Resumo em Inglês:

The Echo-Planar Imaging technique combined with a partial Fourier acquisition method was used to obtain velocity images for liquid flows in a circular cross-section pipe at Reynolds number of up to 8000. This partial-Fourier imaging scheme is able to generate shorter echo times than the full-Fourier Echo-Planar Imaging methods, reducing the signal attenuation due to T2* and flow. Velocity images along the z axis were acquired with a time-scale of 80 ms thus obtaining a real-time description of flow in both the laminar and turbulent regimes. Velocity values and velocity fluctuations were computed with the flow image data. A comparison plot of NMR velocity and bulk velocity and a plot of velocity fluctuations were calculated to investigate the feasibility of this imaging technique. Flow encoded Echo-Planar Imaging together with a reduced data acquisition method can provide us with a real-time technique to capture instantaneous images of the flow field for both laminar and turbulent regimes.

Resumo em Inglês:

In Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments, besides the apparatus designed to acquire the NMR signal, it is necessary to generate a radio frequency electromagnetic field using a device capable to transduce electromagnetic power into a transverse magnetic field. We must generate this transverse homogeneous magnetic field inside the region of interest with minimum power consumption. Many configurations have been proposed for this task, from coils to resonators. For low field intensity ( < 0.5 T) and small sample dimensions ( < 30 cm), the saddle coil configuration has been widely used. In this work we present a simplified method for calculating the magnetic field distribution in these coils considering the current density profile. We propose an optimized saddle configuration as a function of the dimensions of the region of interest, taking into account the uniformity and the sensitivity. In order to evaluate the magnetic field uniformity three quantities have been analyzed: Non-uniformity, peak-to-peak homogeneity and relative uniformity. Some experimental results are presented to validate our calculation.

Resumo em Inglês:

Aspects of magnetic resonance relaxation measurements in human tissues are discussed. The influence of pulse sequences and parameters are compared and analyzed for different tissues. By controlling the acquisition parameters and data fitting the relaxation rate can be useful in several clinical situations. The influence of repetition and echo time, predicted in sequences of signal acquisition, on measurement of transversal relaxation time (T2) was evaluate using simulated MRI signal.

Resumo em Inglês:

The long and resource intensive process of drug discovery and development is confronted with the basic challenge of providing effective and safe therapies at reasonably low costs. The better the mechanism of a disease is known, the higher the probability to find an appropriate therapy. Also, the better and earlier a disease can be diagnosed and characterized, the higher the chance to be able to interfere in this process with a chemical entity. This reasoning sets the framework for the use of imaging in drug discovery. We discuss the relevance of magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy to derive anatomical, functional, metabolic and target-related information in the context of pharmacological research in vivo.

Resumo em Inglês:

"Open" magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners are frequently based on electromagnets or permanent magnets, and require self-shielded planar gradient coils to prevent image artifacts resulting from eddy currents in metallic parts of the scanner. This work presents an optimization method for the development of self-shielded gradient coils with biplanar geometry for "Open" MRI scanners. Compared to other optimization methods, this simple approach results in coils that produce larger uniform gradient volumes, and have simple and scalable manufacture.

Resumo em Inglês:

The longitudinal nuclear magnetic relaxation time, T1, of powdered samples was analyzed following the theory proposed by Browstein and Tarr to explain the T1 reduction of water confined in biological cells and the proposed by Rabbani and Edmonds where the molecular diffusion in liquids is substituted by spin diffusion to interpret the T1 behavior in solid particles. We have shown that the multiexponential character of magnetization decay in solid particles with a narrow band size distribution allows to evaluate the spin diffusion coefficient of this material. On the other hand if the diffusion coefficient of a material is given and the average size of a sample of this material is known the relaxation decay curve can be used to determine the surface relaxivity as well as the relative size of particles present in the other samples of same material. However, this analysis is unable to provide the absolut measurement of the grain sizes. Furthermore, it is shown that the grain geometry does not influence the relaxation decay curve.

