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Intercarpal ligament injuries such as scapholunate and lunotriquetral tears are common causes of wrist pain. There is no shortage of surgical techniques to address these injuries, nor is there a lack of literature exploring this topic. However, research progress has not led to a consensus regarding the optimal management of subacute and chronic injuries without articular wear. The senior author (K.C.C.) has performed the spectrum of reconstructive techniques, including dorsal and volar approaches, tendon weaves, ligament tenodesis procedures, reduction and association procedures, and bone-ligament-bone techniques. In the absence of convincing, consistent outcomes, the authors began investigating a novel all-dorsal reconstructive technique using the Arthrex InternalBrace system. The complexity and unpredictable outcomes associated with traditional ligament tenodesis procedures led them to adopt the all-dorsal InternalBrace technique as their primary reconstructive approach. The authors have performed more than 20 procedures with this technique since 2019. In an average tourniquet time of under 60 minutes, they are able to achieve predictable carpal stabilization, pain relief, and restoration of motion. This is the preferred reconstructive approach of the senior author.

Most lipomas are readily dissected and removed. However, some cases can pose surgical difficulties. This retrospective study sought to identify clinical and radiological risk factors that predict difficult lipoma resection and can be used in a clinically useful scoring system that predicts difficulty preoperatively.The study cohort consisted of all consecutive patients who underwent resection of pathology-confirmed lipoma during 2016-2018 at a tertiary care referral center in Tokyo, Japan. Surgical difficulty was defined as difficulty separating some/all of the tumor from the surrounding tissue by hand and inability to extract the tumor in one piece. Descriptive, univariate, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify predictive factors. The predictive accuracy of the scoring system that included these factors was assessed by tenfold cross-validation analysis. Receiver-operating curve (ROC) analysis was conducted to identify the optimal cutoff score for predicting surgical difficulty.Of the 86 cases, 36% involved surgical difficulty. Multivariate analysis showed that subfascial intramuscular location (odds ratio 42.7, 95% confidence interval 3.0-608.0), broad touching of underlying structures (46.5, 3.7-586.0), in-flowing blood vessels (9.3, 1.1-78.5), and unclear boundaries (109.0, 1.1-1110.0) significantly predicted surgical difficulty. These factors were used to construct a 0-4 point scoring system (with one point per variable). On cross-validation, the accuracy of the scoring system was 82.4% (Cohen's kappa of 0.57). ROC analysis showed that scores ≥ 2 predicted surgical difficulty with sensitivity and specificity of 55% and 98%, respectively.Our scoring system accurately predicted lipoma resection difficulty and may help operators prepare, thereby facilitating surgery.

International audience; We present a self-deformable flexible tweezer capable of simultaneous mechanical handling and electrical measurements. The tweezer has a soft cantilever with the dimensions 2 mm ×8 mm × 75- 100 μm , and undergoes self-deformation. The device is shown to be successfully capable of detecting electrical signals by gently touching the surface and grasping a spherical bead. The device demonstrated the lowest working voltage (1.5 VDC), force suitable for soft gripping, and curvature radius of 2 mm, that was one of the smallest values compared to that of similar state-of-the-art devices. The device was fabricated using a unique and highly reliable process that was specifically developed to produce flexible cantilevers with novel ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs). The materials used were poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) and an ionic liquid (IL). The PVDF-TrFE/IL gel was prepared using acetone as the solvent and the gel was coated with silver nanowires as the electrodes. The actuator with a length of 8 mm and containing 50 wt% IL yielded the largest bending displacement of 7 mm and minimum curvature radius of 2 mm at 1.5 VDC. [2022-0026]

