Critical Casimir forces in soft matter

We review recent advances in the theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies of critical Casimir forces in soft matter, with particular emphasis on their relevance for the structures of colloidal suspensions and on their dynamics. Distinct from other interactions which act in soft matter, such as electrostatic and van der Waals forces, critical Casimir forces are effective interactions characterised by the possibility to control reversibly their strength via minute temperature changes, while their attractive or repulsive character is conveniently determined via surface treatments or by structuring the involved surfaces. These features make critical Casimir forces excellent candidates for controlling the equilibrium and dynamical properties of individual colloids or colloidal dispersions as well as for possible applications in micro-mechanical systems. In the past 25 years a number of theoretical and experimental studies have been devoted to investigating these forces primarily under thermal equilibrium conditions, while their dynamical and non-equilibrium behaviour is a largely unexplored subject open for future investigations.

Structure of liquid-vapor interfaces: Perspectives from liquid state theory, large-scale simulations, and potential grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction

Grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) is a scattering technique that allows one to characterize the structure of fluid interfaces down to the molecular scale, including the measurement of surface tension and interface roughness. However, the corresponding standard data analysis at nonzero wave numbers has been criticized as to be inconclusive because the scattering intensity is polluted by the unavoidable scattering from the bulk. Here, we overcome this ambiguity by proposing a physically consistent model of the bulk contribution based on a minimal set of assumptions of experimental relevance. To this end, we derive an explicit integral expression for the background scattering, which can be determined numerically from the static structure factors of the coexisting bulk phases as independent input. Concerning the interpretation of GIXRD data inferred from computer simulations, we extend the model to account also for the finite sizes of the bulk phases, which are unavoidable in simulations. The corresponding leading-order correction beyond the dominant contribution to the scattered intensity is revealed by asymptotic analysis, which is characterized by the competition between the linear system size and the x-ray penetration depth in the case of simulations. Specifically, we have calculated the expected GIXRD intensity for scattering at the planar liquid-vapor interface of Lennard-Jones fluids with truncated pair interactions via extensive, high-precision computer simulations. The reported data cover interfacial and bulk properties of fluid states along the whole liquid-vapor coexistence line. A sensitivity analysis shows that our findings are robust with respect to the detailed definition of the mean interface position. We conclude that previous claims of an enhanced surface tension at mesoscopic scales are amenable to unambiguous tests via scattering experiments.

Rapid estimation of 2D relative B 1 + -maps from localizers in the human heart at 7T using deep learning

PURPOSE

Subject-tailored parallel transmission pulses for ultra-high fields body applications are typically calculated based on subject-specific B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps of all transmit channels, which require lengthy adjustment times. This study investigates the feasibility of using deep learning to estimate complex, channel-wise, relative 2D B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps from a single gradient echo localizer to overcome long calibration times.

METHODS

126 channel-wise, complex, relative 2D B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps of the human heart from 44 subjects were acquired at 7T using a Cartesian, cardiac gradient-echo sequence obtained under breath-hold to create a library for network training and cross-validation. The deep learning predicted maps were qualitatively compared to the ground truth. Phase-only B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -shimming was subsequently performed on the estimated B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps for a region of interest covering the heart. The proposed network was applied at 7T to 3 unseen test subjects.

RESULTS

The deep learning-based B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps, derived in approximately 0.2 seconds, match the ground truth for the magnitude and phase. The static, phase-only pulse design performs best when maximizing the mean transmission efficiency. In-vivo application of the proposed network to unseen subjects demonstrates the feasibility of this approach: the network yields predicted B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps comparable to the acquired ground truth and anatomical scans reflect the resulting B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -pattern using the deep learning-based maps.

CONCLUSION

The feasibility of estimating 2D relative B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps from initial localizer scans of the human heart at 7T using deep learning is successfully demonstrated. Because the technique requires only sub-seconds to derive channel-wise B 1 + $$ {\mathrm{B}}_1^{+} $$ -maps, it offers high potential for advancing clinical body imaging at ultra-high fields.

High Macrophage Densities in Native Kidney Biopsies Correlate With Renal Dysfunction and Promote ESRD

Introduction

Macrophages and monocytes are main players in innate immunity. The relevance of mononuclear phagocyte infiltrates on clinical outcomes remains to be determined in native kidney diseases.

Methods

Our cross-sectional study included 324 patients with diagnostic renal biopsies comprising 17 disease entities and normal renal tissues for comparison. All samples were stained for CD68⁺ macrophages. Selected groups were further subtyped for CD14⁺ monocytes and CD163⁺ alternatively activated macrophages. Using precise pixel-based digital measurements, we quantified cell densities as positively stained areas in renal cortex and medulla as well as whole renal tissue. Laboratory and clinical data of all cases at the time of biopsy and additional follow-up data in 158 cases were accessible.

Results

Biopsies with renal disease consistently revealed higher CD68⁺-macrophage densities and CD163⁺-macrophage densities in cortex and medulla compared to controls. High macrophage densities correlated with impaired renal function at biopsy and at follow-up in all diseases and in diseases analyzed separately. High cortical CD68⁺-macrophage densities preceded shorter renal survival, defined as requirement of permanent dialysis. CD14⁺ monocyte densities showed no difference compared to controls and did not correlate with renal function.

Conclusion

Precise quantification of macrophage densities in renal biopsies may contribute to risk stratification to identify patients with high risk for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and might be a promising therapeutic target in renal disease.

Structure of electrolyte solutions at nonuniformly charged surfaces on a variety of length scales

The structures of dilute electrolyte solutions close to nonuniformly charged planar substrates are systematically studied within the entire spectrum of microscopic to macroscopic length scales by means of a unified classical density functional theory approach. This is in contrast to previous investigations, which are applicable either to short or to long length scales. It turns out that interactions with microscopic ranges, e.g., due to the hard cores of the fluid molecules and ions, have a negligible influence on the formation of nonuniform lateral structures of the electrolyte solutions. This partly justifies the Debye-Hückel approximation schemes applied in previous studies of that system. In general, a coupling between the lateral and the normal fluid structures leads to the phenomenology that, upon increasing the distance from the substrate, fewer details of the lateral nonuniformities contribute to the fluid structure, such that ultimately only large-scale surface features remain relevant. It can be expected that this picture also applies to other fluids characterized by several length scales.

