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Background: Diagnosing knee osteoarthritis (KOA) often relies on limited routine methods. This study investigates the efficacy of T2 mapping and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) values in MRI for enhanced assessment of cartilage damage in KOA, focusing on their correlation with pain severity. Materials and Methods: A total of 52 KOA patients (74 knee joints) and 50 healthy individuals (100 knee joints) were assessed from May 2022 to June 2023. Both groups underwent MRI with Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) sequence and T2 mapping to analyze ADC and T2 mapping values across femoral condyle, tibial plateau, and patellar joint surfaces, and their correlation with pain levels. Results: The KOA group showed significantly higher ADC and T2 mapping values in all examined areas compared to the control group (P<0.05). These values were also higher in advanced stages of cartilage degeneration and correlated positively with increased pain scores (P<0.05). Conclusion: MRI utilizing DWI and T2 mapping provides a quantitative reflection of knee joint cartilage degeneration in KOA. These methods show a positive correlation with pain severity, suggesting their potential for more accurate KOA diagnostics and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Al0.30Ga0.70N/GaN heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates by rf-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy are investigated. The heterostructures consist of a 20 nm Al0.30Ga0.70N barrier layer deposited on a 2 μm semi-insulating GaN epilayer. Room-temperature mobilities averaging 1350 cm2/V s and a sheet charge density of 1.1×1013 cm-2 are consistently achieved. Central to our approach is the iron-doped semi-insulating GaN epilayer and a pulsed N/Ga atomic deposition technique which makes it possible to simultaneously reduce threading dislocations and achieve a smooth surface. The heterostructures were examined by x-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Structural characterizations reveal a smooth surface morphology, coherent and sharp interfaces, and a low density of the threading dislocations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO/SrTiO3 core/shell nanorod arrays were fabricated by a facile two-step method. ZnO nanorod arrays were first hydrothermally grown on Si substrate. Then, using liquid phase deposition method, SrTiO3 were deposited onto the ZnO nanorods to form core/shell nanorod structures. The morphologies and structures of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The photocatalytic behavior of the nanorod arrays was also examined through the photodegradation of methylene blue solution under UV irradiation. It was found that the core/shell nanorod arrays with deposition time of 10 min showed higher photocatalytic activity than bare ZnO nanorod arrays. This enhancement was attributed to the efficient charge separation at the ZnO/SrTiO3 interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]