Soft-tissue defects in the hand and digits can be effectively covered by using the free superficial palmar branch of the radial artery (SPBRA) flap, which is harvested from the radial volar wrist. Because previous anatomical studies on this flap are limited, multidetector-row computed tomographic angiography of the upper limbs was conducted to characterize the three-dimensional anatomical structure of the SPBRA and its perforators in living patients.This retrospective anatomical study was conducted from 2014 to 2019. All data from Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine were analyzed by using their viewer. SPBRA diameter and the location where it bifurcated from the radial artery were recorded, as were the number, location, branching patterns, and diameters of its perforators and their lengths.In total, 30 patients met all eligibility criteria. All had the SPBRA. The vessel bifurcated from the radial artery on average 13.2 mm proximally from the radial styloid process. The 30 patients had 40 SPBRA perforators in total. Their average SPBRA-to-dermis length was 6.43 mm. All patients had at least one direct cutaneous perforator. Nine and one also had one musculocutaneous perforator and another direct perforator, respectively. All direct cutaneous perforators were located inside a 16.4-mm-diameter circle with an origin on the scaphoid tubercle. The mean diameters of the SPBRA and its perforators were 1.12 and 0.62 mm, respectively.All patients had at least one reliable SPBRA perforator in the radial volar wrist. The authors' results suggest that plastic surgeons can easily and safely plan the SPBRA flap design, potentially without preoperative perforator mapping.

Surgery is a well-known trigger of keloid and hypertrophic scarring. Sternotomy scars are subject to high skin tension, which is known to promote pathologic scarring. This suggests that sternotomies in adults are associated with high pathologic scarring rates, which aligns with the authors' anecdotal experience. However, this notion has never been examined formally. Therefore, the authors conducted a survey-based cohort study of patients who had undergone a sternotomy.All consecutive Japanese adults (18 years of age or older) who underwent cardiovascular surgery with sternotomy in 2014 to 2017 were identified in 2019 by chart review and sent a questionnaire. Respondents formed the study cohort. The questionnaire presented randomly ordered photographs of representative mature, keloid, and hypertrophic scars and asked the patients to choose the image that best resembled their midline scar when it was particularly noticeable. The incidence of self-reported pathologic scarring (keloids and hypertrophic scars were grouped together) and the patient demographic (age and sex) and clinical characteristics (intima-media thickness of the left and right common and internal carotid arteries) that were associated with pathologic scarring were determined.Of the 548 patients who underwent sternotomy, 328 responded for a 60 percent response rate. The mean patient age was 67 years, and 68.0 percent were male. Of these patients, 195 (59.5 percent) reported they had a pathologic scar. Compared with patients who had a mature scar, patients who had a pathologic scar had younger mean age (65 versus 69 years; p = 0.0002) and lower intima-media thickness (0.92 versus 1.05 mm; p = 0.028).Sternotomy was associated with a high rate of pathologic scarring. Older age and arteriosclerosis were associated with less pathologic scarring.Risk, III.

There are two types of pressure injuries: self-load-related pressure injuries (PIs) and medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs), but the differences in risk factors between PIs and MDRPIs have not yet been clarified. If risk factors for PIs and MDRPIs differ, preventive interventions should take this into account. This is a prospective cohort study aimed to determine the cumulative incidence of PIs and MDRPIs in critically ill patients and to identify corresponding risk factors. The study included 1418 patients who were admitted to the critical care medical center of a single university hospital in Tokyo, Japan, between 1 December 2019 and 31 August 2020. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative incidence of PIs and MDRPIs. Furthermore, the Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyse the predictors in both the PI and MDRPI incidence and non-incidence groups. Predictors were based on data from the 0th disease day. The cumulative incidence of PIs and MDRPIs was 4.6/1000 person-days and 3.6/1000 person-days, respectively. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model showed that common risk factors for the occurrence of PIs and MDRPIs were possession of PI on admission, higher blood lactate, blood purification therapy, and positional restriction. The risk factors for PIs only were diabetes mellitus, septic shock, and a lower serum albumin level, while the risk factors for MDRPIs only were the D-dimer level and extracorporeal membranous oxygenation treatment. Therefore, prophylactic interventions need to consider these different risk factors.

