Tutors and Tutorials

The tutorial aims to introduce the basics of the NMR phenomena and procedures in the MRI lab. Classes will be divided into two parts. In the first part, some basic information about NMR and MRI will be provided, and in the next step will be shown the preparation of an MRI research scanner, ie. tuning coil, and magnetic field shimming. Moreover, 1D NMR experiments will be carried out.
The second part will show the basic experiments using Fourier imaging methods with the introduction of the spin echo imaging technique. The building of k-space during MRI experiments will be shown, to highlight the significance of Fourier transform in Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Finally, the images for the object with a well-defined structure will be obtained with spin echo and gradient echo techniques.
The tutorial will be carried out with the use of ICT technology and remote access to an MRI scanner at NanoBioMedical Centre in Poznan.

The word diffusion derives from the Latin word diffundere, which means "to spread out". In the most general case, diffusion is a phenomenon that refers to the net movement of an object driven by a gradient of some magnitude factor. The process has a stochastic nature, and its concept plays an important role in many areas of physics, chemistry, biology, sociology, economics, and finance, constituting a broad field for research. In natural sciences, diffusion is not limited to a given state of matter but can occur in solids, liquids, and gases. It conditions the life processes by determining the transport through membranes, cells eventually, the whole body. In chemical processes, it is often the central rule driving many reactions. In physics, it defines many transport processes for atoms, ions, or molecules. A distinguishing feature of diffusion is that it depends on particle random walk and results in mixing or mass transport without requiring directed bulk motion. The first description of the diffusion phenomena was given by Adolf Fick in 1855. Fick's laws can be used to solve for the diffusion coefficient, D. A diffusion process that obeys Fick's laws is called normal or Fickian diffusion. On the other hand, it is called anomalous diffusion or non-Fickian diffusion if the process does not follow these laws. This tutorial aims to give an overview of the wide range of applications of diffusion NMR and principles of NMR diffusometry methods that allow insight, for example, for accurate molecular size determination, in nanomedicine drug delivery, or separation of complex mixtures. The tutorial will be carried out with the assistance of dr hab Kosma Szutkowski from the NanoBioMedical Centre in Poznan and remote access to an NMR spectrometer at the NanoBioMedical Centre in Poznan.

JEOL Analytical Software network - practical aspects.

JASON is a new vendor agnostic analytical software with special emphasis on the automatic processing, analysis and reporting of NMR data [1]. In particular, JASON features a large work space, "Canvas," where 1D NMR, 2D NMR, and chemical structures are interlinked to support structural analysis. In this workshop we will present an overview of the software and how it can be used for structure verification and generation of reports. To fully benefit from this workshop it is recommended to bring a laptop with the software already installed.

One of the fundamental topics of molecular science is to learn dynamical properties of biomolecules. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) methods, especially FFC-NMR relaxation studies, give a deep insight into the dynamics of biomolecular systems i.e. tumbling-like motion, translation diffusion and internal dynamics. In FFC-NMR relaxation experiments at low frequencies (magnetic fields) one probes slow molecular motions in the scale of microseconds, while with increasing the frequency progressively faster dynamics up to nanoseconds are detected. The FFC-NMR relaxation studies stems as an extremely valuable source of information about the dynamics of biomolecules, nevertheless, they pose several challenges from the experimental as well as theoretical point of view.   In this context, the FFC-NMR tutorial will be divided into three parts: First, some general introduction to the Fast Field Cycling technique will be provided, along with the theory of basic pulse sequences and essential knowledge for setting of proper parameters to start an experiment. Next, step by step a simple FFC experiment will be performed remotely using one of the FFC-NMR Relaxometers (Stelar s.r.l.), located at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn laboratory, including practical advice for beginner users. In other words, the tutorial Participants will simply learn “How to get started with the FFC-NMR measurements” - i.e. sample preparation, sample tuning, choosing the right sequence (depending on the type of sample), setting proper parameters, acquiring and evaluating FFC data. In the last part of the tutorial, some theoretical aspects of data analysis will be presented