Orthostatic blood pressure changes do not influence cognitive outcomes following intensive blood pressure control.

BACKGROUND: Effects of intensive blood pressure (BP) control on cognitive outcomes in patients with excess orthostatic BP changes are unclear. We aimed to evaluate whether orthostatic BP changes modified the effects of BP intervention on cognitive impairment. METHODS: We analyzed 8547 participants from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial Memory and cognition IN Decreased Hypertension. Associations between orthostatic BP changes and incident cognitive outcomes were evaluated by restricted cubic spline curves based on Cox models. The interactions between orthostatic BP changes and intensive BP intervention were assessed. RESULTS: The U-shaped associations were observed between baseline orthostatic systolic BP changes and cognitive outcomes. However, there were insignificant interactions between either change in orthostatic systolic BP (P for interaction = 0.81) or diastolic BP (P for interaction = 0.32) and intensive BP intervention for the composite outcome of probable dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The hazard ratio of intensive versus standard target for the composite cognitive outcome was 0.82 (95% CI 0.50-1.35) in those with an orthostatic systolic BP reduction of >20 mmHg and 0.41 (95% CI 0.21-0.80) in those with an orthostatic systolic BP increase of >20 mmHg. Results were similar for probable dementia and MCI. The annual changes in global cerebral blood flow (P for interaction = 0.86) consistently favored intensive BP treatment across orthostatic systolic BP changes. CONCLUSION: Intensive BP control did not have a deteriorating effect on cognitive outcomes among hypertensive patients experiencing significant postural BP changes.

Cel-CS1K: A Celastrol-Chitosan Conjugate for Treating Diet-Induced Obesity.

Celastrol (Cel), extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook, is a potential antiobesity drug, except for its adverse reactions in clinic. In the present study, we synthesized a promising celastrol-chitosan conjugate (Cel-CS1K) and evaluated its antiobesity effect and biological safety in diet-induced obese mice. Cel-CS1K showed higher drug loading (over 10 wt %), good solubility (18-19 mg/mL) in water, slower peak time (Tmax = 4 h), and clearance (T1/2 = 8.97 h) in rats. Cel-CS1K effectively attenuated the cytotoxicity, celastrol-induced apoptosis, and fat accumulation of hepatocytes. Cel-CS1K reduced body weight and dietary amount same as the free Cel but with lower toxicity in blood, liver, and testis. Cel-CS1K improved the glucose homeostasis, HDL-C level, insulin sensitivity, and leptin sensitivity, while it significantly reduced the gene expression levels of LDL-C, TG, and TC in obese mice. Furthermore, the adipose-related gene expression levels provided evidence in support of a role for Cel-CS1K in losing weight by the multimode regulation. Overall, Cel-CS1K provides a translatable therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diet-induced obese humans.

The Potential Value of Paraspinal Nerve Block (PVB) in Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL) Compared with General Anesthesia and Epidural Anesthesia.

Objective: To analyze the potential value of paraspinal nerve block (PVB) in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and to compare it with general anesthesia and epidural anesthesia. Methods: 120 patients undergoing PCNL surgery in Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital from January 2021 to June 2022 were selected and divided into PVB anesthesia group, general anesthesia group, and epidural anesthesia group according to different anesthesia methods, with 40 cases in each group. The anesthesia index (anesthesia operation time, anesthetic effect time, anesthesia time), the vital signs (heart rate, mean arterial pressure), postoperative pain [visual analog scale (VAS)], stress response index (cortisol and noradrenaline), the incidence of adverse reactions (nausea and vomiting, lethargy, dizziness, skin itching, bradycardia) were compared among the three groups. Results: The operation time of the anesthesia in the PVB anesthesia group was 5.72±1.25, which was significantly lower than that in the the general (7.95±1.15) and epidural anesthesia groups(8.23±1.43), and the differences were statistically significant (P = .000). The time of onset of anesthesia in the PVB anesthesia group was 6.63±1.87, which was significantly lower than that in the the general (9.84±2.41) and epidural anesthesia groups(10.14±2.89), and the differences were statistically significant (P = .000).The heart rate during percutaneous puncture and intraoperative lithotripsy in the PVB anesthesia group was statistically lower than in the general and epidural anesthesia groups (P < .05). The mean arterial pressure 20 minutes after anesthesia and at the end of operation in the PVB anesthesia group was higher than that in the general anesthesia group, and the mean arterial pressure during percutaneous puncture and intraoperative lithotomy was lower than that in the general anesthesia group (P < .05). The VAS scores of the PVB anesthesia group at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after the operation were lower than those of general and epidural anesthesia groups (P < .05). The incidence of adverse reactions was 5.00% (2/40) in the PVB anesthesia group and 35.00% (14/40) in the general anesthesia group, which was lower than that of 27.50% (11/40) in the epidural anesthesia group. (P < .05). Conclusion: The potential value of PVB in PCNL is high is better than that of general anesthesia and epidural anesthesia, anesthesia can shorten operation time and work time, extend the time of anesthesia to maintain, and be helpful to the intraoperative vital signs in patients with stable, mild postoperative pain and stress, low incidence of adverse reactions, efficacy and safety are good, can be introduced.

