今日推荐

2005 - Investigative radiology

Comparison of Magnetic Properties of MRI Contrast Media Solutions at Different Magnetic Field Strengths

Rationale and Objectives:To characterize and compare commercially available contrast media (CM) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in terms of their relaxivity at magnetic field strengths ranging from 0.47 T to 4.7 T at physiological temperatures in water and in plasma. Relaxivities also were quantified in whole blood at1.5 T. Methods:Relaxivities of MRI-CM were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy at 0.47 T and MRI phantom measurements at 1.5 T, 3 T, and 4.7 T, respectively. Both longitudinal (T1) and transverse relaxation times (T2) were measured by appropriate spin-echo sequences. Nuclear magnetic resonance dispersion (NMRD) profiles were also determined for all agents in water and in plasma. Results:Significant dependencies of relaxivities on the field strength and solvents were quantified. Protein binding leads to both increased field strength and solvent dependencies and hence to significantly altered T1 relaxivity values at higher magnetic field strengths. Conclusions:Awareness of the field strength and solvent associated with relaxivity data is crucial for the comparison and evaluation of relaxivity values. Data observed at 0.47 T can thus be misleading and should be replaced by relaxivities measured at 1.5 T and at 3 T in plasma at physiological temperature.

1998 - The Astrophysical Journal

Magnetic Fields in Molecular Clouds: Observations Confront Theory

This paper presents a summary of all 27 available sensitive Zeeman measurements of magnetic field strengths in molecular clouds together with other relevant physical parameters. From these data input parameters to magnetic star formation theory are calculated, and predictions of theory are compared with observations. Results for this cloud sample are the following: (1) Internal motions are supersonic but approximately equal to the Alfv?n speed, which suggests that supersonic motions are likely MHD waves. (2) The ratio of thermal to magnetic pressures ?p ? 0.04, implying that magnetic fields are important in the physics of molecular clouds. (3) The mass-to-magnetic flux ratio is about twice critical, which suggests but does not require that static magnetic fields alone are insufficient to support clouds against gravity. (4) Kinetic and magnetic energies are approximately equal, which suggests that static magnetic fields and MHD waves are roughly equally important in cloud energetics. (5) Magnetic field strengths scale with gas densities as |B| ?? with ? ? 0.47; this agrees with the prediction of ambipolar diffusion driven star formation, but this scaling may also be predicted simply by Alfv?nic motions. The measurements of magnetic field strengths in molecular clouds make it clear that magnetic fields are a crucial component of the physics governing cloud evolution and star formation.

1988 - Journal of Geophysical Research

Magnetic clouds and force‐free fields with constant alpha

Magnetic clouds observed at 1 AU are modeled as cylindrically symmetric, constant alpha force-free magnetic fields. The model satisfactorily explains the types of variations of the magnetic field direction that are observed as a magnetic cloud moves past a spacecraft in terms of the possible orientations of the axis of a magnetic cloud. The model also explains why the magnetic field strength is observed to be higher inside a magnetic cloud than near its boundaries. However, the model predicts that the magnetic field strength profile should be symmetric with respect to the axis of the magnetic cloud, whereas observations show that this is not generally the case.

2009 - Contrast media & molecular imaging

Influence of molecular parameters and increasing magnetic field strength on relaxivity of gadolinium- and manganese-based T1 contrast agents.

Simulations were performed to understand the relative contributions of molecular parameters to longitudinal (r(1)) and transverse (r(2)) relaxivity as a function of applied field, and to obtain theoretical relaxivity maxima over a range of fields to appreciate what relaxivities can be achieved experimentally. The field-dependent relaxivities of a panel of gadolinium and manganese complexes with different molecular parameters, water exchange rates, rotational correlation times, hydration state, etc. were measured to confirm that measured relaxivities were consistent with theory. The design tenets previously stressed for optimizing r(1) at low fields (very slow rotational motion; chelate immobilized by protein binding; optimized water exchange rate) do not apply at higher fields. At 1.5 T and higher fields, an intermediate rotational correlation time is desired (0.5-4 ns), while water exchange rate is not as critical to achieving a high r(1). For targeted applications it is recommended to tether a multimer of metal chelates to a protein-targeting group via a long flexible linker to decouple the slow motion of the protein from the water(s) bound to the metal ions. Per ion relaxivities of 80, 45, and 18 mM(-1) s(-1) at 1.5, 3 and 9.4 T, respectively, are feasible for Gd(3+) and Mn(2+) complexes.

