Low-energy spin dynamics in a Kitaev material Na_(3)Ni_(2)BiO_(6) investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance

We perform ^(23)Na nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and magnetization measurements on an S=1,quasi-2D honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet Na_(3)Ni_(2)BiO_(6).A large positive Curie-Weiss constant of 22.9 K is observed.The NMR spectra at low fields are consistent with a zigzag magnetic order,indicating a large easy-axis anisotropy.With the field applied along the c*axis,the NMR spectra confirm the existence of a 1/3-magnetization plateau phase between 5.1 T and 7.1 T.The transition from the zigzag order to the 1/3-magnetization plateau phase is also found to be a first-order type.A monotonic decrease of the spin gap is revealed in the 1/3-magnetization plateau phase,which reaches zero at a quantum critical field H_(C)≈8.35 T before entering the fully polarized phase.These data suggest the existence of exchange frustration in the system along with strong ferromagnetic interactions,hosting the possibility for Kitaev physics.Besides,well below the ordered phase,the 1/T_(1) at high fields shows either a level off or an enhancement upon cooling below 3 K,which suggests the existence of low-energy fluctuations.

Quantitative characterization of shale pore connectivity and controlling factors using spontaneous imbibition combined with nuclear magnetic resonance T_(2)and T_(1)-T_(2)

Shale oil can be extracted from shale by using interconnected pore networks.The migration of hydrocarbon molecules within the shale is controlled by pore connectivity.However,assessing the pore connectivity of shale oil reservoirs is uncommon.To characterize pore connectivity and clarify its controlling factors,this study used spontaneous imbibition(SI)combined with nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)T_(2)and T_(1)-T_(2)technologies on shale oil reservoirs selected from the Shahejie Formation in the Dongying Sag,Bohai Bay Basin.According to the findings,the SI processes of shales include fast-rising,slow-rising,and stable stages.The fast-rising stage denotes pore connectivity.The shales studied have poor connectivity,with lower imbibition slopes and connected porosity ratios,but large effective tortuosity.During the SI process,micropores have the highest imbibition saturation,followed by mesopores and macropores.Furthermore,n-dodecane ingested into micropores appears primarily as adsorbed,whereas n-dodecane appears primarily as free states in mesopores and macropores during the SI process.The pore connectivity of the shales under study is primarily controlled by inorganic minerals.Quartz and feldspar develop large and regular pores,resulting in better pore connectivity,whereas clay minerals and calcite with plenty of complex intragranular pores do not.Organic matter negatively influences pore connectivity because the dissolution of calcite by organic acid produced during hydrocarbon generation leads to a more complex and heterogeneous pore structure.This study sheds light on the pore connectivity and controlling factors of the shale oil reservoir and aids in the understanding of shale oil mobility.

Two-dimensional magnetic resonance neurography in neurotmesis of the left sciatic nerve A case report

Magnetic resonance neurography （MRN） is used to determine traumatic changes within nervous trunks. A 21-year-old male was treated for neurotmesis of the left sciatic nerve. At 41 days after micro-neurosurgery, two-dimensional MRN （2-D MRN） was performed with plain and contrast scans in the left injured sciatic nerve. More than 2 years after trauma, 2-D MRN images were collected to re-examine the left sciatic nerve. Results from the first 2-D MRN examination revealed a swollen left sciatic nerve. Furthermore, TlWl revealed a local nodule with slightly high intensity, and T2WI revealed hyperintensity. The nodule was significantly enhanced. Upon 2-D MRN re-examination more than 2 years after injury, the injured left sciatic nerve trunk was thinner, and the nodule margin in the left sciatic trunk was clearer. The supero-inferior diameter was enlarged by 2 mm compared with previous films. The degree of enhancement became weaker in the nodule. 2-D MRN revealed continuity, traumatic neuroma, and atrophy of the injured sciatic nerves in detail. Thin-slice technique was crucial for this method, as well as fat-suppressed and blood flow-suppressed imaging.