Multiscale Relaxation Behavior of Amorphous Plasticized Poly(vinyl butyral).

As a key component in laminated glass, plasticized polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer is a kind of impact-resistant polymer material with high toughness. Recently, by using ultrasmall angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) technique, Stretch-induced phase-separated structure on the scale of hundreds of nanometers formed in plasticized PVB for the first time is reported. In this work, the multiscale relaxation behavior of plasticized PVB is further investigated. The relaxation behavior of deformed plasticized PVB is studied from macroscopic stress, mesoscopic phase-separated structure, and microscopic chain segment by combining USAXS, and birefringence with in situ stretching device. The contributions of chain segments and hydrogen bonding clusters for the multiscale relaxation behavior are discussed.

The spatial distribution characteristics of the biomass residual potential in China.

Biomass energy as a kind of renewable energy would be one of the industry's future development direction. As a high energy consumption country, China is urgent need of developing the renewable energy. Understanding the distribution and components of biomass could be beneficial to guide the utilizing technologies and investment strategy of biomass residual. The comprehensive statistical methods were applied to calculate the potential biomass residual of each provinces in China. The results show that (1) Nationwide, the residues biomass of agricultural, forest, and urban waste accounted for 64.16%, 10.88%, and 24.96% of total biomass residual, respectively. The intensity of agricultural, forest, and urban waste biomass residual were 1.89, 0.32, and 0.74 PJ per km2 year, respectively. (2) The agricultural biomass residual in eastern China was more abundant than that in western China. The straw residues, agricultural processing residues, livestock manure and pruning residues from permanent orchard respectively shared 32.24%, 10.62%, 56.0%, and 1.13%. (3) The stem wood with its intensity 0.29 PJ per km2 year was major contributor of forest biomass residual (with its intensity 0.32 PJ per km2 year). The forest biomass residual in northern and southern China was larger than that in eastern and western China, but the intensity of forest biomass residual in southern China was larger than that in the other provinces. (4) The intensity of forest biomass was 0.74 PJ per km2 year, which was mainly contributed by urban greenery management outside forests (0.736 PJ per km2). The intensity of urban biomass residual in eastern and southern China was usually larger than that in northern and western China.

Tripartite Motif-Containing Protein 11 Reverses Paclitaxel Resistance in Prostate Cancer Drug-Resistant Cells by Mediating Family with Sequence Similarity 46B Expression.

Tripartite motif-containing protein 11 (TRIM11) and family with sequence similarity 46B (FAM46B) have been demonstrated to play roles in prostate cancer development, but their function in paclitaxel resistance remains unclear. The role of TRIM11 and FAM46B in paclitaxel resistance in prostate cancer was estimated. The paclitaxel-resistant cells were established with gradually increasing concentrations of paclitaxel in prostate cancer cells. The sensitivity to paclitaxel of established cells was assessed by the value of the median inhibitory concentration in the presence of 0-1000 nM paclitaxel. The expression level of TRIM11 and FAM46B was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The proliferation, migration, and invasion of established cells were evaluated by CCK8 and Tran-swell assay. TRIM11 was upregulated in paclitaxel-resistant cells and promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of established cells. The significant downregulation of FAM46B was observed in paclitaxel-resistant cells. Although the overexpression of FAM46B suppressed the viability and metastasis of paclitaxel-resistant cells, which was reversed by the upregulation of TRIM11. Both the knockdown of TRIM11 and overexpression of FAM46B could enhance paclitaxel sensitivity of established resistant cells. The promoted effect of FAM46B overexpression was alleviated by the elevation of TRIM11. TRIM11 could improve the sensitivity to paclitaxel of resistant prostate cancer cells via regulating FAM46B.