Pumping and Mixing in Active Pores

We show both numerically and analytically that a chemically patterned active pore can act as a micro- or nanopump for fluids, even if it is fore-aft symmetric. This is possible due to a spontaneous symmetry breaking which occurs when advection rather than diffusion is the dominant mechanism of solute transport. We further demonstrate that, for pumping and tuning the flow rate, a combination of geometrical and chemical inhomogeneities is required. For certain parameter values, the flow is unsteady, and persistent oscillations with a tunable frequency appear. Finally, we find that the flow exhibits convection rolls and hence promotes mixing in the low Reynolds number regime.

Intrusion of liquids into liquid-infused surfaces with nanoscale roughness

We present a theoretical study of the intrusion of an ambient liquid into the pores of a nanocorrugated wall w. The pores are prefilled with a liquid lubricant that adheres to the walls of the pores more strongly than the ambient liquid does. The two liquids are modeled as a binary liquid mixture of two species of particles, A and B. The mixture can decompose into a liquid rich in A particles, representing the ambient liquid, and another one rich in B particles, representing the liquid lubricant. The wall is taken to attract the B particles more strongly than the A particles. The ratio w-A/w-B of these interaction strengths is changed in order to tune the contact angle θ_{AB} formed by the A-rich/B-rich liquid interface between the two fluids and a planar wall, composed of the same material as the one forming the pores. We use classical density functional theory in order to capture the effects of microscopic details on the intrusion transition, which occurs as the concentration of the minority component or the pressure in the bulk of the ambient liquid is varied, moving away from bulk liquid-liquid coexistence within the single-phase domain of the A-rich bulk ambient liquid. These liquid structures have been studied as a function of the contact angle θ_{AB} and for various widths and depths of the pores. We also studied the reverse process in which a pore initially filled with the ambient liquid is refilled with the liquid lubricant. The location of the intrusion transition, with respect to its dependence on the contact angle θ_{AB} and the width of the pore, qualitatively follows the corresponding shift of the capillary-coexistence line away from the bulk liquid-liquid coexistence line, as predicted by a macroscopic capillarity model. Quantitatively, the transition found in the microscopic approach occurs somewhat closer to the bulk liquid-liquid coexistence line than predicted by the macroscopic capillarity model. The quantitative discrepancies become larger for narrower cavities. In cases in which the wall is completely wetted by the lubricant (θ_{AB}=0) and for small contact angles, the reverse transition follows the same path as for intrusion; there is no hysteresis. For larger contact angles, hysteresis is observed. The width of the hysteresis increases with increasing contact angle. A reverse transition is not found inside the domain within which the ambient liquid forms a single phase in the bulk once θ_{AB} exceeds a geometry-dependent threshold value. According to the macroscopic capillarity theory, for the considered geometry, this is the case for θ_{AB}>54.7^{∘}. Our computations show, however, that nanoscale effects shift this threshold value to much higher values. This shift increases strongly if the widths of the pores become smaller (below about ten times the diameter of the A and B particles).

Respiration induced B 1 + changes and their impact on universal and tailored 3D kT-point parallel transmission pulses for 7T cardiac imaging

PURPOSE

Human heart imaging at ultra-high fields is highly challenging because of respiratory motion-induced artefacts and spatially heterogeneous B 1 + profiles. This work demonstrates that respiration resolved 3D B 1 + -maps can be used with a dedicated tailored and universal parallel transmission (pTx) pulse design to compensate respiration related B 1 + changes in subjects performing shallow and deep breathing (SB/DB).

METHODS

Three-dimensional (3D) B 1 + -maps of the thorax were acquired in 31 subjects under SB and in 15 subjects under SB and DB. Different universal and tailored non-selective pTx pulses were designed from non-respiration resolved (NRR) and respiration resolved (RR) reconstructions of the SB/DB B 1 + -maps. The performance of all pulses was tested with RR-SB/DB B 1 + -maps. Respiration-robust tailored and universal pulses were applied in vivo in 5 subjects at 7T in 3D gradient-echo free-breathing scans.

RESULTS

All optimized pTx pulses performed well for SB. For DB, however, only the universal and the tailored respiration-robust pulses achieved homogeneous flip angles (FAs) in all subjects and across all respiration states, whereas the tailored respiration-specific pulses resulted in a higher FA variation. The respiration-robust universal pulse resulted in an average coefficient of variation in the FA maps of 12.6% compared to 8.2% achieved by tailored respiration-robust pulses. In vivo measurements at 7T demonstrate the benefits of using respiration-robust pulses for DB.

CONCLUSION

Universal and tailored respiration-robust pTx pulses based on RR B 1 + -maps are highly preferred to achieve 3D heart FA homogenization at 7T when subjects perform DB, whereas universal and tailored pulses based on NRR B 1 + -maps are sufficient when subjects perform SB.

Motion-compensated fat-water imaging for 3D cardiac MRI at ultra-high fields

PURPOSE

Respiratory motion-compensated (MC) 3D cardiac fat-water imaging at 7T.

METHODS

Free-breathing bipolar 3D triple-echo gradient-recalled-echo (GRE) data with radial phase-encoding (RPE) trajectory were acquired in 11 healthy volunteers (7M\4F, 21-35 years, mean: 30 years) with a wide range of body mass index (BMI; 19.9-34.0 kg/m² ) and volunteer tailored B 1 + shimming. The bipolar-corrected triple-echo GRE-RPE data were binned into different respiratory phases (self-navigation) and were used for the estimation of non-rigid motion vector fields (MF) and respiratory resolved (RR) maps of the main magnetic field deviations (ΔB₀ ). RR ΔB₀ maps and MC ΔB₀ maps were compared to a reference respiratory phase to assess respiration-induced changes. Subsequently, cardiac binned fat-water images were obtained using a model-based, respiratory motion-corrected image reconstruction.

RESULTS

The 3D cardiac fat-water imaging at 7T was successfully demonstrated. Local respiration-induced frequency shifts in MC ΔB₀ maps are small compared to the chemical shifts used in the multi-peak model. Compared to the reference exhale ΔB₀ map these changes are in the order of 10 Hz on average. Cardiac binned MC fat-water reconstruction reduced respiration induced blurring in the fat-water images, and flow artifacts are reduced in the end-diastolic fat-water separated images.

