A comparative study of magnetic resonance venography techniques for the evaluation of the internal jugular veins in multiple sclerosis patients

Background and Purpose

The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the vascular nature of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) is a growing field of research. This work reports on the application of MR angiographic (MRA) and venographic (MRV) techniques in assessing the extracranial vasculature in MS patients.

Materials and Methods

A standardized MRI protocol containing 2D TOF-MRV and dynamic 3D contrast-enhanced (CE) MRAV was run for 170 MS patients and 40 healthy controls (HC). The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the internal jugular veins (IJVs) was measured at three neck levels in all subjects for both MRV techniques to determine the presence of venous stenoses. All data were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

For the values where both methods showed signal, the 3D method showed larger CSA measurement values compared to 2D methods in both IJVs, in both MS and HC subjects which was confirmed with student paired t-tests. Of the 170 MS patients, 93 (55%) in CE-MRAV and 103 (61%) in TOF-MRV showed stenosis in at least one IJV. The corresponding numbers for the 40 HC subjects were 2 (5%) and 4 (10%), respectively. Carotid ectasias with IJV stenosis were seen in 26 cases (15%) with 3D CE-MRAV and were not observable with 2D TOF-MRV. Carotid ectasias were not seen in the HC group. In the 2D TOF-MRV data, banding of the IJVs related to slow flow was seen in 58 (34%) MS cases and in no HC cases. MS patients showed lower average CSAs than the HC subjects.

Conclusion

The 3D CE MRAV depicted the vascular anatomy more completely than the 2D TOF-MRV. However, the 3D CE MRAV does not provide any information about the flow characteristics which are indirectly available in the 2D TOF-MRV in those cases where there is slow flow.     

The integrable Boussinesq equation and it’s breather,lump and soliton solutions

The fourth-order nonlinear Boussinesq water wave equation, which explains the propagation of long waves in shallow water, is explored in this article. We used the Lie symmetry approach to analyze the Lie symmetries and vector fields. Then, by using similarity variables, we obtained the symmetry reductions and soliton wave solutions. In addition, the Kudryashov method and its modification are used to explore the bright and singular solitons while the Hirota bilinear method is effectively used to obtain a form of breather and lump wave solutions. The physical explanation of the extracted solutions was shown with the free choice of different parameters by depicting some 2-D, 3-D, and their corresponding contour plots.

     

Electroosmosis modulated peristaltic biorheological flow through an asymmetric microchannel: mathematical model

A theoretical study is presented of peristaltic hydrodynamics of an aqueous electrolytic non-Newtonian Jeffrey bio-rheological fluid through an asymmetric microchannel under an applied axial electric field. An analytical approach is adopted to obtain the closed form solution for velocity, volumetric flow, pressure difference and stream function. The analysis is also restricted under the low Reynolds number assumption (Stokes flow) and lubrication theory approximations (large wavelength). Small ionic Peclét number and Debye–Hückel linearization (i.e. wall zeta potential ≤ 25 mV) are also considered to simplify the Nernst–Planck and Poisson–Boltzmann equations. Streamline plots are also presented for the different electro-osmotic parameter, varying magnitudes of the electric field (both aiding and opposing cases) and for different values of the ratio of relaxation to retardation time parameter. Comparisons are also included between the Newtonian and general non-Newtonian Jeffrey fluid cases. The results presented here may be of fundamental interest towards designing lab-on-a-chip devices for flow mixing, cell manipulation, micro-scale pumps etc. Trapping is shown to be more sensitive to an electric field (aiding, opposing and neutral) rather than the electro-osmotic parameter and viscoelastic relaxation to retardation ratio parameter. The results may also help towards the design of organ-on-a-chip like devices for better drug design.     

Solitons and other nonlinear waves of the Boussinesq equation

This paper studies the dynamics of shallow water waves that are governed by the Boussinesq equations. A few perturbation terms are taken into account. The ansatz method is used to carry out the perturbed Boussinesq equation. Later on, the mapping method is used to extract a few more analytical solutions. Additionally, the Weierstrass elliptic function method is also used to obtain solitary waves and singular soliton solutions. Finally, the Lie symmetry approach is used to extract a few more additional solutions.     

