Classification of Alzheimer's Progression Using fMRI Data.

In the last three decades, the development of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has significantly contributed to the understanding of the brain, functional brain mapping, and resting-state brain networks. Given the recent successes of deep learning in various fields, we propose a 3D-CNN-LSTM classification model to diagnose health conditions with the following classes: condition normal (CN), early mild cognitive impairment (EMCI), late mild cognitive impairment (LMCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The proposed method employs spatial and temporal feature extractors, wherein the former utilizes a U-Net architecture to extract spatial features, and the latter utilizes long short-term memory (LSTM) to extract temporal features. Prior to feature extraction, we performed four-step pre-processing to remove noise from the fMRI data. In the comparative experiments, we trained each of the three models by adjusting the time dimension. The network exhibited an average accuracy of 96.4% when using five-fold cross-validation. These results show that the proposed method has high potential for identifying the progression of Alzheimer's by analyzing 4D fMRI data.

Pixel-Grouping G(E) Functions for Estimating Dose Rates from Unknown Source Distributions with a Position-Sensitive Detector.

Estimating accurate radiation doses when a radioactive source's location is unknown can protect workers from radiation exposure. Unfortunately, depending on a detector's shape and directional response variations, conventional G(E) function can be prone to inaccurate dose estimations. Therefore, this study estimated accurate radiation doses regardless of source distributions, using the multiple G(E) function groups (i.e., pixel-grouping G(E) functions) within a position-sensitive detector (PSD), which records the response position and energy inside the detector. Investigations revealed that, compared with the conventional G(E) function when source distributions are unknown, this study's proposed pixel-grouping G(E) functions improved dose estimation accuracy by more than 1.5 times. Furthermore, although the conventional G(E) function produced substantially larger errors in certain directions or energy ranges, the proposed pixel-grouping G(E) functions estimate doses with more uniform errors at all directions and energies. Therefore, the proposed method estimates the dose with high accuracy and provides reliable results regardless of the location and energy of the source.

Pulse height estimation and pulse shape discrimination in pile-up neutron and gamma ray signals from an organic scintillation detector using multi-task learning.

We developed a multi-tasking deep learning model for simultaneous pulse height estimation and pulse shape discrimination for pile-up n/γ signals. Compared with single-tasking models, our model showed better spectral correction performance with higher recall for neutrons. Further, it achieved more stable neutron counting with less signal loss and a lower error rate in the predicted gamma ray spectra. Our model can be applied to a dual radiation scintillation detector to discriminatively reconstruct each radiation spectrum for radioisotope identification and quantitative analysis.

Estimation of ambient dose equivalent rate with a plastic scintillation detector using the least-square and first-order methods-based G(E) function.

Dose-rate monitoring instruments measure the ambient dose equivalent and hence are crucial for protecting workers from radiation exposure. Although plastic scintillation detectors (PSDs) are ideal equipment for dosimetry, they are rarely used owing to the lower detection efficiency than other scintillation detectors. In this study, we acquired ten types of G(E) functions to utilize a PSD in spectroscopic dosimetry using the least-square and first-order methods. The energy response of PSD was much improved in terms of dose evaluation.

Assessment tools for differential diagnosis of neglect: Focusing on egocentric neglect and allocentric neglect.

BACKGROUND: There are very few studies on the differential diagnosis between egocentric neglect (EN) and allocentric neglect (AN). AIM: To investigate the overall trend of the previously developed assessment tools by conducting a descriptive review of the studies on assessment tools that can perform a differential diagnosis of EN and AN. METHODS: The data were collected by using databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. The most commonly used search terms were "neglect", "stroke", "egocentric neglect", and "allocentric neglect". RESULTS: A total of seven studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected and analyzed. We were able to confirm the research process, test method, and differential diagnosis criteria of the seven presented assessment tools from four studies on paper-based tests and three studies on computerized tests. The majority of the tests were carried out via the cancellation method using stimuli such as everyday objects or numbers. EN distinguished the left from right based on the test paper, while AN distinguished the left from right based on stimuli. In order to perform differential diagnosis, the difference in the number of left and right responses or non-responses was used based on the EN and AN criteria. CONCLUSION: It was confirmed that all the seven assessment tools can effectively perform differential diagnosis of EN and AN. This study may provide important data that can be used in clinical practice for differential diagnosis and future intervention planning for neglect patients.

