Visualization of Molecular Length of α, ω-Diamines and Temperature by a Receptor Based on Phenolphthalein and Crown Ether (SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY-Fine Organic Synthesis)

The hybrid molecule 1 consisting of phenolphthalein and crown ether moieties can discriminate the chain length of the α,ω-diamines by color change, while 2 can not. Thus, it is suggested that two crown ether part are necessary to visualize the chain length by the color. The pink color faded at 50 °C and reappeared at 20 °C, which could repeated more than 10 times

Stable and Tunable Current-Induced Phase Transition in Epitaxial Thin Films of Ca2RuO4

Owing to the recent discovery of the current-induced metal-insulator transition and unprecedented electronic properties of the concomitant phases of calcium ruthenate Ca2RuO4, it is emerging as an important material. To further explore the properties, the growth of epitaxial thin films of Ca2RuO4 is receiving more attention, as high current densities can be applied to thin-film samples and the amount can be precisely controlled in an experimental environment. However, it is difficult to grow high-quality thin films of Ca2RuO4 due to the easy formation of the crystal defects originating from the sublimation of RuO4; therefore, the metal-insulator transition of Ca2RuO4 is typically not observed in the thin films. Herein, a stable current-induced metal-insulator transition is achieved in the high-quality thin films of Ca2RuO4 grown by solid-phase epitaxy under high growth temperatures and pressures. In the Ca2RuO4 thin films grown by ex situ annealing at >1200 degrees C and 1.0 atm, continuous changes in the resistance of over 2 orders of magnitude are induced by currents with a precise dependence of the resistance on the current amplitude. A hysteretic, abrupt resistive transition is also observed in the thin films from the resistance-temperature measurements conducted under constant-voltage (variable-current) conditions with controllability of the transition temperature. A clear resistive switching by the current-induced transition is demonstrated in the current-electric-field characteristics, and the switching currents and fields are shown to be very stable. These results represent a significant step toward understanding the high-current-density properties of Ca2RuO4 and the future development of Mott-electronic devices based on electricity-driven transitions

Diagnosis of incarcerated intramesosigmoid hernia aided by multiplanar reconstruction images of multidetector computed tomography: a case report

Abstract Background Internal hernia is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction, and sigmoid mesocolon hernia is an extremely rare form of this condition. Among sigmoid mesocolon hernias, intramesosigmoid hernia is the least frequent subtype. We described a case of intramesosigmoid hernia through the orifice on the right leaf of the mesosigmoid with an incarcerated ileum of 6 cm in length without strangulation. This case was diagnosed by multidetector computed tomography with multiplanar reconstruction images and treated without resection of the small intestine in a 52-year-old man with characteristic diagnostic images. Case presentation A 52-year-old man suffering periumbilical cramping pain with sudden onset that had persisted for 1 week without recovery was referred to Fukui Katsuyama General Hospital. Multidetector computed tomography revealed small bowel obstruction, and an incarcerated short intestinal loop was revealed by sagittal slices of the multiplanar reconstruction images of the routine study of the left side of the pelvic space. Sagittal multiplanar reconstruction images also showed narrow belt-shaped fluid retention contacting the tip of the incarcerated short loop toward the cranial direction localized in the mesosigmoid. These findings indicated that the fluid and the herniated small bowel were wrapped together in the mesosigmoid, which was characteristic of intramesosigmoid hernia. The patient underwent laparotomy operation 2 days after admission. The ileum, which was approximately 75 cm proximal to the ileocecal junction and herniated into the mesosigmoid through the right leaf, was released without resection. The orifice located in the central part of the right leaf was oval shaped and measured less than 2 cm in diameter. The left leaf of the mesosigmoid was intact. The orifice of the right lobe was closed by suture. The patient showed an uneventful recovery. Conclusion We report an extremely rare case of incarcerated intramesosigmoid hernia that was diagnosed by multidetector computed tomography with multiplanar reconstruction images. The finding of narrow belt-shaped fluid retention contacting the tip of the incarcerated short intestinal loop is characteristic of intramesosigmoid hernia and will be useful for conclusively differentiating this disease from transmesosigmoid hernia. Although intramesosigmoid hernia is a rare cause of internal hernia, multidetector computed tomography and multiplanar reconstruction images can provide the characteristic findings and proved useful for the precise preoperative diagnosis and treatment of intramesosigmoid hernia

