Henri Cochet's theory of angles in tennis (1933) reveals a new facet of anticipation.

In this study, we tested the theory of angles that was proposed almost a century ago by the tennis player Henri Cochet. This theory proposes that expert tennis players should position themselves on the bisector of the angle of the opponent's possibilities in order to optimize shot return, suggesting a geometric occupation of the court relative to the opponent's affordances; namely what he/she is capable of doing. We tested this hypothesis by analysing player and ball positioning data from professional tennis matches recorded with a Hawk-Eye system. We compared this hypothesis with two alternative computational and probabilistic hypotheses which would consist in positioning oneself on the average or the median of the shots usually played from a given location. The results show that expert tennis players apply the principles of the theory of angles and thus confirm Henri Cochet's intuition. That is, for lateral court positioning, a geometric strategy is deemed optimal by expert players. It also appears that the more experienced the players are, the more precise their application of this strategy becomes.

Sensitivity analyses for improving sulfur management strategies in winter oilseed rape.

Because sulfur (S) depletion in soil results in seed yield losses and grain quality degradation, especially in high S-demanding crops such as oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.), monitoring S fertilisation has become a central issue. Crop models can be efficient tools to conduct virtual experiments under different fertilisation management strategies. Using the process-based model SuMoToRI, we aimed to analyse the impact of different S fertilisation strategies coupled with the variablility observed in major plant characteristics in oilseed rape i.e. radiation use efficiency (RUE), carbon (C) allocation to the leaves (ß) and specific leaf area (SLA) on plant performance-driven variables encompassing total biomass (TDW), S in the photosynthetic leaves (QSmobile.GL) and leaf area index (LAIGL). The contrasting S supply conditions differed in the amount of S (5 levels), and the timing of application (at bolting and/or at flowering, which included a fractioned condition). For this purpose, we performed a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) and calculated two sensitivity indices i.e. the Partial Raw Correlation Coefficient (PRCC) and the Sobol index. The results showed that whatever the timing of S supply, TDW, LAIGL and QSmobile.GL increased as S input increased. For a given S supply, there was no difference in TDW, LAIGL and QSmobile.GL between a single and a fractioned supply. Moreover, delaying the supply until flowering reduced the TDW and LAIGL whereas QSmobile.GL increased. Results showed that RUE had the greatest impact on TDW under all levels of S supply and all application timings, followed by ß and SLA. RUE mostly impacted on QSmobile.GL, depending on S supply conditions, whereas it was the parameter with the least impact on LAIGL. Ultimately, our results provide strong evidence of optimised S fertilisation timings and plant characteristics that will guide producers in their agricultural practices by using specific varieties under constrained S fertilisation strategies.

FMISO-PET-derived brain oxygen tension maps: application to glioblastoma and less aggressive gliomas.

Quantitative imaging modalities for the analysis of hypoxia in brain tumors are lacking. The objective of this study was to generate absolute maps of tissue ptO2 from [18F]-FMISO images in glioblastoma and less aggressive glioma patients in order to quantitatively assess tumor hypoxia. An ancillary objective was to compare estimated ptO2 values to other biomarkers: perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) and tumor metabolism obtained from 1H-MR mono-voxel spectroscopy (MRS). Ten patients with glioblastoma (GBM) and three patients with less aggressive glioma (nGBM) were enrolled. All patients had [18F]-FMISO and multiparametric MRI (anatomic, PWI, MRS) scans. A non-linear regression was performed to generate ptO2 maps based on normal appearing gray (NAGM) and white matter (NAWM) for each patient. As expected, a marked [18F]-FMISO uptake was observed in GBM patients. The ptO2 based on patient specific calculations was notably low in this group (4.8 ± 1.9 mmHg, p < 0.001) compared to all other groups (nGBM, NAGM and NAWM). The rCBV was increased in GBM (1.4 ± 0.2 when compared to nGBM tumors 0.8 ± 0.4). Lactate (and lipid) concentration increased in GBM (27.8 ± 13.8%) relative to nGBM (p < 0.01). Linear, nonlinear and ROC curve analyses between ptO2 maps, PWI-derived rCBV maps and MRS-derived lipid and lactate concentration strengthens the robustness of our approaches.

Qualitative 3-T Proton MR Spectroscopy for the Characterization of Musculoskeletal Neoplasms: Update on Diagnostic Performance and Indications.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of qualitative 3-T proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) for the characterization of musculoskeletal neoplasms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Proton MRS studies of 74 patients (76 lesions) with a histologically confirmed musculoskeletal neoplasm or neoplasms were prospectively included in this study. All studies were performed using a 3-T MRI scanner. Spectra were analyzed with conventional MRI software provided by the fabricant and with dedicated independent MRS software. Spectra were evaluated visually for the presence or absence of a choline peak at 3.2 ppm. The presence of a choline peak was considered indicative of malignancy. The influences of tumor origin and spectral quality on diagnostic performance were considered. RESULTS: Diagnostic performance was similar with both software used (κ = 0.97). Qualitative 1H-MRS failed to differentiate benign from malignant bone tumors regardless of the application of quality criteria (best sensitivity and specificity, 50.0% and 61.5%, respectively). Diagnostic performance was better with soft-tissue lesions, but the specificity remained low (best sensitivity and specificity, 82.4% and 64.3%, respectively). The application of spectral quality criteria for the evaluation of soft-tissue tumors led to the exclusion of 35.4% of the evaluated spectra. CONCLUSION: Qualitative 3-T 1H-MRS cannot be used to characterize bone tumors. This technique has good sensitivity but poor specificity for the characterization of soft-tissue lesions.