1992 - The Astrophysical Journal

Magnetic field decay in isolated neutron stars

We investigate three mechanisms that promote the loss of magnetic flux from an isolated neutron star. Ohmic decay produces a diffusion of the magnetic field with respect to the charged particles. It proceeds at a rate that is inversely proportional to the electric conductivity and independent of the magnetic field strength. Ohmic decay occurs in both the fluid core and solid crust of a neutron star, but it is too slow to directly affect magnetic fields of stellar scale. Ambipolar diffusion involves a drift of the magnetic field and charged particles relative to the neutrons. The drift speed is proportional to the second power of the magnetic field strength if the protons form a normal fluid. Variants of ambipolar diffusion include both the buoyant rise and the dragging by superfluid neutron vortices of magnetic flux tubes. Ambipolar diffusion operates in the outer part of the fluid core where the charged particle composition is homogeneous, protons and electrons being the only species. The charged particle flux associated with ambipolar diffusion decomposes into a solenoidal and an irrotational component. Both components are opposed by frictional drag. The irrotational component perturbs the chemical equilibrium between neutrons, protons, and electrons, thus generating pressure gradients that effectively choke it. The solenoidal component is capable of transporting magnetic flux from the outer core to the crust on a short time scale. Magnetic flux that threads the inner core, where the charged particle composition is inhomogeneous, would be permanently trapped unless particle interactions could rapidly smooth departures from chemical equilibrium. Magnetic fields undergo a Hall drift related to the Hall component of the electric field. The drift speed is proportional to the magnetic field strength. Hall drift occurs throughout a neutron star. Unlike ohmic decay and ambipolar diffusion which are dissipative, Hall drift conserves magnetic energy. Thus, it cannot by itself be responsible for magnetic field decay. However, it can enhance the rate of ohmic dissipation. In the solid crust, only the electrons are mobile and the tangent of the Hall angle is large. There, the evolution of the magnetic field resembles that of vorticity in an incompressible fluid at large Reynolds number. This leads us to speculate that the magnetic field undergoes a turbulent cascade terminated by ohmic dissipation at small scales. The small-scale components of the magnetic field are also transported by Hall drift waves from the inner crust where ohmic dissipation is slow to the outer crust where it is rapid. The diffusion of magnetic flux through the crust takes ~ 5 x 10^8/B_(12) yr, where B_(12) is the crustal magnetic field strength measured in units of 10^(12) G.

2003 - Radiology

MR imaging of the menisci and cruciate ligaments: a systematic review.

PURPOSE To systematically review and synthesize published data on the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the menisci and cruciate ligaments and to assess the effect of study design characteristics and magnetic field strength on diagnostic performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS Articles published between 1991 and 2000 were included if at least 30 patients were studied, arthroscopy was the reference standard, the magnetic field strength was reported, positivity criteria were defined, and the absolute numbers of true-positive, false-negative, true-negative, and false-positive results were available or derivable. Pooled weighted and summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed for tears of both menisci and both cruciate ligaments separately and for the four lesions combined, by using random effects models. Differences were assessed according to lesion type. RESULTS Twenty-nine of 120 retrieved articles were included. Pooled weighted sensitivity was higher for medial meniscal tears than that for lateral meniscal tears. However, pooled weighted specificity for the medial meniscus was lower than that for the lateral meniscus. In summary ROC analyses performed per lesion, various study design characteristics were found to influence diagnostic performance. Higher magnetic field strength significantly improved discriminatory power only for anterior cruciate ligament tears. When all lesions were combined in one overall summary ROC analysis, magnetic field strength was a significant but modest predictor of diagnostic performance. CONCLUSION Diagnostic performance of MR imaging of the knee is different according to lesion type and is influenced by various study design characteristics. Higher magnetic field strength modestly improves diagnostic performance, but a significant effect was demonstrated only for anterior cruciate ligament tears.

