bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nigeria-China Economic Relations Under the South-South Cooperation
Authors: Samuel Onuoha Udeala
Published: August 2023

The defining characteristic of the South-South solidarity is cooperation the member countries of the South. The original vision was for member countries to promote trade as well as to demonstrate, through practical examples, how commercially viable projects can be implemented using the technology, experience and capital from the South. Regrettably, these dreams still remain unfulfilled. The experience gained by the developing countries after several years of bilateral interaction with the North underscores the idea that South-South trade should be symmetrical. However the most discernible pattern in the South-South relationship is still asymmetrical. A case in point is the Nigeria-China relations which appear to be in great disequilibrium and to China’s advantage. As the bilateral relations have progressed from cultural linkages to intense economic penetration of the Nigerian economy, observers of Nigeria’s international relations have become highly conscious of the reciprocal need to transform this intensive relationship into a mutually constructive one, that is towards the promotion of a more symmetrical relationship. This article, using dependency approach, demonstrates that these disparities actually account for the sharp differences in the outcomes of the bilateral trade and the level of development in the two countries. It also draws some vital lessons not only for Nigeria but also for other sub-Saharan African countries to learn from China in terms of the approach to economic reforms and development experience. The study seeks also to identify the crucial aspects of Nigeria-China bilateral interactions, assess the receptivity to the Chinese penetration of the Nigerian economy and the changing perspectives on the viability of the bilateral relations.
Analysis of the higher education institutions network and the problem of its financing
Authors: Pysarchuk Oksana
Published: August 2023

The problem of the quality of specialists training and the issue of financing the training of higher education seekers in Ukraine at the expense of budget funds and the funds of individuals and legal entities are examined. The purpose of the study is to identify ways to increase the efficiency of the use of budget funds to finance the training of students while ensuring the proper quality of this process. During the research, the Data Science toolkit has been used to work with large arrays of Big Data information. In combination with the application of a set of empirical methods, the research enables to put forward a hypothesis about the existence of an irrational distribution of budget funds among higher education institutions (HEIs) to finance the training of students in certain specialties. The article reviews the dynamics of the development of the network of HEIs of Ukraine during the period of independence of state-owned, communal and private forms of ownership and departmental subordination. A comparative analysis of the network structure in relation to the number of higher education seekers has been carried out in comparison with the corresponding structure of the network of educational institutions in European countries and in the USA, which confirms the relevance of the optimization of the network of HEIs and its structure. The presence of artificially created HEIs, which are subordinate to individual ministries and state services with privileged operating conditions, gradually reduces the quality of training in the absence of internal competition, which leads to a gradual decrease in the efficiency of the use of budget funding. The work quantitatively substantiates the state’s financial losses from the irrational distribution of the state order among HEIs for the training of specialists with higher education. HEIs with a high proportion of incomplete groups, that are unable to ensure high quality of specialist training, are unable to attract external sources of funding for specialist training as a result of non-competitiveness in the market of educational services, are only spending budget funds without proper results. According to the research results, generalized optimization criteria of the network of HEIs of Ukraine are proposed, which can be used by the governmental bodies of Ukraine
System of economic security and levels of its formation
Authors: Коbа Оlena
Published: August 2023

In order to develop a methodology for assessing the system of economic security of entities in conditions of economic and political instability, there is a necessary and urgent task to determine the nature, characteristics, relationship between its levels, factors influencing their formation. The purpose of the study is to generalize scientific approaches and clarify the essence, features and relationship between the levels of formation of the economic security system. The generalization of the existing approaches to the formation of the economic security system was carried out using a monographic method. The essence of the levels of the economic system is determined by methods of analysis and synthesis. The research analysed existing approaches to determining the hierarchy of the economic security system and presented a scheme for the formation of levels of economic security, consisting of a mega-level (global and international economic security), a macro-level (national), a meso-level (regional and sectoral economic security), a mіcro-level (economic security of entrepreneurship, enterprise, individual) and the relationship between them. The category “economic security of the industry” was defined as a set of conditions that ensure economic development, competitiveness and protection of its economic interests. It was established that the economic security of the industry depends on its specifics, functions, objects, subjects, specific risks and threats. The role of the economic security of the industry and the economic security of the individual in the system of the hierarchy of levels of economic security was substantiated. The obtained results are the basis for the development of a methodology for assessing the system of economic security of various entities, which can be used by their management in order to identify threats in a timely manner and quickly implement measures to eliminate them
Identifikasi Senyawa Alkaloid dari Ekstrak Etanol Kulit Batang Strychnos ligustrina Menggunakan Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS)
Authors: Nurwanti Siti Wanda , Sarnoko Andriningrum , Wulandari Atika
Published: August 2023

