Vários estudos têm abordado fatores que governam a longevidade dos enxertos ósseos \"onlay\". Entretanto, poucas informações têm sido disponibilizadas sobre eventos moleculares que ocorrem ao longo do tempo. Os enxertos de calota craniana têm sido reportados produzir respostas superiores em relação a outras regiões doadoras nas reconstruções maxilo-faciais, mas sem a devida comprovação científica. Este estudo tem por objetivos (1) estudar o padrão morfológico de enxertos ósseos \"onlay\" de calota craniana e compará-los com os eventos biológicos através de respostas imunoistoquímicas e (2) estabelecer os efeitos das perfurações no leito receptor sobre a manutenção do volume e densidade óssea. Sessenta coelhos do tipo New-Zealand White foram submetidos à enxertia óssea \"onlay\" de calota craniana na mandíbula. Em trinta coelhos o leito receptor foi perfurado (grupo perfurado) enquanto nos demais o leito foi mantido intacto (grupo não perfurado). Seis animais de cada grupo foram sacrificados aos 5, 7, 10, 20 e 60 dias após a cirurgia. Cortes histológicos foram preparados da região enxertada para análises imunoistoquímica e histológica. Na avaliação imunoistoquímica se observou marcações das proteínas Osteoprotegerina (OPG), \"Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-ß ligand\" (RANKL), Fosfatase Alcalina (ALP), Osteopontina (OPN), \"Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor\" (VEGF), \"Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase\" (TRAP), Colágeno do tipo I (COL I) e Osteocalcina (OC). O exame tomográfico foi realizado após a cirurgia e no sacrifício dos animais. Os achados histológicos revelaram que as perfurações contribuíram para uma maior deposição óssea nos períodos iniciais na interface entre o enxerto e o leito receptor, acelerando o processo de incorporação. Os resultados tomográficos mostraram menor reabsorção para o grupo perfurado (P≤0,05) e ambos os grupos mostraram altas taxas de densidade óssea aos 60 dias. Estas evidências são corroboradas pelos resultados imunoistoquímicos que mostraram maior marcação de proteínas ligadas a revascularização e osteogênese (VEGF, OPN, TRAP e ALP) no grupo perfurado. Esses achados indicam que o volume ósseo de enxertos da calota craniana é mais bem conservado quando o leito receptor é perfurado, provavelmente em razão de uma mais efetiva revascularização do enxerto e maior deposição óssea. / Several studies have discussed factors that govern the longevity of onlay bone grafts. However, little information has been made available on molecular events that occur over time. Cranial bone grafts have been reported to produce greater responses compared to other donor regions in maxillofacial reconstructions, but necessary scientific verification was still lacking. The objectives of this study are (1) to study the morphological pattern of cranial onlay bone grafts and compare them to the biological events through immunohistochemical responses, and (2) to establish the effects of perforations on maintaining the volume and bone density of the receptor bed. Sixty New Zealand White rabbits were submitted to cranial onlay bone grafts of the mandible. In thirty rabbits, the receptor bed was perforated (perforated group), while for the remaining specimens the bed was kept intact (non-perforated group). Six animals from each group were culled at 5, 7, 10, 20 and 60 days after surgery. Histological cuts from the grafted area were prepared for immunohistochemical and histological analyses. During the immunohistochemical evaluation, markers were found for proteins Osteoprotegerin (OPG), Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-ß ligand (RANKL), Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), Osteopontin (OPN), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Tartrate-Resistant Acid Phosphatase (TRAP), Type I Collagen (COL I) and Osteocalcin (OC). The tomography examination (CT scan) was conducted after surgery and at culling. The histological findings revealed that the perforations contributed to higher bone deposition during the initial stages at the graft-receptor bed interface, accelerating the incorporation process. The results of the CT scan showed lower resorption for the perforated group (P≤0.05), and both groups showed high bone density rates at 60 days. This set of evidence is corroborated by the immunohistochemical results, which showed more markers of proteins associated with revascularization and osteogenesis (VEGF, OPN, TRAP and ALP) in the perforated group. These findings indicate that the bone volume of cranial dome grafts is better maintained when the receptor bed is perforated, probably resulting from more effective graft revascularization and greater bone deposition.

There is no doubt that computerized tomography (CT) is highly beneficial for patients when used appropriately for diagnostic purposes. However, worries have been raised concerning the possible risk of cancer induction from CT because of the dramatic increase of CT usage in medicine. It is crucial to keep the radiation dose as low as reasonably achievable to reduce this probable risk. This thesis is about to reduce X-ray radiation exposure to patients and/or CT operators via a new imaging modality that exploits the recent compressed sensing (CS) theory. Two efficient reconstruction algorithms based on total variation (TV) minimization of estimated images are proposed. Using fewer measurements than the traditional filtered back projection based algorithms or algebraic reconstruction techniques require, the proposed algorithms allow reducing the radiation dose without sacrificing the CT image quality even in the case of noisy measurements. Employing powerful methods to solve the TV minimization problem, both schemes have higher reconstruction speed than the recently introduced CS based algorithms.