Cerebral blood flow volume measurements of the carotid artery and ipsilateral branches using two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography

The optimal velocity encoding of phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography （PC MRA） in measuring cerebral blood flow volume （BFV） ranges from 60 to 80 cm/s. To verify the accuracy of two-dimensional （2D） PC MRA, the present study localized the region of interest at blood vessels of the neck using PC MRA based on three-dimensional time-of-flight sequences, and the velocity encoding was set to 80 cm/s. Results of the measurements showed that the error rate was 7.0±6.0% in the estimation of BFV in the internal carotid artery, the external carotid artery and the ipsilateral common carotid artery. There was no significant difference, and a significant correlation in BFV between internal carotid artery ＋ external carotid artery and ipsilateral common carotid artery. In addition, the BFV of the common carotid artery was correlated with that of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery. The main error was attributed to the external carotid artery and its branches. Therefore, after selecting the appropriate scanning parameters and protocols, 2D PC MRA is more accurate in the determination of BFV in the carotid arteries.

Application of nuclear magnetic resonance technology to carbon capture,utilization and storage:A review

Carbon capture,utilization and storage (CCUS) is considered as a very important technology for mitigating global climate change.Carbon dioxide (CO2) injected into an underground reservoir will induce changes in its physical properties and the migration of CO2 will be affected by many factors.Accurately understanding these changes and migration characteristics of CO2 is crucial for selecting a CCUS project site,estimating storage capacity and ensuring storage security.In this paper,the basic principles of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies are briefly introduced in the context of laboratory experiments related to CCUS.The types of NMR apparatus,experimental samples and testing approaches applied worldwide are discussed and analyzed.Then two typical NMR core analysis systems used in CCUS field and a self-developed high-pressure,low-field NMR rock core flooding experimental system are compared.Finally,a summary of the current deficiencies related to NMR applied to CCUS field is given and future research plans are proposed.

7.0T nuclear magnetic resonance evaluation of the amyloid beta(1–40) animal model of Alzheimer's disease: comparison of cytology verification

3.0T magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging brain function in Alzheimer＇s disease. However, is a commonly used method in the research ot the role of 7.0T high-field magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging in brain function of Alzheimer＇s disease remains unclear. In this study, 7.0T magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that in the hippocampus of Alzheimer＇s disease rats, the N-acetylaspartate wave crest was reduced, and the creatine and choline wave crest was elevated. This finding was further supported by hematoxylin-eosin staining, which showed a loss of hippocampal neurons and more glial cells. Moreover, electron microscopy showed neuronal shrinkage and mitochondrial rupture, and scanning electron microscopy revealed small size hippocampal synaptic vesicles, incomplete synaptic structure, and reduced number. Overall, the results revealed that 7.0T high-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy detected the lesions and functional changes in hippocampal neurons of Alzheimer＇s disease rats in vivo, allowing the possibility for assessing the success rate and grading of the amyloid beta （1-40） animal model of Alzheimer＇s disease.

Relaxation study of cement based grouting material using nuclear magnetic resonance

Aiming at actual condition of poor effect of hole sealing for the reason of poor cement paste fluidity in the process of coal mine gas drainage,by adding a water reducing agent,cement paste for hole sealing was produced.The changes of initial distribution,weighted average values and total relaxation signal intensity of transverse relaxation time(T 2) of water in pure cement paste and water reducing agent added cement paste were studied with low field proton nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).The results show that there are four peaks in T2 distribution curves of cement paste:the first peak is related to the bound water in flocculation,the second and the third peaks are related to the water in flocculation,water reducing agent makes it extending towards the long relaxation time,increasing its liquidity,and the fourth peak is related to the free water.By using weighted average values of T2 and total relaxation signal intensity,hydration process of cement pastes could be roughly divided into four stages:the initial period,reaction period,accelerated period and steady period.By analyzing the periods,it makes sure that the grouting process should be completed in the reaction period in the site,and the drainage process should be started in the steady period.The results have great guiding significance to the hole sealing and methane drainage.