Kayu bidara Laut (Strychnos ligustrina) telah dimanfaatkan secara turun-temurun oleh penduduk Nusa Tenggara Barat dan Bali sebagai obat tradisional untuk penyakit malaria. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengidentifikasi kandungan senyawa kimia golongan alkaloid yang terkandung dalam ekstrak etanol kulit kayu bidara laut. Metode ekstraksi yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah maserasi dengan menggunakan pelarut etanol 70%. Identifikasi kandungan alkaloid pada ekstrak kulit kayu bidara laut dilakukan dengan menggunakan instrumen LC-MS. Elusi gradien dilakukan selama 16 menit pada kolom fase balik dengan fase gerak yang digunakan adalah asam asetonitril dan asam format. Berdasarkan hasil analisis teridentifikasi lima senyawa alkaloid yaitu senyawa 3-iso-ajmalicine pada m/z 353.1847, dan waktu retensi 4.26 menit, senyawa brucine pada m/z 395.1953, dan waktu retensi 5.06 menit, serta molekul C24H28N2O4, C22H24N2O3, C11H17NO6 yang terkonfirmasi pada m/z masing – masing 409.2107, 365.1848, 260.1116, dan waktu retensi berturut – turut 4,90 menit, 5,35 menit, dan 1,32 menit. 3-iso-ajmalicine baru terkonfirmasi ada pada ekstrak kulit kayu bidara laut.
O TRIBUTO E A REFORMA TRIBUTÁRIA À LUZ DA DOUTRINA SOCIAL DA IGREJA
Authors: Godoi Marciano Seabra de
Published: August 2023

O artigo estuda o significado do tributo e do dever de pagá-lo à luz da contemporânea doutrina social da Igreja católica. Indaga-se em seguida quais são as características da tributação e do sistema tributário no Brasil atual, para verificar quais seriam os rumos de uma reforma tributária consentânea com os princípios da doutrina social da Igreja. Na parte final do artigo, comparam-se as características principais das propostas de reforma constitucional tributária atualmente em tramitação no Congresso Nacional com os objetivos de uma reforma tributária orientada pelos valores da doutrina social da Igreja. O estudo é do tipo sociojurídico e se vale principalmente da revisão de literatura.
PERSPECTIVAS E DESAFIOS DA MEDIAÇÃO ON-LINE ENQUANTO POLÍTICA PÚBLICA DE ACESSO À JUSTIÇA APÓS O PERÍODO PANDÊMICO NO BRASIL
Authors: Schwantes Helena , Spengler Fabiana Marion
Published: August 2023

A morosidade processual que o Judiciário enfrenta atrelada as consequências causadas pela pandemia do COVI-19, tornou-se uma ameaça àqueles que da justiça necessitam, ocasionando a ineficácia na prestação jurisdicional. Nesse viés, diversas ferramentas têm sido empregadas com a finalidade de garantir o acesso à justiça. Desse modo, a problemática posiciona-se a fim de responder o seguinte questionamento: quais as perspectivas e os desafios da mediação on-line de conflitos enquanto política pública de acesso à justiça após o período pandêmico, no Brasil? Para concretizar o objetivo da pesquisa o método utilizado foi o dedutivo e a técnica a bibliográfica, com base em livros, artigos e periódicos qualificados dentro do tema proposto. Constatou-se, que a utilização da mediação on-line de conflitos é um meio pertinente de tornar o acesso à justiça mais célere e diminuir os custos do tratamento dos conflitos, pois conectados por meio do espaço cibernético, os participantes de diversos locais podem debater o seu conflito. Deste modo, pode-se inferir que a mediação on-line de conflitos é uma ferramenta hábil e que vem proporcionando o acesso à justiça.
A IGUALDADE DE OPORTUNIDADES DA PESSOA COM DEFICIÊNCIA
Authors: Lopes Washington Luiz Ferreira Dias
Published: August 2023

O presente trabalho trata da igualdade de oportunidades da pessoa com deficiência, sob uma ótica de justiça distributiva, a partir da publicação da Lei 13.146/2015, Estatuto da Pessoa com Deficiência. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão bibliográfica e legislativa sob a vertente teórico-dogmática, com raciocínio hipotético-dedutivo, que se utilizou de abordagem sobre o contexto do Estatuto e a conceituação de justiça distributiva a partir do pensamento de John Rawls, analisando-se o resultado de situações da política redistributiva que ele promove. O objetivo foi demonstrar que ao buscar garantir a igualdade de oportunidades para a pessoa com deficiência, o Estatuto lhe fornece algo que não se configura como um bem que se pode comprar e lhe foi negado. Atingido esse objetivo, constata-se a importância do Estatuto como um instrumento efetivo para a realização de uma justiça distributiva capaz de auxiliar no processo de desocultação da pessoa com deficiência.
A EXIGÊNCIA DE REQUISITOS SUPRALEGAIS PARA A PROGRESSÃO ESPECIAL DE REGIME
Authors: Alves Netto Expedito Evaristo
Published: August 2023

O Direito Penal exige princípios normativos que guiam a sua interpretação e aplicação. A estrutura do Estado Democrático de Direito estabelece garantias ao réu para que o poder punitivo estatal não seja distribuído à revelia. Entretanto, no que tange à progressão especial de regime (artigo 112, §3º, da LEP) tais princípios são colocados de lado. Este trabalho selecionou e analisou diversos julgados do Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais sobre a progressão especial de regime. Concluiu-se que o viés interpretativo utilizado pelos desembargadores não condiz com as referências principiológicas basilares do Direito Penal.
TRADUÇÃO: PROJETO DE VIOLÊNCIA PERPÉTUA
Authors: Launay Marc de , Pinho Isabela
Published: August 2023

O presente artigo propõe uma análise de aspectos fundamentais da “Crítica da violência” de Walter Benjamin. Partindo do contexto histórico em que Benjamin redigiu o ensaio a uma análise minuciosa das inúmeras questões constitutivas do texto, em uma espécie de passo a passo, o foco que escolhemos aqui é o de uma reflexão sobre o direito em uma relação com o “mito” ou com a “religião”. O interesse de Benjamin sobre esse tema “político” explicita que suas preocupações concernem menos à “ciência” política que ao domínio ético, visto ser o ponto de vista constantemente adotado para julgar a violência por meio de uma reflexão filosófica sobre um aspecto do direito. É essa reflexão ético-filosófica sobre o direito que teremos em vista aqui.
EXPERIMENTUM LINGUAE
Authors: Matos Andityas Moura Soares , Matos Jailane Devaroop Pereira
Published: August 2023

