Equivalent cross-relaxation rate imaging positively correlates with pathological grade and cell density of adipocytic tumors

Objective

Equivalent cross-relaxation rate imaging (ECRI) is an MRI technique used to evaluate qualitative changes in protein-water interactions. We aimed to prospectively evaluate the utility of ECRI for classification of adipocytic tumors.

Materials and Methods

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained and all patients provided informed consent. Study participants included 40 patients with adipocytic tumors who were diagnosed with lipomas (n = 22), atypical lipomatous tissue/well-differentiated liposarcoma (ALT/WDL; n = 9), myxoid/round cell liposarcoma (MyL; n = 6), and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (DDL; n = 3), and 20 control patients for whom subcutaneous fat in the buttock or thigh was analyzed.

Results

Mean ECR values of lipomas, ALT/WDL, and subcutaneous fat were low, and those of MyL and DDL were high. Mean ECR values of MyL and DDL were significantly higher than those of ALT/WDL. The cut-off value was 5.1%. There was a positive correlation between ECR value, pathological grade, and cell density in adipocytic tumors.

Conclusion

The ECR value positively correlates with pathological grade and cell density of adipocytic tumors. Our findings suggest that ECRI is a useful method for preoperative evaluation of adipocytic tumors.     

Spontaneous symmetry breaking in QCD

We study dynamical chiral symmetry breaking in massless QCD by the use of the generalized Hartree-Fock method. As the order parameter of chiral symmetry we choose the dynamical quark mass in the zero momentum limit which we call low energy quark mass. We calculate the low energy mass to the second order of diagrammatic expansion around shifted perturbative vacuum. We then show that the mass is finite and renormalization group invariant. After the improvement of the result by the method of effective charges we estimate the mass in the true vacuum under the gap and stationarity conditions and demonstrate that both of them produce non-zero mass proportional to a conventional scale, which breaks down the chiral symmetry.     

Proposition of Single Molecular Orientation Determination Using polarization Controlled Beam by Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulators

We have proposed a method to control the three-dimensional electric field in the focus of an optical microscope using two non-twisted liquid crystal spatial light modulators, and to detect the molecular orientation of a single molecule. The three-dimensional electric field is generated by focusing the beam with two dimensional spatial distribution of polarization. The possibility of detection of three-dimensional single molecular orientation was shown by numerical calculations. © 2005 The Optical Society of Japan     

Formation and characterization of high-density Fe cluster-assembled films with soft magnetic behaviors

High-density, magnetically soft Fe cluster-assembled films were obtained at room temperature by an energetic cluster deposition. Size-monodispersed Fe clusters with the mean cluster size d = 9, 13 and 16 nm were produced using a plasma-gas-condensation technique. Ionized clusters in cluster beam were accelerated electrically and deposited onto the substrate together with neutral clusters from the same cluster source. The morphology, microstructure and magnetic properties of the cluster-assembled films have been studied by an atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. By increasing the impact energy of the ionized clusters up to 0.6 eV/atom, the Fe cluster-assembled film has a packing fraction of 0.86±0.03, and reveals a soft magnetic behavior. In addition, it is found that oxidization of the cluster-assembled films is remarkably suppressed with the increase in the density of the films.     

Muon spin relaxation studies of magnetic-field-induced effects in high-Tc superconductors

Muon spin relaxation measurements in high transverse magnetic fields [FORMULA: SEE TEXT] revealed strong field-induced quasistatic magnetism in the underdoped and Eu-doped (La,Sr)2CuO4 and La1.875Ba0.125CuO4, existing well above Tc and TN. The susceptibility counterpart of Cu spin polarization, derived from the muon spin relaxation rate, exhibits a divergent behavior towards T approximately 25 K. No field-induced magnetism was detected in overdoped La1.81Sr0.19CuO4, optimally doped Bi2212, and Zn-doped YBa2Cu3O7.     

Study on the effect of sound duration on the annoyance of helicopter noise by applying a technique of time compression and expansion of sound signals

The number of helicopter operations has rapidly increased during the last 20 years in Japan. Helicopter noise sounds different from other aircraft; the waveform of the sound pressure is impulsive and the signal duration is relatively long. The Environmental Agency of Japan implemented new guidelines for evaluating noise exposure around small airports, including heliports, in 1990. This study was executed in connection with the development of provisional guidelines. Psychoacoustic experiments were carried out to identify an evaluation index for helicopter noise. In order to examine the effect of duration independently, we not only used original sound recordings, but also synthesized sound signals. The durations of these sound signals were time compressed or expanded without degrading the quality of the original sound recording. The test results show that the effect of duration is significant, and that the A-weighted sound exposure level is a better index than the maximum A-weighted sound pressure level for the evaluation of helicopter noise.     

Cluster size dependence of SiO2 thin film formation by O2 gas cluster ion beams

Cluster size effects of SiO₂ thin film formation with size-selected O₂ gas cluster ion beams (GCIBs) irradiation on Si surface were studied. The cluster size varied between 500 and 20,000 molecules/cluster. With acceleration voltage of 5 kV, the SiO₂ thickness was close to the native oxide thickness by irradiation of (O₂)_20,000 (0.25 eV/molecule), or (O₂)_10,000 (0.5 eV/molecule). However, it increased suddenly above 1 eV/molecule (5000 molecules/cluster), and increased monotonically up to 10 eV/molecule (500 molecules/cluster). The SiO₂ thickness with 1 and 10 eV/molecule O₂-GCIB were 2.1 and 5.0 nm, respectively. When the acceleration voltage was 30 kV, the SiO₂ thickness has a peak around 10 eV/molecule (3000 molecules/cluster), and it decreased gradually with increasing the energy/molecule. At high energy/molecule, physical sputtering effect became more dominant process than oxide formation. These results suggest that SiO₂ thin film formation can be controlled by energy per molecule.     

Thin films prepared by simultaneous deposition of copper and free-base phthalocyanine

Composite films of metals and dielectrics attracted considerable attention in the past for their novel optical and mechanical properties which can be tailored precisely by changing their structure and composition. In this work we present a probe into a related but hitherto unexplored field of composites where metal is combined with molecular semiconductor. As model materials we chose free-base phthalocyanine and copper. Films were prepared by simultaneous deposition of copper and free-base phthalocyanine in the dual ICB system. An answer to two basic questions was sought after: 1) does the copper combine with freebase phthalocyanine to form a copper phthalocyanine complex, 2) what is the structure of the films if there is non-stoichiometric surplus of copper in the films? We report results of structural study by a transmission electron microscope. Optical behaviour of the composite was characterized by optical reflectance and transmittance measurement in UV/VIS/NIR range and complemented by FT IR spectra.