Since propeller flaps are elevated as island flaps and most often nourished by a single perforator nearby the defect, it is challenging to change the flap design intraoperatively when a reliable perforator cannot be found where expected to exist. Thus, accurate preoperative mapping of perforators is essential in the safe planning of propeller flaps. Various methods have been reported so far: (1) handheld acoustic Doppler sonography (ADS), (2) color duplex sonography (CDS), (3) perforator computed tomographic angiography (P-CTA), and (4) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). To facilitate the preoperative perforator assessment, P-CTA is currently considered as the gold standard imaging tool in revealing the three-dimensional anatomical details of perforators precisely. Nevertheless, ADS remains the most widely used tool due to its low cost, faster learning, and ease of use despite an undesirable number of false-positive results. CDS can provide hemodynamic characteristics of the perforator and is a valid and safer alternative particularly in patients in whom ionizing radiation and/or contrast exposure should be limited. Although MRA is less accurate in detecting smaller perforators of caliber less than 1.0 mm and the intramuscular course of perforators at the present time, MRA is expected to improve in the future due to the recent developments in technology, making it as accurate as P-CTA. Moreover, it provides the advantage of being radiation-free with fewer contrast reactions.

The term propeller flap was introduced for the first time by Hyakusoku to define an island flap, based on a subcutaneous pedicle hub, that was rotated 90 degrees to correct scar contractures due to burns. With the popularization of perforator flaps, the propeller movement was applied for the first time to a skin island vascularized only by an isolated perforator, and the terms propeller and perforator flap were used together. Thereafter, the surgical technique of propeller flaps evolved and new applications developed. With the “Tokyo consensus,” we proposed a definition and a classification schema for propeller flaps. A propeller flap was defined as an “island flap that reaches the recipient site through an axial rotation.” The classification included the SPP (SPP) flap, the perforator pedicled propeller (PPP) flap, and the supercharged PPP (SCP) flap. A recent update added a new category, the axial pedicled propeller (APP) flap. Here we propose our updated and comprehensive classification of propeller flaps, taking into account the previous classification and subsequent publications. Based on their vascular pedicle, we consider the following five types of propellers: (1) SPP flap, 2.PPP flap, its subtype (2a) SCP flap, (3) APP flap, (4) muscle propeller flap, and (5) chimeric propeller flap. The variables that can be taken into account in the classification are as follows: type of nourishing pedicle, degrees of skin island rotation, position of the nourishing pedicle, artery of origin of the pedicle, and flap shape.

Metal-free N- and O-arylation reactions of pyridin-2-ones as ambident nucleophiles have been achieved with diaryliodonium salts on the basis of base-dependent chemoselectivity. In the presence of N,N-diethylaniline in fluorobenzene, pyridin-2-ones were very selectively converted to N-arylated products in high yields. On the other hand, the O-arylation reactions smoothly proceeded with the use of quinoline in chlorobenzene, leading to high yields and selectivities. In these methods, a variety of pyridin-2-ones in addition to pyridin-4-one and a set of diaryliodonium salts were accepted as suitable reaction partners., Chemical Science, 11(31), pp.8295-8300; 2020

In superconductors the Anderson-Higgs mechanism allows for the existence of a collective amplitude (Higgs) mode which can couple to eV light mainly in a nonlinear Raman-like process. The experimental nonequilibrium results on isotropic superconductors have been explained going beyond the BCS theory including the Higgs mode. Furthermore, in anisotropic $d$-wave superconductors strong interaction effects with other modes are expected. Here we calculate the Raman contribution of the Higgs mode from a new perspective, including many-body Higgs oscillations effects and their consequences in conventional, spontaneous Raman spectroscopy. Our results suggest a significant contribution to the intensity of the ${A}_{1g}$ symmetry Raman spectrum in $d$-wave superconductors. In order to test our theory, we predict the presence of measurable characteristic oscillations in THz quench-optical probe time-dependent reflectivity experiments.

