Femoral head avascular necrosis in sickle cell anemia: MR characteristics

Since considerable expansion of hematopoietic marrow occurs in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), magnetic resonance images of 20 hips in 10 patients with known homozygous SCA were reviewed to determine a) if low signal hematopoietic marrow extended into the femoral capital epiphysis and b) if the MR characteristics of avascular necrosis (AVN) differed depending on the type of epiphyseal marrow. Our results revealed variable epiphyseal marrow type; mixed (fatty and hematopoietic) marrow (42%), fatty marrow (32%), hematopoietic marrow (16%) and hemosiderotic marrow (10%). AVN occurred irrespective of the underlying marrow. Segmental areas of low signal intensity in variable shapes (ring, band, crescent or large homogeneous area) was the most consistent MR manifestation of AVN in SCA. A low signal intensity peripheral rim surrounding a central zone, isointense with epiphyseal marrow on T₁ and T₂ weighted images, was most frequently observed similar to that described in patients without hemoglobinopathy. The notable difference, however, was of segmental areas within the same femoral head that demonstrated variable central zone signal on T₂ weighted images. Further, while an increase in hip joint fluid is commonly seen with both early and advanced AVN in patients without hemoglobinopathy; it was increased in only one hip in patients with SCA. The observed differences in MR characteristics may be due to different pathophysiology of AVN in patients with SCA.     

Underwater ambient noise on the Chukchi Sea continental slope from 2006-2009

From September 2006 to June 2009, an autonomous acoustic recorder measured ambient noise north of Barrow, Alaska on the continental slope at 235 m depth, between the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Mean monthly spectrum levels, selected to exclude impulsive events, show that months with open-water had the highest noise levels (80-83 dB re: 1 μPa(2)/Hz at 20-50 Hz), months with ice coverage had lower spectral levels (70 dB at 50 Hz), and months with both ice cover and low wind speeds had the lowest noise levels (65 dB at 50 Hz). During ice covered periods in winter-spring there was significant transient energy between 10 and 100 Hz from ice fracture events. During ice covered periods in late spring there were significantly fewer transient events. Ambient noise increased with wind speed by ~ 1 dB/m/s for relatively open-water (0%-25% ice cover) and by ~ 0.5 dB/m/s for nearly complete ice cover (> 75%). In September and early October for all years, mean noise levels were elevated by 2-8 dB due to the presence of seismic surveys in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.     

Fish otolith trace element maps: new approaches with synchrotron microbeam x‐ray fluorescence

Otoliths, the carbonate earstones of fishes, take up minor and trace amounts of elements as they accrete through a fish's life. We apply synchrotron microbeam x‐ray fluorescence methods to establish a breakthrough in high‐resolution, simultaneous area mapping of multiple trace elements in otoliths, with spatial resolution down to 20 µm and trace element detection down into the part per million range for multiple elements. Concentration maps of Ca, Sr, Zn and, for the first time, Ba, Mn, and Se are obtained simultaneously. Combinations of these elemental maps provide new insights into the environmental history of fishes and their lifetime movements, illustrated by several case studies. This method helps pave the way toward improved spatial analysis of otolith microchemistry. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

MR detection of mechanical vibrations using a radiofrequency field gradient

A new method for NMR characterization of mechanical waves, based upon radiofrequency field gradient for motion encoding, is proposed. A binomial B1 gradient excitation scheme was used to visualize the mobile spins undergoing a periodic transverse mechanical excitation. A simple model was designed to simulate the NMR signal as a function of the wave frequency excitation and the periodicity of the NMR pulse sequence. The preliminary results were obtained on a gel phantom at low vibration frequencies (0-200 Hz) by using a ladder-shaped coil generating a nearly constant RF field gradient along a specific known direction. For very small displacements and/or B1 gradients, the NMR signal measured on a gel phantom was proportional to the vibration amplitude and the pulse sequence was shown to be selective with respect to the vibration frequency. A good estimation of the direction of vibrations was obtained by varying the angle between the motion direction and the B1 gradient. The method and its use in parallel to more conventional MR elastography techniques are discussed. The presented approach might be of interest for noninvasive investigation of elastic properties of soft tissues and other materials.     

