Accurate identification of individuals with subjective cognitive decline using 3D regional fractal dimensions on structural magnetic resonance imaging.

Background And Objective: Accurate identification of individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is crucial for early intervention and prevention of neurodegenerative diseases. Fractal dimensionality (FD) has emerged as a robust and replicable measure, surpassing traditional geometric metrics, in characterizing the intricate fractal geometrical properties of brain structure. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of FD in identifying individuals with SCD remains largely unclear.

Capturing the Individual Deviations From Normative Models of Brain Structure for Depression Diagnosis and Treatment.

Background: The high heterogeneity of depression prevents us from obtaining reproducible and definite anatomical maps of brain structural changes associated with the disorder, which limits the individualized diagnosis and treatment of patients. In this study, we investigated the clinical issues related to depression according to individual deviations from normative ranges of gray matter volume.

Methods: We enrolled 1092 participants, including 187 patients with depression and 905 healthy control participants.

Graph analysis of diffusion tensor imaging-based connectome in young men with internet gaming disorder.

Although recent evidence suggests that dysfunctional brain organization is associated with internet gaming disorder (IGD), the neuroanatomical alterations related to IGD remain unclear. In this diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study, we aimed to examine alterations in white matter (WM) structural connectomes and their association with IGD characteristics in 47 young men with IGD and in 34 well-matched healthy controls. Two approaches [namely, network-based statistics (NBS) and graph theoretical measures] were applied to assess differences in the specific topological features of the networks and to identify the potential changes in the topological properties, respectively.

Decreased Resting-State Functional Complexity in Elderly with Subjective Cognitive Decline.

Individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) are at high risk of developing preclinical or clinical state of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging, which can indirectly reflect neuron activities by measuring the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals, is promising in the early detection of SCD. This study aimed to explore whether the nonlinear complexity of BOLD signals can describe the subtle differences between SCD and normal aging, and uncover the underlying neuropsychological implications of these differences.

Individual Discriminative Ability of Resting Functional Brain Connectivity is Susceptible to the Time Span of MRI Scans.

Recent studies have suggested that resting-state brain functional connectivity (RSFC) has the potential to discriminate among individuals in a population. These studies mostly utilized a pattern of RSFC obtained from one scan to identify a given individual from the set of patterns obtained from the second scan. However, it remains unclear whether the discriminative ability would change with the extension of the time span between the two brain scans.

Predicting Treatment Selections for Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder According to Functional Connectivity Subgroups.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disease. Currently, patients' treatment choices depend on their clinical symptoms observed by clinicians, which are subjective. Rich evidence suggests that different functional networks' dysfunctions correspond to different intervention preferences.

Solid peroxides in Fenton-like reactions at near neutral pHs: Superior performance of MgO on the accelerated reduction of ferric species.

Fenton-like reactions at near neutral pHs are limited by the slow reduction of ferric species. Enhancing generation of from solid peroxides is a promising strategy to accelerate the rate-limiting step. Herein, the HO release and Fenton-like reactions of four solid peroxides, MgO, CaO, ZnO and urea hydrogen peroxide (UHP), were investigated.

Investigation on the Alteration of Brain Functional Network and Its Role in the Identification of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is generally regarded as a prodromal stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In coping with the challenges caused by AD, we analyzed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 82 MCI subjects and 93 normal controls (NCs). The alteration of brain functional network in MCI was investigated on three scales, including global metrics, nodal characteristics, and modular properties.

Coupled use of Fe-impregnated biochar and urea-hydrogen peroxide to simultaneously reduce soil-air emissions of fumigant and improve crop growth.

Reducing the emissions of soil fumigants such as 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) is essential to protecting air quality. Although biochar is useful in reducing such emissions, biochar-adsorbed fumigants may desorb and cause secondary air pollution. This study investigated the degradation of 1,3-D on iron (Fe)-impregnated biochar (FBC) amended with urea-hydrogen peroxide (UHP).

The role of soil organic matters and minerals on hydrogen peroxide decomposition in the soil.

Application of HO in in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) for soil remediation has been limited by its rapid decomposition. However, effect of main factors involving in this phenomenon are not well understood. In this contribution, HO decomposition in the six types of natural soils was investigated by kinetic analyses and soil characterizations.

Abnormal topology of brain functional networks in unipolar depression and bipolar disorder using optimal graph thresholding.

Two popular debilitating illness, unipolar depression (UD) and bipolar disorder (BD), have the similar symptoms and tight association on the psychopathological level, leading to a clinical challenge to distinguish them. In order to figure out the underlying common and different mechanism of both mood disorders, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data derived from 36 UD patients, 42 BD patients (specially type I, BD-I) and 45 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed retrospectively in this study. Functional brain networks were firstly constructed on both group and individual levels with a density 0.

Cow manure-derived biochar: Its catalytic properties and influential factors.

