Diffusion-based tractography atlas of the human acoustic radiation

Diffusion MRI tractography allows in-vivo characterization of white matter architecture, including the localization and description of brain fibre bundles. However, some primary bundles are still only partially reconstructed, or not reconstructed at all. The acoustic radiation (AR) represents a primary sensory pathway that has been largely omitted in many tractography studies because its location and anatomical features make it challenging to reconstruct. In this study, we investigated the effects of acquisition and tractography parameters on the AR reconstruction using publicly available Human Connectome Project data. The aims of this study are: (i) using a subgroup of subjects and a reference AR for each subject, define an optimum set of parameters for AR reconstruction, and (ii) use the optimum parameters set on the full group to build a tractography-based atlas of the AR. Starting from the same data, the use of different acquisition and tractography parameters lead to very differen...

he present case study want to report an organisational intervention aimed to improve a Safety Work Permits System (SWPS) in a chemical company through the employees' involvement which daily use this system. SWPS consists in a step-by-step process designed to ensure that hazardous work activities could be performed in a safely way. The organisational intervention comprised 20 focus groups (190 total participants), whose main aim was to work on the current SWPS with the final aim to improve them. Employees with the help of experts analysed the SWPS and suggested improvements on the basis of three main phases: before the SWP filling, during the work activity and after the task accomplishment. Before and after the sessions a questionnaire was administered to participants in order to collect data on their opinions and perceptions about safety procedures. The participants noted some criticism in the SWPS and proposed solutions to enhance the system therefore eliminated the met problems. As well as improving the system we have also shown that workers involvement and active participation has resulted in an increased acceptance of safety rules included in SWPS.