CONCLUSION

This work demonstrates the feasibility of 3D fat-water imaging at UHF for the entire human heart despite spatial and temporal B 1 + and B₀ variations, as well as respiratory and cardiac motion.

Calibration-free pTx of the human heart at 7T via 3D universal pulses

PURPOSE

MRI at ultra-high fields in the human body is highly challenging and requires lengthy calibration times to compensate for spatially heterogeneous B 1 + profiles. This study investigates the feasibility of using pre-computed universal pulses for calibration-free homogeneous 3D flip angle distribution in the human heart at 7T.

METHODS

Twenty-two channel-wise 3D B 1 + data sets were acquired under free-breathing in 19 subjects to generate a library for an offline universal pulse (UP) design (group 1: 12 males [M] and 7 females [F], 21-66 years, 19.8-28.3 kg/m² ). Three of these subjects (2M/1F, 21-33 years, 20.8-23.6 kg/m² ) were re-scanned on different days. A 4kT-points UP optimized for the 22 channel-wise 3D B 1 + data sets in group 1 (UP22-4kT) is proposed and applied at 7T in 9 new and unseen subjects (group 2: 4M/5F, 25-56 years, 19.5-35.3 kg/m² ). Multiple tailored and universal static and dynamic parallel-transmit (pTx) pulses were designed and evaluated for different permutations of the B 1 + data sets in group 1 and 2.

RESULTS

The proposed UP22-4kT provides low B 1 + variation in all subjects, seen and unseen, without severe signal drops. Experimental data at 7T acquired with UP22-4kT shows comparable image quality as data acquired with tailored-4kT pulses and demonstrates successful calibration-free pTx of the human heart.

CONCLUSION

UP22-4kT allows for calibration-free homogeneous flip angle distributions across the human heart at 7T. Large inter-subject variations because of sex, age, and body mass index are well tolerated. The proposed universal pulse removes the need for lengthy (10-15 min) calibration scans and therefore has the potential to bring body imaging at 7T closer to the clinical application.

Fluctuations of the critical Casimir force

The critical Casimir force (CCF) arises from confining fluctuations in a critical fluid and thus it is a fluctuating quantity itself. While the mean CCF is universal, its (static) variance has previously been found to depend on the microscopic details of the system which effectively set a large-momentum cutoff in the underlying field theory, rendering it potentially large. This raises the question how the properties of the force variance are reflected in experimentally observable quantities, such as the thickness of a wetting film or the position of a suspended colloidal particle. Here, based on a rigorous definition of the instantaneous force, we analyze static and dynamic correlations of the CCF for a conserved fluid in film geometry for various boundary conditions within the Gaussian approximation. We find that the dynamic correlation function of the CCF is independent of the momentum cutoff and decays algebraically in time. Within the Gaussian approximation, the associated exponent depends only on the dynamic universality class but not on the boundary conditions. We furthermore consider a fluid film, the thickness of which can fluctuate under the influence of the time-dependent CCF. The latter gives rise to an effective non-Markovian noise in the equation of motion of the film boundary and induces a distinct contribution to the position variance. Within the approximations used here, at short times, this contribution grows algebraically in time whereas, at long times, it saturates and contributes to the steady-state variance of the film thickness.

32-Channel self-grounded bow-tie transceiver array for cardiac MR at 7.0T

PURPOSE

Design, implementation, evaluation, and application of a 32-channel Self-Grounded Bow-Tie (SGBT) transceiver array for cardiac MR (CMR) at 7.0T.

METHODS

The array consists of 32 compact SGBT building blocks. Transmission field ( B 1 + ) shimming and radiofrequency safety assessment were performed with numerical simulations and benchmarked against phantom experiments. In vivo B 1 + efficiency mapping was conducted with actual flip angle imaging. The array's applicability for accelerated high spatial resolution 2D FLASH CINE imaging of the heart was examined in a volunteer study (n = 7).

RESULTS

B 1 + shimming provided a uniform field distribution suitable for female and male subjects. Phantom studies demonstrated an excellent agreement between simulated and measured B 1 + efficiency maps (7% mean difference). The SGBT array afforded a spatial resolution of (0.8 × 0.8 × 2.5) mm³ for 2D CINE FLASH which is by a factor of 12 superior to standardized cardiovascular MR (CMR) protocols. The density of the SGBT array supports 1D acceleration of up to R = 4 (mean signal-to-noise ratio (whole heart) ≥ 16.7, mean contrast-to-noise ratio ≥ 13.5) without impairing image quality significantly.

CONCLUSION

The compact SGBT building block facilitates a modular high-density array that supports accelerated and high spatial resolution CMR at 7.0T. The array provides a technological basis for future clinical assessment of parallel transmission techniques.

Liquid-liquid phase separation in an inhomogeneous ternary colloid-polymer mixture

Suspended colloids are often considered as models for molecules, which are sufficiently big so that they can be observed directly in (light) microscopes and for which the effective interaction among each other can be tailored. The Asakura-Oosawa model of ideal colloid-polymer mixtures captures the idea of tuning the interaction between the colloids via a potential, which possesses a range set by the size of the polymers and an attractive strength characterized by the (reservoir) number density of the polymers, which plays the role of an inverse temperature. The celebrated Asakura-Oosawa depletion potential allows one to recreate the bulk phase diagram of a simple fluid by employing a colloid-polymer mixture. This has been verified in theory, by computer simulations, and via experiments. Here, we study the phase behavior of a confined colloid-polymer mixture with two polymer species. The sizes and densities are chosen such that the resulting bulk phase diagram exhibits a second stable critical point within the framework of the classical density functional theory. Our results suggest that a suitably tuned colloid-polymer mixture can be an interesting model system to study fluids with two critical points.

MO444MACROPHAGE DENSITIES CORRELATE WITH LONG-TERM FUNCTION IN PAUCI-IMMUNE AND MEMBRANOUS GLOMERULONEPHRITIS AS WELL AS IN HYPERTENSIVE NEPHROPATHY

Background and Aims

Macrophages and monocytes are main players in innate immunity. In renal diseases, their role is poorly understood. Our multicentric cross-sectional study aimed to study the prevalence of macrophages and monocytes in various human native kidney diseases. For this, we used precise pixel-based digital quantification of their densities in renal biopsies and correlated our findings with clinical data.

