Ferromagnetic seeding for the magnetic targeting of drugs and radiation in capillary beds

A new implant assisted-magnetic drug targeting approach is introduced and theoretically analyzed to demonstrate its feasibility. This approach uses ferromagnetic particles as seeds for collecting magnetic drug carrier particles at the desired site in the body, such as in a capillary bed near a tumor. Based on the capture cross section (λ_c) approach, a parametric study was carried out using a 2-D mathematical model to reveal the effects of the magnetic field strength (μ₀H₀=0.01–1.0 T), magnetic drug carrier particle radius (R_p=20–500 nm), magnetic drug carrier particle ferromagnetic material content (x_fm,p=20–80 wt%), average blood velocity (u_B=0.05–1.0 cm/s), seed radius (R_s=100–2000 nm), number of seeds (N_s=1–8), seed separation (h=0–8R_s), and magnetic drug carrier particle and seed ferromagnetic material saturation magnetizations (iron, SS 409, magnetite, and SS 304) on the performance of the system. Increasing the magnetic field strength, magnetic drug carrier particle size, seed size, magnetic drug carrier particle ferromagnetic material content, or magnetic drug carrier particle or seed saturation magnetization, all positively and significantly affected λ_c, while increasing the average blood velocity adversely affected it. Increasing the number of seeds or decreasing the seed separation, with both causing less significant increases in λ_c, verified that cooperative magnetic effects exist between the seeds that enhance the performance. Overall, these theoretical results were encouraging as they showed the viability of this minimally invasive, implant assisted-magnetic drug targeting approach for targeting drugs or radiation in capillary beds.     

On the relation between inclusive and exclusive p⊥ distributions

Inclusive and exclusive scattering is studied within an impact parameter framework. It is shown that the inclusive p_⊥ distribution at a fixed value of c.m. longitudinal momentum, p_6;, is governed only by the impact parameter structure of the observed particle. Next we introduce to each of the produced particles a radius, which is assumed to be independent of all the other particles, including those in the initial state. This enables us, at a fixed value of p₆, to relate the elastic πN, KN and NN data, at lab momenta of less than 20 GeV, to the pion, kaon, proton and antiproton inclusive p_⊥ distributions at ISR energies.     

Probing polymer nanocomposite morphology by small angle neutron scattering

Polyamide nanocomposite films were prepared from nanometer-sized silica particles having particle radius of gyration (R _g) of about 66 Å and trimesoyl chloride-m-phenylene diamine-based polyamides having macromolecular units of about 100–140 Å. The nanoscale morphology of the samples was characterized using small angle neutron scattering (SANS). SANS reveals that silica nanoparticles interact well with the polyamide units only at limited silica loading.     

The scattering matrix of transparent particles of random shape in the geometrical optics approximation

A numerical model that allows one to calculate elements of the scattering matrix for transparent particles of random shape in the geometrical optics approximation is presented. It is shown that a deviation from sphericity, which, in particular, is modeled by a reduction of the number of triangular facets approximating a sphere, essentially affects the magnitude, position, and width of peaks of the photometric and polarimetric indicatrices. Thus, when 1500 facets were used for the approximation, the amplitude of the polarimetric peak associated with the first rainbow, which is located close to the scattering angle 160°, decreases by a factor of two. Calculations showed that, in the region of backscattering, for particles of an arbitrary shape, the linear polarization ?F ₁₂/F ₁₁ has no negative branch, which is well observed for spherical particles. In going from spherical to nonspherical particles, the backscattering peak also disappears. The indicatrices for particles of irregular shape that were calculated for small distances from the center of a particle noticeably differ from the indicatrices at infinity. Thus, when simulating multiple scattering in dense powderlike media, the use of particle scattering indicatrices that were calculated for infinite distances is incorrect even in the geometrical optics approximation.     

