Disorder-tuned conductivity in amorphous monolayer carbon.

Correlating atomic configurations-specifically, degree of disorder (DOD)-of an amorphous solid with properties is a long-standing riddle in materials science and condensed matter physics, owing to difficulties in determining precise atomic positions in 3D structures1-5. To this end, 2D systems provide insight to the puzzle by allowing straightforward imaging of all atoms6,7. Direct imaging of amorphous monolayer carbon (AMC) grown by laser-assisted depositions has resolved atomic configurations, supporting the modern crystallite view of vitreous solids over random network theory8. Nevertheless, a causal link between atomic-scale structures and macroscopic properties remains elusive. Here we report facile tuning of DOD and electrical conductivity in AMC films by varying growth temperatures. Specifically, the pyrolysis threshold temperature is the key to growing variable-range-hopping conductive AMC with medium-range order (MRO), whereas increasing the temperature by 25 °C results in AMC losing MRO and becoming electrically insulating, with an increase in sheet resistance of 109 times. Beyond visualizing highly distorted nanocrystallites embedded in a continuous random network, atomic-resolution electron microscopy shows the absence/presence of MRO and temperature-dependent densities of nanocrystallites, two order parameters proposed to fully describe DOD. Numerical calculations establish the conductivity diagram as a function of these two parameters, directly linking microstructures to electrical properties. Our work represents an important step towards understanding the structure-property relationship of amorphous materials at the fundamental level and paves the way to electronic devices using 2D amorphous materials.

Enhanced Spin-Polarized Electric Field Modulating p-Band Center on Ni-Doped CdS for Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

It is a challenge to regulate charge separation dynamics and redox reaction kinetics at the atomic level to synergistically boost photocatalytic hydrogen (H2) evolution. Herein, a robust Ni-doped CdS (Ni-CdS) photocatalyst is synthesized by incorporating highly dispersed Ni atoms into the CdS lattice in substitution for Cd atoms. Combined characterizations with theoretical analysis indicate that local lattice distortion and S-vacancy of Ni-CdS induced by Ni incorporation lead to an increased dipole moment and enhanced spin-polarized electric field, which promotes the separation and transfer of photoinduced carriers. In this contribution, charge redistribution caused by enhanced internal electric field results in the downshift of the S p-band center, which is conducive to the desorption of intermediate H* for boosting the H2 evolution reaction. Accordingly, the Ni-CdS photocatalyst shows a remarkably improved photocatalytic performance with an H2 evolution rate of 20.28 mmol g-1 h-1 under visible-light irradiation, which is 5.58 times higher than that of pristine CdS. This work supplied an insightful understanding that the enhanced polarization electric field governs the p-band center for efficient photocatalytic H2 evolution activity.

Fabrication of large-area photonic crystal-modified X-ray scintillator imager for optical coding imaging.

The limited pattern area of periodic nanostructures limits the development of practical devices. This study introduces an X-ray interference lithography (XIL) stitching technique to fabricate a large-area (1.5 cm × 1.5 cm) two-dimensional photonic crystal (PhC) on the YAG: Ce scintillator, which functions as an encoder in a high numerical aperture optical encoding imaging system to effectively capture high-frequency information. An X-ray imaging experiment revealed a substantial 7.64 dB improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) across a large field of view (2.6 mm × 2.6 mm) and achieved comparable or superior image quality with half the exposure dose. These findings have significant implications for advancing practical applications of X-ray imaging.

