Tunable electron scattering mechanism in plasmonic SrMoO3_3 thin films

4d transition metal perovskite oxides serve as suitable testbeds for the study of strongly correlated metallic properties. Among these, $SrMoO_{3}$ (SMO) exhibits remarkable electrical conductivity at room temperature. The temperature-dependent resistivity $(\rho(T))$ exhibits a Fermi-liquid behavior below the transition temperature $T^{*}$, reflecting the dominant electron-electron interaction. Above $T^{*}$, electron-phonon interaction becomes more appreciable. In this study, we employed the power-law scaling of $\rho(T)$ to rigorously determine the $T^{*}$. We further demonstrate that the $T^{*}$ can be modified substantially by ~40 K in epitaxial thin films. It turns out that the structural quality determines $T^{*}$. Whereas the plasma frequency could be tuned by the change in the electron-electron interaction via the effective mass enhancement, we show that the plasmonic properties are more directly governed by the electron-impurity scattering. The facile control of the electron scattering mechanism through structural quality modulation can be useful for plasmonic sensing applications in the visible region

Light-chain amyloidosis presenting with rapidly progressive submucosal hemorrhage of the stomach

SummaryThe gastrointestinal tract is frequently in involved light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, but significant hemorrhagic complications are rare. A 71-year-old man presented to our hospital with dyspepsia and heartburn for 1 month. Gastroscopy revealed a large submucosal hematoma at the gastric fundus. Two days later, a follow-up gastroscopy indicated extensive expansion of the hematoma throughout the upper half of the stomach. The hematoma displayed ongoing expansion during the endoscopic examination, suggesting that rupture was imminent. Emergency total gastrectomy was performed, and amyloidosis was confirmed after examining the surgical specimen. Bone marrow examination revealed multiple myeloma, and serum immunoglobulin assay confirmed the diagnosis of myeloma-associated AL amyloidosis. At manuscript submission, the patient was doing well and was undergoing chemotherapy

Polymeric tandem organic light-emitting diodes using a self-organized interfacial layer

The authors have demonstrated efficient polymeric tandem organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a self-organized interfacial layer, which was formed by differences in chemical surface energy. Hydrophilic poly(styrene sulfonate)-doped poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT:PSS) was spin coated onto the hydrophobic poly(9,9-dyoctilfluorene) (PFO) surface and a PEDOT:PSS bubble or dome was built as an interfacial layer. The barrier heights of PEDOT:PSS and PFO in the two-unit tandem OLED induced a charge accumulation at the interface in the heterojunction and thereby created exciton recombination at a much higher level than in the one-unit reference. This effect was confirmed in both the hole only and the electron only devices. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physicsopen8

Spontaneously Ruptured Renal Cell Carcinoma During Hemodialysis in Two Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease

Spontaneously ruptured renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in end-stage kidney disease is very rare. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult because of the relatively small tumor size, associated hematoma, and surrounding acquired cysts. Two middle-aged men who were maintained on hemodialysis (HD) for over 10 years suddenly developed flank pain during HD. Computed tomography scans revealed an enhancing ruptured renal mass in one patient, and no obvious tumor lesion except for a hematoma in the other, both of which were later confirmed as RCCs by pathologic specimens

Abnormal Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Medial Medullary Infarction

