High-quality, c-oriented ZnO epitaxial films have been grown on the a surface using molecular-beam epitaxy. The use of a-oriented sapphire eliminates rotational domains and related structural defects which have limited the use of ZnO in electronic applications. The ZnO epitaxial layers are uniquely oriented with the ZnO/sapphire orientational relationship [0001]‖[112̄0] and 〈112̄0〉‖[0001]. This unique orientation is a consequence of the anisotropy of the a-sapphire surface in conjunction with a strong correlation along a single direction leading to the term uniaxial locked epitaxy. High-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements show an increase in x-ray lateral coherence length from several tens of nanometers to >0.7 μm for growth of c-oriented ZnO on the a surface as opposed to the c surface of sapphire.

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Aims To describe the prevalence, overlap, and prognostic implications of physical and social frailties and cognitive dysfunction in hospitalized elderly patients with heart failure. Methods and results The FRAGILE‐HF study was a prospective multicentre cohort study enrolling consecutive hospitalized patients with heart failure aged ≥65 years. The study objectives were to examine the prevalence, overlap, and prognostic implications of the coexistence of multiple frailty domains. Physical frailty, social frailty, and cognitive dysfunction were evaluated by the Fried phenotype model, Makizako's 5 items, and Mini‐Cog, respectively. The primary study outcome was the combined endpoint of heart failure rehospitalization and all‐cause death within 1 year. Among 1180 enrolled hospitalized patients (median age, 81 years; 57.4% male), physical frailty, social frailty, and cognitive dysfunction were identified in 56.1%, 66.4%, and 37.1% of the patients, respectively. The number of identified frailty domains was 0, 1, 2, and 3 in 13.5%, 31.4%, 36.9%, and 18.2% of the patients, respectively. During follow‐up, the combined endpoint occurred in 383 patients. Adjusted hazard ratios for 1, 2, and 3 domains, with 0 domains as the reference, were 1.38 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89–2.13; P = 0.15], 1.60 (95% CI 1.04–2.46; P = 0.034), and 2.04 (95% CI 1.28–3.24; P = 0.003), respectively. Incorporating the number of frailty domains into the pre‐existing risk model yielded a 22.0% (95% CI 0.087–0.352; P = 0.001) net reclassification improvement for the primary outcome. Conclusions The coexistence of multiple frailty domains is prevalent in hospitalized elderly patients with heart failure. Holistic assessment of multi‐domain frailty provides additive value to known prognostic factors.

Al-doped Zn1−xMgxO films have been deposited on glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 200°C by a pulsed laser deposition system. A resistivity of 3×10−4Ωcm was obtained at x=0.06. Film resistivity was found to increase with further increases in Mg composition. The maximum band gap of films with a resistivity ρ⩽1×10−3Ωcm was found to be 3.97eV, demonstrating band-gap engineering possibilities in the range of Eg=3.5–3.97eV with a resistivity ρ⩽1×10−3Ωcm. The average transmittance of the films was higher than 90% in the wavelength region λ=400–800nm, a range suitable for transparent conducting film applications.

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Aims Sarcopenia, one of the extracardiac factors for reduced functional capacity and poor outcome in heart failure (HF), may act differently between HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). We sought to investigate the impact of sarcopenia on mortality in HFpEF and HFrEF. Methods and results We performed a post hoc analysis of a multicentre prospective cohort study, including 942 consecutive older (age ≥65 years) hospitalized patients: 475 with HFpEF (ejection fraction ≥45%, age 81 ± 7 years, 48.8% men) and 467 with HFrEF (ejection fraction <45%, age 78 ± 8 years, 68.1% men). Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the international criteria incorporating muscle strength (handgrip strength), physical performance (gait speed), and skeletal muscle mass (appendicular skeletal mass). The HFpEF group consisted of fewer patients with low appendicular skeletal muscle mass index measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis [<7.0 kg/m2 (men) and <5.7 (women); 22.1% vs. 31.0%, P = 0.003], and more patients with low handgrip strength [<26 kg (men) and <18 (women); 67.8% vs. 55.5%, P < 0.001], and slow gait speed [<0.8 m/s (both sexes); 54.5% vs. 41.1%, P < 0.001] than the HFrEF group, resulting in a similar sarcopenia prevalence in the two groups (18.1% vs. 21.6%, P = 0.191). Sarcopenia was an independent predictor of 1-year mortality in both HFpEF and HFrEF [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 2.42 (1.36–4.32), P = 0.003 in HFpEF and 2.02 (1.08–3.75), P = 0.027 in HFrEF; P for interaction = 0.666] after adjustment for other predictors. Conclusions In older patients with HF, sarcopenia contributes to mortality similarly in HFpEF and HFrEF.

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