No description available.

In general, contrary to popular opinion. heavy shading coils are not as effective in reducing noise in an alternating current electromagnet as those which are smaller and thus have a greater value of resistance. This occurs because in addition to obtaining the greatest shift possible between flux produced by the unshaded and shaded portions of the pole the magnitudes of these fluxes should be equal. / Master of Science

Atherosclerotic plaques in the bifurcation of the carotid artery vessels can pose a significant stroke risk from stenosis, thrombosis and emboli, or plaque rupture. However, the possibility of the latter depends on the structure of the plaque and its stability. So far, the assessment of such depositions, and the evaluation of the risk they pose, is not satisfactory with 3 Tesla black blood imaging. It is expected that the SNR increase at 7 Tesla, together with an appropriate and patient-safe RF coil, will result in higher resolution images that would help in better assessing the composition of atherosclerotic plaques in vessel walls. A custom-built neck array was designed and constructed, with the aim of investigating the benefits of the higher field strength using DANTE-prepared black blood imaging. A 4-channel transmit array was designed to generate the required <b>B</b>^&plus;<sub style='position: relative; left: -.5em;'>1</sub> field for the DANTE module to be used. A separate close fitting 4-channel receive array was preferred for improved SNR and parallel (receive) imaging. Geometric, active, passive as well as preamp decoupling schemes were employed for adequate isolation between the arrays and their channels. Electromagnetic simulation software, Semcad X (SPEAG, Zurich), was used for safety assessment with human phantoms (Virtual population). The <b>E</b> fields for 1 W transmission per channel were calculated for each element for a worst case SAR estimation. The transmission power limits per channel were set according to the 10g SAR limit set in IEC 60601. For simulation validation, temperature measurements and surface heat mapping were performed on a meat phantom. Finally, a healthy male subject was scanned using a protocol consisting of <b>B</b>₁ mapping, RF shimming at an ROI, and 2D and 3D DANTE prepared Gradient Echo (GRE). The worst-case heating scenario, as defined in the methods section, generated a maximum local SAR of 7.65 W/kg for 1 Watt per channel input. Thus, for 1st level mode (20W/kg max), the power limit was set at 2.6 W per channel. The heating profile was similar to that simulated and the measured temperature increase was within a &plusmn;10&percnt; margin relative to the simulation. The global SAR power limit per channel was found to be higher (i.e. more allowed power) than the worst case local SAR power limit, and thus did not impose additional power penalty. The resolution achieved was 0.6 mm isotropic for the 3D protocol and 0.6 by 0.6 by 2.5 mm for the 2D protocol. The average SNR was measured within the vessel wall location of the two carotid arteries and found to be 27&plusmn;6 for the DANTE images and for the static tissue closer to the skin the SNR was 55&plusmn;2. In conclusion, a 4Tx/4Rx coil was designed to target the carotid arteries operating under pTx mode and a black blood imaging sequence was implemented for blood signal suppression and vessel wall imaging. The initial results from the subject and phantom imaging show satisfactory blood suppression and spatial resolution.

The large majority of New Zealand's road network is constructed from thin surfaced unbound flexible pavements where a granular layer provides the main structural strength of the pavement. The current New Zealand empirical design theory states that permanent deformation should largely be attributed to the subgrade and that shape loss in the granular layers is simply a consequence of a previously deformed subgrade. However, recent research and field trials have indicated that basecourse shear strains may be a large contributor to rutting in unbound granular layers. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether the shear strains induced under heavy vehicle loads can be accurately measured using in-situ induction coils and whether the shear strains are related to permanent pavement deformation. In this investigation a rosette configuration of free floating induction coils was designed to measure principal basecourse shear strains. The principal strains were then used to construct Mohr's circle of strain in order to calculate the maximum shear strain occurring in the granular layer. The rosettes were installed in two full scale test pavements at the Canterbury Accelerated Pavement Testing Indoor Facility (CAPTIF). The pavements were loaded with an 8 tonne dual wheel axle load for 1 million and 600,000 load applications respectively and strain and rut depth testing occurred periodically throughout the test life. The research showed