Five transport coefficients of the cuprate superconductor ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ were measured in the normal state down to low temperature, reached by applying a magnetic field (up to 66 T) large enough to suppress superconductivity. The electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and thermal Hall conductivity were measured in two overdoped single crystals, with La concentration $x=0.2$ (${T}_{\mathrm{c}} =18$ K) and $x=0.0$ (${T}_{\mathrm{c}} =10$ K). The samples have dopings $p$ very close to the critical doping ${p}^{★}$ where the pseudogap phase ends. The resistivity displays a linear dependence on temperature whose slope is consistent with Planckian dissipation. The Hall number ${n}_{\mathrm{H}}$ decreases with reduced $p$, consistent with a drop in carrier density from $n=1+p$ above ${p}^{★}$ to $n=p$ below ${p}^{★}$. This drop in ${n}_{\mathrm{H}}$ is concomitant with a sharp drop in the density of states inferred from prior NMR Knight shift measurements. The thermal conductivity satisfies the Wiedemann-Franz law, showing that the pseudogap phase at $T=0$ is a metal whose fermionic excitations carry heat and charge as do conventional electrons. The Seebeck coefficient diverges logarithmically at low temperature, a signature of quantum criticality. The thermal Hall conductivity becomes negative at low temperature, showing that phonons are chiral in the pseudogap phase. Given the observation of these same properties in other, very different cuprates, our study provides strong evidence for the universality of these five signatures of the pseudogap phase and its critical point.

In ${\mathrm{Ta/(Co,Fe)B/HfO}}_{2}$ stacks, a gate voltage drives, in a nonvolatile way, the system from an underoxidized state exhibiting in-plane anisotropy (IPA) to an optimum oxidation level resulting in perpendicular anisotropy (PMA) and further into an overoxidized state with IPA. The $\mathrm{IPA}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\mathrm{PMA}$ regime is found to be significantly faster than the $\mathrm{PMA}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\mathrm{IPA}$ regime, whereas only the latter shows full reversibility under the same gate voltages. The effective damping parameter also shows a marked dependence with gate voltage in the $\mathrm{IPA}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\mathrm{PMA}$ regime, going from 0.029 to 0.012, and only a modest increase to 0.014 in the $\mathrm{PMA}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{0.1em}{0ex}}\mathrm{IPA}$ regime. The existence of two magnetoionic regimes has been linked to a difference in the chemical environment of the anchoring points of oxygen species added to underoxidized or overoxidized layers. Our results show that multiple magnetoionic regimes can exist in a single device and that their characterization is of great importance for the design of high-performance spintronics devices.

We demonstrated a self-bending flexible tweezer capable of simultaneous mechanical handling and electrical measurement. A soft cantilever of $2\ \text{mm} \times 8\ \text{mm} \times 75\ \mu \mathrm{m}$ bent by itself, and electrical signal observation through touched surface was successful. The working voltage (1.5 V) was the lowest, and normalized strain was one of the highest values as compared to world's similar devices, to our best knowledge. Unique fabrication process of flexible cantilever with novel ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) was developed. The material was poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) and ionic liquid (IL) by use of acetone solvent, and silver nanowire for electrodes. The IL of 50 wt% gave the largest 7 mm bending displacement at + 1.5 V DC . The cantilever with the above actuator touched on a gold test surface, then electrical observation of alternating voltage of 700 mV (1 kHz and 4 kHz) was confirmed.

The specific heat $C$ of the cuprate superconductors ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2+y}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ was measured at low temperatures (down to 0.5 K) for dopings $p$ close to ${p}^{★}$, the critical doping for the onset of the pseudogap phase. A magnetic field up to 35 T was applied to suppress superconductivity, giving direct access to the normal state at low temperatures, and enabling a determination of ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}$, the electronic contribution to the normal-state specific heat at $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$. In ${\mathrm{La}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ at $x=p=0.22$, 0.24 and 0.25, ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}/T=15\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{to}\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}16\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mJ}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{mol}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ at $T=2\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$, values that are twice as large as those measured at higher doping ($pg0.3$) and lower doping ($pl0.15$). This confirms the presence of a broad peak in the doping dependence of ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}$ at ${p}^{★}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.19$ as previously reported for samples in which superconductivity was destroyed by Zn impurities. Moreover, at those three dopings, we find a logarithmic growth as $T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$ such that ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}/T\ensuremath{\sim}B\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}ln({T}_{0}/T)$. The peak versus $p$ and the logarithmic dependence versus $T$ are the two typical thermodynamic signatures of quantum criticality. In the very different cuprate ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2+y}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x\ensuremath{-}y}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{6+\ensuremath{\delta}}$, we again find that ${C}_{\mathrm{e}}/T\ensuremath{\sim}B\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}ln({T}_{0}/T)$ at $p\ensuremath{\simeq}{p}^{★}$, strong evidence that this $ln(1/T)$ dependence of the electronic specific heat---first discovered in the cuprates ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.8\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Eu}}_{0.2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.6\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Nd}}_{0.4}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{x}{\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$---is a universal property of the pseudogap critical point.