Com base nas relações entre experiência e linguagem pensadas por Walter Benjamin e Giorgio Agamben, este artigo pretende apresentar a infância como um experimentum linguae que opera na cisão entre língua e discurso (semiótico e semântico), apontando assim para uma saída ética sempre aberta e potencial diante do vazio pressuponente da linguagem, reflexão que lança luz sobre uma das ideias mais obscuras de Benjamim, qual seja, a de violência pura. Para alcançar tal objetivo, o artigo se desenvolve em três pares temáticos: a) declínio da experiência e ciência moderna; b) infância e experimentum linguae; e c) crítica da violência e língua pura.  Por fim, nas considerações finais, são esboçadas algumas possibilidades de modos de vida à altura do vazio insuprimível da linguagem.
Auguste Comte’s Classification of the Sciences
Authors: Trompf Garry W.
Published: August 2023

Auguste Comte is ostensibly the world’s most famous classifier of the sciences in modern history. His whole life was dedicated to establishing a classification that conformed to the ‘positivist’ (non-theological and non-metaphysical) principles he settled on after working with early nineteenth-century French social reformer Henri de Saint-Simon. This article first probes the background to Comte’s classifying of the sciences, discussing French and German influences, and the effect of the phrenological movement on his special attitude to psychology and social life. Central sections of the article concern the basic and most mature ordering of the sciences according to his fundamental Course of lectures on classification (1830-42), the development of a tableau to cover psychological issues, and attempts at tables to synthesize his ordering and draw out their implications for socio-political reform and the Church of Humanity he founded. Concluding sections cover key binding principles of his classificatory work, as well as matters of reception, influence, and critical response.
Kommunale Verwaltungsdigitalisierung in Sachsen
Authors: Röber Manfred , Hesse Mario , Mengs Christoph
Published: August 2023

Angesichts der Tatsache, dass über den Stand der Verwaltungsdigitalisierung auf der kommunalen Ebene bislang nur relativ wenig Informationen vorliegen, wurde im Jahr 2022 am Kompetenzzentrum für kommunale Infrastruktur (KOMKIS) an der Universität Leipzig eine empirischen Untersuchung über die kommunale Verwaltungsdigitalisierung in Sachsen durchgeführt. Zentrales Ergebnis dieser Untersuchung ist, dass die sächsischen Kommunen in ihren Digitalisierungsbemühungen deutlich hinter den im Online-Zugangsgesetz (OZG) gesteckten Zielen zurückgeblieben sind. Als Ursache werden nicht primär Technik-, sondern Managementdefizite – insbesondere beim Personal und bei den Geschäftsprozessen – genannt.
Was wir wissen wollen… Interesse der Bürger:innen an öffentlichen Informationen
Authors: Trautendorfer Julia , Schmidthuber Lisa , Hilgers Dennis
Published: August 2023

Was machen, wie arbeiten und welche Entscheidungen treffen öffentliche Organisationen und aus welchem Grund? Die Nachfrage nach öffentlichen Dokumenten und Informationen ist in den letzten Jahren erheblich gestiegen. Immer mehr Bürger:innen fordern Einsicht in politisch-administrative Vorgänge und Entscheidungsprozesse. Digitale Informationsplattformen können eine wichtige Rolle dabei spielen, diesem Ruf nach besserer staatlicher Transparenz entgegenzukommen. Sie bieten eine Möglichkeit, öffentliche Informationen und Dokumente einfach online zugänglich zu machen, und Bürger:innen dabei zu unterstützen, gewünschte Informationen zu erlangen. Dies kann dazu beitragen, das Vertrauen der Bevölkerung in die Regierung zu stärken sowie die Interaktion zwischen den beiden Akteuren zu fördern. In diesem Artikel wollen wir die Nachfrage nach öffentlichen Informationen besser verstehen und untersuchen die Anfragen der Bürger:innen, die über die österreichische Informationsfreiheitsplattform FragdenStaat gestellt werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, welche Themen für Bürger:innen besonders interessant sind, an wen die Anfragen adressiert sind und wie öffentliche Organisationen auf die Anfragen reagieren.
Das nationale Recht auf gute Verwaltung
Authors: Merkl Simone
Published: August 2023

Does a right to good administration, as it already exists at Union level, make sense in the German legal order? In order to answer this question, the author firstly analyses Art. 41 EU CFR and the Code of Good Administrative Behaviour of the European Ombudsman's Office and contrasts the German with the EU administrative law system. On the other hand, taking into account subjectification tendencies, she fundamentally demonstrates that the understanding of good administration is relative and dependent on the understanding of administration. Simone Merkl worked for several years as a research assistant in teaching and researching administrative and EU law and currently advises federal, state and local authorities and their institutions as a lawyer.
A study on the Differences in Willingness to Work, Job-Seeking Efficacy and Job Preparation Behaviors based on Adult Learners' Individual Characteristics
Authors:   The Korea Association of Lifelong Education Convergence, Lee Hee-eun
Published: August 2023

