Strongly coupled matter field and nonanalytic decay rate of dipole molecules in a waveguide

The decay rate gamma of an excited dipole molecule inside a waveguide is evaluated for the strongly coupled matter-field case near a cutoff frequency omegac without using perturbation analysis. Because of the singularity in the density of photon states at the cutoff frequency, we find that gamma depends nonanalytically on the coupling constant g as g4/3, which leads to a vast increase in the decay rate.     

Diffusion-weighted MRI: influence of intravoxel fat signal and breast density on breast tumor conspicuity and apparent diffusion coefficient measurements

Promising recent investigations have shown that breast malignancies exhibit restricted diffusion on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and may be distinguished from normal tissue and benign lesions in the breast based on differences in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. In this study, we assessed the influence of intravoxel fat signal on breast diffusion measures by comparing ADC values obtained using a diffusion-weighted single shot fast spin-echo sequence with and without fat suppression. The influence of breast density on ADC measures was also evaluated. ADC values were calculated for both tumor and normal fibroglandular tissue in a group of 21 women with diagnosed breast cancer. There were systematic underestimations of ADC for both tumor and normal breast tissue due to intravoxel contribution from fat signal on non–fat-suppressed DWI. This ADC underestimation was more pronounced for normal tissue values (mean difference=40%) than for tumors (mean difference=27%, P<.001) and was worse in women with low breast tissue density vs. those with extremely dense breasts (P<.05 for both tumor and normal tissue). Tumor conspicuity measured by contrast-to-noise ratio was significantly higher on ADC maps created with fat suppression and was not significantly associated with breast density. In summary, robust fat suppression is important for accurate breast ADC measures and optimal lesion conspicuity on DWI.     

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging of the normal breast

Purpose

The objective of this study was to evaluate diffusion anisotropy of the breast parenchyma and assess the range and repeatability of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in normal breast tissue.

Materials and Methods

The study was approved by our institutional review board and included 12 healthy females (median age, 36 years). Diffusion tensor imaging was performed at 1.5 T using a diffusion-weighted echo planar imaging sequence. Diffusion tensor imaging parameters including tensor eigenvalues (λ₁, λ₂, λ₃), fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured for anterior, central and posterior breast regions.

Results

Mean normal breast DTI measures were λ₁=2.51×10⁻³ mm²/s, λ₂=1.89×10⁻³ mm²/s, λ₃=1.39×10⁻³ mm²/s, ADC=1.95±0.24×10⁻³ mm²/s and FA=0.29±0.05 for b=600 s/mm². Significant regional differences were observed for both FA and ADC (P<.05), with higher ADC in the central breast and higher FA in the posterior breast. Comparison of DTI values calculated using b=0, 600 s/mm² vs. b=0, 1000 s/mm², showed significant differences in ADC (P<.001), but not FA. Repeatability assessment produced within-subject coefficient of variations of 4.5% for ADC and 11.4% for FA measures.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates anisotropy of water diffusion in normal breast tissue and establishes a normative range of breast FA values. Attention to the influence of breast region and b value on breast DTI measurements may be important for clinical interpretation and standardization of techniques.     

Structure of {Pb[S2CN(C2H5)2]2(1,10-phenanthroline)}2

Lead (II) nitrate reacts with 1,10-phenanthroline and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate in water to produce yellow bisdiethyldithiocarbamata 1,10-phenanthroline lead(II). Crystals from water are triclinic, space group $P\bar 1$ (#2),a=10.53(2) Å,b=11.050(12)Å,c=24.74 (3) Å, α=94.71 (9)⁰, β=98.15(11)^o, γ=114.11(9)^o,V=2569(6) ų,Z=2. Each lead atom has approximate pentagonal pyramid coordination geometry through the nitrogens of a phenathroline and sulfurs of two dithiocarbamates. Additionally, complexes form loose dimers in which lead atoms are weakly coordinated to a sulfur in an adjacent complex. IR and proton nmr spectrum of the complex are consistent with the solid state structure.     

A study of factors impacting elementary mathematics preservice teachers: Improving mindfulness,anxiety, self-efficacy,and mindset

Innovation is more imperative now than ever before given the upcoming shortage in prepared teachers and the need to produce students with a strong knowledge of mathematics. A sense of urgency is impacting teacher education/preparation programs as instructional practices need to discover how to arm teachers to increase the number of students to be not only college-ready but also desiring to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics majors. As such, the purpose of this study, was to determine how the four variables (mindfulness, mathematics anxiety, self-efficacy, and mindset) are interconnected within preservice elementary teachers (PSETs), and how we as teacher educators can better address these variables within our own PSETs. Each semester included three seminars with similar overall foci including the four variables. Participants in this study were recruited from Elementary Education students at an east south central regional university enrolled in a mathematics methods course. Thirty-seven participants were divided into control (N = 20) and treatment (N = 17). In this article, we present both qualitative and quantitative results from our mixed-methods study that considered these questions. With the results of this study revealing an inter-connectedness among the four variables, this research further informs the teacher educator community.     