Automatic target recognition based on receiver optimization of photonic time-stretched coherent radar.

We demonstrate an automatic target recognition (ATR) scheme based on an improved photonic time-stretched coherent radar (PTS-CR). The reception apertures of the PTS-CR can cover the entire detection range by receiving the echo signal with high repetition rate pulses and increasing the amount of dispersion of the first dispersive medium in the receiver. Two channels with different stretching factors are simultaneously used to restore the signal delay information. Simulated and experimental results verify the feasibility of the new scheme. Finally, based on the improved receiving scheme, PTS-CR successfully performed ATR on four different targets placed on a rotating stage. Combining this with the training of the convolutional neural network (CNN), the recognition accuracy rate is 94.375%.

High-performance Ti-doped ZnS thin film anode for lithium-ion batteries.

Thin film microbattery is urgently needed to provide a long-term stable on-chip power for various kinds of microdevices or microsystems. Anode is a core component in thin film lithium ion microbattery, however, previous researches mostly focused on metal oxide or Si-based thin film anodes, and the reports of metal sulfide thin film anodes are limited. Herein, we present a new type of Ti-doped ZnS thin film fabricated by radio frequency (RF) magnetron co-sputtering. The Ti doping is designed to enhance the overall electrical conductivity of the ZnS thin film, since the insulation of ZnS is one of the major barriers to deliver its lithium storage performance. As an anode applied in lithium ion battery, the Ti-doped ZnS thin film exhibits good cycling stability up to 500 cycles at a current density of 1.0 A·g-1, and remains a higher specific capacity of 463.1 mAh·g-1than that of the pure ZnS thin film, showing its better electrochemical reaction reversibility. The rate capability and EIS measurements manifest the more favorable electrochemical reaction kinetics of the Ti-doped ZnS thin film, moreover, the CV tests at various scan rates indicate the improved Li+diffusion kinetics in the electrode after Ti doping.

Astroglial N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 protects the brain from cerebral edema induced by stroke.

Brain edema is a grave complication of brain ischemia and is the main cause of herniation and death. Although astrocytic swelling is the main contributor to cytotoxic edema, the molecular mechanism involved in this process remains elusive. N-myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2), a well-studied tumor suppressor gene, is mainly expressed in astrocytes in mammalian brains. Here, we found that NDRG2 deficiency leads to worsened cerebral edema, imbalanced Na+ transfer, and astrocyte swelling after ischemia. We also found that NDRG2 deletion in astrocytes dramatically changed the expression and distribution of aquaporin-4 and Na+ -K+ -ATPase ß1, which are strongly associated with cell polarity, in the ischemic brain. Brain edema and astrocyte swelling were significantly alleviated by rescuing the expression of astrocytic Na+ -K+ -ATPase ß1 in NDRG2-knockout mouse brains. In addition, the upregulation of astrocytic NDRG2 by lentiviral constructs notably attenuated brain edema, astrocytic swelling, and blood-brain barrier destruction. Our results indicate a particular role of NDRG2 in maintaining astrocytic polarization to facilitate Na+ and water transfer balance and to protect the brain from ischemic edema. These findings provide insight into NDRG2 as a therapeutic target in cerebral edema.

Age-dependent cross frequency coupling features from children to adults during general anesthesia.

