Polaronic effects in monolayer black phosphorus on polar substrates

We investigate the effect of charge carrier interaction with surface optical phonons on the band properties of monolayer black phosphorus induced by polar substrates. We develop an analytical method based on the Lee-Low-Pines theory to calculate the spectrum of Fr\"ohlich type continuum Hamiltonian in the long-wavelength limit. We examine the modification of a band gap and renormalization of effective masses due to the substrate-related polaronic effect. Our results show that an energy gap in supported monolayer black phosphorus is enlarged depending on a particular substrate and the interlayer distance, $z$. Among the substrate considered, the largest gap broadening at $z=2.5$ \AA{} is observed for the Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$ substrate, which is found to be $\sim 50$ meV. Carrier-phonon coupling also renormalizes the effective masses which is more pronounced along the zigzag direction. Anisotropy of the effective masses becomes stronger by the influence of the polaronic effect corresponding to direction-dependent carrier-phonon coupling. We conclude that substrate phonons have a non-negligible effect on the static band properties of monolayer black phosphorus, which may be further exploited in its experimental and theoretical studies

Effect of long-range structural corrugations on magnetotransport properties of phosphorene in tilted magnetic field

Rippling is an inherent quality of two-dimensional materials playing an important role in determining their properties. Here, we study the effect of structural corrugations on the electronic and transport properties of monolayer black phosphorus (phosphorene) in the presence of tilted magnetic field. We follow a perturbative approach to obtain analytical corrections to the spectrum of Landau levels induced by a long-wavelength corrugation potential. We show that surface corrugations have a non-negligible effect on the electronic spectrum of phosphorene in tilted magnetic field. Particularly, the Landau levels are shown to exhibit deviations from the linear field dependence. The observed effect become especially pronounced at large tilt angles and corrugation amplitudes. Magnetotransport properties are further examined in the low temperature regime taking into account impurity scattering. We calculate magnetic field dependence of the longitudinal and Hall resistivities and find that the nonlinear effects reflecting the corrugation might be observed even in moderate fields (\mbox{$B<10$ T})

Lateral Spin Valve Based on the Two-Dimensional CrN/P/CrN Heterostructure

We propose a spin valve based on a blue-phosphorus monolayer sandwiched between two half-metallic two-dimensional CrN layers. We use density-functional theory combined with Boltzmann transport theory to investigate both the structural and the magnetic stability of the CrN/P/CrN heterostructure and to study its spin-dependent transport properties. Among the different possible layer stackings considered, only one is shown to be thermodynamically stable, corresponding to the AA stacking. In this geometry, the critical temperature of magnetic ordering is estimated to be around 150 K. The electronic structure of CrN/P/CrN is strongly dependent on the mutual orientation of the magnetic moments in individual CrN layers. If the alignment is parallel, only one spin channel predominantly contributes to the electronic bands in the vicinity of the Fermi energy. In the case of an antiparallel alignment, both spin channels contribute to the electronic states. The alteration of magnetic moments affects electronic transport, causing magnetoresistance of up to 12% at moderate dopings. © 2019 American Physical Society.The authors acknowledge Ankara University for use of the high-performance computing facility through the AYP under Grant No. 17A0443001. A.N.R. acknowledges support from the FLAG-ERA JTC2017 Project “Gransport”

Pre- and post-estrogen administration in global cerebral ischemia reduces blood-brain barrier breakdown in ovariectomized rats

The aim of present study was to determine the effect of estrogen treatment on blood-brain barrier permeability in rats with induced global cerebral ischemia. The study included six-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats which were divided into the following groups: Control-Ischemia-Reperfusion (C + I-R); Ovariectomy-Ischemia-Reperfusion (Ovx + I-R); Ovariectomy + Estrogen + Ischemia-Reperfusion (Ovx + E + I-R); Ovariectomy + Ischemia-Reperfusion + Estrogen (Ovx + I-R + E). Ischemia-reperfusion was induced by clamping two carotid arteries, then opening the clamp. Blood-brain barrier permeability was visualized by Evans Blue extravasation and quantified by spectrophotometry. Our results indicate that following ischemia-reperfusion the BBB permeability is increased in ovariectomized rats (Evans Blue extravasation) compared to the control group in the cortex, thalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum and brain stem, while in the midbrain no significant increase was detected. In contrast, BBB permeability in the groups treated with estrogen, administered either before or after ischemia-reperfusion, was significantly lower than in ovariectomized animals. In conclusion, the increase in BBB permeability resulting from experimentally induced cerebral ischemia was prevented by exogenous estrogen treatment. The study results indicate that estrogen may be used for therapeutic purposes in ischemia-reperfusion

Two-Dimensional Chromium Bismuthate: A Room-Temperature Ising Ferromagnet with Tunable Magneto-Optical Response

