A gender breakdown of unexpected benefits generated by work from home in STEM fields - A qualitative analysis of the WiMPBME Task Group survey.

Background: Working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic was perceived differently by men and women working in STEM fields. The aim of this paper is to highlight the unexpected benefits generated by working from home during the pandemic.

Methods: Qualitative methodology was used to analyze data, collected via survey.

A 2.5D Self-Training Strategy for Carotid Artery Segmentation in T1-Weighted Brain Magnetic Resonance Images.

Precise annotations for large medical image datasets can be time-consuming. Additionally, when dealing with volumetric regions of interest, it is typical to apply segmentation techniques on 2D slices, compromising important information for accurately segmenting 3D structures. This study presents a deep learning pipeline that simultaneously tackles both challenges.

Aiming for [F]FDG-PET acquisition time reduction in clinical practice for neurological patients.

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with [F]FDG provides valuable information regarding the underlying pathological processes in neurodegenerative disorders. PET imaging for these populations should be as short as possible to limit head movements and improve comfort. This study aimed to validate an optimized [F]FDG-PET image reconstruction protocol aiming to reduce acquisition time while maintaining adequate quantification accuracy and image quality.

Oral administration of PET tracers: Current status.

The oral route is the most widely used and preferable way of drug administration. Several pharmacokinetic processes play a role in the distribution of administered drugs. Therefore, accurate quantification of absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and characterisation of drug kinetics after oral administration is extremely important for developing new human drugs.

A new model for classification of medical CT images using CNN: a COVID-19 case study.

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of COVID-19 and leaves characteristic impressions on chest Computed Tomography (CT) images in infected patients and this analysis is performed by radiologists through visual reading of lung images, and failures may occur. In this article, we propose a classification model, called Wavelet Convolutional Neural Network (WCNN) that aims to improve the differentiation of images of patients with COVID-19 from images of patients with other lung infections. The WCNN model was based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and wavelet transform.

Discriminating Aging Cognitive Decline Spectrum Using PET and Magnetic Resonance Image Features.

Background: The population aging increased the prevalence of brain diseases, like Alzheimer's disease (AD). Early identification of individuals with higher odds of cognitive decline is essential to maintain quality of life. Imaging evaluation of individuals at risk of cognitive decline includes biomarkers extracted from brain positron emission tomography (PET) and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Perception of Orthopedics Surgeons about the Risks of Radiation Exposure in Fluoroscopy.

 The present study aims to understand the perceptions of orthopedists and traumatologists regarding the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation in fluoroscopy procedures.  An objective, structured, self-administered questionnaire with sociodemographic, professional, and occupational variables was developed, available through an invitation sent to orthopedist physicians whose contacts were made publicly available.  A total of 141 questionnaires were answered and analyzed.

Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering: past, present and future.

Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering (WiMPBME) is a Task Group established in 2014 under the International Union of Physical and Engineering Scientists in Medicine (IUPESM). The group's main role is to identify, develop, implement, and coordinate various tasks and projects related to women's needs and roles in medical physics and biomedical engineering around the world. The current paper summarizes the past, present and future goals and activities undertaken or planned by the Task group in order to motivate, nurture and support women in medical physics and biomedical engineering throughout their professional careers.

The Biggest Challenges Resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gender-Related Work from Home in Biomedical Fields-World-Wide Qualitative Survey Analysis.

(1) Background: This paper aims to present and discuss the most significant challenges encountered by STEM professionals associated with remote working during the COVID-19 lockdowns. (2) Methods: We performed a qualitative analysis of 921 responses from professionals from 76 countries to the open-ended question: "What has been most challenging during the lockdown for you, and/or your family?" (3) Findings: Participants reported challenges within the immediate family to include responsibilities for school, childcare, and children's wellbeing; and the loss of social interactions with family and friends. Participants reported increased domestic duties, blurred lines between home and work, and long workdays.

Explainable Machine Learning for COVID-19 Pneumonia Classification With Texture-Based Features Extraction in Chest Radiography.

Both reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and chest X-rays are used for the diagnosis of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). However, COVID-19 pneumonia does not have a defined set of radiological findings. Our work aims to investigate radiomic features and classification models to differentiate chest X-ray images of COVID-19-based pneumonia and other types of lung patterns.

Amyloid-β PET Classification on Cognitive Aging Stages Using the Centiloid Scale.

Propose: This study aims to explore the use of the Centiloid (CL) method in amyloid-β PET quantification to evaluate distinct cognitive aging stages, investigating subjects' mismatch classification using different cut-points for amyloid-β positivity.

Procedures: The CL equation was applied in four groups of individuals: SuperAgers (SA), healthy age-matched controls (AC), healthy middle-aged controls (MC), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The amyloid-β burden was calculated and compared between groups and quantitative variables.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on gender-related work from home in STEM fields-Report of the WiMPBME Task Group.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people, including those in the fields of science and engineering, to work from home. The new working environment caused by the pandemic is assumed to have a different impact on the amount of work that women and men can do from home. Particularly, if the major burden of child and other types of care is still predominantly on the shoulders of women.

Increased Glucose Activity in Subgenual Anterior Cingulate and Hippocampus of High Performing Older Adults, Despite Amyloid Burden.

Background: Individuals at 80 years of age or above with exceptional memory are considered SuperAgers (SA), an operationalized definition of successful cognitive aging. SA showed increased thickness and altered functional connectivity in the anterior cingulate cortex as a neurobiological signature. However, their metabolic alterations are yet to be uncovered.

Correction to: Parametric Imaging of [11C]Flumazenil Binding in the Rat Brain.

The name of the second author was incorrectly cited and is corrected now, as displayed here.

A Case-Based Study with Radiologists Performing Diagnosis Tasks in Virtual Reality.

In radiology diagnosis, medical images are most often visualized slice by slice. At the same time, the visualization based on 3D volumetric rendering of the data is considered useful and has increased its field of application. In this work, we present a case-based study with 16 medical specialists to assess the diagnostic effectiveness of a Virtual Reality interface in fracture identification over 3D volumetric reconstructions.

Parametric Imaging of [C]Flumazenil Binding in the Rat Brain.

Purpose: This study evaluates the performance of several parametric methods for assessing [C]flumazenil binding distribution in the rat brain.

Procedures: Dynamic (60 min) positron emission tomography data with metabolite-corrected plasma input function were retrospectively analyzed (male Wistar rats, n = 10). Distribution volume (V ) images were generated from basis function method (BFM), Logan graphical analysis (Logan), and spectral analysis (SA).

Pharmacokinetic modeling of [C]flumazenil kinetics in the rat brain.

Background: Preferred models for the pharmacokinetic analysis of [C]flumazenil human studies have been previously established. However, direct translation of these models and settings to animal studies might be sub-optimal. Therefore, this study evaluates pharmacokinetic models for the quantification of [C]flumazenil binding in the rat brain.

Primary progressive aphasia patients evaluated using diffusion tensor imaging and voxel based volumetry-preliminary results.

Unlabelled: There are individuals who have a progressive language deficit without presenting cognitive deficits in other areas. One of the diseases related to this presentation is primary progressive aphasia (PPA).

Objective: Identify by means of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and measurements of cortical volume, brain areas that lead to dysphasia when presenting signs of impaired connectivity or reduced volume.