The nature of the pseudogap phase of cuprates remains a major puzzle. Although there are indications that this phase breaks various symmetries, there is no consensus on its fundamental nature. Although Fermi-surface, transport and thermodynamic signatures of the pseudogap phase are reminiscent of a transition into a phase with antiferromagnetic order, there is no evidence for an associated long-range magnetic order. Here we report measurements of the thermal Hall conductivity $\kappa_{\rm xy}$ in the normal state of four different cuprates (Nd-LSCO, Eu-LSCO, LSCO, and Bi2201) and show that a large negative $\kappa_{\rm xy}$ signal is a property of the pseudogap phase, appearing with the onset of that phase at the critical doping $p^*$. Since it is not due to charge carriers -- as it persists when the material becomes an insulator, at low doping -- or magnons -- as it exists in the absence of magnetic order -- or phonons -- since skew scattering is very weak, we attribute this $\kappa_{\rm xy}$ signal to exotic neutral excitations, presumably with spin chirality. The thermal Hall conductivity in the pseudogap phase of cuprates is reminiscent of that found in insulators with spin-liquid states. In the Mott insulator LCO, it attains the highest known magnitude of any insulator.

The literature on surgical techniques and recent evidence in microsurgical digital and hand replantation is reviewed. Replantation should not be done routinely without considering postoperative functional outcomes. Achieving best outcomes is related to the success of microvascular anastomosis and to adequacy of bone fixation, tendon and nerve repair, and soft-tissue coverage. Replantation surgery has become a routine procedure. However, little is known about the decision-making process for digital and hand amputation. A study comparing the outcomes of digital and hand amputations treated with replantation or revision amputation is needed. Outcome assessment includes not only function but also patient-reported outcomes.

To elucidate the properties of binary system of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), we measured and compared the temperature dependence of densities, viscosities, and refractive indices of seve...

International audience; The magneto-ionic modulation of the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction (DMI) and the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), in W/CoFeB/HfO$_2$ stacks annealed at different temperatures and for varying annealing times, are presented in this work. A large modulation of PMA and DMI is observed in the systems annealed at 390 and 350 °C, whereas no response to voltage is observed in the as-grown samples. A strong DMI is only observed in the samples annealed at 390 °C for 1 h, while PMA is present for all annealing times at temperatures of 390 and 350 °C. Magnetic properties including domain wall velocity improve drastically with increasing the annealing temperature and time, while the magneto-ionic reversibility is increasingly compromised. The changes in PMA and DMI induced by the gate voltages in the samples annealed at 390 °C are permanent, while partial reversibility is only observed for the samples annealed at 350 °C for short times. This dependence of reversibility on post-grown annealing has been associated to the influence of crystallization on ion mobility. These results show that a compromise between the enhancement of the magnetic properties and the magneto-ionic performance could be needed in systems requiring annealing to develop PMA and DMI.