Resumo em Inglês:

Vibrations of a string can provide a model for vibrations of MRI coil assemblies. The string model for the vibrations of MRI coils is presented, and compared with experimental results. Gradient coils exhibit resonant modes because of the finite coil length, l, and the elasticity of materials that comprise the assembly. The resonance frequencies depend on l and the Young modulus, as well as on the current distribution. Under longitudinal gradient pulses, anti-symmetrical modes of surface vibration are produced due to the symmetry of current distribution. In contrast, transverse gradient pulses produce coil bending that results in symmetrical vibration modes of the coil axis. The viscosity of the assembly materials controls the width of the vibrational resonance modes. Experimental results are in agreement with this simple string model.

Resumo em Inglês:

We consider the ESR of Co2+ in different environments: in an regular octahedron (Co2+ in a MgO crystal), in a deformed octahedron (Co2+ in single crystals and powder samples of NH4NiPO4.6H2O) or in a trigonal bipyramid (Co2+ in powders of Co2(OH)PO4 and Co2(OH)AsO4). We study the effect of the non-cubic crystal fields in the ESR of Co2+ in the deformed octahedron, by employing the normal modes of this structure to simplify the systematic study of the effect of these fields. A similar study was done for the deformed trigonal bipiramid, and it was necessary to derive the normal modes of this complex that are relevant to our problem.

Resumo em Inglês:

Cluster architecture and lithium motion dynamics are investigated in nanocomposites formed by the intercalation of lithium and a dialkylamine (diethylamine, dibutylamine and dipentylamine) in molybdenum disulfide by means of 7Li Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technique. The present contribution illustrates the potential of the NMR techniques in the study of both the short range atomic structure and the local dynamics of ions in these intercalation compounds. Structural information is gained through measurements of the various interactions (such as dipolar and quadrupolar) that affect the lineshapes of the NMR spectra, while ion dynamics information is gained through the study of the effects that ionic motion has on the nuclear relaxation times, which are modulated by these interactions. The formation of lithium clusters in these nanocomposites is suggested by the Li-Li dipolar interaction strength calculated from the 7Li NMR data. The lithium spin-lattice relaxation is mainly due to the interaction between the quadrupolar moment of the 7Li nuclei and the fluctuating electric field gradient at the site of the nucleus, produced by the surrounding charge distribution. The relaxation mechanism is consistent with a fast exchange motion of lithium ions between the coordination sites within the aggregates.

Resumo em Inglês:

After the huge development occurred during the last 30 years, including the proposition of methods such as magic-angle spinning, multiple-resonance experiments (cross-polarization, high-power decoupling, etc.), multiple-pulses techniques, multiple quantum experiments, and multidimensional spectroscopy, pulsed Solid-State NMR became one of the most important experimental tools for studying physical and chemical properties of new materials in the solid-state. In this article we will review some of the NMR methods employed for studying an important class of solid materials: organic materials, particularly polymers and derivatives, which allow the application of a large number of different techniques for understanding their molecular dynamics and local conformation.

Resumo em Inglês:

The existence of a mucilaginous envelope, sheath or capsule is usual in many desmids, but few data concerning its function are available. Previous studies of the transport function and permeation of molecules through the algae capsules were done using the algae Spondylosium panduriforme and Nephrocytium lunatum, the Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) technique, and different spin labels. The results suggested that the capsule functions as a selective diffusion medium. In the present work charged and uncharged molecules (spin labels group A) and Staurastrum iversenii var. americanum (Desmids),whose alga presents a great mucilaginous capsule, were used. Charged nitroxide molecules similar to amino acids (spin labels group B) were also used allowing a better understanding of the electrostatic effect in the permeation process across the capsule. The role of the cell capsule in the solute diffusion was evaluated by determining the capsulated and decapsulated cell permeation times. The permeation times for all spin labels tested in the cells lacking capsules were always shorter than those containing this physical barrier. The decay times of spin labels group A observed for S. iversenii were compared to other studied algae. The results regarding the diffusion of charged spin labels group B suggested that the interaction of cell capsule occurs more strongly with negatively charged molecules than with positively charged ones. The results obtained in this work with spin labels group A confirm that the capsule is an essential structure for the cell, and that due to the polar interactions with the spin labels, it plays an important role in the selection of small molecules. Several parameters, mainly those of electrostatic nature, seem to control the permeation across the algal capsules of spin labels group B, showing that structures which are similar to amino acids could diffuse across the interior of the algal cell.

