Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been widely used to acquire structural and functional information about the brain. In a group- or voxel-wise analysis, it is essential to correct the bias field ...of the radiofrequency coil and to extract the brain for accurate registration to the brain template. Although automatic methods have been developed, manual editing is still required, particularly for echo-planar imaging (EPI) due to its lower spatial resolution and larger geometric distortion. The needs of user interventions slow down data processing and lead to variable results between operators. Deep learning networks have been successfully used for automatic postprocessing. However, most networks are only designed for a specific processing and/or single image contrast (e.g., spin-echo or gradient-echo). This limitation markedly restricts the application and generalization of deep learning tools. To address these limitations, we developed a deep learning network based on the generative adversarial net (GAN) to automatically correct coil inhomogeneity and extract the brain from both spin- and gradient-echo EPI without user intervention. Using various quantitative indices, we show that this method achieved high similarity to the reference target and performed consistently across datasets acquired from rodents. These results highlight the potential of deep networks to integrate different postprocessing methods and adapt to different image contrasts. The use of the same network to process multimodality data would be a critical step toward a fully automatic postprocessing pipeline that could facilitate the analysis of large datasets with high consistency.
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) based material is probably the most promising environmentally friendly photocatalyst, with low cost, high photocatalytic activity, and excellent photostability as demonstrated ...in photocatalytic hydrogen generation and in abatement of organic pollutant. In this study, sodium hydrogen titanate nanofibers were prepared by alkaline hydrothermal synthesis at first. Then, a quick screening was carried out to find the appropriate calcination condition for preparing the high catalytically active titanium dioxide nanofibers (TiO2 NFs) with anatase-rutile mixed phase (anatase-rutile TiO2 NFs). The crystalline structure of anatase-rutile TiO2 NFs was analyzed by Raman spectrometer and X-ray diffraction meter. The anatase-rutile TiO2 NFs calcined at 800 °C for 4 h shows the highest decomposition rate of the brilliant green, higher than that of the commercial photocatalyst – Degussa P25. Furthermore, palladium based nanoparticles was decorated on the surface of anatase-rutile TiO2 NFs to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen performance. We also developed a method to make use of catalyst materials for large-area coatings and freestanding films by preparing the cellulose/catalyst composite films. The obtained catalysts in this study might be a reasonable alternative for the commercial TiO2, Degussa P25, for photocatalytic applications in the decomposition of organic dyes and photocatalytic hydrogen generation.
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•The anatase-rutile TiO2 NFs shows the high decomposition rate of brilliant green.•Pd NPs was decorated on TiO2 NFs to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen rate.•TiO2-Pd300 NFs may be a reasonable alternative of TiO2 Degussa P25.•The large-area cellulose/catalyst freestanding films were prepared in this study.
The composite electron transporting layer (ETL) of metal oxide with 6,6-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) prevents perovskite from metal electrode erosion and increases p–i–n perovskite ...solar cell (PVSC) stability. Although the oxide exhibits protective function, an additional work function modifier is still needed for good device performance. Usually, complicated multistep synthesis is employed to have a highly crystalline film that increases manufacturing cost and inhibits scalability. We report a facile synthesis of a novel organic-molecule-capped metal oxide nanoparticle film for the composite ETL. The nanoparticle film not only has a dual function of electron transport and protection but also exhibits work function tunability. Solvothermal-prepared SnO2 nanoparticles are capped with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH) through ligand exchange. The resulting TBAOH–SnO2 nanoparticles disperse well in ethanol and form a uniform film on PCBM. The power conversion efficiency of the device dramatically increases from 14.91 to 18.77% using this layer because of reduced charge accumulation and aligned band structure. The PVSC thermal stability is significantly enhanced by adopting this layer, which prevents migration of I– and Ag. The ligand exchange method extends to other metal oxides, such as TiO2, ITO, and CeO2, demonstrating its broad applicability. These results provide a cornerstone for large-scale manufacture of high-performance and stable PVSCs.
