Mechanochemical production of copper (II) isonicotinate Metal-Organic Framework ([Cu (INA)2]-MOF) and its modified magnetic iron composite ([Cu (INA)2]-MOF@Fe3O4]) allowed for the adsorptive removal of Terbutaline from water. A variety of characterization techniques, including Fourier, transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), were used to elucidate the distinct chemical and morphological features of the two advanced materials. The optimal adsorption conditions were determined by investigating a wide range of adsorption-related variables, including contact time, initial Terbutaline concentration, adsorbent dosages pH, and temperature. The chemistry involved in the adsorption process between the adsorbents and the adsorbate molecules was evaluated using the best-fitting models, such as kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics, and the regeneration study was performed to evaluate the adsorbents' reusability. Incredibly maximum adsorption capacities (Qmax) of 1667 and 2500 mg L-1 were attained within 40 minutes under alkaline pH 11 by the [Cu (INA)2]-MOF and the [Cu (INA)2]-MOF@Fe3O4, respectively. The adsorbents have been proven to be good for the adsorption of Terbutaline as a priority pollutant in an aqueous solution, with pseudo-first order and Langmuir as the best-fitting models for the kinetic and isotherm models respectively.

Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of sandwiched composite nanomagnets, which consist of hard magnetic Cr-substituted hexaferrite cores and magnetite outer layers. The hexaferrite plate-like nanoparticles with average dimensions of 36.3 nm × 5.2 nm were prepared by glass crystallization method and were covered by spinel-type iron oxide via thermal decomposition of iron acetylacetonate in hexadecane solution. The hexaferrite nanoplates act as seeds for the epitaxial growth of the magnetite, which results in uniform continuous outer layers on both sides. The thickness of the layers can be adjusted by controlling the concentration of metal ions. In this way, layers with average thickness of 3.7 and 4.9 nm were obtained. Due to an atomically smooth interface the magnetic composites demonstrate the exchange coupling effect, acting as single phases during remagnetization. The developed approach can be applied to any spinel-type material with matching lattice parameters and opens the way to expand the performance of hexaferrite nanomagnets due to a combination of various functional properties.

Aim. In the current study, we aimed at identifying resting-state brain networks, which are different in patients with depression compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, we analyzed the potential for clinical use of different network measures that could discriminate the two groups and thus help the diagnostic process. Method and subjects. We recruited 90 subjects: 49 healthy controls (HC) and 41 patients with a major depressive episode (MDE). All subjects underwent clinical evaluation and functional resting-state MRI. The data were processed to investigate functional connectivity network measures across the two groups using Brain Connectivity Toolbox. The statistical inferences were made at the functional networks level, using false discovery rate method. Independent samples t-test was performed on the network measures mean values to reveal differences between HC and MDE groups. Permutation-based statistical testing was used to test the significance of the difference between the distributions of the network measures by nodes for HC and MDE groups. Linear discriminant analysis was used to differentiate between the groups. Results and discussion. Significant differences in FC between depressed patients and healthy controls were found with the most prominent changes encompassing within-region as well as between-region connectivity of occipital lobe areas such as precuneus (PreCu), cuneus (Cu), superior occipital gyrus (SOG), lingual gyrus (LG), fusiform gyrus (FG), cerebellum, along with limbic structures including the hippocampus (Hipp) and cingulate gyrus. Linear discriminant analysis demonstrated that the full connectivity matrices, as well as those with only the significant connections identified in advance, were the most precise in differentiating between depression and health. These measures reached precision levels of 97% and 94%, respectively. Conclusion. Our study delivered further evidence about impairment of functional connectivity networks in MDE that may contribute to differentiate patients with depression from healthy subjects.

Background: As coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to pose a threat to the entire world, it is critical to developing strategies for containing its spread. The purpose of this study was to assess the demographic characteristics, brain tomography characteristics, and diffusion magnetic resonance findings of COVID-19 positive individuals. Material and Method: Between January 1 and December 31, 2021, 317 patients over the age of 18 were admitted to the emergency department with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Three groups were formed based on clinical findings in patients, divided into light, medium, and severe, and four groups were formed based on radiological imaging findings. Results: The mean age of the 317 patients included in the study was 67.28±12.06 years, with a range of 28-91 years. The clinical classification of the patients was based on laboratory parameters and radiological imaging, not on their age or gender. Mild cases were classified as CO-RADS 0-4; moderate and severe cases were classified as CO-RADS 5-6 (p=0.001). While 60 (18.9%) of patients were followed outpatient, 144 (45.4%) were admitted to the hospital, 73 (23%) were admitted to the intensive care unit, and 40 (12.7%) died (p=0.001). Direct radiographs revealed bilateral involvement in 224 (70.7%) cases, peripheral involvement in 259 (81.7%) cases, and mid-lower lobe lung involvement in 194 (61.2%) cases (p=0.001). Brain tomography revealed infarction in 42 (13.2%) of the patients who were followed and hospitalized and hemorrhage in 22 (6.9%) of the patients. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed diffusion involvement in 68 (21.5%) of the cases (p=0.001). Conclusion: A standardized reporting system for COVID-19 data is required, and it must be simple to use, quick to understand, and focused on determining the risk of pneumonia. Additionally, the diagnostic role of radiological imaging, prognosis prediction, and severity scoring of lung involvement should be included.

Recently, hybrid logic circuits based on magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) have been widely investigated to realize zero standby power. However, such hybrid CMOS/MTJ logic circuits suffer from a severe sensing reliability due to the limited tunnel magnetoresistance ratio (TMR≤150%) of the MTJ and the large process variation in the deep sub-micrometer technology node. In this paper, a novel differential sensing amplifier (DSA) is proposed, in which two PMOS transistors are added to connect the discharging branches and evaluation branches. Owing to the positive feedback realized by these two added PMOS transistors, it can achieve a large sensing margin. By using an industrial CMOS 40 nm design kit and a physics-based MTJ compact model, hybrid CMOS/MTJ simulations have been performed to demonstrate its functionality and evaluate its performance. Simulation results show that it can achieve a smaller sensing error rate of 9% in comparison with the previously proposed DSAs with the TMR ratio of 100% and process variation of 10%, while maintaining almost the same sensing delay of 74.5 ps and sensing energy of 1.92 fJ/bit.

Cognitive rehabilitation is useful for many after traumatic brain injury (TBI), but we lack critical knowledge about which patients benefit the most from different approaches. Advanced neuroimaging techniques have provided important insight into brain pathology and systems plasticity after TBI and have potential to inform new practices in cognitive rehabilitation. In this study, we aimed to identify candidate structural brain measures with relevance for rehabilitation of cognitive control (executive) function after TBI. Twenty-eight patients (9 female, mean age 40.5 (SD = 13.04) years) with moderate/severe TBI (>21 months since injury) that participated in a randomized controlled cognitive rehabilitation trial (NCT02692352) were included in the analyses. Regional brain volume was extracted from T1-weighted MRI scans before treatment using tensor-based morphometry. Both positive and negative associations between treatment outcome (everyday cognitive control function) and regional brain volume were observed. The most robust structural brain measures with relevance for improvement in function were observed in midline fronto-parietal regions, including the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. The study pro-vides proof of concept and valuable insight for planning future studies focusing on neuroimaging in cognitive rehabilitation after TBI.

Cancer immunotherapies are gaining a large popularity and many of them have been approved as standard second-line or in some cases even as first-line treatment for a wide range of cancers. However, immunotherapy has not shown a clinically relevant success in glioblastoma (GBM), principally due to the brain’s “immune-privileged” status and the peculiar tumor microenvironment (TME) of GBM featured by lack of presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and the establishment of immunosuppressive mechanisms. Emerging evidence has highlighted the key role played by innate immune cells in immunosurveillance and in initiating and driving immune responses against GBM. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a promising approach to elicit direct activation of the innate immune system by inducing in target cancer cells the expression of molecular signatures recognized through a repertoire of innate immune cell pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) by effector innate immune cells. Herein, we explored local mild thermal treatment, generated by using ultrasmall (size ~ 17 nm) cubic-shaped iron oxide nanoparticles exposed to an external alternating magnetic field (AMF), to induce ICD in U87 glioblastoma cells. In accordance with what has been previously observed with other types of tumors, we found that mild hyperthermia modulates the immunological profile of U87 glioblastoma cells by inducing stress-associated signals leading to enhanced phagocytosis and killing of U87 cells by macrophages. Finally, we demonstrated that mild magnetic hyperthermia has a modulatory effect on the expression of inhibitory and activating NK cell ligands on target cells. Interestingly, alteration in the expression of NK ligands, caused by mild hyperthermia treatment, in U87 glioblastoma cells, increased their susceptibility to NK cell killing and NK cell functionality. The overall findings demonstrate that mild magnetic hyperthermia stimulates ICD and sensitizes GBM cells to NK-mediated killing by inducing the upregulation of specific stress ligands, providing a novel immunotherapeutic approach for GBM treatment, with potential to synergize with existing NK cell-based therapies thus improving their therapeutic outcomes.

Electromagnetic sensing has been used for diverse applications of non-destructive testing, including the surface inspection, measurement of properties, object characterization. However, the measurement accuracy could be significantly influenced by the lift-off between sensors and samples. To address the issue caused by lift-offs, various strategies have been proposed for the permeability measurement of ferromagnetic steels, which mainly involves different sensor designs and signal features (e.g., the zero-crossing feature). In this paper, a single high-frequency scenario for the permeability retrieval is introduced. By combining the signal of two sensing pairs, the retrieval of magnetic permeability is less affected by the lift-off of sensors. Unlike the previous strategy on reducing the lift-off effect (directly taking the phase term out of the integration) using the Dodd-Deeds analytical method, the proposed method is based on a high-frequency linear feature of the phase term. Therefore, this method has the merit of high accuracy and fast processing for the permeability retrieval (a simplified version of Dodd-Deeds analytical formulas after the integration). Experimental measurement has been carried out on the impedance measurement of designed sensors interrogating ferromagnetic dual-phase steels. For sensor lift-offs of up to 10 mm, the error of the permeability retrieval is controlled within 4 % under the optimal frequency.

Anyon is collective excitation of two dimensional electron gas subjected to strong magnetic field, carrying fractional charges and exotic statistical character beyond fermion and boson. So far, anyons with serial fractional charges only exist in fractional quantum Hall effect. It is still a challenge to find new serial of fractional charges in other physical system and develop an unified mathematical physics theory based on the same root. Here a topological path fusion theory of propagating electrons in magnetic flux lattice is proposed to explore the physical origin of fractional charges based on a generalization of Feynman's path integral theory and Thurston's train track theory. This mathematical physics theory generated the existed serial of fractional charges in fractional quantum Hall effect and predicted new serial of fractional charges. A serial of irrational charges are predicted in one dimensional lattice of magnetic fluxes. Fractionally charged anyons are also generated in two dimensional and three dimensional lattice of train tracks of electric currents, revealing an exact correspondence between knot lattice model and train track model. A new explanation for the modular symmetry of complex Hall conductance and composite fermion in fractional quantum Hall effect is also derived from this topological path fusion theory. Experimental observation of anyon in three dimensions can be realized by constructing three dimensional interlocking magnetic fluxes or mapping magnetic fluxes into forbidden zones in multi-connected space filled by solid state material. A photonic crystal with porous nano-structures is a promising system for detecting fractional charges and paves a new way for topological quantum computation.

The paramagnetic gadolinium(III) ion is used as contrast agent in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to improve the lesion detection and characterization. It generates a signal by changing the relaxivity of protons from associated water molecules and creates a clearer physical distinction between the molecule and the surrounding tissues. New gadolinium-based contrast agents displaying larger relaxivity values and specifically targeted might provide higher resolution and better functional images. We have synthesized the gadolinium(III) complex of formula [Gd(thy)2(H2O)6](ClO4)3·2H2O (1) [thy = 5-methyl-1H-pyrimidine-2,4-dione or thymine], which is the first reported compound based on gadolinium and thymine nucleobase. 1 has been characterized through vis-IR, SEM-EDAX and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques, and its magnetic and relaxometric properties have been investigated by means of SQUID magnetometer and MR imaging phantom studies, respectively. On the basis of its high relaxivity values, this gadolinium(III) complex can be considered a suitable candidate for contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.

Hybrid metal-organic compounds as relatively new and prosperous magnetoelectric multiferroics provide opportunities to improve the polarization, magnetization and magneto-electric coupling at the same time, which usually have some limitations in the common type-I and type-II multiferroics. In this work we investigate the crystal of guanidinium copper(II) formate [C(NH2)3]Cu(HCOO)3 and give novel insights concerning the structure, magnetic, electric and magneto-electric behaviour of this interesting material. Detailed analysis of crystal structure at 100 K is given. Magnetization points to the copper(II)-formate spin-chain phase that becomes ordered below 4.6 K into the canted antiferromagnetic (AFM) state, as a result of super-exchange interaction over different formate bridges. The performed ab-initio colinear density functional theory (DFT) calculation confirm the AFM-like ground state as a first approximation and explain the coupling of spin-chains into the AFM ordered lattice. In versatile measurements of magnetization of a crystal, including transverse component besides the longitudinal one, very large anisotropy is found that might originate from canting of the coordination octahedra around copper(II) in cooperation with the canted AFM order. With cooling down in zero fields the generation of spontaneous polarization is observed step-wise below 270 K and 210 K and the effect of magnetic field on its value is observed also in the paramagnetic phase. Measured polarization is somewhat smaller than the DFT value in the c-direction, possibly due to twin domains present in the crystal. The considerable magneto-electric coupling below the magnetic transition temperature is measured with different orientations of the crystal in magnetic field, giving altogether the new light onto the magneto-electric effect in this material.