Discrete Convolution-Based Energy Spectrum Configuring Method for the Analysis of the Intrinsic Radiation of 176Lu.

There has been considerable interest in inorganic scintillators based on lutetium due to their favorable physical properties. Despite their advantages, lutetium-based scintillators could face issues because of the natural occurring radioisotope of 176Lu that is contained in natural lutetium. In order to mitigate its potential shortcomings, previous works have studied to understand the energy spectrum of the intrinsic radiation of 176Lu (IRL). However, few studies have focused on the various principal types of photon interactions with matter; in other words, only the full-energy peak according to the photoelectric effect or internal conversion have been considered for understanding the energy spectrum of IRL. Thus, the approach we have used in this study considers other principal types of photon interactions by convoluting each energy spectrum with combinations for generating the spectrum of the intrinsic radiation of 176Lu. From the results, we confirm that the method provides good agreement with the experiment. A significant contribution of this study is the provision of a new approach to process energy spectra induced by mutually independent radiation interactions as a single spectrum.

Ghost imaging with Bayesian denoising method.

We propose a Bayesian denoising method to improve the quality of ghost imaging. The proposed method achieved the highest PSNR and SSIM in both binary and gray-scale targets with fewer measurements. Experimentally, it obtained a reconstructed image of a USAF target where the PSNR and SSIM of the image were up to 12.80 dB and 0.77, respectively, whereas those of traditional ghost images were 7.24 dB and 0.28 with 3000 measurements. Furthermore, it was robust against additive Gaussian noise. Thus, this method could make the ghost imaging technique more feasible as a practical application.

Non-Deep Simple Morphophysiological Dormancy and Germination Characteristics of Gentiana triflora var. japonica (Kusn.) H. Hara (Gentianaceae), a Rare Perennial Herb in Korea.

This study investigated the kind of seed dormancy and seed germination of Gentiana triflora var. japonica (Kusn.) H. Hara for developing a seed propagation method. The seeds were collected in October 2020 from plants at Mt. Sobaeksan, Korea. In a water imbibition experiment, seed weights increased by >101.9% of their initial masses over 12 h. Effects of incubation temperature (5, 15, 20, 25, 15/6, or 25/15 °C), cold stratification period (5 °C; 0, 4, 8, or 12 weeks), and gibberellic acid (GA3; 0, 10, 100, or 1000 mg∙L-1) and potassium nitrate treatment (KNO3; 0, 1000, 2000, or 4000 mg∙L-1) on seed germination were investigated to characterize seed dormancy. These seeds exhibited underdeveloped embryos during seed dispersal. The seeds failed to reach the final germination of 15.0% after treatment at 5, 15, 20, 25, 15/6, or 25/15 °C. After cold stratification for 8 weeks, the germination increased dramatically by >90.0% compared to that at 0 weeks. After the GA3 treatment, the germination reached >80.0% within 5 days. The final germination was 90.0% in the 100 mg∙L-1 GA3 treatment group. However, the KNO3 treatment had no effect on seed germination. Therefore, the G. triflora var. japonica seeds exhibited non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy.

