Direct Estimation of Valence Electron Distribution Around an Ion in Liquid Metals

Liquid metals consist of ions and electrons. However, the bare ions in liquid metals are recognized to be partially screened by electrons so as to produce the effective ion-ion potential of the long-range oscillatory type and then liquid metals are likely the binary mixtures of ions with some electrons for partial screening and the valence electrons giving a strongly coupled plasma. An attempt is made in this paper to present the valence electron distribution around an ion in liquid metals. The principle of a new method for estimating such information in liquid metals from measured structural data has been described with some selected examples

Multivariate analysis of magnetic resonance imaging of focal hepatic lesions.

A total of 124 lesions from 1 to 6cm in diameter, including 31 cavernous hemangiomas, 32 metastases and 61 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) were analyzed to study the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 0.5 Tesla to differentiate focal hepatic lesions on the basis of qualitative criteria. Each focal hepatic lesion was assessed for shape, internal architecture and signal intensity relative to normal liver parenchyma. While all cavernous hemangiomas and metastases except one lesion could be detected, detection rate of HCC was significantly inferior to that of the other two diseases. A tumor capsule and a hyperintense focus on T1-weighted images were demonstrated in only HCC lesions in strong contrast with the other two diseases; however, metastases with slow-growing characteristics or subacute hematoma may appear as similar images. Cavernous hemangiomas appeared markedly hyperintense on T2-weighted images in 23 of 31 lesions, but one metastasis and one HCC had similar images. A multivariate analysis of several MRI resulted in the following mean discriminant scores: cavernous hemangioma, -1.2652; metastasis, 0.1830; and HCC, 0.7138. It appeared to be possible to differentiate the three diseases with 84.4 percent accuracy.</p

Quantitative measurement of portal blood flow by magnetic resonance phase contrast: comparative study of flow phantom and Doppler ultrasound in vivo.

A non-invasive method for measuring portal blood flow by magnetic resonance (MR) phase contrast was evaluated in a flow phantom and 20 healthy volunteers. In a flow phantom study, the flow volumes and mean flow velocities measured by MR phase contrast showed close correlations with those measured by electromagnetic flowmetry. In 20 healthy volunteers, the cross-sectional areas, flow volumes and mean flow velocities measured by MR phase contrast correlated well with those measured by the Doppler ultrasound method. Portal blood flow averaged during the imaging time could be measured under natural breathing conditions by using a large number of acquisitions without the limitations imposed on the Doppler ultrasound method. MR phase contrast is considered to be useful for the non-invasive measurement of portal blood flow.</p

Measurement of intracellular pH by flow cytometry using pH sensitive fluorescence dye, and influence of hyperthermia and amiloride derivatives on the intracellular pH

エールリッヒ腹水癌細胞とそのアドリアマイシン耐性細胞において蛍光pH指示薬2'、7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl) carboxyfluorescein] (BCECF) の蛍光量をフローサイトメトリーで測定することによって細胞内pHの検量曲線を作成することができた。このことより、これらの細胞においてBCECFの蛍光量で細胞内pHの変化を簡易に比較できることを示唆した。さらに、温熱、Na(+)/H(+) exchanger の阻害例であるアミロライド[3,5-diamino-6-chloro-N-(diaminomethylene) pyrazinecarboxamide]、およびアミロライド誘導隊MH-12-43[N-amidino-3-amino-6-chloro-5-(N-ethyliso-propylamino) pyrazinecarboxyamide] の細胞内pHへの影響をエールリッヒ腹水癌細胞で観察した。37℃では、0.5mMアミロライド、0.05mM　MH-12-43により細胞内pHは減少し、42℃処理によりさらに減少した。42℃において、0.05mM　MH-12-43による細胞内pHの減少は、0.5mMアミロライドによる減少より大きかった。We examined relationship between intensity of intracellular fluorescence of [2', 7'-bis-(2'-carboxyethyl) carboxyfluorescein] (BCECF) and intracellular pH in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells and their adriamycin-resistant strain, and found a good correlation between them at both strains. This suggests that changes in the intracellular pH on these strains may be obtained through measurement of intracellular fluorescence of BCECF by flow cytometry. Further, we examined influence of hyperthermia, 3, 5-diamino-6-chloro-N-(diaminomethylene)pyrazinecarboxamide (amiloride), an inhibitor of Na(+)/H(+) exchanger, and its derivative; N-amidino-3-amino-6-chloro-5-(N-ethylisopropylamino) pyrazinecarboxyamide (MH-12-43) on the intracellular pH in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The treatment of 0.5mM amiloride or 0.05mM MH-12-43 reduced intracellular pH at 37℃, while the more reduction was observed by the treatment at 42℃. The reduction of intracellular pH by 0.05mM MH-12-43 was more substantial than that of 0.5mM amiloride at 42℃

Structural Inhomogeneity in Semiconducting Melts((A)Amorphous Alloys)

The structural features of liquid metals and alloys have been reviewed using the concept of structural inhomogeneity in melts. Some physico-chemical properties of semiconducting melts such as viscosity, electrical conductivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heats appear to indicate a certain chemical ordering, different from the usual short range ordering found in various liquid metals and alloys. Characteristic properties of chalcogen bearing alloy melts or alkali-polyvalent alloy melts have also been presented in terms of the structural information