Myocardial Parametric Mapping by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease

Parametric mapping, that is, a pixel-wise map of magnetic relaxation parameters, expands the diagnostic potential of cardiac magnetic resonance by enabling quantification of myocardial tissue-specific magnetic relaxation on an absolute scale. Parametric mapping includes T 1 mapping (native and postcontrast), T 2 and T 2 * mapping, and extracellular volume measurements. The myocardial composition is altered in various disease states affecting its inherent magnetic properties and thus the myocardial relaxation times that can be directly quantified using parametric mapping. Parametric mapping helps in the diagnosis of nonfocal disease states and allows for longitudinal disease monitoring, evaluating therapeutic response (as in Thalassemia patients with iron overload undergoing chelation), and risk-stratification of certain diseases. In this review article, we describe various mapping techniques and their clinical utility in congenital heart disease. We will also review the available literature on normative values in children, the strengths, and weaknesses of these techniques. This review provides a starting point for pediatric cardiologists to understand and implement parametric mapping in their practice.

Four mononuclear dysprosium complexes with neutral Schiff-base ligands: syntheses, crystal structures and slow magnetic relaxation behavior

Four mononuclear 9-coordinate Dy-based complexes, [Dy(HL1)2(NO3)3(CH3OH)] (1Dy), [Dy(HL2)2(NO3)3(H2O)] (2Dy), [Dy(HL3)3(NO3)3]·CH3CN (3Dy), [Dy(HL4)3(NO3)3] (4Dy), have been constructed by neutral Schiff-base ligands (1-[N-(4-R)aminomethylidene-2(1H)-naphthalenone, R=-Cl (HL1), -NO2 (HL2), -OCH3 (HL3), -I (HL4) )....

Analysis of vibronic coupling in a 4f molecular magnet with FIRMS

<p><b>Vibronic coupling, the interaction between molecular vibrations and electronic states, is a pervasive effect that profoundly affects chemical processes. In the case of molecular magnetic materials, vibronic, or spin-phonon, coupling leads to magnetic relaxation, which equates to loss of magnetic memory and loss of phase coherence in molecular magnets and qubits, respectively. The study of vibronic coupling is challenging, and most experimental evidence is indirect. Here we employ far-infrared magnetospectroscopy to probe vibronic transitions in in [Yb(trensal)] (where H₃trensal = 2,2,2-tris(salicylideneimino)trimethylamine). We find intense signals near electronic states, which we show arise due to an “envelope effect” in the vibronic coupling Hamiltonian, and we calculate the vibronic coupling fully <i>ab initio</i> to simulate the spectra. We subsequently show that vibronic coupling is strongest for vibrational modes that simultaneously distort the first coordination sphere and break the C₃ symmetry of the molecule. With this knowledge, vibrational modes could be identified and engineered to shift their energy towards or away from particular electronic states to alter their impact. Hence, these findings provide new insights towards developing general guidelines for the control of vibronic coupling in molecules.</b></p>

New Modular Organic Platform For Understanding The Effect Of Structural Changes On Slow Magnetic Relaxation In Mononuclear Octahedral Copper(II) Complexes

Current advances in molecular magnetism are aimed at the construction of molecular nanomagnets and spin qubits for their utilization as high-density data storage materials and quantum computers. Mononuclear coordination compounds with low spin values of S=½ are excellent candidates for this endeavour, but their construction via rational design is limited. This particularly applies to the single copper(II) spin center, having been only recently demonstrated to exhibit slow relaxation of magnetisation in the appropriate octahedral environment. We have thus prepared a novel, modular organic scaffold that would allow one to gain in-depth insight into how purposeful structural differences affect the slow magnetic relaxation in monometallic, transition metal complexes. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate how one can construct two, structurally very similar complexes with isolated Cu(II) ions in an octahedral ligand environment, the magnetic properties of which differ significantly. The differences in structural symmetry effects and in magnetic relaxation are corroborated with a series of experimental and theoretical techniques, showing how symmetry distortions and crystal packing affect the relaxation behaviour in these isolated Cu(II) systems. Our highly modular organic platform can be efficiently utilized for the construction of various transition-metal ion systems in the future, effectively providing a model system for investigation of magnetic relaxation via targeted structural distortions.

Observation of giant exchange bias effect in Ni-Mn-Ti all-d-metal Heusler alloy

We report a giant exchange bias (EB) field of about 3.68 KOe during field cooled process in all-d-metal Ni40(FeCo)4Mn36Ti20 Heusler alloy. The study of magnetic memory effect and isothermal magnetic relaxation processes suggest that the giant EB field arises due to the possible coexistence of antiferromagnetic (AFM) and ferromagnetic (FM) phase exchange interaction in the studied system at temperatures below 35 K. Furthermore, the temperature and cooling field dependence of EB effect are analyzed which are related to the change in unidirectional anisotropy at FM/AFM interface. The study of a well-established training effect confirms the intrinsic nature of the observed EB behavior. This result will open up a new way towards the development of EB materials considering all-d-metal Heusler alloy systems.