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Highly crystalline NiOX usually requires high annealing temperature (>300 °C) which is incompatible with flexible substrate and might consume high amount of energy. Herein, we ...demonstrate a facile emulsion process to synthesize highly crystalline, low temperature deposition (<150 °C) and solution processable NiOx nanoparticles (NPs) as a hole transport layer for the perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). A novel surfactant of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) was used to react with Ni(NO3)2 to form Ni(OH)2 nanoparticles (NPs). The micelles of TMAOH act as a nano-reactor containing OH− anion. The Ni+ cation enters into the nano-reactor to form Ni(OH)2 NPs inside the reactor with controlled particle size. The Ni(OH)2 NPs prepared by emulsion process are further calcined to form NiOX NPs with the particle size of 8.28 ± 2.64 nm (EP-NiOX). The smaller size of EP-NiOX NPs results in a good dispersibility and an excellent stability of NPs suspension, which can be used to fabricate uniform NiOX film without any aggregates. A power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.85% can be achieved using this EP-NiOX film, as compared with 16.68% using the NiOX NPs synthesized from the chemical precipitation method (CPM-NiOX). Moreover, a flexible PVSCs with a PCE of 14.28% can be fabricated using the EP-NiOX film. Except for the device performance, the quality of the EP-NiOX film shows a good batch-to-batch uniformity, resulting in an excellent reproducibility of PVSCs. This work has a potential for the development of a large-scale production of PVSCs with a high energy conservation.
Background This study aimed to clarify the relationship between the gut microbiota and osteoporosis combining Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with animal experiments. Methods We conducted an ...analysis on the relationship between differential bacteria and osteoporosis using open-access genome-wide association study (GWAS) data on gut microbe and osteoporosis obtained from public databases. The analysis was performed using two-sample MR analysis, and the causal relationship was examined through inverse variance weighting (IVW), MR Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode methods. Bilateral oophorectomy was employed to replicate the mouse osteoporosis model, which was assessed by micro computed tomography (CT), pathological tests, and bone transformation indexes. Additionally, 16S rDNA sequencing was conducted on fecal samples, while SIgA and indexes of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α inflammatory factors were examined in colon samples. Through immunofluorescence and histopathology, expression levels of tight junction proteins, such as claudin-1, ZO-1, and occludin, were assessed, and conduct correlation analysis on differential bacteria and related environmental factors were performed. Results A positive correlation was observed between g_Ruminococcus1 and the risk of osteoporosis, while O_Burkholderiales showed a negative correlation with the risk of osteoporosis. Furthermore, there was no evidence of heterogeneity or pleiotropy. The successful replication of the mouse osteoporosis model was assessed, and it was found that the abundance of the O_Burkholderiales was significantly reduced, while the abundance of g_Ruminococcus was significantly increased in the ovariectomized (OVX)-mice. The intestinal SIgA level of OVX mice decreased, the expression level of inflammatory factors increased, barrier damage occurred, and the content of LPS in the colon and serum significantly increased. The abundance level of O_Burkholderiales is strongly positively correlated with bone formation factors, gut barrier indicators, bone density, bone volume fraction, and trabecular bone quantity, whereas it was strongly negatively correlated with bone resorption factors and intestinal inflammatory factors, The abundance level of g_Ruminococcus shows a strong negative correlation with bone formation factors, gut barrier indicators, and bone volume fraction, and a strong positive correlation with bone resorption factors and intestinal inflammatory factors. Conclusion O_Burkholderiales and g_Ruminococcus may regulate the development of osteoporosis through the microbiota-gut-bone axis.
The plant-based refers to plant-based raw materials or products that are available as the source of protein and fat. Utilization and development of walnuts as a plant-based, resulting in a ...high-quality protein-rich walnut plant-based product: walnut protein powder and walnut peptides. Progress in research on the application of walnuts as a plant-based has been advanced, solving the problem of wasted resources and environmental pollution caused by the fact that walnut residue, a product of walnuts after oil extraction, is often thrown away as waste, or becomes animal feed or compost. This paper reviews and summarizes the research and reports on walnut plant-based at home and abroad, focusing on the application of walnut plant-based in the preparation process (enzymatic and fermentation methods) and the biological activity of the walnut protein and walnut peptide, to provide a theoretical basis for the further processing of walnuts as a walnut plant-based. It can make full use of walnut resources and play its nutritional and health care value, develop and build a series of walnut plant-based products, improve the competitiveness of walnut peptide products, turn them into treasure, and provide more powerful guidance for the development of food and medicine health industry in Yunnan.
Through lettuce potting experiments, the effects of different types of biochar (apple branch, corn straw, and modified sorghum straw biochar with phosphoric acid modification) on lettuce growth under ...tetracycline (TC) and copper (Cu) co-pollution were investigated. The results showed that compared with those under CK, the addition of biochar treatment significantly increased the plant height, root length, shoot fresh weight, and root fresh weight of lettuce (
< 0.05). The addition of different biochars significantly increased the nitrate nitrogen, chlorophyll, and soluble protein content in lettuce physiological indicators to varying degrees, while also significantly decreasing the levels of malondialdehyde, proline content, and catalase activity. The effects of biochar on lettuce physiological indicators were consistent during both the seedling and mature stages. Compared with those in CK, the addition of biochar resulted in varying degrees of reduction in the TC and Cu contents of both the aboveground and u