Atrophy quantification is fundamental for understanding brain development and diagnosing and monitoring brain diseases. FSL-SIENA is a well-known fully-automated method that has been widely used in brain magnetic resonance imaging studies. However, intensity variations arising during image acquisition that may compromise evaluation, analysis and even diagnosis. In this work, we study whether intensity standardisation can improve longitudinal atrophy quantification. We considered seven methods comprising z-score, fuzzy c-means, Gaussian mixture model, kernel density, histogram matching, white stripe, and removal of artificial voxel effects by linear regression (RAVEL). We used a total of 330 scans from two publicly-available datasets, ADNI and OASIS. In scan-rescan assessments, that measures robustness to subtle imaging variations, intensity standardisation did not compromise the robustness of FSL-SIENA significantly (p>0.1). In power analysis assessments, that measures the ability to discern between two groups of subjects, three methods led to consistent improvements in both datasets with respect to the original: fuzzy c-means, Gaussian mixture model, and kernel density estimation. Reduction in sample size using these three methods ranged from 17% to 95%. The performance of the other four methods was affected by spatial normalisation, skull stripping errors, presence of periventricular white matter hyperintensities, or tissue proportion variations over time. Our work evinces the relevance of appropriate intensity standardisation in longitudinal cerebral atrophy assessments using FSL-SIENA.

To assess cognitive impairment and affective symptoms and their association with damage to normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), we compared neuropsychological test scores between patients with CIS and healthy controls, and examined correlations between these and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) outcomes in patients with CIS. Forty patients with CIS and 40 healthy participants were tested with the set of neuropsychological tests, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Single-voxel 1H-MRS was performed on frontal and parietal NAWM of patients with CIS to assess ratios of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) to creatine (Cr), myo-inositol (mI), and choline (Cho), as well as mI/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios. Patients with CIS had lower cognitive performance, higher scores for the BDI and anxiety subscale of HADS than healthy controls. There were significant correlations between the following neuropsychological tests and metabolic ratios in the frontal NAWM: Stroop Color-Word Test and Cho/Cr, Symbol Digit Modalities Test and mI/Cr as well as NAA/mI, Go/no-go reaction time and NAA/Cho as well as NAA/mI, Californian Verbal Learning Test and NAA/Cr. BDI scores were related to frontal NAA/mI and parietal NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios, whereas HADS-depression scores were associated with frontal NAA/Cr and NAA/mI, and parietal NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios. HADS-anxiety correlated with parietal NAA/Cr ratio. This study suggests that neurochemical changes in the NAWM assessed with single-voxel 1H-MRS are associated with cognitive performance and affective symptoms in patients with CIS.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a global public problem despite the availability of effective vaccine. In the past decades, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has surpassed HBV as the most common cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The prevalence of concomitant chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and NAFLD, thus, reaches endemic in geographic regions where both conditions are common. Patients with CHB and NAFLD are at increased risk of liver disease progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to complexity of the pathogenesis, accurate diagnosis of NAFLD in CHB patients can be challenging. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing and determining the disease severity, but it is an invasive procedure with potential complications. There is a growing body of literatures on the application of novel noninvasive serum biomarkers and advanced radiological modalities to diagnose and evaluate NAFLD, but most have not been adequately validated especially for patients with CHB. Currently, there is no approved therapy for NAFLD though many new agents are in different phases of development. This review provides a summary of the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and management of the NAFLD and highlights the unmet needs in the areas of CHB and NAFLD coexistence.

We consider rational nonlinear electrodynamics with the Lagrangian ${\cal L} = -{\cal F}/(1+2\beta{\cal F})$ (${\cal F}=(1/4)F_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu}$ is the Lorentz-invariant), proposed in \cite{Krug2}, coupled to General Relativity. The effective geometry induced by nonlinear electrodynamics corrections are found. We determine shadow's size of regular non-rotating magnetic black holes and compare them with the shadow size of the super-massive M87* black hole imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration. Assuming that the black hole mass has a pure electromagnetic nature, we obtain the black hole magnetic charge. The size of the shadow obtained is very close to the shadow size of non-regular neutral Schwarzschild black holes. As a result, we can interpret the super-massive M87* black hole as a regular (without singularities) magnetized black hole.

This study aimed to identify the utility of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map as a predictor of the intrahepatic response of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to cisplatin-based hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC). We retrospectively evaluated 113 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent gadoxetic acid-enhanced and diffusion-weighted MR imaging. The appropriate cutoff for the tumor-to-liver ADC ratio was determined to be 0.741. Of the 113 patients, 51 (45%) presented with a tumor-to-liver ADC ratio < 0.741. Evaluation of the intrahepatic treatment response after 2-3 cycles of HAIC in these 51 patients revealed that 20 patients (39%) experienced an objective response to HAIC. On the other hand, only 10 of the 62 patients with a tumor-to-liver ADC ratio ≥ 0.741 (16%) experienced an objective response. Thus, the objective response rate was significantly higher in patients with a tumor-to-liver ADC ratio < 0.741 than in those with a tumor-to-liver ADC ratio ≥ 0.741 (P = 0.006). Multivariate logistic regression analysis using parameters including perfusion alteration, percentage of a non-enhancing portion, and tumor-to-liver ADC ratio revealed that a tumor-to-liver ADC ratio < 0.741 (odds ratio 3.03; P = 0.015) is the sole predictor of an objective response to HAIC. Overall survival rates were significantly higher in patients with objective responses to HAIC than in those without objective responses (P = 0.001 by log-rank test). In conclusion, patients with unresectable HCC with a tumor-to-liver ADC ratio < 0.741 showed a favorable intrahepatic response to HAIC. Therefore, diffusion-weighted MR imaging can play a critical role as a predictor of response to cisplatin-based HAIC in unresectable HCC.

Corticospinal excitability and particularly the balance between cortical inhibitory and excitatory processes (assessed in a muscle using transcranial magnetic stimulation), are affected by neurodegenerative pathologies or following a stroke. Non-fatiguing conventional locomotor exercise, such as cycling or walking, decreases intracortical inhibition and/or increases intracortical facilitation. These modifications notably seem to be a consequence of neurotrophic factors (e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factors) resulting from hemodynamic solicitation. Furthermore, it can be inferred from non-invasive brain and peripheral stimulation studies that repeated activation of neural networks can endogenously shape neuroplasticity. Such mechanisms could also occur following eccentric exercises (i.e., active lengthening of the muscle), during which motor-related cortical potential is of greater magnitude and lasts longer (assessed by electroencephalography) than during concentric exercises (i.e., muscle shortening). As single-joint eccentric exercise decreased short- and long-interval intracortical inhibition and increased intracortical facilitation (assessed by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation immediately after), locomotor eccentric exercise may be even more potent by adding hemodynamic-related neuroplastic processes to endogenous processes. Besides, eccentric exercise is especially useful to develop relatively high force levels at low cardiorespiratory and perceived intensity, which can be a training goal in addition to inducing neuroplastic changes. Further studies are required to understand how neuroplasticity is 1) acutely influenced by locomotor exercise characteristics (e.g., intensity, duration), 2) modulated by an exercise-based rehabilitation program, 3) related to functional cognitive and motor outcomes relevant to pathological population.

To investigate the impact of radiologic experience on the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography CT vs. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reporting for liver metastases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (LM of PDAC). Intra-individual CT and MRI examinations of 112 patients with clinically proven LM of PDAC were included. Four radiologists with varying years of experience (A > 20, B > 5, C > 1 and D < 1) assessed liver segments affected by LM of PDAC, as well as associated metastases occurring in each patient. Their sensitivity and specificity in evaluating the segments were compared. Cohen's Kappa (κ) for diagnosed liver segments and Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICC) for the number of metastatic lesions in each patient were calculated. The radiologists’ sensitivity and specificity for the CT vs. MRI were, respectively: Reader A -94.4, 90.3% vs. 96.6, 94.8%; B - 86.7, 79.7% vs. 83.9, 82.0%; C - 78.0, 76.7% vs. 83.3, 78.9% and D - 71.8, 79.2% vs. 64.0, 69.5%. Reviewers A and B achieved greater agreement in assessing results from the MRI (κ = 0.72, p < 0.001; ICC = 0.73, p < 0.001) vs. the CT (κ = 0.58, p < 0.001; ICC = 0.61, p < 0.001), in contrast to readers C and D (MRI: κ = 0.34, p < 0.001; ICC = 0.42, p < 0.001, and CT: κ = 0.48, p < 0.001; ICC = 0.59, p < 0.001). Our results indicate that accurate diagnosis of LM of PDAC depends more on radiologic experience in MRI over CT scans.

Magnetic iron oxide particles are used for in vitro diagnostics for nearly 40 years. Due to their unique physical, chemical, thermal and mechanical properties, as well as biocompatibility and low toxicity in the human body, iron oxide nanoparticles have been used in many biomedical applications, such as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, carriers for controlled drug delivery and immunoassays, but also in magnetic hyperthermia. Our aim is to investigate the effect of pressure and temperature on the structural, thermal and magnetic properties of iron oxide nanomaterials prepared by hydrothermal synthesis. Iron oxide nanoparticles were synthesized at temperatures of 100-200°C and pressures of 20-1000 bar. It has been found that pressure influences the type of iron oxide crystalline phase. Thus, for lower pressure values (< 100 bar), iron oxide is predominantly formed as hematite, while at pressures > 100 bar, the major crystalline phase is goethite. The complex thermal analysis revealed the polymorphic changes of iron oxides at different temperatures. The existence of specific magnetite and hematite phases in all thermally treated samples are evidenced through the specific Verwey and Morin transitions highlighted by ZFC-FC (Zero Field Cooled-Field Cooled) measurements, whereas their relative content is precisely provided by Mössbauer spectroscopy.

The synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with hydrophilic poly-sodium-acrylate ligands (PSA) was studied to assess PSA-MNP complexes as draw solution (DS) solutes in forward osmosis (FO). For MNP-based DS, the surface modification and the size of the MNPs are two crucial factors to achieve a high osmolality. Superparamagnetic nanoparticles (NP) with functional groups attached may represent the ideal DS where chemical modifications of the NPs can be used in optimizing the DS osmolality and the magnetic properties allows for efficient recovery (DS re-concentration) using an external magnetic field. In this study MNPs with diameters of 4 nm have been prepared by controlled chemical co-precipitation of magnetite phase from aqueous solutions containing suitable salts of Fe2+ and Fe3+ under inert atmosphere and a pure magnetite phase could be verified by X-ray diffraction. Magnetic colloid suspensions containing PSA coated MNPs with three different molar ratios of PSA : MNP = 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 were prepared and assessed in terms of osmotic pressure, aggregation propensity and magnetization. FTIR confirmed the presence of PSA on coated MNPs and pristine PSA-MNPs with a molar ratio PSA : MNP = 1:1 exhibited an osmotic pressure of 30 bar. Molar ratios of PSA : MNP = 1:2 and 1:3 lead to formation of less stabile magnetic colloid solutions which led to formation of aggregates with larger average hydrodynamic sizes and modest osmotic pressures (5.5 bar and 0.2 bar respectively). After purification with ultrafiltration, the 1:1 nanoparticles exhibited an osmotic pressure of 9 bar with no aggregation and a sufficient magnetization of 25 emu/g to allow for DS regeneration using an external magnetic field. However, it was observed that the amount of PSA molecules attached to the MNPs decreased during DS recycling steps leaving only strong chelate bonded core-shell PSA as coating on the MNPs. This demonstrates the crucial role of MNP coating robustness in designing an efficient MNP-based DS for FO.

The UNESCO World Heritage Hadrian’s Villa lies over the Colli Albani volcanic district near Rome. Magnetic, paleomagnetic, radar, and electric resistivity surveys were performed in the Plutonium–Inferi sector to detect buried buildings and outline a segment of the underground system of tunnels that link different zones of the villa. In particular, a paleomagnetic analysis of the bedrock unit allowed to accomplish an accurate geomagnetic field modelling and characterize the archaeological sources of the magnetic field anomalies. We used a computer-assisted forward modelling procedure to generate a structural model of the sources of the observed anomalies. The intrinsic ambiguity of the magnetic field modelling was reduced with the support of ground penetrating radar amplitude slices and an analysis of radar and electric resistivity profiles. The bedrock lithology in this area is an ignimbrite tuff characterized by abundant iron oxides. The high-amplitude magnetic anomalies observed in the Plutonium–Inferi area are due to strong bedrock remnant magnetization and susceptibility contrasts between topsoil infill of cavities and the surrounding tuff. The resulting magnetization model of the Plutonium–Inferi complex shows that the observed anomalies are mostly due to the presence of tunnels, skylights and a system of ditches excavated in the tuff.

In the neuroscience research field, specific for medical imaging analysis, how to mining more latent medical information from big medical data is significant for us to find the solution of diseases. In this review, we focus on neuroimaging data that is functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) which non-invasive techniques, it already becomes popular tools in the clinical neuroscience and functional cognitive science research. After we get fMRI data, we actually have various software and computer programming that including open source and commercial, it's very hard to choose the best software to analyze data. What's worse, it would cause final result imbalance and unstable when we combine more than software together, so that's why we want to make a pipeline to analyze data. On the other hand, with the growing of machine learning, Python has already become one of very hot and popular computer programming. In addition, it is an open source and dynamic computer programming, the communities, libraries and contributors fast increase in the recent year. Through this review, we hope that can make neuroimaging data analysis more easy, stable and uniform base the one platform system.

In the present work, a superlattice structure comprising superconducting and insulator layers is studied. Here, if a magnetic field is applied parallel to the layers, the lack of a pinning center leads to a novel transition; in particular, as the applied magnetic field is reduced, the stationary wave surrounding the magnetic flux quantum in the superconducting layer eventually collides with the superconducting–insulating interfaces on both sides because its radius becomes larger than the width of the superconducting layer. At this instant, the stationary wave will collapse, and a transition will occur: the magnetic quanta are collapsed and thus the uniform magnetic field distribution is achieved, which corresponds to the transition from the superconducting state to the normal state over critical current. Considering a one-dimensional model of the structure, a critical current density equation is derived that indicates an increase in the critical current density for increased applied magnetic field. Subsequently, the same calculation was conducted after changing the direction of the magnetic field component, and the combination of these two calculations expresses the anisotropic property of the structure. The phenomenon is also predicted for anisotropic critical current density. This phenomenon is an important discovery that helps manufacture high-temperature superconducting tape as well as large high-temperature superconducting coils.

