Functional Outcomes Are Similar After Early and Late Arthroscopic One-Tunnel Transosseous Repair of Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Foveal Tears.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes at different time periods following arthroscopic triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) transosseous foveal repair within 6 months, between 6 and 12 months, and more than 12 months from injury. METHODS: Consecutive patients treated with arthroscopic TFCC foveal repair using the uniform one-tunnel transosseous suture technique by a surgeon from 2014 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were assigned to 1 of 3 groups according to time between injury and surgery. Pain visual analog scale (VAS); grip strength; modified Mayo wrist score (MMWS); Quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (QuickDASH) score; and distal radioulnar joint stability were assessed at minimum 2 years postoperatively, along with minimal clinically important difference, and overall patient satisfaction. RESULTS: This study cohort consisted of 80 patients: group A (<6 months, n = 38), group B (6-12 months, n = 20), and group C (>12 months, n = 22). No differences were found among groups in VAS, grip strength, and MMWS and QuickDASH. Overall, patients exhibited significant functional improvement at 2 years (VAS: 3-0, P < .001; grip strength: 77.1%-95.6%, P < .001; MMWS: 65-90, P < .001, QuickDASH: 20.5-4.5, P < .001). Median changes in outcome variables and the proportion of patients achieving minimal clinically important difference for the QuickDASH were similar among groups. Seventy-eight patients (97%) achieved distal radioulnar joint stability, and 70 patients (87%) were satisfied with treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Although this current study has insufficient statistical power, the available data suggest that patients with a TFCC foveal tear who underwent arthroscopic transosseous repair surgery more than 12 months after injury could expect to experience similar functional improvement compared with patients who underwent surgery within 6 months or between 6 and 12 months following injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective comparative study.

Effects of lowest-dose vs. highest-dose pitavastatin on coronary neointimal hyperplasia at 12-month follow-up in type 2 diabetic patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome: an optical coherence tomography analysis.

Current ACC/AHA guidelines recommend high-dose statin therapy after coronary stenting, especially in diabetic patients; however, pitavastatin 4 mg or pitavastatin 1 mg are frequently used after coronary stenting in Asia, even in patients with acute coronary syndrome. We compared the effects of highest-dose and lowest-dose pitavastatin therapy on coronary neointimal hyperplasia at 12-month follow-up in diabetic patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) using optical coherence tomography. A total of 72 diabetic patients with NSTE-ACS were randomized to lowest-dose pitavastatin [1 mg (n = 36)] or highest-dose pitavastatin [4 mg (n = 36)] after everolimus-eluting stent implantation. The primary endpoint was to compare the normalized neointimal volume at 12-month follow-up. Normalized neointimal volume was significantly lower in the pitavastatin 4 mg group (4.00 ± 2.80 vs. 8.24 ± 2.83 mm3/mm, p < 0.01) at 12-month follow-up. There was also significant difference in neointimal area between the pitavastatin 4 mg group and pitavastatin 1 mg group (0.41 ± 0.28 vs. 0.74 ± 0.23 mm2, p < 0.01). Improvement of brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (baFMD) was significantly higher in the pitavastatin 4 mg group than in pitavastatin 1 mg group (0.15 ± 0.15 vs. - 0.03 ± 0.19 mm, p < 0.001). In addition, the improvement of adiponectin levels was significantly greater in the pitavastatin 4 mg group than in the pitavastatin 1 mg group (2.97 ± 3.98 vs. 0.59 ± 2.80 µg/mL, p < 0.05). Pitavastatin 4 mg significantly improved inflammatory cytokines and lipid profiles compared to pitavastatin 1 mg during the 12-month follow-up, contributing to the reduction of neointimal hyperplasia and to the improvement of baFMD in diabetic patients with NSTE-ACS requiring coronary stenting. Thus, the administration of pitavastatin 4 mg can be safely and effectively used in high-risk patients requiring coronary stenting. Trial registration NCT02545231 (Clinical Trial registration information: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02545231 ).

Na-Cation-Assisted Exfoliation of MX2 (M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) Nanosheets in an Aqueous Medium with the Aid of a Polymeric Surfactant for Flexible Polymer-Nanocomposite Memory Applications.