Size effects in the exciton energy and first-order phase transitions in CuCl nanocrystals in glass

The absorption spectra and the melting and crystallization kinetics of CuCl nanocrystals in glass are investigated in the range of particle radii 1–30 nm. Three discontinuities are found on the curves representing the size dependence of the melting point T _m(R) and the crystallization point T _c(R). As the particle radius gradually decreases from 30 nm in the range R⩽12.4 nm there is a sudden 60° drop in the temperature T _c in connection with the radius of the critical CuCl nucleus in the melt. A 30° drop in T _m is observed at R=2.1 nm, and a second drop of 16° in the temperature T _c is observed for CuCl particles of radius 1.8 nm. The last two drops are associated with changes in the equilibrium shape of the nanoparticles. In the range of smaller particles, R⩽1.34 nm the T _c(R) curve is observed to merge with the T _m(R) curve, owing to the disappearance of the work of formation of the crystal surface during crystallization of the melt as a result of the zero surface tension of CuCl particles of radii commensurate with the thickness of the effective surface layer. An increase in the size shift of the exciton energy is observed in this same range of CuCl particle radii (1–1.8 nm). The size dependence of the melting and crystallization temperatures of the nanoparticles is attributed to variation of the free energy in the surface layer of a particle. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 41, 310–318 (February 1999)     

Light scattering by Gaussian random ellipsoid particles: First results with discrete-dipole approximation

We introduce the stochastic geometry of a Gaussian random ellipsoid (GE) and, with the discrete-dipole approximation, carry out preliminary computations for light scattering by wavelength-scale GE particles. In the GE geometry, we describe the base ellipsoid by the three semiaxes a?b?c. The axial ratios b:a and c:a appear as two shape parameters additional to those of the Gaussian random sphere geometry (GS). We compare the scattering characteristics of GE particles to those of ellipsoids. Introducing irregularities on ellipsoids smoothens the angular scattering characteristics, in a way analogous to the smoothening of spherical particle characteristics in the case of GS particles.     

Surface Microparticles in Liquid Helium. Quantum Archimedes’ Principle

Deviations from Archimedes’ principle for spherical molecular hydrogen particles with the radius R₀ at the surface of ⁴He liquid helium have been investigated. The classical Archimedes’ principle holds if R₀ is larger than the helium capillary length L_cap ? 500 μm. In this case, the elevation of a particle above the liquid is h₊ ~ R₀. At 30 μm < R₀ < 500 μm, the buoyancy is suppressed by the surface tension and h₊ ~ R³₀/L²_cap. At R₀ < 30 μm, the particle is situated beneath the surface of the liquid. In this case, the buoyancy competes with the Casimir force, which repels the particle from the surface deep into the liquid. The distance of the particle to the surface is h_- ~ R^5/3_c/R^2/3₀ if R₀ > R_c. Here, \({R_c} \cong {\left( {\frac{{\hbar c}}{{\rho g}}} \right)^{1/5}} \approx 1\), where ? is Planck’s constant, c is the speed of light, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and ρ is the mass density of helium. For very small particles (R₀ < R_c), the distance h_ to the surface of the liquid is independent of their size, h_ = R_c.     

2D aggregate sizing by combining laser-induced incandescence (LII) and elastic light scattering (ELS)

The combination of laser-induced incandescence and elastic light scattering has been further developed to allow for a quantitative two-dimensional determination of characteristic properties of soot aggregates, namely radius of gyration R _g and number N _p of primary particles per aggregate. In demonstrating the principle of the method, we have in a first approach approximated the particle ensemble as monodisperse and used a structure factor with an exponential cut-off function. Nonetheless, experiments performed on a laminar premixed ethene flame demonstrate basically good agreement with observations from literature and data from electron microscopy on thermophoretically obtained samples.     