Curcumin is a promising anti-cancer drug but its applications in cancer therapy are limited due to its poor solubility, short half-life and low bioavailability. In this study, curcumin loaded magnetic alginate / chitosan nanoparticles were fabricated to improve the bioavailability, uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity of curcumin to MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Alginate and chitosan were deposited on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles based on their electrostatic properties. The sizes of the nanoparticles (120-200 nm) were within the optimum range for drug delivery. Sustained curcumin release was obtained use the nanoparticles with the ability to control the curcumin release rate by altering the number of chitosan and alginate layers. Confocal fluorescence microscopy results showed that targeted delivery of curcumin with the aid of magnetic field were achieved. The FACS assay indicated that MDA-MB-231 cells treated with curcumin loaded nanoparticles had a 3-6 folds uptake efficiency to those treated with free curcumin. MTT assay indicated that the curcumin loaded nanoparticles exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity toward MDA-MB-231 cells than toward HDF cells. The sustained release profiles, enhanced uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity to cancer cells as well as the targeting potential make MACPs a promising candidate for cancer therapy.

Purpose: A number of imaging readout schemes have been proposed for renal arterial spin labelling (ASL) to quantify kidney cortex perfusion, including gradient echo based methods of balanced fast field echo (bFFE) and gradient-echo echo-planar imaging (GE-EPI), or spin echo based schemes of spin-echo echo planar imaging (SE-EPI) and turbo spin-echo (TSE). Here, we compare these imaging schemes to evaluate the optimal imaging scheme for pulsed ASL (PASL) assessment of human kidney cortex perfusion at 3 T. Methods: Ten healthy volunteers with normal renal function were scanned using each 2D multislice imaging scheme, in combination with a respiratory triggered FAIR (flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery) ASL scheme on a 3 T Philips Achieva scanner. All volunteers returned for a second identical scan session within two weeks of the first scan session. Comparisons were made between the imaging schemes in terms of perfusion weighted image (PWI) signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and perfusion quantification, temporal SNR (tSNR), spatial coverage, and repeatability. Results: For each imaging scheme, renal cortex perfusion was calculated (bFFE: 276 ± 29 mL/100 g/min, GE-EPI: 222 ± 18 mL/100 g/min, SE-EPI: 201 ± 36 mL/100 g/min, TSE: 200 ± 20 mL/100 g/min). Perfusion was found to be higher for GE based readouts compared to SE based readouts, with significantly higher measured perfusion for the bFFE readout compared to all other schemes (P < 0.05), attributed to the greater vascular signal present. Despite the PWI-SNR being significantly lower for SE-EPI compared to all other schemes (P < 0.05), the SE-EPI readout gave the highest tSNR and was found to be the most reproducible scheme for the assessment of kidney cortex, with a CoV of 17.2%, whilst minimizing variability of the perfusion weighted signal across slices for whole kidney perfusion assessment. Conclusion: For the assessment of kidney cortex perfusion, SE-EPI provides optimal tSNR, minimal variability across slices and repeatable data acquired in a short scan time with low specific absorption rate.

In this paper, an original approach allowing the determination of the iron losses in the electromagnetic devices is presented. This new approach exploits the Loss Surface (LS) hysteresis model and the magnetic flux density waveforms resulting from a generalized nonlinear adaptive magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) using a mesh-based formulation in two-dimensional (2-D) or quasi three-dimensional (3-D). The model coupling has been applied to a 18-slots/16-poles radial-flux interior permanent-magnet (PM) synchronous machine (PMSM) dedicated to automotive applications, mainly for electric/hybrid/fuel cell vehicles (EVs/HEVs/FCVs). The obtained results have been compared with those made retrospectively in the 2-D transient finite-element (FE) Flux. The influence of the MEC discretization on the iron loss calculation and the electromagnetic performances has been analyzed. The computation time is divided by 3/2 with an error less than 7 %.

This paper investigates the influence of magnetic field for a two dimensional deformations on a two temperature problem at the free surface of a semi-infinite semiconducting medium under the effect of mechanical force during a photothermal theory and the effect of hydrostatic initial stress on the medium. The Harmonic Wave Method (Normal Mode Analysis) has been used to obtain the equations of elastic waves, heat conduction equation, quasi-static electric field, carrier density, two temperature coefficient, ratios, and constitutive relationships for the thermo-magnetic-electric medium. The effects of several parameters as thermoelastic and thermoelectric coupling parameters and two temperature parameter of this force on the displacement component, force stress, carrier density and temperature distribution has been depicted graphically.

In our previous published papers, considering 3 large atomic gravitational constants assumed to be associated with weak, strong and electromagnetic interactions, we have proposed the existence of a nuclear charge of magnitude, e_n=2.95e and developed a nuclear mass formula associated with strong and weak interactions having 4 simple terms and only one energy coefficient. Two important assumptions are, there exists a weak fermion of rest energy 585 GeV and strong coupling constant is the squared ratio of electromagnetic charge and nuclear charge. The aim of this paper is associated with understanding the mystery of quantum of magnetic flux, Planck’s quantum radiation constant and Reduced Planck’s constant. Proceeding further, quark charges, strong coupling constant, nuclear stability, nuclear binding energy, medium and heavy atomic X-ray levels and celestial magnetic moments can be understood in a unified approach. It may also be noted that, by considering integral nature of elementary particle masses, it seems possible to understand the discreteness of angular momentum. Considering our proposed e_n=2.95e=3e as a characteristic nuclear charge, it seems possible to understand the integral nature of quarks electromagnetic charge. With this idea, neutron, proton and pions decay can be understood very easily. In all the cases, up quark of charge (±2e) seems to play a crucial role with the internal transformation of down quark of charge (±e) and external observable elementary basic elementary particles. It needs further study at fundamental level.

A simple and sensitive method for Cu²⁺ detection was developed using the Cu⁺-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction, Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) as the reaction platform, and a portable blood glucose meter (PGM) as the detection method. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were labeled with glucose oxidase (GOx) and alkyne-functionalized and terminally thiolated ssDNA (C1). In the presence of Cu²⁺ and ascorbate, the functionalized AuNPs were captured onto MNPs modified with azide-functionalized ssDNA (C2) via the Cu⁺-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition reaction. GOx on the AuNPs surface oxidized glucose (Glu) into gluconic acid and H2O2, reducing the Glu content in the reaction solution, which was quantitatively detected by the PGM. Under optimal conditions, the PGM response of the system showed a good linear relationship with the logarithm of Cu²⁺ concentration in the range of 0.05 to 10.00 μmol/L, with a detection limit of 0.03 μmol/L (3σ). In actual tap water samples, the spiked recovery rate of Cu²⁺ was between 92.30% and 113.33%, and the relative standard deviation was between 0.14% and 0.34%, meeting the detection requirements for Cu²⁺ in real water samples.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory condition that can affect multiple organ systems and is characterized by the formation of non-caseating granulomas in various organs, including heart. Due to suboptimal diagnostic rates, the true prevalence and incidence of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) remain to be determined. In patients with suspected CS, initial examination should include 12-lead ECG or ambulatory ECG monitoring, as well as echocardiography with the estimation of LV, RV function and strain rate. In patients with confirmed extracardiac sarcoidosis and with high clinical suspicion for CS, sophisticated imaging modalities, including cardiac MRI and PET are indicated. Typical patterns of inflammation and myocardial scarring should pose a high suspicion for CS. In patients without diagnosed extracardiac sarcoidosis and high clinical suspicion, although with low diagnostic porobability, endomyocardial biopsy should be considered to establish the diagnosis of definite isolated cardiac sarcoidosis. Timely diagnosis enables the initation of therapy and close monitoring of adverse cardiac events that can be life-threatening, including sudden cardiac death, ventricular tachycardia, high-degree AV block, and heart failure. Implementation of biomarkers in correlation to cardiac imaging can determine the disease severity and progression, but also be helpful in following the treatment response. The formation of larger global registries can be helpful in the identification of independent predictors of adverse clinical events and development of specific diagnostic algorithms to reduce the overal risk of this serious condition.

Carbonaceous materials have gained significant attention in recent years for their various applications in the field of medicine and biotechnology. This comprehensive review explores the synthesis and characterization of carbon-based materials and their potentials in various medical applications. The paper delves into the methods of fabrication of carbon-based nanoparticles, such as carbon nanotubes, biochar, and graphene, while highlighting their unique properties. Characterization techniques, such as microscopy, spectroscopy, and surface analysis, are discussed to provide insights into the chemical and structural properties of these materials. Furthermore, the review examined their wide-ranging medical applications, encompassing tissue engineering, drug delivery, biosensing, and imaging, showcasing the versatility and promising contributions of carbonaceous materials in the healthcare industry. The review outlines the current challenges and prospects in the field, emphasizing the growing significance of carbon-based materials as valuable tools in advancing medical science and technology, as well as public health.

This retrospective study examines 248 test-bolus examinations preceding contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) to extract clinically relevant data for critical limb ischemia (CLI) management. Methods involved a retrospective review of test-bolus exams, analysing 60 graphs for time-to-peak (TTP), full-width half-maximum (FWHM) time, and time to continual rise in signal intensity. These values were correlated with heart function parameters (ejection fraction, ASA-Classification, Lee-Index, and MET-Score). Results indicate a mean TTP of 31.2 ± 7.3s, showing a correlation between ejection fraction and ASA classification. Patients with atrial fibrillation exhibited prolonged TTP compared to those without. Despite population heterogeneity, findings facilitate risk stratification for limb-saving interventions in CLI. TTP emerges as a potential clinical cardiovascular parameter and a risk factor for vascular interventions. Given the variation in injection protocols across centres, this study underscores the importance of precise bolus arrival time documentation for future multicentre studies.

In the former mining district of La Carolina (southern Spain), waste materials were accumulated without first waterproofing the substrate. Additionally, these mining dams were abandoned without any type of restoration, conditions that present a significant risk of contaminating the surrounding soils and waters. Prior to carry out the necessary works for isolating these residues, morphological characterization of the contact with the base substrate is needed. For that purpose, in recent years, different indirect study techniques have been used, among which electrical to-mography stands out. In this work, a less common geophysical technique, magnetometry, both in its magnetic and gra-diometric modalities, is used as an alternative method to analyse the geometry and structure of a mining dam. The results obtained with this methodology are compared with the results provided by electrical techniques, as well as with direct data from mechanical surveys and aerial photo-graphs prior to waste deposition. The magnetic anomaly curves obtained with geometric models generated with the Mag2dc program were also analysed. This comparative study shows the use-fulness of magnetic prospecting in characterizing the base geometry of these mining structures and therefore the interest in its application to environmental characterization studies.

Magnetic levitation vibration isolation platform are essential for testing space telescopes. This paper presents the design of a Large Air-Gap Voice Coil Motor (LAG-VCM) specifically for use in such platforms. The electromagnetic design of the voice coil motor begins with the Equivalent Magnetic Circuit Method, followed by the analysis and optimization of the motor design using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Subsequently, a prototype was constructed and tested. The test results confirm that the prototype meets the design specifications and requirements.

The mass of a direct-drive generator is often defined by the requirements for structural stiffness to meet the magnetic stiffness between the rotor and stator surfaces. This paper analyses this magnetic stiffness and estimates the structural stiffness of direct-drive generators for different modes of deflection. The magnetic stiffness modelling is based on an analytical model of the airgap closing forces. The final models are verified using Finite Element analysis and carried out for both permanent magnet and wound rotor generators. It shows that wound rotor machines have higher stiffness requirements than permanent magnet machines. The structural stiffness of the generator rotor and stator are evaluated for different modes by applying spatially-varying forces and finding the associated deflections. Structural stiffnesses for the rotor, stator and bearing are then combined. Finally, the magnetic and structural stiffnesses are combined and a stiffness margin can be found. For the airgap not to close, this combined stiffness must be greater than 0. This method is applied to a relatively stiff and a relatively compliant set of generator structures in a case study in order to find the optimum and more sustainable configuration.

Physical exercise favorably affects visceral adipose tissue (VAT) which is a risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases. However, many people are unable or unwilling to conduct frequent and intensive exercise programs that have favorable effects on VAT. The present study aimed to determine the effect of the time-efficient and joint-friendly whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) technology on VAT volume in overweight to obese adults with osteoarthritis of the knee. In total 72 women and men 40-70 years old with femuro-tibial knee osteoarthritis were randomly allocated to WB-EMS (n=36) with 1.5 sessions of 20 min/week for 29 weeks or a usual care control group (CG: n=36) with 6 sessions of physiotherapy. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) using a non-contrast enhanced 2-point Dixon Gradient Echo Volumetric Interpolated Breath-hold Examination determined VAT. Twelve slices covered a total length of approximately 5 cm from mid L2 to mid L3. In summary, VAT volume increased non-significantly in the CG (p=.261) and decreased non-significantly in the WB-EMS group (p=.160). We failed to determine significant WB-EMS-induced effects i.e. group differences for absolute changes on VAT volume (p=.097). Due to the low application volume, present WB-EMS protocols might not be the perfect tool for decreasing VAT in overweight to obese adults.

The aim of this retrospective study was to identify myocardial injury after COVID-19 inflamation and to explore whether myocardial damage could be a possible cause of the persistent symptoms following COVID-19 infection in previously healthy individuals. The study included 139 patients who were enrolled between January-June 2021, mean age 46.7±15.2 years, 68 were men, 71 were women without known cardiac or pulmonary diseases. All patients underwent clinical work up, lab. analyses, cardiac ultrasound, and CMR on 1.5 T scanner using a recommended protocol for morphological and functional assessment before and after contrast media application with multi-parametric sequences. In 39% of patients late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was found as a sign of myocarditis. Fibrinogen was statistically significantly higher in patients with LGE than in those without LGE, (4.3±0.23 vs 3.2±0.14g/L, p<0.05; respectively), as well as D-dimer (1.8±0.3 vs 0.8±0.1 mg/L FEU). Also troponin was statistically significantly higher in patients with myocardial LGE (13.1±0.4ng/L) compared to those with normal myocardium (4.9±0.3ng/L, p<0.001). We demonstrated chest pain, fatigue and elevated troponin to be independent predictors for LGE. Septal LGE was shown to be predictor for arrhythmias. The use of CMR is a potential risk stratification tool in evaluating outcomes following COVID-19 myocarditis.

