A rare neurological presentation of emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is an acute necrotizing infection of the kidney with features of air formation in the pelvicalyceal system, renal parenchyma, and surrounding structures. Although septic embolization has been reported to occur in distant organs, air pockets occurring intracranially leading to neurological manifestations in EPN have not been reported in the literature. We present a case report of a patient with EPN showing air pockets in renal parenchyma, pelvicalyceal system, renal vein, inferior vena cava, and multiple intracranial venous sinuses, presenting predominantly with neurological symptoms. This patient was aggressively managed with antibiotics, ureteral stenting, and drainage of the right kidney.

Topological insulator metamaterial with giant circular photogalvanic effect.

One of the most notable manifestations of electronic properties of topological insulators is the dependence of the photocurrent direction on the helicity of circularly polarized optical excitation. The helicity-dependent photocurrents, underpinned by spin-momentum locking of surface Dirac electrons, are weak and easily overshadowed by bulk contributions. Here, we show that the chiral response can be enhanced by nanostructuring. The tight confinement of electromagnetic fields in the resonant nanostructure enhances the photoexcitation of spin-polarized surface states of topological insulator Bi1.5Sb0.5Te1.8Se1.2, leading to an 11-fold increase of the circular photogalvanic effect and a previously unobserved photocurrent dichroism (ρcirc = 0.87) at room temperature. The control of spin transport in topological materials by structural design is a previously unrecognized ability of metamaterials that bridges the gap between nanophotonics and spin electronics, providing opportunities for developing polarization-sensitive photodetectors.

Urethral duplication with congenital megacystis and obstructive megaureter - A rare association.

Urethral duplication (UD) in a female is a rare congenital anomaly. Although UD is commonly associated with other congenital anomalies of the urinary tract, its association with congenital megacystis with obstructive megaureter has not yet been reported. We present the case of a 9 year old girl child with complete sagittal duplication of the urethra associated with congenital megacystis and left obstructive megaureter.

A rare case of small cell neuroendocrine tumor of the urinary bladder.

Small cell neuroendocrine tumor of the bladder is a rare tumor characterized by poor differentiation and high aggressiveness. Very few cases worldwide have been reported till date. Recent literature shows equivalent survival data for localized disease treated with chemoradiotherapy combined with either bladder sparing surgery or radical cystectomy. We report a case of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the bladder diagnosed after transurethral resection of bladder tumor, then followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for six cycles and awaiting radical cystectomy.

Infrared dielectric metamaterials from high refractive index chalcogenides.

High-index dielectric materials are in great demand for nanophotonic devices and applications, from ultrathin optical elements to metal-free sub-diffraction light confinement and waveguiding. Here we show that chalcogenide topological insulators are particularly apt candidates for dielectric nanophotonics architectures in the infrared spectral range, by reporting metamaterial resonances in chalcogenide crystals sustained well inside the mid-infrared, choosing Bi2Te3 as case study within this family of materials. Strong resonant modulation of the incident electromagnetic field is achieved thanks to the exceptionally high refractive index ranging between 7 and 8 throughout the 2-10 µm region. Analysis of the complex mode structure in the metamaterial allude to the excitation of circular surface currents which could open pathways for enhanced light-matter interaction and low-loss plasmonic configurations by coupling to the spin-polarized topological surface carriers, thereby providing new opportunities to combine dielectric, plasmonic and magnetic metamaterials in a single platform.

Thermal neutron-induced γ-ray background in 124Sn.

The thermal neutron-induced gamma-ray background in 124Sn is investigated in connection with neutrinoless double beta decay (0νßß) studies in 124Sn. For this purpose, a 99.26% enriched 124Sn sample was irradiated with a thermal neutron fluence of 3×1015/cm2 in the Dhruva reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai. The gamma ray spectra of the irradiated sample were measured in a low background counting setup to study both long-lived and short-lived activities. The present data give an independent measurement of the half-life of 125Sn*(32+) and 125Sn(112-) as 10.01(8) min and 9.63(2) d, respectively. The impact of the observed high-energy gamma rays and the residual activity due to 125Sb, on the background in the region of interest around the Qßß value of 124Sn (~2.291 MeV) is discussed.

Study of the effect of external noise pickups on the performance of a cryogenic bolometer.

