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A fully biodegradable, ultra‐sensitive, and soft strain sensor is pivotal for temporary, real‐time monitoring of microdeformations, crucial in disease diagnosis, surgical precision, and prognosis of muscular, and vascular conditions. Nevertheless, the strain sensitivity of previous biodegradable sensors, denoted by gauge factor (GF) up to ≈100, falls short of requirements for complex biomedical monitoring scenarios, specifically monitoring cardio‐cerebrovascular diseases with microscale variations in vascular surface strain. Here, a fully biodegradable, ultra‐sensitive crack‐based flexible strain sensor is introduced achieving GF of 1355 at 1.5% strain through integration of molybdenum (Mo) film, molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) adhesion layer, and polycaprolactone (PCL) substrate. Analysis of crack morphology of biodegradable thin‐film metals, including Mo, tungsten (W), and magnesium (Mg), reveals material‐dependent sensitivity and repeatability of crack‐based strain sensors. The effect of the adhesion layer and polymer substrate is also investigated. Overall morphological studies on the sensor present a comprehensive understanding of metal film cracking behavior and corresponding performance characterization, showing significant potential for highly sensitive sensors. A hybrid membrane composed of candelilla wax (Cw), beeswax (Bw), and polybutylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate (PBAT) is introduced to provide hydrophobic, yet flexible encapsulation. In vivo, short‐term (≈3 days) monitoring of vascular pulsatility underscores the potential of the sensing tool for rapid, accurate, and temporal disease diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the electrical characterization and defect properties of Ga2O3/SiC hetero-structured Schottky diodes manufactured by mist chemical vapor deposition. For a comprehensive analysis of the impact of post deposition annealing with nitrogen (N2), various characterization techniques were employed, including current density-voltage (J-V), capacitance-voltage (1/C2-V), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). The on/off ratios, barrier heights and ideality factors of non-annealed and N2-annealed diodes were investigated using J-V characteristics. It was confirmed that electrical characteristics were improved in the N2-annealed diode. By analyses of 1/C2-V characteristics, the built-in voltage (Vbi) and near surface to bulk carrier concentrations were obtained. Surface topography and roughness, observed through AFM, indicated enhanced crystal quality of the N2-annealed diode. Deep level trap parameters and possible distributions of each trap were extracted from DLTS spectra and Arrhenius plots. The N2-annealing process increased the defects originating from extrinsic impurities at 0.226 eV, while decreasing the traps associated with oxygen vacancies at 0.950 eV and 1.257 eV, which can act as recombination centers. This suggests that the N2-annealing process reduces oxygen vacancies by nitrogen atoms occupying the vacancy sites, leading to a more ordered crystal lattice. Consequently, electrical conductivity, carrier mobility, and overall device performance could be enhanced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common and chronic problem characterized by hair follicle miniaturization. Aims: In this study, heat‐treated Limosilactobacillus fermentum LM1020 (HT‐LM1020) was investigated in human follicle dermal papilla cell (HFDPC), scalp tissue, and clinical trials for patients with AGA. Patients/Methods: Cell proliferation and the expression of cyclins and cyclin‐dependent kinases (CDKs) were measured in HFDPC. The relative gene expression of 5α‐reductase and growth factors were investigated in hair scalp. This double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled clinical trial was conducted over 24 weeks. Primary efficacy was evaluated by measuring hair density, and secondary efficacy was assessed by experts and self‐assessment. Changes in the microbiota of the hair scalps were analyzed using 16S metagenome amplicon sequencing. Results: HT‐LM1020 promoted cell growth (p < 0.001) and cyclin B1 expression, and it reduced 5α‐reductase and induced fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7), FGF10, and epithelial growth factor7 (EGF7) (p < 0.001). In the clinical trial, the experimental group demonstrated an increase in hair density from 133.70 to 148.87 n/cm2 at Week 24 (p < 0.001), while also expressing satisfaction with their hair density, reduced hair loss, and hairline. At Week 24, the total ratio of lactic acid bacteria operational taxonomic unit (OTU) in the scalp increased from 6.65% to 26.19%. At the same period, placebo‐controlled group decreased Staphylococcus caprae OTU from 77.95% to 14.57% while experimental group decreased from 65.80% to 41.02%. Conclusions: These present results showed that HT‐LM1020 was a co‐effector of ingredients for anti‐hair loss contributing to cell proliferation and the expression of CDKs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of oxide/nitride (ON) pitch scaling on the memory performance of 3D NAND flash memory. We aim to enhance 3D NAND flash memory by systematically reducing the spacer length (Ls) and gate length (Lg) to achieve improved memory characteristics. Using TCAD simulations, we evaluate the effects of Ls and Lg scaling on the program speed, erase speed, and Z-interference. Furthermore, we examine the influence of concave and convex channel structures in the context of Ls and Lg scaling. By analyzing the distributions of electron and hole-trapped charges, we provide insights into optimizing the trade-offs between the memory window and retention characteristics. This research offers valuable guidelines for improving the reliability and performance of 3D NAND flash memory through a systematic analysis of spacer and gate length scaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case report details the surgical treatment of a rare enlarged cervical leiomyoma with uterine prolapse in a 48-year-old woman. She presented to Konyang University Hospital with a palpable vaginal mass, lower abdominal pain, and urinary incontinence. Despite being nulliparous, she had severe chronic constipation due to schizophrenia medication and lived in a health care facility separated from her family. Pelvic examination revealed stage 3 uterine prolapse with a large necrotic cervical leiomyoma. A robot-assisted vaginal hysterectomy followed by sacrocolpopexy was performed using the Da Vinci Xi Surgical System. Histopathology confirmed cervical leiomyoma with squamous metaplasia. At a three-month follow-up, there were no complications, pelvic anatomy was restored, and urinary incontinence improved. Although the patient had a systemic infection due to the necrotic cervical leiomyoma, raising concerns about the increased risk of infection associated with mesh use, she was high-risk for pelvic organ prolapse (POP) recurrence due to her medical history and living situation. Therefore, she underwent concurrent surgeries with pre- and postoperative antibiotic treatment, and recovered without complications. Given that the risk of developing POP increases after a hysterectomy, in high-risk patients, as demonstrated in this case, the concurrent surgical correction of POP may be an effective strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, coating with anti-reflective materials is an attractive approach to improve the quality of screen-based displays. In this study, mesoporous silica particles were systematically synthesized as a function of surfactant (i.e., CTAC-cetyltrimethylammonium chloride) concentration to serve as main coating fillers possessing low refractive indices. Precisely changing the amount of the CTAC surfactant, silica sol with an average diameter of 50 nm exhibits distinctively different specific surface areas, pore size, and pore volume. Prior to the preparation of final coating solutions containing these silica particle fillers, the percentage of solid content was optimized on a glass slide. The use of 50 wt% solid content exhibited the highest transmittance of light. Among various content levels of silica sol, the use of 3.5 wt% of silica particles in the solid content displayed the highest transmittance (i.e., best anti-reflectiveness). Under the almost identical coating layers prepared with the fixed amount of silica particles possessing different surface areas, pore size, and pore volume, it appears that the largest pore volume played the most important role in improving the anti-reflective properties. Experimentally understanding the key feature of low-refractive filler materials under the optimized conditions could provide a clear view to develop highly effective anti-reflective materials for various display applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]