With the increase of global human activities, a large number of technogenic magnetic particles (TMPs) generated by industrial activities such as coal combustion, traffic and so on enter sediments on continental shelves. However, there is currently a lack of understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of TMPs on continental shelves, as well as the sedimentary effects they cause. This review work comprehensively analyzes the source, morphology, composition, and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of TMPs. Then it elucidates their magnetic contribution to sedimentary environments in continental shelf seas, as well as the influence of heavy metals and active iron. At the same time, the existing problems and future development directions of TMPs on continental shelves are summarized.

The decade of research concentrating on the area of Easter Slavonia revealed abundance of large on complex late Neolithic sites. It changed profoundly how we perceive late Neolithic settlement and space size and organization. As s first step in particular site detection we mostly conducted aerial reconnaissance and satellite image analysis but also data from the field such as excavation. On detected potential sites we conducted intensive field surveys and confirmed the attribution to the late Neolithic by surface finds. On those confirmed sites in the vicinity of Đakovo, Croatia, magnetic survey was conducted on 5 sites so far and the results confirmed presence of large scale late Neolithic settlements with complex spatial organization and enclosure(s). Most complex remains so far is site Gorjani Kremenjača and Topole which we present in this paper where a remains of one or two settlements covers the area of 70 hectares and is currently in the process of formal protection as a cultural landscape by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. Special focus of the paper is the application of remote sensing in detection, archaeological confirmation and protection of the position Gorjani Topole.

Colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) patients combined with hepatic lymph node metastases was a negative prognostic factor associated with outcomes. Up to now, there was still lack of a reliable method to identify the status of hepatic lymph nodes. The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive ability of mono-exponential, bi-exponential, and stretched-exponential diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) models to distinguish between benign and malignant hepatic lymph nodes in CRLM patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery. In total, 97 CRLM patients with pathologically proved hepatic lymph node status were included. Various quantitative parameters, including the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from mono-exponential model, D, D*, and f derived from intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model, as well as DDC and α from stretched-exponential model (SEM), were measured. Multivariate analysis revealed that the pre- treatment DDC value and the short diameter of the largest lymph node after treatment were independent predictors of metastatic hepatic lymph nodes. A nomogram combining these two factors demonstrated excellent performance in distinguishing between benign and malignant lymph nodes in CRLM patients, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.873. Therefore, the nomogram can serve as a preoperative assessment tool for determining the status of hepatic lymph nodes and aiding in the decision-making process for surgical treatment in CRLM patients.

Although the frequency of myocarditis in the general population is very difficult to accurately determine due to the large number of asymptomatic cases, the incidence of this disease is increasing significantly due to better defined criteria for diagnosis and the development of modern diagnostic method. The multitude of different etiological factors, the diversity of the clinical picture and the variability of the diagnostic findings make this disease often demanding both for the selection of the diagnostic modality and for the proper therapeutic approach. The previously known most common viral etiology of this disease is today overshadowed by new findings based on immune-mediated processes, associated diseases that in their natural course can lead to myocardial involvement, but also the iatrogenic cause of myocarditis due to use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of cancer patients. Suspecting that a patient with polymorphic and non-specific clinical signs and symptoms, changes in ECG and echocardiography has myocarditis is the starting point in the diagnostic algorithm. Cardio magnetic resonance imaging is non-invasive diagnostic gold standard for diagnosis and clinical follow-up of thses patients. Endomyocardial biopsy as an invasive method is the diagnostic choice in life-threatening patients with suspicion of fulminant myocarditis where the diagnosis has not yet established or there is no adequate response to the applied therapeutic regimen. The treatment of myocarditis is increasingly demanding and includes conservative methods of treating heart failure, immunomodulatory and immunospressive therapy, methods of mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation. The goal of developing new diagnostic and therapeutic methods is to reduce mortality from this complex disease, which is still high.

The study was performed to get the first insight of distribution of the low field volume magnetic susceptibility (MS) throughout the Zagreb city area, based on in-situ field measurements. Most interesting locations were selected for soil sampling and geochemical content was determined using ICP-OES. A geostatistical approach was applied on MS and geochemical results. Median value of 0.245 x 10-3 SI units is proposed to be used as relevant average MS value in Zagreb area. Mean concentrations of heavy metals in Zagreb soils (in µg/g) are: Pb (36.82), Zn (87.77), Cu (30.84), Cd (0.66), Cr (29.04), Co (11.89) and Ni (28.40), being relatively low in comparison with Croatian legislation and with European and world average. Boxplot analyses showed that 45% of studied elements do not show any anomaly, while the rest of elements mostly show only one weak anomaly and they are located at the same sites as MS anomalies. Statistical analysis found significant correlations between MS and following elements: Cd, Co, Fe, Mn, Na, Pb, Sb and Zn. In-situ MS measurements proved to be an efficient tool for initial screening of large areas in terms of elevated heavy elements concentrations, enabling cheap and fast assessment of state of environment.

Microwave absorbers with lightweight, good stability and high efficiency have attracted much attention for their applications in many contemporary fields. In this work, the 3D porous (Ni@NO-C)n/NO-C composite absorber was prepared by a wet chemistry method with Ni chains and melamine as precursors, in which NO-C (N,O-doped carbon) encapsulated Ni particles are homogenously dispersed in the 3D porous networks of NO-C in the form of (Ni@NO-C)n chains. The special microstructure of the as-prepared material is proved to be benefit for the improvement of its microwave adsorption performance. The as-synthesized (Ni@NO-C)n/NO-C composite ab-sorber exhibited an effective absorption bandwidth of 4.1 GHz and an extremely large reflection loss of -72.3 dB. The excellent microwave absorbing performances can be ascribed to the coopera-tive consequence of dielectric loss and magnetic loss along with the balance between attenuation capability and impedance match.

Rare-earth tetraborides RB4 are of great interest due to the occurrence of geometric magnetic frustration and corresponding unusual magnetic properties. While the Gd3+ spins in GdB4 align along the ab plane, Er3+ spins in the isomorphic ErB4 are confined to the c–axis. The magnetization in the latter exhibits a plateau at the midpoint of the saturation magnetization. Therefore, solid solutions of (Gd, Er)B4 provide an excellent playground for exploring the intricate magnetic behavior in these compounds. Single crystals of Gd(1-x)Erx B4 (x = 0, 0.2, and 0.4) were grown in aluminum flux. X-ray diffraction scans revealed single phase materials, and a drop in the unit cell volume with increasing Er content, suggesting the partial substitution of Er at the Gd sites. Heat capacity measurements indicated a systematic decrease of the Néel temperature (TN) with increasing Er content. The effective magnetic moment determined from the magnetization measurement agreed with the calculated free-ion values for Gd3+ and Er3+, providing further evidence for the successful substitution of Er for Gd. The partial substitution resulted in an anomalous ferromagnetic phase below TN, exhibiting significant anisotropy, predominantly along the c-axis. This intriguing behavior merits further studies of the magnetism in the Gd(1-x)ErxB4 borides.

Recently, Medical Radiology has undergone significant improvements in patients’ management due to advancements in image acquisition by last generation machines, data processing, and integration of artificial intelligence. In this way, cardiovascular imaging is one of the fastest growing radiological subspecialty. A compressive review was focused on addressing how and why CT and MR have gained a I class indication in most cardiovascular diseases, and the potential impact of the tissue and functional characterization by CT photon counting, quantitative MR mapping, and 4-D flow. Regarding rectal imaging, advances in cancer imaging by using diffusion-weighted MRI sequences for identifying residual disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and [18F] FDG PET/MRI were provided for high-resolution anatomical and functional data in oncological patients. We offered a large overview on the approach to the imaging of diffuse and focal liver diseases by US elastography, contrast-enhanced US, quantitative MRI, and CT for the patient’s risk stratification. Italy is riding the wave of these improvements. The development of large networks will be crucial to create high-quality databases for a patient-centered precision medicine by artificial intelligence. dedicated radiologists with specific training and a close relationship with the referring clinicians will be the essential human factor.

The review presents the most developed by date hypotheses on the mechanisms of the influence of low-frequency magnetic fields (LFMF) on organisms. Biophysical models that explain the resonance-like responses of biological systems to LFMF with a specific frequency and amplitude are described. Two groups can be distinguished among these models: one considers ions-cofactors of proteins as the primary targets for the LFMF influence, and the other regards the magnetic moments of particles in biomolecules. Attention is paid to the dependence of resonance-like LFMF effects on the cell type. A radical-pair mechanism of the magnetic field's influence on biochemical processes is described with the example of cryptochrome. Conditions for this mechanism's applicability to explain the biological effects of LFMF are given. A model of the influence of LFMF on radical pairs in biochemical oscillators, which can explain the frequency-amplitude efficiency windows of LFMF, is proposed.

Heusler Ni-Mn-Ga alloys with martensitic transformation being multiferroic materials are touted for magneto- and multi-caloric effect (MCE) and moreover, they exhibit magnetic shape memory (MSM) phenomena. MCE benefits from high saturation magnetization and also large variability and sensitivity of transformation temperatures on alloying. In contrast, MSM phenomena are limited by low temperatures of both ferromagnetic and ferroelastic transformations. In an attempt to increase the transformation temperatures and to understand the physical fundamentals beyond transformation variations and magnetic ordering, we experimentally investigate the magnetic and transformation properties in Ni2MnGa alloyed with transitional elements spanning from Cr to Cu. These elements are consecutively substituted on Ni, Mn, and Ga sites, to establish the effect of positional substitution and elemental evolution. The elemental dependence of saturation magnetization, magnetocrystalline anisotropy, Curie temperature, and martensitic transformation temperatures are compared with (non-)stoichiometric Ni-Mn-Ga Heusler compounds. The observed behavior is complex and there are no clear trends of transformation temperatures as a function of the number of valence (non-bonding) electrons per atom, however, the saturation magnetization at 10K and Curie temperature seems to follow the Pauli-Slater curve. Obtained results can serve as useful rectification for the theoretical prediction of new Ni-Mn-Ga-X Heusler alloys.

Background & Aims: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) have been linked to changes in amino acid (ΑΑ) levels. The current observational study sought to investigate the relationship between plasma AA concentrations in a NAFLD population and MRI parameters reflecting inflammation and fibrosis, inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, and disease-related anthropometric and biochemical indicators. Approach & Results: Plasma AA levels were quantified with liquid chromatography in 97 NAFLD patients from the MAST4HEALTH study. Medical, anthropometric and lifestyle characteristics were collected and biochemical parameters, as well as inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured. In total, males and subjects with higher MRI-proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) exhibited higher plasma AA levels compared to females and subjects with lower PDFF respectively. Several associations of AAs with disease related markers were revealed, with the more prominent ones being those of aromatic amino acids with log-PDFF (beta: 1.190E-02, p-Value: 0.001) and log-ALT (beta: 7.55E-03, p-Value: 0.001), of branched amino acids with log-insulin (beta: 1.97E-03, p-Value: 1.16E-04) and of ethanolamine (beta: 0.036, p-Value: 3.65E-04) and L-ornithine (beta: 5.4E-04, p-Value: 0.021) with log-total antioxidant status (TAS). Conclusions: Plasma AA levels varied according to sex, BMI, and several MRI clinical factors. Furthermore, significant relationships were demonstrated between AA and several disease indicators, such as MRI parameters, biochemical and oxidative stress indices, showing the potential utility of AAs as diagnostic dis-ease-related indicators activity.

Magnetoelectric (ME) sensor is a new type magnetic sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity, low power consumption, and suitable for the measurement of low frequency weak magnetic field. In this study, metglas/PZT-5B ME sensor with a mechanical resonance frequency f_res of 60.041 kHz was prepared. It is interesting to note that its magnetic field resolution reaches 0.20 nT at f_res and 0.34 nT for DC field, respectively. In order to measure the ultralow frequency AC magnetic fields, a frequency upconversion technique was employed. Under this technique, a limit of detection (LOD) of AC magnetic field lower than 1 nT at 8 Hz is obtained, and the minimum LOD of 0.51 nT is achieved at 20 Hz. The high resolution ME sensor with sub-pT level is promising in the field of low frequency weak magnetic field measurement technology.

In spite of large-scale investigations of homogeneous single-site metallocene catalysts and systems based on them, the problem of controlling their activity, chemo- and stereoselectivity with the aim of developing efficient methods for the preparation of practically useful products of alkenes transformation, such as dimers, oligomers, and polymers, still remains topical. Here we studied catalytic activity of differently structured zirconocenes (10 examples of cyclopentadienyl and indenyl complexes) and co-catalysts activating the system, namely HAlBui2, MMAO-12 or (Ph3C)[B(C6F5)4] at low activator/Zr ratios in 1-hexene oligomerization reaction. The influence of catalyst structure and system composition on alkene conversion, type of products formed and reaction stereoselectivity was investigated. The composition of hydride intermediates forming in the systems L2ZrCl2 (L2= ansa-Me2CCp2)-HAlBui2-activator was studied by NMR and the participation of biszirconium hydride complex as the precursor of catalytically active sites of the alkene dimerization reaction was shown.

