-olds in Scotland, UK, revealed that the majority of children are strongly attached to their pets, but attachment scores differ depending on pet type and child gender. Analysis revealed that attachment to pets is facilitated by compassion and caring and pet-directed friendship behaviours and that attachment to pets significantly predicts positive attitudes towards animals. The findings have implications for the promotion of prosocial and humane behaviour. Encouraging children to participate in pet care behaviour may promote attachment between children and their pet, which in turn may have a range of positive outcomes for both children (such as reduced aggression, better well-being, and quality of life) and pets (such as humane treatment). This study enhances our understanding of childhood pet attachment and has implications for humane education and promoting secure emotional attachments in childhood. PMID:28481256

  14. The role of positron emission tomography and positron emission tomography/computed tomography in thyroid tumours: an overview.

    PubMed

    Treglia, Giorgio; Muoio, Barbara; Giovanella, Luca; Salvatori, Massimo

    2013-05-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) with different tracers have been increasingly used in patients with thyroid tumours. The aim of this article is to perform an overview based on literature data about the usefulness of PET imaging in this setting. The role of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and PET/CT in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is well established, particularly in patients presenting with elevated serum thyroglobulin levels and negative radioiodine whole-body scan. Iodine-124 PET and PET/CT may serve a role in staging DTC and obtaining lesional dosimetry for a better and more rationale planning of treatment with Iodine-131. FDG-PET and PET/CT are useful in the post-thyroidectomy staging of high-risk patients with less differentiated histological subtypes. PET and PET/CT with different tracers seem to be useful methods in localizing the source of elevated calcitonin levels in patients with recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma. Incorporation of FDG-PET or PET/CT into the initial workup of patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules at fine needle aspiration biopsy deserves further investigation. FDG-PET report should suggest further evaluation when focal thyroid incidentalomas are described because these findings are associated with a significant risk of cancer.

  15. Childhood Attachment to Pets: Associations between Pet Attachment, Attitudes to Animals, Compassion, and Humane Behaviour.

    PubMed

    Hawkins, Roxanne D; Williams, Joanne M; Scottish Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Scottish Spca

    2017-05-06

    Attachment to pets has an important role in children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, mental health, well-being, and quality of life. This study examined associations between childhood attachment to pets and caring and friendship behaviour, compassion, and attitudes towards animals. This study also examined socio-demographic differences, particularly pet ownership and pet type. A self-report survey of over one thousand 7 to 12 year-olds in Scotland, UK, revealed that the majority of children are strongly attached to their pets, but attachment scores differ depending on pet type and child gender. Analysis revealed that attachment to pets is facilitated by compassion and caring and pet-directed friendship behaviours and that attachment to pets significantly predicts positive attitudes towards animals. The findings have implications for the promotion of prosocial and humane behaviour. Encouraging children to participate in pet care behaviour may promote attachment between children and their pet, which in turn may have a range of positive outcomes for both children (such as reduced aggression, better well-being, and quality of life) and pets (such as humane treatment). This study enhances our understanding of childhood pet attachment and has implications for humane education and promoting secure emotional attachments in childhood.

  16. Assessing the role of 18F-FDG PET and 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of soft tissue musculoskeletal malignancies – A systematic review and meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Etchebehere, Elba C.; Hobbs, Brian P.; R.Milton, Denái; Malawi, Osama; Patel, Shreyaskumar; Benjamin, Robert S.; Macapinlac, Homer A.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Twelve years ago a meta-analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET in assessing musculoskeletal soft tissue lesions (MsSTL). Currently, PET/CT has substituted PET imaging however there has not been any published meta-analysis on the use of PET/CT or a comparison of PET/CT with PET in the diagnosis of MsSTL. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to identify the current diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT and determine if there is added value when compared to PET. Patients and Methods A systematic review of English articles using MEDLINE PubMed, the Cochrane Library and EMBASE were searched from 1996 to March 2015. Studies exploring the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/CT (or dedicated PET) compared to histopathology in patients with MsSTL undergoing investigation for malignancy were included. Results Our meta-analysis included 14 articles composed of 755 patients with 757 soft tissue lesions. There were 451 (60%) malignant tumors and 306 benign lesions. The 18F-FDG PET/CT (and dedicated PET) mean sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values for diagnosing MsSTL was 0.96 (0.90, 1.00), 0.77 (0.67, 0.86), 0.88 (0.85, 0.91), 0.86 (0.78, 0.94) and 0.91 (0.83, 0.99), respectively. The posterior mean (95% HPD interval) for the AUC was 0.92 (0.88, 0.96). PET/CT had higher specificity, accuracy and positive predictive value when compared to a dedicated PET (0.85, 0.89 and 0.91 vs 0.71, 0.85 and 0.82, respectively). Conclusions 18F-FDG PET/CT and dedicated PET are both highly accurate in the diagnosis of MsSTL. PET/CT is more accurate, specific and has a higher positive predictive value than PET. PMID:26631240

  17. Eight-dimensional methodology for innovative thinking about the case and ethics of the Mount Graham, Large Binocular Telescope project.

    PubMed

    Berne, Rosalyn W; Raviv, Daniel

    2004-04-01

    This paper introduces the Eight Dimensional Methodology for Innovative Thinking (the Eight Dimensional Methodology), for innovative problem solving, as a unified approach to case analysis that builds on comprehensive problem solving knowledge from industry, business, marketing, math, science, engineering, technology, arts, and daily life. It is designed to stimulate innovation by quickly generating unique "out of the box" unexpected and high quality solutions. It gives new insights and thinking strategies to solve everyday problems faced in the workplace, by helping decision makers to see otherwise obscure alternatives and solutions. Daniel Raviv, the engineer who developed the Eight Dimensional Methodology, and paper co-author, technology ethicist Rosalyn Berne, suggest that this tool can be especially useful in identifying solutions and alternatives for particular problems of engineering, and for the ethical challenges which arise with them. First, the Eight Dimensional Methodology helps to elucidate how what may appear to be a basic engineering problem also has ethical dimensions. In addition, it offers to the engineer a methodology for penetrating and seeing new dimensions of those problems. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the Eight Dimensional Methodology as an analytical tool for thinking about ethical challenges to engineering, the paper presents the case of the construction of the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) on Mount Graham in Arizona. Analysis of the case offers to decision makers the use of the Eight Dimensional Methodology in considering alternative solutions for how they can proceed in their goals of exploring space. It then follows that same process through the second stage of exploring the ethics of each of those different solutions. The LBT project pools resources from an international partnership of universities and research institutes for the construction and maintenance of a highly sophisticated, powerful new telescope. It will soon mark the erection of the world's largest and most powerful optical telescope, designed to see fine detail otherwise visible only from space. It also represents a controversial engineering project that is being undertaken on land considered to be sacred by the local, native Apache people. As presented, the case features the University of Virginia, and its challenges in consideration of whether and how to join the LBT project consortium.

  18. Interobserver agreement of interim and end-of-treatment 18F-FDG PET/CT in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL): impact on clinical practice and trials.

    PubMed

    Burggraaff, Coreline N; Cornelisse, Alexander C; Hoekstra, Otto S; Lugtenburg, Pieternella J; de Keizer, Bart; Arens, Anne I J; Celik, Filiz; Huijbregts, Julia E; De Vet, Henrica C W; Zijlstra, Josee M

    2018-05-04

    We aimed to assess the interobserver agreement of Interim PET (I-PET) and End-of-Treatment PET (EoT-PET) using the Deauville 5-point scale (DS) in first-line DLBCL patients. Methods: I-PET and EoT-PET scans of DLBCL patients were performed in the HOVON84 study (2007-2012), an international multicenter randomized controlled trial. Patients received R-CHOP14 and were randomized to receive rituximab intensification in the first 4 cycles or not. I-PET was made after 4 cycles (for observational purposes), and EoT-PET scan after 6 or 8 cycles. Two independent central reviewers retrospectively scored all scans according to the DS-system, blinded to clinical outcomes. Results were dichotomised as 'negative' (DS: 1-3) or 'positive' (DS: 4-5). Besides percentage overall agreement we calculated agreement for positive and negative scores, expressed as positive agreement (PA) and negative agreement (NA), respectively. Results: 465 I-PET and 457 EoT-PET scans were centrally reviewed; baseline 18 F-FDG PET(/CT) was available in 75-77%, and CT in the remaining cases. Percentage overall agreement for I-PET and EoT-PET were 87.7% and 91.7% ( P =0.049), with NA of 92.0% and 95.0% ( P =0.091), and PA of 73.7% and 76.3% ( P =0.656), respectively. Conclusion: Interobserver agreement using DS in DLBCL patients in I-PET and EoT-PET yields high overall and negative agreement. The lower positive agreement suggests that EoT-PET/CT treatment evaluation in daily practice and I-PET adapted trials may benefit from dual reads and central review, respectively. Copyright © 2018 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

  19. FDG-PET response of skeletal (bone marrow and bone) involvement after induction chemotherapy in pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma - Are specific response criteria required?

    PubMed

    Georgi, Thomas Walter; Kluge, Regine; Kurch, Lars; Chavdarova, Lidia; Hasenclever, Dirk; Stoevesandt, Dietrich; Pelz, Tanja; Landman-Parker, Judith; Wallace, Hamish; Karlen, Jonas; Fernandez-Teijeiro, Ana; Cepelova, Michaela; Fossa, Alexander; Balwierz, Walentyna; Attarbaschi, Andishe; Ammann, Roland A; Pears, Jane; Hraskova, Andrea; Uyttebroeck, Anne; Beishuizen, Auke; Dieckmann, Karin; Leblanc, Thierry; Daw, Stephen; Baumann, Julia; Körholz, Dieter; Sabri, Osama; Mauz-Körholz, Christine

    2018-04-13

    Purpose: This study focused on skeletal involvement in FDG-PET (PET) in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). We aimed at a systematic evaluation of the different types of skeletal involvement and their PET response after two cycles of chemotherapy (PET-2), to answer the question whether the current PET response criterion for skeletal involvement is suitable. A secondary objective was to observe the influence of initial uptake intensity and metabolic tumor volume (MTV) of skeletal lesions on the PET-2 response. Methods: Initial PET scans (PET-0) of 1068 pediatric HL patients from the EuroNet-PHL-C1 (C1) trial were evaluated by central review for skeletal involvement. Three types of skeletal lesions were distinguished: skeletal lesions detected only in PET (PETonly), bone marrow (BM) lesions confirmed by MRI or BM biopsy and bone lesions. Uptake intensity (measured as qPET value) and MTV were calculated for each skeletal lesion. All PET-2 scans were assessed for residual tumor activity. The rates of complete metabolic response in PET-2 of skeletal and nodal involvement were compared. Results: 139/1068 (13%) C1 patients showed skeletal involvement (44/139 PETonly patients, 32/139 BM patients and 63/139 bone patients). 101/139 (73%) patients became PET-2 negative in the skeleton while lymph node involvement was PET-2 negative in 94/139 (68%) patients. Highest skeletal PET-2 negative rate was seen in 42/44 (95%) PETonly patients, followed by 22/32 (69%) BM patients and 37/63 (59%) bone patients. Skeletal lesions who became PET-2 negative showed lower median values for initial qPET (2.74) and MTV (2ml) than lesions who remained PET-2 positive (3.84; 7ml). Conclusion: In this study with pediatric HL patients, the complete response rate in PET-2 of skeletal and nodal involvement was similar. Bone flare seemed to be irrelevant. Overall, the current skeletal PET response criterion - comparison with the local skeletal background - is well suited. Initial uptake intensity and MTV of skeletal lesions were predictive for the PET-2 result. Higher values for both parameters were associated with a worse PET-2 response. Copyright © 2018 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

  20. Validation of a 4D-PET Maximum Intensity Projection for Delineation of an Internal Target Volume

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Callahan, Jason, E-mail: jason.callahan@petermac.org; Kron, Tomas; Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne

    2013-07-15

    Purpose: The delineation of internal target volumes (ITVs) in radiation therapy of lung tumors is currently performed by use of either free-breathing (FB) {sup 18}F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) or 4-dimensional (4D)-CT maximum intensity projection (MIP). In this report we validate the use of 4D-PET-MIP for the delineation of target volumes in both a phantom and in patients. Methods and Materials: A phantom with 3 hollow spheres was prepared surrounded by air then water. The spheres and water background were filled with a mixture of {sup 18}F and radiographic contrast medium. A 4D-PET/CT scan was performed of the phantom whilemore » moving in 4 different breathing patterns using a programmable motion device. Nine patients with an FDG-avid lung tumor who underwent FB and 4D-PET/CT and >5 mm of tumor motion were included for analysis. The 3 spheres and patient lesions were contoured by 2 contouring methods (40% of maximum and PET edge) on the FB-PET, FB-CT, 4D-PET, 4D-PET-MIP, and 4D-CT-MIP. The concordance between the different contoured volumes was calculated using a Dice coefficient (DC). The difference in lung tumor volumes between FB-PET and 4D-PET volumes was also measured. Results: The average DC in the phantom using 40% and PET edge, respectively, was lowest for FB-PET/CT (DCAir = 0.72/0.67, DCBackground 0.63/0.62) and highest for 4D-PET/CT-MIP (DCAir = 0.84/0.83, DCBackground = 0.78/0.73). The average DC in the 9 patients using 40% and PET edge, respectively, was also lowest for FB-PET/CT (DC = 0.45/0.44) and highest for 4D-PET/CT-MIP (DC = 0.72/0.73). In the 9 lesions, the target volumes of the FB-PET using 40% and PET edge, respectively, were on average 40% and 45% smaller than the 4D-PET-MIP. Conclusion: A 4D-PET-MIP produces volumes with the highest concordance with 4D-CT-MIP across multiple breathing patterns and lesion sizes in both a phantom and among patients. Freebreathing PET/CT consistently underestimates ITV when compared with 4D PET/CT for a lesion affected by respiration.« less

  1. Integrated 68Gallium Labelled Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen-11 Positron Emission Tomography/Magnetic Resonance Imaging Enhances Discriminatory Power of Multi-Parametric Prostate Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

    PubMed

    Al-Bayati, Mohammad; Grueneisen, Johannes; Lütje, Susanne; Sawicki, Lino M; Suntharalingam, Saravanabavaan; Tschirdewahn, Stephan; Forsting, Michael; Rübben, Herbert; Herrmann, Ken; Umutlu, Lale; Wetter, Axel

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate diagnostic accuracy of integrated 68Gallium labelled prostate-specific membrane antigen (68Ga-PSMA)-11 positron emission tomography (PET)/MRI in patients with primary prostate cancer (PCa) as compared to multi-parametric MRI. A total of 22 patients with recently diagnosed primary PCa underwent clinically indicated 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT for initial staging followed by integrated 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI. Images of multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI), PET and PET/MRI were evaluated separately by applying Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PIRADSv2) for mpMRI and a 5-point Likert scale for PET and PET/MRI. Results were compared with pathology reports of biopsy or resection. Statistical analyses including receiver operating characteristics analysis were performed to compare the diagnostic performance of mpMRI, PET and PET/MRI. PET and integrated PET/MRI demonstrated a higher diagnostic accuracy than mpMRI (area under the curve: mpMRI: 0.679, PET and PET/MRI: 0.951). The proportion of equivocal results (PIRADS 3 and Likert 3) was considerably higher in mpMRI than in PET and PET/MRI. In a notable proportion of equivocal PIRADS results, PET led to a correct shift towards higher suspicion of malignancy and enabled correct lesion classification. Integrated 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/MRI demonstrates higher diagnostic accuracy than mpMRI and is particularly valuable in tumours with equivocal results from PIRADS classification. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Pet ownership and adolescent health: cross-sectional population study.

    PubMed

    Mathers, Megan; Canterford, Louise; Olds, Tim; Waters, Elizabeth; Wake, Melissa

    2010-12-01

    To determine whether adolescent health and well-being are associated with having a pet in the household (any pet, or specifically dogs, cats or horses/ponies) or average daily time spent caring for/playing with pet(s). Design, setting and participants--Cross-sectional data from the third wave of the Health of Young Victorians Study (HOYVS), a school-based population study in Victoria, Australia. Predictors--Adolescent-reported pet ownership and average daily time spent caring for/playing with pet(s). Outcomes--Self-reported quality of life (KIDSCREEN); average 4-day daily physical activity level from a computerised diary; parent-proxy and self-reported physical and psychosocial health status (PedsQL); measured BMI status (not overweight, overweight, obese) and blood pressure. Statistical Analysis--Regression methods, adjusted for socio-demographic factors, and non-parametric methods. Household pet data were available for 928 adolescents (466 boys; mean age of 15.9 (SD 1.2) years). Most adolescents (88.7%) reported having a pet in their household. Of these, 75.1% reported no activity involving pets over the surveyed days. It appeared that neither owning a pet nor time spent caring for/playing with a pet was related, positively or negatively, to adolescent health or well-being. Despite high rates of pet ownership, adolescents had little interaction with pets. It appears that owning a pet and time spent caring for/playing with a pet was not clearly associated with adolescents' health or well-being. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2010 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

  3. Neutering of cats and dogs in Ireland; pet owner self-reported perceptions of enabling and disabling factors in the decision to neuter

    PubMed Central

    Devitt, Catherine; Downes, Marie T.; More, Simon J.

    2015-01-01

    Background. Failure among pet owners to neuter their pets results in increased straying and overpopulation problems. Variations in neutering levels can be explained by cultural differences, differences in economic status in rural and urban locations, and owner perceptions about their pet. There are also differences between male and female pet owners. There is no research pertaining to Irish pet owner attitudes towards neutering their pets. This paper identified the perceptions of a sample of Irish cat and dog owners that influenced their decisions on pet neutering. Methods. This study was conducted using social science (qualitative) methods, including an interview-administered survey questionnaire and focus group discussions. Data was coded and managed using Nvivo 8 qualitative data analysis software. Results. Focus groups were conducted with 43 pet (cats and dogs) owners. Two major categories relating to the decision to neuter were identified: (1) enabling perceptions in the decision to neuter (subcategories were: controlling unwanted pet behaviour; positive perceptions regarding pet health and welfare outcomes; perceived owner responsibility; pet function; and the influence of veterinary advice), and (2) disabling perceptions in the decision to neuter (subcategories were: perceived financial cost of neutering; perceived adequacy of existing controls; and negative perceptions regarding pet health and welfare outcomes). Discussion. Pet owner sense of responsibility and control are two central issues to the decision to neuter their pets. Understanding how pet owners feel about topics such as pet neutering, can help improve initiatives aimed at emphasising the responsibility of population control of cats and dogs. PMID:26312187

  4. 9 CFR 2.6 - Annual license fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, directly or... animals to research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year...

  5. 9 CFR 2.6 - Annual license fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, directly or... animals to research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year...

  6. 9 CFR 2.6 - Annual license fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, directly or... animals to research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year...

  7. 9 CFR 2.6 - Annual license fees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, directly or... animals to research facilities, dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets..., dealers, exhibitors, retail pet stores, and persons for use as pets, during the preceding business year...

  8. Melt rheological properties of nucleated PET/MWCNT nanocomposites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaonkar, Amita; Murudkar, Vrishali; Deshpande, V. D.

    2018-05-01

    This work investigates the effect of precipitated Polyethylene Terephthalate (p-PET) and loading of Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) on morphology and rheology of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)/MWCNT nanocomposites. As received PET and Self-Nucleated PET (Nuc-PET) nanocomposites with different loadings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared by melt mixing technique. Synthesized reorganized PET crystallizes rapidly from the melt and it is used in small quantities as a self-nucleating agent to make Nuc-PET. In the present study, Rheological properties of nanocomposites are obtained and results show with increase in MWCNT loading complex viscosity of nanocomposites increases. Nonterminal solid like rheological behavior of PET nanocomposites were observed at low frequencies, which indicates the formation of the network like structures of MWCNT in nanocomposites. Morphological and rheological properties of self-nucleated PET nanocomposites improved significantly may be due to self-nucleating agent p-PET. Morphological properties were studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). SEM shows better dispersion of MWCNT in Nuc-PET nanocomposites.

  9. Everyday Cognition: Age and Intellectual Ability Correlates

    PubMed Central

    Allaire, Jason C.; Marsiske, Michael

    2010-01-01

    The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between a new battery of everyday cognition measures, which assessed 4 cognitive abilities within 3 familiar real-world domains, and traditional psychometric tests of the same basic cognitive abilities. Several theoreticians have argued that everyday cognition measures are somewhat distinct from traditional cognitive assessment approaches, and the authors investigated this assertion correlationally in the present study. The sample consisted of 174 community-dwelling older adults from the Detroit metropolitan area, who had an average age of 73 years. Major results of the study showed that (a) each everyday cognitive test was strongly correlated with the basic cognitive abilities; (b) several basic abilities, as well as measures of domain-specific knowledge, predicted everyday cognitive performance; and (c) everyday and basic measures were similarly related to age. The results suggest that everyday cognition is not unrelated to traditional measures, nor is it less sensitive to age-related differences. PMID:10632150

  10. TH-E-202-02: The Use of Hypoxia PET Imaging for Radiotherapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Humm, J.

