MR imaging of fatigue stress injuries to bones: intra- and interobserver agreement

The aim of this study was to determine the validity of MR imaging (MRI) in the assessment of stress-related injuries to bone.MR images of 50 military recruits (8 females and 42 males; 18-27 (mean 20) years of age) were retrospectively evaluated twice for stress injuries to bone by 4 radiologists (2 musculoskeletal radiologists, 2 radiology residents). Coronal T1-weighed (T1W) and STIR images, as well as axial and coronal T2-weighted (T2W) fat-suppressed images were taken using a 1.0T scanner. Rates for sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of MRI of the stress-related injuries were calculated. Intraobserver and interobserver agreement was determined with kappa statistics.Rates for MRI sensitivity were 27-96%, for specificity 65-100%, and for diagnostic accuracy 58-97%. Lowest rates were seen when reading T1W images and highest when reading STIR images. Readers showed moderate to excellent intraobserver agreement (kappa 0.75-0.95). Interobserver agreement was fair to excellent (kappa 0.41-0.91), and the lowest values were seen in the interpretation of T1W images. Normal findings could be differentiated from various grades of stress injury to bone.MRI is a valid means of revealing the presence of stress injuries to bone and their staging. Observer agreement is good to excellent when using T2W images and STIR images, while T1W images are of lesser value.     

Influence of interparticle interactions on the kinetics of self-assembly and mechanical strength of nanoparticulate aggregates

Computer simulations based on Discrete Element Method have been performed in order to investigate the influence of interparticle interactions on the kinetics of self-assembly and the mechanical strength of nanoparticle aggregates.Three different systems have been considered.In the first system the interaction between particles has been simulated using the JKR (Johnson,Kendall and Roberts) contact theory,while in the second and third systems the interaction between particles has been simulated using van der Waals and electrostatic forces respectively.In order to compare the mechanical behaviour of the three systems,the magnitude of the maximum attractive force between particles has been kept the same in all cases.However,the relationship between force and separation distance differs from case to case and thus,the range of the interparticle force.The results clearly indicate that as the range of the interparticle force increases,the self-assembly process is faster and the work required to produce the mechanical failure of the assemblies increases by more than one order of magnitude.     

JT-60U装置温度分布剖面不变性的实验研究

在一系列H模放电条件下，建立了一个旨在研究等离子体温度分布剖面不变性的数据库。介绍了数据库建立过程中要解决的关键问题和所用软件，对等离子体温度分布剖面不变性及芯部约束与边缘参数的关系进行了研究。     

Study of excited states in49V with the48Ti (p, γ)49V reaction

In the⁴⁸Ti(p, γ)⁴⁹V reaction gamma decays of thirteen resonances betweenE _p =960 and 1570 keV are investigated. Level energies within ±0.5–±2.0 keV andQ-value 6756.8±1.5 keV are obtained. Branching ratios for the resonance states and strongly populated bound states are given. Gamma-ray angular distribution measurements yield the followingJ(keV) assignments of⁴⁹V bound and resonance states:J(1140)=5/2,J ^π(2235)=5/2^(?),J(2264)=(3/2),J(2308)=3/2,J(3912)=3/2,J(8105,Ep=1374keV)=(1/2) andJ ^π(8289,E _p =1564keV)=3/2^(?). Multipolarity mixing ratios for all measured primary and secondary gamma rays are tabulated. Dopplershift attenuation measurements yield the mean lifetimes τ _m (keV) of the following bound states in⁴⁹V:τ _m (748)=(200± ₁₀₀ ⁴⁰⁰ )fs, τ _m (1140)=(250± ₁₀₀ ⁵⁰⁰ )fs, τ _m (1155)>400 fs, τ _m (1515)=(45± ₂₀ ³⁰ )fs, τ _m (1644)=(55± ₂₀ ³⁰ )fs, τ _m (1661)=(25±5)fs, τ _m (1994)>400 fs, τ _m (2235)=(30± ₁₅ ³⁰ )fs, τ _m (2264)=(45± ₁₅ ³⁰ )fs and τ _m (2308)=(20±10)fs.     

