Chiral magnetoresistance in Pt/Co/Pt zigzag wires

The Rashba effect leads to a chiral precession of the spins of moving electrons while the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) generates preference towards a chiral profile of local spins. We predict that the exchange interaction between these two spin systems results in a 'chiral' magnetoresistance depending on the chirality of the local spin texture. We observe this magnetoresistance by measuring the domain wall (DW) resistance in a uniquely designed Pt/Co/Pt zigzag wire, and by changing the chirality of the DW with applying an in-plane magnetic field. A chirality-dependent DW resistance is found, and a quantitative analysis shows a good agreement with a theory based on the Rashba model. Moreover, the DW resistance measurement allows us to independently determine the strength of the Rashba effect and the DMI simultaneously, and the result implies a possible correlation between the Rashba effect, the DMI, and the symmetric Heisenberg exchange

Evaluation of a Sodium–Water Reaction Event Caused by Steam Generator Tubes Break in the Prototype Generation IV Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

AbstractThe prototype generation IV sodium-cooled fast reactor (PGSFR) has been developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. This reactor uses sodium as a reactor coolant to transfer the core heat energy to the turbine. Sodium has chemical characteristics that allow it to violently react with materials such as a water or steam. When a sodium–water reaction (SWR) occurs due to leakage or breakage of steam generator tubes, high-pressure waves and corrosive reaction products are produced, which threaten the structural integrity of the components of the intermediate heat-transfer system (IHTS) and the safety of the primary heat-transfer system (PHTS). In the PGSFR, SWR events are included in the design-basis event. This event should be analyzed from the viewpoint of the integrities of the IHTS and fuel rods. To evaluate the integrity of the IHTS based on the consequences of the SWR, the behaviors of the generated high-pressure waves are analyzed at the major positions of a failed IHTS loop using a sodium–water advanced analysis method-II code. The integrity of the fuel rods must be consistently maintained below the safety acceptance criteria to avoid the consequences of the SWR. The integrity of the PHTS is evaluated using the multidimensional analysis of reactor safety-liquid metal reactor code to model the whole plant

Enhanced magnetic and thermoelectric properties in epitaxial polycrystalline SrRuO3 thin film

Transition metal oxide thin films show versatile electrical, magnetic, and thermal properties which can be tailored by deliberately introducing macroscopic grain boundaries via polycrystalline solids. In this study, we focus on the modification of the magnetic and thermal transport properties by fabricating single- and polycrystalline epitaxial SrRuO3 thin films using pulsed laser epitaxy. Using epitaxial stabilization technique with atomically flat polycrystalline SrTiO3 substrate, epitaxial polycrystalline SrRuO3 thin film with crystalline quality of each grain comparable to that of single-crystalline counterpart is realized. In particular, alleviated compressive strain near the grain boundaries due to coalescence is evidenced structurally, which induced enhancement of ferromagnetic ordering of the polycrystalline epitaxial thin film. The structural variations associated with the grain boundaries further reduce the thermal conductivity without deteriorating the electronic transport, and lead to enhanced thermoelectric efficiency in the epitaxial polycrystalline thin films, compared with their single-crystalline counterpart.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure

Predictors of Successful Trial without Catheter for Postoperative Urinary Retention Following Non-Urological Surgery