The conversion of waste biomass into biochar is considered as a waste disposal alternative, especially because biochar is a low-cost adsorbent for soil contaminants. However, a risk of desorption of contaminants from biochar may lead to secondary pollution. This study investigated the degradation behavior of soil fumigant, 1,3-dichloropropne (1,3-D), on cow manure-derived biochar (CMB) pyrolyzed at five different temperatures from 300 to 700 °C (termed as C-300 to C-700).

The Shared and Distinct White Matter Networks Between Drug-Naive Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Schizophrenia.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia (SZ) as two severe mental disorders share many clinical symptoms, and have a tight association on the psychopathological level. However, the neurobiological substrates between these two diseases remain unclear. To the best of our knowledge, no study has directly compared OCD with SZ from the perspective of white matter (WM) networks.

Rehabilitative compensatory mechanism of hierarchical subnetworks in major depressive disorder: A longitudinal study across multi-sites.

Background: Brain structural connectome comprise of a minority of efficiently interconnected rich club nodes that are regarded as 'high-order regions'. The remission of major depressive disorder (MDD) in response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment could be investigated by the hierarchical structural connectomes' alterations of subnetworks.

Methods: Fifty-five MDD patients who achieved remission underwent diffusion tensors imaging (DTI) scanning from 3 cohorts before and after 8-weeks antidepressant treatment.

Synthesis of a stable magnesium-impregnated biochar and its reduction of phosphorus leaching from soil.

Biochar improves soil fertility and promotes long-term terrestrial carbon sequestration. However, biochar seems not to be stable enough due to physical, chemical and biological reactions. In this study, a novel, stable, and magnesium (Mg)-impregnated biochar was prepared from cow dung and applied to decrease P leaching from soil.

Reconfiguration of hub-level community structure in depressions: A follow-up study via diffusion tensor imaging.

Background: The role of abnormal communications among large-scale brain networks have been given increasing attentions in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, few studies have investigated the effect of antidepressant medication treatment on the information communication of structural brain networks, especially converged from the individual analysis.

Methods: Nineteen unipolar MDD patients completed two diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans before and after 8-week treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.

Abnormal dynamic community structure of the salience network in depression.

Purpose: To detect the consecutive variations of the internetwork interactions over time, which helps to discover the underlying dysfunction of depressive disorders. Abnormal interactions of resting-state functional networks have been reported in depression. However, little is known regarding the dynamics of how these crucial networks interact and the disease-related dysfunction.

Catalytic degradation of the soil fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene in aqueous biochar slurry.

Biochar has been explored as a cost-effective sorbent of contaminants, such as soil fumigant. However, contaminant-loaded biochar probably becomes a source of secondary air pollution. In this study, biochars developed from cow manure and rice husk at 300°C or 700°C were used to investigate the catalytic degradation of the soil fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) in aqueous biochar slurry.

Aberrant Global and Regional Topological Organization of the Fractional Anisotropy-weighted Brain Structural Networks in Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Most previous neuroimaging studies have focused on the structural and functional abnormalities of local brain regions in major depressive disorder (MDD). Moreover, the exactly topological organization of networks underlying MDD remains unclear. This study examined the aberrant global and regional topological patterns of the brain white matter networks in MDD patients.

Dynamic functional-structural coupling within acute functional state change phases: Evidence from a depression recognition study.

Background: Dynamic functional-structural connectivity (FC-SC) coupling might reflect the flexibility by which SC relates to functional connectivity (FC). However, during the dynamic acute state change phases of FC, the relationship between FC and SC may be distinctive and embody the abnormality inherent in depression. This study investigated the depression-related inter-network FC-SC coupling within particular dynamic acute state change phases of FC.

Abnormal inter- and intra-hemispheric integration in male paranoid schizophrenia: a graph-theoretical analysis.

Background: The human brain is a complex network of regions that are structurally interconnected by white matter (WM) tracts. Schizophrenia (SZ) can be conceptualized as a disconnection syndrome characterized by widespread disconnections in WM pathways.

Aims: To assess whether or not anatomical disconnections are associated with disruption of the topological properties of inter- and intra-hemispheric networks in SZ.

Altered anatomical patterns of depression in relation to antidepressant treatment: Evidence from a pattern recognition analysis on the topological organization of brain networks.

Background: Accumulated evidence has illuminated the topological infrastructure of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the changes of topological properties of anatomical brain networks in remitted major depressive disorder patients (rMDD) remain an open question. The present study provides an exploratory examination of pattern changes among current major depressive disorder patients (cMDD), rMDD patients and healthy controls (HC) by means of a pattern recognition analysis.

Association of resting-state network dysfunction with their dynamics of inter-network interactions in depression.

Background: Network-level brain analysis on resting state has demonstrated that depression is not only associated with intra-network dysfunction, but relates to the disturbed interplay between the networks. However, the underlying associations between the intra-network dysfunction and the disturbed inter-network interactions remain unexplored. This study was aimed to explore the association of resting-state networks dysfunction with their dynamics of inter-network interactions in depression.