This study aimed to examine the perception differences in willingness to work, job-seeking self-efficacy, and job preparation behaviors among 217 learners participating in SW vocational education, based on their individual characteristics such as major, work experience, and gender. Using SPSS 28.0, t-tests and multiple regression analysis were conducted. The results revealed no significant perception differences in willingness to work, job-seeking self-efficacy, and job preparation behaviors based on major and work experience. However, differences in perception were observed based on gender, specifically in job-seeking self-efficacy and job preparation behaviors. The regression models examining the impact of willingness to work and job-seeking self-efficacy on job preparation behaviors were found to be suitable. It was found that willingness to work does not influence job preparation behaviors for individuals with a major and no work experience, as well as male learners. On the other hand, for non-major learners, individuals with work experience, and female learners, both willingness to work and job-seeking self-efficacy were found to influence job preparation behaviors. This study identified differences based on individual characteristics and highlights the need for training institutions to enhance learners' job preparation behaviors by fostering willingness to work and job-seeking self-efficacy, particularly in the context of SW vocational education.
influence of coping and social support on resilience among Indonesian adolescents with bullying victimization
Authors: Wildan Akasyah  , Yohanes Andy Rias  , Dang Thi Thuy My
Published: August 2023

(1) Background: Bullying victims and their relationship to coping and social support in adolescents has been extensively discussed. However, little is established about the underlying this relationship, particularly the significance of resilience. We investigated the relations between coping and social support on resilience among Indonesian adolescents with bullying victimization; (2) Methods: A Cross-sectional study with 107 adolescents with bullying victims from a public school and two private schools in grades 7 to 9 was recruited. Adjusted coefficients β and 95% confidence interval were estimated using multiple linear regression; (4) Results: The findings indicated that coping was independently associated with resilience. Moreover, social support-friend was prominent factors on resilience. However, no significant relationship between social support-family and resilience among adolescents with bullying victims after controlling for confounding factors; (4) Conclusion: The study found that coping and social support-friends are strengthening determinants, particularly those aimed at improving resilience among adolescents with bullying victims.
How is mhealth and web-based telemedicine implemented in patient with hypertension? : a narrative scoping review
Authors: Gautama Made Satya Nugraha
Published: August 2023

In this digital era, telemedicine has become one of the cutting-edge approaches that is feasible for hypertension management. Despite the proliferation of trial research, reviews of how telemedicine is practiced are limited. The aim of this study is to review how telehealth is applied in patients with hypertension. A scoping review according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer Manual's instructions was used with a narrative approach to the type of RCT intervention articles. The search was conducted through electronic databases Scopus, PubMed, and Medline-OVID with the keywords "Telemedicine" and "hypertension". Of 1945 articles, 13 studies met the criteria and were reviewed. Telemedicine interventions including mhealth-based and web-based provide various ways to manage and provide telemonitoring for BP. The utilization of m-health can be through the development of smartphone applications, text messaging, or the use of current social media. Whereas web-based utilization mostly uses email consultations and not many uses paid websites but are integrated with mobile phones. Telemedicine whether mhealth or web-based makes it easier for healthcare professionals to manage and monitor patients' BP, offering a sustainable positive impact in the future.
Resilience of Single Mother Low Economic Levels who Have Children Aged 6-12 with During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Yulianti Natalia Ratna , Dwi Nugraheni Tania , Gayatina Andri Kenti
Published: August 2023

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact in various fields. Parents have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially single mothers. The challenge for single mothers who have children aged 6-12 years during the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanying children to study at home. Single mothers who are not used to accompanying children to study will cause a burden. The pressure experienced cannot be tolerated, because single mothers must rise in order to survive and adapt. Previous studies have shown a very good picture of the resilience of a single mother because it reaches a stage that corresponds to the aspect of resilience. Other studies have found that parents who accompany school children at home during the COVID-19 pandemic have low resilience. However, a study on single mothers with low economic levels who have children aged 6-12 years during the COVID-19 pandemic has never been done.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the resilience of single mothers with low economic levels who have children aged 6-12 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This research is qualitative research with a phenomenological study approach. The research location is in a district in city of Salatiga, Indonesia. Participants were five single mothers who were selected using a purposive sampling technique with inclusion criteria having children aged 6-12 years with low economic levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data is collected by conducting in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method.

Results: The results of the research resulted in six themes, namely 1) Mother received support from siblings and biological family; 2) Mother had to work hard to make a living; 3) Relieved in accepting the situation; 4) Mother's independence to live life; 5) Mother's patience to control anger; 6) Mother came, prayed and thanked God

Conclusions: Single mothers who have children with low economic levels aged 6-12 years had resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Self-gated 3D Stack-of-Spirals Ultra-Short Echo-Time Pulmonary imaging at 0.55T
Authors: Javed Ahsan , Ramasawmy Rajiv , O’Brien Kendall , Mancini Christine , Su Pan , Majeed Waqas , Benkert Thomas , Bhat Himanshu , Suffredini Anthony , Malayeri Ashkan , Campbell-Washburn Adrienne
Published: August 2023