A Light and X‐Ray Scattering Study of Aqueous Micellar Solutions of a Diblock Copolymer of Propylene Oxide and Ethylene Oxide with Solubilized Alkylcyanobiphenyl Liquid Crystals

Abstract

The temperature and concentration dependences of the physicochemical properties of aqueous solutions of the diblock copolymer P₄₃E₃₁₂ (P = oxypropylene, E = oxyethylene) with solubilized liquid crystal (LC) have been studied using static and dynamic light scattering (SLS and DLS), small‐angle x‐ray scattering (SAXS), and ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. Relaxation time distributions from DLS obtained from inverse Laplace transformation of intensity correlation functions are multimodal, where the two fastest modes are attributed to diblock copolymer unimers and micelles, respectively. The remaining modes at longer decay times reflect the presence of free LC with hydrodynamic radii (R _h) of hundreds of nm. The R _h of both unimers and micelles were independent of temperature (T), while the hydrodynamic virial coefficient k _D and the second virial coefficient, A ₂, decreased with increasing T. The UV spectroscopy measurements showed that there is a reduction in the amount of solubilized LC per gram of copolymer (c _s) as the copolymer concentration (c _p) is increased. The SAXS results agree well with a model of a homogeneous system of polydisperse interacting hard spheres. In solution, both the effective micellar radius of interaction (R _eff) and the hard‐sphere micellar radius (R¯_s) increase in the presence of LC due to solubilization of the latter in the hydrophobic micellar core. Both SAXS and SLS results show that intermicellar interactions become important at c _p > 1% (w/w) at high temperatures [T > the critical micelle temperature (cmt)].     

Maximum coefficient of light extinction in a nonabsorbing dispersive medium

The maximum value of the light extinction coefficient μ, which can be observed in a dispersive medium with a relative refractive index n of the scattering particles, is studied within the framework of a quasi-crystalline approximation for nonabsorbing dispersive media consisting of monodisperse spherical scatterers. A change in the diffraction parameter x of the scattering particles and their volume concentration c _v is accompanied by nonmonotonic variations of the extinction coefficient, and the function μ(x, c _v ) exhibits several maxima. The dimensions and concentrations of particles are determined, for which the extinction coefficient reaches the absolute maximum μ^max. The μ^max value exhibits a monotonic growth with increasing relative refractive index n of the scattering particles. The conditions of validity of the Ioffe-Regel criterion of radiation localization have been studied. It is established that the localization in nonabsorbing dispersive media can be observed only for n ? 2.7. The intervals of x and c _v in which the criterion of radiation localization is satisfied in dispersive media consisting of particles with n = 3.0 and 3.5 are determined.     

Interacting Frenkel defects at high concentration and the superionic transition in fluorite crystals

A spherical cell model is proposed to account for the explicit concentration dependence of Frenkel defects in an ionic system. In the model, the linearized Debye-Hückel equation is soluble exactly, subject to the boundary condition that the electric field is zero at the cell boundary R, related to the concentration c of defects by $\text{R ∝ c}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$This screened field is used to calculate the chemical potential, which in turn leads to a condition for the instability of the interacting defect assembly. This condition allows one to calculate the enhancement of the concentration of defects above its Arrhenius value at the point of instability in terms of (a) the critical concentration c₀, (b) $\text{a}\text{R}$, where a is the radius of defect and (c) the Debye-Hückel screening length k_c.It is clear from the cell model that this enhancement factor is reduced somewhat in the relevant range of parameters in some of the fluorites from its value in extended Debye-Hückel theory. It is anticipated that the instability discussed here should afford an upper bound to c_v, at the superionic transition, within the range of validity of the model. The excess heat capacity c_p is also discussed briefly.     

Particle effects on the emissivity and temperature of optically thick, mixed media retrieved by mid-IR emission spectroscopy

Passive diagnostics offer new ways of obtaining real-time data for the control and modeling of industrial furnaces. It has been proposed elsewhere that from the intensity profile between 3.8 and 4.7 μm one may derive the temperature of a gas-particle medium and the particle emissivity (ε_p) at 3.95 μm. This technique applies to large columns of combustion products with enough CO₂. The temperature is retrieved by finding the best fit between Planck's function and the intensity profile between 4.56 and 4.7 μm, which is that of a blackbody due to CO₂ saturation. Here we consider the effect of particles on the intensity profile and, therefore, on the retrieved temperature and particle emissivity. We derive an analytic approximation of the effective emissivity for an optically thick gas-particle mixture that includes emission and absorption due to particles and gases, along with isotropic particle scattering. The derivation follows the method of embedded invariance and has been used already for particle-only clouds. It yields a spectral solution that is applicable in other infrared regions where gas and particle optical thicknesses are large. A key parameter (χ) is the ratio of the gas absorption coefficient to the particle extinction coefficient. For χ=1 and ε_p=0.5, particle effects decrease the gas band profile by 5% from that of a blackbody. For χ<1 and ε_p<0.5, particle effects on the calculated temperature and particle emissivity are noticeable and particle effects should be considered. If χ is known, an iterative procedure may be used to calculate temperature and particle emissivity. We illustrate this procedure with data from a coal-fired boiler. Accounting for particle effects, temperatures were 4% higher (at about 1500 K) and particle emissivities 28% lower (for ε_p within 0.3-05) than without considering these effects.     