Resumo em Inglês:

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) has been used to monitor the interaction of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with cationic cethyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) at pH 7.0. EPR results using 5-DSA and 16-DSA nitroxide spin labels show that in the presence of BSA the EPR spectra are composed of two label populations, one contacting the protein and a second one due to label localization in the micelles. Evidence is also obtained for a competition of the surfactants with the spin labels for the high affinity binding sites of the stearic acid spin labels as monitored by changes in the fraction of the two label populations as the surfactant concentration is increased. The effect of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) reported previously seems to be stronger in the sense that increase in SDS concentration leads to a complete transfer of spin label from close protein contact sites to the micelles while for CTAC, apparently, a significant immobilization of probe remains even at higher surfactant concentrations. EPR gives information on the dynamics inside the protein-surfactant aggregates and associated to label localization and motion. The dynamics of the nitroxide spin-labels bound to the protein correlate to the stronger binding of SDS to BSA as compared to CTAC binding. Simulation of EPR spectra for spin labels in pure CTAC micelles, in pure protein or in protein-bound micelles show rotational correlation times similar to those obtained from the simple evaluation based on the intensities of nitrogen hyperfine coupling components. Rotational correlation times obtained for 5-DSA bound to protein are larger as compared to 16-DSA values suggesting greater mobility for the later even when bound to the protein.

Resumo em Inglês:

Gamma irradiation of biogenic calcium carbonate, from fossil shells of species Glycymeris Longior, results in the formation of CO2 - centers, as measured by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The spectral line intensity increases linearly with increasing dose, without distortion, up to 50Gy. Fitting of the data yields the equation, Dose[Gy]=-0.8(0.6)+0.0258(0.0004)×[dchi"/dH]pp/mg. Over a year control measurements show no significative change in the data.

Resumo em Inglês:

Capelinha is a fluvial sambaqui (Brazilian Shell Mound) located in the Ribeira Valey in the State of São Paulo that is being studied. It is one of the oldest sambaquis located along a river dated so far in this region. The use of ESR to date other shells stimulated our group to apply this method to the Capelinha site. Shells from land snails (Megalobulimus sp.) obtained in two levels of excavations were analyzed; one of them was in contact with a skeleton that was dated by C-14. The archeological doses obtained were (8.05±0.07) Gy and (9.50±0.03) Gy. Since the last site was previously dated by C-14 (Beta -Analytics, Beta 153988) giving: 8860 +/- 60 years BP (conventional age) and 10180 to 9710 years BP (calibrated age), the archeological dose found for this shell was used to determine the local rate of (0.93 to 0.98) mGy/year, that aggress with other surveys done in the region. Using this dose rate the age of the second shell was found to be 8.14 to 8.73 ky BP that agrees with the stratigraphy of the site.

Resumo em Inglês:

The area of Physics indicated in the title is nowadays of quite relevant interest, not only from the purely scientific point of view, but specially for its applied aspects associated to the present-time point-first-technologies. A particular research trend in the theory of irreversible processes, which are evolving in time in systems arbitrarily departed from equilibrium, is here briefly described. It consists in the construction of a Gibbs-style nonequilibrium ensemble formalism. The derivation of a nonequilibrium statistical operator is described (the variational approach of Predictive Statistical Mechanics is used). The main questions involved are presented and applications are briefly mentioned.