A case-control evaluation of pulmonary and extrapulmonary findings of incidental asymptomatic COVID-19 infection on FDG PET-CT

Objectives: To describe the findings of incidental asymptomatic COVID-19 infection on FDG PET-CT using a case-control design. Methods: Incidental pulmonary findings suspicious of asymptomatic COVID-19 infection on FDG PET-CT were classified as a confirmed (positive RT-PCR test) or suspected case (no/negative RT-PCR test). Control cases were identified using a 4:1 control:case ratio. Pulmonary findings were re-categorised by two reporters using the BSTI classification. SUV metrics in ground glass opacification (GGO)/consolidation (where present), background lung, intrathoracic nodes, liver, spleen, and bone marrow were measured. Results: 7/9 confirmed and 11/15 suspected cases (COVID-19 group) were re-categorised as BSTI 1 (classic/probable COVID-19) or BSTI 2 (indeterminate COVID-19); 0/96 control cases were categorised as BSTI 1. Agreement between two reporters using the BSTI classification was almost perfect (weighted κ = 0.94). SUVmax GGO/consolidation (5.1 vs 2.2; p < 0.0001) and target-to-background ratio, normalised to liver SUVmean(2.4 vs 1.0; p < 0.0001) were higher in the BSTI 1 & two group vs BSTI 3 (non-COVID-19) cases. SUVmax GGO/consolidation discriminated between the BSTI 1 & two group and BSTI 3 (non-COVID-19) cases with high accuracy (AUC = 0.93). SUV metrics were higher (p < 0.05) in the COVID-19 group vs control cases in the lungs, intrathoracic nodes, and spleen. Conclusion: Asymptomatic COVID-19 infection on FDG PET-CT is characterised by bilateral areas of FDG avid (intensity > x2 liver SUVmean) GGO/consolidation and can be identified with high interobserver agreement using the BSTI classification. There is generalised background inflammation within the lungs, intrathoracic nodes, and spleen. Advances in knowledge: Incidental asymptomatic COVID-19 infection on FDG PET-CT, characterised by bilateral areas of ground glass opacification and consolidation, can be identified with high reproducibility using the BSTI classification. The intensity of associated FDG uptake (>x2 liver SUVmean) provides high discriminative ability in differentiating such cases from pulmonary findings in a non-COVID-19 pattern. Asymptomatic COVID-19 infection causes a generalised background inflammation within the mid-lower zones of the lungs, hilar and central mediastinal nodal stations, and spleen on FDG PET-CT. A case-control evaluation of pulmonary and extrapulmonary findings of incidental asymptomatic COVID-19 infection on FDG PET-CT.

Texting Older Sisters to Step (TOSS) Using Fitbits to Promote Physical Activity: A Feasibility Study

Black women are disproportionately diagnosed with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Obesity is a preventable but complex, public health problem that is multifaceted, chronic, and approximately 58% of Black women 60 years and older are classified as obese, compared to 38% of their White counterparts. This 12 week, pre/post, 2-group study aimed to determine if a peer-informed physical activity (PA) intervention with peer support would be feasible among community- dwelling, obese, older Black women to promote regular PA. Forty-eight potential participants were screened, 24 categorized as obese were enrolled and completed the study. The mean age was 64 (SD 3.0) years. Steps were measured by a Fitbit-Inspire with data successfully collected on 98% of days with the treatment group averaging a daily increase of 700-steps more than the control. Evaluation of intervention’s acceptability revealed that 100% enjoyed the study and using the Fitbit device. Text message readability was 100% and 95% said the study was motivational. Additionally, 8.3% said daily prompts were too frequent, 12% indicated that future studies should include additional social support, and 88% did not comment on the Fitbit community option for support, suggesting that this feature was not practical. Findings demonstrated that this intervention meets the criteria of being scalable, low cost, feasible, and acceptable for the older Black women. Using self-monitoring techniques in combination with at least one other behavioral strategy, such as our TOSS messages (cues for motivation) as the delivery channel for health promotion messages are a promising approach to increase PA behaviors.

Cloud-based Hardware-in-the-Loop testing of building automation controllers

This paper aims to fill the gap in knowledge about building control testing, thus encouraging control evaluation, to ultimately improve energy efficiency in building operation. A hardware controller and its digital twin are tested in real-time in a separate platform in the cloud, and the results are analyzed to determine what insights can tests on virtual controllers give about the behaviors of their real-life hardware counter-parts. Key performance indicators (KPIs) from literature are used to evaluate the control. It is shown that although the controllers differ in their control output time-series, their overall performance profile along the entire simulation run follows a similar pattern (KPI percent error varies between 3% and 8%). This implies that virtual controller testing can be a good indicator of hardware controller behavior.

Demystification of RNAseq Quality Control

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis has become a widely used method for studying the structure of DNA and RNA, but complexity of the procedure leads to obtaining error-prone datasets which need to be cleansed in order to avoid misinterpretation of data. We address the usage and proper interpretations of characteristic metrics for RNA sequencing (RNAseq) quality control, implemented in and reported by FastQC, and provide a comprehensive guidance for their assessment in the context of total RNAseq quality control of Illumina raw reads. Additionally, we give recommendations how to adequately perform the quality control preprocessing step of raw total RNAseq Illumina reads according to the obtained results of the quality control evaluation step; the aim is to provide the best dataset to downstream analysis, rather than to get better FastQC results. We also tested effects of different preprocessing approaches to the downstream analysis and recommended the most suitable approach.

Issues of Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Internal Control System in Audits

This article describes the areas of evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control system in audits. As a result of the research, 5 stages of evaluating the effectiveness of the internal control system are proposed. The author has also developed internal control evaluation steps.

Internal audit in the period of economic changes and its role in evaluation of the entity’s internal control. Theoretical characteristics and practical approaches

Internal control delivers guarantee and trust for investors, clients, suppliers, but also for the entity’s employees and other interested parties. As a result, an effective internal control system has a significant impact on the credibility of a modern entity and its activities, which is ensured by the entity’s management, through an appropriate process of evaluating the effectiveness of internal control. On the basis of those exposed, we sustain the opinion shared by many experts in the field, that the primary role in evaluating the internal control system is attributed to internal audit, because in line with current development trends, it supports the entity in maintaining effective controls by evaluating efficiency and effectiveness. As well as by promoting biased business actions. In this connection, the authors approach the study of the basic aspects of the internal control evaluation process in the light of the identification of the method, establishing and interpreting the indicators used in the evaluation, as well as determining the criteria and practical tools for evaluation. As a method of evaluation of internal control the systematic method of authors is proposed, which involves the evaluation of each component of it. This approach permits internal auditors to make an integrated consideration of the effectiveness of internal control in the entity of the internal control system in the good functioning of the entity, which contributes to the fulfillment of its strategic objectives. In addition, the research carried out highlights the performance of the assessment tool – the corresponding questionnaire, which was developed to evaluate the control environment of the entity and applied in the activity of public interest entities in the Republic of Moldova. This study offers the possibility to recognize the deficiencies within the control environment established at the entity and offers the possibility to the management of the entity to improve its functioning mechanism.