In strongly correlated systems the strength of Coulomb interactions between electrons, relative to their kinetic energy, plays a central role in determining their emergent quantum mechanical phases. We perform resonant x-ray scattering on Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$, a prototypical cuprate superconductor, to probe electronic correlations within the CuO$_2$ plane. We discover a dynamic quasi-circular pattern in the $x$-$y$ scattering plane with a radius that matches the wave vector magnitude of the well-known static charge order. Along with doping- and temperature-dependent measurements, our experiments reveal a picture of charge order competing with superconductivity where short-range domains along $x$ and $y$ can dynamically rotate into any other in-plane direction. This quasi-circular spectrum, a hallmark of Brazovskii-type fluctuations, has immediate consequences to our understanding of rotational and translational symmetry breaking in the cuprates. We discuss how the combination of short- and long-range Coulomb interactions results in an effective non-monotonic potential that may determine the quasi-circular pattern., Comment: This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nature Communications. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20824-7. Supplementary materials are available through the published version in Nature Communications

Given the growing demand for environmentally friendly energy sources, thermoelectric energy conversion has attracted increased interest as a promising CO2-free technology. SnSe single crystals have attracted attention as a next generation thermoelectric material due to outstanding thermoelectric properties arising from ultralow thermal conductivity. For practical applications, on the other hand, polycrystalline SnSe should be also focused because the production cost and the flexibility for applications are important factors, which requires the systematic investigation of the stability of thermoelectric performance under a pseudo operating environment. Here, we report that the physical properties of SnSe crystals with nano to submicron scale are drastically modified by atmospheric annealing. We measured the Seebeck effect while changing the annealing time and found that the large positive thermopower, + 757 μV K−1, was completely suppressed by annealing for only a few minutes and was eventually inverted to be the large negative value, − 427 μV K−1. This result would further accelerate intensive studies on SnSe nanostructures, especially focusing on the realistic device structures and sealing technologies for energy harvesting applications.

The nature of the pseudogap phase of hole-doped cuprate superconductors is still not understood fully. Several experiments have suggested that this phase ends at a critical hole doping level p*, but the nature of the ground state for lower doping is still debated. Here, we use local nuclear magnetic resonance and bulk ultrasound measurements to show that, once competing effects from superconductivity are removed by high magnetic fields, the spin-glass phase of La2−xSrxCuO4 survives up to a doping level consistent with p*. In this material, the antiferromagnetic-glass phase extends from the doped Mott insulator at p = 0.02 up to p* ≈ 0.19, which provides a connection between the pseudogap and the physics of the Mott insulator. Furthermore, the coincidence of the pseudogap boundary with a magnetic quantum phase transition in the non-superconducting ground state has implications for the interpretation of other experiments, particularly for transport and specific-heat measurements in high magnetic fields. NMR and ultrasound measurements show that the spin-glass phase exists in a cuprate all the way up to the doping that marks the end of the pseudogap phase. This highlights the possible connection between the pseudogap and Mott physics.

Tuning the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) using electric (E)-fields in magnetic devices has opened up new perspectives for controlling the stabilization of chiral spin structures. Recent efforts have used voltage-induced charge redistribution at magnetic/oxides interfaces to modulate the DMI. This approach is attractive for active devices but tends to be volatile, making it energy-demanding. Here we demonstrate nonvolatile E-field manipulation of the DMI by ionic-liquid gating of Pt/Co/HfO2 ultra thin films. The E-field effect on the DMI is linked to the migration of oxygen species from the HfO2 layer into the Co and Pt layers and subsequent anchoring. This effect permanently changes the properties of the material, showing that E-fields can be used not only for local gating in devices but also as a material design tool for post growth tuning of the DMI.

We have demonstrated We have demonstrated a new type of vibrational energy harvester based on an electric double layer (EDL) electret which relies on an electrochemical concept. It is well known that when a voltage is applied on an electrolyte, EDL are formed after the ionic redistribution at the electrode/liquid interface. Owing to the extremely high capacitance of EDL, EDL electret has the capability to push the charge accumulation that is well beyond the limit of any electret. We applied this concept for a vibrational energy harvester. By mechanically modulating interfacial area between vibrating electrode and the EDL electret, the electrode is electrostatically charged and discharged at different phases and electric current is generated. Thanks to large capacitance of the EDL electrets the obtained power density becomes as high as $200 \mu \mathrm{W} / \mathrm{cm}^{2}$ with output voltage 3V even with low frequency vibration as low as 1 Hz. Therefore, it would be possible to apply vibrational energy harvester with the EDL electrets as an ecofriendly replacement for a battery or auxiliary power source.