that the rosette coil arrangement was a feasible and accurate device for measuring in-situ shear strains in granular pavement layers. Finite element modelling confirmed the accuracy of the system. The results from the two CAPTIF pavements showed that there was a strong linear relationship between the magnitude of the basecourse shear strain and the rut depth at the end of the post construction compaction period. The investigation also showed that shear strain magnitudes in the region of 5000µƐ result in rapid shear failure in the granular layer. In addition, after the post construction compaction period had finished, the rate of change of shear strain was proportional to the rate of change of rut development. The results indicated that there was approximately a 4:1 ratio between the rate of change in rut depth and the rate of change in shear strain after the initial post construction period. Investigations into the effect of load magnitude on the magnitude of the basecourse shear strain showed that a linear relationship existed between the two parameters. Further to this, load location testing revealed that for a dual wheel configuration, 50mm of lateral wheel variation either side of a point of interest was the maximum allowable movement that would result in similar strain measurements. The research highlighted the dominance of the longitudinal tensile strain and shear strain over the vertical compressive strain within granular layers. As a result, these pavement responses should be considered in further granular pavement research in addition to the commonly used vertical compressive strains.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

A tese de doutoramento apresenta uma pesquisa que teve como objetivo principal estudar a resposta IP gerada pela contaminação de solos argilosos por compostos orgânicos e inorgânicos. Ensaios de campo e laboratório foram realizados para investigar a sensibilidade do método IP à mudanças na propriedades petrofísicas provocadas pela contaminação. Um experimento controlado investigou o efeito IP gerado em amostras coletadas em torno de um aterro de resíduos urbanos, saturadas por diferentes concentrações de chorume, coletado no próprio local. Os resultados mostram um aumento do efeito IP em amostras ricas em CaCO3, observado mesmo para altas concentrações de chorume. Um segundo experimento controlado investigou o efeito do teor e tipo de argila e da salinidade na resposta IP. Misturas de esferas de vidro e diferentes teores de caulinita e montmorilonita foram saturadas por soluções de diferentes concentrações de NaCl. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o efeito da concentração de sais na resposta IP depende do teor de tipo de argila, sendo esse último dominante em relação ao efeito da salinidade. A concentração de sais e o teor de argila atuam de forma acoplada, intensificando o efeito IP. Em um terceiro experimento, a sensibilidade da resposta IP a presença de tolueno foi investigada. Misturas de areia e montmorilonita foram artificialmente contaminadas por diferentes concentrações de tolueno. Os resultados desse experimento mostram que o efeito desse contaminante na resposta IP é pequeno. Ainda assim, foi possível observar uma dependência da resposta IP com a concentração de tolueno que muda com o tempo, provavelmente devido a mudanças interfaciais químicas após a adição de tolueno. Com o objetivo de estudar o efeito da biodegradação do tolueno em solos argilosos na resposta IP gerada, duas colunas compostas de uma mistura de areia e caulinita, artificialmente contaminadas por tolueno, foram preparadas. Um fluxo de água subterrânea coletada em uma área contaminada foi estabelecido em uma das colunas (ativa), enquanto que uma solução de água deoneizada e NaCl foi estabelecido na outra (controle). A resposta IP das duas colunas foi monitorada por um período de quatro meses e nenhuma mudança na resposta elétrica das colunas que indicasse a ocorrência de biodegradação do tolueno foi observada. Os dados geoquímicos comprovam que não houve mudanças significativas durante o período do monitoramento, mesmo embora a presença de bactérias anaeróbicas vivas tenha sido verificada tanto na solução de entrada como na solução de saída da coluna ativa. Uma possível explicação para o tolueno não ter sido biodegradado de forma eficiente é a sua alta concentração na colunas. O último estudo realizado consiste na utilização do método IP para a investigação de uma área contaminada por BTEX (benzeno, tolueno, etil-benzeno e xileno). A contaminação ocorreu devido a derrames acidentais de quantidade não estimada de solventes no solo não impermeabilizado. O ensaio de campo revela uma zona de anomalia, caracterizada por baixas resistividade e cargabilidade e aumento da cargabilidade normalizada. Amostras de solo foram coletadas na área e tiveram suas propriedades elétricas medidas em laboratório. O contraste elétrico observado em campo não foi observado em