Effect of slurry conditioning on flocculant-aided filtration of coal tailings studied by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray micro-tomography

The present work aimed to study the effect of slurry conditioning on flocculant-aided filtration of coal tailings by the analysis of filtration kinetics and filter cake structure.Laboratory filtration tests of the coal tailings showed that both the shear rate and agitation time have significant effects on filtration rate and cake moisture.Moderate agitation at the shear rate of 92 s^-1 was favorable for fast filtration,but high cake moisture was encountered.The low-field 1H nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)measurements of the filter cake showed that the slurry conditioning has a significant effect on the residual water in large pores and a negligible effect on the residual water in small pores.The X-ray micro-tomography(XRM)measurements indicated that the filter cake formed at the shear rate of 92 s^-1 has more macro-pores and higher porosity than that formed at the shear rate of 53 s1,hence more residual water was entrapped in filter cake.The slurry conditioning in the presence of flocculant will change the structure of filter cake and affect the filtration performance.There was a paradox between fast filtration rate and low filter cake moisture.The findings enable better understanding of the effect of slurry conditioning on flocculant-aided filtration of coal tailings.

Urinary nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of a Bangladeshi cohort with hepatitis-B hepatocellular carcinoma: A biomarker corroboration study

AIM: To establish if a distinct urinary metabolic profile could be identified in Bangladeshi hepatitis-B hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients compared to cirrhosis patients and controls. METHODS: Urine samples from 42 Bangladeshi patients with HCC(39 patients with hepatitis-B HCC), 47 with cirrhosis on a background of hepatitis B, 46 with chronic hepatitis B, and seven ethnically-matched healthy controls were analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy. A full dietary and medication history was recorded for each subject. The urinary NMR data were analyzed using principal component analysis(PCA) and orthogonal partial leastsquared discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) techniques. Differences in relative signal levels of the most discriminatory metabolites identified by PCA and OPLSDA were compared between subject groups using an independent samples Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA) test with all pairwise multiple comparisons. Within the patient subgroups, the MannWhitney U test was used to compare metabolite levels depending on hepatitis B e-antigen(HBe Ag) status and treatment with anti-viral therapy. A BenjaminiHochberg adjustment was applied to acquire the level of significance for multiple testing, with a declared level of statistical significance of P < 0.05.RESULTS: There were significant differences in age(P < 0.001), weight(P < 0.001), and body mass index(P < 0.001) across the four clinical subgroups. Serum alanine aminotransferase(ALT) was significantly higher in the HCC group compared to controls(P < 0.001); serum α-fetoprotein was generally markedly elevated in HCC compared to controls; and serum creatinine levels were significantly reduced in the HCC group compared to the cirrhosis group(P = 0.004). A threefactor PCA scores plot showed clustering of the urinary NMR spectra from the four subgroups. Metabolites that contributed to the discrimination between the subgroups included acetate, creatine, creatinine, dimethyamine(DMA), formate, glycine, hippurate, and trimethylamine-N-oxide(TMAO). A comparison of relative metabolite levels confirmed that carnitine was significantly increased in HCC; and creatinine, hippurate, and TMAO were significantly reduced in HCC compared to the other subgroups. HBe Ag negative patients showed a significant increase in creatinine(P = 0.001) compared to HBe Ag positive patients in the chronic hepatitis B subgroup, whilst HBe Ag negative patients showed a significant decrease in DMA(P = 0.004) in the cirrhosis subgroup compared to HBe Ag positive patients. There were no differences in metabolite levels in HCC patients who did or did not receive antiviral treatment. CONCLUSION: Urinary NMR changes in Bangladeshi HCC were identified, corroborating previous findings from Egypt and West Africa. These findings could form the basis for the development of a cost-effective HCC dipstick screening test.

