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Background and purposeMR imaging has been widely used for the noninvasive evaluation of MS. Although clinical MR imaging sequences are highly effective in showing focal macroscopic tissue abnormalities in the brains of patients with MS, they are not specific to myelin and correlate poorly with disability. We investigated direct imaging of myelin using a 2D adiabatic inversion recovery ultrashort TE sequence to determine its value in assessing disability in MS.Materials and methodsThe 2D inversion recovery ultrashort TE sequence was evaluated in 14 healthy volunteers and 31 patients with MS. MPRAGE and T2-FLAIR images were acquired for comparison. Advanced Normalization Tools were used to correlate inversion recovery ultrashort TE, MPRAGE, and T2-FLAIR images with disability assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale.ResultsWeak correlations were observed between normal-appearing white matter volume (R = -0.03, P = .88), lesion load (R = 0.22, P = .24), and age (R = 0.14, P = .44), and disability. The MPRAGE signal in normal-appearing white matter showed a weak correlation with age (R = -0.10, P = .49) and disability (R = -0.19, P = .31). The T2-FLAIR signal in normal-appearing white matter showed a weak correlation with age (R = 0.01, P = .93) and disability (R = 0.13, P = .49). The inversion recovery ultrashort TE signal was significantly negatively correlated with age (R = -0.38, P = .009) and disability (R = -0.44; P = .01).ConclusionsDirect imaging of myelin correlates with disability in patients with MS better than indirect imaging of long-T2 water in WM using conventional clinical sequences.

The first unambiguous detections of the crustal remanent magnetic fields of Mars were obtained by Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) during its initial orbits around Mars, which probed altitudes to within similar to 110 km of the surface. However, the majority of its measurements were carried out around 400 km altitude, fixed 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, mapping orbit. While the general character and planetary origins of the localized crustal fields were clearly revealed by the mapping survey data, their effects on the solar wind interaction could not be investigated in much detail because of the limited mapping orbit sampling. Previous analyses (Brain et al., 2006) of the field measurements on the dayside nevertheless provided an idea of the extent to which the interaction of the solar wind and planetary fields leads to non-ideal field draping at the mapping altitude. In this study we use numerical simulations of the global solar wind interaction with Mars as an aid to interpreting that observed non-ideal behavior. In addition, motivated by models for different interplanetary field orientations, we investigate the effects of induced and reconnected (planetary and external) fields on the Martian field's properties derived at the MGS mapping orbit altitude. The results suggest that inference of the planetary low order moments is compromised by their influence. In particular, the intrinsic dipole contribution may differ from that in the current models because the induced component is so dominant. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The oxygen ls and cobalt 2p x-ray absorption spectra of CoO, Li-doped CoO and LiCoO2 have been measured with 0.1 eV resolution. The cobalt 2p spectra are analysed with a ligand-field multiplet model and the inclusion of charge-transfer effects is discussed. The oxygen ls spectra are interpreted as transitions to empty oxygen p states and it is concluded that the effects of correlations in the 3d band possibly are too small to be detectable. The symmetries and the electronic configurations of the cobalt ions in the oxides are determined. It is concluded that, in contrast to for example NiO and La2CuO4, the doping-induced states are possibly of 1A1 symmetry, which would imply that the quasi-particles have spin 3/2 and are most likely trapped.