Optimal estimation of the diffusion coefficient from non-averaged and averaged noisy magnitude data

The magnitude operation changes the signal distribution in MRI images from Gaussian to Rician. This introduces a bias that must be taken into account when estimating the apparent diffusion coefficient. Several estimators are known in the literature. In the present paper, two novel schemes are proposed. Both are based on simple least squares fitting of the measured signal, either to the median (MD) or to the maximum probability (MP) value of the Probability Density Function (PDF). Fitting to the mean (MN) or a high signal-to-noise ratio approximation to the mean (HS) is also possible. Special attention is paid to the case of averaged magnitude images. The PDF, which cannot be expressed in closed form, is analyzed numerically. A scheme for performing maximum likelihood (ML) estimation from averaged magnitude images is proposed. The performance of several estimators is evaluated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. We focus on typical clinical situations, where the number of acquisitions is limited. For non-averaged data the optimal choice is found to be MP or HS, whereas uncorrected schemes and the power image (PI) method should be avoided. For averaged data MD and ML perform equally well, whereas uncorrected schemes and HS are inadequate. MD provides easier implementation and higher computational efficiency than ML. Unbiased estimation of the diffusion coefficient allows high resolution diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and may therefore help solving the problem of crossing fibers encountered in white matter tractography.     

Generalized excluded volume and the diffusivity and viscosity of supercooled liquids and glasses over the entire fragility spectrum

Transport properties of glass-formers near glass transition reflect the varying degrees of the sensitivity of the solid-like dynamics and structures with respect to temperature, depending on their fragility. Notably, however, most glasses resume Arrehenius transport behavior upon onset of vitrification. To address this phenomenon a theory of the self-diffusion coefficient and viscosity is developed on the basis of a model constructed for the generalized excluded volume of glass-formers described by the generic van der Waals equation of state. The molecular clustering behavior of a glass-former is exploited in terms of an order parameter that measures the concentration of glassy, clustered molecules, which is then related to the excluded volume. The formulas arrived therefrom are shown to excellently account for the self-diffusion coefficient and viscosity of various glass-formers over the entire fragility spectrum studied experimentally: e.g., _GeO2${\mathrm{GeO}}_2$, silica, ethanol, glycerol, diopside, propylene carbonate, o$o$-terphenyl, tris-napthylbenzene, toluene, and so on. The excluded volume effect thus investigated is shown to essentially characterize the fragility of the glass-formers. The resulting theory not only predicts for fragile glass-formers to resume Arrehenius transport behavior upon the onset of the glass transition, but also explains a crossover between strong and fragile glass-formers in their diffusivity and viscosity profiles as vitrification sets in.     

(111)取向生长Pb(Zr0:95Ti0:05)O3纳米晶薄膜的铁电与热释电特性

" 在Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si基片上用溶胶-凝胶法与快速退火工艺制备了300 nm厚的锆钛酸铅Pb(Zr0:95Ti0:05)O3 (PZT95/5)反铁电薄膜．结果显示600~700 ℃晶化处理的钙钛矿PZT95/5薄膜具有高度(111)取向生长特性．薄膜的电性能测量采用金属-铁电-金属电容器结构．在20 V电压作用下,600~700 ℃晶化处理的PZT95/5薄膜显示出饱和电滞回线．在1 kHz下,600、650和700 ℃晶化的薄膜介电常数与损耗分别为519与0.028、677与0.029、987     

Analytical analysis of anisotropic thermophoresis of a charged spheroidal colloid in aqueous media for extremely thin EDL cases

Thermophoresis of charged spheroids has been widely applied in biology and medical science. In this work, we report an analysis of the anisotropic thermophoresis of diluted spheroidal colloids in aqueous media for extremely thin EDL cases. Under the boundary layer approximation, we formulate the thermophoretic velocity, the thermophoretic force, and the thermodiffusion coefficient of a randomly dispersed spheroid. The parametric studies show that under the aforementioned conditions, the thermophoresis is anisotropic and its thermodiffusion coefficient should be considered as a vector, D _T. The thermodiffusion coefficient values and directions of D _T are strongly related to the aspect ratio and the angle θ between the externally applied temperature gradient and the particle's axis of revolution: The increasing aspect ratio enlarges the thermodiffusion coefficient value D_T of prolate (oblate) spheroids to a constant value when θ < 60° (θ > 45°), and it reduces D_T of prolate (oblate) spheroids to a constant value when θ > 60° (θ < 45°). The thermodiffusion coefficient direction of both prolate and oblate spheroids deviates slightly from −∇T_∞ for a small aspect ratio, and such deviation becomes serious for a large aspect ratio.     

