Broadened quantum critical ground state in a disordered superconducting thin film.

A superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) in two dimensions is a prototypical quantum phase transition (QPT) with a clear quantum critical point (QCP) at zero temperature (T = 0). The SIT is induced by a field B and observed in disordered thin films. In some of weakly disordered or crystalline thin films, however, an anomalous metallic (AM) ground state emerges over a wide B range between the superconducting and insulating phases. It remains a fundamental open question how the QPT picture of the SIT is modified when the AM state appears. Here we present measurements of the Nernst effect N, which has great sensitivity to the fluctuations of the superconducting order parameter. From a thorough contour map of N in the B-T plane, we found a thermal-to-quantum crossover line of the superconducting fluctuations, a so-called ghost-temperature line associated with the QPT, as well as a ghost-field line associated with a thermal transition. The QCP is identified as a T = 0 intercept of the ghost-temperature line inside the AM state, which verifies that the AM state is a broadened critical state of the SIT.

Aortic injury repair in a patient with situs inversus totalis and dextrocardia.

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) with dextrocardia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. We herein describe a blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) in a patient with SIT and dextrocardia. An 18-year-old girl who was injured by a fall presented to our hospital. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a traumatic pseudoaneurysm at the aortic isthmus. Open aortic repair was performed through a right thoracotomy. No abnormal findings were observed on CT 1 year after the surgery. Open aortic repair of BTAI can be safely performed through a right thoracotomy in patients with SIT and dextrocardia.

Diagnosis and treatment of isolated celiac artery dissection following blunt trauma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Celiac artery (CA) dissection due to blunt abdominal trauma is extremely rare and, as such, the clinical features of this potentially life-threatening injury have not been clearly defined, nor have treatment strategies been established. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We describe the case of a 61-year-old man who presented to our emergency department after a motor vehicle accident. Although the patient did not report abdominal pain, enhanced computed tomography (CT) revealed CA dissection. The patient was treated conservatively using antiplatelet therapy and was discharged from the hospital on day 8, without complications. DISCUSSION: As abdominal pain is not a common presenting factor of CA dissection after blunt trauma, it should be suspected as a potential injury in all affected patients and comprehensively assessed, with CT being the most useful diagnostic modality. CONCLUSION: In the absence of any signs of organ ischemia, changes in the CA aneurysm, and persistent, severe abdominal pain following blunt abdominal trauma, conservative treatment is indicated, with or without anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy.

A hemiaminal-ether structure stabilized by lanthanide complexes with an imidazole-based Schiff base ligand.

Imidazole-based lanthanide complexes bearing a hemiaminal-ether pendant, [Ln(L'-OR)(NO3)2](NO3)·solvent (Ln = Tb and Gd; L'-OR = hemiaminal-ether ligand, 1,9-bis(1H-imidazole-4-yl)-5-[(R-1H-imidazole-4-yl)alkyl]-2,5,8-triazanon-1,8-dien; R = Me and Et; solvent = MeOH, EtOH, and H2O; abbreviated as LnL'-OR), were unexpectedly obtained from the reaction of diethylenetriamine with 4-imidazolecarbaldehyde in the presence of lanthanide nitrate in alcohol. These LnL'-OR structures were also obtained by treating dipodal imidazole-based lanthanide complexes [Ln(HL)(NO3)2(MeOH)](NO3)·MeOH (HL = bis{[2-{(imidazole-4-yl)methylidene}amino]ethyl}amine; abbreviated as LnHL) independently with (i) 4-imidazolecarbaldehyde, (ii) HNO3, or (iii) NO in alcohol. The results indicate that the hemiaminal-ether structure is stabilized by the lanthanide complex. The LnL'-OR structures were confirmed by X-ray analysis and cold electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in solution. The photophysical properties indicate that the L'-OR ligands can sensitize the Tb3+ luminescence. A significant spectral change was observed by the ligand component exchange. The exchange of the ligand component of the non-luminescent imidazole-based Tb complex, [Tb(MeL)(NO3)2](NO3) (MeL = bis{[2-{(1-methylimidazole-2-yl)methylidene}amino]ethyl}amine; abbreviated as TbMeL), results in a significant spectral change.