Neurotoxicity of dibutyl phthalate in zebrafish larvae: Decreased energy acquisition by neurons.

This work was designed to investigate the neurotoxic effects of the typical plasticizer dibutyl phthalate (DBP) using zebrafish larvae as a model. The results of exhibited that zebrafish larvae exposed to DBP at concentrations of 5 µg/L and 10 µg/L exhibited brain malformations (24 h) and behavioral abnormalities (72 h). After 72 h of exposure to DBP, microglia in the brain were over-activated, reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation was increased, and apoptosis was observed. Meanwhile, it was found that neurons exhibited impaired mitochondrial structure, absent mitochondrial membrane potential and up-regulated autophagy. Further comprehensive biochemical analyses and RNA-Seq, validated by RT-qPCR, glutamate metabolism and PPAR signaling pathway were significantly enriched in the DBP stress group, this may be the main reason for the disruption of glycolysis/gluconeogenesis processes and the reduction of energy substrates for the astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle (ANLS). In addition, the DBP-exposed group showed aberrant activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway, which may be related to ROS as well as neuronal apoptosis and autophagy. In conclusion, DBP-induced neurotoxicity may be the combined result of insufficient neuronal energy acquisition, damage to mitochondrial structure, apoptosis and autophagy. These results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the neurotoxic effects of DBP.

Prevalence of new-onset diabetes mellitus after kidney transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: Post-transplant diabetes is a prevalent and consequential complication following kidney transplantation, which significantly augments the risk of cardiovascular disease, graft loss, infection, and mortality, thereby profoundly impacting both graft and patient survival. However, the early stages of post-transplant diabetes often go unnoticed or receive inadequate management. Consequently, this study systematically assesses the incidence of new-onset diabetes after kidney transplantation with the aim to enhance medical staff awareness regarding post-transplantation diabetes and provide clinical management guidance. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search across multiple databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed until September 21, 2023. Data extraction was performed using standardized tables and meta-analysis was conducted using Stata 16.0 software. A random effects model was employed to estimate the combined prevalence along with its corresponding 95% confidence interval. The source of heterogeneity was explored using subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis, while publication bias was assessed through funnel plot and Egger's test. This study has been registered with PROSPERO under the registration number CRD42023465768. RESULTS: This meta-analysis comprised 39 studies with a total sample size of 16,584 patients. The prevalence of new-onset diabetes after transplantation was found to be 20% [95% CI (18.0, 22.0)]. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, gender, body mass index, family history of diabetes, type of kidney donor, immunosuppressive regimen, acute rejection episodes, hepatitis C infection status and cytomegalovirus infection. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of post-kidney transplantation diabetes is substantial, necessitating early implementation of preventive and control measures to mitigate its occurrence, enhance prognosis, and optimize patients' quality of life. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42023465768.

Frustrated Lewis pairs on pentacoordinated Al3+-enriched Al2O3 promote heterolytic hydrogen activation and hydrogenation.

As an emerging class of metal-free catalysts, frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) catalysts have been greatly constructed and applied in many fields. Homogeneous FLPs have witnessed significant development, while limited heterogeneous FLPs catalysts are available. Herein, we report that heterogeneous FLPs on pentacoordinated Al3+-enriched Al2O3 readily promote the heterolytic activation of H2 and thus hydrogenation catalysis. The defect-rich Al2O3 was prepared by simple calcination of a carboxylate-containing Al precursor. Combinatorial studies confirmed the presence of rich FLPs on the surface of the defective Al2O3. In contrast to conventional alumina (γ-Al2O3), the FLP-containing Al2O3 can activate H2 in the absence of any transition metal species. More importantly, H2 was activated by surface FLPs in a heterolytic pathway, leading to the hydrogenation of styrene in a stepwise process. This work paves the way for the exploration of more underlying heterogeneous FLPs catalysts and further understanding of accurate active sites and catalytic mechanisms of heterogeneous FLPs at the molecular level.

Enhancing Efficiency and High-Value Chemicals Generation through Coupling Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction with Propane Oxidation.

Conversion of CO2 into high-value chemicals using solar energy is one of promising approaches to achieve carbon neutrality. However, the oxidation of water in the photocatalytic CO2 reduction is kinetically unfavorable due to multi-electron and proton transfer processes, along with the difficulty in generating O-O bonds. To tackle these challenges, this study investigated the coupling reaction of photocatalytic CO2 reduction and selective propane oxidation using the Pd/P25 (1 wt%) catalyst. Our findings reveal a significant improvement in CO2 reduction, nearly fivefold higher, achieved by substituting water oxidation with selective propane oxidation. This substitution not only accelerates the process of CO2 reduction but also yields valuable propylene. The relative ease of propane oxidation, compared to water, appears to increase the density of photogenerated electrons, ultimately enhancing the efficiency of CO2 reduction. We further found that hydroxyl radicals and reduced intermediate (carboxylate species) played important roles in the photocatalytic reaction. These findings not only propose a potential approach for the efficient utilization of CO2 through the coupling of selective propane oxidation into propylene, but also provide insights into the mechanistic understanding of the coupling reaction.