    2016-06-15

    PET/CT is a very important imaging tool in the management of oncology patients. PET/CT has been applied for treatment planning and response evaluation in radiation therapy. This educational session will discuss: Pitfalls and remedies in PET/CT imaging for RT planning The use of hypoxia PET imaging for radiotherapy PET for tumor response evaluation The first presentation will address the issue of mis-registration between the CT and PET images in the thorax and the abdomen. We will discuss the challenges of respiratory gating and introduce an average CT technique to improve the registration for dose calculation and image-guidance in radiation therapy.more » The second presentation will discuss the use of hypoxia PET Imaging for radiation therapy. We will discuss various hypoxia radiotracers, the choice of clinical acquisition protocol (in particular a single late static acquisition versus a dynamic acquisition), and the compartmental modeling with different transfer rate constants explained. We will demonstrate applications of hypoxia imaging for dose escalation/de-escalation in clinical trials. The last presentation will discuss the use of PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. We will discuss anatomic response assessment vs. metabolic response assessment, visual evaluation and semi-quantitative evaluation, and limitations of current PET/CT assessment. We will summarize clinical trials using PET response in guiding adaptive radiotherapy. Finally, we will summarize recent advancements in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. Learning Objectives: Identify the causes of mis-registration of CT and PET images in PET/CT, and review the strategies to remedy the issue. Understand the basics of PET imaging of tumor hypoxia (radiotracers, how PET measures the hypoxia selective uptake, imaging protocols, applications in chemo-radiation therapy). Understand the basics of dynamic PET imaging, compartmental modeling and parametric images. Understand the basics of using FDG PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. Learn about recent advancement in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.; W. Lu, This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.« less

  11. TH-E-202-00: PET for Radiation Therapy

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    PET/CT is a very important imaging tool in the management of oncology patients. PET/CT has been applied for treatment planning and response evaluation in radiation therapy. This educational session will discuss: Pitfalls and remedies in PET/CT imaging for RT planning The use of hypoxia PET imaging for radiotherapy PET for tumor response evaluation The first presentation will address the issue of mis-registration between the CT and PET images in the thorax and the abdomen. We will discuss the challenges of respiratory gating and introduce an average CT technique to improve the registration for dose calculation and image-guidance in radiation therapy.more » The second presentation will discuss the use of hypoxia PET Imaging for radiation therapy. We will discuss various hypoxia radiotracers, the choice of clinical acquisition protocol (in particular a single late static acquisition versus a dynamic acquisition), and the compartmental modeling with different transfer rate constants explained. We will demonstrate applications of hypoxia imaging for dose escalation/de-escalation in clinical trials. The last presentation will discuss the use of PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. We will discuss anatomic response assessment vs. metabolic response assessment, visual evaluation and semi-quantitative evaluation, and limitations of current PET/CT assessment. We will summarize clinical trials using PET response in guiding adaptive radiotherapy. Finally, we will summarize recent advancements in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. Learning Objectives: Identify the causes of mis-registration of CT and PET images in PET/CT, and review the strategies to remedy the issue. Understand the basics of PET imaging of tumor hypoxia (radiotracers, how PET measures the hypoxia selective uptake, imaging protocols, applications in chemo-radiation therapy). Understand the basics of dynamic PET imaging, compartmental modeling and parametric images. Understand the basics of using FDG PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. Learn about recent advancement in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.; W. Lu, This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.« less

  12. TH-E-202-03: PET for Tumor Response Evaluation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lu, W.

    PET/CT is a very important imaging tool in the management of oncology patients. PET/CT has been applied for treatment planning and response evaluation in radiation therapy. This educational session will discuss: Pitfalls and remedies in PET/CT imaging for RT planning The use of hypoxia PET imaging for radiotherapy PET for tumor response evaluation The first presentation will address the issue of mis-registration between the CT and PET images in the thorax and the abdomen. We will discuss the challenges of respiratory gating and introduce an average CT technique to improve the registration for dose calculation and image-guidance in radiation therapy.more » The second presentation will discuss the use of hypoxia PET Imaging for radiation therapy. We will discuss various hypoxia radiotracers, the choice of clinical acquisition protocol (in particular a single late static acquisition versus a dynamic acquisition), and the compartmental modeling with different transfer rate constants explained. We will demonstrate applications of hypoxia imaging for dose escalation/de-escalation in clinical trials. The last presentation will discuss the use of PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. We will discuss anatomic response assessment vs. metabolic response assessment, visual evaluation and semi-quantitative evaluation, and limitations of current PET/CT assessment. We will summarize clinical trials using PET response in guiding adaptive radiotherapy. Finally, we will summarize recent advancements in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. Learning Objectives: Identify the causes of mis-registration of CT and PET images in PET/CT, and review the strategies to remedy the issue. Understand the basics of PET imaging of tumor hypoxia (radiotracers, how PET measures the hypoxia selective uptake, imaging protocols, applications in chemo-radiation therapy). Understand the basics of dynamic PET imaging, compartmental modeling and parametric images. Understand the basics of using FDG PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. Learn about recent advancement in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.; W. Lu, This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.« less

  13. Hestian Education: Everyday Life as a Curricular Paradigm.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Patricia J.

    Everyday life as a curricular paradigm is discussed in this paper, beginning with a look at public and private feminist dilemmas, at the creation of nonpatriarchal categories, and at the everyday world seen both as phenomenon and as problematic. Numerous feminist scholars have addressed the question of a feminist standpoint on everyday life, and…

  14. Everyday Learning about Brothers & Sisters. Everyday Learning Series. Volume 3, Number 2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackey, Gerrie

    2005-01-01

    The "Everyday Learning" series has been developed to focus attention on the everyday ways in which children can be supported in their growth and development. It is for all those who are involved in children's development and learning, including early childhood professionals in all children's services, parents, grandparents and others…

  15. Coercive control and abused women's decisions about their pets when seeking shelter.

    PubMed

    Hardesty, Jennifer L; Khaw, Lyndal; Ridgway, Marcella D; Weber, Cheryl; Miles, Teresa

    2013-09-01

    The importance of pets in families, especially during major life stressors, is well documented. Research suggests links between pet ownership and intimate partner violence (IPV). This study explored abused women's decisions about pets when seeking help from a shelter. Interviews were conducted with 19 women who were pet owners. Using grounded theory methods, two patterns emerged surrounding abusers' treatment of pets, bonds to pets, women's decisions about pets upon seeking shelter, and future plans for pets. The presence of coercive control was central to these patterns. Women also discussed their experiences with and needs from shelter professionals and veterinarians with implications for practice.

  16. [Principles of PET].

    PubMed

    Beuthien-Baumann, B

    2018-05-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) is a procedure in nuclear medicine, which is applied predominantly in oncological diagnostics. In the form of modern hybrid machines, such as PET computed tomography (PET/CT) and PET magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) it has found wide acceptance and availability. The PET procedure is more than just another imaging technique, but a functional method with the capability for quantification in addition to the distribution pattern of the radiopharmaceutical, the results of which are used for therapeutic decisions. A profound knowledge of the principles of PET including the correct indications, patient preparation, and possible artifacts is mandatory for the correct interpretation of PET results.

  17. Simultaneous 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/MRI in patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: initial results.

    PubMed

    Beiderwellen, Karsten J; Poeppel, Thorsten D; Hartung-Knemeyer, Verena; Buchbender, Christian; Kuehl, Hilmar; Bockisch, Andreas; Lauenstein, Thomas C

    2013-05-01

    The aim of this pilot study was to demonstrate the potential of simultaneously acquired 68-Gallium-DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (68Ga-DOTATOC) positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) in comparison with 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) in patients with known gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Eight patients (4 women and 4 men; mean [SD] age, 54 [17] years; median, 55 years; range 25-74 years) with histopathologically confirmed NET and scheduled 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT were prospectively enrolled for an additional integrated PET/MRI scan. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography was performed using a triple-phase contrast-enhanced full-dose protocol. Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging encompassed a diagnostic, contrast-enhanced whole-body MRI protocol. Two readers separately analyzed the PET/CT and PET/MRI data sets including their subscans in random order regarding lesion localization, count, and characterization on a 4-point ordinal scale (0, not visible; 1, benign; 2, indeterminate; and 3, malignant). In addition, each lesion was rated in consensus on a binary scale (allowing for benign/malignant only). Clinical imaging, existing prior examinations, and histopathology (if available) served as the standard of reference. In PET-positive lesions, the standardized uptake value (SUV max) was measured in consensus. A descriptive, case-oriented data analysis was performed, including determination of frequencies and percentages in detection of malignant, benign, and indeterminate lesions in connection to their localization. In addition, percentages in detection by a singular modality (such as PET, CT, or MRI) were calculated. Interobserver variability was calculated (Cohen's κ). The SUVs in the lesions in PET/CT and PET/MRI were measured, and the correlation coefficient (Pearson, 2-tailed) was calculated. According to the reference standard, 5 of the 8 patients had malignant NET lesions at the time of the examination. A total of 4 patients were correctly identified by PET/CT, with the PET and CT component correctly identifying 3 patients each. All 5 patients positive for NET disease were correctly identified by PET/MRI, with the MRI subscan identifying all 5 patients and the PET subscan identifying 3 patients. All lesions considered as malignant in PET/CT were equally depicted in and considered using PET/MRI. One liver lesion rated as "indetermined" in PET/CT was identified as metastasis in PET/MRI because of a diffusion restriction in diffusion-weighted imaging. Of the 4 lung lesions characterized in PET/CT, only 1 was depicted in PET/MRI. Of the 3 lymph nodes depicted in PET/CT, only 1 was characterized in PET/MRI. Interobserver reliability was equally very good in PET/CT (κ = 0.916) and PET/MRI (κ = 1.0). The SUV max measured in PET/CT and in PET/MRI showed a strong correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.996). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/MRI in patients with gastroenteropancreatic NET, with special advantages in the characterization of abdominal lesions yet certain weaknesses inherent to MRI, such as lung metastases and hypersclerotic bone lesions.

  18. Cardiovascular reactivity and the presence of pets, friends, and spouses: the truth about cats and dogs.

    PubMed

    Allen, Karen; Blascovich, Jim; Mendes, Wendy B

    2002-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the presence of friends, spouses, and pets on cardiovascular reactivity to psychological and physical stress. Cardiovascular reactivity was examined among 240 married couples, half of whom owned a pet. Mental arithmetic and cold pressor were performed in one of four randomly assigned social support conditions: alone, with pet or friend (friend present for non-pet owners), with spouse, with spouse and pet/friend. Relative to people without pets, people with pets had significantly lower heart rate and blood pressure levels during a resting baseline, significantly smaller increases (ie, reactivity) from baseline levels during the mental arithmetic and cold pressor, and faster recovery. Among pet owners, the lowest reactivity and quickest recovery was observed in the pet-present conditions. People perceive pets as important, supportive parts of their lives, and significant cardiovascular and behavioral benefits are associated with those perceptions.

  19. Everyday movement and use of the arms: Relationship in children with hemiparesis differs from adults.

    PubMed

    Sokal, Brad; Uswatte, Gitendra; Vogtle, Laura; Byrom, Ezekiel; Barman, Joydip

    2015-01-01

    In adults with hemiparesis amount of movement of the more-affected arm is related to its amount of use in daily life. In children, little is known about everyday arm use. This report examines the relationships between everyday movement of the more-affected arm and its (a) everyday use and (b) motor capacity in children with hemiparesis. Participants were 28 children with a wide range of upper-extremity hemiparesis subsequent to cerebral palsy due to pre- or peri-natal stroke. Everyday movement of the more-affected arm was assessed by putting accelerometers on the children's forearms for three days. Everyday use of that arm and its motor capacity were assessed with the Pediatric Motor Activity Log-Revised and Pediatric Arm Function Test, respectively. Intensity of everyday movement of the more-affected arm was correlated with its motor capacity (rs ≥ 0.52, ps ≤ 0.003). However, everyday movement of that arm was not correlated with its everyday use (rs ≤ 0.30, ps ≥ $ 0.126). In children with upper-extremity hemiparesis who meet the study intake criteria amount of movement of the more-affected arm in daily life is not related to its amount to use, suggesting that children differ from adults in this respect.

  20. Everyday social and conversation applications of theory-of-mind understanding by children with autism-spectrum disorders or typical development.

    PubMed

    Peterson, Candida C; Garnett, Michelle; Kelly, Adrian; Attwood, Tony

    2009-02-01

    Children with autism-spectrum disorders (ASD) often fail laboratory false-belief tests of theory of mind (ToM). Yet how this impacts on their everyday social behavior is less clear, partly owing to uncertainty over which specific everyday conversational and social skills require ToM understanding. A new caregiver-report scale of these everyday applications of ToM was developed and validated in two studies. Study 1 obtained parent ratings of 339 children (85 with autism; 230 with Asperger's; 24 typically-developing) on the new scale and results revealed (a) that the scale had good psychometric properties and (b) that children with ASD had significantly more everyday mindreading difficulties than typical developers. In Study 2, we directly tested links between laboratory ToM and everyday mindreading using teacher ratings on the new scale. The sample of 25 children included 15 with autism and 10 typical developers aged 5-12 years. Children in both groups who passed laboratory ToM tests had fewer everyday mindreading difficulties than those of the same diagnosis who failed. Yet, intriguingly, autistic ToM-passers still had more problems with everyday mindreading than younger typically-developing ToM-failers. The possible roles of family conversation and peer interaction, along with ToM, in everyday social functioning were considered.

  1. Ad cerebrum per scientia: Ira Hirsh, psychoacoustics, and new approaches to understanding the human brain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lauter, Judith

    2002-05-01

    As Research Director of CID, Ira emphasized the importance of combining information from biology with rigorous studies of behavior, such as psychophysics, to better understand how the brain and body accomplish the goals of everyday life. In line with this philosophy, my doctoral dissertation sought to explain brain functional asymmetries (studied with dichotic listening) in terms of the physical dimensions of a library of test sounds designed to represent a speech-music continuum. Results highlighted individual differences plus similarities in terms of patterns of relative ear advantages, suggesting an organizational basis for brain asymmetries depending on physical dimensions of stimulus and gesture with analogs in auditory, visual, somatosensory, and motor systems. My subsequent work has employed a number of noninvasive methods (OAEs, EPs, qEEG, PET, MRI) to explore the neurobiological bases of individual differences in general and functional asymmetries in particular. This research has led to (1) the AXS test battery for assessing the neurobiology of human sensory-motor function; (2) the handshaking model of brain function, describing dynamic relations along all three body/brain axes; (3) the four-domain EPIC model of functional asymmetries; and (4) the trimodal brain, a new model of individual differences based on psychoimmunoneuroendocrinology.

  2. Staging performance of whole-body DWI, PET/CT and PET/MRI in invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast.

    PubMed

    Catalano, Onofrio Antonio; Daye, Dania; Signore, Alberto; Iannace, Carlo; Vangel, Mark; Luongo, Angelo; Catalano, Marco; Filomena, Mazzeo; Mansi, Luigi; Soricelli, Andrea; Salvatore, Marco; Fuin, Niccolo; Catana, Ciprian; Mahmood, Umar; Rosen, Bruce Robert

    2017-07-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the performance of whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging (WB-DWI), whole-body positron emission tomography with computed tomography (WB-PET/CT), and whole-body positron emission tomography with magnetic resonance imaging (WB-PET/MRI) in staging patients with untreated invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. Fifty-one women with newly diagnosed invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast underwent WB-DWI, WB-PET/CT and WB-PET/MRI before treatment. A radiologist and a nuclear medicine physician reviewed in consensus the images from the three modalities and searched for occurrence, number and location of metastases. Final staging, according to each technique, was compared. Pathology and imaging follow-up were used as the reference. WB-DWI, WB-PET/CT and WB-PET/MRI correctly and concordantly staged 33/51 patients: stage IIA in 7 patients, stage IIB in 8 patients, stage IIIC in 4 patients and stage IV in 14 patients. WB-DWI, WB-PET/CT and WB-PET/MRI incorrectly and concordantly staged 1/51 patient as stage IV instead of IIIA. Discordant staging was reported in 17/51 patients. WB-PET/MRI resulted in improved staging when compared to WB-PET/CT (50 correctly staged on WB-PET/MRI vs. 38 correctly staged on WB-PET/CT; McNemar's test; p<0.01). Comparing the performance of WB-PET/MRI and WB-DWI (43 correct) did not reveal a statistically significant difference (McNemar test, p=0.14). WB-PET/MRI is more accurate in the initial staging of breast cancer than WB-DWI and WB-PET/CT, however, the discrepancies between WB-PET/MRI and WB-DWI were not statistically significant. When available, WB-PET/MRI should be considered for staging patient with invasive ductal breast carcinoma.

  3. Reproducibility of 18F-FDG PET uptake measurements in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma on both PET/CT and PET/MR

    PubMed Central

    Fischer, B M; Aznar, M C; Hansen, A E; Vogelius, I R; Löfgren, J; Andersen, F L; Loft, A; Kjaer, A; Højgaard, L; Specht, L

    2015-01-01

    Objective: To investigate reproducibility of fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake on 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and 18F-FDG PET/MR scans in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: 30 patients with HNSCC were included in this prospective study. The patients were scanned twice before radiotherapy treatment with both PET/CT and PET/MR. Patients were scanned on the same scanners, 3 days apart and according to the same protocol. Metabolic tumour activity was measured by the maximum and peak standardized uptake value (SUVmax and SUVpeak, respectively), and total lesion glycolysis from the metabolic tumour volume defined from ≥50% SUVmax. Bland–Altman analysis with limits of agreement, coefficient of variation (CV) from the two modalities were performed in order to test the reproducibility. Furthermore, CVs from SUVmax and SUVpeak were compared. The area under the curve from cumulative SUV–volume histograms were measured and tested for reproducibility of the distribution of 18F-FDG uptake. Results: 24 patients had two pre-treatment PET/CT scans and 21 patients had two pre-treatment PET/MR scans available for further analyses. Mean difference for SUVmax, peak and mean was approximately 4% for PET/CT and 3% for PET/MR, with 95% limits of agreement less than ±20%. CV was small (5–7%) for both modalities. There was no significant difference in CVs between PET/CT and PET/MR (p = 0.31). SUVmax was not more reproducible than SUVpeak (p = 0.09). Conclusion: 18F-FDG uptake in PET/CT and PET/MR is highly reproducible and we found no difference in reproducibility between PET/CT and PET/MR. Advances in knowledge: This is the first report to test reproducibility of PET/CT and PET/MR. PMID:25634069

  4. Feasibility of deep-inspiration breath-hold PET/CT with short-time acquisition: detectability for pulmonary lesions compared with respiratory-gated PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Yamashita, Shozo; Yokoyama, Kunihiko; Onoguchi, Masahisa; Yamamoto, Haruki; Hiko, Shigeaki; Horita, Akihiro; Nakajima, Kenichi

    2014-01-01

    Deep-inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) PET/CT with short-time acquisition and respiratory-gated (RG) PET/CT are performed for pulmonary lesions to reduce the respiratory motion artifacts, and to obtain more accurate standardized uptake value (SUV). DIBH PET/CT demonstrates significant advantages in terms of rapid examination, good quality of CT images and low radiation exposure. On the other hand, the image quality of DIBH PET is generally inferior to that of RG PET because of short-time acquisition resulting in poor signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, RG PET has been regarded as a gold standard, and its detectability between DIBH and RG PET studies was compared using each of the most optimal reconstruction parameters. In the phantom study, the most optimal reconstruction parameters for DIBH and RG PET were determined. In the clinical study, 19 cases were examined using each of the most optimal reconstruction parameters. In the phantom study, the most optimal reconstruction parameters for DIBH and RG PET were different. Reconstruction parameters of DIBH PET could be obtained by reducing the number of subsets for those of RG PET in the state of fixing the number of iterations. In the clinical study, high correlation in the maximum SUV was observed between DIBH and RG PET studies. The clinical result was consistent with that of the phantom study surrounded by air since most of the lesions were located in the low pulmonary radioactivity. DIBH PET/CT may be the most practical method which can be the first choice to reduce respiratory motion artifacts if the detectability of DIBH PET is equivalent with that of RG PET. Although DIBH PET may have limitations in suboptimal signal-to-noise ratio, most of the lesions surrounded by low background radioactivity could provide nearly equivalent image quality between DIBH and RG PET studies when each of the most optimal reconstruction parameters was used.

  5. The ‘everyday work’ of living with multimorbidity in socioeconomically deprived areas of Scotland

    PubMed Central

    O’Brien, Rosaleen; Wyke, Sally; Watt, Graham G.C.M.; Guthrie, Bruce; Mercer, Stewart W.

    2014-01-01

    Background Multimorbidity is common in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and is associated with poor quality of life, but the reasons behind this are not clear. Exploring the ‘everyday life work’ of patients may reveal important barriers to self-management and wellbeing. Objective To investigate the relationship between the management of multimorbidity and ‘everyday life work’ in patients living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation in Scotland, as part of a programme of work on multimorbidity and deprivation. Design Qualitative study: individual semi-structured interviews of 14 patients (8 women and 6 men) living in deprived areas with multimorbidity, exploring how they manage. Analysis was continuous and iterative. We report the findings in relation to everyday life work. Results The in-depth analysis revealed four key themes: (i) the symbolic significance of everyday life work to evidence the work of being ‘normal’; (ii) the usefulness of everyday life work in managing symptoms; (iii) the impact that mental health problems had on everyday life work; and (iv) issues around accepting help for everyday life tasks. Overall, most struggled with the amount of work required to establish a sense of normalcy in their everyday lives, especially in those with mental–physical multimorbidity. Conclusions Everyday life work is an important component of self-management in patients with multimorbidity in deprived areas, and is commonly impaired, especially in those with mental health problems. Interventions to improve self-management support for patients living with multimorbidity may benefit from an understanding of the role of everyday life work. Journal of Comorbidity 2014;4:1–10 PMID:29090148

  6. Comparison of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT with [18F]NaF PET/CT in the evaluation of bone metastases in metastatic prostate cancer patients prior to radionuclide therapy.

    PubMed

    Uprimny, Christian; Svirydenka, Anna; Fritz, Josef; Kroiss, Alexander Stephan; Nilica, Bernhard; Decristoforo, Clemens; Haubner, Roland; von Guggenberg, Elisabeth; Buxbaum, Sabine; Horninger, Wolfgang; Virgolini, Irene Johanna

    2018-05-16

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in the evaluation of bone metastases in metastatic prostate cancer (PC) patients scheduled for radionuclide therapy in comparison to [ 18 F]sodium fluoride ( 18 F-NaF) PET/CT. Sixteen metastatic PC patients with known skeletal metastases, who underwent both 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT and 18 F-NaF PET/CT for assessment of metastatic burden prior to radionuclide therapy, were analysed retrospectively. The performance of both tracers was calculated on a lesion-based comparison. Intensity of tracer accumulation of pathologic bone lesions on 18 F-NaF PET and 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET was measured with maximum standardized uptake values (SUV max ) and compared to background activity of normal bone. In addition, SUV max values of PET-positive bone lesions were analysed with respect to morphologic characteristics on CT. Bone metastases were either confirmed by CT or follow-up PET scan. In contrast to 468 PET-positive lesions suggestive of bone metastases on 18 F-NaF PET, only 351 of the lesions were also judged positive on 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET (75.0%). Intensity of tracer accumulation of pathologic skeletal lesions was significantly higher on 18 F-NaF PET compared to 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET, showing a median SUV max of 27.0 and 6.0, respectively (p < 0.001). Background activity of normal bone was lower on 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET, with a median SUV max of 1.0 in comparison to 2.7 on 18 F-NaF PET; however, tumour to background ratio was significantly higher on 18 F-NaF PET (9.8 versus 5.9 on 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET; p = 0.042). Based on morphologic lesion characterisation on CT, 18 F-NaF PET revealed median SUV max values of 23.6 for osteosclerotic, 35.0 for osteolytic, and 19.0 for lesions not visible on CT, whereas on 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET median SUV max values of 5.0 in osteosclerotic, 29.5 in osteolytic, and 7.5 in lesions not seen on CT were measured. Intensity of tracer accumulation between 18 F-NaF PET and 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET was significantly higher in osteosclerotic (p < 0.001) and lesions not visible on CT (p = 0.012). In comparison to 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT, 18 F-NaF PET/CT detects a higher number of pathologic bone lesions in advanced stage PC patients scheduled for radionuclide therapy. Our data suggest that 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET should be combined with 18 F-NaF PET in PC patients with skeletal metastases for restaging prior to initiation or modification of therapy.

  7. The Effects of Tryptophan on Everyday Interpersonal Encounters and Social Cognitions in Individuals with a Family History of Depression.