Concentrated suspension theory of sound attenuation in marine sediments—linear dependence of absorption coefficient on frequency

Statistical averages of acoustic scattering and attenuation in sea bed sediments, and of the corresponding sea bed absorption coefficients, are obtained. The multiple scattering interactions among the particles in concentrated suspension are taken into account. The suspensions are assumed to be a collection of spherical particles of various sizes, and for which the masses corresponding to various radii follow a normal distribution. The numerical results obtained show that the absorption coefficient has a linear dependence on frequency if there is a sufficiently broad distribution of the particle radii. However, if βR ? 1, where R is particle radius and β is the viscous wavenumber, the absorption may be proportional to the frequency raised to a power higher than unity. Comparisons of results with some published experimental data are presented.     

Inflation of fireballs, the gluon wind and the homogeneity of the HBT radii at RHIC

We solve analytically the ellipsoidally expanding fireball hydrodynamics with source terms in the momentum and energy equations, using the non-relativistic approximation. We find that energy transport for high-p _tjets of gluons to the medium leads to a transient, exponential inflation of the fireballs created in high energy heavy ion collisions. In this transient, inflatory period, the slopes of the single particle spectra are exponentially increasing, while the HBT radius parameters are exponentially decreasing with time. This effect is shown to be similar to the development of the homogeneity of our Universe due to an inflatory period. Independently of the initial conditions, and the exact value of freeze-out time and temperature, the measurables (single particle spectra, the correlation functions, slope parameters, elliptic flow, HBT radii and cross terms) become time-independent during the late, non-inflatory stages of the expansion, and they satisfy a new kind of scaling laws. If the expansion starts with a transient inflation caused by the gluon wind, it leads naturally to large transverse flows as well as to the simultaneous equality, and scaling behaviour of the HBT radius parameters, R _side≈R _out≈R _long≈t _f √T _f /m. With certain relativistic corrections, the scaling limit is 281-2, where m _tis the mean transverse mass of the pair.     

Superconductivity in mesoscopic high-Tc superconducting particles

Based on the Hubbard model in the framework of non-phonon kinematical mechanism and taking into account the discreetness of an electronic energy spectrum, the superconducting critical temperature of a mesoscopic high-T_c sphere is analyzed as a function of doping and as a function of particle's radius. The critical temperature T_c is found to be an oscillating function of the radius of a particle. The size-dependent doping regime is revealed in high-T_c nanoparticles. Our analysis shows that each oscillation in T_c corresponds to the increase in a number of the energy levels in the sphere by 1. The amplitude of oscillations of T_c increases with decreasing R and can reach a value of 6 K for nanoparticles with sizes about 25 nm, in good agreement with experimental studies of YBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ nanoparticles.     

Structural study of nanoporous carbon produced from polycrystalline carbide materials: Small-angle x-ray scattering

An x-ray small-angle scattering study is reported of the structure of nanoporous carbon prepared by chlorinating carbide compounds having different crystal structures (SiC, TiC, Mo₂C). The measurements were carried out both in reflection and transmission. The angular dependences of the scattering intensity obtained are treated as a result of scattering from nanoparticles of different size. By unfolding the experimental curves into components corresponding to particles with different gyration radii R _g, scatterer distribution functions in gyration radius m(R _g) were found. It is shown that, irrespective of the type of the starting carbide, particles with R _g～5 Å make up the largest fraction in porous carbon. Samples prepared from different carbides differ in the degree of nanoparticle uniformity in size. The most uniform in size are nanoparticles in the samples prepared from SiC, in which the average value R _g ^av <6 Å. Nanoparticles in the porous carbon produced from Mo₂C are about twice larger.     