High-performance 0.55T MRI is promising for lung imaging due to the reduced susceptibility artifacts. However, high-resolution lung imaging is still challenged by low proton density and SNR. 3D spiral acquisitions can be used to improve SNR-efficiency, but these readouts are susceptible to trajectory errors and blurring from concomitant-fields, which are amplified at lower field strengths. Here we present a self-gated, ultra-short echo-time, stack-of-spirals acquisition which leverages rapid inline corrections for trajectory imperfections, trajectory dependent navigator signal fluctuations, and concomitant-fields to enable robust 1.75mm isotropic lung imaging at 0.55T. We also demonstrate our technique in healthy-volunteers, patients with lung-nodules and COVID-19.
Sex-Differences in Intracranial Plaque Burden in Hypertensive Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Vessel Wall MR Imaging Study
Authors: Song Jae , Xiao Jiayu , Cen Steven , Liu Xiao , Wu Fang , Schlick Konrad , Yang Qi , Song Shlee , Fan Zhaoyang
Published: August 2023

Hypertension is associated with intracranial atherosclerosis (ICAS) and is a leading cause of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Given sex-differences in the severity of hypertension, we hypothesized sex-differences in ICAS burden among hypertensive patients with AIS. Results show males have significantly higher adjusted total plaque burdens than females. Subgroup analyses show treated hypertensive males with AIS have higher total proximal and bifurcation plaques than treated females. Untreated hypertensive females have significantly higher total proximal and bifurcation plaques compared to untreated males. The results suggest attention to differential hypertension management by sex may be warranted to reduce ICAS burden and AIS risk.
Temporal correlation of functional connectivity with cerebral blood flow and T2 relaxation time in the monkey brain following ischemic stroke
Authors: Li Chun-Xia , Tong Frank , Kempf Doty , Howell Leonard , Zhang Xiaodong
Published: August 2023

Somatosensory deficits are seen in most stroke patients and can improve during recovery from stroke as reported previously. However, the underlining mechanism of the recovery remains poorly understood. The nonhuman primate (NHP) model of stroke has demonstrated similar functional connectivity evolution as seen in stroke patients and the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) in NHPs is recognized as a direct extrapolation of somatosensory cortex in human. In the present study, the progressive function alteration of S2 and its relationship with the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and T2 changes in the monkey brain during acute stroke were examined and evaluated.
Real-time myocardial landmark-tracking for MRI-guided cardiac radio-ablation using Gaussian Processes
Authors: Huttinga Niek , Akdag Osman , Fast Martin , Verhoeff Joost , Sbrizzi Alessandro , Mandija Stefano
Published: August 2023

Accurate tracking of lesions within or near the heart presents a unique challenge due to cardiorespiratory motion during stereotactic radiotherapy. Mitigating this motion is essential to limit the risk of radiation-induced complications. Here, the feasibility of real-time prospective myocardial landmark-tracking with Gaussian Processes from few k-space readouts is demonstrated on the 1.5T Elekta Unity MR-linac. Retrospective and prospective phantom and in-vivo experiments were conducted in 2D, and preliminary in-silico experiments were done to demonstrate the feasibility in 3D. Results indicate high accuracy, and thereby great potential for real-time 3D myocardial target tracking for cardiac radio-ablation.
Single-breathhold multiband cine DENSE MRI using novel phase modulation and a self-calibrated slice-low-rank reconstruction
Authors: Sun Changyu , Wang Yu , Epstein Frederick
Published: August 2023

Multiband (MB) excitation of spiral cine DENSE MRI has the potential to provide three-slice coverage in single breathhold with 2D displacement encoding. To acquire three slices in one breathhold of 14 heartbeats, we develop MB3+ phase modulation, and use golden-angle rotation, outer volume suppression and variable flip angle. We extend our recent Cartesian slice-L+S method to develop a non-Cartesian slice-low-rank reconstruction model. DENSE data with MB=3 were acquired in 4 volunteers. The MB3+ DENSE method shows fewer artifacts than CAIPIRINHA and Hadamard encoding phase modulations. The slice-low-rank method with MB+ significantly improves slice separation providing fewer artifacts and signal decay.
Free-Breathing Cardiac Cine MRI with Compressed Sensing Real-Time Imaging and Respiratory Motion Correction: Initial Pediatric Experience
Authors: Pang Jianing , Leon Pedro Itriago , Bi Xiaoming , McNeal Gary , Forman Christoph , Leidecker Christianne , Pereyra Maria , Masand Prakash
Published: August 2023

Cardiac cine MRI plays an important role in evaluating cardiac function. The conventional technique, 2D segmented acquisition with retrospective electrocardiogram gating, requires breath-holding and therefore is challenging for many types of patients such as young children. In this work, we report our initial experience of a recently developed free-breathing cardiac cine MRI technique on pediatric patients undergoing routine CMR. Our results showed that the proposed technique, based on compressed sensing real-time imaging and respiratory motion correction, produced comparable quantitative LV measurements and image quality to the reference breath-hold technique in a wide range of patient sizes and ages.
Spatial Scaling of Respiratory-Triggered Liver Diffusion Weighted Imaging
Authors: Raspe Johannes , Van Anh , Harder Felix , McTavish Sean , Peeters Johannes , Weiss Kilian , Makowski Marcus , Braren Rickmer , Karampinos Dimitrios
Published: August 2023

Physiological motion induces signal loss in diffusion-weighted imaging of the liver even when respiratory triggering is employed. Cardiac motion mostly affects the left liver lobe resulting in an inhomogeneous signal appearance and overestimation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Spatial scaling is an algorithm that handles the intrinsic weighting of signal by rejecting bad acquisitions and voxels with subsequent calculation of a spatially dependent scaling factor for the final averaging. The present work shows that by adding such a spatial scaling postprocessing step, liver signal homogeneity can be increased, and overestimation of the ADC can be reduced.
“Reverse Perfusion” Imaging of the Cerebral Venous System with Displacement Spectrum Imaging (DiSpect)
Authors: Karasan Ekin , Zhang Zhiyong , Lustig Michael
Published: August 2023