Association of effective dose to immune cells and vertebral marrow dose with hematologic toxicity during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: To explore the correlation between effective dose to immune cells (EDIC) and vertebral bone marrow dose and hematologic toxicity (HT) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) during neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). METHODS: The study included 106 ESCC patients treated with nCRT. We collected dosimetric parameters, including vertebral body volumes receiving 10-40 Gy (V10, V20, V30, V40) and EDIC and complete blood counts. Associations of the cell nadir and dosimetric parameters were examined by linear and logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the cutoff values for the dosimetric parameters. RESULTS: During nCRT, the incidence of grade 3-4 lymphopenia, leukopenia, and neutropenia was 76.4%, 37.3%, and 37.3%, respectively. Patients with EDIC ≤ 4.63 Gy plus V10 ≤ 140.3 ml were strongly associated with lower risk of grade 3-4 lymphopenia (OR, 0.050; P < 0.001), and patients with EDIC ≤ 4.53 Gy plus V10 ≤ 100.9 ml were strongly associated with lower risk of grade 3-4 leukopenia (OR, 0.177; P = 0.011), and patients with EDIC ≤ 5.79 Gy were strongly associated with lower risk of grade 3-4 neutropenia (OR, 0.401; P = 0.031). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that there was a significant difference among all groups for grade 3-4 lymphopenia, leukopenia, and neutropenia (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The dose of vertebral bone marrow irradiation and EDIC were significantly correlated with grade 3-4 leukopenia and lymphopenia, and EDIC was significantly correlated with grade 3-4 neutropenia. Reducing vertebral bone marrow irradiation and EDIC effectively reduce the incidence of HT.

Cholinium Pyridinolate Ionic Pair-Catalyzed Fixation of CO2 into Cyclic Carbonates.

A halide-free ionic pair organocatalyst was proposed for the cycloaddition of CO2 into epoxide reactions. Cholinium pyridinolate ionic pairs with three different substitution positions were designed. Under conditions of temperature of 120 °C, pressure of 1 MPa CO2, and catalyst loading of 5 mol %, the optimal catalyst cholinium 4-pyridinolate ([Ch]+[4-OP]-) was employed. After a reaction time of 12 h, styrene oxide was successfully converted into the corresponding cyclic carbonate, and its selectivity was improved to 90%. A series of terminal epoxides were converted into cyclic carbonates within 12 h, with yields ranging from 80 to 99%. The proposed mechanism was verified by 1H NMR and 13C NMR titrations. Cholinium cations act as a hydrogen bond donor to activate epoxides, and pyridinolate anions combine with carbon dioxide to form intermediate carbonate anions that attack epoxides as nucleophiles and lead to ring opening. In summary, a halide-free ionic pair organocatalyst was designed and the catalytic mechanism in the cycloaddition of CO2 into epoxides reactions was proposed.

A virtual phantom for patient-specific QA On A 1.5T MR-linac.

Create a virtual ArcCHECK-MR phantom, customized for a 1.5T MR-linac, with consideration of the different density regions within the quality assurance (QA) phantom, aiming to streamline the utilization of this specialized QA device. A virtual phantom was constructed in the treatment planning system (TPS) to replicate the ArcCHECK-MR's composition, consisting of five distinct layers: "Outer" (representing the outer PMMA ring), "Complex" (simulating the printed circuit boards), "Detectors" (encompassing the detector area), "Inner" (signifying the inner PMMA ring) and "Insert" (representing the PMMA insert). These layers were defined based on geometric data and represented as contour points on a set of dummy CT images. Additionally, a setup platform was integrated as contoured structures. To determine the relative electron density (RED) values of the external and internal PMMA components, measurements were taken at 25 points in the insert using an ion chamber. A novel method for establishing the exit/entrance dose ratio (EEDR) for ArcCHECK-MR was introduced. The RED of higher density region was derived by evaluating the local gamma index passing rate results with criteria of 2% dose difference and 2 mm distance-to-agreement. The performance of the virtual phantom was assessed for Unity 7 FFF beams with a 1.5T magnetic field. The radii of the five ring structures within the virtual phantom measured 133.0 mm, 110.0 mm, 103.4 mm, 100.0 mm, and 75.0 mm for the "Outer," "Complex," "Detectors," "Inner" and "Insert" regions, respectively. The RED values were as follows: ArcCHECK-MR PMMA had a RED of 1.130, "Detectors" were assumed to have a RED of 1.000, "Complex" had a RED of 1.200, and the setup QA phantom justified a RED of 1.350. Early validation results demonstrate that the 5-layer virtual phantom, when compared to the commonly used bulk overridden phantom, offers improved capability in MR-linac environments. This enhancement led to an increase in passing rates for the local gamma index by approximately 5 ∼ 6%, when applying the criteria of 2%, 2 mm. We have successfully generated a virtual representation of the distinct regions within the ArcCHECK-MR using a TPS, addressing the challenges associated with its use in conjunction with a 1.5T MR-linac. We consistently observed favorable local gamma index passing rates across two 1.5T MR-linac and ArcCHECK-MR unit combinations. This approach has the potential to minimize uncertainties in the creation of the QA phantom for ArcCHECK-MR across various institutions.