FiD: a software for ab initio structural identification of product ions from tandem mass spectrometric data

We present FiD (Fragment iDentificator), a software tool for the structural identification of product ions produced with tandem mass spectrometric measurement of low molecular weight organic compounds. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has proven to be an indispensable tool in modern, cell-wide metabolomics and fluxomics studies. In such studies, the structural information of the MS(n) product ions is usually needed in the downstream analysis of the measurement data. The manual identification of the structures of MS(n) product ions is, however, a nontrivial task requiring expertise, and calls for computer assistance. Commercial software tools, such as Mass Frontier and ACD/MS Fragmenter, rely on fragmentation rule databases for the identification of MS(n) product ions. FiD, on the other hand, conducts a combinatorial search over all possible fragmentation paths and outputs a ranked list of alternative structures. This gives the user an advantage in situations where the MS/MS data of compounds with less well-known fragmentation mechanisms are processed. FiD software implements two fragmentation models, the single-step model that ignores intermediate fragmentation states and the multi-step model, which allows for complex fragmentation pathways. The software works for MS/MS data produced both in positive- and negative-ion modes. The software has an easy-to-use graphical interface with built-in visualization capabilities for structures of product ions and fragmentation pathways. In our experiments involving amino acids and sugar-phosphates, often found, e.g., in the central carbon metabolism of yeasts, FiD software correctly predicted the structures of product ions on average in 85% of the cases. The FiD software is free for academic use and is available for download from www.cs.helsinki.fi/group/sysfys/software/fragid. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection of volatile organic compounds by temperature-programmed desorption combined with mass spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

A temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) device connected to a mass spectrometer was used to detect volatile organic compounds from air samples. The main aim was to develop an analytical method, by which both non-polar and polar organic components can be detected in the same run. In TPD, the adsorbed compounds are desorbed from the resin more slowly than in the conventional trapping techniques, such as purge-and-trap technique, in which the resin is flash-heated and the compounds are desorbed at the same time to a cryogenic trap or an analytical column. In TPD, the adsorbent resin acts also as an analytical column. In this way it is possible to obtain more rapid analysis, and also a more simple instrumentation, which can be used on-line and on-site. In this work, a new version of TPD device, which uses a resistor for heating and a Peltier element for rapid cooling, was designed and constructed. Various adsorbent resins were tested for their adsorption and desorption properties of both polar and non-polar compounds. When using a mixture of adsorbent resins, Tenax TA and HayeSep D, it was possible to analyze both polar, low-molecular weight compounds, such as methanol and ethanol, and non-polar volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and toluene, in the same run within 15 min including sampling. The same TPD principle was also tested using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer as an analytical instrument, and the results showed that it was possible to obtain a separation of similar compounds, such as hexane and heptane, and still retaining the same sensitivity as the original on-line FTIR instrument.     

Performance of slotted pores in particle manufacture using rotating membrane emulsification

This paper addresses the use of different slotted pores in rotating membrane emulsification technology.Pores of square and rectangular shapes were studied to understand the effect of aspect ratio (1-3.5) and their orientation on oil droplet formation.Increasing the membrane rotation speed decreased the droplet size,and the oil droplets produced were more uniform using slotted pores as compared to circular geometry.At a given rotation speed,the droplet size was mainly determined by the pore size and the fluid velocity of oil through the pore (pore fluid velocity).The ratio of droplet diameter to the equivalent diameter of the slotted pore increased with the pore fluid velocity.At a given pore fluid velocity and rotation speed,pore orientation significantly influences the droplet formation rate: horizontally disposed pores (with their longer side perpendicular to the membrane axis) generate droplets at double the rate of vertically disposed pores.This work indicates practical benefits in the use of slotted membranes over conventional methods.     

Nanoporous metal organic framework materials for hydrogen storage

Hydrogen is expected to play an important role in future transportation as a promising alternative clean energy source to carbon-based fuels.One of the key challenges to commercialize hydrogen energy is to develop appropriate onboard hydrogen storage systems,capable of charging and discharging large quantities of hydrogen with fast enough kinetics to meet commercial requirements.Metal organic framework (MOF) is a new type of inorganic and organic hybrid nanoporous particulate materials.Its diverse networks can enhance hydrogen storage through tuning the structure and property of MOFs.The MOF materials so far developed adsorb hydrogen through weak disperston interactions,which allow significant quantity of hydrogen to be stored at cryogenic temperatures with fast kinetics.Novel MOFs are being developed to strengthen the interactions between hydrogen and MOFs in order to store hydrogen under ambient conditions.This review surveys the development of such candidate materials,their performance and future research needs.