<p>Coatings for exterior wood have two basic functions. One isto give an aesthetically acceptable surface appearance andcolour. The other is to provide protection against wooddegradation by microbiological or physical attack. Theseprotective properties, often called the barrier properties,play an important role in the selection of proper material forsupreme durability. The assessment of these barrier propertiesis of great importance. Within the CEN Technical Committee 139,Working Group 2, Coatings for exterior wood test methods andperformance specifications have been established. Forassessment of water protection efficiency a standard testprocedure, EN 927-5, has been launched. The present work hasfocused on its applicability in assessing water protectionefficiency in relation to the degradation of coatings duringexposure.</p><p>Assessments according to EN 927-5 is shown to givesignificant differences in water absorption values fordifferent types of coatings on wood. The proposed performancespecifications in ENV 927 - 2 for the water absorption valuesfor coatings to be used in different constructions seem to beset at acceptable levels. It has been shown that there is agood correlation between the level of water absorption andpractical experience of the performance of paints inScandinavia. However, it has also been shown that thecombination of a standard procedure for water absorptionmeasurement and an artificial weathering procedure gives moreinformation regarding expected durability and longtermperformance than a single measurement of water absorption onfresh, unweathered coated wood. A combination of waterabsorption measurement and artificial weathering could become auseful tool in product development as well as in benchmarking.Together with statistical tools, such as reliability-basedservice life prediction methodologies for predicting theservice life of coating systems a reduction in testing timesmay be achieved.</p><p>Surface-active substances in coatings have a negative effecton the coatings ability to prevent water ingress, which mostprobably is due to the hydrophilic character of thesesubstances. The presence of these substances, which are commonin waterborne coatings, alters the moisture sorptioncharacteristics of wood. Considering that these substancesoccur in waterborne coatings, may be mobilised during and afterfilm formation and accumulate at the coating/substrateinterface, there is a great probability that these substanceschange the moisture sorption characteristics of the woodsubstrate in an unfavourable way and create unexpected dynamicmoisture conditions at the coating/wood interface.</p><p>Computerized tomography has been found to be a valuable,non-destructive tool for visualising the spatial moisturedistribution of water and moisture in coated wood panels. Themethod is suitable for recurrent testing of a specimen exposedto a series of processes of wetting, drying. This thesis showsthat high moisture contents occur locally at and around cracks.In these areas there is an increased risk of internal tensionand stress resulting in crack initiation and propagation andthat high moisture contents may occur in the first fewmillimetres under waterborne coatings despite intact coatingfilms. Even with good barrier properties of the coating,moisture may accumulate by water-vapour absorption in air gapsbehind the cladding thus causing favourable conditions formicrobiological colonization.</p><p>The work that has been carried out regarding assessment ofthe water protection efficiency shows promising resultsregarding the possibility to use reliability-based service lifeprediction methodology for the assessment. The aim of futurework will be to establish more reliable techniques andprotocols for assessing service life expectancy and durability,especially for waterborne coatings with special focus ontendencies to early failure and robustness of the coatingsystems.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Coatings, surfactants, water absorption value,EN 927, paint, additives, moisture dynamics, absorption,desorption, artificial weathering, artificial exposure,computerized tomography, MRI.</p>

The work covered in this thesis deals with the problem of automatically registering 3D images acquired from different medical imaging modalities. The approach taken is to develop generic measures of image registration derived from the co-occurence of values in the two images. The development of statistical alignment measures is reviewed. The registration problem is then expressed in terms of entropy and developed using tools from information theory. The problem of the optimization of the registration process in the different types of algorithms is identified as important and the power of Genetic Algorithms is applied. The application of image registration techniques, implemented during this thesis, in complex situations is evaluated. The cases of patients with brain ischemia and brain tumour residual disease are elaborated. This is accomplished with the formation of Groupwares where the tacit knowledge, owned by the individual specialists that take part in the collaboration, is exposed and made explicit in the process of the evaluation of the findings, provided by the fused images. This is performed in a high performance computer network that has been developed between the Department of Medicine and the University Hospital. / Η παρούσα εργασία ασχολείται με το πρόβλημα της αυτοματοποιημένης προσαρμογής και σύντηξης τρισδιάστατων απεικονίσεων από διαφορετικές ιατρικές απεικονιστικές μεθοδολογίες.

In order to elucidate the effects of NPY directly on bone tissue, two different doses of NPY (NPY dose 1= 1X10-5 M and NPY dose 2 = 1X 10&amp / #65533 / 6 M) and NPY dose 2 plus its inhibitor were applied together with hyaluronic acid (HA) into the intramedullary area of right tibia of Wistar rats. HA alone was administered as the control group. On three time points, day one, week one and week two after administration, the tibiae were collected and stored at &amp / #65533 / 20oC for analysis. Evaluation was performed via conventional radiography, dual energy X-ray absorbtiometry (DEXA), quantitative computerized tomography (QCT), three point bending test (TPB) and histology techniques. QCT was used to assess both atomic content and density of both medulla and cortex of tibiae. From DEXA results, it was observed that inhibition of NPY causes an increase in the bone mass from first day to second week. This phenomena was also observed in histology results so that new bone formation in the inhibitor administered bone was encountered at week two. In both medulla and cortex areas&amp / #65533 / atomic content, an increase in average effective atomic number was displayed after administration of NPY plus NPY inhibitor throughout two weeks. In addition, density of medulla of tibiae measured by QCT also revealed an increase in bone mass when inhibitor is applied throughout two weeks. As a result, overall evaluation of data obtained from DEXA, QCT and histological analysis revealed that NPY inhibits bone formation or have a pro-osteoclastic effect / inversely HA displayed osteogenic effect.

Thesis (M.S.); Submitted to Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (US); 12 Dec 2003. / Published through the Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information. "IS-T 2608" Maria Ambert Sanchez. 12/12/2003. Report is also available in paper and microfiche from NTIS.

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