In situ anchored ternary hierarchical hybrid nickel@cobaltous sulfide on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-reduced graphene oxide for highly efficient non-enzymatic glucose sensing.

A ternary hierarchical hybrid Ni@CoxSy/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-reduced graphene oxide (Ni@CoxSy/PEDOT-rGO) is rationally designed and in situ facilely synthesized as electrocatalyst to construct a binder-free sensing platform for non-enzymatic glucose monitoring through traditional electrodeposition procedure. The as-prepared Ni@CoxSy/PEDOT-rGO presents unique hierarchical structure and multiple valence states as well as strong and robust adhesion between Ni@CoxSy/PEDOT-rGO and GCE. Profiting from the aforementioned merits, the sensing platform constructed under optimal conditions achieved a wide detection range (0.2 µM ~ 2.0 mM) with high sensitivity (1546.32 µA cm-2 mM-1), a rapid response time (5 s), an ultralow detection limit (0.094 µM), superior anti-interference performance, excellent reproducibility and considerable stability. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrates an acceptable accuracy and appreciable recoveries ranging from 90.0 to 102.0% with less than 3.98% RSD in human blood serum samples, indicating the prospect of the sensor for the real samples analysis. It will provide a strategy to rationally design and fabricate ternary hierarchical hybrid as nanozyme for glucose assay.

Differential DNA methylation in the brain as potential mediator of the association between traffic-related PM2.5 and neuropathology markers of Alzheimer's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence indicates that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the underlying mechanisms have been insufficiently investigated. We hypothesized differential DNA methylation (DNAm) in brain tissue as a potential mediator of this association. METHODS: We assessed genome-wide DNAm (Illumina EPIC BeadChips) in prefrontal cortex tissue and three AD-related neuropathological markers (Braak stage, CERAD, ABC score) for 159 donors, and estimated donors' residential traffic-related PM2.5 exposure 1, 3, and 5 years prior to death. We used a combination of the Meet-in-the-Middle approach, high-dimensional mediation analysis, and causal mediation analysis to identify potential mediating CpGs. RESULTS: PM2.5 was significantly associated with differential DNAm at cg25433380 and cg10495669. Twenty-four CpG sites were identified as mediators of the association between PM2.5 exposure and neuropathology markers, several located in genes related to neuroinflammation. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest differential DNAm related to neuroinflammation mediates the association between traffic-related PM2.5 and AD. HIGHLIGHTS: First study to evaluate the potential mediation effect of DNA methylation for the association between PM2.5 exposure and neuropathological changes of Alzheimer's disease. Study was based on brain tissues rarely investigated in previous air pollution research. Cg10495669, assigned to RBCK1 gene playing a role in inflammation, was associated consistently with 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year traffic-related PM2.5 exposures prior to death. Meet-in-the-middle approach and high-dimensional mediation analysis were used simultaneously to increase the potential of identifying the differentially methylated CpGs. Differential DNAm related to neuroinflammation was found to mediate the association between traffic-related PM2.5 and Alzheimer's disease.

In Situ Hybridization Strategy Constructs Heterogeneous Interfaces to Form Electronically Modulated MoS2/FeS2 as the Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Storage.