This interdisciplinary work presents a novel patent pending method of inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) fusion called the Nuclear Electromagnetic Shaping Accelerator Reactor (NESAR) that addresses all of the major failure problems with currently known methods of IEC fusion. A brief background of previous IEC methods that generate a negative potential well to accelerate ions for fusion will be reviewed and compared to the NESAR method of magnetic confinement. In addition, a direct comparison will be presented between the NESAR and the tokamak method of fusion. The NESAR method of fusion obtains the plasma oscillation and compression capabilities of a tokamak without producing the catastrophic magnetic reconnection disruptions that currently plague tokamaks. Since the NESAR can oscillate charged particles comparable to the tokamak, this work will briefly review the history of the tokamak, how sawtooth magnetic reconnection occurs, and how the NESAR precludes the occurrence of magnetic reconnection. This work will also review the beginnings of a novel unified field theory that has obtained interest from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This unified field theory is based upon the trajectory of charged particle movements within the NESAR, which is the only concept of magnetic confinement in the world that may allow charge particles to collectively interact relatively to a solitary location. Due to this possible capability, the confined charged particles have the potential to experience curved trajectories; allowing for the effects of curvature deviation to be placed upon the charged particle within the magnetic confines of the NESAR. If charged particles can experience curvature deviation then deviated acceleration is generated; allowing the electromagnet field to be propelled to a higher spatial dimension that could influence spacetime. Finally, this work will review another theory that explains how magnetic pole reversals are observed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) coiled magnetic field detectors. This theory requires little to no postulations to be framed and it is purely based upon the trajectory of charged particles within the NESAR, Michael Faraday’s law of induction, and experimental observations of rotating plasmas.

Fabry disease (FD) is a X-linked inheritable storage disease caused by deficiency of al-pha-galactosidase causing lysosomal overload of sphingolipids. FD cardiomyopathy is character-ized by left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and should be considered in differential diagnosis with all the other causes of LV hypertrophy. An early diagnosis of FD is very important because the enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) may change the fate of patients by blocking both cardiac and systemic involvement and improving prognosis. Diagnosis may be relatively easy in young patients with the typical signs ans symptoms of FD, but in male patients with late onset of disease and in females, diagnosis may be very challenging. Morphological and functional aspects are not specific for FD, which cannot be diagnosed or excluded by echocardiography. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with tissue characterization capability, is the preferred technique for the differential diagnosis of LV hypertrophy. The finding of decreased myocardial T1 value in LV hypertrophy is very specific for FD. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is found in late stage of disease but it is useful to predict the cardiac response to ERT and to stratify the prognosis.

A major challenge in the clinical management of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) is identifying those who do not respond to antiseizure medication (ASM), allowing for the timely pursuit of alternative treatments, such as epilepsy surgery. Here, we investigated changes in plasma metabolites as biomarkers of pharmacoresistance in patients with MTLE. Furthermore, we used the metabolomics data to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying MTLE and response to ASM. We performed an untargeted metabolomic method using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and multi- and univariate statistical analyses to compare data obtained from plasma samples of 28 patients with MTLE compared to 28 controls. The patients were further divided according to response to ASM: 20 patients were refractory to treatment, and eight were responsive to ASM. We only included patients using carbamazepine in combination with clobazam. We compared the group of patients with controls and found that the profiles of glucose (p = 0.01), saturated lipids (p = 0.0002), isoleucine (p = 0.0001), β-hydroxybutyrate (p = 0.0003), and proline (p = 0.02) were different in patients compared to controls (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, lipoproteins (p = 0.05), lactate (p = 0.05), glucose (p = 0.05), unsaturated lipids (p = 0.05), isoleucine (p = 0.05), and proline (p = 0.05), could discriminate between the two groups of patients classified according to response to ASM. The identified metabolites were linked to different biological pathways related to cell energy metabolism, and pathways linked to inflammatory processes and the modulation of neurotransmitter release and activity in MTLE. In contrast, we found that pyruvate metabolism may be linked to resistance to ASM. In conclusion, in addition to insights into the mechanisms underlying MTLE and the response to treatment with ASM, our results suggest that plasma metabolites may be used as biomarkers of disease and response to ASM in patients with MTLE. These findings warrant further studies exploring the clinical use of metabolites to assist in decision-making when treating patients with MTLE.

This paper describes how to construct a low-cost magnetic levitation system (MagLev). The MagLev has been intensively used in the engineering education, allowing instructors and students to learn through hands-on experiments essential concepts, such as electronics, electromagnetism, and control systems. Built from scratch, the proposed MagLev depends only on simple, low-cost components readily available on the market. In addition to showing how to construct the MagLev, this paper presents a semi-active control strategy which seems novel when applied in the MagLev. Experiments performed in the laboratory have compared the proposed control scheme with the classical PID control. The corresponding real-time experiments illustrate both the effectiveness of the approach and the potential of the MagLev for education.

Several performance-enhancing or ergogenic drugs have been linked to both significant adverse cardiovascular effects and increased cardiovascular risk. Even with increased scrutiny on the governance of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in professional sport and heightened awareness of the associated cardiovascular risk, there are some who are prepared to risk their use to gain competitive advantage. Caffeine is the most commonly consumed drug in the world and its ergogenic properties have been reported for decades. Thus, the removal of caffeine from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of banned substances, in 2004, has naturally led to an exponential rise in its use amongst athletes. The response to caffeine is complex and influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Whilst the evidence may be equivocal, the ability of an athlete to train longer or at a greater power output cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, its impact on the myocardium remains unanswered. In contrast, anabolic steroids are recognised PEDs that improve athletic performance, increase muscle growth and suppress fatigue. Their use, however, comes at a cost, afflicting the individual with several side effects, including those that are detrimental to the cardiovascular system. This review addresses the effects of the two commonest PEDs, one legal, the other prohibited, and their respective effects on the heart, as well as the long-term implications.

A novel polyphenol‑coated CoFe₂O₄ system was synthesized as a magnetic adsorbent by chemical oxidative polymerization process for magnetic solid-phase extraction of lawsone. The synthesized nanoadsorbent showed a spherical morphology with diameters under 50 nm by scanning electron microscopy images. The extraction efficiency of this adsorbent was studied towards the extraction of lawsone from saline aqueous solution in dispersion mode. Major parameters including the type and volume of desorption solvent, amount of sorbent, desorption time, extraction time, extraction temperature, ionic strength and pH were optimized. Under the optimum conditions the relative standard deviation in 0.005 µg mL^-1 (inter-day n = 6; intra-day: n = 6; and adsorbent to adsorbent n = 4) were obtained as 5.2, 8.07 and 11.7%, respectively. A linear calibration curve in the range of 0.003–0.5 µg mL^-1 with R² = 0.993 was obtained. The limit of detection and limit of quantification of the method were 0.001 µg mL^-1 and 0.003 µg mL^-1, respectively. The relative recovery percentages were in range of 90-96.4% for henna leaves, henna shampoo, and henna dermal lotion real samples.

There have been a great number of investigations about the influence of weak magnetic fields on biological systems, such as isolated cells and whole organisms. This is also a subject of considerable medical concern since old epidemiologic observations have indicated a possible tumorigenic effect of these fields. Their mechanism of action, however, is not firmly established. A large number of biological effects of electromagnetic fields have been attributed either to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or to the entrance Ca²⁺ in the cell. A new biochemical pathway is proposed that covers these two possibilities: the primary effect of the magnetic field would be by the mechanism of radical pairs resulting in the production of ROS; these could activate the ion channels TRPM2 producing cellular inflow of Ca²⁺, which would induce the calcium dependent effects. Thus, a large number of biological effects observed up to the present could be explained.

Medical imaging is an active field of research that fosters the necessity for novel multimodal imaging probes. In this line, nanoparticle-based contrast agents are of special interest, since those can host functional entities either within their interior, reducing potential toxic effects of the imaging tracers, and on their surface, providing high payloads of probes, due to their large surface-to-volume ratio. The long-term stability of the particles in solution is an aspect usually under-tackled during probe design in research laboratories, since their performance is generally tested briefly after synthesis. This may jeopardize a later translation into practical medical devices, due to stability reasons. To dig into the effects of nanoparticle aging in solution, respect to their behavior in vivo, iron oxide stealth nanoparticles were used at two stages (3 weeks vs. 9 months in solution), analyzing their biodistribution in mice. Both sets of nanoprobes showed similar sizes, zeta potentials and morphology, as observed by DLS and TEM but, fresh nanoparticles accumulated in the kidneys after systemic administration, while aged ones accumulated in liver and spleen, confirming an enormous effect of particle aging on their in vivo behavior, despite barely noticeable changes perceived on a simple inspection of their structural integrity.

The aim of this study was to develop a novel nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) with hepatocytes targeting as carriers for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent (i.e., magnetic nanostructured lipid carriers, MNLCs), and to evaluate the targeting ability of the MNLCs with T2-weighted MRI both in vitro and in vivo. Here, the galactose-octadecylamine (Gal-ODA) conjugates were synthesized by chemical coupling reaction between lactose acid (LA) and octadecylamine (ODA). Then the superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) loaded nanostructured lipid carrier (conjugated by Gal-ODA, Gal-NLC-SPIO) was prepared by emulsification-ultrasonic method using monoglyceride as lipid materials. The Gal-NLC-SPIO with a diameter of about 50 nm could specifically internalize into LO2 (human hepatic cell line) cells. In vitro MRI results also proved the specific targeting ability of Gal-NLC-SPIO to LO2 cells. The in vivo MR imaging experiments using an orthotopic intrahepatic xenograft tumor model further validated the hepatocytes targeted effect of Gal-NLC-SPIO. The results of this study suggested that Gal-NLC-SPIO can be used as a contrast agent to aid in the diagnosis of hepatic diseases.

This article presents a self balanced multistage DC-DC step-up converter for photovoltaic applications. Proposed converter topology is designed for unidirectional power transfer and provides a doable solution for photovoltaic applications where voltage is required to be stepped up without magnetic components (Transformer-less and Inductor-less). The output voltage obtained from renewable sources will be low and must be stepped up by using a DC-DC converter for photovoltaic applications. K diodes and K capacitors along with two semiconductor control switch are used in the K-stage proposed converter to obtain an output voltage which is (K+1) times the input voltage. The conspicuous features of proposed topology are i) Magnetic components free (Transformer-less and Inductor-less). ii) Continuous input current iii) Low voltage rating semiconductor devices and capacitors iv) Modularity v) Easy to add a higher number of levels to increase voltage gain vi) Only two control switches with alternating operation and simple control. The proposed converter is compared with recent existing transformer-less and Inductor-less power converter in term of voltage gain, number of devices and cost. The application of proposed circuit is discussed in detail. The proposed converter has been designed with rated power of 60W, input voltage is 24V, output voltage is 100V and switching frequency is 100 kHz. The performance of the converter is verified through experimental and simulation results.

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) are non-ionizing radiations typically emitted by power lines, electrical wiring and electrical appliances. Epidemiological studies have repeatedly shown a positive association between ELF-EMFs and childhood leukemia. Exposures greater than 0.3-0.4 µT increase the risk by approximately 1.5-2 fold, and estimates indicate that up to 2% of childhood leukemia cases in Europe may be attributable to ELF-EMFs. However, it is considered unlikely that ELF-EMFs can cause cancer, because carcinogenesis requires the accumulation of DNA alterations and ELF-EMFs do not have enough energy to damage the DNA. Lack of biological plausibility is a barrier to accept the evidence of carcinogenicity in human studies and to take measures to protect pregnant women and children from ELF-EMFs. Recent evidence indicates that non-mutagenic agents can cause DNA alterations and increase the risk of cancer by promoting the accumulation of cell divisions in stem cells. Cell division generates DNA alterations (e.g., mutations arising during DNA replication), which occur even in the absence of DNA-damaging agents. Importantly, ELF-EMFs can trigger the division of stem cells; this effect is under development in the field of regenerative medicine. A possible mechanism by which ELF-EMFs induce the malignant transformation of hematopoietic stem cells is discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the existence of an artificial magnetic monopole and to introduce new electromagnetic equations by altering an electric field and a magnetic field vectors.As a principle device, a cylindrical condenser is prepared, and a superconducting loop is inserted into it. By this conduction, radial electric fields take a role as the centripetal force and both counterclockwise and clockwise motions are induced. As a result, a stationery wave is formed in which the nodes take a part in creating a monopole as follows.First, employing the Lorentz conservations and because node of the stationary wave has no phases, the momentum k and the vector potential A vanish and instead a magnetic potential appears in order to maintain the Lorentz conservation. This magnetic potential has relationship with an electric potential, and thus consequently, a dependent relationship is obtained between an electric field and a magnetic field vectors. Using this conclusive dependent relationship, we can derive new Maxwell equation assembly which are created by altering the electric field and the magnetic field vectors. In this process, we derive a divergent equation of magnetic fields which is not zero, i.e., the existence of a magnetic monopole. Employing these newly derived Maxwell equation, an electromagnetic wave is derived whose speed is the same as one the existing Maxwell equations provide. As a monopole configuration, this paper discusses the energy gap of the vacuum, which is a result of the Dirac equation and describes a monopole as pairs between two Cooper pairs (i.e. four electrons) whose interaction is a photon. As mentioned, because the total momenta and phases are zero, this paper defines the wave function as the Dirac function and demonstrate the condensation, employing the Bloch’s theorem. Moreover, using the macroscopic basic equations, we retrace the creation of the divergent magnetic field in view of macroscopic phenomenon., which provides results in this paper.In Result section in this paper, we succeeded in demonstrating the distribution of the divergent magnetic field of monopole in terms of both microscopic and macroscopic scales. Furthermore, Discussion section describes properties a magnetic monopole should follow.

Radio bursts provide important diagnostics of energetic phenomena of the Sun. In particular, bursts in decimetric and metric wavelengths probe the physical conditions and the energy release processes in the low corona as well as their association with heliospheric phenomena. The advent of spectral radio data with high time and high frequency resolution has provided a wealth of information on phenomena of short duration and narrow bandwidth. Of particular value are spectral data combined with imaging observations at specific frequencies. In this work we briefly review the results of a series of observations comprised from high-sensitivity, low-noise dynamic spectra obtained with the acousto-optic analyzer (SAO) of the ARTEMIS-IV/JLS solar radiospectrograph, in conjunction with high time-resolution images from the Nançay Radioheliograph (NRH). Our studies include fine structures embedded in type IV burst continua (mostly narrow-band "spikes" and intermediate drift "fiber" bursts) and spike-like structures detected near the front of type-II bursts. The implications of the observational results to theoretical models are discussed.