laboratório, sugerindo que variações do teor de umidade podem estar contribuindo para a anomalia geofísica observada em campo. O teor de argila, bactérias totais e propriedades magnéticas foram medidas em diversas amostras coletadas na área. Os resultados dessas análises mostram que a distribuição do teor de argila não explica a anomalia observada. Entretanto, a população microbiana encontrada foi cinco ordens de magnitude maior na zona de anomalia. As propriedades magnéticas mostram que as amostras coletadas na zona da anomalia são mais ricas em magnetita. Os estudos realizados nessa pesquisa mostram que a resposta IP observada em estudos ambientais é afetada por propriedades petrofísicas como o teor de argila, teor de umidade, mineralogia e propriedades químicas do fluido dos poros. Entretanto a variação natural dessas propriedades também é esperada em ambientes dinâmicos. Consequentemente, isolar a contribuição de mudanças dessas propriedades devido a contaminação é uma tarefa complexa. / This PhD Thesis presents a research that aimed to study the IP response from soils contaminated by organic and inorganic compounds. Field surveys and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the sensibility of the IP method to changes in petrophysical properties due to contamination. A controlled experiment investigated the IP effect generated in soil samples collected around an urban waste disposal site, saturated by the leacheate generated at the site. The results show an IP effect increase on samples rich in CaCO3, observed even for high contaminant concentrations in the saturation solution. A second experiment investigated the effect of clay type and content and salinity on the IP response. Glass beads with varying concentration of kaolin and bentonite mixtures were synthesized and saturated by solutions with varying salt concentration. The results of this experiment show that the effect of salinity on the IP response depends upon clay type and content, being the clay effect dominant over the salinity effect. The effects of ionic concentration and clay content on the IP effect are coupled, enhancing the IP response. In a third experiment, the IP sensibility to toluene contamination is investigated. Sand and montmorillonite mixtures were artificially contaminated with varying toluene concentrations. The results show that the toluene effect on the IP response is small. Even though, there is an IP response dependency on toluene concentration that changes with time, probably due to interfacial chemical properties changes after the addition of toluene. With the purpose of studying the effect of toluene biodegradation on the IP response, two columns were packed with a sand and kaolinite mixture, artificially contaminated with toluene. A contaminated groundwater solution flux was established in one column (active), and a NaCl and deoneized water solution flux was established on the other column (control). The IP response from both columns was monitored for a period of four months. No significant changes in the electrical properties of these columns that could indicate toluene biodegradation was observed. Geochemical data confirmed that no significant changes occurred during the monitoring period, even though live anaerobic microorganisms were verified in the active column inflow and outflow. One possible explanation for the inefficiency in degrading toluene is its high concentration in the columns. The last study presented is a BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene) contaminated area investigated with the IP method. The contamination events took place due to accidental spills directly into the soil, where the exact amount of contaminant disposed is unknown. The geophysical survey revealed an IP response anomaly, characterized by low resistivities and chargeabilities and normalized chargeability enhancement. Soil samples were collected at the site and its electrical properties were measured in the laboratory. The electrical contrast observed in the field was not observed in the laboratory, suggesting that moisture content could be contributing to the geophysical anomaly observed at the field. Clay content, total bacteria and magnetic properties were measured for some of the collected samples. The results show that the clay content distribution in the area does not explain the geophysical response observed. However, the microbial population was found to be over five orders of magnitude higher in the anomaly zone. Magnetic properties of the samples show that the anomaly zone is richer in magnetite. These studies show that the IP response observed in environmental studies is affected by petrophysical properties such as clay content, moisture content, mineralogy and pore fluid chemical properties. However, natural changes of these properties are also expected in dynamic environments. The isolation of the contribution of soil contamination to changes of these properties is a complex task.