Method

We included 324 patients, who underwent a diagnostic renal biopsy. Additional normal kidney samples from 16 tumour nephrectomies were used as controls. According to the diagnosed diseases, we established 17 patient groups. Biopsies were stained for CD68+-macrophages using automated immunohistochemistry (Ventana Ultra) and selected groups were further subtyped for CD14+-monocytes and CD163+-M2-macrophages (67 cases, pauci-immune glomerulonephritis (PIGN), IgA-nephropathy (IgAN) and control samples). Digitized sections (Leica) were analysed using the open-source software QuPath to quantify cell densities (positively stained areas displayed as percentages of ROI) in renal cortex, medulla and extrarenal tissue, respectively. Detailed clinical and laboratory data at timepoint of biopsy were available for all patients. Additional data for follow-up were achievable in 158 cases.

Results

Renal disease samples presented higher mean macrophage densities compared to control cases (CD68: cortex 1.2 vs. 0.2%, p<0.001, medulla 0.8 vs. 0.04%, p<0.001; CD163: cortex 3.2 vs. 0.5%, p<0.001, medulla 2.3 vs. 0.6%, p<0.05), but CD14+-density did not differ between patients and control samples. The highest cortical CD68+-density occurred in PIGN (1.98%) and in medulla in ascending infections (1.86%). The lowest cortical CD68+-densities were measured in thin basal membrane syndrome / Alport-syndrome (0.56%) and in medulla in immunotactoid and fibrillary glomerulopathy (0.26%). Chronic kidney disease displayed lower percentages of CD68+-densities (cortex: 1.15%; medulla: 0.49%) compared to acute kidney injury (cortex: 1.84%, p<0.001; medulla: 1.08%, p<0.001) and acute on chronic kidney injury (cortex: 1.81%, p<0.001; medulla: 1.43%, p<0.001). We detected a correlation of CD68+- and CD163+-infiltration with kidney function (eGFR) in cortex and medulla at the time of biopsy (CD68: r=-0.51 for cortex, r=-0.60 for medulla; CD163: r=-0.71 for cortex, r=-0.73 for medulla; p<0.001) and follow up (CD68: r=-0.41 for cortex, r=-0.34 for medulla, p<0.001; CD163: r=-0.46 for cortex, r=-0.50 for medulla, p<0.05). Older patients (>64 years) showed a higher medullary M2-infiltration (1.81% vs. 4.34%, p<0.005). The eGFR at the time of biopsy inversely correlated (p<0.05) with cortical CD68+-density in IgAN (r=-0.39), PIGN (r=-0.53), membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN; r=-0.70), focal segmental glomerulonephritis (r=-0.63), and hypertensive nephropathy (HNP; r=-0.44). At follow-up, this correlation (p<0.05) was still present in PIGN (r=-0.43), MGN (r=-0.58), and HNP (r=-0.77). In PIGN, cortical CD163+-density and eGFR were associated (p<0.001) at timepoint of biopsy (r=-0.51) and follow-up (r=-0.51). Particularly, cANCA-vasculitis showed a strong correlation between eGFR and cortical CD68+- as well as CD163+-densities at time of biopsy (CD68: r=-0.78; CD163: r=-0.75, p<0.001) and also for follow-up (CD68: r=-0.48; CD163: r=-0.68, p<0.05).

Conclusion

Macrophages may promote progression of human renal diseases, whereas monocytes do not correlate with eGFR-decline. Especially, in cANCA- vasculitis CD163+- infiltration is associated with renal outcome. Additional studies are needed to investigate, whether macrophages can serve as predictive markers or therapeutical targets in native renal diseases.

Wetting behavior of a colloidal particle trapped at a composite liquid-vapor interface of a binary liquid mixture

A partially miscible binary liquid mixture, composed of A and B particles, is considered theoretically under conditions for which a stable A-rich liquid phase is in thermal equilibrium with the vapor phase. The B-rich liquid is metastable. The liquids and the thermodynamic conditions are chosen such that the interface between the A-rich liquid and the vapor contains an intervening wetting film of the B-rich phase. In order to obtain information about the large-scale fluid structure around a colloidal particle, which is trapped at such a composite liquid-vapor interface, three related and linked wetting phenomena at planar liquid-vapor, wall-liquid, and wall-vapor interfaces are studied analytically, using classical density functional theory in conjunction with the sharp-kink approximation for the number density profiles of the A and B particles. If in accordance with the so-called mixing rule the strength of the A-B interaction is given by the geometric mean of the strengths of the A-A and the B-B interactions, and similarly the ratio between the wall-A and the wall-B interaction, the scenario, in which the colloid is enclosed by a film of the B-rich liquid, can be excluded. Up to six distinct wetting scenarios are possible, if the above mixing rules for the fluid-wall and for the fluid-fluid interactions are relaxed. The way the space of system parameters is divided into domains corresponding to the six scenarios, and which of the domains actually appear, depends on the signs of the deviations from the mixing rule prescriptions. Relevant domains, corresponding, e.g., to the scenario in which the colloid is enclosed by a film of the B-rich liquid, emerge, if the ratio between the strengths of the wall-A and the wall-B interactions is reduced as compared to the mixing rule prescription, or if the strength of the A-B interaction is increased to values above the one from the mixing rule prescription. The range, within which the contact angle may vary inside the various domains, is also studied.

Three-dimensional static and dynamic parallel transmission of the human heart at 7 T

Three-dimensional (3D) human heart imaging at ultra-high fields is highly challenging due to respiratory and cardiac motion-induced artifacts as well as spatially heterogeneous B1+ profiles. In this study, we investigate the feasibility of applying 3D flip angle (FA) homogenization targeting the whole heart via static phase-only and dynamic kT-point in vivo parallel transmission at 7 T. 3D B1+ maps of the thorax were acquired under free breathing in eight subjects to compute parallel transmission pulses that improve excitation homogeneity in the human heart. To analyze the number of kT-points required, excitation homogeneity and radiofrequency (RF) power were compared using different regions of interest in six subjects with different body mass index (BMI) values of 20-34 kg/m² for a wide range of regularization parameters. One subset of the optimized subject-specific pulses was applied in vivo on a 7 T scanner for six subjects in Cartesian 3D breath-hold scans as well as in two subjects in a radial phase-encoded 3D free-breathing scan. Across all subjects, 3-4 kT-points achieved a good tradeoff between RF power and nominal FA homogeneity. For subjects with a BMI in the normal range, the 4 kT-point pulses reliably improved the coefficient of variation by less than 10% compared with less than 25% achieved by static phase-only parallel transmission. in vivo measurements on a 7 T scanner validated the B1+ estimations and the pulse design, despite neglecting ΔB₀ in the optimizations and Bloch simulations. This study demonstrates in vivo that kT-point pTx pulses are highly suitable for mitigating nominal FA heterogeneities across the entire 3D heart volume at 7 T. Furthermore, 3-4 kT-points demonstrate a practical tradeoff between nominal FA heterogeneity mitigation and RF power.