Temporary shift in masked hearing thresholds in odontocetes after exposure to single underwater impulses from a seismic watergun

A behavioral response paradigm was used to measure masked underwater hearing thresholds in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and a white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) before and after exposure to single underwater impulsive sounds produced from a seismic watergun. Pre- and postexposure thresholds were compared to determine if a temporary shift in masked hearing thresholds (MTTS), defined as a 6-dB or larger increase in postexposure thresholds, occurred. Hearing thresholds were measured at 0.4, 4, and 30 kHz. MTTSs of 7 and 6 dB were observed in the white whale at 0.4 and 30 kHz, respectively, approximately 2 min following exposure to single impulses with peak pressures of 160 kPa, peak-to-peak pressures of 226 dB re 1 microPa, and total energy fluxes of 186 dB re 1 microPa2 x s. Thresholds returned to within 2 dB of the preexposure value approximately 4 min after exposure. No MTTS was observed in the dolphin at the highest exposure conditions: 207 kPa peak pressure, 228 dB re 1 microPa peak-to-peak pressure, and 188 dB re 1 microPa2 x s total energy flux.     

Approximate chemical analysis of volcanic glasses using Raman spectroscopy

The effect of chemical composition on the Raman spectra of a series of natural calcalkaline silicate glasses has been quantified by performing electron microprobe analyses and obtaining Raman spectra on glassy filaments (~450 µm) derived from a magma mingling experiment. The results provide a robust compositionally‐dependent database for the Raman spectra of natural silicate glasses along the calcalkaline series. An empirical model based on both the acquired Raman spectra and an ideal mixing equation between calcalkaline basaltic and rhyolitic end‐members is constructed enabling the estimation of the chemical composition and degree of polymerization of silicate glasses using Raman spectra. The model is relatively insensitive to acquisition conditions and has been validated using the MPI‐DING geochemical standard glasses 1 as well as further samples. The methods and model developed here offer several advantages compared with other analytical and spectroscopic methods such as infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, electron and ion microprobe analyses, inasmuch as Raman spectroscopy can be performed with a high spatial resolution (1 µm²) without the need for any sample preparation as a nondestructive technique. This study represents an advance in efforts to provide the first database of Raman spectra for natural silicate glasses and yields a new approach for the treatment of Raman spectra, which allows us to extract approximate information about the chemical composition of natural silicate glasses using Raman spectroscopy. We anticipate its application in handheld in situ terrestrial field studies of silicate glasses under extreme conditions (e.g. extraterrestrial and submarine environments). © 2015 The Authors Journal of Raman Spectroscopy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

Improved depiction of small anatomic structures in MR images using Gaussian-weighted spirals and zero-filled interpolation

Partial-volume artifacts reduce the contrast and continuity of small structures in magnetic resonance images. Zero-filled interpolation (ZFI) has been known for some time as a useful technique to reduce partial-volume artifacts and improve the appearance of small structures and edges. However, its use is limited by the fact that ZFI can exacerbate image artifacts. For example, it can exacerbate Gibbs ringing, also known as the truncation artifact, which manifests itself as spurious ringing around sharp edges. Currently, the most common technique to address this problem is post-acquisition filtering, which causes blurring in the image. Using ZFI in conjunction with a variable-density sampling method designed to reduce ringing is proposed as a possible solution to this problem. This approach is demonstrated with a Gaussian-weighted spiral and is compared to conventional spiral sampling both with and without the application of a filter used to reduce ringing. The two spiral sampling techniques are compared using simulations, phantom images, and in vivo brain images. The Gaussian-weighted spiral demonstrates reduced ringing without the loss of spatial resolution commonly associated with post-acquisition filtering. Additionally, this sampling technique is shown to work well in conjunction with ZFI to reduce partial-volume artifacts without the apparent increase in Gibbs ringing usually associated with zero-filled reconstruction. This approach will be most useful for imaging techniques such as MR angiography which are known to be sensitive to partial-volume effects, as well as when imaging anatomic regions associated with more severe Gibbs ringing.     

