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Accurate cranial reconstruction needs clear relation among skull parts due to the asymmetry of the skull structures. Consequently, this study investigated the relation among skull parts for enhancing the skull missing part prediction. The relationship was trained from three-dimensional skull shapes reconstructed from 329 head-and-neck computed tomography images. We automatically defined the skull parts throughout all skull shapes. The skull parts were parameterised using the principal component analysis (PCA). Skull part relations were trained through their PCA-based shape parameters. The output skull parts could be predicted from the input skull parts with the trained shape relation with good and acceptable accuracy in cranial reconstruction. The best and worst mean errors were 1.32 mm and 2.54 mm when the number of missing skull parts was one and ten, respectively. The investigated procedure was employed in a computer-aided system for automatically predicting and printing skull missing parts directly in 3D spaces.

The extract from Celastrus hindsii(C. hindsii), a plant that naturally grows in the forests of several provinces of Vietnam, has been traditionally used as an alternative medicine for the treatment of inflammation because of its anticancer and antitumor properties. This study reported the green synthesis of stable gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) derived from HAuCl4using the extract of C. hindsiias reducing and capping agents. Their particle size could be controlled by adjusting the ratio of the extract to HAuCl4solution used (1.25%, 2.5%, 3.75%, 5.0%, and 6.25%). The optimal ratio of the extract was 3.75% (Au-NPs-3.75%). The X-ray powder diffraction analysis demonstrated that the Au-NPs was successfully synthesized. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy result indicated the possible presence of phenolic acids and flavonoids (acting as reducing agents and potential natural antioxidants). Transmission electron microscopy images showed that the particle diameter of Au-NPs-3.75% varied between 13 and 53 nm (average: ∼30 nm) in its spherical shape. The biosynthesized Au-NPs-3.75% exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity against HeLa cells, and the inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 12.5 µg/mL at 48 h. Therefore, Au-NPs that were synthesized from environmentally friendly method without the presence of potentially toxic chemicals were highly possible in biomedical applications.

A silver (Ag)-incorporated kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4(CZTS) thin film was fabricated by a facile spray pyrolysis method. Crystallographic analyses indicated successful incorporation of various amounts of Ag up to a Ag/(Ag + Cu) ratio of ca. 0.1 into the crystal lattice of CZTS in a homogeneous manner without formation of other impurity compounds. From the results of morphological investigations, Ag-incorporated films had larger crystal grains than the CZTS film. The sample with a relatively low Ag content (Ag/(Ag + Cu) of ca. 0.02) had a compact morphology without appreciable voids and pinholes. However, an increase in the Ag content in the CZTS film (Ag/(Ag + Cu) ca. 0.10) induced the formation of a large number of pinholes. As can be expected from these morphological properties, the best sunlight conversion efficiency was obtained by the solar cell based on the film with Ag/(Ag + Cu) of ca. 0.02. Electrostructural analyses of the devices suggested that the Ag-incorporated film in the device achieved reduction in the amounts of unfavorable copper on zinc antisite defects compared to the bare CZTS film. Moreover, the use of a Ag-incorporated film improved band alignment at the CdS(buffer)–CZTS interface. These alterations should also contribute to enhancement of device properties.

In this report, magnetic Fe3O4nanoparticles were functionalized with chitosan-grafted-poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether (CTS-mPEG) for paclitaxel (PTX) delivery. The Fe3O4nanoparticles were prepared via the chemical coprecipitation method and then coated with CTS-mPEG (Fe3O4@CTS-mPEG) by a simple method. The formation of Fe3O4@CTS-mPEG was characterized by several methods including proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the superparamagnetic properties of Fe3O4@CTS-mPEG were demonstrated by a vibrating sample magnetometer; the saturation magnetization reached 23 emu g–1. The sizes and morphologies of Fe3O4and Fe3O4@CTS-mPEG nanoparticles were determined by transmission electron microscopy. The result indicated that Fe3O4@CTS-mPEGs were nearly spherical in shape with an average diameter of 20 nm, compared with the 12-nm Fe3O4particles. Especially, PTX was effectively loaded into the coated nanoparticles, 86.9±3.4% for drug loading efficiency, and slowly released up to 120 h. These results suggest the potential applications of Fe3O4@CTS-mPEG in the development of stable drug delivery systems for cancer treatment.

The adsorption ability of hydrogen, hydroxide, and oxygenic intermediates plays a crucial role in electrochemical water splitting. Electron-deficient metal-active sites can prompt electrocatalytic activity by improving the adsorption ability of intermediates. However, it remains a significant challenge to synthesize highly abundant and stable electron-deficient metal-active site electrocatalysts. Herein, we present a general approach to synthesizing a hollow ternary metal fluoride (FeCoNiF2) nanoflake array as an efficient and robust bifunctional electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and urea oxidation reaction (UOR). We find that the F anion withdraws electrons from the metal centers, inducing an electron-deficient metal center catalyst. The rationally designed hollow nanoflake array exhibits the overpotential of 30 mV for HER and 130 mV for UOR at a current density of 10 mA cm–2and superior stability without decay events over 150 h at a large current density of up to 100 mA cm–2. Remarkably, the assembled urea electrolyzer using a bifunctional hollow FeCoNiF2nanoflake array catalyst requires cell voltages of only 1.352 and 1.703 V to afford current densities of 10 and 100 mA cm–2, respectively, which are 116 mV less compared with that required for overall water splitting.

In this work, we focused on the manufacture of artificial bone for medical replacement based on the combination of individual properties of ceramic and polymer. Here, periosteum was fabricated with a HAp (Hydroxylapatite) frame, while compact bone was fabricated from multi-layer electro-spun PS (polystyrene)/PCL (polycaprolactone) using biocompatible collagen glue. Spongy bone is formed from PCL/PLGA spongy loading BCP (Biphasic Calcium Phosphate) powder coated collagen. SEM images showed successful fabrication of the artificial bone scaffold through a combination of electro-spinning, extrusion, and use of the slurry method.

CuO nanocrystals were prepared by thermal decomposition of Cu-oxalate at 400 °C; then CuO/TiO2core/shell nanocrystals were formed via the hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide (TIP) on the surface of CuO nanocrystals. The characteristics of the synthesized nanocrystals were systematically studied using appropriate techniques, namely the morphology by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the crystalline structure by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The structure, shape and size of the CuO and CuO/TiO2nanocrystals could be tuned by changing various technological parameters: (i) the reaction/growth time (from several minutes to several hours), (ii) reaction temperature (from room temperature to 90 °C) and (iii) the molar ratios of the precursors. The results showed that the reaction temperature and the molar ratio of the precursors play important roles in controlling the morphology and size of both CuO and CuO/TiO2nanocrystals. With increasing reaction temperature, nano-CuO evolved from spherical shaped nanoparticles to microspheres. By shelling the large-bandgap TiO2layers on CuO nanocrystals, the core/shell structure is formed and the narrow-bandgap nano-CuO core is expected to be resistant to photocorrosion.