    PubMed

    Hogenelst, Koen; Schoevers, Robert A; Aan Het Rot, Marije

    2015-03-02

    Individuals with a family history of depression show subtle abnormalities in the processing of social stimuli. This could negatively affect their interpersonal functioning and contribute to their depression risk. Repeated administration of the serotonin precursor tryptophan has previously been shown to increase agreeable behavior and reduce quarrelsome behavior in irritable people, who are also considered at risk for depression. To examine the effects of tryptophan on social functioning in individuals with a family history of depression, 40 men and women with at least one first-degree relative with depression received tryptophan (1g three times a day) and placebo for 14 days each in a double-blind crossover design and recorded their social behavior and mood during everyday interpersonal encounters. Participants also provided daily ratings of their positive and negative cognitions concerning their social functioning. Tryptophan improved mood. Unexpectedly, tryptophan increased quarrelsome behavior and reduced agreeable behavior, specifically during interactions at home. The behavioral effects of tryptophan were not moderated by mood or by the interaction partner. Negative social cognitions were lower when tryptophan was given second and lower during placebo when placebo was given second. Overall, tryptophan may not alter social behavior in individuals with a family history of depression as it does in irritable people. However, the behavioral effects of tryptophan at home might be seen as a way for individuals with a family history of depression to achieve more control. Over time, this may positively influence the way they feel and think about themselves in a social context. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

  8. Benner's remnants: culture, tradition and everyday understanding.

    PubMed

    Paley, John

    2002-06-01

    Benner's account of meaning and embodiment in nursing depends on a theory which she has never fully articulated, although she makes numerous allusions to it. Behind the background of shared meanings hovers something called 'culture', which provides each individual with meaning, determines what counts as real for her, and actively hands down interpretation-laden practices. This view is based, Benner claims, on the Heideggerian assumption that the meaning and organization of a culture precedes individual meaning-giving activity. I explore Benner's implicit view of culture, drawing on her published work over 15 years, and offer an appraisal of it. In doing so, I attempt to make sense of some rather strange remarks Benner has recently made about 'remnants' of Cartesian and Kantian thinking being found in the everyday understandings of people with asthma. The concept of culture is developed with reference to both Benner's own work and that of the anthropologist, Clifford Geertz, whose work she frequently cites. Having identified the principal tenets of what we might conveniently call the Benner-Geertz theory, I proceed to interrogate the theory, using the recent anthropological literature -- and, in particular, materialist attacks on the idea of culture as a system of meanings -- in order to cast doubt on it. I also review, very briefly, an alternative way of understanding 'culture', which is not vulnerable to the same criticisms. Benner's implicit theory of culture is revealed, somewhat ironically, as an inverted form of Cartesian dualism. Its intellectual provenance is not Heidegger, who appears to reject it, but the sort of American sociology associated with Talcott Parsons. As a corollary, it is suggested that Benner's 'remnants' analogy cannot be justified, and that the idea of Cartesian and Kantian concepts permeating Western culture, infecting both the providers and receivers of health care, is a myth.

  9. Sign use and cognition in automated scientific discovery: are computers only special kinds of signs?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Giza, Piotr

    2018-04-01

    James Fetzer criticizes the computational paradigm, prevailing in cognitive science by questioning, what he takes to be, its most elementary ingredient: that cognition is computation across representations. He argues that if cognition is taken to be a purposive, meaningful, algorithmic problem solving activity, then computers are incapable of cognition. Instead, they appear to be signs of a special kind, that can facilitate computation. He proposes the conception of minds as semiotic systems as an alternative paradigm for understanding mental phenomena, one that seems to overcome the difficulties of computationalism. Now, I argue, that with computer systems dealing with scientific discovery, the matter is not so simple as that. The alleged superiority of humans using signs to stand for something other over computers being merely "physical symbol systems" or "automatic formal systems" is only easy to establish in everyday life, but becomes far from obvious when scientific discovery is at stake. In science, as opposed to everyday life, the meaning of symbols is, apart from very low-level experimental investigations, defined implicitly by the way the symbols are used in explanatory theories or experimental laws relevant to the field, and in consequence, human and machine discoverers are much more on a par. Moreover, the great practical success of the genetic programming method and recent attempts to apply it to automatic generation of cognitive theories seem to show, that computer systems are capable of very efficient problem solving activity in science, which is neither purposive nor meaningful, nor algorithmic. This, I think, undermines Fetzer's argument that computer systems are incapable of cognition because computation across representations is bound to be a purposive, meaningful, algorithmic problem solving activity.

  10. Theory of Mind Experience Sampling in Typical Adults

    PubMed Central

    Coffey, Anna; Povinelli, Daniel J.; Pruett, John R.

    2013-01-01

    We explored the frequency with which typical adults make Theory of Mind (ToM) attributions, and under what circumstances these attributions occur. We used an experience sampling method to query 30 typical adults about their everyday thoughts. Participants carried a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) that prompted them to categorize their thoughts as Action, Mental State, or Miscellaneous at approximately 30 pseudo-random times during a continuous 10-hr period. Additionally, participants noted the direction of their thought (self vs. other) and degree of socializing (with people vs. alone) at the time of inquiry. We were interested in the relative frequency of ToM (mental state attributions) and how prominent they were in immediate social exchanges. Analyses of multiple choice answers suggest that typical adults: 1) spend more time thinking about actions than mental states and miscellaneous things, 2) exhibit a higher degree of own- versus other-directed thought when alone, and 3) make mental state attributions more frequently when not interacting (offline) than while interacting with others (online). A significant 3-way interaction between thought type, direction of thought, and socializing emerged because action but not mental state thoughts about others occurred more frequently when participants were interacting with people versus when alone; whereas there was an increase in the frequency of both action and mental state attributions about the self when participants were alone as opposed to socializing. A secondary analysis of coded free text responses supports findings 1–3. The results of this study help to create a more naturalistic picture of ToM use in everyday life and the method shows promise for future study of typical and atypical thought processes. PMID:23685620

  11. Theory of Mind experience sampling in typical adults.

    PubMed

    Bryant, Lauren; Coffey, Anna; Povinelli, Daniel J; Pruett, John R

    2013-09-01

    We explored the frequency with which typical adults make Theory of Mind (ToM) attributions, and under what circumstances these attributions occur. We used an experience sampling method to query 30 typical adults about their everyday thoughts. Participants carried a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) that prompted them to categorize their thoughts as Action, Mental State, or Miscellaneous at approximately 30 pseudo-random times during a continuous 10-h period. Additionally, participants noted the direction of their thought (self versus other) and degree of socializing (with people versus alone) at the time of inquiry. We were interested in the relative frequency of ToM (mental state attributions) and how prominent they were in immediate social exchanges. Analyses of multiple choice answers suggest that typical adults: (1) spend more time thinking about actions than mental states and miscellaneous things, (2) exhibit a higher degree of own- versus other-directed thought when alone, and (3) make mental state attributions more frequently when not interacting (offline) than while interacting with others (online). A significant 3-way interaction between thought type, direction of thought, and socializing emerged because action but not mental state thoughts about others occurred more frequently when participants were interacting with people versus when alone; whereas there was an increase in the frequency of both action and mental state attributions about the self when participants were alone as opposed to socializing. A secondary analysis of coded free text responses supports findings 1-3. The results of this study help to create a more naturalistic picture of ToM use in everyday life and the method shows promise for future study of typical and atypical thought processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Executive dysfunction and the relation with behavioral problems in children with 47,XXY and 47,XXX.

    PubMed

    van Rijn, S; Swaab, H

    2015-02-01

    Neuroimaging studies have shown that having an extra X chromosome is associated with abnormal structure and function of brain areas in the frontal lobe, which is crucially involved in executive functioning. However, there is little of knowledge of the type and severity of executive dysfunction, and the impact on emotional and behavioral problems. The present study aims to provide in this. In total, 40 children (23 boys with 47,XXY and 17 girls with 47,XXX) with an extra X chromosome and 100 non-clinical controls (47 boys and 53 girls) participated in the study. The participants were 9-18 years old. Processing speed and executive functioning were assessed using the Amsterdam Neuropsychological Testbattery (ANT) and the Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX). Problems in emotional and behavioral functioning were assessed with the Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Children with an extra X chromosome showed deficits in inhibition, mental flexibility, sustained attention and visual working memory. Parental report showed high levels of everyday manifestations of executive dysfunction. More severe inhibition difficulties were associated with higher levels of thought problems, aggression and rule breaking behavior. Boys and girls with an extra X chromosome could not be differentiated based on severity of executive dysfunction, however, girls had lower information processing speed than boys. These findings suggest that executive dysfunction may be part of the phenotype of children with an extra X chromosome, impacting the ability to function adequately in everyday life. Furthermore, children with impairments in inhibition may have more problems in regulating their thinking, emotions and behavior. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

  13. Talking with Children about Furry Classroom Pets.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Texas Child Care, 1994

    1994-01-01

    Notes that rodents and rabbits share many characteristics that make them suitable classroom pets and gives background information on rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and gerbils. Offers advice on buying a classroom pet, the pet's home, feeding, helping the children handle the pet, and pet health and family planning. (TJQ)

  14. Advances in prostate-specific membrane antigen PET of prostate cancer.

    PubMed

    Bouchelouche, Kirsten; Choyke, Peter L

    2018-05-01

    In recent years, a large number of reports have been published on prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)/PET in prostate cancer (PCa). This review highlights advances in PSMA PET in PCa during the past year. PSMA PET/computed tomography (CT) is useful in detection of biochemical recurrence, especially at low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values. The detection rate of PSMA PET is influenced by PSA level. For primary PCa, PSMA PET/CT shows promise for tumour localization in the prostate, especially in combination with multiparametric MRI (mpMRI). For primary staging, PSMA PET/CT can be used in intermediate and high-risk PCa. Intraoperative PSMA radioligand guidance seems promising for detection of malignant lymph nodes. While the use of PSMA PET/MRI in primary localized disease is limited to high and intermediate-risk patients and localized staging, in the recurrence setting, PET/MRI can be particularly helpful when the lesions are subtle. PSMA PET/CT is superior to choline PET/CT and other conventional imaging modalities. Molecular imaging with PSMA PET continues to pave the way for personalized medicine in PCa.However, large prospective clinical studies are still needed to fully evaluate the role of PSMA PET/CT and PET/MRI in the clinical workflow of PCa.

  15. NEMA NU 4-2008 comparison of preclinical PET imaging systems.

    PubMed

    Goertzen, Andrew L; Bao, Qinan; Bergeron, Mélanie; Blankemeyer, Eric; Blinder, Stephan; Cañadas, Mario; Chatziioannou, Arion F; Dinelle, Katherine; Elhami, Esmat; Jans, Hans-Sonke; Lage, Eduardo; Lecomte, Roger; Sossi, Vesna; Surti, Suleman; Tai, Yuan-Chuan; Vaquero, Juan José; Vicente, Esther; Williams, Darin A; Laforest, Richard

    2012-08-01

    The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standard NU 4-2008 for performance measurements of small-animal tomographs was recently published. Before this standard, there were no standard testing procedures for preclinical PET systems, and manufacturers could not provide clear specifications similar to those available for clinical systems under NEMA NU 2-1994 and 2-2001. Consequently, performance evaluation papers used methods that were modified ad hoc from the clinical PET NEMA standard, thus making comparisons between systems difficult. We acquired NEMA NU 4-2008 performance data for a collection of commercial animal PET systems manufactured since 2000: microPET P4, microPET R4, microPET Focus 120, microPET Focus 220, Inveon, ClearPET, Mosaic HP, Argus (formerly eXplore Vista), VrPET, LabPET 8, and LabPET 12. The data included spatial resolution, counting-rate performance, scatter fraction, sensitivity, and image quality and were acquired using settings for routine PET. The data showed a steady improvement in system performance for newer systems as compared with first-generation systems, with notable improvements in spatial resolution and sensitivity. Variation in system design makes direct comparisons between systems from different vendors difficult. When considering the results from NEMA testing, one must also consider the suitability of the PET system for the specific imaging task at hand.

  16. [Microeconomics of introduction of a PET system based on the revised Japanese National Insurance reimbursement system].

    PubMed

    Abe, Katsumi; Kosuda, Shigeru; Kusano, Shoichi; Nagata, Masayoshi

    2003-11-01

    It is crucial to evaluate an annual balance before-hand when an institution installs a PET system because the revised Japanese national insurance reimbursement system set the cost of a FDG PET study as 75,000 yen. A break-even point was calculated in an 8-hour or a 24-hour operation of a PET system, based on the total costs reported. The break-even points were as follows: 13.4, 17.7, 22.1 studies per day for the 1 cyclotron-1 PET camera, 1 cyclotron-2 PET cameras, 1 cyclotron-3 PET cameras system, respectively, in an ordinary PET system operation of 8 hours. The break-even points were 19.9, 25.5, 31.2 studies per day for the 1 cyclotron-1 PET camera, 1 cyclotron-2 PET cameras, 1 cyclotron-3 PET cameras system, respectively, in a full PET system operation of 24 hours. The results indicate no profit would accrue in an ordinary PET system operation of 8 hours. The annual profit and break-even point for the total cost including the initial investment would be respectively 530 million yen and 2.8 years in a 24-hour operation with 1 cyclotron-3 PET cameras system.

  17. Feasibility of FDG-PET in myocarditis: Comparison to CMR using integrated PET/MRI.

    PubMed

    Nensa, Felix; Kloth, Julia; Tezgah, Ercan; Poeppel, Thorsten D; Heusch, Philipp; Goebel, Juliane; Nassenstein, Kai; Schlosser, Thomas

    2018-06-01

    Besides cardiac sarcoidosis, FDG-PET is rarely used in the diagnosis of myocardial inflammation, while cardiac MRI (CMR) is the actual imaging reference for the workup of myocarditis. Using integrated PET/MRI in patients with suspected myocarditis, we prospectively compared FDG-PET to CMR and the feasibility of integrated FDG-PET/MRI in myocarditis. A total of 65 consecutive patients with suspected myocarditis were prospectively assessed using integrated cardiac FDG-PET/MRI. Studies comprised T2-weighted imaging, late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), and simultaneous PET acquisition. Physiological glucose uptake in the myocardium was suppressed using dietary preparation. FDG-PET/MRI was successful in 55 of 65 enrolled patients: two patients were excluded due to claustrophobia and eight patients due to failed inhibition of myocardial glucose uptake. Compared with CMR (LGE and/or T2), sensitivity and specificity of PET was 74% and 97%. Overall spatial agreement between PET and CMR was κ = 0.73. Spatial agreement between PET and T2 (κ = 0.75) was higher than agreement between PET and LGE (κ = 0.64) as well as between LGE and T2 (κ = 0.56). In patients with suspected myocarditis, FDG-PET is in good agreement with CMR findings.

  18. Diagnostic accuracy of sequential co-registered PET+MR in comparison to PET/CT in local thoracic staging of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

    PubMed

    Martini, Katharina; Meier, Andreas; Opitz, Isabelle; Weder, Walter; Veit-Haibach, Patrick; Stahel, Rolf A; Frauenfelder, Thomas

    2016-04-01

    To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of sequential co-registered PET+MR (PET+MR) for local staging of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) compared to PET/CT. In a prospective clinical trial 34 consecutive patients (median age 66 years; range 40-79 years; 1 female, 33 male) with known MPM, who underwent PET/CT and PET+MR exams for either staging or re-staging/follow-up were evaluated. Imaging was conducted using a tri-modality PET/CT-MR set-up (Discovery PET/CT 690, 3T Discovery MR 750w, both GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI, USA). In 26 cases histopathology served as standard of reference. Two independent readers evaluated images for T and N stage, confidence level (sure to unsure; 1-3) and subjective overall image quality (very good to non-diagnostic; 1-4). Inter-observer agreement of T and N stages (Cohen's kappa) and interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) between PET/CT vs. PET+MR was calculated. Inter observer agreement for evaluation of T and N Stage in PET/CT images was excellent (k=0.844 and k=0.824, respectively), whereas PET+MR imaging showed substantial agreement in T and N stage (k=0.729 and k=0.691, respectively). The ICC of PET/CT vs. PET+MR for evaluation of both, T and N Stage, was excellent (ICC=0.951 and ICC=0.93, respectively). Diagnostic confidence was scored significantly higher in PET+MR compared to PET/CT (mean score=1.66 and 1.93, respectively; p=0.004). Image quality was diagnostic for all image series. Comparing pT and pN stage vs cT and cN stage (n=26 cases), both imaging modalities showed excellent agreement for T stage (ICCPET+MR=0.888 vs. ICCPET/CT=0.853, respectively) and substantial to moderate agreement for N stage (ICCPET+MR=0.683 vs. ICC=0.595PET/CT, respectively). Our findings suggest that diagnostic accuracy of PET+MR is comparable to PET/CT for local staging of MPM, whereas radiologists felt significantly more confident staging PET+MR compared to PET/CT images (p=0003), using dedicated sequences. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. SU-G-IeP4-07: Feasibility of Low Dose 18FDG PET in Pediatric Oncology Patients

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhang, J; Binzel, K; Hall, NC

    Purpose: To evaluate and demonstrate the feasibility of low dose FDG PET in pediatric oncology patients using virtual dose reduction as well as true patients PET/CT scans. Methods: Wholebody 18F-FDG PET/CT of 39 clinical pediatric patients (0.16±0.06MBq/kg) were scanned on a Gemini TF 64 system at 75±5 min post FDG injection using 3min/bed. Based on the 180s/bed listmode PET data, subsets of total counts in 120s, 90s, 60s, 30s and 15s per bed position were extracted for PET reconstruction to simulate lower dose PET at 2/3th, 1/2th, 1/3th, 1/6th and 1/12th dose levels. PET/CT scans of Jaszczak PET phantom withmore » 6 hot hollow spheres varying with sizes and contrast ratios were performed (real PET versus simulated PET) to validate the methodology of virtual dose PET simulation. Region of interests (ROIs) were placed on lesions and normal anatomical tissues with quantitative and qualitative assessment performed. Significant lower FDG dose PET/CT of 5 research adolescents were scanned to validate the proposal and low dose PET feasibility. Results: Although all lesions are visible on the 1/12th dose PET, overall PET image quality appears to be influenced in a multi-factorial way. 30%–60% dose reduction from current standard of care FDG PET is recommended to maintain equivalent quality and PET quantification. An optimized BMI-based FDG administration is recommended (from 1.1±0.5 mCi for BMI < 18.5 to 4.8±1.5 mCi for BMI > 30). A linear lowest “Dose-BMI” relationship is given. SUVs from 1/12th to full dose PETs were identified as consistent (R2 = 1.08, 0.99, 1.01, 1.00 and 0.98). No significant variances of count density, SUV and SNR were found across certain dose ranges (p<0.01). Conclusion: Pediatric PET/CT can be performed using current time-of-flight systems at substantially lower PET doses (30–60%) than the standard of care PET/CT without compromising qualitative and quantitative image quality in clinical.« less

  20. Breath-hold [68Ga]DOTA-TOC PET/CT in neuroendocrine tumors: detection of additional lesions and effects on quantitative parameters.

    PubMed

    Zirnsak, Mariana; Bärwolf, Robert; Freesmeyer, Martin

    2016-11-08

    Respiratory motion during PET/CT acquisition generates artifacts in the form of breath-related blurring, which influences the lesion detectability and diagnostic accuracy. The goal of this study was to verify whether breath-hold [68Ga]DOTA-TOC PET/CT (bhPET) allows detection of additional foci compared to free-breathing PET/CT (fbPET), and to assess the impact of breath-holding on standard uptake values (SUV) and isocontoured volume (Vic40) in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NET). Patients with NET (n=39) were included in this study. BhPET and fbPET characteristics of 96 lesions were compared, and correlated with standard contrast-enhanced (ce) CT and MRI for lesion verification. Quantitative parameters SUV (max and mean) and Vic40 were assessed for both methods and evaluated by linear regression and Spearman's correlation. The impact of lesion size, localization and time interval between investigations was also analyzed. bhPET identified one additional metastasis not seen at fbPET but visible at ceMRI. Another additional bhPET focus did not have a morphological correlate. At bhPET, the SUVmax and SUVmean proved significantly higher and the Vic40 significantly lower than at fbPET. Lesion size, localization and time intervals did not impact significantly on SUV or Vic40. Currently, routine use of breath-hold [68Ga]DOTA-TOC PET/CT cannot be recommended as only one additional lesion was identified. Therefore, bhPET has currently no indication in patients with NET. If technical improvements regarding PET/CT scanner sensitivity are available, bhPET should be reevaluated in the future.

  1. Feasibility of simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid artery: first clinical experience and comparison to PET/CT

    PubMed Central

    Ripa, Rasmus S; Knudsen, Andreas; Hag, Anne Mette F; Lebech, Anne-Mette; Loft, Annika; Keller, Sune H; Hansen, Adam E; von Benzon, Eric; Højgaard, Liselotte; Kjær, Andreas

    2013-01-01

    The study aimed at comparing PET/MR to PET/CT for imaging the carotid arteries in patients with known increased risk of atherosclerosis. Six HIV-positive men underwent sequential PET/MR and PET/CT of the carotid arteries after injection of 400 MBq of 18F-FDG. PET/MR was performed a median of 131 min after injection. Subsequently,PET/CT was performed. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn slice by slice to include the carotid arteries and standardized uptake values (SUV) were calculated from both datasets independently. Quantitative comparison of 18F-FDG uptake revealed a high congruence between PET data acquired using the PET/MR system compared to the PET/CT system. The mean difference for SUVmean was -0.18 (p < 0.001) and -0.14 for SUVmax (p < 0.001) indicating a small but significant bias towards lower values using the PET/MR system. The 95% limits of agreement were -0.55 to 0.20 for SUVmean and -0.93 to 0.65 for SUVmax. The image quality of the PET/MR allowed for delineation of the carotid vessel wall. The correlations between 18F-FDG uptake from ROI including both vessel wall and vessel lumen to ROI including only the wall were strong (r = 0.98 for SUVmean and r = 1.00 for SUVmax) indicating that the luminal 18F-FDG content had minimal influence on the values. The study shows for the first time that simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid arteries is feasible in patients with increased risk of atherosclerosis. Quantification of 18F-FDG uptake correlated well between PET/MR and PET/CT despite difference in method of PET attenuation correction, reconstruction algorithm, and detector technology. PMID:23900769

  2. Quantitative Evaluation of Atlas-based Attenuation Correction for Brain PET in an Integrated Time-of-Flight PET/MR Imaging System.