Outcomes with a shorter multidrug-resistant tuberculosis regimen from Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan

BACKGROUND

In 2016, World Health Organization guidelines conditionally recommended standardised shorter 9-12-month regimens for multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) treatment. We conducted a prospective study of a shorter standardised MDR-TB regimen in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.

METHODS

Consecutive adults and children with confirmed rifampicin-resistant pulmonary TB were enrolled between September 1, 2013 and March 31, 2015; exclusions included prior treatment with second-line anti-TB drugs, and documented resistance to ofloxacin or to two second-line injectable agents. The primary outcome was recurrence-free cure at 1 year following treatment completion.

RESULTS

Of 146 enrolled patients, 128 were included: 67 female (52.3%), median age 30.1 (interquartile range 23.8-44.4) years. At the end of treatment, 71.9% (92 out of 128) of patients achieved treatment success, with 68% (87 out of 128) achieving recurrence-free cure at 1 year following completion. Unsuccessful outcomes during treatment included 22 (17.2%) treatment failures with fluoroquinolone-resistance amplification in 8 patients (8 out of 22, 36.4%); 12 (9.4%) lost to follow-up; and 2 (1.5%) deaths. Recurrence occurred in one patient. Fourteen patients (10.9%) experienced serious adverse events. Baseline resistance to both pyrazinamide and ethambutol (adjusted OR 6.13, 95% CI 2.01; 18.63) and adherence <95% (adjusted OR 5.33, 95% CI 1.73; 16.36) were associated with unsuccessful outcome in multivariable logistic regression.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall success with a standardised shorter MDR-TB regimen was moderate with considerable treatment failure and amplification of fluoroquinolone resistance. When introducing standardised shorter regimens, baseline drug susceptibility testing and minimising missed doses are critical. High rates globally of pyrazinamide, ethambutol and ethionamide resistance raise questions of continued inclusion of these drugs in shorter regimens in the absence of drug susceptibility testing-confirmed susceptibility.

Key hydrological processes in the Del Azul Creek basin, sub-humid Pampean Plain

Groundwater plays an important role in the economic development of the Chaco-Pampean Plain (Argentina), where industry, agriculture and cattle farming are the main economic activities. The 66% of the country's population lives in this area. The low slopes of this region condition the water movement and the occurrence of physical and chemical processes. The aim of this work is to update the hydrological conceptual model of the Del Azul Creek basin (Buenos Aires Province), a sub-humid and continental plain, using environmental tracers. In total, the study was based on the analysis of 201 samples (stable isotopes) and 184 samples (chemical data) including rainwater, surface water and groundwater. The temporal and spatial variation in the isotopic composition of rainfall and the hydrological physical-processes, evaporation, surface water-groundwater interaction and recharge were studied. Isotopic compositions of rainfall revealed a seasonal variation across the basin. Low δ¹⁸O rainfalls occur during the coldest seasons, while high δ¹⁸O rainfalls occur during the warmest seasons. The isotopic compositions of rainfall varied only during the cold period in the upper basin. At this time, the lowest δ¹⁸O rainfall fell in the upper basin, while in the other areas and during the warmer seasons, no differences were observed. Evaporation was a relevant process in the flatter area of the basin, mainly during the warmest seasons. Samples taken from the wetlands and from the lower section of the Del Azul Creek were strongly evaporated. In the first 30 m depth of the aquifer, groundwater reflected the isotopic composition of rainfall from the warmest seasons, thus revealing seasonal preferential recharge and a good hydraulic connection. This study provides direct evidence showing that both evaporation and the surface water-groundwater interaction are processes that play a key role in the control of the isotopic and chemical composition of water.

The role of counterions in ionic liquid crystals

Previous theoretical studies of calamitic (i.e., rod-like) ionic liquid crystals (ILCs) based on an effective one-species model led to indications of a novel smectic-A phase with a layer spacing being much larger than the length of the mesogenic (i.e., liquid-crystal forming) ions. In order to rule out the possibility that this wide smectic-A phase is merely an artifact caused by the one-species approximation, we investigate an extension that accounts explicitly for cations and anions in ILCs. Our present findings, obtained by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations, show that the phase transitions between the isotropic and the smectic-A phases of the cation-anion system are in qualitative agreement with the effective one-species model used in the preceding studies. In particular, for ILCs with mesogens (i.e., liquid-crystal forming species) carrying charged sites at their tips, the wide smectic-A phase forms, at low temperatures and within an intermediate density range, in between the isotropic and hexagonal crystal phases. We find that in the ordinary smectic-A phase, the spatial distribution of the counterions of the mesogens is approximately uniform, whereas in the wide smectic-A phase, the small counterions accumulate in between the smectic layers. Due to this phenomenology, the wide smectic-A phase could be interesting for applications, which hinge on the presence of conductivity channels for mobile ions.

Self-Motility of an Active Particle Induced by Correlations in the Surrounding Solution

Current models of phoretic transport rely on molecular forces creating a "diffuse" particle-fluid interface. We investigate theoretically an alternative mechanism, in which a diffuse interface emerges solely due to a nonvanishing correlation length of the surrounding solution. This mechanism can drive self-motility of a chemically active particle. Numerical estimates indicate that the velocity can reach micrometers per second. The predicted phenomenology includes a bilinear dependence of the velocity on the activity and a possible double velocity reversal upon varying the correlation length.