This paper reports the detailed noise characterization, investigation of various noise sources, and its mitigation to improve the performance of a cryogenic bolometer detector for the TIN.TIN experiment. The noise spectrum has been measured for a sapphire bolometer test setup with an indigenously developed neutron transmutation doped Ge sensor in the cryogen free dilution refrigerator system at Mumbai. The effect of external noise, arising either from ground loops in the system or from the diagnostic and control electronics of the cryostat, on the performance of the bolometer is assessed. A systematic comparison of the influence of different noise pickups on the bolometer resolution is also presented. The best-achieved resolution (σE) at 15 mK is ∼15 keV for heater pulses and appears to be mainly limited by the noise due to the pulse tube cryocooler.

Variations in renal morphometry: A hospital-based Indian study.

INTRODUCTION: The currently available standard renal nomograms for comparison of renal dimensions in India are based on the measurements made in the Western population. The objectives of our study were to identify variations in renal morphometric parameters in subjects with no known renal disease in a hospital-based Indian population and to find out any correlation between renal volumes with split renal functions and body mass index (BMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty-one subjects undergoing contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) scan for various purposes, including donor nephrectomy, from June 2012 to August 2014 were included in the study. The renal and ureteral dimensions were assessed from the contrast-enhanced CT scan images of these patients. RESULTS: The mean length, width, thickness and volume of the left kidney were 11.02 ± 1.13 cm, 5.21 ± 0.75 cm, 4.65 ± 0.84 cm and 138.22 ± 29.81 mL, respectively, and those for the right kidney were 10.86 ± 1.12 cm, 5.13 ± 0.77 cm, 4.73 ± 0.95 cm and 137.54 ± 34.48 mL, respectively. The mean length of the left ureter was 23.51 ± 1.48 cm and that of the right ureter was 23.24 ± 1.93 cm. The mean volume of the kidneys in males and females was also different. The volume of the kidney did not statically correlate with the split glomerular filtration rate ((P = 0.12) and BMI (P = 0.52)). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that there exist differences in various morphometric parameters of the kidney and ureter in different subsets of the Indian population attending our hospital as compared with the standard values quoted in the world literature.

Effect of gibberellins A3, A 4+7 and A 13 and of (-)-kaurene on flowering and extension growth of Impatiens balsamina under different photoperiods.

Gibberellins A3, A4+7 and A13 and (-)-kaurene delay floral-bud initiation and flowering and decrease the number of floral-buds and flowers in Impatiens balsamina under 4-hr photoperiods. They do not have any marked effect under 8-hr photoperiods. Under 16- and 24-hr photoperiods they hasten floral-bud initiation and flowering and increase the number of flowers, the effect being greater under 16- than under 24-hr days and the order of effectiveness being GA4+7>GA3>GA13>(-)-kaurene.While GA3 and GA4+7 promote extension growth, the effect being greater with the former, GA13 and (-)-kaurene do not promote it under any photoperiod. The magnitude of stem elongation in different treatments prior to floral-bud initiation increases from 4- to 8-hr photoperiods but decreases under 16- and 24-hr periods, the effect being more under 24-hr although both 16-and 24-hr photoperiods are noninductive for flowering.

Floral induction by gibberellic acid in Impatiens balsamina, a qualitative short-day plant.

In the qualitative short-day plant Impatiens balsamina, gibberellic acid (GA3) not only promoted the formation of floral buds in response to suboptimal photoinductive conditions and reduced the number of SD cycles that are required for their development into flowers, but also caused initiation of floral buds under non-inductive photoperiods. In plants treated with repeated applications of GA3, the floral buds developed into flowers irrespective of whether the apex was left intact or was removed. In those that received a single application of GA3 the floral buds developed into flowers only in decapitated plants.

Photoperiodic studies on growth and development of Impatiens balsamina L. : II. Floral bud initiation, flower opening and extension growth.

In the short-day plant Impatiens balsamina it was found that, while floral buds are initiated with 3 short-day (SD) cycles, at least 8 such cycles are required for flowering. The numbers of floral buds and open flowers bear a linear relationship with the number of SD cycles. The induced floral buds revert to vegetative growth unless the plants receive the minimum number of SD cycles needed for flowering, this reversion occurring in a basipetal direction. The rate of extension growth of the stem increases with increasing numbers of SD cycles. The high rate is maintained longer in plants receiving 32 or more SD cycles, but the subsequent fall is also steeper in these plants than in plants receiving less inductive cycles. Senescence also occurs in these plants and appears to be related to the magnitude of reproductive development and the high rate of extension growth.