    PubMed

    Yang, Jaewon; Jian, Yiqiang; Jenkins, Nathaniel; Behr, Spencer C; Hope, Thomas A; Larson, Peder E Z; Vigneron, Daniel; Seo, Youngho

    2017-07-01

    Purpose To assess the patient-dependent accuracy of atlas-based attenuation correction (ATAC) for brain positron emission tomography (PET) in an integrated time-of-flight (TOF) PET/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system. Materials and Methods Thirty recruited patients provided informed consent in this institutional review board-approved study. All patients underwent whole-body fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (CT) followed by TOF PET/MR imaging. With use of TOF PET data, PET images were reconstructed with four different attenuation correction (AC) methods: PET with patient CT-based AC (CTAC), PET with ATAC (air and bone from an atlas), PET with ATAC patientBone (air and tissue from the atlas with patient bone), and PET with ATAC boneless (air and tissue from the atlas without bone). For quantitative evaluation, PET mean activity concentration values were measured in 14 1-mL volumes of interest (VOIs) distributed throughout the brain and statistical significance was tested with a paired t test. Results The mean overall difference (±standard deviation) of PET with ATAC compared with PET with CTAC was -0.69 kBq/mL ± 0.60 (-4.0% ± 3.2) (P < .001). The results were patient dependent (range, -9.3% to 0.57%) and VOI dependent (range, -5.9 to -2.2). In addition, when bone was not included for AC, the overall difference of PET with ATAC boneless (-9.4% ± 3.7) was significantly worse than that of PET with ATAC (-4.0% ± 3.2) (P < .001). Finally, when patient bone was used for AC instead of atlas bone, the overall difference of PET with ATAC patientBone (-1.5% ± 1.5) improved over that of PET with ATAC (-4.0% ± 3.2) (P < .001). Conclusion ATAC in PET/MR imaging achieves similar quantification accuracy to that from CTAC by means of atlas-based bone compensation. However, patient-specific anatomic differences from the atlas causes bone attenuation differences and misclassified sinuses, which result in patient-dependent performance variation of ATAC. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

  3. Magnetic Resonance-based Motion Correction for Quantitative PET in Simultaneous PET-MR Imaging.

    PubMed

    Rakvongthai, Yothin; El Fakhri, Georges

    2017-07-01

    Motion degrades image quality and quantitation of PET images, and is an obstacle to quantitative PET imaging. Simultaneous PET-MR offers a tool that can be used for correcting the motion in PET images by using anatomic information from MR imaging acquired concurrently. Motion correction can be performed by transforming a set of reconstructed PET images into the same frame or by incorporating the transformation into the system model and reconstructing the motion-corrected image. Several phantom and patient studies have validated that MR-based motion correction strategies have great promise for quantitative PET imaging in simultaneous PET-MR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Everyday Learning about Healthy Bodies. Everyday Learning Series. Volume 4, Number 1

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCrea, Nadine

    2006-01-01

    The "Everyday Learning" series has been developed to focus attention on the everyday ways in which children can be supported in their growth and development. It is for all those who are involved in children's development and learning, including early childhood professionals in all children's services, parents, grandparents and others with an…

  5. Abstraction and Concreteness in the Everyday Mathematics of Structural Engineers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gainsburg, Julie

    The everyday mathematics processes of structural engineers were studied and analyzed in terms of abstraction. A main purpose of the study was to explore the degree to which the notion of a gap between school and everyday mathematics holds when the scope of practices considered "everyday" is extended. J. Lave (1988) promoted a methodology…

  6. Similarities between obesity in pets and children: the addiction model.

    PubMed

    Pretlow, Robert A; Corbee, Ronald J

    2016-09-01

    Obesity in pets is a frustrating, major health problem. Obesity in human children is similar. Prevailing theories accounting for the rising obesity rates - for example, poor nutrition and sedentary activity - are being challenged. Obesity interventions in both pets and children have produced modest short-term but poor long-term results. New strategies are needed. A novel theory posits that obesity in pets and children is due to 'treats' and excessive meal amounts given by the 'pet-parent' and child-parent to obtain affection from the pet/child, which enables 'eating addiction' in the pet/child and results in parental 'co-dependence'. Pet-parents and child-parents may even become hostage to the treats/food to avoid the ire of the pet/child. Eating addiction in the pet/child also may be brought about by emotional factors such as stress, independent of parental co-dependence. An applicable treatment for child obesity has been trialled using classic addiction withdrawal/abstinence techniques, as well as behavioural addiction methods, with significant results. Both the child and the parent progress through withdrawal from specific 'problem foods', next from snacking (non-specific foods) and finally from excessive portions at meals (gradual reductions). This approach should adapt well for pets and pet-parents. Pet obesity is more 'pure' than child obesity, in that contributing factors and treatment points are essentially under the control of the pet-parent. Pet obesity might thus serve as an ideal test bed for the treatment and prevention of child obesity, with focus primarily on parental behaviours. Sharing information between the fields of pet and child obesity would be mutually beneficial.

  7. The Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT Integrated Imaging in Distinguishing Malignant from Benign Pleural Effusion.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yajuan; Yu, Hongjuan; Ma, Jingquan; Lu, Peiou

    2016-01-01

    The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging in differentiating malignant from benign pleural effusion. A total of 176 patients with pleural effusion who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination to differentiate malignancy from benignancy were retrospectively researched. The images of CT imaging, 18F-FDG PET imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were visually analyzed. The suspected malignant effusion was characterized by the presence of nodular or irregular pleural thickening on CT imaging. Whereas on PET imaging, pleural 18F-FDG uptake higher than mediastinal activity was interpreted as malignant effusion. Images of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were interpreted by combining the morphologic feature of pleura on CT imaging with the degree and form of pleural 18F-FDG uptake on PET imaging. One hundred and eight patients had malignant effusion, including 86 with pleural metastasis and 22 with pleural mesothelioma, whereas 68 patients had benign effusion. The sensitivities of CT imaging, 18F-FDG PET imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging in detecting malignant effusion were 75.0%, 91.7% and 93.5%, respectively, which were 69.8%, 91.9% and 93.0% in distinguishing metastatic effusion. The sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging in detecting malignant effusion was higher than that of CT imaging (p = 0.000). For metastatic effusion, 18F-FDG PET imaging had higher sensitivity (p = 0.000) and better diagnostic consistency with 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging compared with CT imaging (Kappa = 0.917 and Kappa = 0.295, respectively). The specificities of CT imaging, 18F-FDG PET imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were 94.1%, 63.2% and 92.6% in detecting benign effusion. The specificities of CT imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were higher than that of 18F-FDG PET imaging (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000, respectively), and CT imaging had better diagnostic consistency with 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging compared with 18F-FDG PET imaging (Kappa = 0.881 and Kappa = 0.240, respectively). 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging is a more reliable modality in distinguishing malignant from benign pleural effusion than 18F-FDG PET imaging and CT imaging alone. For image interpretation of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging, the PET and CT portions play a major diagnostic role in identifying metastatic effusion and benign effusion, respectively.

  8. Local recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy is at risk to be missed in 68Ga-PSMA-11-PET of PET/CT and PET/MRI: comparison with mpMRI integrated in simultaneous PET/MRI.

    PubMed

    Freitag, Martin T; Radtke, Jan P; Afshar-Oromieh, Ali; Roethke, Matthias C; Hadaschik, Boris A; Gleave, Martin; Bonekamp, David; Kopka, Klaus; Eder, Matthias; Heusser, Thorsten; Kachelriess, Marc; Wieczorek, Kathrin; Sachpekidis, Christos; Flechsig, Paul; Giesel, Frederik; Hohenfellner, Markus; Haberkorn, Uwe; Schlemmer, Heinz-Peter; Dimitrakopoulou-Strauss, A

    2017-05-01

    The positron emission tomography (PET) tracer 68 Ga-PSMA-11, targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), is rapidly excreted into the urinary tract. This leads to significant radioactivity in the bladder, which may limit the PET-detection of local recurrence (LR) of prostate cancer (PC) after radical prostatectomy (RP), developing in close proximity to the bladder. Here, we analyze if there is additional value of multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) compared to the 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET-component of PET/CT or PET/MRI to detect LR. One hundred and nineteen patients with biochemical recurrence after prior RP underwent both hybrid 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET/CT low-dose (1 h p.i.) and -PET/MRI (2-3 h p.i.) including a mpMRI protocol of the prostatic bed. The comparison of both methods was restricted to the abdomen with focus on LR (McNemar). Bladder-LR distance and recurrence size were measured in axial T2w-TSE. A logistic regression was performed to determine the influence of these variables on detectability in 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET. Standardized-uptake-value (SUV mean ) quantification of LR was performed. There were 93/119 patients that had at least one pathologic finding. In addition, 18/119 Patients (15.1%) were diagnosed with a LR in mpMRI of PET/MRI but only nine were PET-positive in PET/CT and PET/MRI. This mismatch was statistically significant (p = 0.004). Detection of LR using the PET-component was significantly influenced by proximity to the bladder (p = 0.028). The PET-pattern of LR-uptake was classified into three types (1): separated from bladder; (2): fuses with bladder, and (3): obliterated by bladder). The size of LRs did not affect PET-detectability (p = 0.84), mean size was 1.7 ± 0.69 cm long axis, 1.2 ± 0.46 cm short-axis. SUV mean in nine men was 8.7 ± 3.7 (PET/CT) and 7.0 ± 4.2 (PET/MRI) but could not be quantified in the remaining nine cases (obliterated by bladder). The present study demonstrates additional value of hybrid 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET/MRI by gaining complementary diagnostic information compared to the 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET/CT low-dose for patients with LR of PC.

  9. Quantitative assessment of atherosclerotic plaques on (18)F-FDG PET/MRI: comparison with a PET/CT hybrid system.

    PubMed

    Li, Xiang; Heber, Daniel; Rausch, Ivo; Beitzke, Dietrich; Mayerhoefer, Marius E; Rasul, Sazan; Kreissl, Michael; Mitthauser, Markus; Wadsak, Wolfgang; Hartenbach, Markus; Haug, Alexander; Zhang, Xiaoli; Loewe, Christian; Beyer, Thomas; Hacker, Marcus

    2016-07-01

    PET with (18)F-FDG has the potential to assess vascular macrophage metabolism. (18)F-FDG is most often used in combination with contrast-enhanced CT to localize increased metabolism to specific arterial lesions. Novel (18)F-FDG PET/MRI hybrid imaging shows high potential for the combined evaluation of atherosclerotic plaques, due to the superior morphological conspicuity of plaque lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and accuracy of (18)F-FDG PET/MRI uptake quantification compared to PET/CT as a reference standard in patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaques. The study group comprised 34 consecutive oncological patients with carotid plaques who underwent both PET/CT and PET/MRI with (18)F-FDG on the same day. The presence of atherosclerotic plaques was confirmed by 3 T MRI scans. Maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax) for carotid plaque lesions and the average SUV of the blood pool within the adjacent internal jugular vein were determined and target-to-blood ratios (TBRs, plaque to blood pool) were calculated. Atherosclerotic lesions with maximum colocalized focal FDG uptake were assessed in each patient. SUVmax values of carotid plaque lesions were significantly lower on PET/MRI than on PET/CT (2.3 ± 0.6 vs. 3.1 ± 0.6; P < 0.01), but were significantly correlated between PET/CT and PET/MRI (Spearman's r = 0.67, P < 0.01). In contrast, TBRmax values of plaque lesions were similar on PET/MRI and on PET/CT (2.2 ± 0.3 vs. 2.2 ± 0.3; P = 0.4), and again were significantly correlated between PET/MRI and PET/CT (Spearman's r = 0.73, P < 0.01). Considering the increasing trend in SUVmax and TBRmax values from early to delayed imaging time-points on PET/CT and PET/MRI, respectively, with continuous clearance of radioactivity from the blood, a slight underestimation of TBRmax values may also be expected with PET/MRI compared with PET/CT. SUVmax and TBRmax values are widely accepted reference parameters for estimation of the radioactivity of atherosclerotic plaques on PET/CT. However, due to a systematic underestimation of SUVmax and TBRmax with PET/MRI, the optimal cut-off values indicating the presence of inflamed plaque tissue need to be newly defined for PET/MRI.

  10. 24 CFR 960.707 - Pet ownership.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Pet ownership. 960.707 Section 960... ADMISSION TO, AND OCCUPANCY OF, PUBLIC HOUSING Pet Ownership in Public Housing § 960.707 Pet ownership. (a..., may own one or more common household pets or have one or more common household pets present in the...

  11. 24 CFR 960.707 - Pet ownership.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Pet ownership. 960.707 Section 960... ADMISSION TO, AND OCCUPANCY OF, PUBLIC HOUSING Pet Ownership in Public Housing § 960.707 Pet ownership. (a..., may own one or more common household pets or have one or more common household pets present in the...

  12. 24 CFR 960.707 - Pet ownership.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Pet ownership. 960.707 Section 960... ADMISSION TO, AND OCCUPANCY OF, PUBLIC HOUSING Pet Ownership in Public Housing § 960.707 Pet ownership. (a..., may own one or more common household pets or have one or more common household pets present in the...

  13. 24 CFR 960.707 - Pet ownership.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Pet ownership. 960.707 Section 960... ADMISSION TO, AND OCCUPANCY OF, PUBLIC HOUSING Pet Ownership in Public Housing § 960.707 Pet ownership. (a..., may own one or more common household pets or have one or more common household pets present in the...

  14. The role of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in staging and restaging of patients with osteosarcoma.

    PubMed

    Quartuccio, Natale; Treglia, Giorgio; Salsano, Marco; Mattoli, Maria Vittoria; Muoio, Barbara; Piccardo, Arnoldo; Lopci, Egesta; Cistaro, Angelina

    2013-06-01

    The objective of this study is to systematically review the role of positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) with Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with osteosarcoma (OS). A comprehensive literature search of published studies through October 10(th), 2012 in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus databases regarding whole-body FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT in patients with OS was performed. We identified 13 studies including 289 patients with OS. With regard to the staging and restaging of OS, the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and PET/CT seem to be high; FDG-PET and PET/CT seem to be superior to bone scintigraphy and conventional imaging methods in detecting bone metastases; conversely, spiral CT seems to be superior to FDG-PET in detecting pulmonary metastases from OS. Metabolic imaging may provide additional information in the evaluation of OS patients. The combination of FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT with conventional imaging methods seems to be a valuable tool in the staging and restaging of OS and may have a relevant impact on the treatment planning.

  15. Small Pilot Survey on Parents’ Perception of the Relationship between Children and Pets

    PubMed Central

    Russo, Natalia; Vergnano, Diana; Bergero, Domenico

    2017-01-01

    Since companion animals are taking on more important roles in family life, the aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of parents about the relationship between their children and pets. A number of parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire; the principal topics were: pet ownership, pet care, relationship between pets and children, and sources of information about pet management. Eighty-two parents completed the survey; 71.4% of them already had pets before having children; pet care and health has emerged to be rather important, since 96.4% of the pets are taken to the veterinarian at least once a year; moreover, the great majority of the parents (97.2%) were not worried about the possible risks, linked to pets, pertaining to their child’s health. The present survey confirms that pets are mostly considered as members of the family, and not only as a benefit for the children. Moreover, the relationship between children and pets is basically seen as a positive experience for children. PMID:29056710

  16. PET/CT versus body coil PET/MRI: how low can you go?

    PubMed

    Appenzeller, P; Mader, C; Huellner, M W; Schmidt, D; Schmid, D; Boss, A; von Schulthess, G; Veit-Haibach, P

    2013-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate if positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with just one gradient echo sequence using the body coil is diagnostically sufficient compared with a standard, low-dose non-contrast-enhanced PET/computed tomography (CT) concerning overall diagnostic accuracy, lesion detectability, size and conspicuity evaluation. Sixty-three patients (mean age 58 years, range 19-86 years; 23 women, 40 men) referred for either staging or restaging/follow-up of various malignant tumours (malignant melanoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, CUP, gynaecology tumours, pleural mesothelioma, oesophageal cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer) were prospectively included. Imaging was conducted using a tri-modality PET/CT-MR set-up (full ring, time-of-flight Discovery PET/CT 690, 3 T Discovery MR 750, both GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI). All patients were positioned on a dedicated PET/CT- and MR-compatible examination table, allowing for patient transport from the MR system to the PET/CT without patient movement. In accordance with RECIST 1.1 criteria, measurements of the maximum lesion diameters on CT and MR images were obtained. In lymph nodes, the short axis was measured. A four-point scale was used for assessment of lesion conspicuity: 1 (>25 % of lesion borders definable), 2 (25-50 %), 3 (50-75 %) and 4 (>75 %). For each lesion the corresponding anatomical structure was noted based on anatomical information of the spatially co-registered PET/CT and PET/MRI image sections. Additionally, lesions were divided into three categories: "tumour mass", "lymph nodes" and "lesions". Differences in overall lesion detectability and conspicuity in PET/CT and PET/MRI, as well as differences in detectability based on the localisation and lesion type, were analysed by Wilcoxon signed rank test. A total of 126 PET-positive lesions were evaluated. Overall, no statistically significant superiority of PET/CT over PET/MRI or vice versa in terms of lesion conspicuity was found (p = 0.095; mean score CT 2.93, mean score MRI 2.75). A statistically significant superiority concerning conspicuity of PET/CT over PET/MRI was found in pulmonary lesions (p = 0.016). Additionally, a statistically significant superiority of PET/CT over PET/MRI in "lymph nodes" regarding lesion conspicuity was also found (p = 0.033). A higher mean score concerning bone lesions were found for PET/CT compared with PET/MRI; however, these differences did not achieve statistical significance. Overall, PET/MRI with body coil acquisition does not match entirely the diagnostic accuracy of standard low-dose PET/CT. Thus, it might only serve as a back-up solution in very few patients. Overall, more time needs to be invested on the MR imaging part (higher matrix, more breath-holds, additional surface coil acquired sequences) to match up with the standard low-dose PET/CT. • Evaluation of whether PET/MRI with one sequence using body coil is diagnostically sufficient compared with PET/CT • PET/MRI with body coil does not match entirely the diagnostic accuracy of standard low-dose PET/CT • PET/MRI might only serve as a backup solution in patients.

  17. Are Pets in the Bedroom a Problem?

    PubMed

    Krahn, Lois E; Tovar, M Diane; Miller, Bernie

    2015-12-01

    The presence of pets in the bedroom can alter the sleep environment in ways that could affect sleep. Data were collected by questionnaire and interview from 150 consecutive patients seen at the Center for Sleep Medicine, Mayo Clinic in Arizona. Seventy-four people (49%) reported having pets, with 31 (41% of pet owners) having multiple pets. More than half of pet owners (56%) allowed their pets to sleep in the bedroom. Fifteen pet owners (20%) described their pets as disruptive, whereas 31 (41%) perceived their pets as unobtrusive or even beneficial to sleep. Health care professionals working with patients with sleep concerns should inquire about the presence of companion animals in the sleep environment to help them find solutions and optimize their sleep. Copyright © 2015 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Basic study of entire whole-body PET scanners based on the OpenPET geometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoshida, Eiji; Yamaya, Taiga; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Inadama, Naoko; Murayama, Hideo

    2010-09-01

    A conventional PET scanner has a 15-25 cm axial field-of-view (FOV) and images a whole body using about six bed positions. An OpenPET geometry can extend the axial FOV with a limited number of detectors. The entire whole-body PET scanner must be able to process a large amount of data effectively. In this work, we study feasibility of the fully 3D entire whole-body PET scanner using the GATE simulation. The OpenPET has 12 block detector rings with the ring diameter of 840 mm and each block detector ring consists of 48 depth-of-interaction (DOI) detectors. The OpenPET has the axial length of 895.95 mm with five parts of 58.95 mm open gaps. The OpenPET has higher single data loss than a conventional PET scanner at grouping circuits. NECR of the OpenPET decreases by single data loss. But single data loss is mitigated by separating the axially arranged detector into two parts. Also, multiple coincidences are found to be important for the entire whole-body PET scanner. The entire whole-body PET scanner with the OpenPET geometry promises to provide a large axial FOV with the open space and to have sufficient performance values. But single data loss at the grouping circuits and multiple coincidences are limited to the peak noise equivalent count rate (NECR) for the entire whole-body PET scanner.

  19. Simultaneous whole-body 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/MRI with integrated high-resolution multiparametric imaging of the prostatic fossa for comprehensive oncological staging of patients with prostate cancer: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Freitag, Martin T; Kesch, Claudia; Cardinale, Jens; Flechsig, Paul; Floca, Ralf; Eiber, Matthias; Bonekamp, David; Radtke, Jan P; Kratochwil, Clemens; Kopka, Klaus; Hohenfellner, Markus; Stenzinger, Albrecht; Schlemmer, Heinz-Peter; Haberkorn, Uwe; Giesel, Frederik

    2018-03-01

    The aim of the present study was to explore the clinical feasibility and reproducibility of a comprehensive whole-body 18 F-PSMA-1007-PET/MRI protocol for imaging prostate cancer (PC) patients. Eight patients with high-risk biopsy-proven PC underwent a whole-body PET/MRI (3 h p.i.) including a multi-parametric prostate MRI after 18 F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT (1 h p.i.) which served as reference. Seven patients presented with non-treated PC, whereas one patient presented with biochemical recurrence. SUV mean -quantification was performed using a 3D-isocontour volume-of-interest. Imaging data was consulted for TNM-staging and compared with histopathology. PC was confirmed in 4/7 patients additionally by histopathology after surgery. PET-artifacts, co-registration of pelvic PET/MRI and MRI-data were assessed (PI-RADS 2.0). The examinations were well accepted by patients and comprised 1 h. SUV mean -values between PET/CT (1 h p.i.) and PET/MRI (3 h p.i.) were significantly correlated (p < 0.0001, respectively) and similar to literature of 18 F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT 1 h vs 3 h p.i. The dominant intraprostatic lesion could be detected in all seven patients in both PET and MRI. T2c, T3a, T3b and T4 features were detected complimentarily by PET and MRI in five patients. PET/MRI demonstrated moderate photopenic PET-artifacts surrounding liver and kidneys representing high-contrast areas, no PET-artifacts were observed for PET/CT. Simultaneous PET-readout during prostate MRI achieved optimal co-registration results. The presented 18 F-PSMA-1007-PET/MRI protocol combines efficient whole-body assessment with high-resolution co-registered PET/MRI of the prostatic fossa for comprehensive oncological staging of patients with PC.