Multifractal characteristics of shale and tight sandstone pore structures with nitrogen adsorption and nuclear magnetic resonance

Based on the experiments of nitrogen gas adsorption(N_2 GA) and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),the multifractal characteristics of pore structures in shale and tight s andstone from the Chang 7 member of Trias sic Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin,NW China,are investigated.The multifractal spectra obtained from N2 GA and NMR are analyzed with pore throat structure parameters.The results show that the pore size distributions obtained from N2 GA and NMR are different,and the obtained multifractal characteristics vary from each other.The specific surface and total pore volume obtained by N2 GA experiment have correlations with multifractal characteristics.For the core samples with the similar specific surface,the value of the deviation of multifractal spectra Rd increases with the increase in the proportion of large pores.When the proportion of macropores is small,the Rd value will increase with the increase in specific surface.The multifractal characteristics of pore structures are influenced by specific surface area,average pore size and adsorption volume measured from N2 GA experiment.The multifractal characteristic parameters of tight sandstone measured from NMR spectra are larger than those of shale,which may be caused by the differences in pore size distribution and porosity of shale and tight sandstone.

Porosity and Pore Size Distribution Measurement of Cement/Carbon Nanofiber Composites by ~1H Low Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

The dispersion effect of carbon nanofibers （CNFs） in aqueous solution and the mechanical properties, porosity, pore size distribution and microstructure of CNFs reinforced cement-based composites were investigated in this paper. To achieve effective dispersion of CNFs, a method utilizing ultrasonic processing and a commercially surfactant were employed. CNFs were incorporated to cementitious materials with the addition of 0.1 wt% and 0.2 wt% of cement with a water/cement ratio of 0.35. The mechanical properties of CNFs/ cement composites were analyzed, the porosity and pore size distribution were characterized by ^1H low field nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR）, and the microstructure was observed by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results indicate that the optimum concentration ratio of MC to CNFs is 2：1 for dispersing in aqueous solution. Moreover, in the field of mechanical properties, CNFs can improve the flexural strength and compressive strength. The increased mechanical properties and the decreased porosity of the matrices correspond to the increasing CNFs content and CNFs act as bridges and networks across cracks and voids.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabonomic models for non-invasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C:Optimizing the classification of intermediate fibrosis

AIM To develop metabonomic models(MMs), using 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectra of serum, to predict significant liver fibrosis(SF: Metavir ≥ F2), advanced liver fibrosis(AF: METAVIR ≥ F3) and cirrhosis(C: METAVIR = F4 or clinical cirrhosis) in chronic hepatitis C(CHC) patients. Additionally, to compare the accuracy of the MMs with the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index(APRI) and fibrosis index based on four factors(FIB-4). METHODS Sixty-nine patients who had undergone biopsy in the previous 12 mo or had clinical cirrhosis were included. The presence of any other liver disease was a criterion for exclusion. The MMs, constructed using partial least squares discriminant analysis and linear discriminant analysis formalisms, were tested by cross-validation, considering SF, AF and C. RESULTS Results showed that forty-two patients(61%) presented SF, 28(40%) AF and 18(26%) C. The MMs showed sensitivity and specificity of 97.6% and 92.6% to predict SF; 96.4% and 95.1% to predict AF; and 100% and 98.0% to predict C. Besides that, the MMs correctly classified all 27(39.7%) and 25(38.8%) patients with intermediate values of APRI and FIB-4, respectively. CONCLUSION The metabonomic strategy performed excellently in predicting significant and advanced liver fibrosis in CHC patients, including those in the gray zone of APRI and FIB-4, which may contribute to reducing the need for these patients to undergo liver biopsy.