Displacement Spectrum Imaging (DiSpect) is a Fourier encoding variant of Displacement Encoding with Stimulated Echoes (DENSE). DiSpect can resolve a multi-dimensional spectrum of displacements that spins exhibit between tagging and imaging. We previously demonstrated ASL-like retrospective vessel-selective perfusion imaging with DiSpect. Here, we demonstrate the versatility of DiSpect by doing the reverse; tracing how blood drains from the capillary bed through the cerebral venous system. We image two locations in the superior sagittal sinus and trace how the superior superficial veins drain into the superior sagittal sinus, in a sense measuring reverse perfusion.
Perfusion Observations using Spherical Slice-shuffled Ultra-high-field MRI (POSSUM)
Authors: Hutter Jana , Tomi-Tricot Raphael , Wilkinson Thomas , Bridgen Philippa , DeVita Enrico , Malik Shaihan , Hajnal Joseph
Published: August 2023

Spin tagging perfusion MR imaging allows the movement of blood in human tissue to be visualized and quantified non-invasively and contrast agent-free. Velicity-selection Arterial Spin Labeling (VSASL) relies on the velocity instead of the location for tagging. It is less dependent on the anatomy and coil coverage but includes directional dependence and can suffer from reduced SNR. POSSUM expands VSASL to spherical, directional-independant encoding and slice shuffling to enable more robust perfusion imaging at 7T.
Optimization of perfusion measurements at 7 T using pulsed ASL with simultaneous multi-slice EPI readouts at multiple post-labelling delays
Authors: Ivanov Dimo , Kashyap Sriranga , Huber Laurentius , Pfeuffer Josef , Uludağ Kâmil , Poser Benedikt
Published: August 2023

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) at 7T is beneficial due to the higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the longer T1 of blood and tissues. A whole-brain 7T pulsed ASL approach with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) echo planar imaging readouts at multiple inversion times is presented. The interplay between the number of inversion times acquired, the total acceleration factor employed, and the temporal SNR was investigated. In summary, a protocol with in-plane acceleration factor 2 and SMS factor 2 offers the best compromise between perfusion tSNR and number of inversion times and can be used in clinical applications investigating perfusion parameters beyond CBF.
SKM-TEA: A Dataset for Accelerated MRI Reconstruction with Dense Image Labels for Quantitative Clinical Evaluation
Authors: Desai Arjun , Schmidt Andrew , Rubin Elka , Sandino Christopher , Black Marianne , Mazzoli Valentina , Stevens Kathryn , Boutin Robert , Ré Christopher , Gold Garry , Hargreaves Brian , Chaudhari Akshay
Published: August 2023

While deep-learning-based MRI reconstruction and image analysis methods have shown promise, few have been translated to clinical practice. This may be a result of (1) paucity of end-to-end datasets that enable comprehensive evaluation from reconstruction to analysis and (2) discordance between conventional validation metrics and clinically useful endpoints. Here, we present the Stanford Knee MRI with Multi-Task Evaluation (SKM-TEA), a dataset of 155 clinical quantitative 3D knee MRI scans with k-space data, DICOM images, and dense tissue segmentation and pathology annotations to facilitate clinically relevant, comprehensive benchmarking of the MRI workflow. Dataset, code, and trained baselines are available at https://github.com/StanfordMIMI/skm-tea.
Toward a 1-minute high-resolution brain exam - MR Fingerprinting with fast reconstruction and ML-synthesized contrasts
Authors: Schauman Sophie , Iyer Siddharth , Yurt Mahmut , Cao Xiaozhi , Liao Congyu , Zhong Zheng , Wang Guanhua , Zaharchuk Greg , Vasanawala Shreyas , Setsompop Kawin
Published: August 2023

MRI is a notoriously slow imaging method, but in recent years many technical developments have improved acquisition speed. However, many of these new fast sequences have not made their way to clinical practice. Barriers to uptake include long reconstruction times, diminished image quality, and non-standard contrast in the resulting images. Our objective is to translate a ~1 minute MRF sequence into clinical practice, providing five high quality images with common clinical contrasts at 1 mm isotropic-resolution, as well as quantitative T1, T2, and proton density maps, all within a 5 minute reconstruction pipeline that we have deployed clinically.
The influence of cystathionine on neurochemical quantification in brain tumor in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Authors: Branzoli Francesca , Deelchand Dinesh , Liserre Roberto , Poliani Pietro , Nichelli Lucia , Sanson Marc , Lehéricy Stéphane , Marjańska Małgorzata
Published: August 2023

We reported the ability of PRESS to detect cystathionine in vivo in patients with glioma and the effect of the omission of cystathionine on the quantification of the full neurochemical profile. We showed that the omission of cystathionine from analysis leads to severe biases on the quantification of other metabolites involved in cancer metabolism, e.g., aspartate, betaine, citrate, GABA and serine. Because cystathionine was shown to accumulate preferentially in gliomas with 1p/19q codeletion, omission of this metabolite may lead to the wrong evaluation of other metabolic changes in these tumors.
Numerically Optimized Magnet Designs for a Portable, Low-Field Neonatal MRI Brain Scanner
Authors: White Jacob , Śliwiak Monika , Bates Sara , Stockmann Jason , Wald Lawrence , Cooley Clarissa
Published: August 2023