  20. Respiration-Averaged CT for Attenuation Correction of PET Images – Impact on PET Texture Features in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

    PubMed Central

    Cheng, Nai-Ming; Fang, Yu-Hua Dean; Tsan, Din-Li

    2016-01-01

    Purpose We compared attenuation correction of PET images with helical CT (PET/HCT) and respiration-averaged CT (PET/ACT) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with the goal of investigating the impact of respiration-averaged CT on 18F FDG PET texture parameters. Materials and Methods A total of 56 patients were enrolled. Tumors were segmented on pretreatment PET images using the adaptive threshold. Twelve different texture parameters were computed: standard uptake value (SUV) entropy, uniformity, entropy, dissimilarity, homogeneity, coarseness, busyness, contrast, complexity, grey-level nonuniformity, zone-size nonuniformity, and high grey-level large zone emphasis. Comparisons of PET/HCT and PET/ACT were performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves as well as univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify the parameters significantly associated with disease-specific survival (DSS). A fixed threshold at 45% of the maximum SUV (T45) was used for validation. Results SUV maximum and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were significantly higher in PET/ACT. However, texture parameters obtained with PET/ACT and PET/HCT showed a high degree of agreement. The lowest levels of variation between the two modalities were observed for SUV entropy (9.7%) and entropy (9.8%). SUV entropy, entropy, and coarseness from both PET/ACT and PET/HCT were significantly associated with DSS. Validation analyses using T45 confirmed the usefulness of SUV entropy and entropy in both PET/HCT and PET/ACT for the prediction of DSS, but only coarseness from PET/ACT achieved the statistical significance threshold. Conclusions Our results indicate that 1) texture parameters from PET/ACT are clinically useful in the prediction of survival in NSCLC patients and 2) SUV entropy and entropy are robust to attenuation correction methods. PMID:26930211

  1. Joint PET-MR respiratory motion models for clinical PET motion correction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manber, Richard; Thielemans, Kris; Hutton, Brian F.; Wan, Simon; McClelland, Jamie; Barnes, Anna; Arridge, Simon; Ourselin, Sébastien; Atkinson, David

    2016-09-01

    Patient motion due to respiration can lead to artefacts and blurring in positron emission tomography (PET) images, in addition to quantification errors. The integration of PET with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in PET-MR scanners provides complementary clinical information, and allows the use of high spatial resolution and high contrast MR images to monitor and correct motion-corrupted PET data. In this paper we build on previous work to form a methodology for respiratory motion correction of PET data, and show it can improve PET image quality whilst having minimal impact on clinical PET-MR protocols. We introduce a joint PET-MR motion model, using only 1 min per PET bed position of simultaneously acquired PET and MR data to provide a respiratory motion correspondence model that captures inter-cycle and intra-cycle breathing variations. In the model setup, 2D multi-slice MR provides the dynamic imaging component, and PET data, via low spatial resolution framing and principal component analysis, provides the model surrogate. We evaluate different motion models (1D and 2D linear, and 1D and 2D polynomial) by computing model-fit and model-prediction errors on dynamic MR images on a data set of 45 patients. Finally we apply the motion model methodology to 5 clinical PET-MR oncology patient datasets. Qualitative PET reconstruction improvements and artefact reduction are assessed with visual analysis, and quantitative improvements are calculated using standardised uptake value (SUVpeak and SUVmax) changes in avid lesions. We demonstrate the capability of a joint PET-MR motion model to predict respiratory motion by showing significantly improved image quality of PET data acquired before the motion model data. The method can be used to incorporate motion into the reconstruction of any length of PET acquisition, with only 1 min of extra scan time, and with no external hardware required.

  2. The usefulness of (18)F-FDG PET/MRI fusion image in diagnosing pancreatic tumor: comparison with (18)F-FDG PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Nagamachi, Shigeki; Nishii, Ryuichi; Wakamatsu, Hideyuki; Mizutani, Youichi; Kiyohara, Shogo; Fujita, Seigo; Futami, Shigemi; Sakae, Tatefumi; Furukoji, Eiji; Tamura, Shozo; Arita, Hideo; Chijiiwa, Kazuo; Kawai, Keiichi

    2013-07-01

    This study aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of retrospectively fused (18)F FDG-PET and MRI (PET/MRI fusion image) in diagnosing pancreatic tumor, in particular differentiating malignant tumor from benign lesions. In addition, we evaluated additional findings characterizing pancreatic lesions by FDG-PET/MRI fusion image. We analyzed retrospectively 119 patients: 96 cancers and 23 benign lesions. FDG-PET/MRI fusion images (PET/T1 WI or PET/T2WI) were made by dedicated software using 1.5 Tesla (T) MRI image and FDG-PET images. These images were interpreted by two well-trained radiologists without knowledge of clinical information and compared with FDG-PET/CT images. We compared the differential diagnostic capability between PET/CT and FDG-PET/MRI fusion image. In addition, we evaluated additional findings such as tumor structure and tumor invasion. FDG-PET/MRI fusion image significantly improved accuracy compared with that of PET/CT (96.6 vs. 86.6 %). As additional finding, dilatation of main pancreatic duct was noted in 65.9 % of solid types and in 22.6 % of cystic types, on PET/MRI-T2 fusion image. Similarly, encasement of adjacent vessels was noted in 43.1 % of solid types and in 6.5 % of cystic types. Particularly in cystic types, intra-tumor structures such as mural nodule (35.4 %) or intra-cystic septum (74.2 %) were detected additionally. Besides, PET/MRI-T2 fusion image could detect extra benign cystic lesions (9.1 % in solid type and 9.7 % in cystic type) that were not noted by PET/CT. In diagnosing pancreatic lesions, FDG-PET/MRI fusion image was useful in differentiating pancreatic cancer from benign lesions. Furthermore, it was helpful in evaluating relationship between lesions and surrounding tissues as well as in detecting extra benign cysts.

  3. Comparison Between 64Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT and 18F-Choline PET/CT Imaging in Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer Biochemical Recurrence.

    PubMed

    Cantiello, Francesco; Crocerossa, Fabio; Russo, Giorgio Ivan; Gangemi, Vincenzo; Ferro, Matteo; Vartolomei, Mihai Dorin; Lucarelli, Giuseppe; Mirabelli, Maria; Scafuro, Chiara; Ucciero, Giuseppe; De Cobelli, Ottavio; Morgia, Giuseppe; Damiano, Rocco; Cascini, Giuseppe Lucio

    2018-06-04

    To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 64 Cu-PSMA-617 positron emission tomography (PET) with computed tomography (CT) for restaging prostate cancer after biochemical recurrence (BCR) and to compare it with 18 F-choline PET/CT in a per-patient analysis. An observational study was performed of 43 patients with BCR after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy who underwent 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT and subsequently 18 F-choline PET/CT for restaging. The detection rates (DR) of 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT and of 18 F-choline PET/CT were calculated by standardized maximum uptake value (SUV max ) at 4 hours and SUV max at 1 hour as reference, respectively. Furthermore, univariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify independent predictive factors of positivity with 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT. An overall positivity with 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT was found in 32 patients (74.4%) versus 19 (44.2%) with 18 F-choline PET/CT. Specifically, after stratifying for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, we found a good performance of 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT at low PSA levels compared to 18 F-choline PET/CT, with a DR of 57.1% versus 14.3% for PSA 0.2-0.5 ng/mL (P = .031), and of 60% versus 30% with PSA 0.5-1 ng/mL. At univariate binary logistic regression analysis, PSA level was the only independent predictor of 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT positivity. No significant difference in terms of DR for both 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT and 18 F-choline PET/CT was found according to different Gleason score subgroups. In our study cohort, a better performance was observed for 64 Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT compared to 18 F-choline PET/CT in restaging after BCR, especially in patients with low PSA values. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Solvent Orange 60 is a potent contact sensitizer in occupational and everyday life.

    PubMed

    Linauskienė, Kotryna; Zimerson, Erik; Antelmi, Annarita; Bruze, Magnus; Hagvall, Lina; Hamnerius, Nils; Hauksson, Inese; Ryberg, Kristina; Isaksson, Marléne

    2018-05-30

    Solvent Orange (SO) 60 is a perinone-type dye that is often used in plastic materials such as spectacle frames and has been shown to cause contact allergy. The first case of SO 60 allergic contact dermatitis caused by spectacle frames was reported in 1999, and the second in 2011. We have recently seen 10 patients, of whom 6 developed dermatitis in the retroauricular/temporal area after wearing plastic spectacles. To report the cause of the dermatitis in the 10 patients and to describe our first case with occupational SO 60 contact allergy. In this retrospective study, patch test results of 10 patients, tested with the Swedish baseline series and our specific spectacle and/or plastic series, including SO 60 1.0% pet., in 2011-2017, were analysed and compared with data published earlier. Ten patients, 2 males and 8 females, aged 43 to 71 years, reacted positively to SO 60 1.0% pet., namely, 4 pensioners, 2 nurses, 1 office worker, 1 teacher, 1 shop assistant, and 1 unemployed person. Four of the patients had an atopic history. Patch test reactions varied from + to +++; some had spread >20 cm outside the test area, and consisted of erythematous, infiltrated skin with papules. Retesting of patient no. 1 with serial dilutions of SO 60 in acetone to pinpoint his level of reactivity showed positive reactions down to 1 ppm. Three patients reacted to the extracts of their earpieces. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence of SO 60 in 2 earpieces. SO 60 should be included in any spectacle patch test series that may be used. If there is a strong suspicion of contact allergy to SO 60 before patch testing, lowering the test concentration from 1.0% to 0.01% should be considered. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. TH-E-202-01: Pitfalls and Remedies in PET/CT Imaging for RT Planning

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pan, T.

    2016-06-15

    PET/CT is a very important imaging tool in the management of oncology patients. PET/CT has been applied for treatment planning and response evaluation in radiation therapy. This educational session will discuss: Pitfalls and remedies in PET/CT imaging for RT planning The use of hypoxia PET imaging for radiotherapy PET for tumor response evaluation The first presentation will address the issue of mis-registration between the CT and PET images in the thorax and the abdomen. We will discuss the challenges of respiratory gating and introduce an average CT technique to improve the registration for dose calculation and image-guidance in radiation therapy.more » The second presentation will discuss the use of hypoxia PET Imaging for radiation therapy. We will discuss various hypoxia radiotracers, the choice of clinical acquisition protocol (in particular a single late static acquisition versus a dynamic acquisition), and the compartmental modeling with different transfer rate constants explained. We will demonstrate applications of hypoxia imaging for dose escalation/de-escalation in clinical trials. The last presentation will discuss the use of PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. We will discuss anatomic response assessment vs. metabolic response assessment, visual evaluation and semi-quantitative evaluation, and limitations of current PET/CT assessment. We will summarize clinical trials using PET response in guiding adaptive radiotherapy. Finally, we will summarize recent advancements in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. Learning Objectives: Identify the causes of mis-registration of CT and PET images in PET/CT, and review the strategies to remedy the issue. Understand the basics of PET imaging of tumor hypoxia (radiotracers, how PET measures the hypoxia selective uptake, imaging protocols, applications in chemo-radiation therapy). Understand the basics of dynamic PET imaging, compartmental modeling and parametric images. Understand the basics of using FDG PET/CT for tumor response evaluation. Learn about recent advancement in PET/CT radiomics and non-FDG PET tracers for response assessment. This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.; W. Lu, This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638.« less

  6. Household knowledge, attitudes and practices related to pet contact and associated zoonoses in Ontario, Canada

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Many human infections are transmitted through contact with animals (zoonoses), including household pets. Although pet ownership is common in most countries and non-pet owners may have frequent contact with pets, there is limited knowledge of the public’s pet contact practices and awareness of zoonotic disease risks from pets. The objective of this study was to characterize the general public’s knowledge, attitudes and risks related to pet ownership and animal contact in southern Ontario, Canada. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to individuals at two multi-physician clinics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada during 2010. A single adult from each household was invited to participate in the study. Results Seventy five percent (641/853) of individuals approached completed the questionnaire. Pet ownership and contact were common; 64% of participants had a pet in their household and 37% of non-pet owning households had a member with at least weekly animal contact outside the home. Pet ownership was high (55%) for households with individuals at higher risk for infections (i.e., < 5 yrs, ≥ 65 yrs, immunocompromised). Most respondents (64%) indicated that they had never received information regarding pet-associated disease risks. When given a list of 11 infectious pathogens, respondents were only able to correctly classify just over half on their potential to be transmitted from pets to people (mean 6.4); independently, pet owners and those who recalled receiving information in the past about this topic were able to make significantly more correct identifications. Pet (36%) and non-pet owning households (10%) reported dog or cat bites or scratches during the preceding year. Households with individuals at higher risk for an infection did not differ from the remaining households regarding their perceived disease risk of pets, zoonotic disease knowledge, recall of being asked by their medical provider if they owned any pets, or recall of having received information regarding pet-associated disease risks and preventive measures. Conclusions These results suggest that there is a need for accessible zoonotic disease information for both pet and non-owning households, with additional efforts made by veterinary, human and public health personnel. Immediate educational efforts directed toward households with individuals at higher risk to infections are especially needed. PMID:22831165

  7. A novel preparation of milk protein/polyethylene terephthalate fabric

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, J. F.; Zheng, D. D.; Zhong, L.; Zhang, F. X.; Zhang, G. X.

    2016-07-01

    In this work, -NH2 groups were introduced to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers by nitration and reduction method, and then milk protein was grafted on the nitrated and reduced PET (NR PET) fibers by sucrose glycidyl ether crosslinking agent. FTIR suggested the milk protein was successfully grafted on PET fiber surface. SEM images showed a layer of substance covered on the PET fiber surface. DSC demonstrated an excellent thermal stability of milk protein/PET fiber. The moisture regain was improved by milk protein/PET fiber. Moreover, the crease recovery angle and stiffness were retained by the milk protein/PET fabric.

  8. Clinical Nononcologic Applications of PET/CT and PET/MRI in Musculoskeletal, Orthopedic, and Rheumatologic Imaging.

    PubMed

    Gholamrezanezhad, Ali; Basques, Kyle; Batouli, Ali; Matcuk, George; Alavi, Abass; Jadvar, Hossein

    2018-06-01

    With improvements in PET/CT and PET/MRI over the last decade, as well as increased understanding of the pathophysiology of musculoskeletal diseases, there is an emerging potential for PET as a primary or complementary modality in the management of rheumatologic and orthopedic conditions. We discuss the role of PET/CT and PET/MRI in nononcologic musculoskeletal disorders, including inflammatory and infectious conditions and postoperative complications. There is great potential for an increased role for PET to serve as a primary or complementary modality in the management of orthopedic and rheumatologic disorders.

  9. PET/MRI in cancer patients: first experiences and vision from Copenhagen.

    PubMed

    Kjær, Andreas; Loft, Annika; Law, Ian; Berthelsen, Anne Kiil; Borgwardt, Lise; Löfgren, Johan; Johnbeck, Camilla Bardram; Hansen, Adam Espe; Keller, Sune; Holm, Søren; Højgaard, Liselotte

    2013-02-01

    Combined PET/MRI systems are now commercially available and are expected to change the medical imaging field by providing combined anato-metabolic image information. We believe this will be of particular relevance in imaging of cancer patients. At the Department of Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen we installed an integrated PET/MRI in December 2011. Here, we describe our first clinical PET/MR cases and discuss some of the areas within oncology where we envision promising future application of integrated PET/MR imaging in clinical routine. Cases described include brain tumors, pediatric oncology as well as lung, abdominal and pelvic cancer. In general the cases show that PET/MRI performs well in all these types of cancer when compared to PET/CT. However, future large-scale clinical studies are needed to establish when to use PET/MRI. We envision that PET/MRI in oncology will prove to become a valuable addition to PET/CT in diagnosing, tailoring and monitoring cancer therapy in selected patient populations.

  10. Enhanced Application of 18F-FDG PET/CT in Bladder Cancer by Adding Early Dynamic Acquisition to a Standard Delayed PET Protocol.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Hai-Jeon; Yoo, Jang; Kim, Yemi; Lee, Dong Hyeon; Kim, Bom Sahn

    2017-10-01

    We investigated the value of early dynamic (ED) PET for the detection and characterization of bladder cancer. Fifty-two bladder cancer patients were prospectively enrolled. The study protocol was composed of ED, whole-body (WB, 60 minutes after injection), and additional delayed (AD, 120 minutes after injection) PET acquisition. Early dynamic PET was acquired for 10 minutes and reconstructed as 5 frames at 2-minute intervals. A focal radiotracer accumulation confined to the bladder wall was considered as PET positive and referred for further quantitative measurement. SUVmax on ED (SUVmax, SUVmax, SUVmax, SUVmax, and SUVmax for 5 frames), WB (SUVmax), and AD PET (SUVmax) were measured. PET results were correlated with bladder cancer pathology variables. The sensitivities of ED, WB, and AD PET for bladder cancer were 84.6%, 57.7%, and 61.2%, respectively. The sensitivity of ED PET was significantly higher than that of WB (P = 0.002) and AD PET (P = 0.008). On ED PET, SUVmax was significantly correlated with muscle invasiveness, histological grade, and pathological tumor size (P = 0.018, P = 0.030, and P = 0.030). On WB and AD PET, only pathological tumor size showed significant positive correlation with SUVmax and SUVmax (P = 0.043 and P = 0.007). Early dynamic PET can help to detect and characterize bladder cancer.

  11. Evacuating People and Their Pets: Older Floridians' Need for and Proximity to Pet-Friendly Shelters.

    PubMed

    Douglas, Rachel; Kocatepe, Ayberk; Barrett, Anne E; Ozguven, Eren Erman; Gumber, Clayton

    2017-10-04

    Pets influence evacuation decisions, but little is known about pet-friendly emergency shelters' availability or older adults' need for them. Our study addresses this issue, focusing on the most densely populated area of Florida (Miami-Dade)-the state with the oldest population and greatest hurricane susceptibility. We use Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based methodology to identify the shortest paths to pet-friendly shelters, based on distance and congested and uncongested travel times-taking into account the older population's spatial distribution. Logistic regression models using the 2013 American Housing Survey's Disaster Planning Module examine anticipated shelter use as a function of pet ownership and requiring pet evacuation assistance. Thirty-four percent of older adults in the Miami-Dade area have pets-35% of whom report needing pet evacuation assistance. However, GIS accessibility measures show that travel time factors are likely to impede older adults' use of the area's few pet-friendly shelters. Logistic regression results reveal that pet owners are less likely to report anticipating shelter use; however, the opposite holds for pet owners reporting they would need help evacuating their pets-they anticipate using shelters. High pet shelter need coupled with low availability exacerbates older adults' heightened vulnerability during Florida's hurricane season. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. NEMA NU 4-2008 Comparison of Preclinical PET Imaging Systems

    PubMed Central

    Goertzen, Andrew L.; Bao, Qinan; Bergeron, Mélanie; Blankemeyer, Eric; Blinder, Stephan; Cañadas, Mario; Chatziioannou, Arion F.; Dinelle, Katherine; Elhami, Esmat; Jans, Hans-Sonke; Lage, Eduardo; Lecomte, Roger; Sossi, Vesna; Surti, Suleman; Tai, Yuan-Chuan; Vaquero, Juan José; Vicente, Esther; Williams, Darin A.; Laforest, Richard

    2014-01-01

    The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) standard NU 4-2008 for performance measurements of small-animal tomographs was recently published. Before this standard, there were no standard testing procedures for preclinical PET systems, and manufacturers could not provide clear specifications similar to those available for clinical systems under NEMA NU 2-1994 and 2-2001. Consequently, performance evaluation papers used methods that were modified ad hoc from the clinical PET NEMA standard, thus making comparisons between systems difficult. Methods We acquired NEMA NU 4-2008 performance data for a collection of commercial animal PET systems manufactured since 2000: micro- PET P4, microPET R4, microPET Focus 120, microPET Focus 220, Inveon, ClearPET, Mosaic HP, Argus (formerly eXplore Vista), VrPET, LabPET 8, and LabPET 12. The data included spatial resolution, counting-rate performance, scatter fraction, sensitivity, and image quality and were acquired using settings for routine PET. Results The data showed a steady improvement in system performance for newer systems as compared with first-generation systems, with notable improvements in spatial resolution and sensitivity. Conclusion Variation in system design makes direct comparisons between systems from different vendors difficult. When considering the results from NEMA testing, one must also consider the suitability of the PET system for the specific imaging task at hand. PMID:22699999

  13. Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT)

    MedlinePlus

    ... A-Z Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Positron emission tomography (PET) uses small amounts of ... What is Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Scanning? Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging ...

  14. Cognitive Predictors of Everyday Problem Solving across the Lifespan

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xi; Hertzog, Christopher; Park, Denise C.

    2017-01-01

    Background An important aspect of successful aging is maintaining the ability to solve everyday problems encountered in daily life. The limited evidence today suggests that everyday problem solving ability increases from young adulthood to middle age, but decreases in older age. Objectives The present study examined age differences in the relative contributions of fluid and crystallized abilities to solving problems on the Everyday Problems Test (EPT; [1]). We hypothesized that due to diminishing fluid resources available with advanced age, crystallized knowledge would become increasingly important in predicting everyday problem solving with greater age. Method Two hundred and twenty-one healthy adults from the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study, aged 24–93 years, completed a cognitive battery that included measures of fluid ability (i.e., processing speed, working memory, inductive reasoning) and crystallized ability (i.e., multiple measures of vocabulary). These measures were used to predict performance on the Everyday Problems Test. Results Everyday problem solving showed an increase in performance from young to early middle age, with performance beginning to decrease at about age of fifty. As hypothesized, fluid ability was the primary predictor of performance on everyday problem solving for young adults, but with increasing age, crystallized ability became the dominant predictor. Conclusion This study provides evidence that everyday problem solving ability differs with age, and, more importantly, that the processes underlying it differ with age as well. The findings indicate that older adults increasingly rely on knowledge to support everyday problem solving, whereas young adults rely almost exclusively on fluid intelligence. PMID:28273664

  15. Pet Ownership by Elderly People: Two New Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, David W. E.; And Others

    1992-01-01

    Examined two issues of pet ownership in mail questionnaire and interview survey of 1,595 older adults over age 60, 377 of whom had a pet. Found evidence that pets were important determinant of housing choice. Many elderly pet owners had made no arrangements for pet if they predecease it or become unable to care for it. (Author/NB)

  16. Adenocarcinoma Prostate With Neuroendocrine Differentiation: Potential Utility of 18F-FDG PET/CT and 68Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT Over 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT.

    PubMed

    Parida, Girish Kumar; Tripathy, Sarthak; Datta Gupta, Shreya; Singhal, Abhinav; Kumar, Rakesh; Bal, Chandrasekhar; Shamim, Shamim Ahmed

    2018-04-01

    Ga-PSMA PET/CT is the upcoming imaging modality for staging, restaging and response assessment of prostate cancer. However, due to neuroendocrine differentiation in some of patients with prostate cancer, they express somatostatin receptors instead of prostate specific membrane antigen. This can be exploited and other modalities like Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT and F-FDG PET/CT should be used in such cases for guiding management. We hereby discuss a similar case of 67-year-old man of adenocarcinoma prostate with neuroendocrine differentiation, which shows the potential pitfall of Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging and benefit of Ga-DOTANOC PET/CT and F-FDG PET/CT in such cases.

  17. Everyday Learning in the Kitchen. Everyday Learning Series. Volume 2, Number 4

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Darbyshire, Jo

    2004-01-01

    The "Everyday Learning" series has been developed to focus attention on the everyday ways in which children can be supported in their growth and development. Many of one's earliest memories are likely to be about time spent in the kitchen. Licking the bowl, setting the table, doing the dishes, chatting about the day, eating a meal,…

  18. Cognitive predictors of everyday functioning in older adults: results from the ACTIVE Cognitive Intervention Trial.

    PubMed

    Gross, Alden L; Rebok, George W; Unverzagt, Frederick W; Willis, Sherry L; Brandt, Jason

    2011-09-01

    The present study sought to predict changes in everyday functioning using cognitive tests. Data from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly trial were used to examine the extent to which competence in different cognitive domains--memory, inductive reasoning, processing speed, and global mental status--predicts prospectively measured everyday functioning among older adults. Coefficients of determination for baseline levels and trajectories of everyday functioning were estimated using parallel process latent growth models. Each cognitive domain independently predicts a significant proportion of the variance in baseline and trajectory change of everyday functioning, with inductive reasoning explaining the most variance (R2 = .175) in baseline functioning and memory explaining the most variance (R2 = .057) in changes in everyday functioning. Inductive reasoning is an important determinant of current everyday functioning in community-dwelling older adults, suggesting that successful performance in daily tasks is critically dependent on executive cognitive function. On the other hand, baseline memory function is more important in determining change over time in everyday functioning, suggesting that some participants with low baseline memory function may reflect a subgroup with incipient progressive neurologic disease.

