Nanostructured Manganite Films Grown by Pulsed Injection MOCVD: Tuning Low- and High-Field Magnetoresistive Properties for Sensors Applications

The results of colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) properties of La0.83Sr0.17Mn1.21O3 (LSMO) films grown by pulsed injection MOCVD technique onto various substrates are presented. The films with thicknesses of 360 nm and 60 nm grown on AT-cut single crystal quartz, polycrystalline Al2O3, and amorphous Si/SiO2 substrates were nanostructured with column-shaped crystallites spread perpendicular to the film plane. It was found that morphology, microstructure, and magnetoresistive properties of the films strongly depend on the substrate used. The low-field MR at low temperatures (25 K) showed twice higher values (−31% at 0.7 T) for LSMO/quartz in comparison to films grown on the other substrates (−15%). This value is high in comparison to results published in literature for manganite films prepared without additional insulating oxides. The high-field MR measured up to 20 T at 80 K was also the highest for LSMO/quartz films (−56%) and demonstrated the highest sensitivity S = 0.28 V/T at B = 0.25 T (voltage supply 2.5 V), which is promising for magnetic sensor applications. It was demonstrated that Mn excess Mn/(La + Sr) = 1.21 increases the metal-insulator transition temperature of the films up to 285 K, allowing the increase in the operation temperature of magnetic sensors up to 363 K. These results allow us to fabricate CMR sensors with predetermined parameters in a wide range of magnetic fields and temperatures.

Synthesis and Evaluation of Fluorinated Benzyl Ethers as Alternate Protecting Groups for Enhanced NMR Resolution in Oligosaccharide Synthesis

Oligosaccharides have been playing an important role in biological systems. Synthesis of oligosaccharides requires the protection from hydroxyl groups present in the corresponding monosaccharide units. The existing methods of protection have drawbacks, including formation of anomeric mixtures, change in hydrophilicity or lipophilicity and solubility of the products, participation of the protecting groups in the reactions of the core of monosaccharide units, problems associated with chemoselectivity, regioselectivity and overall stereochemical outcomes of reactions. Additionally, there has been a spectral overlap of these protecting groups with carbohydrate core, which yielded more complex spectra. Therefore, the identification and synthesis of suitable alternative protecting groups have received attention in the oligosaccharide synthesis. The objective of the present study was to synthesize various fluorinated benzyl ethers of methyl-α-D-mannopyronoside and to evaluate these ethers as the alternative protecting groups for enhancing NMR resolution in the oligosaccharide synthesis. Various fluorinated benzyl ethers of methyl-α-D-mannopyronoside were prepared through the reaction of methyl-α-D-mannopyronoside with various fluorinated benzyl bromides by using Williamson ether synthesis method. Spectral analysis of these fluorinated benzyl ethers showed that the peaks of methylene carbons shifted to a value of 10-20 parts per million (ppm) to a high field region in the 13C NMR, compared to the non-fluorinated benzyl ether. As a result, the spectral complexity decreased and enhanced the spectral resolution. In this study, we concluded that fluorinated benzyl ethers could be a suitable alternative to the non-fluorinated benzyl ethers to protect the hydroxyl groups of monosaccharides in the synthesis of oligosaccharides.

Physics design point of high-field stellarator reactors

The ongoing development of electromagnets based on High Temperature Superconductors has led to the conceptual exploration of high-magnetic-field fusion reactors of the tokamak type, operating at on-axis fields above 10 T. In this work we explore the consequences of the potential future availability of high-field three-dimensional electromagnets on the physics design point of a stellarator reactor. We find that, when an increase in the magnetic field strength $B$ is used to maximally reduce the device linear size $R\sim B^{-4/3}$ (with otherwise fixed magnetic geometry), the physics design point is largely independent of the chosen field strength/device size. A similar degree of optimization is to be imposed on the magnetohydrodynamic, transport and fast ion confinement properties of the magnetic configuration of that family of reactor design points. Additionally, we show that the family shares an invariant operation map of fusion power output as a function of the auxiliary power and relative density variation. The effects of magnetic field over-engineering and the $R(B)$ scaling of design points with constant neutron wall loading are also inspected. In this study we use geometric parameters characteristic of the \emph{helias} reactor, but most results apply to other stellarator configurations.

First Carpometacarpal Joint Anatomy and Osteoarthritis: MR Imaging Overview

The first carpometacarpal (CMC) joint consists of seven ligaments. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of the first CMC joint should be performed in a high field 1.5/3 T MRI with a dedicated hand coil for high-resolution images. Degeneration of anterior oblique ligament (AOL) is the most important cause for the development of osteoarthritis of first CMC joint. Since the AOL undergoes a predictable pattern of alteration at its metacarpal attachment as degeneration proceeds, MRI imaging can provide an accurate assessment of this ligament.

Value of ultra-high field MRI in patients with suspected focal epilepsy and negative 3 T MRI (EpiUltraStudy): protocol for a prospective, longitudinal therapeutic study

Purpose Resective epilepsy surgery is a well-established, evidence-based treatment option in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. A major predictive factor of good surgical outcome is visualization and delineation of a potential epileptogenic lesion by MRI. However, frequently, these lesions are subtle and may escape detection by conventional MRI (≤ 3 T). Methods We present the EpiUltraStudy protocol to address the hypothesis that application of ultra-high field (UHF) MRI increases the rate of detection of structural lesions and functional brain aberrances in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who are candidates for resective epilepsy surgery. Additionally, therapeutic gain will be addressed, testing whether increased lesion detection and tailored resections result in higher rates of seizure freedom 1 year after epilepsy surgery. Sixty patients enroll the study according to the following inclusion criteria: aged ≥ 12 years, diagnosed with drug-resistant focal epilepsy with a suspected epileptogenic focus, negative conventional 3 T MRI during pre-surgical work-up. Results All patients will be evaluated by 7 T MRI; ten patients will undergo an additional 9.4 T MRI exam. Images will be evaluated independently by two neuroradiologists and a neurologist or neurosurgeon. Clinical and UHF MRI will be discussed in the multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery conference. Demographic and epilepsy characteristics, along with postoperative seizure outcome and histopathological evaluation, will be recorded. Conclusion This protocol was reviewed and approved by the local Institutional Review Board and complies with the Declaration of Helsinki and principles of Good Clinical Practice. Results will be submitted to international peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. Trial registration number www.trialregister.nl: NTR7536.