A feasibility study of X‐ray phase‐contrast mammographic tomography at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron

Results are presented of a recent experiment at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron intended to contribute to the implementation of low‐dose high‐sensitivity three‐dimensional mammographic phase‐contrast imaging, initially at synchrotrons and subsequently in hospitals and medical imaging clinics. The effect of such imaging parameters as X‐ray energy, source size, detector resolution, sample‐to‐detector distance, scanning and data processing strategies in the case of propagation‐based phase‐contrast computed tomography (CT) have been tested, quantified, evaluated and optimized using a plastic phantom simulating relevant breast‐tissue characteristics. Analysis of the data collected using a Hamamatsu CMOS Flat Panel Sensor, with a pixel size of 100 µm, revealed the presence of propagation‐based phase contrast and demonstrated significant improvement of the quality of phase‐contrast CT imaging compared with conventional (absorption‐based) CT, at medically acceptable radiation doses.     

含油岩心显微荧光成像光谱研究

发展了一种显微荧光光谱成像技术,并将其应用于天然岩心进行显微荧光成像光谱研究。利用这种技术同时采集含油岩心表面的荧光光谱信息和空间信息．并对获得的光谱图像给予光谱学和地质学解释。结果表明,不但能显示岩心形貌和组分的大致趋势,而且能揭示其精细细节．为石油地质研究提供了一种新方法,为今后的石油勘探开发工作提供了一种先进的指导手段。     

Pushing the limit: synthesis, photophysical and DNA binding studies of a NIR-emitting Ru(II)-polypyridyl probe with 'light switch' behaviour

The new Ru(II) polypyridyl complex 1 was synthesised using microwave irradiation from the new polypyridyl ligand 2'DipyTAP', and its photophysical properties, and DNA binding abilities were investigated using various spectroscopic techniques; and 1 was shown to act as a 'NIR molecular light switch' for DNA with an emission window between 680 and 860 nm.     

Alkylations of N4‐(4‐Pyridyl)‐3,5‐di(2‐pyridyl)‐1,2,4‐triazole: First Observation of Room‐Temperature Rearrangement of an N4‐Substituted Triazole to the N1 Analogue

Attempts to use alkylation to introduce a positive charge at the nitrogen atom of the 4‐pyridyl ring in the bis(bidentate) triazole ligand N⁴‐(4‐pyridyl)‐3,5‐di(2‐pyridyl)‐1,2,4‐triazole ( pydpt ) were made to ascertain what effect a strongly electron‐withdrawing group would have on the magnetic properties of any subsequent iron(II) complexes. Alkylation of pydpt under relatively mild conditions led in some cases to unexpected rearrangement products. Specifically, when benzyl bromide is used as the alkylating agent, and the reaction is carried out in refluxing acetonitrile, the N⁴ substituent moves to the N¹ position. However, when the same reaction is performed in dichloromethane at room temperature, the rearrangement does not occur and the desired product containing an alkylated N⁴ substituent is obtained. Heating a pure sample of N⁴‐Bzpydpt?Br to reflux in MeCN resulted in clean conversion to N1Bzpydpt.Br . This is consistent with N4‐Bzpydpt.Br being the kinetic product whereas N1Bzpydpt.Br is the thermodynamic product. When methyl iodide is used as the alkylating agent, the N⁴ to N¹ rearrangement occurs even at room temperature, and at reflux pydpt is doubly alkylated. The observation of the lowest reported temperatures for an N⁴ to N¹ rearrangement is due to this particular rearrangement involving nucleophilic aromatic substitution: a possible mechanism for this transformation is suggested.     

Generalised cerebral atrophy following temporal lobectomy for intractable epilepsy associated with mesial temporal sclerosis

Studies of post-operative imaging data have mainly concentrated on brain atrophy following radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. We have investigated the effect of conventional surgery on the unresected brain tissue based on the comparison of magnetic resonance images acquired pre- and post-operatively in 13 subjects with a history of mesio-temporal epilepsy. The pre- and post-operative scans were co-registered prior to volumetric analysis. The total brain volume (TBV) was calculated by semi-automated segmentation, and the total volume loss was the difference between the post-operative and pre-operative TBV. The total volume of resection was determined by manual delineation in the post-operative scan. The atrophy volume in the post-operative scan was calculated as the difference between the total volume loss and the resection volume. In 6 cases, there was generalised cerebral atrophy of the order 4-5% of the total brain volume. In addition to the automated volumetric technique, the images were assessed by two expert neuroradiologists. There was complete correspondence between their assessment and the automated technique. The causes and significance of this phenomenon are unknown but it requires further investigation as it may be related to seizure control and neuropsychological changes following epilepsy surgery.     

Analysis of a shielded TE011 mode composite dielectric resonator for stable frequency reference

Analysis of a TE₀₁₁ mode composite sapphire-rutile dielectric resonator has been carried out to study the temperature variation of resonance frequency, close to the Cs atomic clock hyperfine frequency of 9.192 GHz. The complementary behavior of dielectric permittivity with temperature of the composite has been exploited to obtain the desired turning point in the resonant frequency. The frequency of the composite structure is found to be independent of the shield diameter beyond four times the puck diameter.     

Synthesis and Structures of 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole Head Units and Incorporation of 3,5-dibenzoyl-1,2,4-triazolate into New [2 + 2] Schiff-Base Macrocyclic Complexes

The synthesis and characterization of sodium 3,5-diacetyl-1,2,4-triazolate (4 ^Me ) and sodium 3,5-dibenzoyl-1,2,4-triazolate (4 ^Ph ), both of which can be used as head unit building blocks in Schiff-base reactions, are reported. The crystal structures of sodium 3,5-diacetyl-1,2,4-triazolate, as [4 ^Me (H₂O)]_∞, and sodium 3,5-dibenzoyl-1,2,4-triazolate, as [4 ^Ph (CH₃OH)₂]₂, have been determined. The former is a helical polymer whilst the latter is a methanol-bridged dimer. The lead(II) templated cyclization reaction of sodium 3,5-dibenzoyl-1,2,4-triazolate (4 ^Ph ) with 1,3-diaminopropane or 1,4-diaminobutane, respectively, leads to the formation of two new [2 + 2] Schiff-base macrocycles as their lead(II) complexes, [Pb₂ L ^3Ph (μ-OH)]ClO₄ (5) and [Pb₂ L ^4Ph (μ-OH)]ClO₄ (6), respectively. Transmetallation of 5 with nickel(II) ions yields a novel, structurally characterized, dinickel(II) macrocyclic complex, [Ni₂ L ^3Ph (NCS)₂] (7), which features double triazolate bridging of the two five-coordinate nickel(II) ions.     

An uncharged amine in the transition state of the ribosomal peptidyl transfer reaction

The ribosome has an active site comprised of RNA that catalyzes peptide bond formation. To understand how RNA promotes this reaction requires a detailed understanding of the chemical transition state. Here, we report the Br?nsted coefficient of the alpha-amino nucleophile with a series of puromycin derivatives. Both 50S subunit- and 70S ribosome-catalyzed reactions displayed linear free-energy relationships with slopes close to zero under conditions where chemistry is rate limiting. These results indicate that, at the transition state, the nucleophile is neutral in the ribosome-catalyzed reaction, in contrast to the substantial positive charge reported for typical uncatalyzed aminolysis reactions. This suggests that the ribosomal transition state involves deprotonation to a degree commensurate with nitrogen-carbon bond formation. Such a transition state is significantly different from that of uncatalyzed aminolysis reactions in solution.