Carbogen-induced increases in tumor oxygenation depend on the vascular status of the tumor: A multiparametric MRI study in two rat glioblastoma models.

The alleviation of hypoxia in glioblastoma with carbogen to improve treatment has met with limited success. Our hypothesis is that the eventual benefits of carbogen depend on the capacity for vasodilation. We examined, with MRI, changes in fractional cerebral blood volume, blood oxygen saturation, and blood oxygenation level dependent signals in response to carbogen. The analyses were performed in two xenograft models of glioma (U87 and U251) recognized to have different vascular patterns. Carbogen increased fractional cerebral blood volume, blood oxygen saturation, and blood oxygenation level dependent signals in contralateral tissues. In the tumor core and peritumoral regions, changes were dependent on the capacity to vasodilate rather than on resting fractional cerebral blood volume. In the highly vascularised U87 tumor, carbogen induced a greater increase in fractional cerebral blood volume and blood oxygen saturation in comparison to the less vascularized U251 tumor. The blood oxygenation level dependent signal revealed a delayed response in U251 tumors relative to the contralateral tissue. Additionally, we highlight the considerable heterogeneity of fractional cerebral blood volume, blood oxygen saturation, and blood oxygenation level dependent within U251 tumor in which multiple compartments co-exist (tumor core, rim and peritumoral regions). Finally, our study underlines the complexity of the flow/metabolism interactions in different models of glioblastoma. These irregularities should be taken into account in order to palliate intratumoral hypoxia in clinical trials.

SuMoToRI, an Ecophysiological Model to Predict Growth and Sulfur Allocation and Partitioning in Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) Until the Onset of Pod Formation.

Sulfur (S) nutrition in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is a major concern for this high S-demanding crop, especially in the context of soil S oligotrophy. Therefore, predicting plant growth, S plant allocation (between the plant's compartments) and S pool partitioning (repartition of the mobile-S vs. non-mobile-S fractions) until the onset of reproductive phase could help in the diagnosis of S deficiencies during the early stages. For this purpose, a process-based model, SuMoToRI (Sulfur Model Toward Rapeseed Improvement), was developed up to the onset of pod formation. The key features rely on (i) the determination of the S requirements used for growth (structural and metabolic functions) through critical S dilution curves and (ii) the estimation of a mobile pool of S that is regenerated by daily S uptake and remobilization from senescing leaves. This study describes the functioning of the model and presents the model's calibration and evaluation. SuMoToRI was calibrated and evaluated with independent datasets from greenhouse experiments under contrasting S supply conditions. It is run with a small number of parameters with generic values, except in the case of the radiation use efficiency, which was shown to be modulated by S supply. The model gave satisfying predictions of the dynamics of growth, S allocation between compartments and S partitioning, such as the mobile-S fraction in the leaves, which is an indicator of the remobilization potential toward growing sinks. The mechanistic features of SuMoToRI provide a process-based framework that has enabled the description of the S remobilizing process in a species characterized by senescence during the vegetative phase. We believe that this model structure could be useful for modeling S dynamics in other arable crops that have similar senescence-related characteristics.

Influence of calcium on choline measurements by 1H MR spectroscopy of thigh muscles.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of calcium on the choline peak measurements with 1H MR spectroscopy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The thigh muscles of two cadaveric specimens were prospectively evaluated on a 3 T MR unit before and after the injection of calcium carbonate (up to 0.4322 g). The choline peaks of 147 spectra from 10 different anatomic locations were quantitatively evaluated. The influence of the calcium concentration and its disposition with respect to the main magnetic field were considered. B0 phase maps were used to evaluate field inhomogeneities. RESULTS: The presence of calcium led to a 43 % underestimation of the choline peak and the choline concentration (p = 0.0002 and 0.0036). The mean choline concentrations before and after CaCO3 injection were 3.53 ± 1.72 mmol/l and 1.58 ± 0.63 mmol/l. The influence of calcium carbonate on the choline peak estimations was proportional to the calcium concentration. There was a significant position-dependent difference in the estimation of the choline peak amplitude (p < 0.0154). Calcium injection led to a measurable increase in field inhomogeneities. CONCLUSION: There was a significant underestimation of the choline peak amplitude and concentration in the presence of calcium, which might cause misinterpretations of MR spectra. KEY POINTS: The presence of calcium led to significant underestimation of choline measurements. The influence of calcium is dependent on its concentration and distribution. Quantitative MR spectroscopy of calcified tumours should be interpreted with caution.