Preclinical cell tracking is enhanced with a multimodal imaging approach. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is a highly sensitive optical modality which relies on engineering cells to constitutively express a luciferase gene. Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a newer imaging modality which directly detects superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particles used to label cells. Here, we compare BLI and MPI for imaging cells in vitro and in vivo. Mouse 4T1 breast carcinoma cells were transduced to express firefly luciferase, labeled with SPIO (ProMag) and imaged as cell samples and after subcutaneous injection into mice. For cell samples, the BLI and MPI signals were strongly correlated with cell number. Both modalities presented limitations for imaging cells in vivo. For BLI, weak signal penetration, signal attenuation and scattering prevented detection of cells for mice with hair and for cells far from the tissue surface. For MPI, background signals obscured the detection of low cell numbers due to the limited dynamic range and cell number could not be accurately quantified from in vivo images. It is important to understand the shortcomings of these imaging modalities to develop strategies to improve cellular detection sensitivity.

Background: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is essential in pediatric diagnostics; however, the need for effective sedation due to children’s inability to remain still presents a challenge. Oral Chloral Hydrate (OCH) is commonly used for its efficacy and safety, but there is a lack of detailed exploration of the median induction time, the period from administration to effective sedation. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of OCH and identify the determinants of the median induction time for pediatric MRI procedural sedation.Methods: This retrospective study evaluated oral chloral hydrate (50-100 mg/kg) for pediatric MRI sedation using records from the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal Hospital (2018-2022). Pediatric patients (1–8 years) were assessed for sedation efficacy, with exclusion criteria for allergies or incomplete data. Time-to-event analysis (Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression) was used to identify factors influencing sedation induction time. The data included age, weight, dose, and outcomes. The analysis highlighted the key predictors of sedation success and optimized procedural sedation protocols.Results: The study included 183 pediatric patients with a median age of 30 months and a median chloral hydrate dose of 66 mg. Sedation success was 85.79%, with younger age and shorter induction times being significantly associated with success (p<0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed no significant difference in induction times between the neurological and non-neurological groups (p=0.64). Cox regression identified longer MRI duration and multiple doses as significant factors influencing the timing of sedation (p=0.050, p=0.008). Bootstrap analysis confirmed a robust median induction time of 30 minutes.Conclusions: Oral chloral hydrate achieved 85.79% success in pediatric MRI sedation, with younger and lighter patients having better outcomes. The median sleep induction time was 30 minutes, and extending sedation to 60 minutes further improved the success rate.

The rising occurrence of chronic kidney disease represents a significant health concern, impacting over 10% of individuals. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) biomarkers identify pathological alterations, are non-invasive, and can help lessen biopsy requirements and complications in chronic kidney disease patients. Total volume is the most assessed metric in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease patients, assisting in tracking chronic kidney disease progression. Kidney segmentation is essential for evaluating renal volume. Nevertheless, it often relies on manual segmentation, which is time-consuming and highly subjective. However, Deep Learning (DL) techniques have led to creating algorithms that provide accurate, cost-effective, and user-independent outcomes. Therefore, this study explores DL-based strategies for kidney segmentation, particularly U-Net and Attention U-Net. Both architectures were assessed with the standard cross-entropy loss function and a focal cross-entropy loss function. Ultimately, the proposed methods were used for both 2-class and 3-class segmentation to improve the segmentation of border regions. The highest Dice coefficient achieved on the testing set was 0.966.

As it turns out, both isotope scaling and density limits are phenomena closely linked to fluid closure. The necessity to include ion viscosity arises for both phenomena. Thus, we have added ion viscosity to our model. The experimental isotope scaling has been successfully recovered in our fluid model through parameter scans. Although ion viscosity typically exerts a small effect, the density limit is manifested by increasing the density by approximately tenfold from the typical experimental density. In our case, this increase originates from the density in the Cyclone base case. Notably, these phenomena would not manifest with a gyro-Landau fluid closure. The isotope scaling is nullified by the addition of a gyro-Landau term, while the density limit results from permitting ion viscosity to become comparable to the gyro-Landau term. The mechanism of zonal flows, demonstrated analytically for the Dimits upshift, yields insights into the isotope scaling observed in experiments. In our approach, ion viscosity is introduced in place of the Landau fluid resonances found in some fluid models. This implies that the mechanism of isotope scaling operates at the level of fluid closure in connection with the generation of zonal flows. The strength of zonal flows in our model has been verified, particularly in connection with the successful simulation of the nonlinear Dimits shift. Consequently, a role is played by our approach in the temperature perturbation part of the Reynolds stress.

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of cylindrical capacitors utilizing magnetodielectric materials composed of magnetizable microfibers dispersed within a silicone oil matrix. The microfibers, ranging in diameter from 0.25 to 2.20 μm, comprise hematite (α-Fe2O3), maghemite (γ-Fe2O3), and magnetite (Fe3O4). The study investigates the electrical behavior of these capacitors under the influence of an external magnetic field superimposed on a medium-frequency alternating electric field, across four distinct volume concentrations of microfibers. Electrical capacitance and resistance measurements are conducted every second over a 60-second interval, revealing significant dependencies on both the quantity of magnetizable phase and the applied magnetic flux density. Furthermore, the temporal stability of the capacitors’ characteristics is demonstrated. The obtained data are analyzed to determine the electrical conductance and susceptance of the capacitors, elucidating their sensitivity to variations in microfiber concentration and magnetic field strength. To provide theoretical insight into the observed phenomena, a model based on dipolar approximations is proposed. This model effectively explains the underlying physical mechanisms governing the electrical properties of the capacitors. These findings offer valuable insights into the design and optimization of magnetodielectric-based capacitors for diverse applications in microelectronics and sensor technologies.

We propose novel spectrometer designs that aim to enhance the measured spectral range 1 of ions on a finite-sized detector. In contrast to the traditional devices that use uniform magnetic 2 field, in which the deflection of particles increases inversely proportional to their momentum, in a 3 gradient magnetic field, the deflection of particles will be decreased due to the reduction of the 4 magnetic field along their propagation. Low energy ions are particularly impacted, as they are 5 deflected less and are more likely to reach the detector compared to being driven out of it while 6 using a uniform magnetic field. By the means of a gradient magnetic field, the nonlinear dispersion 7 of ions in a homogeneous magnetic field can approach a nearly linear dispersion. Nonetheless, 8 the dispersion of low energy ions in a homogeneous magnetic field remains unnecessarily high. 9 In this article, we explore linear, quadratic, and higher-order field profiles in comparison to the 10 homogeneous field case. We discuss the employed methodology and present simulation results of 11 the spectrometer with an extended ion spectral range, focusing on the minimum detectable energy 12 (energy dynamic range) and energy resolution

A joint analysis of solar wind, geomagnetic field, and earthquake catalog data showed that before the catastrophic M7.8 and M7.5 Kahramanmaras earthquake sequence on February 6, 2023, the closed strong magnetic storm occurred on November 7, 2022, SYM/H=-117 nT. Storm started at 08:04 UT. At this time, the high latitudinal part of Turkey's longitudinal region of future epicenters was located under the polar cusp, where the solar wind plasma would directly access the Earth's environment. The time delay between storm onset and earthquake occurrence was ~91 days. We analyzed all seven strong (M7+) earthquakes from 1967 to 2020 to verify the initial findings. A similar pattern has been revealed for all events. The time delay between magnetic storm onset and earthquake occurrence varies from some days to some months. To continue these investigations, a retrospective analysis of seismic and other geophysical parameters just after preceded geomagnetic storms in the epicenter areas is desirable.

In view of the problem that the output thrust of solenoid actuator is affected by various factors and is difficult to calculate in actual working conditions, this paper proposes a semi-analytical model constructed by magnetic field subdomain method with internal and external boundary conditions in cylindrical coordinate system for calculation, and the general solution equations of magnetic vector potential for each subdomain are derived and solved by MATLAB. Taking a push-pull electromagnet as an example, the finite element simulation and experimental comparative analysis are carried out. The correctness and applicable conditions of the subdomain method are illustrated by comparing the gradient plot of magnetic vector potential, inductance curve and electromagnetic force. By calculating the output thrust after considering the core gravity, spring force and electromagnetic force, it is shown that this method has the advantage of computational flexibility compared with the finite element method, and it is easier to write special algorithms according to various working conditions to calculate the important parameters in engineering applications.

In this paper, a new axial-type magnetic gear with auxiliary flux-enhancing structure (AFS-AMG) is proposed. Compared to conventional AFS-AMG, it has the higher torque density and higher permanent magnet (PM) utilization factor. Firstly, the design rules and operating principles of proposed AFS-AMG are elaborated. Then, the mapping relation between the radial-type magnetic gears (RMGs) and AMGs are elucidated. Compared to its counterpart in RMGs, AFS-AMGs achieve small size. Then, the geometrical parameters of AFS-AMGs are optimized to obtain the better electromagnetic performances, where the torque density per volume and per PM volume is adopted as the evaluation standard. Finally, three different AMG topologies are constructed in finite element analysis (FEA) software for comparison. It is proven that the AFS-AMG has the largest torque density per volume and per PM volume.

The age-related loss of muscle mass and strength is referred to as “sarcopenia”. The combined effect of sarcopenia and osteoporosis is a devastating threat to the old adult, accounting for reduced mobility, risk for falls and subsequent fractures. In previous studies, we observed a high degree of inter-individual variability of paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration, one most relevant index of muscle wasting. This aspect solicited us to develop a computerized method to quantitatively characterize muscle fatty infiltration in aging and diseases. Magnetic resonance images of paraspinal muscles from 58 women of different age (age range 23-85 years) and physio-pathological status (healthy young, pre-menopause, post-menopause, and os-teoporosis), were used to set up the method. It is based on fractal analysis of lean muscle area (contractile muscle) to estimate muscle fatty infiltration. In particular, lacunarity was computed by parameter β from our hyperbola model function, used to fit the GBA (gliding box algorithm) curvilinear plot. Succolarity was estimated by parameter µ, for the four main directions, through an algorithm implemented on purpose. Results show that fractal lacunarity, by quantifying muscle fatty infiltration, can discriminate be-tween osteoporosis and healthy aging while succolarity can separate the other three groups showing similar lacunarity. Therefore, fractal features of contractile muscle, by measuring fatty infiltration, can represent good indices of sarcopenia in aging and disease.

Pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) as the third most widely used pesticides, following organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides, which are of significant importance in the analysis and detection of vegetables. However, the current pretreatment technology for PYRs confronts challenges of difficult separation and low enrichment efficiency, resulting in a cumbersome and time-consuming pretreatment process with poor selectivity. Here, a simple and efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) strategy was developed to simultaneously purify and enrich five PYRs in vegetables, with the magnetic covalent organic framework nanomaterial COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 as an adsorbent. The COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was prepared by a simple solvothermal conditions method, using Fe3O4 as magnetic core, benzidine and 3,3,5,5-tetraaldehyde biphenyl as two building units. COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 could effectively capture the targeted PYRs by virtue of its abundant π-electron system and hydroxyl groups. The impact of various experimental parameters on extraction efficiency was investigated to optimize the MSPE conditions, including adsorbent amount, extraction time, elution solvent type and elution time. Subsequently, method validation was conducted under the optimal conditions in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Within the range of 5.00–100 μg·kg-1 (1.00–100 μg·kg-1 for bifenthrin and 2.5–100 μg·kg-1 for fenpropathrin), the five PYRs exhibited a strong linear relationship, with determination coefficients ranging from 0.9990 to 0.9997. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.3–1.5 μg·kg-1, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.9–4.5 μg·kg-1. The recoveries were 80.2–116.7% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 7.0%. Finally, COF-SiO2@Fe3O4, NH2-SiO2@Fe3O4 and Fe3O4 were compared as MSPE adsorbents for PYRs. The results indicated that COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was an efficient and rapid selective adsorbent for PYRs. This method holds promising prospects for the determination of PYRs in real samples.

The building blocks of a scientific facility based on particle beams comprise magnets and electro-magnetic devices. The design of an overall accelerator usually imposes a demanding accuracy on their exact position and orientation. Their non-geometrical functional features are frequently either not clearly defined – what is the « magnetic axis » of a magnet –, or not explicitly used along their lifecycle. Improving the process to establish and use these functional features would contribute to meeting demanding challenges. The European Spallation Source (ESS) is aiming at providing a powerful proton linear accelerator and a target system to produce pulsed neutrons. The challenging complex design and integration yielded to introducing a tool for all stakeholders along the lifecycle: the "situation features", as defined in ISO GPS (Geometrical Product Specifications) standards. This paper deals with the beyond-mechanics non-geometrical use cases and generalizes the use of the association operation to theoretically exact features. The examples of the functional specification, fiducialization (measure of the real features with respect to external marks) and installation phases of quadrupole magnets is developed. Perspectives of generic use are highlighted.

Despite great strides in diagnosis and treatment, cardiac diseases remain the number one cause of mortality in the developed world, with rates catching up at an alarming rate in the developing world. Targeted delivery of therapeutics, specifically to cardiomyocytes, would open up new frontiers. Our prior work using a combinatorial in vitro and in vivo phage display methodology identified a 12-amino acid long peptide that targets cardiomyocytes selectively after an intravenous injection in as little as 5 mins, and hence was termed cardiac targeting peptide (CTP: APHLSSQYSRT). CTP has been used to deliver imaging agents, small drug molecules, photosensitizing nanoparticles, exosomes, and even miRNA to cardiomyocytes. As a natural extension for development of CTP as a clinically viable cardiac vector, we now present toxicity studies performed on the peptide. In vitro viability studies were performed in a human left ventricular myocyte cell line with 10µM of Cyanine-5.5 labeled CTP (CTP-Cy5.5). In vitro ion channel profiles were completed for CTP followed by more extensive studies performed by Eurofins in stably transfected cell lines for an extensive list of GPCR-coupled receptors. Positive data for GPCR-coupled receptors was interrogated further with RT-qPCRs performed on mouse heart tissue. In vivo studies consisted of pre- and post-blood pressure monitoring acutely after a single CTP (10 mg/Kg) injection. Further in vivo toxicity studies consisted of injecting 60, 6-week-old, wild-type CD1, male/female mice (1:1) injected with CTP (150 µg/Kg) intravenously. Mice were weighed immediately before injections and daily thereafter. Cohorts of mice were euthanized on day 0, 1, 2, 7 and 14 with inhalational CO2, followed by opening of the chest cavity, collection of blood via cardiac puncture, complete blood count analysis, metabolic profiling, and finally, liver, renal and thyroid studies. Lastly, mouse cardiac MRI was performed immediately before and after injections of CTP (150 µg/Kg) to assess changes in cardiac size or function. Human left ventricular cardiomyocytes showed no decrease in viability after a 30 min incubation with CTP-Cy5.5. In the Eurofins Cardiac Profiler Qube, no significant activation or inhibition of any of seventy-eight protein channels was observed other than OPRM1 and COX2 at the highest tested concentration, neither of which were expressed in mouse heart tissue as assessed by RT-qPCR. There was no change in blood pressures before and after injections with CTP at 10 mg/Kg. Blood counts and chemistries showed no evidence of significant hematological, hepatic or renal toxicities. Lastly, there was no significant difference in cardiac function, size or mass before and after CTP injections. Our studies with CTP showed no activation or inhibition of GPCR-associated receptors in vitro. We found no signals indicative of toxicity in vivo. Most importantly, cardiac functions remained unchanged acutely in response to CTP uptake. Further studies, in good laboratory practices fashion, are needed with more prolonged, chronic administration of CTP conjugated to a specific cargo of choice before human studies can be contemplated.

