Ce-doping induces rapid electron transfer in a bimetallic phosphide heterostructure to achieve efficient hydrogen production.

Using electrochemical water splitting to generate hydrogen is considered a desirable approach, which is greatly impeded by the sluggish dissociation of H2O and adsorption and desorption of H*. Effective hydrogen production can be achieved by speeding up the chemical process with a suitable electrocatalyst. In this work, we designed and synthesized a rare earth element cerium (Ce) regulated iron-nickel bimetallic phosphide Ce-NiFeP@NF (here NiFeP represents Fe2P/NiP2) nanoarray with nanoflowers. For the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), Ce-NiFeP@NF only needs an overpotential of 106 mV to provide a current density of 10 mA cm-2, compared to NiFeP@NF (175 mV@10 mA cm-2). This self-supported electrocatalyst Ce-NiFeP@NF with a composite morphology exhibits excellent performance in the HER. Specifically, the introduction of Ce promotes the electron transfer process at the Fe2P/NiP2 heterojunction interface and the Ce-NiFeP@NF nanocomposite structure with nanoflowers has a larger electrochemically active specific surface area, which is more conducive to improving the intrinsic catalytic activity. Also, a dual-electrode alkaline electrolytic cell (Ce-NiFeP@NF functions as both the anode and the cathode) operates with a cell voltage of only 1.56 V to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2. The synergistic effect of rare earth element doping and heterojunction engineering can improve the morphology of intrinsic catalysts to achieve more efficient electrochemical water splitting for hydrogen production.

Home-Based Versus Laboratory-Based Robotic Ankle Training for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Randomized Comparative Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the outcomes of home-based robot-guided therapy and compare it to laboratory-based robot-guided therapy for the treatment of impaired ankles in children with cerebral palsy. DESIGN: A randomized comparative trial design comparing a home-based training group and a laboratory-based training group. SETTING: Home versus laboratory within a research hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Children (N=41) with cerebral palsy who were at Gross Motor Function Classification System level I, II, or III were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Children in home-based and laboratory-based groups were 8.7±2.8 (n=23) and 10.7±6.0 (n=18) years old, respectively. INTERVENTIONS: Six-week combined passive stretching and active movement intervention of impaired ankle in a laboratory or home environment using a portable rehabilitation robot. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Active dorsiflexion range of motion (as the primary outcome), mobility (6-minute walk test and timed Up and Go test), balance (Pediatric Balance Scale), Selective Motor Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity, Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) for spasticity, passive range of motion (PROM), strength, and joint stiffness. RESULTS: Significant improvements were found for the home-based group in all biomechanical outcome measures except for PROM and all clinical outcome measures except the MAS. The laboratory-based group also showed significant improvements in all the biomechanical outcome measures and all clinical outcome measures except the MAS. There were no significant differences in the outcome measures between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the translation of repetitive, goal-directed, biofeedback training through motivating games from the laboratory to the home environment is feasible. The benefits of home-based robot-guided therapy were similar to those of laboratory-based robot-guided therapy.

Long-term effects of continuous theta-burst stimulation in visuospatial neglect.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the efficacy of continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) for improving visuospatial neglect can be enhanced by providing more days of stimulation and more stimulation trains per day. METHODS: In a prospective study, right-handed patients with right hemisphere stroke and visuospatial neglect were randomized to cTBS or sham cTBS treatment for 2 weeks and were followed up for 4 weeks. The cTBS group received active cTBS over the posterior parietal cortex of the unaffected hemisphere, combined with conventional rehabilitation therapy. Changes in scores for two paper-pencil tests for visuospatial neglect (star cancellation and line bisection) were evaluated. RESULTS: In each group, 10 patients completed follow up. Compared with the sham group, star cancellation test scores in the cTBS group were improved by 37.03% at the end of treatment and by 47.21% after 4 weeks' follow up, and the line bisection score improved by 21.37% at the end of treatment and by 35.99% after 4 weeks' follow up. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the efficacy of cTBS in visuospatial neglect can be enhanced and prolonged by increasing the days of stimulation and the number of stimulation trains per day over the left posterior parietal cortex.

Impact of ventriculoperitoneal shunting on chronic normal pressure hydrocephalus in consciousness rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the impact of ventriculoperitoneal shunting during clinical rehabilitation of chronic normal pressure hydrocephalus patients with disorders of consciousness following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients with disorders of consciousness following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage who had undergone ventriculoperitoneal shunting for chronic normal pressure hydrocephalus were compared with 16 matched controls with no ventriculoperitoneal shunting. Data from clinical examinations, rehabilitation assessments and computed tomography scans (to exclude other diseases that can cause ventricular enlargement) were analysed. All the patients with disorders of consciousness underwent neurorehabilitation. Consciousness was measured on the Glasgow Coma Scale. The cella media index was calculated as the change in size of the lateral ventricles (prior to ventriculoperitoneal shunting and/or rehabilitation, and 1 and 3 months after shunting and/or rehabilitation). The short-term outcome of treatment was assessed at 3 months using the Glasgow Outcome Scale. RESULTS: Twenty-four out of 35 patients with disorders of consciousness recovered gradually after ventriculoperitoneal shunting and rehabilitation. There was a significant difference in the Glasgow Coma Scale between ventriculoperitoneal shunting and control groups at both 1 and 3 months (F = 19.29, p < 0.01). Significant differences were also observed between the 2 groups in the cella media index at 1 and 3 months (F = 15.03, p < 0.01). The Glasgow Outcome Scale of the ventriculoperitoneal shunting group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.01, r = 0.55) 3 months after shunting and/or rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: Chronic normal pressure hydrocephalus during rehabilitation is a serious and previously unrecognized medical condition, which influences consciousness in patients following an aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. However, the condition can be treated by ventriculoperitoneal shunting, which helps some patients with disorders of consciousness to regain consciousness.