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies for preventing postherpetic neuralgia: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a refractory complication of herpes zoster (HZ). To prevent PHN, various strategies have been aggressively adopted. However, the efficacy of these strategies remains controversial. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the relative efficacy of various strategies used in clinical practice for preventing PHN using a network meta-analysis (NMA). METHODS: We performed a systematic and comprehensive search to identify all randomized controlled trials. The primary outcome was the incidence of PHN at 3 months after acute HZ. We performed both frequentist and Bayesian NMA and used the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values to rank the interventions evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 39 studies were included in the systematic review and NMA. According to the SUCRA value, the incidence of PHN was lower in the order of continuous epidural block with local anesthetics and steroids (EPI-LSE), antiviral agents with subcutaneous injection of local anesthetics and steroids (AV + sLS), antiviral agents with intracutaenous injection of local anesthetics and steroids (AV + iLS) at 3 months after acute HZ. EPI-LSE, AV + sLS and AV + iLS were also effective in preventing PHN at 1 month after acute HZ. And paravertebral block combined with antiviral and antiepileptic agents was effective in preventing PHN at 1, 3, and 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The continuous epidural block with local anesthetics and steroid, antiviral agents with intracutaneous or subcutaneous injection of local anesthetics and a steroid, and paravertebral block combined with antiviral and antiepileptic agents are effective in preventing PHN.

Improving Restoration Efficiency by Modeling Optimal Sowing Periods: A Case Study of Two Native Plants and Restoration of a Site.

Efficient ecological restoration techniques are urgently required to minimize seed consumption and labor requirements. Here, we determined the optimal sowing period for two native species, Agastache rugosa (Korean mint) and Astilbe rubra (False goat's beard), toward their use for ecological restoration of Mt. Gariwang, a site damaged by the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics' activities. We investigated the effects of daily mean temperature (DMT) and daily temperature range (DTR) on seed germination percentage, which decreased for both species with decreasing DTR and was optimal at a DMT of 25 °C and 17.5 °C for A. rugosa and A. rubra, respectively. We developed a single multiple regression equation that evaluated the effects of DMT and DTR simultaneously and determined the temperature scores when the germination percentage reached 85%. We applied the developed multiple regression equation by analyzing the temperature data of the restoration site. In addition, precipitation data analysis was added to set the optimal sowing period. As a result, the optimal sowing period for the two species was determined from May 21 to the end of May. This makes it possible to minimize seed consumption and labor requirements when sowing seeds. The model developed herein will be useful not only to guide the ecological restoration of Mt. Gariwang, but also for other regions using site-specific temperature data.

Image Registration of 18F-FDG PET/CT Using the MotionFree Algorithm and CT Protocols through Phantom Study and Clinical Evaluation.

We evaluated the benefits of the MotionFree algorithm through phantom and patient studies. The various sizes of phantom and vacuum vials were linked to RPM moving with or without MotionFree application. A total of 600 patients were divided into six groups by breathing protocols and CT scanning time. Breathing protocols were applied as follows: (a) patients who underwent scanning without any breathing instructions; (b) patients who were instructed to hold their breath after expiration during CT scan; and (c) patients who were instructed to breathe naturally. The length of PET/CT misregistration was measured and we defined the misregistration when it exceeded 10 mm. In the phantom tests, the images produced by the MotionFree algorithm were observed to have excellent agreement with static images. There were significant differences in PET/CT misregistration according to CT scanning time and each breathing protocol. When applying the type (c) protocol, decreasing the CT scanning time significantly reduced the frequency and length of misregistrations (p < 0.05). The MotionFree application is able to correct respiratory motion artifacts and to accurately quantify lesions. The shorter time of CT scan can reduce the frequency, and the natural breathing protocol also decreases the lengths of misregistrations.

A Multilayer Functionalized Drug-Eluting Balloon for Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease.

Drug-eluting balloons (DEBs) have been mostly exploited as an interventional remedy for treating atherosclerosis instead of cardiovascular stents. However, the therapeutic efficacy of DEB is limited due to their low drug delivery capability to the disease site. The aim of our study was to load drugs onto a balloon catheter with preventing drug loss during transition time and maximizing drug transfer from the surface of DEBs to the cardiovascular wall. For this, a multilayer-coated balloon catheter, composed of PVP/Drug-loaded liposome/PVP, was suggested. The hydrophilic property of 1st layer, PVP, helps to separate drug layer in hydrophilic blood vessel, and the 2nd layer with Everolimus (EVL)-loaded liposome facilitates drug encapsulation and sustained release to the targeted lesions during inflation time. Additionally, a 3rd layer with PVP can protect the inner layer during transition time for preventing drug loss. The deionized water containing 20% ethanol was utilized to hydrate EVL-loaded liposome for efficient coating processes. The coating materials showed negligible toxicity in the cells and did not induce pro-inflammatory cytokine in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (HCASMCs), even in case of inflammation induction through LPS. The results of hemocompatibility for coating materials exhibited that protein adsorption and platelet adhesion somewhat decreased with multilayer-coated materials as compared to bare Nylon tubes. The ex vivo experiments to confirm the feasibility of further applications of multilayer-coated strategy as a DEB system demonstrated efficient drug transfer of approximately 65% in the presence of the 1st layer, to the tissue in 60 s after treatment. Taken together, a functional DEB platform with such a multilayer coating approach would be widely utilized for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Boosting Reaction Homogeneity in High-Energy Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode Materials.