Non-linear BFKL dynamics: Color screening vs. gluon fusion

A feasible mechanism of unitarization of amplitudes of deep inelastic scattering at small values of Bjorken x is the gluon fusion. However, its efficiency depends crucially on the vacuum color screening effect which accompanies the multiplication and the diffusion of BFKL gluons from small to large distances. From the fits to lattice data on field strength correlators the propagation length of perturbative gluons is R _c ? (0.2–0.3) fm. The probability to find a perturbative gluon with short propagation length at large distances is suppressed exponentially. It changes the pattern of (dif)fusion dramatically. The magnitude of the fusion effect appears to be controlled by the new dimensionless parameter ～ R _c ² /8B, with the diffraction cone slope B standing for the characteristic size of the interaction region. It should slowly ∝ 1/lnQ ₂ decrease at large Q ². Smallness of the ratio R _c ² /8B makes the non-linear effects rather weak even at lowest Bjorken x available at HERA. We report the results of our studies of the non-linear BFKL equation which has been generalized to incorporate the running coupling and the screening radius, R _c as the infrared regulator.     

Modeling and prediction of density distribution and microstructure in particleboards from acoustic properties by correlation of non-contact high-resolution pulsed air-coupled ultrasound and X-ray images

Non-destructive density and microstructure quality control testing in particleboards (PBs) is necessary in production lines. A pulsed air-coupled ultrasound (ACU) high-resolution normal transmission system, together with a first wave tracking algorithm, were developed to image amplitude transmission G_p and velocity c_p distributions at 120 kHz for PBs of specific nominal densities and five particle geometries, which were then correlated to X-ray in-plane density images ρ_s. Test PBs with a homogeneous vertical density profile were manufactured in a laboratory environment and conditioned in a standard climate (T = 20 °C, RH = 65%) before the measurements. Continuous trends (R² > 0.97) were obtained by matching the lateral resolution of X-ray images with the ACU sound field radius $({\sigma }_w^o=21\text{mm})$ and by clustering the scatter plots. ρ_s ↦ c_p was described with a three-parameter non-linear model for each particle geometry, allowing for ACU density prediction with 3% uncertainty and PB testing according to EN312. ρ_s ↦ G_p was modeled by calculating ACU coupling gain and by fitting inverse power laws with offset of ρ_s and c_p to material attenuation, which scaled with particle volume. G_p and c_p variations with the frequency were examined, showing thickness resonances and scattering attenuation. The combination of ACU and X-ray data enabled successful particle geometry classification. The observed trends were interpreted in terms of multi-scale porosity and grain scattering with finite-difference time-domain simulations, which modeled arbitrarily complex stiffness and density distributions. The proposed method allows for non-contact determination of relations between acoustic properties and in-plane density distribution in plate materials. In future work, commercial PBs with non-uniform vertical density profiles should be investigated.     

Effective medium approximation for optical bistability in nonlinear metal-dielectric composites

A general theory based on the spectral representation method and effective medium approximation is adopted to investigate the optical bistable behavior in a nonlinear two-phase composite with symmetrical microstructure, in which the metal particles of the volume fraction p and the dielectric particles of the volume fraction 1−p are randomly dispersed but oriented with respect to one another. The relation between the spatial average of local field squared and the external applied field is established through the spectral density function m(x), obtained from the modified Bruggeman effective medium approximation. We find that the optical bistability (OB) is dependent on the depolarization factor L of the components and the volume fraction p. For a given p, we predict that OB can be observed only when L is larger than the critical value L_c, and bistable behavior is more pronounced at large L. Moreover, numerical results show that both the upper threshold field and the width of OB region increase monotonically as L increases. The field-dependent reflectance at normal incidence R in random composites is also investigated.