A novel triboelectric energy harvester has been developed using an ionic liquid polymer with cations fixed at the surface. In this report, the fabrication of the device and the characterization of its energy harvesting performance are detailed. An electrical double layer was induced in the ionic liquid polymer precursor to attract the cations to the surface where they are immobilized using a UV-based crosslinking reaction. The finalized polymer is capable of generating an electrical current when contacted by a metal electrode. Using this property, energy harvesting experiments were conducted by cyclically contacting a gold-surface electrode with the charge fixed surface of the polymer. Control experiments verified the effect of immobilizing the cations at the surface. By synthesizing a polymer with the optimal composition ratio of ionic liquid to macromonomer, an output of 77 nW/cm2 was obtained with a load resistance of 1 MΩ at 1 Hz. This tuneable power supply with a μA level current output may contribute to Internet of Things networks requiring numerous sensor nodes at remote places in the environment.

Japan’s declining population has caused changes in the amount and characteristics of municipal waste. In order to optimize waste incineration plants as a countermeasure to this problem, we analyzed the performance of the integration of the plants with the Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) system. In the integrated system, food waste and sewage sludge from waste incineration plants, sewage treatment plants, and industrial facilities were mixed and fermented to produce methane gas. In this study, we evaluated the environmental and economic performance of the integrated system in four case scenarios. The integrated system is located in Ichihara City in Chiba Prefecture, where the Keiyo Coastal Industrial Zone is located and where petroleum and chemical industries are concentrated. The MBT system in which the heat generated from the incineration of waste was transferred to the Keiyo Coastal Industrial Zone was found to be the best. This method could reduce CO2 emissions by 1341 t-CO2/Y, and the annual cost was the lowest at 1.60 billion yen/Y. However, the results of the sensitivity analysis of the food waste ratio and the piping distance suggested that it may be impossible to obtain appropriate evaluation results without considering the regional characteristics.

The vascular anatomy of perforators varies between individuals; thus, accurate preoperative assessment of perforators is essential for safely planning perforator flaps. Perforator computed tomographic angiography (P-CTA) with multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is one of the best available methods to precisely reveal the 3-dimensional anatomic details of perforators. The aim of this report is to describe the authors' experience using P-CTA with MDCT for detecting the perforating vessel preoperatively and a step-by-step approach to harvest perforator flaps based on this technique. This report also provides a comprehensive review of literature on other preoperative assessment tools of perforators.

Background Because the course and territory of perforators are different in each region, careful preoperative planning to identify the proper perforators can be critical to ensure a successful dissection of a freestyle pedicled perforator flap. In this study, our first experience for preoperative perforator mapping of a freestyle pedicled perforator flap using multidetector row computed tomography (MD-CT) angiography is presented. Methods Twelve patients were planned to undergo various soft-tissue reconstructions with freestyle pedicled perforator flaps. They were evaluated with preoperative MD-CT angiography. The OsiriX for mac software was used to process the data obtained from MD-CT angiography. The available images from MD-CT angiography were analyzed to determine where the proper perforators were located for preoperative planning of a freestyle pedicled perforator flap. Through the MD-CT angiography, the optimal perforators were mapped and a reliable flap design could be made so that the flap was elevated more safely and perfectly to cover an adjacent soft-tissue defect. Results In all 12 patients, each flap was elevated successfully based on the perforators mapped preoperatively with MD-CT angiography. A total of 27 perforators (1–3 perforators per flap) were identified by MD-CT angiography in 12 patients and later confirmed during the flap dissection (sensitivity, 100%). Conclusions The MD-CT angiography can be a new but very effective imaging modality for preoperative planning of a freestyle pedicled perforator flap surgery. It allows surgeons to accurately select the most appropriate perforators with the shortest intramuscular or suprafascial course preoperatively leading to safer and easier flap dissection.

