Finally, a future perspective focused on the needed developments in the field is given.Skeletal scintigraphy is most performed in pediatric patients using the radiopharmaceutical 99mTc labelled methylene diphosphonate (99mTc-MDP). Reference biokinetic models for 99mTc-MDP indicate 50% of the administered activity is uniformly localized to the interior bone surfaces (trabecular and cortical regions), yet imaging data clearly show some preferential uptake to the epiphyseal growth plates of the long bones. To explore the dosimetric consequences of these regional activity concentrations, we have modified mesh-type computational phantoms of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) reference pediatric series to explicitly include geometric models of the epiphyseal growth plates (2 mm in thickness) within the left/right, distal/proximal ends of the humeri, radii, ulnae, femora, tibia, and fibulae. Bone mineral activity from the ICRP Publication 128 biokinetic model for 99mTc-MDP (ICRP 2015) was then partitioned to the growth plates at values of 0.5%, 4.4%, 8.3%, 12.2%, 16.1%, andte self-dose. Increases (to 3 mm) and decreases (to 1 mm) in the assumed growth plate thickness of our models were shown to impact only the growth plate self-dose. Future work in differential quantification of 99mTc-MDP activity-growth plates versus other bone surfaces-is required to provide clinically realistic data on activity partitioning as a function of patient age, and perhaps skeletal site. The phantom series presented here may be used to develop more optimized age-related guidance on 99mTc-MDP administered activities to children.Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) is one of the most accurate computation methods for dose calculation and image formation in radiation therapy. However, the high computational complexity and long execution time of MCS limits its broad use. In this paper, we present a novel strategy to accelerate MCS using a graphic processing unit (GPU), and we demonstrate the application in mega-voltage (MV) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) simulation. A new framework that generates a series of MV projections from a single simulation run is designed specifically for MV-CBCT acquisition. A Geant4-based GPU code for photon simulation is incorporated into the framework for the simulation of photon transport through a phantom volume. The FastEPID method, which accelerates the simulation of MV images, is modified and integrated into the framework. The proposed GPU-based simulation strategy was tested for its accuracy and efficiency in a Catphan 604 phantom and an anthropomorphic pelvis phantom with beam energies at 2.5 MV, 6 MV, and 6 MV FFF. In all cases, the proposed GPU-based simulation demonstrated great simulation accuracy and excellent agreement with measurement and CPU-based simulation in terms of reconstructed image qualities. The MV-CBCT simulation was accelerated by factors of roughly 900-2300 using an NVIDIA Tesla V100 GPU card against a 2.5 GHz AMD Opteron™ Processor 6380.In this work, novel graphitic sheets with ripple-like folds (GSRFs) are synthesized from cheap resin via a facile route. The obtained GSRFs are used as a cladding layer for LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA) particles to construct a GSRF@NCA composite cathode. Electrochemical testing for GSFR@NCA exhibits better cycling and C-rate performance than those of original NCA. Moreover, the capacity retention (85%) of the full-cell (GSFR@NCA versus graphite) is much higher than that (79%) of the full-cell (NCA versus graphite) after 400 cycles. Most importantly, this approach allows the preparation of GSFR@NCA with highly promising applications as a cathode for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries, since in this contribution just simple equipment and a precursor with low cost are involved.Detection of bacterial pathogens is the need of the hour due to the increase in antibiotic resistance and the infusion of multi-drug-resistant parasites. The conventional strategies such as ELISA, PCR, and MNP based tests for the detection are efficient but they are cost, time, lab, and manpower intensive. Thus, warranting a simple and effective technique for rapid detection of bacterial pathogens. Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) have proved to be better alternatives for separation of bacterial pathogens from a variety of sample sources. However, the use of magnetic NPs has not been successful in the detection of these parasites. The current work involves the coating of magnetic NPs (Fe3O4) with a conducting polymer (polypyrrole; Ppy) to facilitate simultaneous separation and detection. Electrical (conductivity) measurement was the mode of choice due to the sensitivity, accuracy, and ease it offers. To enhance the conductivity, carboxylic groups were expressed on the Fe3O4@Ppy complex and to ensure specificity, E. coli specific antibodies were conjugated. The resulting complex at various process parameters was characterized using FTIR, VSM, and SEM. SEM images were recorded to ensure bacterial separation at optimal process parameters. The impedance analysis and conductivity measurements were carried out for the sample volume of 15 μl. The bacterial suspension from 101-106 CFU ml-1 was successfully detected with a limit of detection of 10 CFU ml-1 within 10 min using a simplistic detection method.In this work, rapid chemical precipitation assisted annealing method is used to prepare flower-like NiCo2S4. And the flower-like structure after polyethylene glycol (PEG) modification yields an excellent specific capacitance (2198.9 F g-1 at 1 A g-1). https://www.selleckchem.com/products/abt-199.html And an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with NiCo2S4 (PEG-modified) and activated carbon (AC) shows an energy density of 38.2 Wh kg-1 at 400 W kg-1, and outstanding stability (80% remained after 3000 cycles at 5 A g-1). Benefited by a larger specific surface area and suitable pore size of the aggregate structure, the specific capacitance of prepared NiCo2S4 is increased by about 2 times. This uncomplicated preparation method is proved to be suitable for NiCo2S4 with a high specific capacitance of supercapacitors.Organo-lead halide perovskite materials have opened up a great opportunity to develop high performance photodetectors because of their superior optoelectronic properties. The main issue with perovskite-only photodetector is severe carrier recombination. Integration of perovskite with high-conductive materials such as graphene or transition metal sulfides certainly improved the photoresponsivity. However, achieving high overall performance remains a challenge. Here, an improved photodetector is constructed by perovskite quantum dots (QDs) and atomic layer deposited ultrathin TiO2 films. The designed CH3NH3PbBr3 QD/TiO2 bilayer device displays inclusive performance with on/off ratio of 6.3 × 102, responsivity of 85 A W-1, and rise/decay time of 0.09/0.11 s. Furthermore, we demonstrate that interface plays a crucial role in determining the device current and enhance the overall performance of heterostructure photodetector through interface engineering. We believe that this work can provide a strategy to accelerate development of high-performance solution-processed perovskite photodetectors.