Analysis Technique for Exceptional Points in Open Quantum Systems and QPT Analogy for the Appearance of Irreversibility

We propose an analysis technique for the exceptional points (EPs) occurring in the discrete spectrum of open quantum systems (OQS), using a semi-infinite chain coupled to an endpoint impurity as a prototype. We outline our method to locate the EPs in OQS, further obtaining an eigenvalue expansion in the vicinity of the EPs that gives rise to characteristic exponents. We also report the precise number of EPs occurring in an OQS with a continuum described by a quadratic dispersion curve. In particular, the number of EPs occurring in a bare discrete Hamiltonian of dimension n _D is given by n _D(n _D−1); if this discrete Hamiltonian is then coupled to continuum (or continua) to form an OQS, the interaction with the continuum generally produces an enlarged discrete solution space that includes a greater number of EPs, specifically , in which n _C is the number of (non-degenerate) continua to which the discrete sector is attached. Finally, we offer a heuristic quantum phase transition analogy for the emergence of the resonance (giving rise to irreversibility via exponential decay) in which the decay width plays the role of the order parameter; the associated critical exponent is then determined by the above eigenvalue expansion.     

Skin Wound Healing: Normal Macrophage Function and Macrophage Dysfunction in Diabetic Wounds

Macrophages play a prominent role in wound healing. In the early stages, they promote inflammation and remove pathogens, wound debris, and cells that have apoptosed. Later in the repair process, they dampen inflammation and secrete factors that regulate the proliferation, differentiation, and migration of keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, leading to neovascularisation and wound closure. The macrophages that coordinate this repair process are complex: they originate from different sources and have distinct phenotypes with diverse functions that act at various times in the repair process. Macrophages in individuals with diabetes are altered, displaying hyperresponsiveness to inflammatory stimulants and increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. They also have a reduced ability to phagocytose pathogens and efferocytose cells that have undergone apoptosis. This leads to a reduced capacity to remove pathogens and, as efferocytosis is a trigger for their phenotypic switch, it reduces the number of M2 reparative macrophages in the wound. This can lead to diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) forming and contributes to their increased risk of not healing and becoming infected, and potentially, amputation. Understanding macrophage dysregulation in DFUs and how these cells might be altered, along with the associated inflammation, will ultimately allow for better therapies that might complement current treatment and increase DFU’s healing rates.     

AG-013736, a novel inhibitor of VEGF receptor tyrosine kinases, inhibits breast cancer growth and decreases vascular permeability as detected by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) was used to noninvasively evaluate the effects of AG-03736, a novel inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor tyrosine kinases, on tumor microvasculature in a breast cancer model. First, a dose response study was undertaken to determine the responsiveness of the BT474 human breast cancer xenograft to AG-013736. Then, DCE-MRI was used to study the effects of a 7-day treatment regimen on tumor growth and microvasculature. Two DCE-MRI protocols were evaluated: (1) a high molecular weight (MW) contrast agent (albumin-(GdDTPA)(30)) with pharmacokinetic analysis of the contrast uptake curve and (2) a low MW contrast agent (GdDTPA) with a clinically utilized empirical parametric analysis of the contrast uptake curve, the signal enhancement ratio (SER). AG-013736 significantly inhibited growth of breast tumors in vivo at all doses studied (10-100 mg/kg) and disrupted tumor microvasculature as assessed by DCE-MRI. Tumor endothelial transfer constant (K(ps)) measured with albumin-(GdDTPA)(30) decreased from 0.034+/-0.005 to 0.003+/-0.001 ml min(-1) 100 ml(-1) tissue (P<.0022) posttreatment. No treatment-related change in tumor fractional plasma volume (fPV) was detected. Similarly, in the group of mice studied with GdDTPA DCE-MRI, AG-013736-induced decreases in tumor SER measures were observed. Additionally, our data suggest that 3D MRI-based volume measurements are more sensitive than caliper measurements for detecting small changes in tumor volume. Histological staining revealed decreases in tumor cellularity and microvessel density with treatment. These data demonstrate that both high and low MW DCE-MRI protocols can detect AG-013736-induced changes in tumor microvasculature. Furthermore, the correlative relationship between microvasculature changes and tumor growth inhibition supports DCE-MRI methods as a biomarker of VEGF receptor target inhibition with potential clinical utility.     

An Excimer Clamp for Measuring Damaged-Base Excision by the DNA Repair Enzyme NTH1

Direct measurement of DNA repair enzyme activities is important both for the basic study of cellular repair pathways as well as for potential new translational applications in their associated diseases. NTH1, a major glycosylase targeting oxidized pyrimidines, prevents mutations arising from this damage, and the regulation of NTH1 activity is important in resisting oxidative stress and in suppressing tumor formation. Herein, we describe a novel molecular strategy for the direct detection of damaged DNA base excision activity by a ratiometric fluorescence change. This strategy utilizes glycosylase-induced excimer formation of pyrenes, and modified DNA probes, incorporating two pyrene deoxynucleotides and a damaged base, enable the direct, real-time detection of NTH1 activity in vitro and in cellular lysates. The probe design was also applied in screening for potential NTH1 inhibitors, leading to the identification of a new small-molecule inhibitor with sub-micromolar potency.