Diferenças na espessura e regularidade da cartilagem da articulação temporomandibular (ATM) ocorrem como o resultado de áreas em crescimento ou em remodelamento. Esse aspecto dificulta a interpretação clínica das imagens e geralmente negligencia a presença da fibrocartilagem. O estudo, por meio da Ressonância Magnética utilizando bobinas microscópicas, possibilita uma melhor observação da cartilagem articular. Confirmamos essa evidência por meio do estudo que analisou 20 indivíduos (40 ATM), divididos em grupo sintomático (DTM) com 10 pacientes (20 ATM) apresentando queixa clínica e suspeita diagnóstica de DTM e, o grupo controle com 10 voluntários (20 ATM) assintomáticos ou que não apresentavam sinais e sintomas clínicos de DTM. As imagens de RM sagitais oblíquas ponderadas em DP SPIR da ATM foram capazes de mostrar a cartilagem com melhor evidência tanto na cabeça da mandíbula quanto na eminência articular proporcionado mensurações, as quais se apresentaram estatisticamente iguais entre os grupos e também a avaliação da regularidade com o mesmo comportamento entre os grupos e geralmente acompanhando a morfologia da cortical óssea. Em muitos casos, principalmente quando da presença de deslocamento para anterior do disco articular, a observação se torna mais difícil, requerendo mais prática para esse tipo de avaliação. Observamos que pacientes do grupo controle apresentaram deslocamento de disco. Dessa maneira, consideramos um exame muito útil como auxiliar no diagnóstico da DTM, e com o desenvolvimento de novas terapias para doenças degenerativas e traumas na cartilagem, as imagens de RM com o uso de bobina microscópica são de crescente importância clínica e poderão desempenhar um papel importante na avaliação da eficácia dessas terapias. / Differences in thickness and regularity of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) cartilage occur as the result of areas of growth or remodeling. This fact leads to misinterpretations on diagnosis and generally neglects the presence of fibrocartilage. The present study, using MRI microscopic coils, allows better observation of the articular cartilage. This evidence was confirmed by this study that examined 20 individuals (40 TMJ), divided into: symptomatic group with temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) of 10 patients (20 TMJ) presenting clinical complaint and TMD diagnosis; and the control group of 10 volunteers (20 TMJ) that were asymptomatic or who had no clinical signs and symptoms of TMD. On both groups were measured cartilage thickness and if the cartilage was regular or not. The oblique sagital MR images of weighted SPIR protons density (PD\'s) TMJ were able to show the best cartilage images either in the mandibles head or on the articular eminence providing measurements. Both groups presented no statistically significant differences regarding to thickness and the evaluation of the regularity presented the same result. The regularity of the cartilage generally was similar to the morphology of the cortical bone. In many cases, especially when the presence of anterior articular disc displacement, the evaluation was more difficult, requiring practice. The control group with asymptomatic patients was found also to have disc displacements. Thus, we review a very useful tool in the diagnosis of TMD and its importance to evaluate the cartilage to development new therapies for degenerative diseases and trauma. The MRI images with the use of microscopic coil are of increasing clinical importance and might play an important role in assessing the effectiveness of these therapies.

A tese de doutoramento apresenta uma pesquisa que teve como objetivo principal estudar a resposta IP gerada pela contaminação de solos argilosos por compostos orgânicos e inorgânicos. Ensaios de campo e laboratório foram realizados para investigar a sensibilidade do método IP à mudanças na propriedades petrofísicas provocadas pela contaminação. Um experimento controlado investigou o efeito IP gerado em amostras coletadas em torno de um aterro de resíduos urbanos, saturadas por diferentes concentrações de chorume, coletado no próprio local. Os resultados mostram um aumento do efeito IP em amostras ricas em CaCO3, observado mesmo para altas concentrações de chorume. Um segundo experimento controlado investigou o efeito do teor e tipo de argila e da salinidade na resposta IP. Misturas de esferas de vidro e diferentes teores de caulinita e montmorilonita foram saturadas por soluções de diferentes concentrações de NaCl. Os resultados obtidos mostram que o efeito da concentração de sais na resposta IP depende do teor de tipo de argila, sendo esse último dominante em relação ao efeito da salinidade. A concentração de sais e o teor de argila atuam de forma acoplada, intensificando o efeito IP. Em um terceiro experimento, a sensibilidade da resposta IP a presença de tolueno foi investigada. Misturas de areia e montmorilonita foram artificialmente contaminadas por diferentes concentrações de tolueno. Os resultados desse experimento mostram que o efeito desse contaminante na resposta IP é pequeno. Ainda assim, foi possível observar uma dependência da resposta IP com a concentração de tolueno que muda com o tempo, provavelmente devido a mudanças interfaciais químicas após a adição de tolueno. Com o objetivo de estudar o efeito da biodegradação do tolueno em solos argilosos na resposta IP gerada, duas colunas compostas de uma mistura de areia e caulinita, artificialmente contaminadas por tolueno, foram preparadas. Um fluxo de água subterrânea coletada em uma área contaminada foi estabelecido em uma das colunas (ativa), enquanto que uma solução de água deoneizada e NaCl foi estabelecido na outra (controle). A resposta IP das duas colunas foi monitorada por um período de quatro meses e nenhuma mudança na resposta elétrica das colunas que indicasse a ocorrência de biodegradação do tolueno foi observada. Os