2D nanosheets of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have been attracting attention due to their sizable band gap. Facile and effective Na-cation-assisted exfoliation of TMDC (MX2 , M = Mo, W; X = S, Se) nanosheets in an aqueous medium and their application as a composite filler in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix are explored in this work. The presence of Na cations is highly beneficial for exfoliating defect-free and few-layer MX2 nanosheets in water in the presence of small-sized micelles of polymeric surfactant, and significantly elevates the exfoliation yield by more than one order of magnitude compared to a conventional surfactant-assisted exfoliation. The strategy suggested in this work is very advantageous compared to both Li cation intercalation in organic solvents and conventional low-yield surfactant-assisted exfoliations. As an application of the exfoliated nanosheets, the fabrication of memory devices with the configuration of Ga-doped ZnO/MX2 -PVA/Ag is demonstrated, and they exhibit bistable and write-once-read-many-times resistive switching behavior with a high ON/OFF current ratio of 3 × 103 at -1.0 V (for WS2 ) and 2.0 V (for MoS2 ). Furthermore, MX2 -PVA nanocomposite fibrous films and mats are successfully fabricated using an electrospinning technique, which can expand the use of TMDC nanofillers in applications involving highly flexible polymer-based MX2 composites.

Experiences of international students from Asian backgrounds studying occupational therapy in Australia.

BACKGROUND/AIM: International students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds experience personal and academic challenges when studying health sciences in Australia. Given recent discussions about cultural specificity in occupational therapy and its status as an emerging profession in most Asian countries, this study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of international students from Asian backgrounds studying occupational therapy in Australia. METHOD: A phenomenological approach was used to understand the experiences of participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight international occupational therapy students from Asian countries studying in Australia. Data were analysed using hermeneutic methods. RESULTS: Participants described three interlinked and ongoing experiences: (1) Discovering and engaging with occupational therapy; (2) Fitting into my new role; and (3) Anticipating my role at home. Whilst theoretical aspects of occupational therapy were seen as compatible with participants' home cultures, application was seen as problematic due to the differences in structure and institutional culture of the healthcare systems. Although students made adaptations to fit in as occupational therapy students in Australia, they continued to see themselves as different, and their adaptation also influenced how they saw themselves in relation to their home culture. CONCLUSION: Findings can contribute to creating culturally sensitive education for occupational therapy students from Asian countries. To best serve these students, educators should consider ways to facilitate transitions both out of and back into students' home cultures.

The effect of employing the p/i buffer layers and in-situ hydrogen treatment for transparent a-Si:H solar cells.

In this study, we describe the effects of various thicknesses of triple p/i buffer layers and hydrogen treatment on various performances in the fabrication of transparent a-Si:H solar cells. For the increment of buffer layer thickness, V(oc) increases steadily and J(sc) firstly increases and then decreases. The triple buffer layers also enhance the transmittance as well as conversion efficiency. For hydrogen plasma treatment, overall performances were enhanced with plasma power due to the passivation of dangling bonds at p/i interface. Therefore, the usage of triple buffer layers with proper treatment is beneficial to obtaining transparent a-Si:H solar cells with high quality.

Nano-scale texturing of borosilicate glasses using CF4-based plasma discharge for application in thin film solar cells.

Random plasma treatment techniques were used as a texturing method to reduce the surface reflection of glass substrates in thin film solar cells. Various gas mixtures were used for the plasma discharge in an effort to examine the texturing mechanism. Using a plasma treatment comprising CF4/O2 and CF4/Ar with a gas flow ratio of 1 to 2, the surface reflectance could be decreased to 6.83% and 6.82%, respectively. The surface treatment was very effective with the use of a low RF power of 50 W and an optimal time of 5 min. It is considered that the optical characteristics of the glass substrate are highly correlated to its surface morphology which can be produced not only through nano-scale chemical reactions with radicals but also through ion flux bombardment.

Synaptic Transistors Exhibiting Gate-Pulse-Driven, Metal-Semiconductor Transition of Conduction.