We present a density-functional-theory-based study of a two-dimensional phase of chromium bismuthate (CrBi), a previously unknown material with exceptional magnetic and magneto-optical characteristics. Monolayer CrBi is a ferromagnetic metal with strong spin-orbit coupling induced by the heavy bismuth atoms, resulting in a strongly anisotropic Ising-type magnetic ordering with the Curie temperature estimated to be higher than 300 K. The electronic structure of the system is topologically nontrivial, giving rise to a nonzero Berry curvature in the ground magnetic state, leading to the anomalous Hall effect with a conductivity plateau of about 1.5e2/h at the Fermi level. Remarkably, the Hall conductivity and the magneto-optical constant are found to be strongly dependent on the direction of magnetization. Besides, monolayer CrBi demonstrates the polar magneto-optical Kerr effect in the visible and near-ultraviolet spectral ranges with the maximum rotation angles of up to 10 mrad. Our findings suggest that monolayer CrBi is a promising system for practical applications in magneto-optical and spintronic devices. © 2021 American Physical Society.The authors acknowledge the Ankara University for high performance computing facility through the AYP under Grant No. 17A0443001. This work is supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) under Project No. 119F361. The numerical calculations reported in this paper were partially performed at TUBITAK ULAKBIM, High Performance and Grid Computing Center (TRUBA resources)

Langerhans cell histiocytosis involving the liver of a male smoker: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Langerhans' cell histiocytosis is a proliferative histiocytic disorder of unknown cause originating from dendritic cells.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>The authors report a case of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in a 48-year-old man with multisystemic disease presentation, including liver involvement.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hepatic involvement is an uncommon feature in this rare disease and there is no consensus on the most effective therapeutic approach.</p

99mTc-IgG-Lung Scintigraphy in the Assessment of Pulmonary Involvement in Interstitial Lung Disease and Its Comparison With Pulmonary Function Tests and High-Resolution Computed Tomography: A Preliminary Study

Background: The discrimination of inactive inflammatory processes from the active form of the disease is of great importance in the management of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 99mTc-IgG scan for the detection of severity of disease compared to high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and pulmonary function test (PFT). Patients and Methods: Eight known cases of ILD including four cases of Mustard gas (MG) intoxication and four patients with ILD of unknown cause were included in this study. A population of six patients without lung disease was considered as the control group. The patients underwent PFT and high-resolution computed tomography scan, followed by 99mTc-IgG scan. They were followed up for one year. 99mTc-IgG scan assessment of IgG uptake was accomplished both qualitatively (subjectively) and semiquantitatively. Results: All eight ILD patients demonstrated a strong increase in 99mTc-IgG uptake in the lungs, compared to the control patients. The 99mTc-IgG scan scores were higher in the patient group (0.64[95% confidence interval (CI)=0.61-0.69])) than the control group (0.35 (0.35[95% CI=0.28-0.40]), (P 0.05). There were no significant correlations between 99mTc-IgG score and HRCT patterns including ground glass opacity, reticular fibrosis and honeycombing (P value > 0.05). Conclusion: The present results confirmed that 99mTc-IgG scan could be applied to detect the severity of pulmonary involvement, which was well correlated with HRCT findings. This data also showed that the 99mTc-IgG scan might be used as a complement to HRCT in the functional evaluation of the clinical status in ILD; however, further studies are recommended

Case of an unusual clinical and radiological presentation of pulmonary metastasis from a costal chondrosarcoma after wide surgical resection: A transbronchial biopsy is recommended

Chondrosarcomas are the most frequently occurring primary malignant chest wall tumors. Furthermore, the lungs serve as the most frequent sites for metastases. Pulmonary metastases from sarcomas usually appear as round nodules of varying sizes on roentgenograms. Here, we report an unusual clinical and radiographic presentation of pulmonary metastasis from a costal chondrosarcoma. Bilateral pulmonary metastases developed soon after wide surgical resection. Thoracic computed tomography revealed unusual radiological findings: consolidation accompanied with ground-glass opacity. To confirm the metastasis, we recommend a transbronchial biopsy in cases where unusual pulmonary findings are detected

Patient-reported outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures in interstitial lung disease: Where to go from here?

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), tools to assess patient self-report of health status, are now increasingly used in research, care and policymaking. While there are two well-developed disease-specific PROMs for interstitial lung diseases (ILD) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), many unmet and urgent needs remain. In December 2019, 64 international ILD experts convened in Erice, Italy to deliberate on many topics, including PROMs in ILD. This review summarises the history of PROMs in ILD, shortcomings of the existing tools, challenges of development, validation and implementation of their use in clinical trials, and the discussion held during the meeting. Development of disease-specific PROMs for ILD including IPF with robust methodology and validation in concordance with guidance from regulatory authorities have increased user confidence in PROMs. Minimal clinically important difference for bidirectional changes may need to be developed. Cross-cultural validation and linguistic adaptations are necessary in addition to robust psychometric properties for effective PROM use in multinational clinical trials. PROM burden of use should be reduced through appropriate use of digital technologies and computerised adaptive testing. Active patient engagement in all stages from development, testing, choosing and implementation of PROMs can help improve probability of success and further growth