3D Free-breathing multichannel absolute B 1 + Mapping in the human body at 7T

PURPOSE

To introduce and investigate a method for free-breathing three-dimensional (3D) B 1 + mapping of the human body at ultrahigh field (UHF), which can be used to generate homogenous flip angle (FA) distributions in the human body at UHF.

METHODS

A 3D relative B 1 + mapping sequence with a radial phase-encoding (RPE) k-space trajectory was developed and applied in 11 healthy subjects at 7T. An RPE-based actual flip angle mapping method was applied with a dedicated B 1 + shim setting to calibrate the relative B 1 + maps yielding absolute B 1 + maps of the individual transmit channels. The method was evaluated in a motion phantom and by multidimensional in vivo measurements. Additionally, 3D gradient echo scans with and without static phase-only B 1 + shims were used to qualitatively validate B 1 + shim predictions.

RESULTS

The phantom validation revealed good agreement for B 1 + maps between dynamic measurement and static reference acquisition. The proposed 3D method was successfully validated in vivo by comparing magnitude and phase distributions with a 2D Cartesian reference. 3D B 1 + maps free from visible motion artifacts were successfully acquired for 11 subjects with body mass indexes ranging from 19 kg/m² to 34 kg/m² . 3D respiration-resolved absolute B 1 + maps indicated FA differences between inhalation and exhalation up to 15% for one channel and up to 24% for combined channels for shallow breathing.

CONCLUSION

The proposed method provides respiration-resolved absolute 3D B 1 + maps of the human body at UHF, which enables the investigation and development of 3D B 1 + shimming and parallel transmission methods to further enhance body imaging at UHF.

Toward a density-functional theory for the Jagla fluid

The so-called Jagla fluid is well known to exhibit, in addition to the usual gas-liquid critical point, also a liquid-liquid critical point, as well as a density anomaly. This makes it an interesting toy model for water, for which a liquid-liquid critical point is considered to exist but so far eludes experimental verification due to crystallization occurring in the corresponding metastable, deeply supercooled state. With the Jagla fluid being understood quite well in bulk-mostly via simulation studies-the focus of the present study is to describe the spatially inhomogeneous fluid in terms of classical density-functional theory (DFT) with the aim to be able to control its phase behavior on changing the shape or the nature of the confinement of the fluid. This information might contribute to guide potential experimental tests of the liquid-liquid critical point of actual water. We first determine the bulk phase diagram for the Jagla fluid by using thermodynamical perturbation theory. In doing so we explain why the perturbation theories of Barker and Henderson as well as of Weeks, Chandler, and Anderson fail to describe the Jagla fluid. We then continue to construct a perturbative DFT based on our bulk model, which shows significant improvement over the standard mean-field DFT valid at high temperatures. But ultimately the perturbative DFT breaks down at state points close to the binodal line and at low temperatures. This prevents us from achieving the original aim to study a highly confined, inhomogeneous Jagla fluid close to its liquid-liquid binodal.

Correction: Transient coarsening and the motility of optically heated Janus colloids in a binary liquid mixture

Correction for 'Transient coarsening and the motility of optically heated Janus colloids in a binary liquid mixture' by Juan Ruben Gomez-Solano et al., Soft Matter, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00964d.

Transient coarsening and the motility of optically heated Janus colloids in a binary liquid mixture

A gold-capped Janus particle suspended in a near-critical binary liquid mixture can self-propel under illumination. We have immobilized such a particle in a narrow channel and carried out a combined experimental and theoretical study of the non-equilibrium dynamics of a binary solvent around it - lasting from the very moment of switching illumination on until the steady state is reached. In the theoretical study we use both a purely diffusive and a hydrodynamic model, which we solve numerically. Our results demonstrate a remarkable complexity of the time evolution of the concentration field around the colloid. This evolution is governed by the combined effects of the temperature gradient and the wettability, and crucially depends on whether the colloid is free to move or is trapped. For the trapped colloid, all approaches indicate that the early time dynamics is purely diffusive and characterized by composition layers travelling with constant speed from the surface of the colloid into the bulk of the solvent. Subsequently, hydrodynamic effects set in. Anomalously large nonequilibrium fluctuations, which result from the temperature gradient and the vicinity of the critical point of the binary liquid mixture, give rise to strong concentration fluctuations in the solvent and to permanently changing coarsening patterns not observed for a mobile particle. The early time dynamics around initially still Janus colloids produces a force which is able to set the Janus colloid into motion. The propulsion due to this transient dynamics is in the direction opposite to that observed after the steady state is attained.

[Perforator based flaps of lateral thoracic artery (LTAP) and thoracodorsal artery (TDAP) for axillary reconstruction in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa]

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic inflammatory disease of apocrine gland-bearing skin, especially in the axilla. The coverage of large defects in the region of the axilla after radical resection poses a challenge to reconstructive surgery. The lateral chest offers, among others, two options for perforator flaps: the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap and the lateral thoracic artery perforator flap. This article introduces the lateral thoracic artery flap as an additional option for defect restoration alongside the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap. A total of 13 flaps (10 lateral thoracic artery perforator flaps and 3 thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps) were used for defect reconstruction in 10 patients with axillary hidradenitis suppurativa stages II or III. All patients were assessed for surgical complications pursuant to the classification of Clavien-Dindo, subjective aesthetic results, recurrence rate, and maximum abduction angle evaluated by measuring the range of motion. All flaps healed without major or partial flap necrosis. In 12 out of 13 flaps, the aesthetic result was rated very good or good.Only one patient complained of a visible scar, but rated the overall result as satisfactory. The range of motion in the shoulder was unlimited in all cases with a maximum abduction angle of 178.8 ± 4.2°. Recurrence was not observed in any case during the postsurgical follow-up of 27.2 ± 14.4 months. The use of the two perforator-based fasciocutaneous flaps of the thoraco dorsal artery and the lateral thoracic artery offers a useful and reliable option for the reconstruction of large axillary defects while maintaining full shoulder movement and providing cosmetically satisfactory results.