Conventional nickel-rich cathode materials suffer from reaction heterogeneity during electrochemical cycling particularly at high temperature, because of their polycrystalline properties and secondary particle morphology. Despite intensive research on the morphological evolution of polycrystalline nickel-rich materials, its practical investigation at the electrode and cell levels is still rarely discussed. Herein, an intrinsic limitation of polycrystalline nickel-rich cathode materials in high-energy full-cells is discovered under industrial electrode-fabrication conditions. Owing to their highly unstable chemo-mechanical properties, even after the first cycle, nickel-rich materials are degraded in the longitudinal direction of the high-energy electrode. This inhomogeneous degradation behavior of nickel-rich materials at the electrode level originates from the overutilization of active materials on the surface side, causing a severe non-uniform potential distribution during long-term cycling. In addition, this phenomenon continuously lowers the reversibility of lithium ions. Consequently, considering the degradation of polycrystalline nickel-rich materials, this study suggests the adoption of a robust single-crystalline LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 as a feasible alternative, to effectively suppress the localized overutilization of active materials. Such an adoption can stabilize the electrochemical performance of high-energy lithium-ion cells, in which superior capacity retention above ≈80% after 1000 cycles at 45 °C is demonstrated.

Building High-Rate Nickel-Rich Cathodes by Self-Organization of Structurally Stable Macrovoid.

Nickel-rich materials, as a front-running cathode for lithium-ion batteries suffer from inherent degradation issues such as inter/intragranular cracks and phase transition under the high-current density condition. Although vigorous efforts have mitigated these current issues, the practical applications are not successfully achieved due to the material instability and complex synthesis process. Herein, a structurally stable, macrovoid-containing, nickel-rich material is developed using an affordable, scalable, and one-pot coprecipitation method without using surfactants/etching agents/complex-ion forming agents. The strategically developed macrovoid-induced cathode via a self-organization process exhibits excellent full-cell rate capability, cycle life at discharge rate of 5 C, and structural stability even at the industrial electrode conditions, owing to the fast Li-ion diffusion, the internal macrovoid acting as "buffer zones" for stress relief, and highly stable nanostructure around the void during cycling. This strategy for nickel-rich cathodes can be viable for industries in the preparation of high-performance lithium-ion cells.

Advances and Prospects of Sulfide All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries via One-to-One Comparison with Conventional Liquid Lithium Ion Batteries.

Owing to the safety issue of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) under the harsh operating conditions of electric vehicles and mobile devices, all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) that utilize inorganic solid electrolytes are regarded as a secure next-generation battery system. Significant efforts are devoted to developing each component of ASSLBs, such as the solid electrolyte and the active materials, which have led to considerable improvements in their electrochemical properties. Among the various solid electrolytes such as sulfide, polymer, and oxide, the sulfide solid electrolyte is considered as the most promising candidate for commercialization because of its high lithium ion conductivity and mechanical properties. However, the disparity in energy and power density between the current sulfide ASSLBs and conventional LIBs is still wide, owing to a lack of understanding of the battery electrode system. Representative developments of ASSLBs in terms of the sulfide solid electrolyte, active materials, and electrode engineering are presented with emphasis on the current status of their electrochemical performances, compared to those of LIBs. As a rational method to realizing high energy sulfide ASSLBs, the requirements for the sulfide solid electrolytes and active materials are provided along through simple experimental demonstrations. Potential future research directions in the development of commercially viable sulfide ASSLBs are suggested.

