Ross William Mair

Shear flow of wormlike micelles in pipe and cylindrical Couette geometries as studied by nuclear magnetic resonance microscopy

The nonlinear viscosity of the wormlike surfactant system cetyl pyridinium chloride/sodium salicylate (60 mM/100 mM in water) has been investigated in both pipe and cylindrical Couette geometries, using nuclear magnetic resonance to image both velocity and diffusion. In pipe flow we observe transitions from Newtonian to non-Newtonian viscosity, to spurt, to unstable flow, and then to a regime where fluctuations are rapid on the timescale of a few milliseconds. In the Couette cell we observe apparent slip at the inner wall as well as a high shear rate band located away from the wall in the body of the fluid. The banding phenomenon, which has its counterpart in the pipe flow, is consistent with double valuedness in the stress versus rate of strain relationship for this fluid.

Brain Genomics Superstruct Project initial data release with structural, functional, and behavioral measures.

The goal of the Brain Genomics Superstruct Project (GSP) is to enable large-scale exploration of the links between brain function, behavior, and ultimately genetic variation. To provide the broader scientific community data to probe these associations, a repository of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans linked to genetic information was constructed from a sample of healthy individuals. The initial release, detailed in the present manuscript, encompasses quality screened cross-sectional data from 1,570 participants ages 18 to 35 years who were scanned with MRI and completed demographic and health questionnaires. Personality and cognitive measures were obtained on a subset of participants. Each dataset contains a T1-weighted structural MRI scan and either one (n=1,570) or two (n=1,139) resting state functional MRI scans. Test-retest reliability datasets are included from 69 participants scanned within six months of their initial visit. For the majority of participants self-report behavioral and cognitive measures are included (n=926 and n=892 respectively). Analyses of data quality, structure, function, personality, and cognition are presented to demonstrate the dataset’s utility.

Transition to shear banding in pipe and Couette flow of wormlike micellar solutions

We used both conventional rheometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) velocimetry to study shear banding in a solution of 200 mM cetylpyridinium chloride and 120 mM sodium salicylate in 0.5 M sodium chloride. The solution behaved as a Maxwell fluid up to frequencies of 10 Hz. Theoretical predictions of critical strain rate and shear stress were in good agreement with measurements obtained using controlled strain rate rheometry. Using NMR velocimetry, we observed convincing evidence of shear banding in capillary flow with a band of very high, approximately constant, shear rate next to the wall that grew in thickness with increasing apparent shear rate. We believe that the shear rate in this band (∼600 s−1) marks the beginning of the hypothesized high shear rate limb of the flow curve. We also observed shear banding in both the cylindrical Couette and cone-and-plate geometries. Shear banding started at shear rates that were approximately the same as the critical shear rate measured with the mechanical rh...

Measuring surface-area-to-volume ratios in soft porous materials using laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange nuclear magnetic resonance

We demonstrate a minimally invasive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique that enables determination of the surface-area-to-volume ratio (S/V) of soft porous materials from measurements of the diffusive exchange of laser-polarized 129Xe between gas in the pore space and 129Xe dissolved in the solid phase. We apply this NMR technique to porous polymer samples and find approximate agreement with destructive stereological measurements of S/V obtained with optical confocal microscopy. Potential applications of laser-polarized xenon interphase exchange NMR include measurements of in vivo lung function in humans and characterization of gas chromatography columns.

Silicon Nanoparticles as Hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Imaging Agents

Silicon nanoparticles are experimentally investigated as a potential hyperpolarized, targetable MRI imaging agent. Nuclear T_1 times at room temperature for a variety of Si nanoparticles are found to be remarkably long (10^2 to 10^4 s) - roughly consistent with predictions of a core-shell diffusion model - allowing them to be transported, administered and imaged on practical time scales without significant loss of polarization. We also report surface functionalization of Si nanoparticles, comparable to approaches used in other biologically targeted nanoparticle systems.Magnetic resonance imaging of hyperpolarized nuclei provides high image contrast with little or no background signal. To date, in vivo applications of prehyperpolarized materials have been limited by relatively short nuclear spin relaxation times. Here, we investigate silicon nanoparticles as a new type of hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging agent. Nuclear spin relaxation times for a variety of Si nanoparticles are found to be remarkably long, ranging from many minutes to hours at room temperature, allowing hyperpolarized nanoparticles to be transported, administered, and imaged on practical time scales. Additionally, we demonstrate that Si nanoparticles can be surface functionalized using techniques common to other biologically targeted nanoparticle systems. These results suggest that Si nanoparticles can be used as a targetable, hyperpolarized magnetic resonance imaging agent with a large range of potential applications.

Tortuosity measurement and the effects of finite pulse widths on xenon gas diffusion NMR studies of porous media.