Multi-adjoint algebras versus non-commutative residuated structures

Adjoint triples and pairs are basic operators used in several domains, since they increase the flexibility in the framework in which they are considered. This paper introduces multi-adjoint algebras and several properties; also, we will show that an adjoint triple and its “dual” cannot be considered in the same framework.Moreover, a comparison among general algebraic structures used in different frameworks, which reduce the considered mathematical requirements, such as the implicative extended-order algebras, implicative structures, the residuated algebras given by sup-preserving aggregations and the conjunctive algebras given by semi-uninorms and u-norms, is presented. This comparison shows that multi-adjoint algebras generalize these structures in domains which require residuated implications, such as in formal concept analysis, fuzzy rough sets, fuzzy relation equations and fuzzy logic.     

保留时间两点校正反相高效液相色谱法测定持久性有机污染物的正辛醇-水分配系数

采用改进的反相高效液相色谱法(RP-HPLC)测定了持久性有机污染物(POPs)包括多环芳烃(PAHs)、多氯二苯并二恶英(PCDDs)、多氯二苯并呋喃(PCDFs)和十溴二苯乙烷(DBDPE)等的正辛醇-水分配系数(logKow)。采用保留时间双点校正法(DP-RTC)校正因色谱柱老化等引起的保留时间漂移。以37种有可靠logKow实验值的苯系物、PAHs、PCDD/Fs类似物为模型化合物,建立了logKow和外推至纯水相的保留因子logkw的定量结构-色谱保留关系(QSRR)模型,回归方程为logKow=(1.18±0.02)logkw+(0.36±0.11),其相关系数(R2)为0.985,交叉验证相关系数(R2cv)为0.983,标准偏差(SD)为0.16。进而,用4个已有可靠logKow实验值的验证化合物(联苯、芴、PCDD 1和PCDF 114)对模型进行了外部验证,表明RP-HPLC测得的logKow值与摇瓶法/慢搅法结果有很好的一致性,尤其是对疏水性强的化合物。采用该模型测定了29种特别受关注的POPs的logKow值,这些化合物的logKow实验值均未见报道。所建立的DP-RTC-HPLC是测定强疏水性POPs的logKow值的一种值得推荐的方法。     

Near-infrared spectroscopic measurements of volume expansion and composition of CO2-expanded ethyl acetate,acetone, tetrahydrofuran,acetonitrile, methanol-OD,and dimethyl sulfoxide

CO₂-expanded liquid (CXL) is a mixture of organic solvent with high-pressure CO₂ whose volume is increased by CO₂ dissolved in it. CXLs have attracted attention as tunable solvents, because the solvent properties can be widely controlled by the pressure. The volume expansion and the solubility of CO₂ were measured by near-infrared spectroscopy for 6 CXLs at various pressures up to 55 bar and 40 °C. The molarity of organic solvent was determined from the absorbance of the 3ν and 2ν + δ bands, and that of CO₂ was obtained from the area of the 3ν₃ band, whose peak shifted to higher frequency with increasing pressure due to a decrease in the molecular interaction around CO₂. The expansion coefficient was shown to be an increasing function of the pressure with larger slope at higher pressure, and the mole fraction of CO₂ in the liquid phase was an almost linearly increasing function of the pressure. The results were in quantitative agreement with the literature data measured by conventional sampling method, indicating the validity of the spectroscopic method.     

高β相聚偏氟乙烯基复合体系的制备及压电性能

为了提高聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)的压电性能,需要寻找有效的途径来提高PVDF的电活性相(β相)含量。 通过水热法成功合成了Ag、ZnO以及二者复合(Ag-ZnO)的3种类型纳米粒子,并与PVDF共混形成PVDF复合薄膜。 通过表征PVDF复合材料的形貌,结晶性能和压电性能,可以发现Ag-ZnO复合纳米粒子的协同作用可以有效提高PVDF的结晶性能和压电性能。 此外,通过单轴拉伸可以使得所有PVDF膜的β相含量得到进一步提高,其中拉伸后的PVDF/Ag-ZnO纳米颗粒(P-C)的β相物质的量分数最高,达到70.0％,最佳的压电系数(d₃₃)达到了31.0 pC/N。