BACKGROUND: The frequency coupling characteristics in electroencephalogram (EEG) induced by anesthetics have been well studied in adults, but the investigation of the age-dependent cross frequency coupling features from children to adults is still lacking. METHODS: We analyzed EEG signals recorded from pediatric to adult patients (n = 131), separated into six age groups: <1 year (n = 15), 1-3 years (n = 23), 3-6 years (n = 19), 6-12 years (n = 18), 12-18 years (n = 16), and 18-45 years (n = 40). Age related EEG power and cross frequency coupling analysis (phase amplitude coupling (PAC) and quadratic phase coupling) of data from maintenance of a surgical state of anesthesia (MOSSA) was conducted. Also, for patients of ages less than 6 years, we analyzed the performance of cross frequency coupling derived indices in distinguishing the states of wakefulness, MOSSA, and recovery of consciousness (ROC). RESULTS: (1) During MOSSA, EEG power substantially increased with age from infancy to 3-6 years then decreased with age in the theta-gamma frequency bands. The infant group (<1 year) had the highest slow oscillation (SO) power among all age groups. (2) The distinct PAC pattern is absent in patients less than 1 year of age both in SO-alpha and delta-alpha frequency band coupling during propofol induced unconsciousness. The modulation index between delta and alpha oscillations in MOSSA increased with age. (3) Wavelet bicoherence derived indices reach their peaks in the 3-6 years group and then decrease with age growth. (4) The Diag_En index (normalized entropy of the diagonal bicoherence entries of the bicoherence matrix) performed the best at distinguishing different states for ages less than 6 years (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of propofol induction and sevoflurane maintenance exhibited age-dependent EEG power spectra, PAC, and bicoherence, likely related to brain development. These observations suggest new rules for infant and child brain state monitoring during general anesthesia are needed.

A High-Throughput Nanofluidic Device for Exosome Nanoporation to Develop Cargo Delivery Vehicles.

Efficient loading of various exogenous cargos into exosomes while not affecting their integrity and functionalities remains a major challenge. Here, a nanofluidic device named "exosome nanoporator (ENP)" is presented for high-throughput loading of various cargos into exosomes. By transporting exosomes through nanochannels with height comparable to their dimension, exosome membranes are permeabilized by mechanical compression and fluid shear, allowing the influx of cargo molecules into the exosomes from the surrounding solution while maintaining exosome integrity. The ENP consisting of an array of 30 000 nanochannels demonstrates a high sample throughput, and the working mechanism of the device is elucidated through experimental and numerical study. Further, the exosomes treated by the ENP can deliver their drug cargos to human non-small cell lung cancer cells and induce cell death, indicating the potential opportunities of the device for developing new exosome-based delivery vehicles for medical and biological applications.

Embedding of Ti3 C2 Tx Nanocrystals in MAPbI3 Microwires for Improved Responsivity and Detectivity of Photodetector.

Organic-inorganic hybrid MAPbI3 microwires show unique optoelectronic properties for high performances of photodetectors (PDs). However, the defects-assisted nonradiative recombination is harmful for carrier transport, which limits the performances improvement of MAPbI3 microwires PDs. Traditional organic passivation agents effectively combine the surface defects of microwires and also reduce the mobility of overall film based on the perovskite microwires. Therefore, the improvement of internal carrier transport of microwires and the mobility of integrated film simultaneously is a particular challenge for fabrication of performances enhanced perovskite microwires PDs. Here, the Ti3 C2 Tx NCs are fabricated by nonfocus laser irradiation in liquid environment, and hybrids the high conductive NCs in the MAPbI3 microwires. The presence of Ti3 C2 Tx NCs renders defects passivation, enhancement of crystalline orientation, charge transport, and carrier extraction for MAPbI3 microwires, and boots the mobility of microwires based film, leading to about tenfolds enhancement of performances of PDs than that of the control. The maximum responsivity and the detectivity of the Ti3 C2 Tx NCs embedded MAPbI3 microwires PDs reach to 1.70 A W-1 and 7.0 × 1011 Jones in visible window, respectively. The findings suggest that the laser generated high conductive Ti3 C2 Tx NCs is an effective additive for perovskite microwires to fabricate performances enhanced optoelectronics.

Two-dimensional ZnS@N-doped carbon nanoplates for complete lithium ion batteries.

Metal sulfides are promising anode materials for lithium ion batteries because of the high specific capacities and better electrochemical kinetics comparing to their oxide counterparts. In this paper, novel monocrystalline wurtzite ZnS@N-doped carbon (ZnS@N-C) nanoplates, whose morphology and phase are different from the common ZnS particles with cubic phase, are successfully synthesized. The ZnS@N-C nanoplates exhibit long cycle life with a high reversible specific capacity of 536.8 mAh · g-1after 500 cycles at a current density of 500 mA · g-1, which is superior to the pure ZnS nanoplates, illustrating the obvious effect of the N-doped carbon coating for mitigating volume change of the ZnS nanoplates and enhancing the electronic conductivity during charge/discharge processes. Furthermore, it is revealed that the ZnS single crystals with wurtzite phase in the ZnS@N-C nanoplates are transformed to the polycrystalline cubic phase ZnS after charge/discharge processes. In particular, the ZnS@N-C nanoplates are combined with the commercial LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2cathode to fabricate a new type of LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2/ZnS@N-C complete battery, which exhibits good cycling durability up to 120 cycles at a charge/discharge rate of 1 C after the prelithiation treatment on the ZnS@N-C anode, highlighting the potential of the ZnS@N-C nanoplates anode material applied in lithium ion battery.

