Purpose: To evaluate interscan reproducibility of both vessel morphology and tissue composition measurements of carotid atherosclerosis using a fast, optimized, 3T multicontrast protocol. Materials and Methods:A total of 20 patients with carotid stenosis >15% identified by duplex ultrasound were recruited for two independent 3T MRI (Philips) scans within one month. A multicontrast protocol including five MR sequences was applied: TOF, T1-/T2-/PD-weighted and magnetization-prepared rapid acquisition gradientecho (MP-RAGE). Carotid artery morphology (wall volume, lumen volume, total vessel volume, normalized wall index, and mean/maximum wall thickness) and plaque component size (lipid rich/necrotic core, calcification, and hemorrhage) were measured over two time points.Results: After exclusion of images with poor image quality, 257 matched locations from 18 subjects were available for analysis. For the quantitative carotid morphology measurements, coefficient of variation (CV) ranged from 2% to 15% and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.87 to 0.99. Except for maximum wall thickness (ICC ¼ 0.87), all ICC were larger than 0.90. For the quantitative plaque composition measurements, the ICC of the volume and relative content of lipid rich/necrotic core and calcification were larger than 0.90 with CV ranging from 22% to 32%. Conclusion:The results from the multicontrast high-resolution 3T MR study show high reliability for carotid morphology and plaque component measurements. 3T MRI is a reliable tool for longitudinal clinical trials, with shorter scan time compared to 1.5T.

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Here we present a multi-material additive manufacturing approach for fabricating personalized polymeric aortic heart valves and surrounding vasculature, derived from a patient's CT data. The valves feature geometries and fiber-reinforced leaflet architectures that resemble those of native valve tissue, along with materials that match the hardness and modulus of specific features. The designs are first simulated to predict the stresses and deformations in the valve, and subsequently the fabricated valves are tested in vitro to show excellent hydrodynamic properties.

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The participation in and completion of teacher education programs by students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is one of the biggest challenges facing higher education institutions today. The success of teacher education programs in responding to this challenge is related to their ability to incorporate diversity into all aspects of their programs. Using the MSETP as an example, this article presents a framework for diversifying teacher education programs to successfully recruit and support culturally and linguistically diverse students into the field of special education.