This paper reports the fabrication of indium gallium tin oxide (IGTO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with ultraviolet (UV)-treated PVP-co-PMMA-based hybrid gate insulators at an extremely low temperature (≤150 °C). Synergetic hafnia loading and UV treatment were used to tailor the mechanical softness and hydroxyl fraction in the polymer dielectric film. The UV-treated hybrid dielectric film had a low hydroxyl concentration, a smoother surface, and a denser packing nature, which can be explained by the high ionicity of hafnium oxide and photon-assisted improvement in the cohesion between organic and inorganic materials. Suitability of the UV-treated hybrid dielectric film as a gate insulator was evaluated by fabricating bottom gate TFTs with sputtered IGTO films as a channel layer, which showed high carrier mobility at a low temperature. The resulting IGTO TFTs with a UV-treated hybrid gate insulator exhibited a remarkable high field-effect mobility of 25.9 cm2/(V s), a threshold voltage of −0.2 V, a subthreshold gate swing of 0.4 V/decade, and an I ON/OFF ratio of >107 even at a low annealing temperature of 150 °C. The fabricated IGTO TFTs with the UV-treated hybrid dielectric film on the plastic substrate were shown to withstand the 100 times mechanical bending stress even under an extremely small curvature radius of 1 mm due to the intrinsic stretchability of the hybrid dielectric film.

Background: Although a focus on late-life depression may help preventing suicide in older adults, many older people, especially those living in rural areas, have relatively low accessibility to treatment. This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of a village-based intervention for depression targeting older adults living in rural areas.Methods: A community-based randomised pilot trial was performed in two small rural villages in South Korea. Two villages were randomly selected and assigned to the intervention or active control group; all older adults living in the two villages (n = 451) were included in the intervention program or received standard Community Mental Health Service (CMHS) care, and the effectiveness of the program was examined using representative samples from both groups (n = 160). The 12-week intervention included case management according to individual risk level and group-based activities. Healthy residents living in the intervention village who played major roles in monitoring atrisk older individuals were supervised by CMHS staff. The score on the Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (SGDS-K) was the primary outcome, while social network, functional status, and global cognitive function were secondary outcomes. Linear mixed models including the factors of intervention group, time, and their interaction were used to examine group differences in changes in primary and secondary outcomes from baseline to follow up.Results: Overall, there was no significant group × time interaction with respect to the SGDS-K score, but older individuals with more depressive symptoms at baseline (SGDS-K ≥ 6) tended to have a lower likelihood of progressing to severe depression at post-intervention. The social network was strengthened in the intervention group, and there was a significant group × time interaction (F[df1, df2], 5.29 [1, 153], p = 0.023). Conclusion:This study examined a 12-week village-based intervention for late-life depression in which the CMHS helped village-dwellers deal with late-life depression in their communities. Although the intervention improved social interactions among older adults, it did not reduce depressive symptoms. Further studies including more rural villages and long-term follow up are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this prevention program.

Stretchable electronic devices should be enabled by the smart design of materials and architectures because their commercialization is limited by the tradeoff between stretchability and electrical performance limits. In this study, thin‐film transistors are fabricated using strategies that combine the unit process of a novel hybrid gate insulator and low‐temperature indium gallium tin oxide (IGTO) channel layer and a stress‐relief substrate structure. Novel hybrid dielectric films are synthesized and their molecular structural configurations are analyzed. These films consist of a polymer [poly(4‐vinylphenol‐co‐methylmethacrylate)], cross‐linkers having different binding structures [1,6‐bis(trimethoxysilyl)hexane (BTMSH), dodecyltrimethoxysilane, and poly(melamine‐co‐formaldehyde)], and an inorganic zirconia component (ZrOx). The hybrid film with BTMSH cross‐linker and 0.2 M ZrOx exhibits excellent insulating properties as well as mechanical stretchability. IGTO transistors fabricated on polyimide‐coated glass substrates are transferred to the rubber substrate to offer stretchability of the transistor pixelated thin‐film transistors. IGTO transistors fabricated on stretchable substrates using these strategies show promising electrical performance and mechanical durability. After 200 stretchability test cycles under uniaxial elongation of approximately 300%, the IGTO transistor still retains a high carrier mobility of 21.7 cm2 V−1 s−1, a low sub‐threshold gate swing of 0.68 V decade−1 and a high ION/OFF ratio of 2.0 × 107.

BackgroundWe conducted an experimental study to compare the effect of massage using topical agents (Kelo-cote or Contractubex) on scar formation by massaging the healed burn wound on the dorsal area of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.MethodsFour areas of second degree contact burn were made on the dorsal area of each of 15 SD rats, using a soldering iron 15 mm in diameter. After gross epithelialization in the defect, 15 SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: the Kelo-cote group, Contractubex group, Vaseline group, and control group. Rats in three of the groups (all but the Control group) were massaged twice per day for 5 minutes each day, while those in the Control group were left unattended. For histologic analysis, we performed a biopsy and evaluated the thickness of scar tissue.ResultsIn the Kelo-cote and Contractubex groups, scar tissue thicknesses showed a significant decrease, compared with the Vaseline and control groups. However, no significant differences were observed between the Kelo-cote and Contractubex groups. In the Vaseline group, scar tissue thicknesses showed a significant decrease, compared with the control groups.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that massage using a topical agent is helpful in the prevention of scar formation and that massage only with lubricant (no use of a topical agent) also has a considerable effect, although not as much as the use of a topical agent. Thus, we recommend massage with a topical agent on the post-burn scar as an effective method for decreasing the scar thickness.

BACKGROUND/OBJECFTIVESThe effect of St. John's Wort extract (SJW) on MG-63 cell proliferation and trabecular bone loss induced by ovariectomy was examined.MATERIALS/METHODSProliferation, expression of estrogen receptor (ER) α and ER β, and gene expressions of osteoprotegerin (OPG), osteocalcin (OC) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were examined in MG-63 cells treated with or without SJW. Ovariectomized rats were treated with SJW at the dose of 100 or 200 mg/kg/day, β-estradiol-3-benzoate (E2), or vehicle only (OVX-C), and sham operated rats were treated with vehicle only (Sham-C). Serum ALP and C-telopeptide (CTX), and femoral trabecular bone loss were examined.RESULTSSJW increased MG-63 cell proliferation and expression of ER α and ER β, and positive effect was shown on gene expressions of ALP, OC and OPG. SJW also showed estrogen like effect on bone associated with slowing down in trabecular bone loss. Histopathology by H&E showed rats treated with SJW displayed denser structure in metaphyseal region of distal femur compared with rats in OVX-C. SJW was shown to reduce serum CTX in OVX rats.CONCLUSIONThe present study provides new insight in preventing estrogen deficiency induced bone loss of SJW and possibility for its application in bone health supplement.