Association between diabetes mellitus and lung cancer: Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to summarize the association between diabetes mellitus (DM) and the incidence of lung cancer using a meta-analysis of cohort studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library to identify potential cohort studies. Relative risk (RR) was used to calculate the association between DM and the risk of lung cancer. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and test for publication bias were performed. Twenty cohort studies were selected. RESULTS: The participants with DM showed little or no significant effect on the risk of lung cancer (RR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.99-1.23; P = .087). DM was not associated with the risk of lung cancer in men (RR: 1.11; 95%CI: 0.92-1.35; P = .270), but a significant association was observed in women (RR: 1.18; 95%CI: 1.10-1.28; P < .001). Subgroup analysis suggested that smoker status was confounding variables that could bias the relationship between DM and the incidence of lung cancer. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that DM has no significant impact on the incidence of lung cancer in men but has a harmful effect on women.

Anxiolytic and Anti-depressive Like Effects of Translocator Protein (18 kDa) Ligand YL-IPA08 in a Rat Model of Postpartum Depression.

Translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) is mainly distributed in the outer mitochondrial membrane of steroid-synthesizing cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems. It mediates cholesterol transportation across the phospholipid membrane, which is a prerequisite for neurosteroid synthesis. Though the ligand of TSPO has clinical value in the diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, the pharmacological study of TSPO for anti-postpartum depression has not been reported. In this study, the classical method of reproductive hormone withdrawal was used to construct a rat model of postpartum depression (PPD). The effect of YL-IPA08, a new ligand compound of TSPO, on PPD was evaluated using multiple behavioral tests at progressive time points. Additionally, real-time quantitative PCR, Western-blotting and an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay were conducted to elucidate the potential molecular mechanism of such effect. We report that the levels of TSPO and neurosteroids in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were significantly decreased in PPD rats compared to healthy controls. After 3 weeks of drug treatment, the levels of TSPO and neurosteroids in the hippocampus of PPD rats were increased, and anxiety and depressive like behaviors were alleviated. Meanwhile, compared with sertraline treatment, a positive control in this study, YL-IPA08 treatment had a shorter onset time. Our results suggest that the anxiolytic and anti-depressive activity of YL-IPA08 has significant value in the treatment of PPD and that TSPO may be a potential new target for the treatment of PPD.

Mechanism and intervention measures of iron side effects on the intestine.

Excess oral iron in the intestinal tract usually produces reactive oxygen species via Fenton and Haber-Weiss reaction, so oxidative stress is triggered. Lipid peroxidation procedurally appears, ferroptosis, apoptosis and necrosis are often induced, subsequently, mitochondrial damage, endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction and even cell death occur. As a result, the intestinal epithelial cells are destroyed, leading to the incompleteness of intestinal mechanical barrier. Simultaneously, iron supplement can change the compositions and metabolic processes of intestinal microbes, and the intestinal inflammatory may be worsened. In principle, the easier dissociation of Fe2+ from oral iron supplements is, the more serious intestinal inflammation will occur. Fortunately, some interventions have been developed to alleviate these side effects. For instance, some antioxidants e.g. VE and ferulic acid have been used to prevent the formation of free radicals or to neutralize the formed free radicals. Furthermore, some new iron supplements with the ability of slow-releasing Fe2+, e.g. ferrous citrate liposome and EDTA iron sodium, have been successfully prepared. In order to recover the intestinal micro-ecological balance, probiotics and prebiotics, bacterial consortium transplantation, and fecal microbiota transplantation have been developed. This study is meaningful for us to develop safer oral iron supplements and to maintain intestinal micro-ecological health.

Binder-free C@NiCo2O4 on Ni foam with ultra-stable pseudocapacitive lithium ion storage.

