Imaging the Centromedian Thalamic Nucleus Using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping.

The centromedian (CM) nucleus is an intralaminar thalamic nucleus that is considered as a potentially effective target of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and ablative surgeries for the treatment of multiple neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the structure of CM is invisible on the standard T1- and T2-weighted (T1w and T2w) magnetic resonance images, which hamper it as a direct DBS target for clinical applications. The purpose of the current study is to demonstrate the use of quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) technique to image the CM within the thalamic region. Twelve patients with Parkinson's disease, dystonia, or schizophrenia were included in this study. A 3D multi-echo gradient recalled echo (GRE) sequence was acquired together with T1w and T2w images on a 3-T MR scanner. The QSM image was reconstructed from the GRE phase data. Direct visual inspection of the CM was made on T1w, T2w, and QSM images. Furthermore, the contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) of the CM to the adjacent posterior part of thalamus on T1w, T2w, and QSM images were compared using the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. QSM dramatically improved the visualization of the CM nucleus. Clear delineation of CM compared to the surroundings was observed on QSM but not on T1w and T2w images. Statistical analysis showed that the CNR on QSM was significantly higher than those on T1w and T2w images. Taken together, our results indicate that QSM is a promising technique for improving the visualization of CM as a direct targeting for DBS surgery

Quantitative Susceptibility Map Reconstruction Using Annihilating Filter-based Low-Rank Hankel Matrix Approach

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) inevitably suffers from streaking artifacts caused by zeros on the conical surface of the dipole kernel in k-space. This work proposes a novel and accurate QSM reconstruction method based on a direct k-space interpolation approach, avoiding problems of over smoothing and streaking artifacts. Inspired by the recent theory of annihilating filter-based low-rank Hankel matrix approach (ALOHA), QSM reconstruction problem is formulated as deconvolution problem under low-rank Hankel matrix constraint in the k-space. To reduce the computational complexity and the memory requirement, the problem is formulated as successive reconstruction of 2-D planes along three independent axes of the 3-D phase image in Fourier domain. Extensive experiments were performed to verify and compare the proposed method with existing QSM reconstruction methods. The proposed ALOHA-QSM effectively reduced streaking artifacts and accurately estimated susceptibility values in deep gray matter structures, compared to the existing QSM methods. Our suggested ALOHA-QSM algorithm successfully solves the three-dimensional QSM dipole inversion problem without additional anatomical information or prior assumption and provides good image quality and quantitative accuracy.Comment: accepted for Magnetic Resonance in Medicin

Quantitative analysis of the relation between entropy and nucleosynthesis in central Ca + Ca and Nb + Nb collisions

The final states of central Ca + Ca and Nb + Nb collisions at 400 and 1050 MeV/nucleon and at 400 and 650 MeV/nucleon, respectively, are studied with two independently developed statistical models, namely the classical microcanonical model and the quantum-statistical grand canonical model. It is shown that these models are in agreement with each other for these systems. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that there is essentially a one-to-one relationship between the observed relative abundances of the light fragments p, d, t, 3He, and α and the entropy per nucleon, for breakup temperatures greater than 30 MeV. Entropy values of 3.5–4 are deduced from high-multiplicity selected fragment yield data

The Hatsopoulos-Gyftopoulos resolution of the Schroedinger-Park paradox about the concept of "state" in quantum statistical mechanics

A seldom recognized fundamental difficulty undermines the concept of individual ``state'' in the present formulations of quantum statistical mechanics (and in its quantum information theory interpretation as well). The difficulty is an unavoidable consequence of an almost forgotten corollary proved by E. Schroedinger in 1936 and perused by J.L. Park, Am. J. Phys., Vol. 36, 211 (1968). To resolve it, we must either reject as unsound the concept of state, or else undertake a serious reformulation of quantum theory and the role of statistics. We restate the difficulty and discuss a possible resolution proposed in 1976 by G.N. Hatsopoulos and E.P. Gyftopoulos, Found. Phys., Vol. 6, 15, 127, 439, 561 (1976).Comment: RevTeX4, 7 pages, corrected a paragraph and added an example at page 3, to appear in Mod. Phys. Lett.