The interfacial effect is important for anodes of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) to achieve superior lithium-ion storage performance. In this paper, a MoS2/FeS2 heterojunction is synthesized by a simple hydrothermal reaction to construct the interface effect, and the heterostructure introduces an inherent electric field that accelerates the de-embedding process of lithium ions, improves the electron transfer capability, and effectively mitigates volume expansion. XPS analysis confirms evident chemical interaction between MoS2 and FeS2 via an interfacial covalent bond (Mo-S-Fe). This MoS2/FeS2 anode shows a distinct interfacial effect for efficient interatomic electron migration. The electrochemical performance demonstrated that the discharge capacity can reach up to 1217.8 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 200 cycles, with a capacity retention rate of 72.9%. After 2000 cycles, the capacity retention is about 61.6% at 1.0 A g-1, and the discharge capacity can still reach 638.9 mA h g-1. Electrochemical kinetic analysis indicated an enhanced pseudocapacitance contribution and that the MoS2/FeS2 had sufficient adsorption of lithium ions. This paper therefore argues that this interfacial engineering is an effective solution for designing sulfide-based anodes with good electrochemical properties.

Effect of Ba2+ on the biomineralization of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions induced by Bacillus licheniformis.

The effect of barium ions on the biomineralization of calcium and magnesium ions is often overlooked when utilizing microbial-induced carbonate precipitation technology for removing barium, calcium, and magnesium ions from oilfield wastewater. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis was used to bio-precipitate calcium, magnesium, and barium ions. The effects of barium ions on the physiological and biochemical characteristics of bacteria, as well as the components of extracellular polymers and mineral characteristics, were also studied in systems containing coexisting barium, calcium, and magnesium ions. The results show that the increasing concentrations of barium ions decreased pH, carbonic anhydrase activity, and concentrations of bicarbonate and carbonate ions, while it increased the contents of humic acids, proteins, polysaccharides, and DNA in extracellular polymers in the systems containing all three types of ions. With increasing concentrations of barium ions, the content of magnesium within magnesium-rich calcite and the size of minerals precipitated decreased, while the full width at half maximum of magnesium-rich calcite, the content of O-C=O and N-C=O, and the diversity of protein secondary structures in the minerals increased in systems containing all three coexisting ions. Barium ions does inhibit the precipitation of calcium and magnesium ions, but the immobilized bacteria can mitigate the inhibitory effect. The precipitation ratios of calcium, magnesium, and barium ions reached 81-94%, 68-82%, and 90-97%. This research provides insights into the formation of barium-enriched carbonate minerals and offers improvements for treating oilfield wastewater.

A meta-analysis of the risk factors for neurosurgical surgical site infection following craniotomy.

The purpose of the meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the risk factors for neurosurgical surgical site infection (SSI) after craniotomy. Using dichotomous or contentious random or fixed effect models, the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed based on the examination of the meta-analysis results. Eighteen analyses, covering 11 068 craniotomies between 2001 and 2023, were included in the current meta-analysis. Subjects with SSIs had a significantly younger age (MD, -2.49; 95% CI, -2.95 to -2.04, p < 0.001), longer operation duration (MD, 10.21; 95% CI, 6.49-13.94, p < 0.001) and longer length of postoperative hospital stay (MD, 1.52; 95% CI, 0.45-2.60, p = 0.006) compared to subjects with no SSI with craniotomy. However, no significant difference was found between craniotomy subjects with SSIs and with no SSI in gender (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.76-1.07, p = 0.23), and combination with other infection (OR, 3.93; 95% CI, 0.28-56.01, p = 0.31). The data that were looked at showed that younger age, longer operation duration and longer length of postoperative hospital stay can be considered as risk factors of SSI in subjects with craniotomy; however, gender and combination with other infections are not. Nonetheless, consideration should be given to their values because several studies only involved a small number of patients, and there are not many studies available for some comparisons.

Tailoring d-p Orbital Hybridization to Decipher the Essential Effects of Heteroatom Substitution on Redox Kinetics.