Untersuchungen über die Fluorescenzerscheinung bei Ketosen in Gegenwart von Zirkoniumoxidchlorid

Ketoses, as fructose and sorbose, react with ZrOCl₂ after slight heating. The reaction mixture exhibits strong fluorescence in UV; increased absorption is shown at 220–230 nm and a characteristic maximum at 335 nm. There is also an increase in conductivity. The stoichiometric composition of the fluorescing ketose-Zirconium chelate compound has been determined by a Job diagram. This compound can be used as a sensitive optical test in the microdetermination of ketoses.     

Palladium complexes of amido-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbenes as effective precatalysts for the Suzuki-Miyaura C-C cross-coupling reactions of aryl bromides and iodides

A series of air-stable, robust and highly active palladium based precatalysts of amido-functionalized N-heterocyclic carbenes for the Suzuki-Miyaura C-C cross-coupling reaction has been designed. In particular, the [1-R-3-{N-(benzylacetamido)imidazol-2-ylidene]₂PdCl₂ [R = i-Pr (1c) and CH₂Ph (2c)] complexes efficiently carried out the Suzuki-Miyaura coupling of the aryl bromide and iodide substrates with phenyl boronic acid in good to excellent yields in air at 90 °C in 12 h. Quite interestingly, of these palladium precatalysts, the i-propyl derivative (1c) exhibited superior activity as compared to the benzyl derivative (2c). The density functional theory (DFT) studies carried out on the 1c and 2c complexes revealed the strong σ-donating nature of the NHC ligand as reflected in their high d/b ratio [i.e. forward σ-donation (d) to backward π-donation (b)] of these complexes and, thus, point towards greater stability of the Pd-NHC interaction in these complexes.     

Spontaneous CdTe --> alloy --> CdS transition of stabilizer-depleted CdTe nanoparticles induced by EDTA

CdTe nanoparticles stabilized by l-cysteine are chemically transformed into CdS nanoparticles of the same diameter via an intermediate CdTeS alloy without any auxiliary source of sulfur. The reaction is induced by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dipotassium salt dehydrate (EDTA), which was demonstrated experimentally to act as a catalyst by partially removing thiol stabilizers from the nanoparticle surface. It is hypothesized that addition of EDTA facilitates Te(2-) release, and oxidation of Te(2-) drives the nanoparticle transition process. Unlike many reports on reactions catalyzed by nanocolloids, this is likely to be the first observation of a catalytic reaction in which nanoparticles function as a substrate rather than a catalyst. It opens new pathways for the synthesis of novel nanoscale II-VI and other semiconductors and represents an interesting case of chemical processes in nanocolloids with reactivity increased by depletion of the surface layer of thiol stabilizers. This includes but is not limited to accurate control over the particle composition and crystallization rate. The slow rate of the CdTe --> alloy --> CdS transition is important for minimizing defects in the crystal lattice and results in a substantial increase of the quantum yield of photoluminescence over the course of the transition.     

Novel synthesis of 1,2,4‐triazolophanes and 1,3,4‐oxadiazolophanes: A dieckmann condensation approach

The Dieckmann condensation has been used for the first time for the syntheses of novel 1,2,4‐triazolophanes and 1,3,4‐oxadiazolophanes. The bis‐1,3,4‐oxadiazol‐2‐thiols 1a and 1b were reacted with ethyl bromoacetate to give the diesters 2a and 2b . Diesters 2a and 2b were treated under dry conditions with sodium methoxide in methanol to afford desired symmetrical 1,3,4‐oxadiazolophanes 3a and 3b . Similarly, diesters of macrocycle precursors containing 1,2,4‐triazole moiety, that is, 6a , 6b , 10 , 13a , 13b , and 13c were synthesized from 5a , 5b , 9 , 12a , 12b , and 12c , respectively. Dieckmann condensation of these diesters afforded symmetrical ketones 7a , 7b , 11 , 14a , 14b , and 14c . Extrusion of CO₂ was observed after in situ hydrolysis of the conventional Dieckmann product during neutralization by dilute mineral acids to afford highly symmetrical ketone in good yields. Further, the ketones 14a , 14b , and 14c were converted into their respective thiones by the reaction with Lawesson's reagent. All the products were synthesized with good yields, and structures were confirmed by various spectroscopic tools and elemental analyses. J. Heterocyclic Chem.,, (2012).