We report measurements of the superfluid density of 4 He confined between two Si wafers. These are the first measurements of helium confined in a sufficiently well-defined planar geometry to show a crossover from three-dimensional-like to finite-size to two-dimensional behavior. Data for confinement in 0.106-, 0.509-, 2.8-, and 3.9-pm-thickness cells are analyzed for scaling with the exponent of the bulk correlation length, v. We find that this scaling does not work: An exponent different from v is required. We discuss these results in light of finite-size scaling predictions and earlier measurements.

Nanomedicine approaches to atherosclerotic disease will have significant impact on the practice and outcomes of cardiovascular medicine. Iron oxide nanoparticles have been extensively used for nontargeted and targeted imaging applications based upon highly sensitive T2* imaging properties, which typically result in negative contrast effects that can only be imaged 24 or more hours after systemic administration due to persistent blood pool interference. Although recent advances involving MR pulse sequences have converted these dark contrast voxels into bright ones, the marked delays in imaging from persistent magnetic background interference and prominent dipole blooming effects of the magnetic susceptibility remain barriers to overcome. We report a T1-weighted (T1w) theranostic colloidal iron oxide nanoparticle platform, CION, which is achieved by entrapping oleatecoated magnetite particles within a cross-linked phospholipid nanoemulsion. Contrary to expectations, this formulation decreased T2 effects thus allowing positive T1w contrast detection down to low nanomolar concentrations. CION, a vascular constrained nanoplatform administered in vivo permitted T1w molecular imaging 1 hour after treatment without blood pool interference, although some T2 shortening effects on blood, induced by the superparamagnetic particles persisted. Moreover, CION was shown to encapsulate antiangiogenic drugs, like fumagillin, and retained them under prolonged dissolution, suggesting significant theranostic functionality. Overall, CION is a platform technology, developed with generally recognized as safe components, that overcomes the temporal and spatial imaging challenges associated with current iron oxide nanoparticle T2 imaging agents, and which has theranostic potential in vascular diseases for detecting unstable ruptured plaque or treating atherosclerotic angiogenesis.Keywords iron oxide; molecular imaging; drug delivery; angiogenesis; ruptured plaque; MRI Iron oxide crystals have long been used as superparamagnetic T2* contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). [1][2][3][4] Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO, particle diameter > 50nm) Corresponding Author Address: Gregory M. Lanza, M.D. Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering, Division of Cardiology, Washington University Medical School, 4320 Forest Park Avenue, Cortex Building, Suite 101, Saint Louis, MO 63108, greg.lanza@mac.com. † ASP and SDC contributed equally to this research project Brief Statement: Oleate-coated magnetite (20-30nm) particles suspended in oil and encapsulated with a partially cross-linked phospholipid surfactant transforms a typical T2* MR contrast agent into a T1w platform capable of rapid, targeted "positive" contrast imaging without magnetic bloom artifacts as well as targeted drug delivery. and ultrasmall superparamagnetic oxide (USPIO, particle diameter < 50nm) particles have nonstoichiometric microcrystalline magnetite core(s) and are typically coated with dextran (e.g., ferumoxide) or siloxane (e.g., ferumoxsil). 5 At...

Coprecipitated ferrite nanoparticles were coated with carbon using a hydrothermal method. From transmission electron microscope pictures, we could see that the coated iron oxide nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average diameter of 90 nm. The strong bonding of carbon on the nanoparticle surfaces was checked by noting the C = O and C = C vibrations in Fourier transform infrared spectra. The spin-lattice relaxation process [T1] and spin-spin relaxation process [T2] relaxivities of hydrogen protons in the aqueous solution of coated nanoparticles were determined to be 1.139 (mM·s)-1 and 1.115 (mM·s)-1, respectively. These results showed that the carbon-coated iron oxide nanoparticles are applicable as both T1 and T2 contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging.PACS: 81.05.y; 76.60.Es; 61.46; 75.50.k; 87.61.

Gold-coated iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles were synthesized for use as a T2 contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The coated nanoparticles were spherical in shape with an average diameter of 20 nm. The gold shell was about 2 nm thick. The bonding status of the gold on the nanoparticle surfaces was checked using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The FTIR spectra confirmed the attachment of homocysteine, in the form of thiolates, to the Au shell of the Au-Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The relaxivity ratio, R2/R1, for the coated nanoparticles was 3-fold higher than that of a commercial contrast agent, Resovist, which showed the potential for their use as a T2 contrast agent with high efficacy. In animal experiments, the presence of the nanoparticles in rat liver resulted in a 71% decrease in signal intensity in T2-weighted MR images, indicating that our gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles are suitable for use as a T2 contrast agent in MRI.