The heteroatom substitution is considered as a promising strategy for boosting the redox kinetics of transition metal compounds in hybrid supercapacitors (HSCs) although the dissimilar metal identification and essential mechanism that dominate the kinetics remain unclear. It is presented that d-p orbital hybridization between the metal and electrolyte ions can be utilized as a descriptor for understanding the redox kinetics. Herein, a series of Co, Fe and Cu heteroatoms are respectively introduced into Ni3Se4 cathodes, among them, only the moderate Co-substituted Ni3Se4 can hold the optimal d-p orbital hybridization resulted from the formed more unoccupied antibonding states π*. It inevitably enhances the interfacial charge transfer and ensures the balanced OH- adsorption-desorption to accelerate the redox kinetics validated by the lowest reaction barrier (0.59 eV, matching well with the theoretical calculations). Coupling with the lower OH- diffusion energy barrier, the prepared cathode delivers ultrahigh rate capability (~68.7 % capacity retention even the current density increases by 200 times), and an assembled HSC also presents high energy/power density. This work establishes the principles for determining heteroatoms and deciphers the underlying effects of the heteroatom substitution on improving redox kinetics and the rate performance of battery-type electrodes from a novel perspective of orbital-scale manipulation.

Covalent Organic Framework with Multiple Redox Active Sites for High-Performance Aqueous Calcium Ion Batteries.

Organic materials are promising for cation storage in calcium ion batteries (CIBs). However, the high solubility of organic materials in an electrolyte and low electronic conductivity remain the key challenges for high-performance CIBs. Herein, a nitrogen-rich covalent organic framework with multiple carbonyls (TB-COF) is designed as an aqueous anode to address those obstacles. TB-COF demonstrates a high reversible capacity of 253 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 and long cycle life (0.01% capacity decay per cycle at 5 A g-1 after 3000 cycles). The redox mechanism of Ca2+/H+ co-intercalated in COF and chelating with C═O and C═N active sites is validated. In addition, a novel C═C active site was identified for Ca2+ ion storage. Both computational and empirical results reveal that per TB-COF repetitive unit, up to nine Ca2+ ions are stored after three staggered intercalation steps, involving three distinct Ca2+ ion storage sites. Finally, the evolution process of radical intermediates further elucidates the C═C reaction mechanism.

Tetrahedral Bonding Structure (Ni3 -Se) Induced by Lattice-Distortion of Ni to Achieve High Catalytic Activity in Na-Se Battery.

Fabrication of transition-metal catalytic materials is regarded as a promising strategy for developing high-performance sodium-selenium (Na-Se) batteries. However, more systematic explorations are further demanded to find out how their bonding interactions and electronic structures can affect the Na storage process. This study finds that lattice-distorted nickel (Ni) structure can form different bonding structures with Na2 Se4 , providing high activity to catalyze the electrochemical reactions in Na-Se batteries. Using this Ni structure to prepare electrode (Se@NiSe2 /Ni/CTs) can realize rapid charge transfer and high cycle stability of the battery. The electrode exhibits high storage performance of Na+ ; i.e., 345 mAh g⁻1 at 1 C after 400 cycles, and 286.4 mAh g⁻1 at 10 C in rate performance test. Further results reveal the existence of a regulated electronic structure with upshifts of the d-band center in the distorted Ni structure. This regulation changes the interaction between Ni and Na2 Se4 to form a Ni3 -Se tetrahedral bonding structure. This bonding structure can provide higher adsorption energy of Ni to Na2 Se4 to facilitate the redox reaction of Na2 Se4 during the electrochemical process. This study can inspire the design of bonding structure with high performance in conversion-reaction-based batteries.

Metapone: a Bioconductor package for joint pathway testing for untargeted metabolomics data.

MOTIVATION: Testing for pathway enrichment is an important aspect in the analysis of untargeted metabolomics data. Due to the unique characteristics of untargeted metabolomics data, some key issues have not been fully addressed in existing pathway testing algorithms: (i) matching uncertainty between data features and metabolites; (ii) lacking of method to analyze positive mode and negative mode liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data simultaneously on the same set of subjects; (iii) the incompleteness of pathways in individual software packages. RESULTS: We developed an innovative R/Bioconductor package: metabolic pathway testing with positive and negative mode data (metapone), which can perform two novel statistical tests that take matching uncertainty into consideration-(i) a weighted gene set enrichment analysis-type test and (ii) a permutation-based weighted hypergeometric test. The package is capable of combining positive- and negative-ion mode results in a single testing scheme. For comprehensiveness, the built-in pathways were manually curated from three sources: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Mummichog and The Small Molecule Pathway Database. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The package is available at https://bioconductor.org/packages/devel/bioc/html/metapone.html. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of primary bypass surgery compared with bypass surgery after endovascular treatment in peripheral artery disease patients.