Point-of-care MRI scanners sited in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can provide immense benefits for diagnosing and monitoring neonatal brain injury. While NICU sited systems can address some of the transport concerns, a truly portable “isolette-side” imager with a neonate-specific design could further improve imaging access. We present a neonate-specific lightweight MRI permanent magnet design for use at the bedside in the NICU. We examine two magnet designs demonstrating the feasibility of realizing a sufficiently homogeneous main magnet with mean B0 of 125mT weighing under 15kg, both with and without a built-in gradient of 10mT/m.
EMI-Suppressed Gradient-Free Phase-Encoded Imaging at 47.5mT Using an Optimized Square-Root Solenoid for Encoding and a Saddle Coil for Imaging
Authors: Srinivas Sai Abitha , Vaughn Christopher , Martin Jonathan , Grissom William
Published: August 2023

Traditional B0 gradients have several drawbacks including high acoustic noise, PNS, bulkiness, and high cost. To address this, we demonstrate the use of Bloch-Siegert (BS) RF encoding for phase encoding using an optimized square root solenoid with a Bucking coil for high efficiency encoding and a nested uniform saddle coil for the imaging Tx/Rx coil at 47.5mT, a field strength that is especially attractive due to its low SAR and accessibility. The coil performance was evaluated in simulation and experimentally, and 2D BS phase encoded imaging and reconstructions were performed using optimized ‘U’ shaped BS pulses.
Low-cost Modular RFPA Platform for Gradient-Free Quantitative Imaging
Authors: Bolding N , Vaughn Christopher , Blades-Thomas Colin , Grissom William , Griswold Mark
Published: August 2023

This work presents a $75 phase modulated 2.07MHz radiofrequency power amplifier (RFPA) measuring 8.5x4.5cm for Selective Encoding through Nutation and Fingerprinting (SENF). By eliminating the need for a gradient system and imaging in a low B0, SENF shows great potential to reduce the cost, size, and accessibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. Here we present the development of a transmit stage of a SENF coil unit. Special consideration has been given to simplifications that can be made in RFPA design in this specific application.
Free Breathing 3D ASL Imaging of the Human Liver using Prospective Motion Correction: Preliminary Results
Authors: Huber Jörn , Hoinkiss Daniel , Channaveerappa Meghashree , Günther Matthias
Published: August 2023

Assessment of liver perfusion can yield valuable information about diseases like carcinoma and cirrhosis. Arterial spin labeling enables contrast-free measurements of liver perfusion with the drawback of increased motion sensitivity. Since timed breathing protocols prolong scan times, a novel prospective motion correction technique is presented, adjusting the initial saturation and image readout to the current position of the liver during the breathing cycle. The presented technique is compatible with highly suppressed signals, typically encountered in modern ASL imaging and achieved a significant decrease of cranial-caudal liver translation in acquired 3D GRASE volumes.
Multi-delay pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling for perfusion quantification in the spleen
Authors: Solis-Barquero Sergio , Aramendia-Vidaurreta Verónica , Vidorreta Marta , Echeverria-Chasco Rebeca , García-Ruiz Leyre , Ezponda Ana , Bastarrika Gorka , Fernández-Seara María A.
Published: August 2023

The spleen plays an important role in diseases related to portal circulation. Pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) was used to assess the Splenic Blood Flow (SBF) using six different post labeling delays in five different healthy volunteers. SBF and ATT maps were generated by fitting the one compartment Buxton kinetic model. This study shows the feasibility of using single and multi-delay PCASL to measure blood flow in the spleen. Obtained SBF values are in agreement with previous studies. PCASL enables a reliable measure of splenic blood flow in healthy volunteers.
Elevated Foot Diffusion and Resting Perfusion in Patients with Diabetic Foot Ulcer: A Pilot and Feasibility Study
Authors: Reiter David , Yao Jingting , Edwards Scott , Schechter Marcos , Fayfman Maya , Santamarina Gabriel , Nesbeth Paula , Giacalone Vincent , Blanco Gerardo , Feiweier Thorsten , Tirouvanziam Rabindra , Alvarez Jessica , Risk Benjamine , Rajani Ravi
Published: August 2023

Here we apply intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and fractional Fickian diffusion (FFD) models to multi-b-value diffusion-weighted-MRI to study tissue cellular and resting microvascular properties of the foot of patients with diabetic foot ulcer. We report preliminary results from an ongoing study comparing patients with type 2 diabetes and persistent plantar foot ulcers with healthy age- and BMI-matched individuals. Pseudo-diffusion and mean diffusion coefficients and microvascular volume fraction were elevated in patients, showing large effect sizes in subregions. This approach may prove useful for evaluating patients with ulcers to prognosticate tissue at risk of poor wound healing.
Evaluation of BAV Disease in Preserved Ejection Fraction: New Insight from Intra-Cardiac Pressure Drop
Authors: Aliabadi Shirin , Bristow Michael S. , Lydell Carmen , Fedak Paul WM , White James , Garcia Julio
Published: August 2023

We aimed to detect the reliability of flow component analysis and intra-cardiac pressure drop analysis in the bicuspid aortic valve (BAV)-induced regurgitation cases compared to age-matched healthy control in the preserved ejection fraction (EF). Flow component analysis did not show differences while intra-cardiac pressure drop differentiated groups.
Efficient 3D dark-blood thoracic and abdominal aortic imaging with novel motion-corrected water/fat DANTE sequence
Authors: Munoz Camila , Hua Alina , Kunze Karl , Neji Radhouene , Ismail Tevfik , Botnar René , Prieto Claudia
Published: August 2023

