Quantitative assessment of motion correction for high angular resolution diffusion imaging

Several methods have been proposed for motion correction of high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) data. There have been few comparisons of these methods, partly due to a lack of quantitative metrics of performance. We compare two motion correction strategies using two figures of merit: displacement introduced by the motion correction and the 95% confidence interval of the cone of uncertainty of voxels with prolate tensors. What follows is a general approach for assessing motion correction of HARDI data that may have broad application for quality assurance and optimization of postprocessing protocols. Our analysis demonstrates two important issues related to motion correction of HARDI data: (1) although neither method we tested was dramatically superior in performance, both were dramatically better than performing no motion correction, and (2) iteration of motion correction can improve the final results. Based on the results demonstrated here, iterative motion correction is strongly recommended for HARDI acquisitions.     

Excited state intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer of phenylethynyl-substituted 2′-hydroxychalcones

(E)-1-[2-Hydroxy-4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]-3-[4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]prop-2-en-1-one (1), (E)-1-[2-hydroxy-4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one (2), and (E)-1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-[4-(phenylethynyl)phenyl]prop-2-en-1-one (3), which belong to a new class of 2′-hydroxychalcones with phenylethynyl group(s) at the para position of the phenyl ring, were synthesized, and their photochemical properties were investigated. The lowest energy absorption band of 1 peaks at a longer wavelength (383 nm) with a much larger molar extinction coefficient (5.0 × 10⁴ M ^?1 cm^?1) than that of the parent 2′-hydroxychalcone (2′HC) (2.0 × 10⁴ M ^?1 cm^?1 at 318 nm). Upon photoexcitation, all three compounds underwent excited-state intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer (ESIHT) to produce an excited tautomer that emitted fluorescence with a large Stokes shift in the longer wavelength region at 600–700 nm. The quantum yield of the tautomer fluorescence of 1 was not high at 298 K (Φ _f = 9.1 × 10^?5), but was highest among 2′HC and its analogues. The Φ _f values of 1–3 increased 10–30 fold upon reducing the temperature from 298 to 77 K.     

One-dimensional migration of interstitial clusters in SUS316L and its model alloys at elevated temperatures

For self-interstitial atom (SIA) clusters in various concentrated alloys, one-dimensional (1D) migration is induced by electron irradiation around 300 K. But at elevated temperatures, the 1D migration frequency decreases to less than one-tenth of that around 300 K in iron-based bcc alloys. In this study, we examined mechanisms of 1D migration at elevated temperatures using in situ observation of SUS316L and its model alloys with high-voltage electron microscopy. First, for elevated temperatures, we examined the effects of annealing and short-term electron irradiation of SIA clusters on their subsequent 1D migration. In annealed SUS316L, 1D migration was suppressed and then recovered by prolonged irradiation at 300 K. In high-purity model alloy Fe-18Cr-13Ni, annealing or irradiation had no effect. Addition of carbon or oxygen to the model alloy suppressed 1D migration after annealing. Manganese and silicon did not suppress 1D migration after annealing but after short-term electron irradiation. The suppression was attributable to the pinning of SIA clusters by segregated solute elements, and the recovery was to the dissolution of the segregation by interatomic mixing under electron irradiation. Next, we examined 1D migration of SIA clusters in SUS316L under continuous electron irradiation at elevated temperatures. The 1D migration frequency at 673 K was proportional to the irradiation intensity. It was as high as half of that at 300 K. We proposed that 1D migration is controlled by the competition of two effects: induction of 1D migration by interatomic mixing and suppression by solute segregation.     

A Dual Emissive Coumarin–urea Derivative with an Electron-withdrawing Substituent in the Presence of Acetate Anion

We investigated the fluorescent properties, including the excited-state intermolecular proton transfer, of urea derivatives comprising a coumarin ring, which is a widely used fluorophore. We prepared two different coumarin–urea derivatives, 6CU and 7CU, which bear a urea-based substituent at the 6 and 7 positions of a coumarin ring, respectively. In the presence of the acetate ion, 7CU showed additional tautomer fluorescence emission with respect to 6CU, indicating that tautomer formation depends on the positions of the urea-based substituent on the coumarin ring. Thus, the resonance structures of urea derivatives might play an important role in the behavior of dual fluorescence, which is an important phenomenon applicable to photochemical anion sensing. Moreover, in order to further improve the fluorescence properties of the mentioned derivatives, a CF₃ group was introduced in a phenyl ring opposite to a coumarin ring. The fluorescence quantum yield of 7CUCF₃ thus synthesized was 65 times as large as that of 7CU, an observation that renders 7CUCF₃ a suitable anion sensor candidate. The results of this study will contribute to the development of new molecular designs for highly fluorescent sensing.     

Transient bonds and chemical reactivity of molecules

Electron delocalization between the reagent and reactant molecules is the principal driving force of chemical reactions. It brings about the formation of new bonds and the cleavage of old bonds. By taking the aromatic substitution reaction as an example, we have shown the orbitals participating in electron delocalization. The interacting orbitals obtained are localized around the reaction sites, showing the chemical bonds that should be generated and broken transiently along the reaction path. By projecting a reference orbital function that has been chosen to specify the bond being formed on to the MOs of the reactant molecules, the reactive orbitals that are very similar to the interacting orbital have been obtained. The local potential of the reaction site for electron donation estimated for substituted benzene molecules by using these projected orbitals shows a fair correlation with the experimental scale of the electron-donating and -withdrawing strength of substituent groups. The reactivity is shown to be governed by local electronegativity and local chemical hardness and also by the localizability of interaction on the reaction site. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Cyclization reaction of polyacrylonitrile and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) studied by PVT measurements

Pressure, volume, temperature (PVT) measurements reveal that during the intramolecular cyclization reaction of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) the volume decreases. This volume contraction becomes smaller with increasing styrene content in the random copolymers and should be related to the simultaneous decrease of longer acrylonitrile homo-sequences. The onset temperature of the cyclization reaction is raised with higher styrene contents in the random copolymers. Thus, it can be excluded that the cyclization reaction has a major influence on the discoloration process of SAN samples having relatively small acrylonitrile contents (less than 50 mol-%) during thermal annealing below 300°C.     

Cu-DNAzyme facilitates highly sensitive immunoassay

A simple Cu-DNAzyme system is used for signal transduction of a CuO nanoparticle-labeled immunoassay, which makes the immunoassay fast, simple, cost-effective, and sensitive, thus promising for biomedical applications and point-of-care testing.