Analytical comparison between the surface current integral equation and the second-order small-slope approximation

This paper is the third in a series discussing a new approximate bistatic model for electromagnetic scattering from perfectly conducting rough surfaces. Our previous approach supplemented the Kirchhoff model through the addition of new terms involving linear orders in slope and surface elevation differences that arise naturally from a second iteration of the surface current integral equation. This completion of the Kirchhoff was shown to provide the correct first-order small perturbation method (SPM-1) in the general bistatic context. The agreement with SPM-1 was achieved because differences of surface heights are no longer expanded in powers of surface slope. While consistent with SPM, our previous formulation fails to reconverge toward the Kirchhoff model, at some incidence and scattered angles, when the illuminated surface satisfies the high frequency roughness condition. This weakness is also shared with the first-order small slope approximation (SSA-1) which is structurally equivalent to our previous formulation where the polarization is independent of surface roughness. The second-order small slope approximation (SSA-2), which satisfies the SPM-1 and second-order small perturbation method (SPM-2) limits by construction, was shown by Voronovich to converge toward the tangent plane approximation of the Kirchhoff model under high frequency conditions. In the present paper, we show that, in addition to the linear orders in our previous model, one must now include cross-terms between slope and surface elevation to ensure convergence toward both high frequency and small perturbation limits. With the inclusion of these terms, our new formulation becomes comparable to the SSA-2 (second-order kernel) without the need to evaluate all the quadratic order slope and elevations terms. SSA-2 is more complete, however, in the sense that it guarantees convergence toward the second-order Bragg limit (SPM-2) in the fully dielectric case in addition to both SPM-1 and Kirchhoff. Our new generalization is shown to explain correctly extra depolarization in specular conditions to be caused by surface curvature and surface autocorrelation for incoherent and coherent scattering, respectively. This result will have large repercussions on the interpretation of bistatically reflected signals such as those from GPS.     

Total Positivity Properties of Generalized Hypergeometric Functions of Matrix Argument

In multivariate statistical analysis, several authors have studied the total positivity properties of the generalized (₀ F ₁) hypergeometric function of two real symmetric matrix arguments. In this paper, we make use of zonal polynomial expansions to obtain a new proof of a result that these ₀ F ₁functions fail to satisfy certain pairwise total positivity properties; this proof extends both to arbitrary generalized ( _r F _s ) functions of two matrix arguments and to the generalized hypergeometric functions of Hermitian matrix arguments. In the case of the generalized hypergeometric functions of two Hermitian matrix arguments, we prove that these functions satisfy certain modified pairwise TP₂properties; the proofs of these results are based on Sylvester's formula for compound determinants and the condensation formula of C. L. Dodgson [Lewis Carroll] (1866).     

Short-Range Inverse-Square Law Experiment in Space

The objective of ISLES (Inverse-Square Law Experiment in Space) is to perform a null test of Newton's law in space with a resolution of one part in 10⁵ or better at 100 m. ISLES will be sensitive enough to detect axions with the strongest allowed coupling and probe large extra dimensions of string theory down to a few m. The experiment will be cooled to 2 K, which permits superconducting magnetic levitation of the test masses. This soft, low-loss suspension, combined with a low-noise SQUID, leads to extremely low intrinsic noise in the detector. To minimize Newtonian errors, ISLES employs a near null source, a circular disk of large diameter-to-thickness ratio. Two test masses, also disk-shaped, are suspended on the two sides of the source mass at a nominal distance of 100 m. The signal is detected by a superconducting differential accelerometer.