  19. Participation after acquired brain injury: Associations with everyday technology and activities in daily life.

    PubMed

    Fallahpour, Mandana; Kottorp, Anders; Nygård, Louise; Lund, Maria Larsson

    2015-01-01

    The development of the information society has led to increased use of everyday technology and changed the conditions for participation. Enabling participation in everyday life situations is an important rehabilitation goal after acquired brain injury (ABI). Identifying factors associated with individuals' experienced participation and problems therein is therefore essential. This study aimed at exploring the relationship between perceived difficulty in everyday technology use, perceived ability in the activities of daily living (ADL), and perceived participation, and participation problems in persons with ABI. Eighty-one persons with ABI participated in the study and were assessed by the Impact on Participation and Autonomy questionnaire, the Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire, and the ADL taxonomy. Findings showed that the combined model of difficulty in everyday technology (ET) use, ADL ability, and the interaction between them explained both participation in various domains of everyday life, and also overall level of perceived participation and the perceived problems. The findings underscore the importance of evaluating individuals' ability in both ET use and ADL after ABI to increase the probability of explaining these persons' participation in desired everyday life situations and, also, for rehabilitation design.

  20. Prediction of standard-dose brain PET image by using MRI and low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET images.

    PubMed

    Kang, Jiayin; Gao, Yaozong; Shi, Feng; Lalush, David S; Lin, Weili; Shen, Dinggang

    2015-09-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medical imaging technology that produces 3D images reflecting tissue metabolic activity in human body. PET has been widely used in various clinical applications, such as in diagnosis of brain disorders. High-quality PET images play an essential role in diagnosing brain diseases/disorders. In practice, in order to obtain high-quality PET images, a standard-dose radionuclide (tracer) needs to be used and injected into a living body. As a result, it will inevitably increase the patient's exposure to radiation. One solution to solve this problem is predicting standard-dose PET images using low-dose PET images. As yet, no previous studies with this approach have been reported. Accordingly, in this paper, the authors propose a regression forest based framework for predicting a standard-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET image by using a low-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET image and its corresponding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image. The authors employ a regression forest for predicting the standard-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET image by low-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET and MRI images. Specifically, the proposed method consists of two main steps. First, based on the segmented brain tissues (i.e., cerebrospinal fluid, gray matter, and white matter) in the MRI image, the authors extract features for each patch in the brain image from both low-dose PET and MRI images to build tissue-specific models that can be used to initially predict standard-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET images. Second, an iterative refinement strategy, via estimating the predicted image difference, is used to further improve the prediction accuracy. The authors evaluated their algorithm on a brain dataset, consisting of 11 subjects with MRI, low-dose PET, and standard-dose PET images, using leave-one-out cross-validations. The proposed algorithm gives promising results with well-estimated standard-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET image and substantially enhanced image quality of low-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET image. In this paper, the authors propose a framework to generate standard-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET image using low-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET and MRI images. Both the visual and quantitative results indicate that the standard-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET can be well-predicted using MRI and low-dose brain [(18)F]FDG PET.

  1. Prediction of standard-dose brain PET image by using MRI and low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET images

    PubMed Central

    Kang, Jiayin; Gao, Yaozong; Shi, Feng; Lalush, David S.; Lin, Weili; Shen, Dinggang

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medical imaging technology that produces 3D images reflecting tissue metabolic activity in human body. PET has been widely used in various clinical applications, such as in diagnosis of brain disorders. High-quality PET images play an essential role in diagnosing brain diseases/disorders. In practice, in order to obtain high-quality PET images, a standard-dose radionuclide (tracer) needs to be used and injected into a living body. As a result, it will inevitably increase the patient’s exposure to radiation. One solution to solve this problem is predicting standard-dose PET images using low-dose PET images. As yet, no previous studies with this approach have been reported. Accordingly, in this paper, the authors propose a regression forest based framework for predicting a standard-dose brain [18F]FDG PET image by using a low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET image and its corresponding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image. Methods: The authors employ a regression forest for predicting the standard-dose brain [18F]FDG PET image by low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET and MRI images. Specifically, the proposed method consists of two main steps. First, based on the segmented brain tissues (i.e., cerebrospinal fluid, gray matter, and white matter) in the MRI image, the authors extract features for each patch in the brain image from both low-dose PET and MRI images to build tissue-specific models that can be used to initially predict standard-dose brain [18F]FDG PET images. Second, an iterative refinement strategy, via estimating the predicted image difference, is used to further improve the prediction accuracy. Results: The authors evaluated their algorithm on a brain dataset, consisting of 11 subjects with MRI, low-dose PET, and standard-dose PET images, using leave-one-out cross-validations. The proposed algorithm gives promising results with well-estimated standard-dose brain [18F]FDG PET image and substantially enhanced image quality of low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET image. Conclusions: In this paper, the authors propose a framework to generate standard-dose brain [18F]FDG PET image using low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET and MRI images. Both the visual and quantitative results indicate that the standard-dose brain [18F]FDG PET can be well-predicted using MRI and low-dose brain [18F]FDG PET. PMID:26328979

  2. Development of PET/MRI with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of human brain.

    PubMed

    Jung, Jin Ho; Choi, Yong; Jung, Jiwoong; Kim, Sangsu; Lim, Hyun Keong; Im, Ki Chun; Oh, Chang Hyun; Park, Hyun-wook; Kim, Kyung Min; Kim, Jong Guk

    2015-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a dual-modality positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of the human brain. The PET detector block was composed of a 4 × 4 matrix of detector modules, each consisting of a 4 × 4 array LYSO coupled to a 4 × 4 Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GAPD) array. The PET insert consisted of 18 detector blocks, circularly mounted on a custom-made plastic base to form a ring with an inner diameter of 390 mm and axial length of 60 mm. The PET gantry was shielded with gold-plated conductive fabric tapes with a thickness of 0.1 mm. The charge signals of PET detector transferred via 4 m long flat cables were fed into the position decoder circuit. The flat cables were shielded with a mesh-type aluminum sheet with a thickness of 0.24 mm. The position decoder circuit and field programmable gate array-embedded DAQ modules were enclosed in an aluminum box with a thickness of 10 mm and located at the rear of the MR bore inside the MRI room. A 3-T human MRI system with a Larmor frequency of 123.7 MHz and inner bore diameter of 60 cm was used as the PET/MRI hybrid system. A custom-made radio frequency (RF) coil with an inner diameter of 25 cm was fabricated. The PET was positioned between gradient and the RF coils. PET performance was measured outside and inside the MRI scanner using echo planar imaging, spin echo, turbo spin echo, and gradient echo sequences. MRI performance was also evaluated with and without the PET insert. The stability of the newly developed PET insert was evaluated and simultaneous PET and MR images of a brain phantom were acquired. No significant degradation of the PET performance caused by MR was observed when the PET was operated using various MR imaging sequences. The signal-to-noise ratio of MR images was slightly degraded due to the PET insert installed inside the MR bore while the homogeneity was maintained. The change of gain of the 256 GAPD/scintillator elements of a detector block was <3% for 60 min, and simultaneous PET and MR images of a brain phantom were successfully acquired. Experimental results indicate that a compact and lightweight PET insert for hybrid PET/MRI can be developed using GAPD arrays and charge signal transmission method proposed in this study without significant interference.

  3. Prediction of standard-dose brain PET image by using MRI and low-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET images

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kang, Jiayin; Gao, Yaozong; Shi, Feng

    Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medical imaging technology that produces 3D images reflecting tissue metabolic activity in human body. PET has been widely used in various clinical applications, such as in diagnosis of brain disorders. High-quality PET images play an essential role in diagnosing brain diseases/disorders. In practice, in order to obtain high-quality PET images, a standard-dose radionuclide (tracer) needs to be used and injected into a living body. As a result, it will inevitably increase the patient’s exposure to radiation. One solution to solve this problem is predicting standard-dose PET images using low-dose PET images. Asmore » yet, no previous studies with this approach have been reported. Accordingly, in this paper, the authors propose a regression forest based framework for predicting a standard-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET image by using a low-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET image and its corresponding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image. Methods: The authors employ a regression forest for predicting the standard-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET image by low-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET and MRI images. Specifically, the proposed method consists of two main steps. First, based on the segmented brain tissues (i.e., cerebrospinal fluid, gray matter, and white matter) in the MRI image, the authors extract features for each patch in the brain image from both low-dose PET and MRI images to build tissue-specific models that can be used to initially predict standard-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET images. Second, an iterative refinement strategy, via estimating the predicted image difference, is used to further improve the prediction accuracy. Results: The authors evaluated their algorithm on a brain dataset, consisting of 11 subjects with MRI, low-dose PET, and standard-dose PET images, using leave-one-out cross-validations. The proposed algorithm gives promising results with well-estimated standard-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET image and substantially enhanced image quality of low-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET image. Conclusions: In this paper, the authors propose a framework to generate standard-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET image using low-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET and MRI images. Both the visual and quantitative results indicate that the standard-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET can be well-predicted using MRI and low-dose brain [{sup 18}F]FDG PET.« less

  4. Towards tracer dose reduction in PET studies: Simulation of dose reduction by retrospective randomized undersampling of list-mode data.

    PubMed

    Gatidis, Sergios; Würslin, Christian; Seith, Ferdinand; Schäfer, Jürgen F; la Fougère, Christian; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Schwenzer, Nina F; Schmidt, Holger

    2016-01-01

    Optimization of tracer dose regimes in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is a trade-off between diagnostic image quality and radiation exposure. The challenge lies in defining minimal tracer doses that still result in sufficient diagnostic image quality. In order to find such minimal doses, it would be useful to simulate tracer dose reduction as this would enable to study the effects of tracer dose reduction on image quality in single patients without repeated injections of different amounts of tracer. The aim of our study was to introduce and validate a method for simulation of low-dose PET images enabling direct comparison of different tracer doses in single patients and under constant influencing factors. (18)F-fluoride PET data were acquired on a combined PET/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. PET data were stored together with the temporal information of the occurrence of single events (list-mode format). A predefined proportion of PET events were then randomly deleted resulting in undersampled PET data. These data sets were subsequently reconstructed resulting in simulated low-dose PET images (retrospective undersampling of list-mode data). This approach was validated in phantom experiments by visual inspection and by comparison of PET quality metrics contrast recovery coefficient (CRC), background-variability (BV) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of measured and simulated PET images for different activity concentrations. In addition, reduced-dose PET images of a clinical (18)F-FDG PET dataset were simulated using the proposed approach. (18)F-PET image quality degraded with decreasing activity concentrations with comparable visual image characteristics in measured and in corresponding simulated PET images. This result was confirmed by quantification of image quality metrics. CRC, SNR and BV showed concordant behavior with decreasing activity concentrations for measured and for corresponding simulated PET images. Simulation of dose-reduced datasets based on clinical (18)F-FDG PET data demonstrated the clinical applicability of the proposed data. Simulation of PET tracer dose reduction is possible with retrospective undersampling of list-mode data. Resulting simulated low-dose images have equivalent characteristics with PET images actually measured at lower doses and can be used to derive optimal tracer dose regimes.

  5. Reproducibility of Quantitative Brain Imaging Using a PET-Only and a Combined PET/MR System

    PubMed Central

    Lassen, Martin L.; Muzik, Otto; Beyer, Thomas; Hacker, Marcus; Ladefoged, Claes Nøhr; Cal-González, Jacobo; Wadsak, Wolfgang; Rausch, Ivo; Langer, Oliver; Bauer, Martin

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of migrating a quantitative brain imaging protocol from a positron emission tomography (PET)-only system to an integrated PET/MR system. Potential differences in both absolute radiotracer concentration as well as in the derived kinetic parameters as a function of PET system choice have been investigated. Five healthy volunteers underwent dynamic (R)-[11C]verapamil imaging on the same day using a GE-Advance (PET-only) and a Siemens Biograph mMR system (PET/MR). PET-emission data were reconstructed using a transmission-based attenuation correction (AC) map (PET-only), whereas a standard MR-DIXON as well as a low-dose CT AC map was applied to PET/MR emission data. Kinetic modeling based on arterial blood sampling was performed using a 1-tissue-2-rate constant compartment model, yielding kinetic parameters (K1 and k2) and distribution volume (VT). Differences for parametric values obtained in the PET-only and the PET/MR systems were analyzed using a 2-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Comparison of DIXON-based AC (PET/MR) with emission data derived from the PET-only system revealed average inter-system differences of −33 ± 14% (p < 0.05) for the K1 parameter and −19 ± 9% (p < 0.05) for k2. Using a CT-based AC for PET/MR resulted in slightly lower systematic differences of −16 ± 18% for K1 and −9 ± 10% for k2. The average differences in VT were −18 ± 10% (p < 0.05) for DIXON- and −8 ± 13% for CT-based AC. Significant systematic differences were observed for kinetic parameters derived from emission data obtained from PET/MR and PET-only imaging due to different standard AC methods employed. Therefore, a transfer of imaging protocols from PET-only to PET/MR systems is not straightforward without application of proper correction methods. Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu, identifier 2013-001724-19 PMID:28769742

  6. Injuries caused by pets in Asian urban households: a cross-sectional telephone survey

    PubMed Central

    Chan, Emily Y Y; Gao, Yang; Li, Liping; Lee, Po Yi

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Little is known about pet-related injuries in Asian populations. This study primarily aimed to investigate the incidence rate of pet-related household injuries in Hong Kong, an urban Chinese setting. Setting Cantonese-speaking non-institutionalised population of all ages in Hong Kong accessible by telephone land-line. Participants A total of 43 542 telephone numbers were dialled and 6570 residents successfully completed the interviews. Primary and secondary outcome measures Data of pet-related household injuries in the previous 12 months, pet ownership and socio-demographic characteristics were collected with a questionnaire. Direct standardisation of the incidence rates of pet-related household injuries by gender and age to the 2009 Hong Kong Population Census was estimated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to estimate risks of socio-demographic factors and pet ownership for the injury. Results A total of 84 participants experienced pet-related household injuries in the past 12 months, with an overall person-based incidence rate of 1.28%. The majority of the victims were injured once (69.6%). Cats (51.6%) were the most common pets involved. Pet owners were at an extremely higher risk after controlling for other factors (adjusted OR: 52.0, 95% CI 22.1 to 98.7). Females, the unmarried, those with higher monthly household income and those living in lower-density housing were more likely to be injured by pets. Conclusions We project a pet-related household injury incidence rate of 1.24% in the general Hong Kong population, with 86 334 residents sustaining pet-related injuries every year. Pet ownership puts people at extremely high risk, especially the unmarried. Further studies should focus on educating pet owners to reduce pet-related injuries in urban Greater China. PMID:28110284

  7. Competitive Advantage of PET/MRI

    PubMed Central

    Jadvar, Hossein; Colletti, Patrick M.

    2013-01-01

    Multimodality imaging has made great strides in the imaging evaluation of patients with a variety of diseases. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is now established as the imaging modality of choice in many clinical conditions, particularly in oncology. While the initial development of combined PET/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) was in the preclinical arena, hybrid PET/MR scanners are now available for clinical use. PET/MRI combines the unique features of MRI including excellent soft tissue contrast, diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, fMRI and other specialized sequences as well as MR spectroscopy with the quantitative physiologic information that is provided by PET. Most evidence for the potential clinical utility of PET/MRI is based on studies performed with side-by-side comparison or software-fused MRI and PET images. Data on distinctive utility of hybrid PET/MRI are rapidly emerging. There are potential competitive advantages of PET/MRI over PET/CT. In general, PET/MRI may be preferred over PET/CT where the unique features of MRI provide more robust imaging evaluation in certain clinical settings. The exact role and potential utility of simultaneous data acquisition in specific research and clinical settings will need to be defined. It may be that simultaneous PET/MRI will be best suited for clinical situations that are disease-specific, organ-specific, related to diseases of the children or in those patients undergoing repeated imaging for whom cumulative radiation dose must be kept as low as reasonably achievable. PET/MRI also offers interesting opportunities for use of dual modality probes. Upon clear definition of clinical utility, other important and practical issues related to business operational model, clinical workflow and reimbursement will also be resolved. PMID:23791129

  8. Small animal simultaneous PET/MRI: initial experiences in a 9.4 T microMRI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harsha Maramraju, Sri; Smith, S. David; Junnarkar, Sachin S.; Schulz, Daniela; Stoll, Sean; Ravindranath, Bosky; Purschke, Martin L.; Rescia, Sergio; Southekal, Sudeepti; Pratte, Jean-François; Vaska, Paul; Woody, Craig L.; Schlyer, David J.

    2011-04-01

    We developed a non-magnetic positron-emission tomography (PET) device based on the rat conscious animal PET that operates in a small-animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner, thereby enabling us to carry out simultaneous PET/MRI studies. The PET detector comprises 12 detector blocks, each being a 4 × 8 array of lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals (2.22 × 2.22 × 5 mm3) coupled to a matching non-magnetic avalanche photodiode array. The detector blocks, housed in a plastic case, form a 38 mm inner diameter ring with an 18 mm axial extent. Custom-built MRI coils fit inside the positron-emission tomography (PET) device, operating in transceiver mode. The PET insert is integrated with a Bruker 9.4 T 210 mm clear-bore diameter MRI scanner. We acquired simultaneous PET/MR images of phantoms, of in vivo rat brain, and of cardiac-gated mouse heart using [11C]raclopride and 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-d-glucose PET radiotracers. There was minor interference between the PET electronics and the MRI during simultaneous operation, and small effects on the signal-to-noise ratio in the MR images in the presence of the PET, but no noticeable visual artifacts. Gradient echo and high-duty-cycle spin echo radio frequency (RF) pulses resulted in a 7% and a 28% loss in PET counts, respectively, due to high PET counts during the RF pulses that had to be gated out. The calibration of the activity concentration of PET data during MR pulsing is reproducible within less than 6%. Our initial results demonstrate the feasibility of performing simultaneous PET and MRI studies in adult rats and mice using the same PET insert in a small-bore 9.4 T MRI.

  9. 18F-FDG PET and PET/CT in the Localization and Characterization of Lesions in Patients with Ovarian Cancer.

    PubMed

    Caprio, M G; Capacchione, D; Mainolfi, C; Spera, A M; Salvatore, B; Cella, L; Salvatore, M; Pace, L

    2012-01-01

    The aim was to compare the imaging findings of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) PET and integrated PET/CT in patients with primary, recurrent or metastatic ovarian cancer. 21 women with ovarian cancer were evaluated. All patients had a integrated PET/CT scan. Localization, infiltration and uptake intensity of [(18)F]FDG were evaluated on PET and PET/CT. The certainty of localisation and characterisation was scored on a 3 point scale (L1 definite localisation; L2 probable localisation; L3 uncertain localisation; C1 benign; C2 equivocal; C3 malignant). PET scored as L1 54 lesions (44%), as L2 51 (42%), and as L3 17 (14%). On the other hand, PET/CT scored as L1 120 lesions (98%), as L2 2 (2%), and none as L3. Thus PET/CT allowed a better localization in 54% of lesions. Moreover, PET scored as C1 25 lesions (20%), as C2 62 (51%), and as C3 35 (29%). On the other hand, PET/CT scored as C1 57 lesions (47%), as C2 13 (11%), and as C3 52 (42%). Thus PET/CT allowed a sensible reduction in the number of equivocal lesions (40%). Even when patients were subgrouped on the basis of clinical stage of the disease, PET/CT was capable of better definition of the lesions either for localization and for characterization. In patients with ovarian cancer, PET/CT allows better anatomical localisation of pathologic uptake providing high accuracy for staging and restaging of ovarian cancer when compared with PET alone.

  10. Competitive advantage of PET/MRI.

    PubMed

    Jadvar, Hossein; Colletti, Patrick M

    2014-01-01

    Multimodality imaging has made great strides in the imaging evaluation of patients with a variety of diseases. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is now established as the imaging modality of choice in many clinical conditions, particularly in oncology. While the initial development of combined PET/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) was in the preclinical arena, hybrid PET/MR scanners are now available for clinical use. PET/MRI combines the unique features of MRI including excellent soft tissue contrast, diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, fMRI and other specialized sequences as well as MR spectroscopy with the quantitative physiologic information that is provided by PET. Most evidence for the potential clinical utility of PET/MRI is based on studies performed with side-by-side comparison or software-fused MRI and PET images. Data on distinctive utility of hybrid PET/MRI are rapidly emerging. There are potential competitive advantages of PET/MRI over PET/CT. In general, PET/MRI may be preferred over PET/CT where the unique features of MRI provide more robust imaging evaluation in certain clinical settings. The exact role and potential utility of simultaneous data acquisition in specific research and clinical settings will need to be defined. It may be that simultaneous PET/MRI will be best suited for clinical situations that are disease-specific, organ-specific, related to diseases of the children or in those patients undergoing repeated imaging for whom cumulative radiation dose must be kept as low as reasonably achievable. PET/MRI also offers interesting opportunities for use of dual modality probes. Upon clear definition of clinical utility, other important and practical issues related to business operational model, clinical workflow and reimbursement will also be resolved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Prevalence and malignancy risk of focal colorectal incidental uptake detected by (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Treglia, Giorgio; Taralli, Silvia; Salsano, Marco; Muoio, Barbara; Sadeghi, Ramin; Giovanella, Luca

    2014-06-01

    The aim of the study was to meta-analyze published data about prevalence and malignancy risk of focal colorectal incidentalomas (FCIs) detected by Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography or positron emission tomography/computed tomography ((18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT). A comprehensive computer literature search of studies published through July 31(st) 2012 regarding FCIs detected by (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT was performed. Pooled prevalence of patients with FCIs and risk of malignant or premalignant FCIs after colonoscopy or histopathology verification were calculated. Furthermore, separate calculations for geographic areas were performed. Finally, average standardized uptake values (SUV) in malignant, premalignant and benign FCIs were reported. Thirty-two studies comprising 89,061 patients evaluated by (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT were included. The pooled prevalence of FCIs detected by (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT was 3.6% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.6-4.7%). Overall, 1,044 FCIs detected by (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT underwent colonoscopy or histopathology evaluation. Pooled risk of malignant or premalignant lesions was 68% (95% CI: 60-75%). Risk of malignant and premalignant FCIs in Asia-Oceania was lower compared to that of Europe and America. A significant overlap in average SUV was found between malignant, premalignant and benign FCIs. FCIs are observed in a not negligible number of patients who undergo (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT studies with a high risk of malignant or premalignant lesions. SUV is not reliable as a tool to differentiate between malignant, premalignant and benign FCIs. Further investigation is warranted whenever FCIs are detected by (18)F-FDG-PET or PET/CT.