Finite-size corrections for the static structure factor of a liquid slab with open boundaries

The presence of a confining boundary can modify the local structure of a liquid markedly. In addition, small samples of finite size are known to exhibit systematic deviations of thermodynamic quantities relative to their bulk values. Here, we consider the static structure factor of a liquid sample in slab geometry with open boundaries at the surfaces, which can be thought of as virtually cutting out the sample from a macroscopically large, homogeneous fluid. This situation is a relevant limit for the interpretation of grazing-incidence diffraction experiments at liquid interfaces and films. We derive an exact, closed expression for the slab structure factor, with the bulk structure factor as the only input. This shows that such free boundary conditions cause significant differences between the two structure factors, in particular, at small wavenumbers. An asymptotic analysis of this result yields the scaling exponent and an accurate, useful approximation of these finite-size corrections. Furthermore, the open boundaries permit the interpretation of the slab as an open system, supporting particle exchange with a reservoir. We relate the slab structure factor to the particle number fluctuations and discuss conditions under which the subvolume of the slab represents a grand canonical ensemble with chemical potential μ and temperature T. Thus, the open slab serves as a test-bed for the small-system thermodynamics in a μT reservoir. We provide a microscopically justified and exact result for the size dependence of the isothermal compressibility. Our findings are corroborated by simulation data for Lennard-Jones liquids at two representative temperatures.

Critical energy-density profile near walls

We examine critical adsorption for semi-infinite thermodynamic systems of the Ising universality class when they are in contact with a wall of the so-called normal surface universality class in spatial dimension d=3 and in the mean-field limit. We apply local-functional theory and Monte Carlo simulations in order to quantitatively determine the properties of the energy density as the primary scaling density characterizing the critical behaviors of Ising systems besides the order parameter. Our results apply to the critical isochore, near two-phase coexistence, and along the critical isotherm if the surface and the weak bulk magnetic fields are either collinear or anticollinear. In the latter case, we also consider the order parameter, which so far has yet to be examined along these lines. We find the interface between the surface and the bulk phases at macroscopic distances from the surface, i.e., the surface is "wet." It turns out that in this case the usual property of monotonicity of primary scaling densities with respect to the temperature or magnetic field scaling variable does not hold for the energy density due to the presence of this interface.

Bridging transitions and capillary forces for colloids in a slit

Capillary bridges can form between colloids immersed in a two-phase fluid, e.g., in a binary liquid mixture, if the surface of the colloids prefers the species other than the one favored in the bulk liquid. Here, we study the formation of liquid bridges induced by confining colloids to a slit, with the slit walls having a preference opposite to the one of the colloid surface. Using mean field theory, we show that there is a line of first-order phase transitions between the bridge and the no-bridge states, which ends at a critical point. By decreasing the slit width, this critical point is shifted toward smaller separations between the colloids. However, at very small separations and far from criticality, we observe only a minor influence of the slit width on the location of the transition. Monte Carlo simulations of the Ising model, which mimics incompressible binary liquid mixtures, confirm the occurrence of the bridging transitions, as manifested by the appearance of "spinodal" regions where both bridge and no-bridge configurations are stable or metastable. Interestingly, we find that there is no such spinodal region in the case of small colloids, but we observe a sharpening of the transition when the colloid size increases. In addition, we demonstrate that the capillary force acting between the colloids can depend sensitively on the slit width and varies drastically with temperature, thus achieving strengths orders of magnitude higher than at criticality of the fluid.

Cassie-Wenzel transition of a binary liquid mixture on a nanosculptured surface

The Cassie-Wenzel transition of a symmetric binary liquid mixture in contact with a nano-corrugated wall is studied. The corrugation consists of a periodic array of nanopits with square cross sections. The substrate potential is the sum over Lennard-Jones interactions, describing the pairwise interaction between the wall particles C and the fluid particles. The liquid is composed of two species of particles, A and B, which have the same size and equal A-A and B-B interactions. The liquid particles interact between each other also via A-B Lennard-Jones potentials. We have employed classical density functional theory to determine the equilibrium structure of binary liquid mixtures in contact with the nano-corrugated surface. Liquid intrusion into the pits is studied as a function of various system parameters such as the composition of the liquid, the strengths of various interparticle interactions, and the geometric parameters of the pits. The binary liquid mixture is taken to be at its mixed-liquid-vapor coexistence. For various sets of parameters the results obtained for the Cassie-Wenzel transition, as well as for the metastability of the two corresponding thermodynamic states, are compared with macroscopic predictions in order to check the range of validity of the macroscopic theories for systems exposed to nanoscopic confinements. Distinct from the macroscopic theory, it is found that the Cassie-Wenzel transition cannot be predicted based on the knowledge of a single parameter, such as the contact angle within the macroscopic theory.

Heterogeneous surface charge confining an electrolyte solution

The structure of dilute electrolyte solutions close to a surface carrying a spatially inhomogeneous surface charge distribution is investigated by means of classical density functional theory within the approach of fundamental measure theory. For electrolyte solutions, the influence of these inhomogeneities is particularly strong because the corresponding characteristic length scale is the Debye length, which is large compared to molecular sizes. Here, a fully three-dimensional investigation is performed, which accounts explicitly for the solvent particles, and thus provides insight into effects caused by ion-solvent coupling. The present study introduces a versatile framework to analyze a broad range of types of surface charge heterogeneities even beyond the linear response regime. This reveals a sensitive dependence of the number density profiles of the fluid components and of the electrostatic potential on the magnitude of the charge as well as on the details of the surface charge patterns at small scales.

Media consumption and desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia

There is ample evidence for a distorted presentation of the mentally ill in the media. However, only little is known about its impact on attitudes towards people with mental disorders. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between watching TV and reading the newspaper on the one hand, and the desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia on the other. In 2001, a representative population survey was conducted in Germany, using a fully structured personal interview. We found that the desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia increases almost continuously with the amount of TV consumption. The association between reading the newspaper and social distance is less pronounced and depends on the type of newspaper people read. Since, obviously, there is a relationship between media consumption and attitudes towards people with schizophrenia, inaccurate and one-sided messages about mental disorders should be replaced by accurate and more balanced messages.

Numerical simulations of self-diffusiophoretic colloids at fluid interfaces

The dynamics of active colloids is very sensitive to the presence of boundaries and interfaces which therefore can be used to control their motion. Here we analyze the dynamics of active colloids adsorbed at a fluid-fluid interface. By using a mesoscopic numerical approach which relies on an approximated numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equation, we show that when adsorbed at a fluid interface, an active colloid experiences a net torque even in the absence of a viscosity contrast between the two adjacent fluids. In particular, we study the dependence of this torque on the contact angle of the colloid with the fluid-fluid interface and on its surface properties. We rationalize our results via an approximate approach which accounts for the appearance of a local friction coefficient. By providing insight into the dynamics of active colloids adsorbed at fluid interfaces, our results are relevant for two-dimensional self assembly and emulsion stabilization by means of active colloids.