Neuromorphic devices have been investigated extensively for technological breakthroughs that could eventually replace conventional semiconductor devices. In contrast to other neuromorphic devices, the device proposed in this paper utilizes deep trap interfaces between the channel layer and the charge-inducing dielectrics (CID). The device was fabricated using in-situ atomic layer deposition (ALD) for the sequential deposition of the CID and oxide semiconductors. Upon the application of a gate bias pulse, an abrupt change in conducting states was observed in the device from the semiconductor to the metal. Additionally, numerous intermediate states could be implemented based on the number of cycles. Furthermore, each state persisted for 10,000 s after the gate pulses were removed, demonstrating excellent synaptic properties of the long-term memory. Moreover, the variation of drain current with cycle number demonstrates the device's excellent linearity and symmetry for excitatory and inhibitory behaviors when prepared on a glass substrate intended for transparent devices. The results, therefore, suggest that such unique synaptic devices with extremely stable and superior properties could replace conventional semiconducting devices in the future.

Effects of Moisture-Proof Back Passivation Layers of Al2O3 and AlxTi1-xOy Films on Efficiency Improvement and Color Modulation in Transparent a-Si:H Solar Cells.

In this study, the back passivation layers (BPLs) were developed to protect hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films of transparent solar cells from humidity and contaminants. Metal oxide compound films with Al (Al2O3) and Ti (AlxTiyOz (ATO)) were fabricated by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition for the BPLs on transparent solar cells. The BPLs of Al2O3 films applied to the transparent solar cells were deposited in different thicknesses to evaluate the performance, and the ATO film thickness was fixed at 30 nm. Even at the thinnest thickness of 30 nm, the water vapor transmission rates of BPLs were very low at 1.96 × 10-3 (Al2O3) and 1.23 × 10-2 g/m2·day (ATO). In addition to moisture protection, measures of cell performance, including open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current density, were improved by blocking the leakage current and through the optical interference effects of the BPLs. The solar cell with ATO BPLs exhibited an increase in efficiency of more than 12% compared with those of conventional reference cells. Furthermore, by varying the refractive index and thickness of the BPLs, the reflection and transmission spectra were modulated to implement various cell colors without serious loss in cell efficiency.

Polyvinylalcohol (PVA)-Assisted Exfoliation of ReS2 Nanosheets and the Use of ReS2-PVA Composites for Transparent Memristive Photosynapse Devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted significant attention for their outstanding optoelectrical properties. Unlike most TMDs with layer-dependent photoresponsivity, rhenium disulfide (ReS2) shows excellent thickness-independent photoresponsivity. Herein, we show a surfactant-free polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-assisted exfoliation method for 2D-TMDs in aqueous solution and a transparent photosensitive memristor synapse device based on ReS2 nanosheets composited with PVA. ReS2 nanosheets are obtained via PVA-assisted exfoliation. After exfoliation, the ReS2-PVA dispersion solution is spin-coated on a substrate and dried to form a nanocomposite film without additional processing. Transparent memristors are then fabricated on plastic or glass substrates to demonstrate the applicability of the ReS2-PVA film. The devices show "write once, read many" memory behavior with a high ON/OFF current ratio (1.0 × 104 at 0.5 V) during electrical operation. In the high resistive state, synaptic functions with long-term memory behavior are successfully mimicked by applying photonic stimuli to the transparent ReS2-PVA memristors. The excitatory postsynaptic current stimulated by the photosignal is gradually reduced by electric stimuli. The proposed PVA-assisted exfoliation method is cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and applicable to various TMD nanomaterials. Furthermore, the ReS2-PVA nanocomposite film obtained via a simple solution-based process demonstrates excellent photosynaptic behavior.

Transparent Thin-Film Silicon Solar Cells for Indoor Light Harvesting with Conversion Efficiencies of 36% without Photodegradation.

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT), indoor photovoltaics are attracting considerable interest owing to their potential to benefit various IoT-related fields. Therefore, this study investigates the use of transparent hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells for a broad range of applications, including indoor light harvesting. High-gap triple layers were employed in the a-Si:H solar cells to obtain a high shunt resistance and high short-circuit current, JSC, and open-circuit voltage, VOC, under indoor illumination. Additionally, multiple color-adjusting layers were added without noticeable costs to the conversion efficiency. The maximum efficiency of 36.0% was obtained at a transmittance of 20.44% under white LED light (3000 lx and 0.92 mW cm-2). Furthermore, the fabricated transparent solar cells show excellent long-term performance, sustaining over 99% of original efficiency under continuous indoor light illumination for 200 h. These cells could accelerate the progress of energy harvesting in IoT applications and facilitate the construction of integrated photovoltaics.