Study on the occurrence and neural bases of hemispatial neglect with different reference frames.

OBJECTIVES: To study the distributions and the neural correlates of left hemispatial neglect with different reference frames. DESIGN: Data were collected from patients with right brain injury who participated in a case series. SETTING: Hospital departments of rehabilitation and neurology. PARTICIPANTS: Right brain-damaged patients (N=110). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The frequency of left hemispatial neglect with different reference frames was investigated, and the respective brain lesions were displayed and analyzed. RESULTS: Not all subjects finished predesigned neglect tests because of their condition: 8 of the 55 neglect patients were unable to complete the test for classification. Thirty (63.83%) of 47 subjects with neglect displayed both allocentric and egocentric neglect, while 17 subjects showed pure egocentric neglect. The lesions in the inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus (STG), middle temporal gyrus (MTG), insula, and surrounding white matters were more frequent in the neglect group than in the control group. Compared with the egocentric neglect group, the lesions in the right STG, MTG, lenticular nucleus, and the surrounding white matter were damaged more frequently in the group displaying both allocentric and egocentric neglect. CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the subjects with left neglect after right brain injury have both egocentric and allocentric neglect. The right inferior frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, STG, MTG, insula, and the surrounding white matter are associated with left hemispatial neglect. Left allocentric neglect is associated with the right STG, MTG, and lenticular nucleus.

Application of nonlinear dynamics analysis in assessing unconsciousness: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the degree of unconsciousness with EEG nonlinear analysis and investigate the change of EEG nonlinear properties under different conditions. METHODS: Twenty-one subjects in persistent vegetative state (PVS), 16 in minimally conscious state (MCS) and 30 normal conscious subjects (control group) with brain trauma or stroke were involved in the study. EEG was recorded under three conditions: eyes closed, auditory stimuli and painful stimuli. EEG nonlinear indices such as Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC), approximate entropy (ApEn) and cross-approximate entropy (cross-ApEn) were calculated for all the subjects. RESULTS: The PVS subjects had the lowest nonlinear indices followed by the MCS subjects and the control group had the highest. The PVS and MCS group had poorer response to auditory and painful stimuli than the control group. Under painful stimuli, nonlinear indices of subjects who recovered (REC) increased more significantly than non-REC subjects. CONCLUSIONS: With EEG nonlinear analysis, the degree of suppression for PVS and MCS could be quantified. The changes of brain function for unconscious subjects could be captured by EEG nonlinear analysis. SIGNIFICANCE: EEG nonlinear analysis could characterise the changes of brain function for unconscious state and might have some value in predicting prognosis of unconscious subjects.

Low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation for visual spatial neglect: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on patients with visual spatial neglect and to explore the potential mechanisms of visual spatial neglect. METHODS: A total of 14 patients with prior stroke and visual spatial neglect were divided into a control group and a treatment group. The treatment group was exposed to low-frequency, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for 2 weeks, twice a day, for 15 min per session. Stimuli were delivered at 0.5 Hz to the left posterior parietal cortex (i.e. position P3 according to 10-20 electroencephalogram co-ordinate systems). All patients performed a battery of tasks, including line bisection and line cancellation tests, 2 weeks before treatment, at the beginning, at the end, and 2 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: Following low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, the performance of the patients in the treatment group improved significantly. The behaviour assessment data changed with time; at time-points 2 and 3 the comparison test showed a significant difference in line cancellation and line bisection results (p = 0.003 and p = 0.027, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the unimpaired hemisphere might improve visual spatial neglect after stroke and points to the need for further studies. The results support the theory of inter-hemispheric competition in the attentional network.

[Aging study of event-related potential on visual spatial attention precued by Chinese words].

OBJECTIVE: Based on the visual experimental paradigm "precue-target", the search range should be affected by different Chinese characters and the dynamic mechanisms of aging in the brain on the visual attention were investigated. METHOD: 16 young and 16 old subjects participated the experiment. Cue was comprised of three Chinese words "Large", or "Median" or "Small." The letter "T" was designed as the target stimulus. When the cue was the "large", "T" may appear within 3 circles. When the cue was the "median", "T" may appear within either the median and small circles. When the cue was small, the target "T" may appear only within the small circle. RESULT: The reaction time (RT) of the two groups of subjects became quick with the reduction of the cue size, while amplitudes of the P1 and N1 component of ERPs increased with the decrease of the cue scale. Old subjects showed longer RT than younger subjects did. The posterior P1 was enhanced significantly and the N1 was inhibited obviously in the old group. The P2 was manifested as significantly inhibitory effect not only in the amplitude but also in the abnormal and unstable waveform. CONCLUSION: The cognitive function of elderly subjects declined in the task of visual spatial attention. We demonstrated for the first time that the P2 was manifested as significantly inhibitory effect, which suggested that the age-related reduction could lead to dysfunction in the anterior scalp to visual spatial attention (voluntary attention).