Frequency dependence of acoustic properties of aqueous glucose solutions in the VHF/UHF range

The bioultrasonic spectroscopy system was employed for measurements of velocity and attenuation coefficient of glucose solutions in the VHF/UHF range. The relation between the slope of the square of velocity and the relaxation parameters, and the relation between the frequency exponent on attenuation coefficient and the relaxation parameters are investigated. In order to carry out numerical calculations, a model for a single relaxation process is employed, wherein the attenuation coefficient is expressed as (A/( 1 + (f/falpha)2) + B)f2 where falpha is the attenuation relaxation frequency, and A and B are constants. The numerical calculations show that the slope of the square of the velocity is determined uniquely by the velocity relaxation frequency fv and v(infinity)2 - v(0)2 where v0 is the zero-frequency velocity and v(infinity) is the infinite-frequency velocity, and that the frequency exponent on the attenuation coefficient is determined uniquely by falpha and A/B. For experimental considerations, the velocities and the attenuation coefficients of 5, 15, and 25% concentration aqueous solutions of glucose were measured in the frequency range 20 to 700 MHz. The data for the 5 and 15% aqueous solutions can be explained using the single relaxation model. However, the data for the 25% aqueous solution suggest the existence of multirelaxation processes.     

Computer-aided quantification of focal cartilage lesions of osteoarthritic knee using MRI

Noninvasive assessment of articular cartilage using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gained popularity in the diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA), a condition that affects 20 million Americans. Focal cartilage lesions, a defect found in roughly 19% of the OA population, currently can only be evaluated with confidence using minimally invasive arthroscopy. This article presents a computer-aided procedure using MRI to quantify focal cartilage lesions and aims to support clinical practices of diagnosis and monitoring of lesion progress. Upon a local minima search for identifying focal lesions, the proposed gradient peak method outlines lesion boundaries and then generates morphological properties, such as lesion volume and lesion area. The procedure was evaluated using simulated and in vivo data. First, a simulated lesion was created and analyzed, and the results were compared with the exact solutions. Second, an in vivo evaluation was carried out on seven human knees in which nine focal lesions were identified and quantified. Three of the subjects had follow-up analyses, at either 1 or 2 years. Finally, in an attempt to characterize local biochemical changes underlying focal lesions, MR-derived T2 values of defective cartilage within the lesion boundaries were examined and compared with the values of adjacent cartilage compartments.     

In vivo B/A determination in a mammalian organ

Investigations of the ultrasonic nonlinearity parameter B/A have been restricted previously to in vitro preparations. The parameter B/A has now been determined in vivo in cat liver and found to have the same value as in vitro determinations. The finite amplitude method was used, with a substitutional procedure to improve accuracy.     

Oxygen diffusion in poly(dimethyl siloxane) using fluorescence quenching. II. Filled samples

The method of fluorescence quenching has been used to measure the transport properties of oxygen in poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) filled with small weight fractions of fumed silica. The experimental results show that the diffusion coefficient of oxygen and the pre-exponential term in the Arrhenius relationship are reduced, but the activation energy is not affected. In the pressure and temperature ranges used in these experiments, the diffusion coefficient was found to be independent of both the oxygen and fluorophor concentrations. A discussion concerning the effect of fillers on the pre-exponential term is presented.     

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Electron tunneling through sensitizer wires bound to proteins

We report a quantitative theoretical analysis of long-range electron transfer through sensitizer wires bound in the active-site channel of cytochrome P450cam. Each sensitizer wire consists of a substrate group with high binding affinity for the enzyme active site connected to a ruthenium-diimine through a bridging aliphatic or aromatic chain. Experiments have revealed a dramatic dependence of electron transfer rates on the chemical composition of both the bridging group and the substrate. Using combined molecular dynamics simulations and electronic coupling calculations, we show that electron tunneling through perfluorinated aromatic bridges is promoted by enhanced superexchange coupling through virtual reduced states. In contrast, electron flow through aliphatic bridges occurs by hole-mediated superexchange. We have found that a small number of wire conformations with strong donor–acceptor couplings can account for the observed electron tunneling rates for sensitizer wires terminated with either ethylbenzene or adamantane. In these instances, the rate is dependent not only on electronic coupling of the donor and acceptor but also on the nuclear motion of the sensitizer wire, necessitating the calculation of average rates over the course of a molecular dynamics simulation. These calculations along with related recent findings have made it possible to analyze the results of many other sensitizer-wire experiments that in turn point to new directions in our attempts to observe reactive intermediates in the catalytic cycles of P450 and other heme enzymes.