Photo-Carrier-Guiding Behavior of Vertically Grown MoS2 and MoSe2 in Highly Efficient Low-Light Transparent Photovoltaic Devices on Large-Area Rough Substrates.

Two-dimensional MoX2 (X = S, Se) films were vertically grown on highly rough transparent conducting F-doped SnO2 glass substrates for the first time and successfully used as photogenerated carrier-guiding layers (CGLs) in transparent hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film solar cells (TFSCs). The MoSe2 CGL layers could be grown at 530 °C using thermally cracked small Se-molecules on transparent FTO glass substrates and significantly improved cell performance. A transparent cell transmitting 26.0% of visible light with a 20 nm-thick vertically grown MoSe2 CGL showed an outstanding power conversion efficiency of 27.1% at a light intensity of 0.16 mW cm-2 (500 lx; corresponding to normal indoor irradiation). The shunt resistance (Rsh) of the TFSCs reached 32,000 Ω at a light intensity of 7 mW cm-2. An Rsh value this large is essential for low-light photovoltaic (PV) devices to prevent the dissipation of photogenerated carriers. These results strongly demonstrate that transparent a-Si:H-TFSCs with vertically grown MoX2 films should find wide use in building-integrated PV windows or indoor PV applications, as they can generate power even in very low-light environments.

Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of the Common Site of Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture: 5 to 8 cm Above the Distal End of the Calcaneal Insertion.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have not quantitatively analyzed the site of acute Achilles tendon rupture. PURPOSE: To investigate the site of acute Achilles tendon rupture via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: The medical records and MRIs of 195 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture were retrospectively reviewed. The rupture site was measured as the distance from the most distal fibers of the Achilles tendon at the calcaneal insertion to the proximal end of the distal stump. The relationship between the site of rupture and patient characteristics was analyzed, and the intra- and interobserver reliability of the measurements was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The rupture site had a mean distance of 6.4 cm (SD, 1.5) and the 10th to 90th percentile range was 5.0 to 8.4 cm. There was no significant difference in location of the rupture according to patient characteristics and the time of imaging. The intra- and interobserver reliability of measurements was excellent. CONCLUSION: Most acute Achilles tendon ruptures visible on MRI occurred 5 to 8 cm above the distal end of the calcaneal insertion, which is more proximal than the previously reported 2 to 6 cm location.

Visible Light-Erasable Oxide FET-Based Nonvolatile Memory Operated with a Deep Trap Interface.

A new concept of a tunneling oxide-free nonvolatile memory device with a deep trap interface floating gate is proposed. This device demonstrates a high on/off current ratio of 107 and a sizable memory window due to deep traps at the interface between the channel and gate dielectric layers. Interestingly, irradiation with 400 nm light can completely restore the program state to the initial one (performing an erasing process), which is attributed to the visible light-sensitive channel layer. Device reproducibility is enhanced by selectively passivating shallow traps at the interface using in situ H2 plasma treatment. The passivated memory device shows highly reproducible memory operation and on-state current during retention bake tests at 85 °C. One of the most significant advantages of this visible light-erasable oxide field-effect transistor-based nonvolatile memory is its simple structure, which is free from deterioration due to the frequent tunneling processes, as compared to conventional nonvolatile memory devices with tunneling oxides.

Metal-agglomeration-suppressed growth of MoS2 and MoSe2 films with small sulfur and selenium molecules for high mobility field effect transistor applications.