Improved accuracy of amyloid PET quantification with adaptive template-based anatomic standardization

Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) noninvasively visualizes amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation in the brain. Visual binary reading is the standard method for interpreting amyloid PET, while objective quantitative evaluation is required in research and clinical trials. Anatomical standardization is important for quantitative analysis, and various standard templates are used for this purpose. To address the large differences in the radioactivity distribution between amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative participants, an adaptive template method has been proposed for the anatomical standardization of amyloid PET. In this study, we investigated the difference between the adaptive template method and the single template methods (use of a positive or a negative template) in amyloid PET quantitative evaluation, focusing on the accuracy in diagnosing Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). A total of 166 participants (58 normal controls (NCs), 62 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 46 patients with AD) who underwent [C] Pittsburgh Compound B PET (C-PiB) through the Japanese Alzheimer\u27s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study were examined. For the anatomical standardization of C-PiB PET images, we applied three methods a positive template-based method, a negative template-based method, and adaptive template-based method. The positive template was created by averaged four patients with AD and seven patients with MCI PET images. Conversely, the negative template was created by averaged eight participants of NC PET images. In the adaptive template-based method, either of the templates was used on the basis of the similarity (normalized cross-correlation (NCC)) between the individual standardized image and the corresponding template. Empirical PiB-prone region-of-interest was used to evaluate specific regions where Aβ accumulates. The reference region was the cerebellar cortex, whereas the evaluated regions were the posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus as well as the frontal, lateral temporal, lateral parietal, and occipital lobes. The mean cortical standardized uptake value ratio (mcSUVR) was calculated for quantitative evaluation. The NCCs of single template-based methods (the positive template or negative template) showed a significant difference between NC, MCI and AD ( 0.05). The mcSUVR exhibited significant differences between NC, MCI and AD in all methods ( < 0.05). The area under curve by receiver operating characteristic analysis between the positive group (MCI and AD) and NC was not significantly different in mcSUVR among all templates. With regard to diagnostic accuracy based on mcSUVR, the sensitivity of the negative and adaptive template-based methods was superior to that of the positive template-based method ( < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference in specificity between them. In the diagnostic accuracy for AD by amyloid PET quantitative evaluation, the adaptive template-based anatomical standardization method outperformed the single template-based methods

Dynamics of an Electrically Driven Phase Transition in Ca2RuO4 Thin Films: Nonequilibrium High‐Speed Resistive Switching in the Absence of an Abrupt Thermal Transition

Abstract In Mott‐type resistive switching phenomena, which are based on the metal–insulator transition in strongly correlated materials, the presence of an abrupt temperature‐driven transition in the material is considered essential for achieving high‐speed and large‐resistance‐ratio switching. However, this means that the freedom of material/device design in applications is significantly reduced for this type of switching by the strict requirement of transition abruptness. Here, high‐speed, abrupt resistive switching with a switching time of 140 ns is demonstrated in epitaxial films of Ca2RuO4/LaAlO3 (001), which is a material with a nonthermal metal–insulator transition driven by current, despite the complete absence of an abrupt thermal transition in the resistivity–temperature characteristics. Highly smooth negative‐differential‐resistance behavior, very high cycling stability, and an endurance over 106 cycles are also demonstrated in the current–voltage and current–time characteristics, which confirm the nonstochastic nature of the abrupt switching. These results suggest that strict control of the resistivity–temperature characteristics is not necessarily required in a material with a nonthermal‐type metal–insulator transition to obtain high‐speed resistive switching because of the independence of the dynamics from those of the thermal transition, and this phenomenon potentially has important advantages in resistive switching applications