  12. Prevalence and malignancy risk of focal colorectal incidental uptake detected by 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT: a meta-analysis

    PubMed Central

    Treglia, Giorgio; Taralli, Silvia; Salsano, Marco; Muoio, Barbara; Sadeghi, Ramin; Giovanella, Luca

    2014-01-01

    Background The aim of the study was to meta-analyze published data about prevalence and malignancy risk of focal colorectal incidentalomas (FCIs) detected by Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography or positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT). Methods A comprehensive computer literature search of studies published through July 31st 2012 regarding FCIs detected by 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT was performed. Pooled prevalence of patients with FCIs and risk of malignant or premalignant FCIs after colonoscopy or histopathology verification were calculated. Furthermore, separate calculations for geographic areas were performed. Finally, average standardized uptake values (SUV) in malignant, premalignant and benign FCIs were reported. Results Thirty-two studies comprising 89,061 patients evaluated by 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT were included. The pooled prevalence of FCIs detected by 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT was 3.6% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.6–4.7%). Overall, 1,044 FCIs detected by 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT underwent colonoscopy or histopathology evaluation. Pooled risk of malignant or premalignant lesions was 68% (95% CI: 60–75%). Risk of malignant and premalignant FCIs in Asia-Oceania was lower compared to that of Europe and America. A significant overlap in average SUV was found between malignant, premalignant and benign FCIs. Conclusions FCIs are observed in a not negligible number of patients who undergo 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT studies with a high risk of malignant or premalignant lesions. SUV is not reliable as a tool to differentiate between malignant, premalignant and benign FCIs. Further investigation is warranted whenever FCIs are detected by 18F-FDG-PET or PET/CT. PMID:24991198

  13. PET-Probe: Evaluation of Technical Performance and Clinical Utility of a Handheld High-Energy Gamma Probe in Oncologic Surgery.

    PubMed

    Gulec, Seza A; Daghighian, Farhad; Essner, Richard

    2016-12-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) has become an invaluable part of patient evaluation in surgical oncology. PET is less than optimal for detecting lesions <1 cm, and the intraoperative localization of small PET-positive lesions can be challenging as a result of difficulties in surgical exposure. We undertook this investigation to assess the utility of a handheld high-energy gamma probe (PET-Probe) for intraoperative identification of 18 F-deoxyglucose (FDG)-avid tumors. Forty patients underwent a diagnostic whole-body FDG-PET scan for consideration for surgical exploration and resection. Before surgery, all patients received an intravenous injection of 7 to 10 mCi of FDG. At surgery, the PET-Probe was used to determine absolute counts per second at the known tumor site(s) demonstrated by whole-body PET and at adjacent normal tissue (at least 4 cm away from tumor-bearing sites). Tumor-to-background ratios were calculated. Thirty-two patients (80%) underwent PET-Probe-guided surgery with therapeutic intent in a recurrent or metastatic disease setting. Eight patients underwent surgery for diagnostic exploration. Anatomical locations of the PET-identified lesions were neck and supraclavicular (n = 8), axilla (n = 5), groin and deep iliac (n = 4), trunk and extremity soft tissue (n = 3), abdominal and retroperitoneal (n = 19), and lung (n = 2). PET-Probe detected all PET-positive lesions. The PET-Probe was instrumental in localization of lesions in 15 patients that were not immediately apparent by surgical exploration. The PET-Probe identified all lesions demonstrated by PET scanning and, in selected cases, was useful in localizing FDG-avid disease not seen with conventional PET scanning.

  14. FDG-PET/CT at the end of immuno-chemotherapy in follicular lymphoma: the prognostic role of the ratio between target lesion and liver SUVmax (rPET).

    PubMed

    Annunziata, Salvatore; Cuccaro, Annarosa; Tisi, Maria Chiara; Hohaus, Stefan; Rufini, Vittoria

    2018-06-01

    To retrospectively investigate the prognostic role of the ratio between target lesion and liver SUV max (rPET) in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) submitted to FDG-PET/CT at the end of immuno-chemotherapy (PI-PET), and to compare rPET with International Harmonization Project criteria (IHP), Deauville Score (5p-DS) and FL International Prognostic Index at diagnosis (FLIPI). Eighty-nine patients with FL undergoing PI-PET were evaluated. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) approach was applied to identify the optimal cut-point of rPET with respect to 5-years progression free survival (PFS). The prognostic significance of rPET was compared with IHP, DS and FLIPI. Positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated using the presence of adverse events as gold standard. The ROC analysis for rPET as predictor of progression showed an optimal rPET cut-point of 0.98. Patients with positive values of IHP, DS and rPET had a PFS of 50, 30 and 31%. PPV were of 56, 80 and 80%, NPV of 83, 86 and 88%, respectively. DS and rPET differed only in two patients. FLIPI was not predictive of progression and relapse. rPET is a prognostic factor in patients with FL submitted to PI-PET. Although it has a similar prognostic power as DS, it can have methodological advantages over visual analysis. PI-PET with different evaluation systems has a stronger prognostic power than FLIPI at diagnosis, so it could be useful to identify patients with FL at risk for early relapse after immuno-chemotherapy.

  15. Family pet ownership during childhood: findings from a UK birth cohort and implications for public health research.

    PubMed

    Westgarth, Carri; Heron, Jon; Ness, Andy R; Bundred, Peter; Gaskell, Rosalind M; Coyne, Karen P; German, Alexander J; McCune, Sandra; Dawson, Susan

    2010-10-01

    In developed nations, approximately half of household environments contain pets. Studies of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) have proposed that there are health benefits and risks associated with pet ownership. However, accurately demonstrating and understanding these relationships first requires a better knowledge of factors associated with ownership of different pet types. A UK birth cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), were used to collect pet ownership data from the mothers, from gestation to child age 10 years old. 14,663 children were included in the study, of which mothers of 13,557 reported pet information at gestation, and 7,800 by age 10. Pet types recorded include cat, dog, rabbit, rodent, bird, fish and tortoise/turtle. The dataset also contains a number of demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural variables relevant to human health behaviour. Logistic regression was used to build multivariable models for ownership of each pet type at age 7 years. Family pet ownership increased during childhood, in particular rabbits, rodents and fish. A number of socioeconomic and demographic factors were associated with ownership of different pet types and the effects differed depending on the pet type studied. Variables which require consideration by researchers include gender, presence of older siblings, ethnicity, maternal and paternal education, maternal and paternal social class, maternal age, number of people in the household, house type, and concurrent ownership of other pets. Whether the mother had pets during her childhood was a strong predictor of pet ownership in all models. In HAI studies, care should be taken to control for confounding factors, and to treat each pet type individually. ALSPAC and other similar birth cohorts can be considered a potential resource for research into the effects of pet ownership during childhood.

  16. Family Pet Ownership during Childhood: Findings from a UK Birth Cohort and Implications for Public Health Research

    PubMed Central

    Westgarth, Carri; Heron, Jon; Ness, Andy R.; Bundred, Peter; Gaskell, Rosalind M.; Coyne, Karen P.; German, Alexander J.; McCune, Sandra; Dawson, Susan

    2010-01-01

    In developed nations, approximately half of household environments contain pets. Studies of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) have proposed that there are health benefits and risks associated with pet ownership. However, accurately demonstrating and understanding these relationships first requires a better knowledge of factors associated with ownership of different pet types. A UK birth cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), were used to collect pet ownership data from the mothers, from gestation to child age 10 years old. 14,663 children were included in the study, of which mothers of 13,557 reported pet information at gestation, and 7,800 by age 10. Pet types recorded include cat, dog, rabbit, rodent, bird, fish and tortoise/turtle. The dataset also contains a number of demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural variables relevant to human health behaviour. Logistic regression was used to build multivariable models for ownership of each pet type at age 7 years. Family pet ownership increased during childhood, in particular rabbits, rodents and fish. A number of socioeconomic and demographic factors were associated with ownership of different pet types and the effects differed depending on the pet type studied. Variables which require consideration by researchers include gender, presence of older siblings, ethnicity, maternal and paternal education, maternal and paternal social class, maternal age, number of people in the household, house type, and concurrent ownership of other pets. Whether the mother had pets during her childhood was a strong predictor of pet ownership in all models. In HAI studies, care should be taken to control for confounding factors, and to treat each pet type individually. ALSPAC and other similar birth cohorts can be considered a potential resource for research into the effects of pet ownership during childhood. PMID:21139856

  17. Usefulness of whole-body fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in patients with large-vessel vasculitis: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Treglia, Giorgio; Mattoli, Maria Vittoria; Leccisotti, Lucia; Ferraccioli, Gianfranco; Giordano, Alessandro

    2011-10-01

    The objective of this study is to systematically review the role of positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with large-vessel vasculitis (LVV). A comprehensive literature search of published studies through April 2011 in PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases regarding whole-body FDG-PET and PET/CT in patients with LVV was performed. We identified 32 studies including 604 LVV patients. The main findings of these studies are presented. The conclusions are the following: (1) FDG-PET and PET/CT are useful imaging methods in the initial diagnosis and in the assessment of activity and extent of disease in patients with LVV; (2) the correlation between FDG-PET findings and serological levels of inflammatory markers, as well as the usefulness of FDG-PET and PET/CT in evaluating treatment response, remains unclear; (3) it appears that there is a superiority of FDG-PET and PET/CT over conventional imaging methods in the diagnosis of LVV, but not in assessing disease activity under immunosuppressive treatment, in predicting relapse or in evaluating vascular complications; and (4) given the heterogeneity between studies with regard to PET analysis and diagnostic criteria, a standardization of the technique is needed.

  18. Deformation field correction for spatial normalization of PET images

    PubMed Central

    Bilgel, Murat; Carass, Aaron; Resnick, Susan M.; Wong, Dean F.; Prince, Jerry L.

    2015-01-01

    Spatial normalization of positron emission tomography (PET) images is essential for population studies, yet the current state of the art in PET-to-PET registration is limited to the application of conventional deformable registration methods that were developed for structural images. A method is presented for the spatial normalization of PET images that improves their anatomical alignment over the state of the art. The approach works by correcting the deformable registration result using a model that is learned from training data having both PET and structural images. In particular, viewing the structural registration of training data as ground truth, correction factors are learned by using a generalized ridge regression at each voxel given the PET intensities and voxel locations in a population-based PET template. The trained model can then be used to obtain more accurate registration of PET images to the PET template without the use of a structural image. A cross validation evaluation on 79 subjects shows that the proposed method yields more accurate alignment of the PET images compared to deformable PET-to-PET registration as revealed by 1) a visual examination of the deformed images, 2) a smaller error in the deformation fields, and 3) a greater overlap of the deformed anatomical labels with ground truth segmentations. PMID:26142272

  19. 18F-FDG PET/CT and PET/MRI Perform Equally Well in Cancer: Evidence from Studies on More Than 2,300 Patients

    PubMed Central

    Spick, Claudio; Herrmann, Ken; Czernin, Johannes

    2016-01-01

    18F-FDG PET/CT has become the reference standard in oncologic imaging against which the performance of other imaging modalities is measured. The promise of PET/MRI includes multiparametric imaging to further improve diagnosis and phenotyping of cancer. Rather than focusing on these capabilities, many investigators have examined whether 18F-FDG PET combined with mostly anatomic MRI improves cancer staging and restaging. After a description of PET/MRI scanner designs and a discussion of technical and operational issues, we review the available literature to determine whether cancer assessments are improved with PET/MRI. The available data show that PET/MRI is feasible and performs as well as PET/CT in most types of cancer. Diagnostic advantages may be achievable in prostate cancer and in bone metastases, whereas disadvantages exist in lung nodule assessments. We conclude that 18F-FDG PET/MRI and PET/CT provide comparable diagnostic information when MRI is used simply to provide the anatomic framework. Thus, PET/MRI could be used in lieu of PET/CT if this approach becomes economically viable and if reasonable workflows can be established. Future studies should explore the multiparametric potential of MRI. PMID:26742709

  20. Psychometric evaluation of a new assessment of the ability to manage technology in everyday life.

    PubMed

    Malinowsky, Camilla; Nygård, Louise; Kottorp, Anders

    2011-03-01

    Technology increasingly influences the everyday lives of most people, and the ability to manage technology can be seen as a prerequisite for participation in everyday occupations. However, knowledge of the ability and skills required for management of technology is sparse. This study aimed to validate a new observation-based assessment, the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment (META). The META has been developed to assess the ability to manage technology in everyday life. A sample of 116 older adults with and without cognitive impairment were observed and interviewed by the use of the META when managing their everyday technology at home. The results indicate that the META demonstrates acceptable person response validity and technology goodness-of-fit. Additionally, the META can separate individuals with higher ability from individuals with lower ability to manage everyday technology. The META can be seen as a complement to existing ADL assessment techniques and is planned to be used in both research and practice.

  1. The Role of 18F-FDG PET/CT Integrated Imaging in Distinguishing Malignant from Benign Pleural Effusion

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Yajuan; Yu, Hongjuan; Ma, Jingquan

    2016-01-01

    Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging in differentiating malignant from benign pleural effusion. Methods A total of 176 patients with pleural effusion who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT examination to differentiate malignancy from benignancy were retrospectively researched. The images of CT imaging, 18F-FDG PET imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were visually analyzed. The suspected malignant effusion was characterized by the presence of nodular or irregular pleural thickening on CT imaging. Whereas on PET imaging, pleural 18F-FDG uptake higher than mediastinal activity was interpreted as malignant effusion. Images of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were interpreted by combining the morphologic feature of pleura on CT imaging with the degree and form of pleural 18F-FDG uptake on PET imaging. Results One hundred and eight patients had malignant effusion, including 86 with pleural metastasis and 22 with pleural mesothelioma, whereas 68 patients had benign effusion. The sensitivities of CT imaging, 18F-FDG PET imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging in detecting malignant effusion were 75.0%, 91.7% and 93.5%, respectively, which were 69.8%, 91.9% and 93.0% in distinguishing metastatic effusion. The sensitivity of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging in detecting malignant effusion was higher than that of CT imaging (p = 0.000). For metastatic effusion, 18F-FDG PET imaging had higher sensitivity (p = 0.000) and better diagnostic consistency with 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging compared with CT imaging (Kappa = 0.917 and Kappa = 0.295, respectively). The specificities of CT imaging, 18F-FDG PET imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were 94.1%, 63.2% and 92.6% in detecting benign effusion. The specificities of CT imaging and 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging were higher than that of 18F-FDG PET imaging (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000, respectively), and CT imaging had better diagnostic consistency with 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging compared with 18F-FDG PET imaging (Kappa = 0.881 and Kappa = 0.240, respectively). Conclusion 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging is a more reliable modality in distinguishing malignant from benign pleural effusion than 18F-FDG PET imaging and CT imaging alone. For image interpretation of 18F-FDG PET/CT integrated imaging, the PET and CT portions play a major diagnostic role in identifying metastatic effusion and benign effusion, respectively. PMID:27560933

  2. "Need to Know" vs. "Need to Believe" in UFOlogy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teodorani, Massimo

    2009-09-01

    How authentic is UFO documentation? A lot of factors demonstrate -- doing a simple analysis -- that most of UFO photographic material, in particular the one that circulates on the web, is totally unreliable. It is not only a matter of lack of scientific method; it is mostly a simple matter of lack of common sense. The common sense of people is constantly made a fun of and the reasons of this are many, the most important of which is the emotional effect caused by the imaginary collective. UFO iconography is a drug at all effects, and can be used to switch minds in many ways, also to collect proselytes to make up new fanatic religions, but more generally to give people a sort of psychological medicine with which people can escape from the hard reality of everyday, where the continuous competitions of present society often obscure the human and spiritual dimension: people need to retrieve the very nucleus of their soul. This intimate need is clearly legitimate, but it is also risky: in fact persons who are not well rationally grounded are very easily subject to manipulation: it seems that most persons in the world are just in this condition, especially at our epoch. When critical thinking starts to lack, who leads this society has at his disposal a huge mass of sheep, ready to follow alleged miracles, saviour aliens and related gurus. The less people think in a grounded way the least this people are conscious of what is happening at their shoulders. This is the effect of UFO iconography.

  3. Implementation of innovative attitudes and behaviour in primary health care by means of strategic communication: a 7-year follow-up.

    PubMed

    Morténius, Helena; Marklund, Bertil; Palm, Lars; Björkelund, Cecilia; Baigi, Amir

    2012-06-01

    To bridge the gap between theory and practice, methods are needed that promote a positive attitude to change among health care professionals and facilitate the incorporation of new research findings. In this context, communication plays a significant role. The aim of this study was to analyse primary care staff members' readiness to adopt new ways of thinking and willingness to change their work practices by means of strategic communication. An evaluative design was used to study a primary care staff cohort for 7 years. The study population comprised all primary care staff in a region of Sweden (n = 1206). The strategic communication encompassed managerial impact, planning and implementation of reflexive communication processes, in addition to activities in three established communication channels (oral, written and digital). A questionnaire was used, and bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed. A total of 846 individuals participated in the evaluation (70%). Strategic communication had a significant effect on staff members' new way of thinking (61%) and willingness to change daily work practices (33%). The communication channels had a significant synergy effect on the adoption of new ideas and willingness to change attitudes. Oral and digital communication had a significant impact on staff members' readiness to change. Strategic communication plays an important role in the process of creating innovative attitudes and behaviour among primary care professionals. The willingness to change attitudes enhances primary care staff's readiness to change everyday practices, thus facilitating the implementation of evidence-based care. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  4. Understanding U.S. Physician Satisfaction: State of the Evidence and Future Directions.

    PubMed

    Hoff, Timothy; Young, Gary; Xiang, Elaine; Raver, Eli

    2015-01-01

    Physician satisfaction is an important issue, yet we know less about it than we should. This narrative review updates our knowledge about U.S. physician satisfaction and proposes new foci for understanding and studying the topic that align better with the evolving U.S. healthcare delivery system, physicians' everyday work situations, and medicine's internal demographic changes. Using the PubMed database of empirical studies published between 2008 and 2013 that examine U.S. physician job, career, or work satisfaction, we compare our review findings with a review covering studies published between 1970 and 2007. We included 22 studies in our review. Overall, U.S. physicians experience moderate to high levels of job, work, and career satisfaction, and these levels have remained stable over time. This is surprising given discussions in the popular press of declining physician satisfaction. The observed consistency and the high levels of satisfaction do not tell the entire story. While autonomy, income, and perceived job demands are several of the stronger predictors of physician satisfaction, variables such as age and gender have been understudied. And our understanding of what drives physician satisfaction still draws too heavily on other variables that are less salient given today's workplace and the current trends in professional demographics and employment arrangements. Future thinking and research on physician satisfaction should align more with the array of changes now occurring within the U.S. medical profession and the larger U.S. healthcare delivery system, within which physicians work. To do this, new variables and conceptual thinking that capture these changes must be used.

  5. Infusing Bioethics into Biology and Microbiology Courses and Curricula: A Vertical Approach

    PubMed Central

    Jagger, Kathleen S.; Furlong, Jack

    2014-01-01

    With the rise of biomedicine and biotechnology, there has been a corresponding growth in the need for better understanding of consequent ethical questions. Increasingly, biologists are being asked not only to offer technical clarifications but also to venture ethical opinions, for which most feel poorly equipped. This expectation puts pressure on biology instructors at the university level to provide biology majors the skills and experience to discuss with some confidence and competence bioethical issues which may arise in either the workplace or through public discourse in everyday contexts. Many fine curricular resources about bioethics are available for varied pedagogical purposes, but few target undergraduate biology or microbiology student audiences. When it occurs in the context of a course, bioethics instruction often is taught by non-biologists outside standard biology curricula. We propose that biologists should strive to “infuse” bioethical thinking into their courses and major curricula but not in such a way as merely to point at ethical problems, treating them at a surface level. We suggest what we call “vertical infusion”: taking one bioethical issue per course and integrating this issue within the context of a relevant biological topic, challenging students to push their thinking beyond their initial intuitions toward underlying scientific and ethical principles. While the vertical approach lacks widespread coverage of ethical issues throughout a single course, it has the advantage of taking the bioethical dimension seriously and in intimate relation to contemporary discoveries in biology and to the biological principles, processes, or procedures that occasioned the ethical quandaries in the first place. PMID:25574281

  6. A Diabetes Dashboard and Physician Efficiency and Accuracy in Accessing Data Needed for High-Quality Diabetes Care

    PubMed Central

    Koopman, Richelle J.; Kochendorfer, Karl M.; Moore, Joi L.; Mehr, David R.; Wakefield, Douglas S.; Yadamsuren, Borchuluun; Coberly, Jared S.; Kruse, Robin L.; Wakefield, Bonnie J.; Belden, Jeffery L.

    2011-01-01

    PURPOSE We compared use of a new diabetes dashboard screen with use of a conventional approach of viewing multiple electronic health record (EHR) screens to find data needed for ambulatory diabetes care. METHODS We performed a usability study, including a quantitative time study and qualitative analysis of information-seeking behaviors. While being recorded with Morae Recorder software and “think-aloud” interview methods, 10 primary care physicians first searched their EHR for 10 diabetes data elements using a conventional approach for a simulated patient, and then using a new diabetes dashboard for another. We measured time, number of mouse clicks, and accuracy. Two coders analyzed think-aloud and interview data using grounded theory methodology. RESULTS The mean time needed to find all data elements was 5.5 minutes using the conventional approach vs 1.3 minutes using the diabetes dashboard (P <.001). Physicians correctly identified 94% of the data requested using the conventional method, vs 100% with the dashboard (P <.01). The mean number of mouse clicks was 60 for conventional searching vs 3 clicks with the diabetes dashboard (P <.001). A common theme was that in everyday practice, if physicians had to spend too much time searching for data, they would either continue without it or order a test again. CONCLUSIONS Using a patient-specific diabetes dashboard improves both the efficiency and accuracy of acquiring data needed for high-quality diabetes care. Usability analysis tools can provide important insights into the value of optimizing physician use of health information technologies. PMID:21911758

  7. Myths and misperceptions about ingredients used in commercial pet foods.

    PubMed

    Laflamme, Dottie; Izquierdo, Oscar; Eirmann, Laura; Binder, Stephen

    2014-07-01

    Information and misinformation about pet nutrition and pet foods, including ingredients used in pet foods, is widely available through various sources. Often, this "information" raises questions or concerns among pet owners. Many pet owners will turn to their veterinarian for answers to these questions. One of the challenges that veterinarians have is keeping up with the volume of misinformation about pet foods and sorting out fact from fiction. The goal of this article is to provide facts regarding some common myths about ingredients used in commercial pet foods so as to better prepare veterinarians to address their client's questions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. The role of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in staging and restaging of patients with osteosarcoma

    PubMed Central

    Quartuccio, Natale; Treglia, Giorgio; Salsano, Marco; Mattoli, Maria Vittoria; Muoio, Barbara; Piccardo, Arnoldo; Lopci, Egesta; Cistaro, Angelina

    2013-01-01

    Background The objective of this study is to systematically review the role of positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) with Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in patients with osteosarcoma (OS). Methods A comprehensive literature search of published studies through October 10th, 2012 in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase and Scopus databases regarding whole-body FDG-PET and FDG-PET/CT in patients with OS was performed. Results We identified 13 studies including 289 patients with OS. With regard to the staging and restaging of OS, the diagnostic performance of FDG-PET and PET/CT seem to be high; FDG-PET and PET/CT seem to be superior to bone scintigraphy and conventional imaging methods in detecting bone metastases; conversely, spiral CT seems to be superior to FDG-PET in detecting pulmonary metastases from OS Conclusions Metabolic imaging may provide additional information in the evaluation of OS patients. The combination of FDG-PET or FDG-PET/CT with conventional imaging methods seems to be a valuable tool in the staging and restaging of OS and may have a relevant impact on the treatment planning. PMID:23801904

  9. Risk-related 18F-FDG PET/CT and new diagnostic strategies in patients with solitary pulmonary nodule: the ITALIAN multicenter trial.