This work reports a breakthrough technique for achieving high quality and uniform molybdenum dichalcogenide (MoX2 where X = S, Se) films on large-area wafers via metal-agglomeration-suppressed growth (MASG) with small chalcogen (X-) molecules at growth temperatures (TG) of 600 °C or lower. In order to grow MoS2 films suitable for field effect transistors (FETs), S-molecules should be pre-deposited on Mo films at 60 °C prior to heating the substrate up to TG. The pre-deposited S-molecules successfully suppressed the agglomeration of Mo during sulfurization and prevented the formation of protruding islands in the resultant sulfide films. The small X-molecules supplied from a thermal cracker reacted with Mo-precursor film to form MoX2. The film quality strongly depends on the temperatures of cracking and reservoir zones, as well as TG. The MoS2 film grown at 570 °C showed a thickness variation of less than 3.3% on a 6 inch-wafer. The mobility and on/off current ratio of 6.1 nm-MoS2 FET at TG = 570 °C were 59.8 cm2 V-1 s-1 and 105, respectively. The most significant advantages of the MASG method proposed in this work are its expandability to various metal dichalcogenides on larger substrates as well as a lower TG enabled by using reactive small molecules supplied from a cracker, for which temperature is independently controlled.

Characteristics of nanocomposite ZrO2/Al2O3 films deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition.

Nanocomposite ZrO2/Al2O3 (ZAO) films were deposited on Si by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition and the film characteristics including interfacial oxide formation, dielectric constant (k), and electrical breakdown strength were investigated without post-annealing process. In both the mixed and nano-laminated ZAO films, the thickness of the interfacial oxide layer (T(IL)) was considerably reduced compared to ZrO2 and Al2O3 films. The T(IL) was 0.8 nm in nano-composite films prepared at a mixing ratio (ZrO2:Al2O3) of 1:1. The breakdown strength and the leakage current level were greatly improved by adding Al2O3 as little as 7.9% compared to that of ZrO2 and were enhanced more with increasing content of Al2O3. The k of ZrO2 and mixed ZAO (Al2O3 7.9%) films were 20.0 and 16.5, respectively. These results indicate that the addition of Al2O3 to ZrO2 greatly improves the electrical properties with less cost of k compared to the addition of SiO2.

Association between genetic polymorphisms in folate-related enzyme genes and infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia.

Polymorphisms in the genes encoding enzymes in the folate metabolism pathway have been associated with male infertility and chromosome abnormalities. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase (MTR), and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) polymorphisms in fertile men and infertile men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA). A case-control study comprising 85 infertile men with NOA and 246 fertile men as controls was carried out. MTHFR c.677C > T (rs1801133), MTHFR c.1298A > C (rs1801131), MTR c.2756A > G (rs1805087), and MTRR c.66A > G (rs1801394) polymorphisms were determined using the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. There were significant differences in AC + CC genotype (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.1-3.2) and C allele frequencies (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.2-2.8) of MTHFR c.1298A > C polymorphism between NOA patients and controls after applying the Bonferroni correction. Moreover, the 1298AC genotype, 1298AC + CC genotype, and 1298C allele frequencies were statistically significant in NOA with chromosomal abnormalities and/or a Y chromosome deletion compared to the controls (AC genotype: OR = 3.0; AC + CC genotype: OR = 3.0; C allele: OR = 2.3). Considering the other polymorphisms, no differences were found between cases and controls. Our findings suggest the MTHFR c.1298A > C polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of male infertility, i.e., NOA.

Scattering matrix analysis for evaluating the photocurrent in hydrogenated-amorphous-silicon-based thin film solar cells.

A scattering matrix (S-matrix) analysis method was developed for evaluating hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)-based thin film solar cells. In this approach, light wave vectors A and B represent the incoming and outgoing behaviors of the incident solar light, respectively, in terms of coherent wave and incoherent intensity components. The S-matrix determines the relation between A and B according to optical effects such as reflection and transmission, as described by the Fresnel equations, scattering at the boundary surfaces, or scattering within the propagation medium, as described by the Beer-Lambert law and the change in the phase of the propagating light wave. This matrix can be used to evaluate the behavior of angle-incident coherent and incoherent light simultaneously, and takes into account not only the light scattering process at material boundaries (haze effects) but also nonlinear optical processes within the material. The optical parameters in the S-matrix were determined by modeling both a 2%-gallium-doped zinc oxide transparent conducting oxide and germanium-compounded a-Si:H (a-SiGe:H). Using the S-matrix equations, the photocurrent for an a-Si:H/a-SiGe:H tandem cell and the optical loss in semitransparent a-Si:H solar cells for use in building-integrated photovoltaic applications were analyzed. The developed S-matrix method can also be used as a general analysis tool for various thin film solar cells.