dados geoquímicos comprovam que não houve mudanças significativas durante o período do monitoramento, mesmo embora a presença de bactérias anaeróbicas vivas tenha sido verificada tanto na solução de entrada como na solução de saída da coluna ativa. Uma possível explicação para o tolueno não ter sido biodegradado de forma eficiente é a sua alta concentração na colunas. O último estudo realizado consiste na utilização do método IP para a investigação de uma área contaminada por BTEX (benzeno, tolueno, etil-benzeno e xileno). A contaminação ocorreu devido a derrames acidentais de quantidade não estimada de solventes no solo não impermeabilizado. O ensaio de campo revela uma zona de anomalia, caracterizada por baixas resistividade e cargabilidade e aumento da cargabilidade normalizada. Amostras de solo foram coletadas na área e tiveram suas propriedades elétricas medidas em laboratório. O contraste elétrico observado em campo não foi observado em laboratório, sugerindo que variações do teor de umidade podem estar contribuindo para a anomalia geofísica observada em campo. O teor de argila, bactérias totais e propriedades magnéticas foram medidas em diversas amostras coletadas na área. Os resultados dessas análises mostram que a distribuição do teor de argila não explica a anomalia observada. Entretanto, a população microbiana encontrada foi cinco ordens de magnitude maior na zona de anomalia. As propriedades magnéticas mostram que as amostras coletadas na zona da anomalia são mais ricas em magnetita. Os estudos realizados nessa pesquisa mostram que a resposta IP observada em estudos ambientais é afetada por propriedades petrofísicas como o teor de argila, teor de umidade, mineralogia e propriedades químicas do fluido dos poros. Entretanto a variação natural dessas propriedades também é esperada em ambientes dinâmicos. Consequentemente, isolar a contribuição de mudanças dessas propriedades devido a contaminação é uma tarefa complexa. / This PhD Thesis presents a research that aimed to study the IP response from soils contaminated by organic and inorganic compounds. Field surveys and laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the sensibility of the IP method to changes in petrophysical properties due to contamination. A controlled experiment investigated the IP effect generated in soil samples collected around an urban waste disposal site, saturated by the leacheate generated at the site. The results show an IP effect increase on samples rich in CaCO3, observed even for high contaminant concentrations in the saturation solution. A second experiment investigated the effect of clay type and content and salinity on the IP response. Glass beads with varying concentration of kaolin and bentonite mixtures were synthesized and saturated by solutions with varying salt concentration. The results of this experiment show that the effect of salinity on the IP response depends upon clay type and content, being the clay effect dominant over the salinity effect. The effects of ionic concentration and clay content on the IP effect are coupled, enhancing the IP response. In a third experiment, the IP sensibility to toluene contamination is investigated. Sand and montmorillonite mixtures were artificially contaminated with varying toluene concentrations. The results show that the toluene effect on the IP response is small. Even though, there is an IP response dependency on toluene concentration that changes with time, probably due to interfacial chemical properties changes after the addition of toluene. With the purpose of studying the effect of toluene biodegradation on the IP response, two columns were packed with a sand and kaolinite mixture, artificially contaminated with toluene. A contaminated groundwater solution flux was established in one column (active), and a NaCl and deoneized water solution flux was established on the other column (control). The IP response from both columns was monitored for a period of four months. No significant changes in the electrical properties of these columns that could indicate toluene biodegradation was observed. Geochemical data confirmed that no significant changes occurred during the monitoring period, even though live anaerobic microorganisms were verified in the active column inflow and outflow. One possible explanation for the inefficiency in degrading toluene is its high concentration in the columns. The last study presented is a BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene) contaminated area investigated with the IP method. The contamination events took place due to accidental spills directly into the soil, where the exact amount of contaminant disposed is unknown. The geophysical survey revealed an IP response anomaly, characterized by low resistivities and chargeabilities and normalized chargeability enhancement. Soil samples were collected at the site and its electrical properties were measured in the laboratory. The electrical contrast observed in the field was not observed in the laboratory, suggesting that moisture content could be contributing to the geophysical anomaly observed at the field. Clay content, total bacteria and magnetic properties were measured for some of the collected samples. The results show that the clay content distribution in the area does not explain the geophysical response observed. However, the microbial population was found to be over five orders of magnitude higher in the anomaly zone. Magnetic properties of the samples show that the anomaly zone is richer in magnetite. These studies show that the IP response observed in environmental studies is affected by petrophysical properties such as clay content, moisture content, mineralogy and pore fluid chemical properties. However, natural changes of these properties are also expected in dynamic environments. The isolation of the contribution of soil contamination to changes of these properties is a complex task.