We have extended the utility of NMR as a technique to probe porous media structure over length scales of approximately 100-2000 microm by using the spin 1/2 noble gas 129Xe imbibed into the systems pore space. Such length scales are much greater than can be probed with NMR diffusion studies of water-saturated porous media. We utilized Pulsed Gradient Spin Echo NMR measurements of the time-dependent diffusion coefficient, D(t), of the xenon gas filling the pore space to study further the measurements of both the pore surface-area-to-volume ratio, S/V(p), and the tortuosity (pore connectivity) of the medium. In uniform-size glass bead packs, we observed D(t) decreasing with increasing t, reaching an observed asymptote of approximately 0.62-0.65D(0), that could be measured over diffusion distances extending over multiple bead diameters. Measurements of D(t)/D(0) at differing gas pressures showed this tortuosity limit was not affected by changing the characteristic diffusion length of the spins during the diffusion encoding gradient pulse. This was not the case at the short time limit, where D(t)/D(0) was noticeably affected by the gas pressure in the sample. Increasing the gas pressure, and hence reducing D(0) and the diffusion during the gradient pulse served to reduce the previously observed deviation of D(t)/D(0) from the S/V(p) relation. The Pade approximation is used to interpolate between the long and short time limits in D(t). While the short time D(t) points lay above the interpolation line in the case of small beads, due to diffusion during the gradient pulse on the order of the pore size, it was also noted that the experimental D(t) data fell below the Pade line in the case of large beads, most likely due to finite size effects.

3He lung imaging in an open access, very-low-field human magnetic resonance imaging system

The human lung and its functions are extremely sensitive to gravity; however, the conventional high‐field magnets used for most laser‐polarized 3He MRI of the human lung restrict subjects to lying horizontally. Imaging of human lungs using inhaled laser‐polarized 3He gas is demonstrated in an open‐access very‐low‐magnetic‐field (<5 mT) MRI instrument. This prototype device employs a simple, low‐cost electromagnet, with an open geometry that allows variation of the orientation of the imaging subject in a two‐dimensional plane. As a demonstration, two‐dimensional lung images were acquired with 4‐mm in‐plane resolution from a subject in two orientations: lying supine and sitting in a vertical position with one arm raised. Experience with this prototype device will guide optimization of a second‐generation very‐low‐field imager to enable studies of human pulmonary physiology as a function of subject orientation. Magn Reson Med 53:745–749, 2005.

NMR experiments on a three-dimensional vibrofluidized granular medium.

A three-dimensional granular system fluidized by vertical container vibrations was studied using pulsed field gradient NMR coupled with one-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging. The system consisted of mustard seeds vibrated vertically at 50 Hz, and the number of layers N(l)<or=4 was sufficiently low to achieve a nearly time-independent granular fluid. Using NMR, the vertical profiles of density and granular temperature were directly measured, along with the distributions of vertical and horizontal grain velocities. The velocity distributions showed modest deviations from Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics, except for the vertical velocity distribution near the sample bottom, which was highly skewed and non-Gaussian. Data taken for three values of N(l) and two dimensionless accelerations Gamma=15,18 were fitted to a hydrodynamic theory, which successfully models the density and temperature profiles away from the vibrating container bottom. A temperature inversion near the free upper surface is observed, in agreement with predictions based on the hydrodynamic parameter micro which is nonzero only in inelastic systems.

Measurements of grain motion in a dense, three-dimensional granular fluid

We have used an NMR technique to measure the short-time, three-dimensional displacement of grains in a system of mustard seeds vibrated vertically at 15 g. The technique averages over a time interval in which the grains move ballistically, giving a direct measurement of the granular temperature profile. The dense, lower portion of the sample is well described by a recent hydrodynamic theory for inelastic hard spheres. Near the free upper surface the mean free path is longer than the particle diameter and the hydrodynamic description fails.

An Open-Access, Very-Low-Field MRI System for Posture-Dependent 3He Human Lung Imaging

We describe the design and operation of an open-access, very-low-field, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system for in vivo hyperpolarized 3He imaging of the human lungs. This system permits the study of lung function in both horizontal and upright postures, a capability with important implications in pulmonary physiology and clinical medicine, including asthma and obesity. The imager uses a bi-planar B(0) coil design that produces an optimized 65 G (6.5 mT) magnetic field for 3He MRI at 210 kHz. Three sets of bi-planar coils produce the x, y, and z magnetic field gradients while providing a 79-cm inter-coil gap for the imaging subject. We use solenoidal Q-spoiled RF coils for operation at low frequencies, and are able to exploit insignificant sample loading to allow for pre-tuning/matching schemes and for accurate pre-calibration of flip angles. We obtain sufficient SNR to acquire 2D 3He images with up to 2.8mm resolution, and present initial 2D and 3D 3He images of human lungs in both supine and upright orientations. 1H MRI can also be performed for diagnostic and calibration reasons.