Purpose To investigate the success rate of trial without catheter (TWOC) for postoperative urinary retention (POUR) after non-urological surgery and to determine predictors of successful TWOC. Methods A total of 104 patients who underwent non-urological surgery and were referred to the department of urology for POUR were included in this retrospective study. All eligible patients underwent indwelling catheterization as an initial treatment and then TWOC was performed 3 to 7 days later. POUR was defined as micturition difficulty with greater than 400 mL of postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume measured by catheterization after non-urological surgery. Successful TWOC was defined as voiding with less than 100 mL of PVR urine volume. Predictive factors were identified by multivariate regression analysis. All definitions corresponded to recommendations of the International Continence Society. Results The mean age of the patients was 65.2 (range, 23 to 92) years. There were 45 male and 59 female patients. Intraoperative indwelling catheterization was performed in 69 (66.3%) patients. Mean duration of indwelling catheterization for POUR was 5.0 (range, 3.0 to 7.0) days and 83 (79.8%) patients received medication with an alpha-blocker. A successful TWOC was observed in 70 (67.4%) patients. The mean age of the patients with failure of TWOC was significantly higher than that of the patients with successful TWOC. The percentages of female patients, spinal surgery, and prone position during surgery in patients with unsuccessful TWOC were higher than in those with successful TWOC. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age and location of surgery (spine vs. non-spine) were the independent predictors of successful TWOC for POUR. Conclusions Our data suggest that older age and spinal surgery may be important risk factors for failure of TWOC for POUR after non-urological surgery. Thus, adequate prevention measures may be necessary for POUR after non-urological surgery, especially in patients with these risk factors

The Management of Cardiovascular Abnormalities in Patient With LEOPARD Syndrome

LEOPARD syndrome (LS) is a rare hereditary disorder in Asian countries. This syndrome consists of multiple systemic abnormalities. In particular, characteristic cardiovascular effects in LS may include variable clinical manifestations from benign to life-threatening courses. The cardiac effects of this syndrome consist of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), pulmonary stenosis (PS), coronary artery dilatation and electrocardiogram(ECG) abnormalities. Since there are few LS patients who have undergone a complete cardiovascular evaluation, the nature and clinical prognosis of cardiovascular abnormalities in this syndrome remain uncertain. Also, there have been few reports on therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular abnormalities in LS. Here we describe a case of LS who presented with multiple cardiovascular problems and underwent successful surgical and medical treatment

Echovirus 30 Induced Neuronal Cell Death through TRIO-RhoA Signaling Activation

BACKGROUND: Echovirus 30 (Echo30) is one of the most frequently identified human enteroviruses (EVs) causing aseptic meningitis and encephalitis. However the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of Echo30 infection with significant clinical outcomes is not completely understood. The aim of this investigation is to illustrate molecular pathologic alteration in neuronal cells induced by Echo30 infection using clinical isolate from young patient with neurologic involvement. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To characterize the neuronal cellular response to Echo30 infection, we performed a proteomic analysis based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and MALDI-TOF/TOF Mass Spectrophotometric (MS) analysis. We identified significant alteration of several protein expression levels in Echo30-infected SK-N-SH cells. Among these proteins, we focused on an outstanding up-regulation of Triple functional domain (TRIO) in Echo30-infected SK-N-SH cells. Generally, TRIO acts as a key component in the regulation of axon guidance and cell migration. In this study, we determined that TRIO plays a role in the novel pathways in Echo30 induced neuronal cell death. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our finding shows that TRIO plays a critical role in neuronal cell death by Echo30 infection. Echo30 infection activates TRIO-guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) domains (GEFD2) and RhoA signaling in turn. These results suggest that Echo30 infection induced neuronal cell death by activation of the TRIO-RhoA signaling. We expect the regulation of TRIO-RhoA signaling may represent a new therapeutic approach in treating aseptic meningitis and encephalitis induced by Echo30

A Case Report of a Patient Carrying CYP2C9*3/4 Genotype with Extremely Low Warfarin Dose Requirement

We report a case of intolerance to warfarin dosing due to impaired drug metabolism in a patient with CYP2C9*3/*4. A 73-yr-old woman with atrial fibrilation was taking warfarin. She attained a high prothrombin time international normalized ratio (INR) at the standard doses during the induction of anticoagulation and extremely low dose of warfarin (6.5 mg/week) was finally chosen to reach the target INR. Genotyping for CYP2C9 revealed that this patient had a genotype CYP2C9*3/*4. This is the first Korean compound heterozygote for CYP2C9*3 and *4. This case suggests the clinical usefulness of pharmacogenetic testing for individualized dosage adjustments of warfarin