A La2FeCrO6 (LFCO) double perovskite powders were synthesized by hydrothermal method, which crystallized in an orthorhombic (Pnma) structure and exhibited a spherical morphology with average particle size of 900 nm. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy confirmed the octahedral coordination of Fe and Cr ions in the powders. XPS spectra revealed dual oxide states of Fe (Fe2+/Fe3+) and Cr (Cr3+/Cr4+) elements, and oxygen element appeared as lattice oxygen and defect oxygen, respectively. The LFCO powders exhibit ferromagnetic behavior at 5 K with saturation magnetization of 0.31 μB/f.u., coercive field of 8.0 kOe, and Curie temperature of 200 K. Griffiths phase appeared in the powders between 200 K and 223 K. The LFCO ceramics displayed a butterfly-like magnetoresistance (MR)-magnetic field (H) curve at 5 K with MR (5 K, 6 T) value of -4.07%. Temperature dependence of resistivity of the LFCO ceramics demonstrated their semiconducting nature. Electrical transport data were fitted by different conduction models. Strong frequency dispersion dielectric behavior was observed in the LFCO ceramics. A dielectric abnormality observed around 260 K, was ascribed to the jumping of electrons trapped in shallow levels created by oxygen vacancies. The dielectric relaxation behavior exhibited by dielectric loss between 160 K and 260 K, was contributed to the singly-ionized oxygen vacancies.

In this paper, a relatively new hyper convolution spectra for characterization liquid, viscoelastic and solid samples is presented. Special attention is paid to the biophysical characterization of epithelial tissues and early detection of cancer of the skin, cervix, colon, and oral cavity. The method is based on the use of two types of white light, diffuse and polarized, from the same LED light sources. Based on the subtraction of the intensity values of these two lights and using the hyper convolution algorithm, the ratio of paired and unpaired electrons of tissue is obtained. This ratio correlates well with the state of the tissue: normal, irritating, precancerous, and cancerous. First, a proof-of-concept studies were performed, and later clinical studies on samples from one thousand two hundred fifteen people were performed. It showed that hyper Opto-Magnetic Imaging Spectroscopy (OMIS) can detect epithelial tissue cancers with an accuracy of 85-96%. Bearing in mind that the OMIS method also acquires the biophysical characteristics of the deeper skin layers (epidermis, basement membrane, dermis) by analysing convolution spectra of RGB channels of both diffuse and polarized white light, it is possible to apply this method in cosmetics (skin hydration, collagen, and elastin states, etc.). During OMIS applications, we noticed places where improvements could be made to increase method’s accuracy using advanced machine learning methodologies.

Brain arteriovenous malformations (BAVMs) are a critical concern in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) patients, carrying the risk of life-threatening intracranial hemorrhage. While traditionally seen as congenital, the debate continues due to documented de novo cases. Our primary goal was to identify the precise postnatal window in which deletion of the HHT gene Endoglin (Eng) triggers BAVM development. We employed SclCreER(+);Eng2f/2f mice, enabling timed Eng gene deletion in endothelial cells via tamoxifen. Tamoxifen was given at four postnatal periods: P1-3, P8-10, P15-17, and P22-24. BAVM development was assessed at 2-3 months using latex dye perfusion. We examined angiogenic activity by assessing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expression via Western blotting and Flk1-LacZ reporter mice. Longitudinal magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) was conducted up to 9 months. BAVMs emerged in 88% (P1-3), 86% (P8-10), and 55% (P15-17) of cases, with varying localization. Notably, the P22-24 group did not develop BAVMs but exhibited skin AVMs. VEGFR2 expression peaked in the initial 2 postnatal weeks, coinciding with BAVM onset. These findings support the “second hit” theory, highlighting the role of early postnatal angiogenesis, in initiating BAVM development in HHT type I mice.

MRI is the gold standard for treatment response assessment in glioblastoma. However, there is no consensus regarding the optimal interval for MRI follow-up during standard treatment. Moreover, reliable assessment of treatment response is hindered by the occurrence of pseudoprogression. It is unknown if a radiological follow-up strategy with 2-3 months intervals actually benefits patients and how it influences clinical decision making about continuation or discontinuation of treatment. This study assessed the consequences of scheduled follow-up scans (post-chemoradiotherapy [post-CCRT], after 3 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy [TMZ3/6], after completion of treatment [TMZ6/6]) and unscheduled scans on treatment decisions during standard concomitant and adjuvant treatment in glioblastoma patients. Additionally, we evaluated how often follow-up scans resulted in diagnostic uncertainty (tumor progression versus pseudoprogression), and whether perfusion MRI improved clinical decision making. Scheduled follow-up scans during standard treatment in glioblastoma patients rarely resulted in early termination of treatment (2.3% post-CCRT, 3.2% TMZ3/6, and 7.8% TMZ6/6), but introduced diagnostic uncertainty in 27.7% of cases. Unscheduled scans resulted in more major treatment consequences (30%; p&lt;0.001). Perfusion MRI caused less diagnostic uncertainty (p=0.021) but did not influence treatment consequences (p=0.871). This study does not support the current pragmatic follow-up strategy and suggests a more tailored follow-up approach.

Different bone bruise patterns observed on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture and lateral patellar dislocation may indicate different injury mechanism of knee. In order to investigate the typical bone bruising patterns after ACL rupture and patellar dislocation. In this study, 77 ACL rupture and 77 patellar dislocation patients’ knee MR images with bone bruises between August 2020 and March 2022at our institution were selected and analyzed, respectively. Sagittal and transverse planes images were used to determine the bone bruise location in the lateral-medial and superior-inferior directions of the MR images. The presence, location, and intensity of the bone bruises within specific compartments of the femur and tibial after ACL rupture and patellar dislocation were recorded. Relative bone bruise patterns of the ACL rupture and patellar dislocation were classified and analyzed. Results showed that there were 4 kinds of bone bruise (1-,2-,3-,4- bone bruises) patterns after ACL rupture. The most common two patterns after ACL rupture were 3- bone bruises (including lateral side of femur and both lateral and medial side of tibia, LF+BT; both lateral and medial side of femur and lateral side of tibia, BF+LT, medial side of femur and both lateral and medial side of tibia, MF+BT) followed by 4- bone bruises (both lateral and medial side of femur and tibia, BF+BT), 2- bone bruises (LF+LT, lateral side of femur and tibia; MF+LT, medial side of femur and lateral side of tibia; LF+MT, lateral side of femur and medial side of tibia; MF+MT, medial side of femur and tibia; 0+BT, both lateral and medial side of tibia;), and 1- bone bruise (0+LT, only lateral side of tibia). There was only 1 pattern bone bruise (latera femur and medial patella bone bruise) of patellar dislocation, the most common pattern of patellar dislocation was in the inferior medial patella and lateral anterior inferior femur. The results suggest that the pattern of bone bruise after ACL rupture and patellar dislocation is completely different. There were 4 kinds of bone bruise patterns after non-contact ACL rupture while there was only 1 kind of bone bruise pattern after patellar dislocation bone bruise patients which was in the inferior medial patella and lateral anterior inferior femur.

Wastewater treatment from oils and oil products, organic mixtures are a very relevant topic that can be successfully used to solve problems of serious environmental pollution, such as oil spills, industrial oily wastewater discharges and water treatment in the water treatment process. In this work, we have developed new superhydrophobic magnetic polyurethane (PU) sponges functionalized with reduced graphene oxide (RGO), MgFe2O4 nanoparticles, and silicone oil (SO) as a selective and reusable sorbent for purification and separation of wastewater from oils and organic solvents. The surface morphology and wettability of the sponge surface were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a contact angle analysis system, respectively. The results showed that the obtained PU sponge PU/RGO/MgFe2O4/SO had excellent mechanical and water-repellent properties, reusable properties (more than 20 cycles), as well as fast (immersion time 20 sec) and excellent adsorption capacity (16.61- 44.86 g / g), and good magnetic properties made it easy to separate the sponge from the water with a magnet. And the presence of RGO in the composition of the nanomaterial improves the separating and cleaning properties of materials, and also leads to an increase in the absorption capacity of oil and various organic solvents. The synthesized PU sponge has great potential for practical applications due to its facile fabrication and excellent oil-water separation property.

In this article, we have tried to extend the Neumann–Kopp law concerning the heat capacity of solid compounds to other physical observables for materials represented as mixtures of chemical compounds, alloys, and ceramics. The main goal of this study is to find the intervals of external or internal parameters for a solid compound, within which its physical observable - the magnetic transition temperature for this work, can be expressed in terms of the atomic or molar weighted sum of the magnetic transition temperatures of the constituent elements of a compound. Outside these intervals, we tried to figure out the structure of the variable by which the weighted sum should be multiplied. Thus, for USb–x(ThSb) mixtures with a mole fraction x from 0.36 to 0.55, the magnetic transition temperature of this mixture is expressed in term of the molar weighted sum of the temperature of uranium structural transition associated with a change in the magnetic properties of uranium and of the temperature at which the nature of the magnetic susceptibility of antimony changes. For the magnetic Laves phase compounds Er(Fe_0.8–xMn_0.2–yCo_x+y)₂, the Curie temperature of the compound is equal to the weighted sum of the Curie temperatures of all elements of the compound, except for Mn, at x = 0.1, y = 0 and y = 0.1. For the paramagnetic Curie temperature of intercalated dichalcogenides Cr_xМоSe₂, it can be expressed in terms of the weighted Neel temperature of chromium multiplied by a variable depending on x, on the atomic numbers of all elements of the compound, and on a parameter proportional to the derivatives with respect to x of the dichalcogenide’s crystal lattice parameters.

Vitamin E, a potent antioxidant, is a necessary and complex micronutrient for cows. During the transition period, vitamin E deficiency (VED) is among the highest prevalent micronutrient deficits in dairy cows. It may eventually result in oxidative stress and immunological malfunction, and it increases the risk of peripartum disorders. At present, detailed data on blood metabolites in VED cows are limited. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to examine the alterations in the serum metabolic profile of VED cows throughout the early postpartum period. Using comprehensive 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), the alterations in serum metabolic activities of VED cows were analyzed. In total, 28 multiparous Holstein cows were assigned according to serum α-tocopherol (α-Toc) concentrations into a normal (α-Toc ≥ 4 μg/mL, n = 14) and VED (α-Toc &lt; 3 μg/mL, n = 14) groups at 21 days postpartum, and their blood samples were collected for biochemical and 1H NMR analyses. A t-test on independent samples as well as multivariate statistics were used to assess the findings. In comparison with normal cows, VED cows showed significantly worse body condition scores, milk yield, and dry matter intake (p &lt; 0.05). Significantly higher levels of serum non-esterified fatty acids, aspartate aminotransferase, low-density lipoprotein, and malonaldehyde were found in VED-affected cows, as well as lesser concentrations of serum albumin, high-density lipoprotein, and total antioxidant capacity in comparison with normal cows (p &lt; 0.01), while other vitamins and minerals concentrations showed no distinction between the groups (p &gt; 0.05). Furthermore, 24 upregulated serum metabolites were identified under VED conditions. The metabolomics pathway analysis of these metabolites demonstrated that a global metabolic response to VED in cows was represented by changes in 11 metabolic pathways, comprising energy, carbohydrate, and amino acid metabolism. These outcomes suggest that VED cows were more likely to experience a negative energy balance characterized by alterations of common systemic metabolic processes and develop oxidative stress, inflammation, and ultimately liver injury. This study provides the first evidence of metabolic changes in cows with VED.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable hematological cancer. It is preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS), an asymptomatic phase. It has been demonstrated that early detection increases the 5-year survival rate. However, blood-based biomarkers that enable early disease detection are lacking. Metabolomic and lipoprotein subfraction variable profiling is gaining traction to expand our understanding of disease states and, more specifically, for identifying diagnostic markers in patients with hematological cancers. This study aims to enhance our understanding of multiple myeloma (MM) and identify candidate metabolites, allowing for more effective preventative treatment. Serum was collected from 25 healthy controls, 20 patients with MGUS, and 30 patients with MM. 1H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy was utilized to evaluate serum samples. The metabolite concentrations were examined using multivariate, univariate, and pathway analysis. Metabolic profiles of the MGUS patients revealed lower levels of alanine (F.C. = 0.8, p = 0.002), lysine (FC = 0.8, p &lt; 0.001), leucine (FC=0.7, p &lt; 0.001) but higher levels of formic acid (FC=1.6, p ≤ 0.001) when compared to controls. However, metabolic profiling of MM patients compared to controls exhibited decreased levels of total Apolipoprotein-A1 (FC =0.6, p&lt;0.001), HDL-4 Apolipoprotein-A1 (FC = 0.5, p ≤ 0.001), HDL-4 Apolipoprotein-A2 (FC = 0.6, p &lt; 0.001), HDL Free Cholesterol (FC = 0.7, p &lt; 0.001), HDL-3 Cholesterol (FC = 0.5, p ≤ 0.001) and HDL-4 Cholesterol (FC = 0.5, p ≤ 0.001). Lastly, metabolic comparison between MGUS to MM patients primarily indicated alterations in lipoproteins levels: Total Cholesterol (FC = 0.6, p ≤ 0.001), HDL Cholesterol (FC = 0.7, p ≤ 0.001), HDL Free Cholesterol (FC = 0.4, p ≤ 0.001), Total Apolipoprotein-A1 (FC = 0.7, p ≤ 0.001), HDL Apolipoprotein-A1 (FC = 0.7, p ≤ 0.001), HDL-4 Apolipoprotein-A1 (FC = 0.6, p ≤ 0.001) and HDL-4 Phospholipids (FC = 0.6, p ≤ 0.001). This study provides novel insights into the serum metabolic and lipoprotein subfraction changes in patients as they progress from a healthy state to MGUS to MM, which may allow for earlier clinical detection and treatment.