Effective pair interaction of patchy particles in critical fluids

We study the critical Casimir interaction between two spherical colloids immersed in a binary liquid mixture close to its critical demixing point. The surface of each colloid prefers one species of the mixture with the exception of a circular patch of arbitrary size, where the other species is preferred. For such objects, we calculate, within the Derjaguin approximation, the scaling function describing the critical Casimir potential, and we use it to derive the scaling functions for all components of the forces and torques acting on both colloids. The results are compared with available experimental data. Moreover, the general relation between the scaling function for the potential and the scaling functions for the force and the torque is derived.

[Extranodal abdominal lymphomas]

BACKGROUND

Extranodal manifestations occur in up to 40% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The prevalence of extranodal involvement has increased.

OBJECTIVES

A comprehensive overview on lymphoma involvement in the parenchymatous abdominal organs, the gastrointestinal tract, and the peritoneal cavity under due consideration of clinical implications is given.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A selective literature search with analysis of dedicated original research articles and reviews was carried out. Clinical guidelines are discussed.

RESULTS

Extranodal abdominal lymphoma involvement usually occurs secondarily in advanced disease. Sites involved most frequently are the liver and the gastrointestinal tract. Extranodal abdominal lymphoma involvement is more common in the immunocompromised patient.

CONCLUSION

Imaging findings of extranodal abdominal lymphoma are variable. Lymphoma is an important differential diagnosis to be considered in unclear tumor diseases.

Dynamics near planar walls for various model self-phoretic particles

For chemically active particles suspended in a liquid solution and moving by self-phoresis, the dynamics near chemically inert, planar walls is studied theoretically by employing various choices for the activity function, i.e., the spatial distribution of the sites where various chemical reactions take place. We focus on the case of solutions composed of electrically neutral species. This analysis extends previous studies of the case that the chemical activity can be modeled effectively as the release of a "product" molecular species from parts of the surface of the particle by accounting for annihilation of the product molecules by chemical reactions, either on the rest of the surface of the particle or in the volume of the surrounding solution. We show that, for the models considered here, the emergence of "sliding" and "hovering" wall-bound states is a generic, robust feature. However, the details of these states, such as the range of parameters within which they occur, depend on the specific model for the activity function. Additionally, in certain cases there is a reversal of the direction of the motion compared to the one observed if the particle is far away from the wall. We have also studied the changes of the dynamics induced by a direct interaction between the particle and the wall by including a short-ranged repulsive component to the interaction in addition to the steric one (a procedure often employed in numerical simulations of active colloids). Upon increasing the strength of this additional component, while keeping its range fixed, significant qualitative changes occur in the phase portraits of the dynamics near the wall: for sufficiently strong short-ranged repulsion, the sliding steady states of the dynamics are transformed into hovering states. Furthermore, our studies provide evidence for an additional "oscillatory" wall-bound steady state of motion for chemically active particles due to a strong, short-ranged, and direct repulsion. This kind of particle translates along the wall at a distance from it which oscillates between a minimum and a maximum.

Dynamics of the critical Casimir force for a conserved order parameter after a critical quench

Fluctuation-induced forces occur generically when long-range correlations (e.g., in fluids) are confined by external bodies. In classical systems, such correlations require specific conditions, e.g., a medium close to a critical point. On the other hand, long-range correlations appear more commonly in certain nonequilibrium systems with conservation laws. Consequently, a variety of nonequilibrium fluctuation phenomena, including fluctuation-induced forces, have been discovered and explored recently. Here we address a long-standing problem of nonequilibrium critical Casimir forces emerging after a quench to the critical point in a confined fluid with order-parameter-conserving dynamics and non-symmetry-breaking boundary conditions. The interplay of inherent (critical) fluctuations and dynamical nonlocal effects (due to density conservation) gives rise to striking features, including correlation functions and forces exhibiting oscillatory time dependences. Complex transient regimes arise, depending on initial conditions and the geometry of the confinement. Our findings pave the way for exploring a wealth of nonequilibrium processes in critical fluids (e.g., fluctuation-mediated self-assembly or aggregation). In certain regimes, our results are applicable to active matter.

Ensemble dependence of critical Casimir forces in films with Dirichlet boundary conditions

In a recent study [Phys. Rev. E 94, 022103 (2016)2470-004510.1103/PhysRevE.94.022103] it has been shown that, for a fluid film subject to critical adsorption, the resulting critical Casimir force (CCF) may significantly depend on the thermodynamic ensemble. Here we extend that study by considering fluid films within the so-called ordinary surface universality class. We focus on mean-field theory, within which the order parameter (OP) profile satisfies Dirichlet boundary conditions and produces a nontrivial CCF in the presence of external bulk fields or, respectively, a nonzero total order parameter within the film. Additionally, we study the influence of fluctuations by means of Monte Carlo simulations of the three-dimensional Ising model. We show that, in the canonical ensemble, i.e., when fixing the so-called total mass within the film, the CCF is repulsive for large absolute values of the total OP, instead of attractive as in the grand canonical ensemble. Based on the Landau-Ginzburg free energy, we furthermore obtain analytic expressions for the order parameter profiles and analyze the relation between the total mass in the film and the external bulk field.

A ferronematic slab in external magnetic fields

The behavior of a uniformly magnetized ferronematic slab is investigated numerically in a situation in which an external magnetic field is applied parallel and antiparallel, respectively, to its initial magnetization direction. The employed numerical method allows one to determine hysteresis curves from which a critical magnetic field strength (i.e., the one at which the ferronematic sample becomes distorted) as a function of the system parameters can be inferred. Two possible mechanisms of switching the magnetization by applying a magnetic field in the antiparallel direction are observed and characterized in terms of the coupling constant between the magnetization and the nematic director and in terms of the coupling strength of the nematic liquid crystal and the walls of the slab. Suitably prepared walls allow one to combine both switching mechanisms in one setup, such that one can construct a cell, the magnetization of which can be reversibly switched off.