Microstructure evolution of loess under multiple collapsibility based on nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy

In recent years, the acceleration of urbanization in loess areas has prompted frequent dismantling and reconstruction of old urban areas. Demolition and reconstruction of buildings involve multiple collapses of the foundation. To study microstructure evolution of loess under multiple collapsibility, this paper selects undisturbed loess samples from Guyuan, Northwest China for multiple compression tests. Using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) imaging and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) as auxiliary methods, a combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses was used to study the microstructure of loess samples before and after various number of collapses under different pressures. Results show that the loess does undergo multiple collapse under 200 kPa pressure. Pore is an important reason for loess collapse. The initial collapse comes primarily from the compression of macropores and mesopores, and the second collapse comes primarily from mesopore compression. The compression process of loess can be roughly divided into two stages. First, under the action of dissolution and compression, the relative displacement of soil particles occurs. Macropores and mesopores are destroyed first, generating small pores. Second, with increasing pressure and times of collapses, pore compression gradually transforms into small pore compression. During the first collapse, particle aggregates disintegrate due to water and pressure. However, with increasing times of collapses, the contact relationship between particles gradually changes from the point contact to face contact. Loess particles tend to gradually become rounded. The study of the microstructure provides the possibility to further reveal the mechanism of multiple collapsibility of loess.

Evolution of distribution and content of water in cement paste by low field nuclear magnetic resonance

The low field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), as a nondestructive and noninvasive technique, was employed to investigate the water distribution and content in cement paste with different water-to-cement ratio (w/c ratio) during early and later hydration stages. From the water distribution spectrum deduced from relaxation time distribution in paste, it is suggested that the water fills in the capillary pores at initial period, and then diffuses to the mesopores and gel pores in hydration products with the hydration proceeding. The decrease of peak area in water distribution spectrum reflects the transformation from physically bound water to chemically bound water. In addition, based on the connection between relaxation time and pore size, the relative content changes of water in various states and constrained in different types of pores were also measured. The results demonstrate that it is influenced by the formation of pore system and the original water-to-cement ratio in the paste. Consequently, the relative content of capillary water is dropped to less than 2% in the paste with low w/c ratio of 0.3 when being hydrated for 1 d, while the contents are still 16% and 36% in the pastes with w/c ratios of 0.4 and 0.5, respectively.

Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and MS/MS Spectroscopy for the Identification of Brodimoprim Metabolites in Rat Urine

Eight metabolites of brodimoprim (BDP) in rat urine were detected by NMR and ESIMS/MS. They were demethyl-BDP glucuronide, demethyl-BDP sulfurate, demethyl-BDP glucuronide sulfurate, alpha -hydroxyl-BDP, alpha -hydroxyl-BDP glucuronide, BDP sulfurate, N-oxide-BDP sulfurate, and alpha -hydroxyl-N-oxide-BDP sulfurate. All the sulfurates are reported for the first time.

Review of nuclear magnetic resonance studies on iron-based superconductors

The newly discovered iron-based superconductors have triggered renewed enormous research interest in the condensed matter physics community. Nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） is a low-energy local probe for studying strongly correlated electrons, and particularly important for high-Tc superconductors. In this paper, we review NMR studies on the structural transition, antiferromagnetic order, spin fluctuations, and superconducting properties of several iron-based high-Tc superconductors, including LaFeAsOl_xFx, LaFeAsOl_x, BaFe2As2, Bal_xKxFe2As2, Cao.23Nao.67Fe2As2, BaFe2（Asl_xPx）2, Ba（Fel_xRux）2As2, Ba（Fel_xCox）2As2, Lil＋xFeAs, LiFel_xCoxAs, NaFeAs, NaFel_xCoxAs, KyFe2_xSe2, and （T1,Rb）yFe2_xSe2.

Heteronuclear intermolecular single-quantum coherences in liquid nuclear magnetic resonance

This paper analyses the heteronuclear Cosy Revamped by Asymmetric Z-gradient Echo Detection pulse sequence. General theoretical expressions of the pulse sequence with arbitrary flip angles were derived by using dipolar field treatment and signals originating from heteronuclear intermolecular single-quantum coherences （iSQCs） in highly-polarized two spin-1/2 systems were mainly discussed in order to find the optimal flip angles. The results show that signals from heteronuclear iSQCs decay slower than those from intermolecular double-quantum coherences or intermolecular zero-quantum coherences. Magical angle experiments validate that the signals are from heteronuclear iSQCs and insensitive to the imperfection of radio-frequency flip angles. All experimental observations are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The quantum-mechanical treatment leads to similar predictions to the dipolar field treatment.

