Materials with strong spin-orbit interaction and superconductivity are candidates for topological superconductors that may host Majorana fermions (MFs) at the edges/surfaces/vortex cores. Bulk-superconducting carrier-doped topological crystalline insulator, indium-doped tin telluride (In-SnTe) is one of the promising materials. Robust superconductivity of In-SnTe nanostructures has been demonstrated recently. Intriguingly, not only 3-dimensional (3D) nanostructures but also ultra-thin quasi-2D and quasi-1D systems can be grown by the vapor transport method. In particular, nanostructures with a controlled dimension will give us a chance to understand the dimensionality and the quantum confinement effects on the superconductivity of the In-SnTe and may help us work on braiding MFs in various dimensional systems for future topological quantum computation technology. With this in mind, we employed gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with well-identified sizes to tailor In-SnTe nanostructures grown by vapor transport. However, we could not see clear evidence that the presence of the GNPs is necessary or sufficient to control the size of the nanostructures. Nevertheless, it should be noted that a weak correlation between the diameter of GNPs and the dimensions of the smallest nanostructures has been found so far. To our surprise, the ones grown under the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism, with the use of the GNPs, contained gold that is widely and inhomogeneously distributed over the whole body.

Prominent ears (PE) are the most frequent congenital external ear deformity, occurring in approximately 5% of the population. Although the deformity does not usually cause functional difficulties, it can significantly affect the patient's psychological and social health. The authors aim to present the Welsh experience of pinnaplasty, reviewing our outcomes and complications. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed of all patients undergoing pinnaplasty in Morriston hospital, Swansea, Wales. We represent the tertiary plastic surgery referral unit across Wales. We included all patients undergoing pinnaplasty between 2015 and 2022 inclusive. We excluded patients undergoing revision procedures or those who had no follow-up. Over the seven-year period, 236 pinnaplasties were performed and 203 were included in the analysis. 96% of cases were performed using a cartilage-sparring approach, which represents the mainstay in our unit. The mean follow-up length for our cases was 12 months. Revision procedures were required in 4% of cases. 3 hematomas (1.5%) and 1 (0.5%) wound dehiscence due to infection were recorded and required a return to theatre. Suture extrusion was noted in 5% of cases (10 patients). 4.5% (9) cases were affected by either hypertrophic or keloid scarring. Across the United Kingdom, cosmetic procedures have come under scrutiny, namely because of a difficult economic climate. In the era of tight fiscal control in healthcare, it is pertinent to analyse the outcomes and performance metrics of our operations regularly, thus aiding in the development of an established evidence base to advocate for our respective patients.