International audience; The possibility to tune the Dzyaloshinskii Moriya interaction (DMI) by electric (E) field gating in ultra-thin magnetic materials has opened new perspectives in terms of controlling the stabilization of chiral spin structures. Most recent efforts have used voltage-induced charge redistribution at the interface between a metal and an oxide to modulate DMI. This approach is attractive for active devices but it tends to be volatile, making it energy demanding, and it is limited by Coulomb screening in the metal. Here we have demonstrated the non-volatile E-field manipulation of DMI by ionic liquid gating of Pt/Co/HfO2 ultra-thin films. The E-field effect on DMI scales with the E-field exposure time and is proposed to be linked to the migration and subsequent anchoring of oxygen species from the HfO2 layer into the Co and Pt layers. This effect permanently changes the properties of the material showing that E-fields can not only be used for local gating in devices but also as a highly scalable materials design tool for post-growth tuning of DMI.

A proper understanding on the charge mobility in organic materials is one of the key factors to realize highly functionalized organic semiconductor devices. So far, however, although a number of studies have proposed the carrier transport mechanism of rubrene single crystal to be band-like, there are disagreements between the results reported in these papers. Here, we show that the actual dispersion widths of the electronic bands formed by the highest occupied molecular orbital are much smaller than those reported in the literature, and that the disagreements originate from the diffraction effect of photoelectron and the vibrations of molecules. The present result indicates that the electronic bands would not be the main channel for hole mobility in case of rubrene single crystal and the necessity to consider a more complex picture like molecular vibrations mediated carrier transport. These findings open an avenue for a thorough insight on how to realize organic semiconductor devices with high carrier mobility.

In the emerging interdisciplinary field of iontronics, ionic motion and arrangement in electrolyte media are exploited to control the properties and functionalities of electronic devices. This approach encompasses a wide range of applications across engineering and physical sciences including solid-state physics, electronics and energy storage. We briefly discuss the use of approaches and techniques characteristic of iontronics in nanoscale devices based on III-V semiconductor nanostructures, a versatile and promising platform for nanoscience and nanotechnology applications. Then, we report and discuss the operation of InAs nanowire-based electrolyte-gated transistors implemented using ionic liquids. We show that the ionic liquid gating outperforms the conventional solid-state back gate, and we compare the current modulation achieved in the same InAs NW using the ionic liquid gate or the back-gate. Finally, we highlight the capability of the liquid electrolyte to drastically change the resistance dependence on temperature in the nanowire. Our results suggest promising strategies toward the advanced field effect control of innovative III-V semiconductor nanowire-based devices for information and communication technologies at large.In the emerging interdisciplinary field of iontronics, ionic motion and arrangement in electrolyte media are exploited to control the properties and functionalities of electronic devices. This approach encompasses a wide range of applications across engineering and physical sciences including solid-state physics, electronics and energy storage. We briefly discuss the use of approaches and techniques characteristic of iontronics in nanoscale devices based on III-V semiconductor nanostructures, a versatile and promising platform for nanoscience and nanotechnology applications. Then, we report and discuss the operation of InAs nanowire-based electrolyte-gated transistors implemented using ionic liquids. We show that the ionic liquid gating outperforms the conventional solid-state back gate, and we compare the current modulation achieved in the same InAs NW using the ionic liquid gate or the back-gate. Finally, we highlight the capability of the liquid electrolyte to drastically change the resistance dependen...

Control of dimensionality has proven to be an effective way to manipulate the electronic properties of materials, thereby enabling exotic quantum phenomena, such as superconductivity, quantum Hall effects, and valleytronic effects. Another example is thermoelectricity, which has been theoretically proposed to be favorably controllable by reducing the dimensionality. Here, we verify this proposal by performing a systematic study on a gate-tuned 2D electron gas (2DEG) system formed at the surface of ZnO. Combining state-of-the-art electric-double-layer transistor experiments and realistic tight-binding calculations, we show that, for a wide range of carrier densities, the 2DEG channel comprises a single subband, and its effective thickness can be reduced to [Formula: see text] 1 nm at sufficiently high gate biases. We also demonstrate that the thermoelectric performance of the 2DEG region is significantly higher than that of bulk ZnO. Our approach opens up a route to exploit the peculiar behavior of 2DEG electronic states and realize thermoelectric devices with advanced functionalities.