2008

Toward a Universal Scaling Relation between Jet Power and Radio Power

We present an analysis of the energetics and particle content of the lobes of 24 radio galaxies at the cores of cooling clusters. The radio lobes in these systems have created visible cavities in the surrounding hot, X-ray-emitting gas, which allow direct measurement of the mechanical jet power of radio sources over six decades of radio luminosity, independently of the radio properties themselves. We find that jet (cavity) power increases with radio synchrotron power approximately as P-jet similar to L-radio(beta), where 0.35 <= beta <= 0.70 depending on the bandpass of measurement and state of the source. However, the scatter about these relations caused by variations in radiative efficiency spans more than 4 orders of magnitude. A number of factors contribute to this scatter, including aging, entrainment, variations in magnetic field strengths, and the partitioning of energy between electrons and nonradiating heavy particles. After accounting for variations in synchrotron break frequency (age), the scatter is reduced by approximate to 50%, yielding the most accurate scaling relation available between the lobe radio power and the jet (cavity) power. Furthermore, we place limits on the magnetic field strengths and particle content of the radio lobes using a variety of X-ray constraints. We find that the lobe magnetic field strengths vary between a few to several tens of microgauss depending on the age and dynamical state of the lobes. If the cavities are maintained in pressure balance with their surroundings and are supported by internal fields and particles in equipartition, the ratio of energy in electrons to heavy particles (k) must vary widely from approximately unity to 4000, consistent with heavy (hadronic) jets.

2006 - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine

High magnetic field water and metabolite proton T1 and T2 relaxation in rat brain in vivo

Comprehensive and quantitative measurements of T1 and T2 relaxation times of water, metabolites, and macromolecules in rat brain under similar experimental conditions at three high magnetic field strengths (4.0 T, 9.4 T, and 11.7 T) are presented. Water relaxation showed a highly significant increase (T1) and decrease (T2) with increasing field strength for all nine analyzed brain structures. Similar but less pronounced effects were observed for all metabolites. Macromolecules displayed field‐independent T2 relaxation and a strong increase of T1 with field strength. Among other features, these data show that while spectral resolution continues to increase with field strength, the absolute signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) in T1/T2‐based anatomical MRI quickly levels off beyond ∼7 T and may actually decrease at higher magnetic fields. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

1999 - The Astrophysical Journal

Measuring the Magnetic Field on the Classical T Tauri Star BP Tauri

We examine several theories that describe how stellar magnetic fields on classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) interact with their surrounding accretion disks. We demonstrate that these theories require magnetic field strengths ranging from a few hundred to several thousand gauss, depending on which model is used and more importantly on the properties of individual systems. For example, the CTTS BP Tau is predicted to have a relatively strong magnetic field (1.4-4.1 kG), which should be detectable. We present infrared (IR) and optical echelle spectra of BP Tau and several reference stars of similar spectral class. Using detailed spectrum synthesis and the latest model atmospheres, we fitted 12 absorption features in the optical spectrum, including the strong titanium oxide (TiO) band head at 7055 Å. For BP Tau we determine key stellar parameters: effective temperature (Teff=4055 ± 112 K), gravity (log g=3.67 ± 0.50), metallicity ([M/H]=0.18 ± 0.11), projected rotational velocity (v sin i=10.2 ± 1.8 km s-1), and optical veiling (r=0.00-0.15). A similar analysis of 61 Cyg B (K7 V) is used to validate the methodology. We then use the IR spectra to look for Zeeman broadening, which has a more pronounced effect at longer wavelengths. A Zeeman sensitive Ti I line at 2.2233 μm appears significantly broadened in BP Tau, relative to several rotationally broadened standard stars. The observed line is also significantly broader than predictions based on our optical analysis. Interpreting this excess broadening as Zeeman splitting of the Ti I line, we fitted the spectrum and find a distribution of field strengths whose surface averaged mean is B̄=2.6 ± 0.3 kG. We did not use the Zeeman sensitive Fe I line at 8468.4 Å when determining stellar or magnetic parameters for BP Tau, so this line provides a test of our results. The observed line profile is indeed broader than the nonmagnetic prediction, but the 8468.4 Å line gives a magnetic flux lower than what was obtained in the IR, perhaps indicating that strong fields are concentrated into cool spots. Finally, we investigate an ad hoc model in which the IR line is assumed to form in the accretion disk itself. We discuss several reasons why the magnetic model is preferred, but the disk atmosphere example illustrates that our magnetic field measurement must still be tested using several IR lines with a range of Zeeman sensitivities.