Carbon-coated nickel cobaltate on nickel foam (C@NCO@NF) with stable pseudocapacitive lithium storage capacity was prepared via a two-step strategy. NiCo hydroxide was initially grown on Ni foam via electrodeposition. Subsequent glucose soaking and annealing converted the intermediate into C@NCO@NF. Carbon coating could significantly improve the cycling stability and rate performance of the binder-free anode. The C@NCO@NF electrode could stably deliver a reversible capacity of 513 mAh · g-1 after 500 cycles at a current density of 500 mA · g-1. It could even stably cycle at a high current density of 5000 mA · g-1 for 3000 cycles, with a reversible capacity of 115 mAh · g-1. Kinetic analysis revealed that surface-controlled pseudocapacitance plays a dominant role in the lithium ion storage. Improved electrochemical performance is attributed to the synergetic effect of pseudocapacitance and carbon coating.

The effects of various estrogen doses on the proliferation and differentiation of cultured neural stem cells.

The brain has long been known as a dimorphic organ and as a target of estrogen. Neurogenesis, including proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs), could be stimulated and regulated by estrogen. However, the dose and timing of estrogen treatment is controversial, and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we tested the effects of various estrogen doses on the neurogenesis of NSCs derived from Sprague-Dawley rat embryos. First, we identified that the estrogen receptor-ERα, ERß and GPR30 were highly expressed in NSCs. The results from cell cycle and Western blot analyses revealed that 10 nM 17ß-estradiol (E2) treatment for 3 days significantly increased NSCs proliferation of and p-ERK1/2 expression level but that 50 nM E2 exposure markedly decreased NSCs proliferation and p-ERK1/2 expression level. According to immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analyses, 10 nM E2 treatment for 7 days significantly stimulated NSCs to differentiate into neurons and inhibited their differentiation into astrocytes. These results demonstrate that NSCs are a target of estrogen and that an appropriate dose of E2 (10 nM) can significantly increase the proliferation of NSCs and stimulate NSCs to differentiate into neurons, which contributes to knowledge regarding the regulatory effects of estrogens on neurogenesis.

Mobile Robot Indoor Positioning Based on a Combination of Visual and Inertial Sensors.

Multi-sensor integrated navigation technology has been applied to the indoor navigation and positioning of robots. For the problems of a low navigation accuracy and error accumulation, for mobile robots with a single sensor, an indoor mobile robot positioning method based on a visual and inertial sensor combination is presented in this paper. First, the visual sensor (Kinect) is used to obtain the color image and the depth image, and feature matching is performed by the improved scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithm. Then, the absolute orientation algorithm is used to calculate the rotation matrix and translation vector of a robot in two consecutive frames of images. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) has the advantages of high frequency updating and rapid, accurate positioning, and can compensate for the Kinect speed and lack of precision. Three-dimensional data, such as acceleration, angular velocity, magnetic field strength, and temperature data, can be obtained in real-time with an IMU. The data obtained by the visual sensor is loosely combined with that obtained by the IMU, that is, the differences in the positions and attitudes of the two sensor outputs are optimally combined by the adaptive fade-out extended Kalman filter to estimate the errors. Finally, several experiments show that this method can significantly improve the accuracy of the indoor positioning of the mobile robots based on the visual and inertial sensors.

Cs2PbI2Cl2, All-Inorganic Two-Dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper Mixed Halide Perovskite with Optoelectronic Response.

The two-dimensional Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases are an important class of halide perovskites with versatile optoelectronic properties. So far, only organic-inorganic hybrid RP phases involving long organic spacers were reported in this class. Here, we report an all-inorganic RP phase lead halide perovskite, Cs2PbI2Cl2 (1, I4/ mmm space group; a = 5.6385(8) Å, c = 18.879(4) Å), synthesized by a solid-state method. The compound exhibits a band gap of Eg ∼ 3.04 eV and photoconductivity. We find an anomalous band gap evolution in Cs2Pb1- xSn xI2Cl2 solid solutions. Our combined density functional theory and experimental study supports the thermodynamically stable nature of 1 as a unique ordered phase in the Cs2PbX4 (X = Cl, Br, I) system. The calculations suggest that 1 is a direct bandgap semiconductor with relatively small effective carrier mass along the in-plane direction, consistent with the experimentally observed in-plane UV-light photoresponse. We also demonstrate that 1 is promising for radiation detection capable of α-particle counting. Moreover, 1 shows markedly ambient and thermal stability.