Nuclear magnetic resonance based metabolomics and liverdiseases:Recent advances and future clinical applications

Metabolomics is defined as the quantitative measurement of the dynamic multiparametric metabolic response of living systems to pathophysiological stimuli or genetic modification.It is an"omics"technique that is situated downstream of genomics,transcriptomics and proteomics.Metabolomics is recognized as a promising technique in the field of systems biology for the evaluation of global metabolic changes.During the last decade,metabolomics approaches have become widely used in the study of liver diseases for the detection of early biomarkers and altered metabolic pathways.It is a powerful technique to improve our pathophysiological knowledge of various liver diseases.It can be a useful tool to help clinicians in the diagnostic process especially to distinguish malignant and non-malignant liver disease as well as to determine the etiology or severity of the liver disease.It can also assess therapeutic response or predict drug induced liver injury.Nevertheless,the usefulness of metabolomics is often not understood by clinicians,especially the concept of metabolomics profiling or fingerprinting.In the present work,after a concise description of the different techniques and processes used in metabolomics,we will review the main research on this subject by focusing specifically on in vitro proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based metabolomics approaches in human studies.We will first consider the clinical point of view enlighten physicians on this new approach and emphasis its future use in clinical"routine".

Nuclear magnetic resonance for quantum computing： Techniques and recent achievements

Rapid developments in quantum information processing have been made, and remarkable achievements have been obtained in recent years, both in theory and experiments. Coherent control of nuclear spin dynamics is a powerful tool for the experimental implementation of quantum schemes in liquid and solid nuclear magnetic resonance （NMR） system, especially in liquid-state NMR. Compared with other quantum information processing systems, the NMR platform has the advantages such as the long coherence time, the precise manipulation, and well-developed quantum control techniques, which make it possible to accurately control a quantum system with up to 12-qubits. Extensive applications of liquid-state NMR spectroscopy in quantum information processing such as quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum simulation have been thoroughly studied over half a century. This article introduces the general principles of NMR quantum information processing, and reviews the new-developed techniques. The review will also include the recent achievements of the experimental realization of quantum algorithms for machine learning, quantum simulations for high energy physics, and topological order in NMR. We also discuss the limitation and prospect of liquid-state NMR spectroscopy and the solid-state NMR systems as quantum computing in the article.

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is highly sensitive for lipid-soluble metabolites

Although the water-soluble metabolite profile of human mesenchymal stem cells is known, the lipid profile still needs further investigation. In this study, methanol-chloroform was used to extract lipid-soluble metabolites and perchloric acid was used to extract water-soluble metabolites. Fur- thermore, a dual phase extraction method using methanol-chloroform and water was used to obtain both water and lipid fractions simultaneously. All metabolite extractions were analyzed on a 9.4T high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Metabolite resonance peaks were as- signed in the acquired spectra according to the chemical shift, and the extraction efficiency of dif- ferent methods was compared. Results showed that in the spectra of water-soluble extracts, major metabolites comprised low molecular weight metabolites, including lactate, acetic acid, fatty acids, threonine, glutamic acid, creatine, choline and its derivatives, while in the spectra of lipid-soluble extracts, most metabolites were assigned to fatty acids. Among the different extraction procedures, perchloric acid was more efficient in extracting water-soluble metabolites and methanol-chloroform was efficient in extracting organic components compared with the dual phase extraction method. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that as low as 0.7 mg organic yield was enough to obtain clear resonance peaks, while about 6.0 mg water-soluble yield was needed to obtain rela- tively favorable spectral lines. These results show that the efficiency of extracting water and lipid fractions is higher using perchloric acid and methanol-chloroform compared with dual phase ex- traction and that nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy is highly sensitive for analyzing lipid-soluble extracts.