2002 - Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials

Magnetic drug targeting: biodistribution and dependency on magnetic field strength ☆

“Magnetic drug targeting,” a model of locoregional chemotherapy showed encouraging results in treatment of VX2-squamous cell carcinoma in rabbits. In the present study we investigated the biokinetic behavior of Iod[123]-labelled ferrofluids in vivo and showed in vitro that the ferrofluid concentration is dependent on the magnetic field strength.

2008 - Physics in medicine and biology

Magnetic-field-induced dose effects in MR-guided radiotherapy systems: dependence on the magnetic field strength

Several institutes are currently working on the development of a radiotherapy treatment system with online MR imaging (MRI) modality. The main difference between their designs is the magnetic field strength of the MRI system. While we have chosen a 1.5 Tesla (T) magnetic field strength, the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton will be using a 0.2 T MRI scanner and the company Viewray aims to use 0.3 T. The magnetic field strength will affect the severity of magnetic field dose effects, such as the electron return effect (ERE): considerable dose increase at tissue air boundaries due to returning electrons. This paper has investigated how the ERE dose increase depends on the magnetic field strength. Therefore, four situations where the ERE occurs have been simulated: ERE at the distal side of the beam, the lateral ERE, ERE in cylindrical air cavities and ERE in the lungs. The magnetic field comparison values were 0.2, 0.75, 1.5 and 3 T. Results show that, in general, magnetic field dose effects are reduced at lower magnetic field strengths. At the distal side, the ERE dose increase is largest for B = 0.75 T and depends on the irradiation field size for B = 0.2 T. The lateral ERE is strongest for B = 3 T but shows no effect for B = 0.2 T. Around cylindrical air cavities, dose inhomogeneities disappear if the radius of the cavity becomes small relative to the in-air radius of the secondary electron trajectories. At larger cavities (r > 1 cm), dose inhomogeneities exist for all magnetic field strengths. In water-lung-water phantoms, the ERE dose increase takes place at the water-lung transition and the dose decreases at the lung-water transition, but these effects are minimal for B = 0.2 T. These results will contribute to evaluating the trade-off between magnetic field dose effects and image quality of MR-guided radiotherapy systems.

2004 - Medical physics

Description and characterization of the novel hyperthermia- and thermoablation-system MFH 300F for clinical magnetic fluid hyperthermia.

Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a new approach to deposit heat power in deep tissues by overcoming limitations of conventional heat treatments. After infiltration of the target tissue with nanosized magnetic particles, the power of an alternating magnetic field is transformed into heat. The combination of the 100 kHz magnetic field applicator MFH 300F and the magnetofluid (MF), which both are designed for medical use, is investigated with respect to its dosage recommendations and clinical applicability. We found a magnetic field strength of up to 18 kA/m in a cylindrical treatment area of 20 cm diameter and aperture height up to 300 mm. The specific absorption rate (SAR) can be controlled directly by the magnetic field strength during the treatment. The relationship between magnetic field strength and the iron normalized SAR (SAR(Fe)) is only slightly depending on the concentration of the MF and can be used for planning the target SAR. The achievable energy absorption rates of the MF distributed in the tissue is sufficient for either hyperthermia or thermoablation. The fluid has a visible contrast in therapeutic concentrations on a CT scanner and can be detected down to 0.01 g/l Fe in the MRI. The system has proved its capability and practicability for heat treatment in deep regions of the human body.

2004 - Magnetic resonance in medicine

Parallel imaging performance as a function of field strength—An experimental investigation using electrodynamic scaling

In this work, the dependence of parallel MRI performance on main magnetic field strength is experimentally investigated. Using the general framework of electrodynamic scaling, the B0‐dependent behavior of the relevant radiofrequency fields at a single physical field strength of 7 T is studied. In the chosen implementation this is accomplished by adjusting the permittivity and conductivity of a homogeneous spherical phantom. With different mixing ratios of decane, ethanol, purified water, N‐methylformamide, and sodium chloride, field strengths in the range of 1.5 to 11.5 T are mimicked. Based on sensitivity maps of an eight‐coil receiver array, the field‐dependent performance of parallel imaging is assessed in terms of the geometry factor g, which reflects noise enhancement in parallel imaging reconstruction. At low field strengths the SNR penalty was nearly independent of B0 and favorably low for 1D reduction factors up to between 3 and 4. At higher field strengths the transition between favorable and prohibitive parallel imaging conditions was found to shift toward higher feasible reduction factors. These findings are in good agreement with previous theoretical predictions. From this agreement it is concluded that parallel MRI at high B0 benefits specifically from onsetting far‐field behavior of the involved radiofrequency fields. Magn Reson Med 52:953–964, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

2005 - Progress in biophysics and molecular biology

Physical interactions of static magnetic fields with living tissues.

Clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was introduced in the early 1980s and has become a widely accepted and heavily utilized medical technology. This technique requires that the patients being studied be exposed to an intense magnetic field of a strength not previously encountered on a wide scale by humans. Nonetheless, the technique has proved to be very safe and the vast majority of the scans have been performed without any evidence of injury to the patient. In this article the history of proposed interactions of magnetic fields with human tissues is briefly reviewed and the predictions of electromagnetic theory on the nature and strength of these interactions are described. The physical basis of the relative weakness of these interactions is attributed to the very low magnetic susceptibility of human tissues and the lack of any substantial amount of ferromagnetic material normally occurring in these tissues. The presence of ferromagnetic foreign bodies within patients, or in the vicinity of the scanner, represents a very great hazard that must be scrupulously avoided. As technology and experience advance, ever stronger magnetic field strengths are being brought into service to improve the capabilities of this imaging technology and the benefits to patients. It is imperative that vigilance be maintained as these higher field strengths are introduced into clinical practice to assure that the high degree of patient safety that has been associated with MRI is maintained.

2000 - The Astrophysical Journal

A New Precise Measurement of the Coronal Magnetic Field Strength

Magnetism dominates the structure and dynamics of the solar corona. Current theories suggest that it may also be responsible for coronal heating. Despite the importance of the magnetic field in the physics of the corona and despite the tremendous progress made recently in the remote sensing of solar magnetic fields, reliable measurements of the coronal magnetic field strength and orientation do not exist. This is largely due to the weakness of coronal magnetic fields, previously estimated to be on the order of 10 G, and the difficulty associated with observing the extremely faint solar corona emission. Using a very sensitive infrared spectropolarimeter to observe the strong near-infrared coronal emission line Fe XIII λ10747 above active regions, we have succeeded in measuring the weak Stokes V circular polarization profiles resulting from the longitudinal Zeeman effect of the magnetic field of the solar corona. From these measurements, we infer field strengths of 10 and 33 G from two active regions at heights of h = 0.12 R☉ and h = 0.15 R☉, respectively. We expect that this measurement technique will allow, in the near future, the routine precise measurement of the coronal magnetic field strength with application to many critical problems in solar coronal physics.

2008 - 0802.2253

Magnetic Fields in Dark Cloud Cores: Arecibo OH Zeeman Observations

We have carried out an extensive survey of magnetic field strengths toward dark cloud cores in order to test ambipolar-diffusion-driven and turbulence-driven models of star formation. The survey involved ~500 hr of observing with the Arecibo telescope in order to make sensitive OH Zeeman observations toward 34 dark cloud cores. Nine new probable detections were achieved at the 2.5 σ level; the certainty of the detections varies from solid to marginal, so we discuss each probable detection separately. However, our analysis includes all the measurements and does not depend on whether each position has a detection or just a sensitive measurement. Rather, the analysis establishes mean (or median) values over the set of observed cores for relevant astrophysical quantities. The results are that the mass-to-flux ratio is supercritical by ~2, and that the ratio of turbulent to magnetic energies is also ~2. These results are compatible with both models of star formation. However, these OH Zeeman observations do establish for the first time on a statistically sound basis the energetic importance of magnetic fields in dark cloud cores at densities of order 103–104 cm−3, and they lay the foundation for further observations that could provide a more definitive test.