    PubMed

    Spadafora, Marco; Pace, Leonardo; Evangelista, Laura; Mansi, Luigi; Del Prete, Francesco; Saladini, Giorgio; Miletto, Paolo; Fanti, Stefano; Del Vecchio, Silvana; Guerra, Luca; Pepe, Giovanna; Peluso, Giuseppina; Nicolai, Emanuele; Storto, Giovanni; Ferdeghini, Marco; Giordano, Alessandro; Farsad, Mohsen; Schillaci, Orazio; Gridelli, Cesare; Cuocolo, Alberto

    2018-05-05

    Diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) is an important public health issue and 18 F-FDG PET/CT has proven to be more effective than CT alone. Pre-test risk stratification and clinical presentation of SPN could affect the diagnostic strategy. A relevant issue is whether thoracic segmental (s)-PET/CT could be implemented in patients with SPN. This retrospective multicenter study compared the results of FDG whole-body (wb)-PET/CT to those of s-PET/CT. 18 F-FDG PET/CT of 502 patients, stratified for pre-test cancer risk, were retrospectively analyzed. The thoracic part of wb-PET/CT, considered s-PET/CT, was compared to wb-PET/CT. Clinical and PET/CT variables were investigated for SPN characterization as well as for identification of patients in whom s-PET/CT could be performed. Histopathology or follow-up data were used as a reference. In the study population, 36% had malignant, 35% benign, and 29% indeterminate SPN. 18 F-FDG uptake indicative of thoracic and extra-thoracic lesions was detectable in 13% and 3% of the patients. All patients with extra-thoracic metastases (n = 13) had thoracic lymph node involvement and highest 18 F-FDG uptake at level of SPN (negative predictive value 100%). Compared to wb-PET/CT, s-PET/CT could save about 2/3 of 18 F-FDG dose, radiation exposure or scan-time, without affecting the clinical impact of PET/CT. Pre-test probability of malignancy can guide the diagnostic strategy of 18 FDG-PET/CT in patients with SPN. In subjects with low-intermediate pretest probability s-PET/CT imaging might be planned in advance, while in those at high risk and with thoracic lymph node involvement a wb-PET/CT is necessary.

  10. Clinical utility of flumazenil-PET versus [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET and MRI in refractory partial epilepsy. A prospective study in 100 patients.

    PubMed

    Ryvlin, P; Bouvard, S; Le Bars, D; De Lamérie, G; Grégoire, M C; Kahane, P; Froment, J C; Mauguière, F

    1998-11-01

    We assessed the clinical utility of [11C]flumazenil-PET (FMZ-PET) prospectively in 100 epileptic patients undergoing a pre-surgical evaluation, and defined the specific contribution of this neuro-imaging technique with respect to those of MRI and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET). All patients benefited from a long term video-EEG monitoring, whereas an intracranial EEG investigation was performed in 40 cases. Most of our patients (73%) demonstrated a FMZ-PET abnormality; this hit rate was significantly higher in temporal lobe epilepsy (94%) than in other types of epilepsy (50%) (P < 0.001). Most FMZ-PET findings coexisted with a MRI abnormality (81%), including hippocampal atrophy (35%) and focal hypometabolism on FDG-PET (89%). The area of decreased FMZ binding was often smaller than that of glucose hypometabolism (48%) or larger than that of the MRI abnormality (28%). FMZ-PET did not prove superior to FDG-PET in assessing the extent of the ictal onset zone, as defined by intracranial EEG recordings. However, it provided useful data which were complementary to those of MRI and FDG-PET in three situations: (i) in temporal lobe epilepsy associated with MRI signs of hippocampal sclerosis, FMZ-PET abnormalities delineated the site of seizure onset precisely, whenever they were coextensive with FDG-PET abnormalities; (ii) in bi-temporal epilepsy, FMZ-PET helped to confirm the bilateral origin of seizures by showing a specific pattern of decreased FMZ binding in both temporal lobes in 33% of cases; (iii) in patients with a unilateral cryptogenic frontal lobe epilepsy, FMZ-PET provided further evidence of the side and site of seizure onset in 55% of cases. Thus, FMZ-PET deserves to be included in the pre-surgical evaluation of these specific categories of epileptic patients, representing approximately half of the population considered for epilepsy surgery.

  11. PET-PANC: multicentre prospective diagnostic accuracy and health economic analysis study of the impact of combined modality 18fluorine-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography with computed tomography scanning in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer.

    PubMed

    Ghaneh, Paula; Hanson, Robert; Titman, Andrew; Lancaster, Gill; Plumpton, Catrin; Lloyd-Williams, Huw; Yeo, Seow Tien; Edwards, Rhiannon Tudor; Johnson, Colin; Abu Hilal, Mohammed; Higginson, Antony P; Armstrong, Tom; Smith, Andrew; Scarsbrook, Andrew; McKay, Colin; Carter, Ross; Sutcliffe, Robert P; Bramhall, Simon; Kocher, Hemant M; Cunningham, David; Pereira, Stephen P; Davidson, Brian; Chang, David; Khan, Saboor; Zealley, Ian; Sarker, Debashis; Al Sarireh, Bilal; Charnley, Richard; Lobo, Dileep; Nicolson, Marianne; Halloran, Christopher; Raraty, Michael; Sutton, Robert; Vinjamuri, Sobhan; Evans, Jonathan; Campbell, Fiona; Deeks, Jon; Sanghera, Bal; Wong, Wai-Lup; Neoptolemos, John P

    2018-02-01

    Pancreatic cancer diagnosis and staging can be difficult in 10-20% of patients. Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) adds precise anatomical localisation to functional data. The use of PET/CT may add further value to the diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer. To determine the incremental diagnostic accuracy and impact of PET/CT in addition to standard diagnostic work-up in patients with suspected pancreatic cancer. A multicentre prospective diagnostic accuracy and clinical value study of PET/CT in suspected pancreatic malignancy. Patients with suspected pancreatic malignancy. All patients to undergo PET/CT following standard diagnostic work-up. The primary outcome was the incremental diagnostic value of PET/CT in addition to standard diagnostic work-up with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT). Secondary outcomes were (1) changes in patients' diagnosis, staging and management as a result of PET/CT; (2) changes in the costs and effectiveness of patient management as a result of PET/CT; (3) the incremental diagnostic value of PET/CT in chronic pancreatitis; (4) the identification of groups of patients who would benefit most from PET/CT; and (5) the incremental diagnostic value of PET/CT in other pancreatic tumours. Between 2011 and 2013, 589 patients with suspected pancreatic cancer underwent MDCT and PET/CT, with 550 patients having complete data and in-range PET/CT. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were 88.5% and 70.6%, respectively, for MDCT and 92.7% and 75.8%, respectively, for PET/CT. The maximum standardised uptake value (SUV max. ) for a pancreatic cancer diagnosis was 7.5. PET/CT demonstrated a significant improvement in relative sensitivity ( p  = 0.01) and specificity ( p  = 0.023) compared with MDCT. Incremental likelihood ratios demonstrated that PET/CT significantly improved diagnostic accuracy in all scenarios ( p  < 0.0002). PET/CT correctly changed the staging of pancreatic cancer in 56 patients ( p  = 0.001). PET/CT influenced management in 250 (45%) patients. PET/CT stopped resection in 58 (20%) patients who were due to have surgery. The benefit of PET/CT was limited in patients with chronic pancreatitis or other pancreatic tumours. PET/CT was associated with a gain in quality-adjusted life-years of 0.0157 (95% confidence interval -0.0101 to 0.0430). In the base-case model PET/CT was seen to dominate MDCT alone and is thus highly likely to be cost-effective for the UK NHS. PET/CT was seen to be most cost-effective for the subgroup of patients with suspected pancreatic cancer who were thought to be resectable. PET/CT provided a significant incremental diagnostic benefit in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and significantly influenced the staging and management of patients. PET/CT had limited utility in chronic pancreatitis and other pancreatic tumours. PET/CT is likely to be cost-effective at current reimbursement rates for PET/CT to the UK NHS. This was not a randomised controlled trial and therefore we do not have any information from patients who would have undergone MDCT only for comparison. In addition, there were issues in estimating costs for PET/CT. Future work should evaluate the role of PET/CT in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm and prognosis and response to therapy in patients with pancreatic cancer. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN73852054 and UKCRN 8166. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

  12. Direct Patlak Reconstruction From Dynamic PET Data Using the Kernel Method With MRI Information Based on Structural Similarity.

    PubMed

    Gong, Kuang; Cheng-Liao, Jinxiu; Wang, Guobao; Chen, Kevin T; Catana, Ciprian; Qi, Jinyi

    2018-04-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality widely used in oncology, cardiology, and neuroscience. It is highly sensitive, but suffers from relatively poor spatial resolution, as compared with anatomical imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With the recent development of combined PET/MR systems, we can improve the PET image quality by incorporating MR information into image reconstruction. Previously, kernel learning has been successfully embedded into static and dynamic PET image reconstruction using either PET temporal or MRI information. Here, we combine both PET temporal and MRI information adaptively to improve the quality of direct Patlak reconstruction. We examined different approaches to combine the PET and MRI information in kernel learning to address the issue of potential mismatches between MRI and PET signals. Computer simulations and hybrid real-patient data acquired on a simultaneous PET/MR scanner were used to evaluate the proposed methods. Results show that the method that combines PET temporal information and MRI spatial information adaptively based on the structure similarity index has the best performance in terms of noise reduction and resolution improvement.

  13. Increased risk for Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli infection of pet origin in dog owners and evidence for genetic association between strains causing infection in humans and their pets.

    PubMed

    Mughini Gras, L; Smid, J H; Wagenaar, J A; Koene, M G J; Havelaar, A H; Friesema, I H M; French, N P; Flemming, C; Galson, J D; Graziani, C; Busani, L; VAN Pelt, W

    2013-12-01

    We compared Campylobacter jejuni/coli multilocus sequence types (STs) from pets (dogs/cats) and their owners and investigated risk factors for pet-associated human campylobacteriosis using a combined source-attribution and case-control analysis. In total, 132/687 pet stools were Campylobacter-positive, resulting in 499 strains isolated (320 C. upsaliensis/helveticus, 100 C. jejuni, 33 C. hyointestinalis/fetus, 10 C. lari, 4 C. coli, 32 unidentified). There were 737 human and 104 pet C. jejuni/coli strains assigned to 154 and 49 STs, respectively. Dog, particularly puppy, owners were at increased risk of infection with pet-associated STs. In 2/68 cases vs. 0.134/68 expected by chance, a pet and its owner were infected with an identical ST (ST45, ST658). Although common sources of infection and directionality of transmission between pets and humans were unknown, dog ownership significantly increased the risk for pet-associated human C. jejuni/coli infection and isolation of identical strains in humans and their pets occurred significantly more often than expected.

  14. The Spillover Effect of a Flood on Pets and Their People: Implications for Rental Housing.

    PubMed

    Graham, Taryn M; Rock, Melanie J

    2018-06-04

    When disasters strike, companion animals (pets) matter. Emergency planning for them is a key aspect of disaster preparedness, especially considering that people may delay evacuation out of concern for their pets. Temporary boarding options for pets are important; however, caregivers (owners) must ultimately return to permanent housing. Surprisingly little attention has been paid to housing recovery in the disaster literature on pet ownership, and no studies have examined the potential for increased vulnerability among tenants with pets. This study analyzed online rental listings in a city that was severely flooded in 2013. In the following year, demand for pet-friendly rental housing outweighed supply. Landlords frequently stipulated restrictions on the allowable sizes, species, or breeds of pets. Dogs were often banned outright. To keep their pets, prospective tenants needed to exercise flexibility in location and pay higher surcharges. The implications of housing insecurity for tenants with pets have broad relevance, not just in disaster circumstances. Giving up a companion animal to secure housing can negatively impact resilience, whereas living in unsafe environments to avoid pet relinquishment may increase vulnerability.

  15. Pet ownership increases human risk of encountering ticks.

    PubMed

    Jones, E H; Hinckley, A F; Hook, S A; Meek, J I; Backenson, B; Kugeler, K J; Feldman, K A

    2018-02-01

    We examined whether pet ownership increased the risk for tick encounters and tickborne disease among residents of three Lyme disease-endemic states as a nested cohort within a randomized controlled trial. Information about pet ownership, use of tick control for pets, property characteristics, tick encounters and human tickborne disease were captured through surveys, and associations were assessed using univariate and multivariable analyses. Pet-owning households had 1.83 times the risk (95% CI = 1.53, 2.20) of finding ticks crawling on and 1.49 times the risk (95% CI = 1.20, 1.84) of finding ticks attached to household members compared to households without pets. This large evaluation of pet ownership, human tick encounters and tickborne diseases shows that pet owners, whether of cats or dogs, are at increased risk of encountering ticks and suggests that pet owners are at an increased risk of developing tickborne disease. Pet owners should be made aware of this risk and be reminded to conduct daily tick checks of all household members, including the pets, and to consult their veterinarian regarding effective tick control products. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  16. Pet ownership and health in older adults: findings from a survey of 2,551 community-based Australians aged 60-64.

    PubMed

    Parslow, Ruth A; Jorm, Anthony F; Christensen, Helen; Rodgers, Bryan; Jacomb, Patricia

    2005-01-01

    It is commonly assumed that owning a pet provides older residents in the community with health benefits including improved physical health and psychological well-being. It has also been reported that pet owners are lower on neuroticism and higher on extraversion compared with those without pets. However, findings of research on this topic have been mixed with a number of researchers reporting that, for older people, there is little or no health benefit associated with pet ownership. To identify health benefits associated with pet ownership and pet caring responsibilities in a large sample of older community-based residents. Using survey information provided by 2,551 individuals aged between 60 and 64 years, we compared the sociodemographic attributes, mental and physical health measures, and personality traits of pet owners and non-owners. For 78.8% of these participants, we were also able to compare the health services used, based on information obtained from the national insurer on the number of general practitioner (GP) visits they made over a 12-month period. Compared with non-owners, those with pets reported more depressive symptoms while female pet owners who were married also had poorer physical health. We found that caring for a pet was associated with negative health outcomes including more symptoms of depression, poorer physical health and higher rates of use of pain relief medication. No relationship was found between pet ownership and use of GP services. When we examined the personality traits of pet owners and carers, we found that men who cared for pets had higher extraversion scores. Our principal and unexpected finding, however, was that pet owners and carers reported higher levels of psychoticism as measured by the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. We conclude that pet ownership confers no health benefits for this age group. Instead, those with pets have poorer mental and physical health and use more pain relief medication. Further, our study suggests that those with pets are less conforming to social norms as indicated by their higher levels of psychoticism. Copyright (c) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

  17. Value of a Dixon-based MR/PET attenuation correction sequence for the localization and evaluation of PET-positive lesions.

    PubMed

    Eiber, Matthias; Martinez-Möller, Axel; Souvatzoglou, Michael; Holzapfel, Konstantin; Pickhard, Anja; Löffelbein, Dennys; Santi, Ivan; Rummeny, Ernst J; Ziegler, Sibylle; Schwaiger, Markus; Nekolla, Stephan G; Beer, Ambros J

    2011-09-01

    In this study, the potential contribution of Dixon-based MR imaging with a rapid low-resolution breath-hold sequence, which is a technique used for MR-based attenuation correction (AC) for MR/positron emission tomography (PET), was evaluated for anatomical correlation of PET-positive lesions on a 3T clinical scanner compared to low-dose CT. This technique is also used in a recently installed fully integrated whole-body MR/PET system. Thirty-five patients routinely scheduled for oncological staging underwent (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT and a 2-point Dixon 3-D volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) T1-weighted MR sequence on the same day. Two PET data sets reconstructed using attenuation maps from low-dose CT (PET(AC_CT)) or simulated MR-based segmentation (PET(AC_MR)) were evaluated for focal PET-positive lesions. The certainty for the correlation with anatomical structures was judged in the low-dose CT and Dixon-based MRI on a 4-point scale (0-3). In addition, the standardized uptake values (SUVs) for PET(AC_CT) and PET(AC_MR) were compared. Statistically, no significant difference could be found concerning anatomical localization for all 81 PET-positive lesions in low-dose CT compared to Dixon-based MR (mean 2.51 ± 0.85 and 2.37 ± 0.87, respectively; p = 0.1909). CT tended to be superior for small lymph nodes, bone metastases and pulmonary nodules, while Dixon-based MR proved advantageous for soft tissue pathologies like head/neck tumours and liver metastases. For the PET(AC_CT)- and PET(AC_MR)-based SUVs (mean 6.36 ± 4.47 and 6.31 ± 4.52, respectively) a nearly complete concordance with a highly significant correlation was found (r = 0.9975, p < 0.0001). Dixon-based MR imaging for MR AC allows for anatomical allocation of PET-positive lesions similar to low-dose CT in conventional PET/CT. Thus, this approach appears to be useful for future MR/PET for body regions not fully covered by diagnostic MRI due to potential time constraints.

  18. 18F-FDG PET of the hands with a dedicated high-resolution PEM system (arthro-PET): correlation with PET/CT, radiography and clinical parameters.

    PubMed

    Mhlanga, Joyce C; Carrino, John A; Lodge, Martin; Wang, Hao; Wahl, Richard L

    2014-12-01

    The aim of this study was to prospectively determine the feasibility and compare the novel use of a positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner with standard PET/CT for evaluating hand osteoarthritis (OA) with (18)F-FDG. Institutional review board approval and written informed consent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant prospective study in which 14 adults referred for oncological (18)F-FDG PET/CT underwent dedicated hand PET/CT followed by arthro-PET using the PEM device. Hand radiographs were obtained and scored for the presence and severity of OA. Summed qualitative and quantitative joint glycolytic scores for each modality were compared with the findings on plain radiography and clinical features. Eight patients with clinical and/or radiographic evidence of OA comprised the OA group (mean age 73 ± 7.7 years). Six patients served as the control group (53.7 ± 9.3 years). Arthro-PET quantitative and qualitative joint glycolytic scores were highly correlated with PET/CT findings in the OA patients (r = 0.86. p = 0.007; r = 0.94, p = 0.001). Qualitative arthro-PET and PET/CT joint scores were significantly higher in the OA patients than in controls (38.7 ± 6.6 vs. 32.2 ± 0.4, p = 0.02; 37.5 ± 5.4 vs. 32.2 ± 0.4, p = 0.03, respectively). Quantitative arthro-PET and PET/CT maximum SUV-lean joint scores were higher in the OA patients, although they did not reach statistical significance (20.8 ± 4.2 vs. 18 ± 1.8, p = 0.13; 22.8 ± 5.38 vs. 20.1 ± 1.54, p = 0.21). By definition, OA patients had higher radiographic joint scores than controls (30.9 ± 31.3 vs. 0, p = 0.03). Hand imaging using a small field of view PEM system (arthro-PET) with FDG is feasible, performing comparably to PET/CT in assessing metabolic joint activity. Arthro-PET and PET/CT showed higher joint FDG uptake in OA. Further exploration of arthro-PET in arthritis management is warranted.

  19. 18F-FDG PET of the hands with a dedicated high-resolution PEM system (arthro-PET): correlation with PET/CT, radiography and clinical parameters

    PubMed Central

    Mhlanga, Joyce C.; Carrino, John A.; Lodge, Martin; Wang, Hao

    2015-01-01

    Purpose The aim of this study was to prospectively determine the feasibility and compare the novel use of a positron emission mammography (PEM) scanner with standard PET/CT for evaluating hand osteoarthritis (OA) with 18F-FDG. Methods Institutional review board approval and written informed consent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant prospective study in which 14 adults referred for oncological 18F-FDG PET/CT underwent dedicated hand PET/CT followed by arthro-PET using the PEM device. Hand radiographs were obtained and scored for the presence and severity of OA. Summed qualitative and quantitative joint glycolytic scores for each modality were compared with the findings on plain radiography and clinical features. Results Eight patients with clinical and/or radiographic evidence of OA comprised the OA group (mean age 73±7.7 years). Six patients served as the control group (53.7±9.3 years). Arthro-PET quantitative and qualitative joint glycolytic scores were highly correlated with PET/CT findings in the OA patients (r=0.86. p =0.007; r=0.94, p=0.001). Qualitative arthro-PET and PET/CT joint scores were significantly higher in the OA patients than in controls (38.7±6.6 vs. 32.2±0.4, p=0.02; 37.5±5.4 vs. 32.2±0.4, p=0.03, respectively). Quantitative arthro-PET and PET/CT maximum SUV-lean joint scores were higher in the OA patients, although they did not reach statistical significance (20.8±4.2 vs. 18±1.8, p= 0.13; 22.8±5.38 vs. 20.1±1.54, p=0.21). By definition, OA patients had higher radiographic joint scores than controls (30.9±31.3 vs. 0, p=0.03). Conclusion Hand imaging using a small field of view PEM system (arthro-PET) with FDG is feasible, performing comparably to PET/CT in assessing metabolic joint activity. Arthro-PET and PET/CT showed higher joint FDG uptake in OA. Further exploration of arthro-PET in arthritis management is warranted. PMID:25134669

  20. Pet ownership, dog types and attachment to pets in 9–10 year old children in Liverpool, UK

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Little is known about ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic differences in childhood ownership and attitudes to pets. The objective of this study was to describe the factors associated with living with different pet types, as well as factors that may influence the intensity of relationship or ‘attachment’ that children have to their pet. Data were collected using a survey of 1021 9–10 year old primary school children in a deprived area of the city of Liverpool, UK. Results Dogs were the most common pet owned, most common ‘favourite’ pet, and species most attached to. Twenty-seven percent of dog-owning children (10% of all children surveyed) reported living with a ‘Bull Breed’ dog (which includes Pit Bulls and Staffordshire Bull Terriers), and the most popular dog breed owned was the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Multivariable regression modelling identified a number of variables associated with ownership of different pets and the strength of attachment to the child’s favourite pet. Girls were more likely to own most pet types, but were no more or less attached to their favourite pet than boys. Children of white ethnicity were more likely to own dogs, rodents and ‘other’ pets but were no more or less attached to their pets than children of non-white ethnicity. Single and youngest children were no more or less likely to own pets than those with younger brothers and sisters, but they showed greater attachment to their pets. Children that owned dogs lived in more deprived areas than those without dogs, and deprivation increased with number of dogs owned. ‘Pit Bull or cross’ and ‘Bull Breed’ dogs were more likely to be found in more deprived areas than other dog types. Non-whites were also more likely to report owning a ‘Pit Bull or cross’ than Whites. Conclusions Gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic status were associated with pet ownership, and sibling status with level of attachment to the pet. These are important to consider when conducting research into the health benefits and risks of the common childhood phenomenon of growing up with pets. PMID:23668544

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