In particle physics, spin is an intrinsic form of angular momentum carried by the elementary particles. It is believed that spin is a solely quantum-mechanical phenomenon, which does not have a counterpart in classical mechanics. We have derived the simplest equations of spin and magnetic moment of a charged elementary particle. These formulas enable us to understand the physical nature of the spin and the structure of elementary particles. It is shown that the electron and muon are in the shape of a thin ring with a circular cross section (torus), and the proton is in the form of a ring with a non-circular cross section (toroid). The connection between the photon’s spin of and the propagation of electromagnetic waves is considered.

The well-known coupling between the magnetic and electric fields in electromagnetic radiation is revisited in light of the recent introduction of a microscopic theory for the Ørsted magnetic field induction. I argue that, if the Ørsted magnetic field induction does indeed have a microscopic origin rather than the continuum solution offered by the Maxwell-Ampere equation, the "electromagnetic wave"' propagating in vacuum will not have a magnetic component.

Paleoclimate information is key to understanding the climate system and predicting future climate. Currently, stable isotope analysis of whole molecules in tree rings is among the most advanced paleoclimate tools. Still, it only enables reconstructions of one climate parameter at a time (univariate climate reconstruction), a fundamental limitation. Here, we investigated whether this limitation can be overcome by analysing isotope variability at the level of intramolecular carbon positions in tree-ring glucose. We found that drought governs isotope variability at glucose C-1 to C-3, whereas radiation governs isotope variability at glucose C-5 to C-6. These isotope-climate relationships are statistically and mechanistically robust. According to cross-validation analysis, they can be reconstructed with high accuracy and precision. Thus, intramolecular isotope analysis enables multivariate climate reconstructions (proof of concept).

Surface finishing is challenging for additively manufactured components with complex geometries. Magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) is a promising surface finishing technology that can refine the surface quality of components with complex shapes produced by additive manufacturing. However, there is insufficient study regarding the impact of MAF on microstructure-property relationships for additively manufactured builds, which is critical for evaluating the mechanical performance. Furthermore, although MAF is usually used as the final step of post-processing, it remains unclear whether adjusting the sequence between MAF and other processes, e.g., heat treatment, can potentially improve the mechanical performance. In this work, the effects of MAF on the microstructure and mechanical property evolution of Inconel 718 superalloys made by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) were studied. The application of MAF was found to significantly reduce the surface roughness of alloys and refine the grain size of aged samples. Moreover, MAF is able to increase the elongation of materials, which can be further influenced by the sequence of MAF and different heat treatments. The highest elongation can be achieved when MAF is performed between homogenization and aging processes. This work demonstrated a promising solution to improving the performance of LPBF Inconel 718 by combining MAF and heat treatment, which provides new perspectives on the post-processing development of additively manufactured alloys for advanced mechanical properties.

Temperature dependent entropic force acting between the straight direct current I and the linear system (string with length of L) of N elementary non-interacting magnets/spins μ is reported. The system of elementary magnets is supposed to be in the thermal equilibrium with the infinite thermal bath T. The entropic force at large distance from the current is given by Fmagnen=Nμ02μ2I24π2kBTr3 , where r is the distance between the edge of the string and the current I, and kB is the Boltzmann constant; (r≫L is adopted). The entropic magnetic force is the repulsion force. The entropic magnetic force scales as Fmagnen~1T , which is unusual for entropic forces. The effect of “entropic pressure” is predicted for the situation when the source of the magnetic field is embedded into the continuous media, comprising elementary magnets/spins.

In Ref. [1] Snider et al reported room temperature superconductivity in carbonaceous sulfur hydride (CSH) under high pressure. Recently the data for the temperature dependent ac magnetic susceptibility shown in figures of Ref [1] have appeared in the form of tables corresponding to different pressures [2]. Here we provide an analysis of the data for a pressure of 160 GPa. This work was performed in collaboration with D. van der Marel.

Microbial diseases have been declared one of the main threats to humanity, which is why, in recent years, great interest has been generated in the development of nanocomposites with antimicrobial capacity. In the present work, two magnetic nanocomposites, based on Graphene Oxide (GO) and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs) were studied. The synthesis of these magnetic nanocomposites consisted of three phases: first, the synthesis of Iron Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNPs) was carried out in the presence of MWCNTs and GO using the Co-precipitation method. The second phase consisted of the adsorption of photosensitizer menthol-Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnMintPc) into MWCNTs and GO, and the third phase was the encapsulation in poly (N-vinylcaprolactam-co-poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate)) poly (VCL-co-PEGDA) polymer VCL/PEGDA a biocompatible hydrogel, in order to obtain the magnetic nanocomposites: VCL/PEGDA-MNPs-MWCNTs-ZnMintPc and VCL/PEGDA-MNPs-GO-ZnMintPc. In vitro studies were carried out using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria and the Candida albicans yeast based on the PTT/PDT effect. This research describes the optical, morphological, magnetic and photophysical characterizations of nanocomposites and their application as antimicrobial agents. It was evaluated the antimicrobial effect of magnetics nanocomposites based on the Photodynamic/Photothermal (PDT/PTT) effect; for this purpose, doses of 65 mW cm-2 at 630 nm of light were used. The VCL/PEGDA-MNPs-GO-ZnMintPc nanocomposite was able to eliminate colonies of E. coli and S. aureus, while VCL/PEGDA-MNPs-MWCNTs-ZnMintPc nanocomposite was able to eliminate the three types of microorganisms; consequently, the latter is considered a broad-spectrum of antimicrobial agent in PDT and PTT.

Alternating current field measurement (ACFM) testing is one of promising techniques in the field of non-destructive testing with advantages of the non-contact capability and the reduction of lift-off effects. In this paper, a novel crack detection approach is proposed to reduce the effect of the angled crack (cack orientation) by using rotated ACFM techniques. The sensor probe is composed of an excitation coil and two receiving coils. Two receiving coils are orthogonally placed in the centre of the excitation coil where the magnetic field is measured. It is found that the change of the x component and the peak value of the z component of the magnetic field when the sensor probe rotates around a crack follows a sine wave shape. A customised accelerated finite element method solver programmed in MATLAB is adopted to simulate the performance of the designed sensor probe which can significantly improve the computation efficiency due to the small crack perturbation. The experiments have also been carried out to validate the simulations. It is found that the ratio between the z and x components of the magnetic field remains stable under various rotation angles. It shows the potential to estimate the depth of the crack from the ratio detected by combining the magnetic fields from both receiving coils (i.e., the x and z components of the magnetic field) using the rotated ACFM technique.

Instead of the conventional 0 and 1 values, bipolar reasoning uses -1, 0, +1 to describe double-sided judgements in which neutral elements are halfway between positive and negative evaluations (e.g., “uncertain” lies between “impossible” and “totally sure”). We discuss the state-of-the-art in bipolar logics and recall two medieval forerunners, i.e., William of Ockham and Nicholas of Autrecourt, who embodied a bipolar mode of thought that is eminently modern. Starting from the trivial observation that “once a wheat sheaf is sealed and tied up, the packed down straws display the same orientation”, we work up a new theory of the bipolar nature of networks, suggesting that orthodromic (i.e., feedforward, bottom-up) projections might be functionally coupled with antidromic (i.e., feedback, top-down) projections via the mathematical apparatus of presheaves/globular sets. When an entrained oscillation such as a neuronal spike propagates from A to B, changes in B might lead to changes in A, providing unexpected antidromic effects. Our account points towards the methodological feasibility of novel neural networks in which message feedback is guaranteed by backpropagation mechanisms endowed in the same feedforward circuits. Bottom-up/top-down transmission at various coarse-grained network levels provides fresh insights in far-flung scientific fields such as object persistence, memory reinforcement, visual recognition, Bayesian inferential circuits and multidimensional activity of the brain. Implying that axonal stimulation by external sources might backpropagate and modify neuronal electric oscillations, our theory also suggests testable previsions concerning the optimal location of transcranial magnetic stimulation’s coils in patients affected by drug-resistant epilepsy.

The paper presents the identification and classification of steel cord failures in the conveyor belt core based on an analysis of a two-dimensional image of magnetic field changes recorded using the Diagbelt system around scanned failures in the test belt. The obtained set of identified changes in images obtained for numerous devices parameters settings were the base for statistical analysis. It makes it possible to determine the Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient between the parameters being changed and the image of the failures. In the second stage of the research, artificial intelligence methods were applied to construct a multilayer neural network (MLP) and to teach its appropriate identification of damage. In both methods were used the same data sets, which made it possible to compare methods.

Only by understanding the ability to take third-person perspective can we begin to elucidate the neural processes responsible for one’s inimitable conscious experience. The current study examined differences in hemispheric laterality during a first-person perspective (1PP) and third-person perspective (3PP) taking task, when using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). Participants were asked to take either the 1PP or 3PP when identifying the number of spheres in a virtual scene. During this task, single-pulse TMS was delivered to the motor cortex of both the left and right hemispheres of 10 healthy volunteers. Measures of TMS-induced motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) of the contralateral abductor pollicis brevis (APB) were employed as an indicator of lateralized cortical activation. The data suggest that the right hemisphere is more important in discriminating between 1PP and 3PP. These data add a novel method for determining perspective taking and add to the literature supporting the role of the right hemisphere in meta representation.

In order to solve the problem of measuring the distance and position between the flanges of two pipelines on the seabed, a measuring device for pulling rope in seawater was designed. Aiming at the sealing problem of the key equipment that is the rotating shaft of the rope winch, this paper used the principle of the magnetic coupling to transfer the driving moment, and adopted the method of converting the dynamic seal into the static seal structure to realize the reliable sealing of the motor. Through the experiment of measuring two pipelines with underwater rope pulling device, it was verified that the measuring accuracy of the device meets the design requirements, and the feasibility of the application of magnetic coupling technology in winch is also verified.

The continuous development in the field of industrial automation and electric mobility has led to the need for more efficient electrical machines with high power density. The improvement of electrical machines slot filling factors is one of the measures to satisfy these requirements. In recent years, this topic has aroused greater interest in the industrial sector, since the evolution of the winding technological manufacturing processes allows an economically sustainable realization of ordered winding arrangements, rather than random ones. Moreover, the manufacture of electrical machines windings must be preceded by an accurate design phase in which it is possible to evaluate the maximum slot filling factor obtainable for a given wire shape and for its dimensions. For this purpose, this paper presents an algorithmic approach for the evaluation of maximum slot filling factors in electrical machines under ideal geometric premise. In particular, this algorithm has a greater degree of flexibility with respect to the algorithm approaches found in the literature, since the study has been extended to round, rectangular and hexagonal wire sections. Furthermore, the slot filling factor calculation was carried out both for standard and non-standard slots. The algorithmic approach proposed can be considered as an additional useful tool for the fast design of electrical machine windings.

Once a wheat sheaf has been sealed and tied up, its packed down straws display the same orientation and zero-divergence. This observation brings us to the mathematical notion of presheaf, i.e., a topological structure in which diverging functions are locally superimposed. We show how the concepts of presheaves and the correlated globular sets, borrowed from category theory and algebraic topology, allow a well-founded mathematical approach to otherwise elusive activities of the brain. The mathematical assessment of brain functions in terms of presheaves: a) explains why spontaneous random spikes synchronize; b) leads to the counterintuitive intuition of antidromic effects in neuronal spikes: when an entrained oscillation propagates from A to B, changes in B lead to changes in A. We provide testable previsions: a) we suggest the proper locations of transcranial magnetic stimulation’s coils to improve the clinical outcomes of drug-resistant epilepsy; b) we advocate that axonal stimulation by external sources backpropagates and alters the neuronal electric oscillatory frequency. Further, we describe how the hierarchical information transmission inside globular sets provides fresh insights concerning different issues at various coarse-grained scales, such as object persistence, memory reinforcement in spite of random noise, Bayesian inferential circuits.

Sensors became integrated through the control condition arrangement, either for visual, mechanical, biological, or chemical applications. New stuff is designed for detection, as Diluted Magnetic Semiconductors (DMS), and are considered attractive candidates that consist of a traditional 111- V, II-VI, or group IV semiconductor. Manganese Mn-doped GaN (Mn.Gac.N) epitaxial velum has a unique magnetic, visual and chemical properties in order to control system intelligent for detector design. The subject area of the magnetic properties of MnxGal-xN is on a large scale available, there are only a few studies on the visual properties and electrochemical properties of MnxGal-xN epitaxial velums. Where MnGaN velums were used in spintronic and opto-electronic applications according to their magnetic characterization and constructed MnGaN electrode are drop fabric potential for potentiometric sensor applications since they have good performance as ion-selective electrodes. The electrical and magnetic properties that allow the control of electron spin as well as complaint period, makes the materials ideal for spintronic applications. Designing such spintronic and optoelectronic devices based on MnxGal-xN requires a broader agreement of physical, visual, electrical and chemical properties epitaxial velums that are still seldom in the literature. This bailiwick displays the potential use of MnGaN semiconductor as an all solid-state potentiometric sensor for measuring anions in solutions in the control engineering field.