1987 - Physica Scripta

Atoms in strong magnetic fields

We review recent results of investigations of hydrogen-like systems at magnetic field strengths where the Lorentz forces are comparable to, or larger than, the Coulomb binding forces. This situation is realized for low-lying states at field strengths typical of magnetic white dwarfs and neutron stars, while for Rydberg states already laboratory field strengths are sufficient. We discuss the wavelength spectrum of the hydrogen atom in magnetic fields of arbitrary strength, and describe in which way the spectroscopy of "stationary lines", which appear in this spectrum, has made possible the detection of the largest magnetic field strength ever found in a white dwarf star to date. For Rydberg states in strong laboratory fields we perform a quantitative comparison between experimental and theoretical spectra, and demonstrate that symptoms of "quantum stochasticity" are recovered in the spectra of magnetized Rydberg atoms. In particular we point out that the breakdown of quasi-separability in the quantal problem is closely related to the disappearance of regular orbits in the classical problem. We conclude that magnetized Rydberg atoms lend themselves as ideal objects in which to study, theoretically and experimentally, manifestations of quantum stochasticity.

2001 - The Astrophysical Journal

Intergalactic Magnetic Fields from Quasar Outflows

Outflows from quasars inevitably pollute the intergalactic medium (IGM) with magnetic fields. The short-lived activity of a quasar leaves behind an expanding magnetized bubble in the IGM. We model the expansion of the remnant quasar bubbles and calculate their distribution as a function of size and magnetic field strength at different redshifts. We generically find that by a redshift z ~ 3, about 5%-20% of the IGM volume is filled by magnetic fields with an energy density 10% of the mean thermal energy density of a photoionized IGM (at ~104 K). As massive galaxies and X-ray clusters condense out of the magnetized IGM, the adiabatic compression of the magnetic field could result in the field strength observed in these systems without a need for further dynamo amplification. The intergalactic magnetic field could also provide a nonthermal contribution to the pressure of the photoionized gas that may account for the claimed discrepancy between the simulated and observed Doppler width distributions of the Ly? forest.

2003 - Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging

High field human imaging

This review article examines the state of knowledge regarding human imaging using MRI at high main magnetic field strengths. The article starts with a summary of the technical issues associated with magnetic field strengths in the range of 3–8 T, including magnet characteristics and the properties of radiofrequency magnetic fields, with special reference to sensitivity, power deposition, and homogeneity. The published data on tissue‐water relaxation times in the brain is tabulated and the implications for contrast and pulse sequence implementation is elucidated. The behavior of the major fast imaging sequences, fast low angle shot (FLASH), rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement (RARE), and echo planar imaging (EPI), is examined in this context. A number of anatomical images from 3 T systems are presented as examples. Particular attention is given to various forms of vascular imaging, namely, time of flight angiography, venography, and arterial spin labeling. The most complex changes in contrast with main magnetic field strength are in activation studies utilizing the blood oxygen level dependent mechanism, which are examined in detail. Improvements in spatial specificity are emphasized, particularly in conjunction with spin‐echo imaging. The article concludes with a discussion of the current status and the potential impact of technical developments such as parallel imaging. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2003;18:519–529. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

2003 - The Astrophysical Journal

SCUBA Polarization Measurements of the Magnetic Field Strengths in the L183, L1544, and L43 Prestellar Cores

We have mapped linearly polarized dust emission from L183 with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope SCUBA polarimeter and have analyzed these and our previously published data for the prestellar cores L183, L1544, and L43, in order to estimate magnetic field strengths in the plane of the sky, Bpos. The analysis used the Chandrasekhar-Fermi technique, which relates the dispersion in polarization position angles to Bpos. We have used these estimates of the field strengths (neglecting the unmeasured line-of-sight component) to find the mass-to-magnetic flux ratios λ (in units of the critical ratio for magnetic support). Results are Bpos ≈ 80 μG and λ ≈ 2.6 for L183, Bpos ≈ 140 μG and λ ≈ 2.3 for L1544, and Bpos ≈ 160 μG and λ ≈ 1.9 for L43. Hence, without correction for geometrical biases, for all three cores the mass-to-flux ratios are supercritical by a factor of ~2, and magnetic support cannot prevent collapse. However, a statistical mean correction for geometrical bias may be up to a factor of 3; this correction would reduce the individual λ's to λcor ≈ 0.9, 0.8, and 0.6, respectively; these values are approximately critical or slightly subcritical. These data are consistent with models of star formation driven by ambipolar diffusion in a weakly turbulent medium but cannot rule out models of star formation driven by turbulence.