OBJECTIVE: Both bypass surgery and endovascular treatment are well-recognized interventions for the treatment of peripheral artery disease; however, the effect of failed endovascular treatment on subsequent surgeries remains controversial. A systematic review was conducted to compare the outcomes of primary bypass and bypass surgery after endovascular treatment. METHODS: Three academic databases (Embase, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched from their inception to August 2022. Two independent investigators searched for studies that reported the outcomes of primary bypass surgery and bypass surgery after endovascular treatment in patients with peripheral artery disease. Abstracts and full-text studies were screened independently using duplicate data abstraction. Dichotomous outcome measures were reported using a random-effects model to generate a summary odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: Seventeen retrospective observational studies were selected from 3911 articles and included 8064 patients, 6252 of whom underwent primary bypass surgery and 1812 underwent bypass surgery after endovascular treatment. The mean age was 69.0 years and 61.2% (n = 4938) were male. For perioperative outcomes, the 30-day results showed no difference in mortality (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.53-1.10), or amputation (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.67-1.20). For short- to mid-term outcomes, primary patency did not differ at 6 months (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.81-1.19), 1 year (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.97-1.30), or 2 years (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.85-1.61) follow-up. Amputation-free survival did not differ at 6 months (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.82-1.30), 1 year (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.89-1.32), 2 years (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.93-1.50), or 3 years (OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.84-1.40) of follow-up. No significant difference was found in overall survival or second patency. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis of retrospective, nonrandomized, observational studies suggests that prior endovascular treatment of lower extremity arterial disease does not result in worse perioperative, short-term, or mid-term clinical outcomes of subsequent infrainguinal bypass surgery compared with patients without prior endovascular treatment.

Using RegGAN to generate synthetic CT images from CBCT images acquired with different linear accelerators.

BACKGROUND: The goal was to investigate the feasibility of the registration generative adversarial network (RegGAN) model in image conversion for performing adaptive radiation therapy on the head and neck and its stability under different cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) models. METHODS: A total of 100 CBCT and CT images of patients diagnosed with head and neck tumors were utilized for the training phase, whereas the testing phase involved 40 distinct patients obtained from four different linear accelerators. The RegGAN model was trained and tested to evaluate its performance. The generated synthetic CT (sCT) image quality was compared to that of planning CT (pCT) images by employing metrics such as the mean absolute error (MAE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity index measure (SSIM). Moreover, the radiation therapy plan was uniformly applied to both the sCT and pCT images to analyze the planning target volume (PTV) dose statistics and calculate the dose difference rate, reinforcing the model's accuracy. RESULTS: The generated sCT images had good image quality, and no significant differences were observed among the different CBCT modes. The conversion effect achieved for Synergy was the best, and the MAE decreased from 231.3 ± 55.48 to 45.63 ± 10.78; the PSNR increased from 19.40 ± 1.46 to 26.75 ± 1.32; the SSIM increased from 0.82 ± 0.02 to 0.85 ± 0.04. The quality improvement effect achieved for sCT image synthesis based on RegGAN was obvious, and no significant sCT synthesis differences were observed among different accelerators. CONCLUSION: The sCT images generated by the RegGAN model had high image quality, and the RegGAN model exhibited a strong generalization ability across different accelerators, enabling its outputs to be used as reference images for performing adaptive radiation therapy on the head and neck.