Background The medial vestibulospinal tract (MVST), which descends in the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), may mediate the vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) in the contracting sternocleidomastoid muscle. We report herein abnormal VEMPs in a patient with medial medullary infarction (MMI) that appeared to involve the MLF. Case Report A patient with infarction involving the right medial medulla showed decreased p13-n23 amplitude and increased p13/n23 latencies of the VEMPs on the right side. These abnormal VEMPs recorded in all MMI patient support the theory that VEMPs are mediated by the MVST contained within the MLF. Conclusions VEMPs may represent a valuable tool for investigating vestibular dysfunction originating from the saccule, even ill patients with central vestibulopathies, which is not readily defined by conventional vestibular function tests. J Clin Neurol 2009;5:101-103This study was supported by a grant of the Korea Health 21 R&D Project, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Republic of Korea (A080750). The authors thank Jong-Hee Lee for experimental assistance.Kim JS, 2005, NEUROLOGY, V65, P1294Welgampola MS, 2005, NEUROLOGY, V64, P1682Newlands SD, 2003, J COMP NEUROL, V466, P31, DOI 10.1002/cne.10876Chen CH, 2003, LARYNGOSCOPE, V113, P990Murofushi T, 1999, ARCH OTOLARYNGOL, V125, P660Murofushi T, 1996, ARCH OTOLARYNGOL, V122, P845WILSON VJ, 1995, J VESTIBUL RES-EQUIL, V5, P147MUROFUSHI T, 1995, EXP BRAIN RES, V103, P174ROBERTSON DD, 1995, J OTOLARYNGOL, V24, P3COLEBATCH JG, 1994, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V57, P190COLEBATCH JG, 1992, NEUROLOGY, V42, P1635AKAIKE T, 1983, BRAIN RES, V259, P217FERNANDEZ C, 1976, J NEUROPHYSIOL, V39, P970POMPEIANO O, 1957, ARCH ITAL BIOL, V95, P166

Tetra-μ-benzoato-bis­{[4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pyridine]zinc(II)}

The central part of the title centrosymmetric dinuclear complex, [Zn2(C7H5O2)4(C9H12N2)2], has a paddle-wheel conformation with four benzoate ligands bridging two symmetry-related ZnII ions. The distorted square-pyramidal coordination environment around the ZnII ion is completed by an N atom from a 4-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pyridine ligand. The Zn⋯Zn separation of 2.9826 (12) Å does not represent a formal direct metal–metal bond. The ZnII ion is displaced by 0.381 (1) Å from the mean plane of the four basal O atoms. Two of the C atoms of the pyrrolidine ring are disordered over two sites with refined occupancies of 0.53 (2) and 0.47 (2)

Correlation of clinical parameters with endolymphatic hydrops on MRI in Meniere's disease

A clinical diagnosis of Ménière's disease (MD) is made based on medical history and audiometry findings. The 1995 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) guidelines requires histopathological confirmation of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) for a diagnosis of “certain” MD. Symptoms such as dizziness and ear fullness are important diagnostic features; however, the descriptions provided by patients are frequently vague and non-specific. A recently developed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol to document EH is, therefore, useful for the evaluation of inner ear status in patients with MD. In this study, patients with MD were assessed using MRI and the HYDROPS (HYbriD of Reversed image Of Positive endolymph signal and native image of positive perilymph Signal) protocol to investigate the effectiveness of MRI for visualization of the endolymphatic space in the diagnosis of MD by correlating clinical laboratory parameters with the grade of EH. Of the 123 patients with MD recruited in this study, 80 had definite MD, 11 had probable MD, and 32 had possible MD based on the 1995 AAO-HNS guidelines. The EH grade based on HYDROPS MRI was determined independently by two otorhinolaryngologists and compared with several clinical parameters, including the diagnostic scale of MD (1995 AAO-HNS guidelines), pure tone average (PTA), low tone average (LTA), canal paresis (CP) on the caloric test, and disease duration. Cochlear hydrops and vestibular hydrops were detected in 58 and 80% of 80 definite MD ears, in 33 and 58% of 12 probable MD ears, and in 5 and 27% of 37 possible MD ears, respectively. The proportion of higher hydrops grades increased significantly with grade according to the MD diagnostic scale (p < 0.0001). Both PTA and LTA were significantly higher in patients with hydrops grade 2 than hydrops grade 0 in both the cochlea and the vestibule. CP was significantly higher in patients with grade 2 than grade 0 vestibular hydrops. Disease duration was not associated with hydrops grade. Radiological evaluation of MD using the HYDROPS protocol is useful for evaluation of the extent and severity of EH in the diagnosis of MD based on its pathophysiological mechanism