Dark-blood imaging is a promising tool for vessel wall assessment in cardiovascular disease. Here we introduce a novel water/fat DANTE-prepared sequence for 3D dark-blood imaging of the thoracic and abdominal aorta. The sequence integrates image navigation to enable respiratory motion correction resulting in a predictable scan time. Results from healthy subjects show the feasibility of the sequence for depicting the aortic wall with high-resolution with an overall short scan of ~6 minutes.
Gadolinium Free Synthetic Inflammation Imaging
Authors: Umesh Hari , Caliva Francesco , Liu Jing , Li Xiaojuan , Link Thomas , Majumdar Sharmila , Pedoia Valentina
Published: August 2023

Traditional MRI imaging involves injecting gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) , a pure substance that induces contrast to highlight inflammation and blood vessels in MRI images, proven to increase accuracy in radiologic diagnosis. We present a 2D V-net image contrast generation model that accurately predicts Gd-DTPA induced contrast from corresponding images without Gd-DTPA induced contrast.
Improving diagnostic confidence using a Deep-Learning Reconstructed Fast Motion-Robust PROPELLER protocol for Shoulder Imaging
Authors: Carretero Laura , Wang Xinzeng , Sánchez Eugenia , Nagrani Satish , Litwiller Daniel , García-Polo Pablo , Fung Maggie , Padrón Mario
Published: August 2023

PROPELLER imaging is the choice for motion-prone anatomies, to generate good diagnostic quality images even for challenging patients. However, it is associated with prolonged scan times. In this study we evaluate the application of a new DL-based reconstruction algorithm to enhance a fast PROPELLER shoulder protocol with the goal of providing consistent diagnostic confidence and an overall improved image quality compared to conventional routine protocols. Our study demonstrates the proposed under 10min shoulder MRI protocols are interchangeable and have the same diagnostic confidence with better SNR and lesion conspicuity than routine MRI protocols for shoulder post-contrast and instability exams.
The role of facet joint arthropathy in chronic low back pain and its association with adjacent paraspinal muscle composition
Authors: Sollmann Nico , Bonnheim Noah , Joseph Gabby , Lazar Ann , Chachad Ravi , Zhou Jiamin , Bailey Jeannie , Guo Xiaojie , Link Thomas , Fields Aaron , Krug Roland
Published: August 2023

Low back pain (LBP) is a global health burden, but patient phenotyping based on imaging that would facilitate timely and effective treatment regimens lacks behind. One issue is that associations between different structures at the degenerative lumbar spine are not yet well characterized. In this study we revealed that facet joint arthropathy (FJA) at level L4/L5 is associated with the fat fraction (FF) of adjacent paraspinal musculature (PSM) as derived from chemical shift encoding-based water-fat MRI (CSE-MRI), as well as with Modic-type endplate changes, endplate defects, and intervertebral degenerative disk disease (DDD) in patients with chronic LBP.
Improved Quantification of Ktrans with Cardiac Output Based Correction of Arterial Input Function
Authors: Mikheev Artem , Bokacheva Louisa , Zhang Jeff , Chandarana Hersh , Kim Sungheon , Rusinek Henry
Published: August 2023

The arterial signal in DCE MRI often suffers from the inflow effect, which may cause large errors in the arterial concentration and compartmental model analysis. We implemented a constrained signal-to-concentration conversion using the subject’s cardiac output based on the Stewart-Hamilton principle, which limits the area under the arterial first pass peak. The constrained conversion significantly reduced the variation of the arterial concentration sampled at three levels along the abdominal aorta. The constrained arterial input function resulted in a significantly lower variability of the Tofts model Ktrans in psoas muscle compared to the uncorrected input function.
Accuracy, Repeatability, and Reproducibility of Regularized Inversions for Abdominal Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping
Authors: Velikina Julia , Zhao Ruiyang , Buelo Collin , Samsonov Alexey , Reeder Scott , Hernando Diego
Published: August 2023

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is a promising non-invasive technique for assessment of liver iron concentration (LIC), necessary in a number of diseases. QSM solves an ill-conditioned inverse problem, whose performance depends on the chosen regularization. This work is the first to evaluate the accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility of liver QSM for two regularized inversion methods in a large patient population with a wide range of LIC. Our results indicate that data-adaptive regularization shows higher correlation with reference LIC values and increases repeatability/reproducibility due to its reduced sensitivity to the field map errors and regularizing effect of anatomical priors.
Free-Breathing, Fat- and B1-corrected T1 Mapping of the Liver with Chemical Shift Encoded Inversion Recovery MRI
Authors: Muslu Yavuz , Cashen Ty , Mandava Sagar , Reeder Scott
Published: August 2023

T1 relaxation is emerging as a quantitative biomarker for the diagnosis and staging of chronic liver disease. Conventional T1 mapping methods such as variable flip angle and Modified Look-Locker Inversion Recovery, fail to address confounding factors such as B1 inhomogeneities, the presence of fat, and motion. In this work, we propose a novel free-breathing T1 mapping method that addresses multiple confounding factors, combining chemical shift encoded MRI, inversion recovery and stack-of-stars sampling strategy for abdominal T1 mapping.