Applying a Pneumatic Interface to Intervene with Rapid Eating Behaviour.

Higher eating rates are positively correlate with obesity. In this paper, we propose the design of a new eating utensil that can reduce eating rate by interfering with eater's ability to eat quickly. This utensil can change its rigidity and shape by deflating itself to interfere with eating. In this study, a low fidelity proof-of-concept prototype device has been designed to provide physical resistance in order to help people reduce their eating rate. The proposed prototype could be used to demonstrate the feasibility of applying a pneumatically actuated shape-changing interface to embed physical resistance into an eating utensil.

Various synchronous states due to coupling strength inhomogeneity and coupling functions in systems of coupled identical oscillators.

We study the effects of coupling strength inhomogeneity and coupling functions on locking behaviors of coupled identical oscillators, some of which are relatively weakly coupled to others while some are relatively strongly coupled. Through the stability analysis and numerical simulations, we show that several categories of fully locked or partially locked states can emerge and obtain the conditions for these categories. In this system with coupling strength inhomogeneity, locked and drifting subpopulations are determined by the coupling strength distribution and the shape of the coupling functions. Even the strongly coupled oscillators can drift while weakly coupled oscillators can be locked. The simulation results with Gaussian and power-law distributions for coupling strengths are compared and discussed.

Issues and Challenges Facing Flexible Lithium-Ion Batteries for Practical Application.

With the advent of flexible electronics, lithium-ion batteries have become a key component of high performance energy storage systems. Thus, considerable effort is made to keep up with the development of flexible lithium-ion batteries. To date, many researchers have studied newly designed batteries with flexibility, however, there are several significant challenges that need to be overcome, such as degradation of electrodes under external load, poor battery performance, and complicated cell preparation procedures. In addition, an in-depth understanding of the current challenges for flexible batteries is rarely addressed in a systematical and practical way. Herein, recent progress and current issues of flexible lithium-ion batteries in terms of battery materials and cell designs are reviewed. A critical overview of important issues and challenges for the practical application of flexible lithium-ion batteries is also provided. Finally, the strategies are discussed to overcome current limitations of the practical use of flexible lithium-based batteries, providing a direction for future research.

Controllable Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Nickel-Rich Cathodes by an Electrochemical Rearrangement for Stable Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The layered nickel-rich materials have attracted extensive attention as a promising cathode candidate for high-energy density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, they have been suffering from inherent structural and electrochemical degradation including severe capacity loss at high electrode loading density (>3.0 g cm-3 ) and high temperature cycling (>60 °C). In this study, an effective and viable way of creating an artificial solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the cathode surface by a simple, one-step approach is reported. It is found that the initial artificial SEI compounds on the cathode surface can electrochemically grow along grain boundaries by reacting with the by-products during battery cycling. The developed nickel-rich cathode demonstrates exceptional capacity retention and structural integrity under industrial electrode fabricating conditions with the electrode loading level of ≈12 mg cm-2 and density of ≈3.3 g cm-3 . This finding could be a breakthrough for the LIB technology, providing a rational approach for the development of advanced cathode materials.

Chiral differentiation of d- and l-alanine by permethylated ß-cyclodextrin: IRMPD spectroscopy and DFT methods.

The gaseous chiral differentiation of alanine by permethylated ß-cyclodextrin was studied using IRMPD spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The protonated non-covalent complexes of permethylated ß-cyclodextrin and d- or l-alanine were mass-selected and investigated by IR laser pulses in the wavelength region of 2650-3800 cm-1. The remarkably different features of the IRMPD spectra for d- and l-alanine are described, and their origin is elucidated by quantum chemical calculations. We show that the differentiation of the experimentally observed spectral features is the result of different local interactions of d- and l-alanine with permethylated ß-cyclodextrin. We also assign the extremely high-frequency (>3700 cm-1) bands in the observed spectra to the stretch motions of completely isolated alanine -OH groups.