Acute Renal Infarction Due to Symptomatic Isolated Spontaneous Renal Artery Dissection: A Rare and Fatal Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To report demographics and clinical, laboratory, and imaging features of acute renal infarction (ARI) due to symptomatic isolated spontaneous renal artery dissection (SISRAD) and to analyze outcomes after the initial therapy for SISRAD. METHODS: Thirteen patients with ARI due to SISRAD between January 2016 and March 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study. We reviewed the demographics, clinical, laboratory, and imaging features (location of the infarct kidney, the branch artery involved by dissection, true lumen stenosis, false lumen thrombosis, and aneurysm), treatment modalities, and follow-up results; analyzed the difference between SISRAD and other causes of ARI; and propose an appropriate therapy strategy for SISRAD based on our data and literature. RESULT: Patients with ARI due to SISRAD were mostly young men (43 [24-53] years; 12/13 [92%]). No patients had atrial fibrillation or acute kidney injury at admission (0/13). All 13 patients received conservative treatment as the initial treatment. Sixty-two percent (8/13) of patients progressed, and 88% (7/8) of them had dissection aneurysm on the admission computed tomographic angiography (CTA) image. Seventy-five percent (6/8) of patients underwent endovascular intervention as follows, stent placement in 1 patient, renal artery embolization in 1, and stent placement with embolization in 4. Two patients with disease progression died: 1 during the conservative treatment period and 1 after the stent placement. Thirty-eight percent (5/13) of patients in remission continued to receive conservative treatment, none of whom had dissection aneurysm on the admission CTA. CONCLUSION: Symptomatic isolated spontaneous renal artery dissection is a rare and fatal disease. For young ARI patients with no previous history of tumors and cardiogenic diseases, CTA examination is recommended to exclude SISRAD. Dissection aneurysm seems to be a risk of progression for SISRAD in this series. Conservative treatment, a recognized initial treatment, has a good effect on patients without dissection aneurysm, and we recommend endovascular intervention as the initial treatment for the patient with dissection aneurysm at admission. Multicenter clinical studies are needed to explore a more-appropriate treatment for patients with SISRAD. CLINICAL IMPACT: This article report the related factors, risks, demographics and laboratory data of Acute renal infarction (ARI) due to Symptomatic isolated spontaneous renal artery dissection (SISRAD) and explore a better initial therapy strategy for SISRAD. It will help improve the effectiveness of SISRAD treatment and reduce the mortality rate from this rare but lethal disease.

Ultrafast Microwave Synthesis of Ru-Doped MoP with Abundant P Vacancies as the Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Generation in a Wide pH Range.

Molybdenum phosphide (MoP) has received increasing attention for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to its Pt-like electronic structure and high electrical conductivity. In this work, a flake-like Ru-doped MoP with phosphorus vacancy (Ru-MoP-PV) electrocatalyst is synthesized for the first time by a simple and rapid room-temperature microwave approach within 30 s. The created abundant phosphorus vacancies provide rich active sites and favor rapid electron transfer. The introduced Ru also enhances the catalytic activity of the synthesized electrocatalyst efficiently. Then, the designed Ru-MoP-PV possesses low overpotentials for HER with 79, 100, and 161 mV in 1.0 M KOH, 0.5 M H2SO4, and 1.0 M phosphate-buffered saline to obtain 10 mA cm-2. The Ru-MoP-PV and NiFe-layered double hydroxide are used as the cathode and the anode, respectively, to drive water splitting and just need a low cell voltage of 1.6 V to achieve 10 mA cm-2. This work provides a feasible way for the rapid production of metal phosphides for energy conversion and storage applications.

Oxygen-doped NiCoP derived from Ni-MOFs for high performance asymmetric supercapacitor.

Oxygen doping strategy is one of the most effective methods to improve the electrochemical properties of nickel-cobalt phosphide (NiCoP)-based capacitors by adjusting its inherent electronic structure. In this paper, O-doped NiCoP microspheres derived from porous nanostructured nickel metal-organic frameworks (Ni-MOFs) were constructed through solvothermal method followed by phosphorization treatment. The O-doping concentration has a siginificant influence on the rate performance and cycle stability. The optimized O-doped NiCoP electrode material shows a specific capacitance of 632.4 F-g-1at 1 A-g-1and a high retention rate of 56.9% at 20 A g-1. The corresponding NiCoP-based asymmetric supercapacitor exhibits a high energy density of 30.1 Wh kg-1when the power density is 800.9 W kg-1, and can still maintain 82.1% of the initial capacity after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g-1.