Interfacial electric field construction of hollow PdS QDs/Zn1-xCdxS solid solution with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

The regulation of hollow morphology, band structure modulation of solid solution, and introduction of cocatalysts greatly promote the separation of electron-hole pairs in photocatalytic processes, which is of great significance for the process of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution (PHE). In this study, we constructed Zn1-xCdxS hollow solid solution photocatalysts using template and ion exchange methods, and successfully loaded PdS quantum dots (PdS QDs) onto the solid solution through in situ sulfidation. Significantly, the 0.5 wt% PdS QDs/Zn0.6Cd0.4S composite material achieved a H2 production rate of 27.63 mmol g-1 h-1 in the PHE process. The hollow structure of the composite material enhances processes such as light reflection and scattering, the band structure modulation of the solid solution enables the electron-hole pairs to reach an optimal exciton recombination balance, and the modification of PdS QDs provides abundant sites for oxidation, thereby promoting the proton reduction and hydrogen evolution rate. This work provides valuable guidance for the rational design of efficient composite PHE catalysts with strong internal electric field.

Ca2+ homeostasis imbalance induced by Pparg: A key factor in di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)-induced cardiac dysfunction in zebrafish larvae.

Widespread application of the typical phthalate plasticizers, di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), poses a serious potential threat to the health of animals and even humans. Previous studies have confirmed the mechanism of DEHP-induced cardiac developmental defects in zebrafish larvae. However, the mechanism of cardiac dysfunction is still unclear. Thus, this work aimed to comprehensively investigate the mechanisms involved in DEHP-induced cardiac dysfunction through computational simulations, in vivo assays in zebrafish, and in vitro assays in cardiomyocytes. Firstly, molecular docking and western blot initially investigated the activating effect of DEHP on Pparg in zebrafish. Although GW9662 (PPARG antagonist) effectively alleviated DEHP-induced cardiac dysfunction and lipid metabolism disorders, it did not restore significant decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels. In vitro assays in cardiomyocytes, DEHP caused overexpression of PPARG and proteins involved in the regulation of Ca2+ homeostasis, and the above abnormalities were effectively alleviated by GW9662, suggesting that the Ca2+ homeostatic imbalance caused by activation of PPARG by DEHP seems to be the main cause of DEHP-induced cardiac dysfunction. To sum up, this work not only refines the mechanism of toxic effects of cardiotoxicity induced by DEHP, but provides an important theoretical basis for enriching the toxicological effects of DEHP.

Bioinspired Polyoxo-titanium Cluster for Greatly Enhanced Solar-Driven CO2 Reduction.

Developing artificial enzymes with excellent catalytic activities and uncovering the structural and chemical determinants remain a grand challenge. Discrete titanium-oxo clusters with well-defined coordination environments at the atomic level can mimic the pivotal catalytic center of natural enzymes and optimize the charge-transfer kinetics. Herein, we report the precise structural tailoring of a self-assembled tetrahedral Ti4Mn3-cluster for photocatalytic CO2 reduction and realize the selective evolution of CO over specific sites. Experiments and theoretical simulation demonstrate that the high catalytic performance of the Ti4Mn3-cluster should be related to the synergy between active Mn sites and the surrounding functional microenvironment. The reduced energy barrier of the CO2 photoreduction reaction and moderate adsorption strength of CO* are beneficial for the high selective evolution of CO. This work provides a molecular scale accurate structural model to give insight into artificial enzyme for CO2 photoreduction.

Prevalence and risk factors of frailty in older patients with chronic heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To provide a summary of the available evidence concerning prevalence and risk factors of frailty in elderly patients with CHF. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Database (Sinomed), Weipu Database (VIP), and Wanfang database were searched from inception to July 2023. This study strictly followed the PRISMA guidelines. The quality of the included studies was rated by the Agency for Healthcare and Research and Quality and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. RESULTS: A total of 21 original studies were included, involving 4,797 patients. Meta-analysis results showed that the prevalence of frailty in older patients with heart failure was 38% (95%CI: 0.32-0.44). Age, cardiac function grading, left atrial diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction, hemoglobin, polypharmacy, BNP, nutritional risk, and hospitalization day are the influential factors of frailty in older patients with CHF. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of frailty in older patients with CHF is high, and clinical medical personnel should identify and intervene early to reduce or delay the frailty in older patients with CHF as much as possible.

Lanthanide-Doped KMgF3 Upconversion Nanoparticles for Photon Avalanche Luminescence with Giant Nonlinearities.

Lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped photon avalanche (PA) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have great prospects in many advanced technologies; however, realizing efficient PA luminescence in Ln3+-doped UCNPs remains challenging due to the deleterious surface and lattice quenching effect. Herein, we report a unique strategy based on the pyrolysis of KHF2 for the controlled synthesis of aliovalent Ln3+-doped KMgF3 UCNPs, which can effectively protect Ln3+ from luminescence quenching by surface and internal OH- defects and thereby boost upconversion luminescence. This enables us to realize efficient PA luminescence from Tm3+ at 802 nm in KMgF3: Tm3+ UCNPs upon 1064 nm excitation, with a giant nonlinearity of ∼27, a PA response time of 281 ms, and an excitation threshold of 16.6 kW cm-2. This work may open up a new avenue for exploring highly nonlinear PA luminescence through aliovalent Ln3+ doping and crystal lattice engineering toward diverse emerging applications.

Constructing Z-scheme 1D/2D heterojunction of ZnIn2S4 nanosheets decorated WO3 nanorods to enhance Cr(VI) photocatalytic reduction and rhodamine B degradation.

Photocatalysis has been vastly employed as a feasible and efficient strategy for the removal of environmental pollutants. In this study, a well-designed core-shell heterojunction of WO3 decorated with ZnIn2S4 nanosheets were fabricated under mild in-situ conditions, and fabricated processes were systematically investigated with different fabrication durations. The coupling of WO3 and ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) resulted in a Z-scheme mechanism for charge carrier transfer, holding the respective redox capacity. The as-prepared 1D/2D WO3@ZIS heterostructure displayed the highest removal efficiency within 30 min for 25 mg L-1 Cr(VI), 89.3 and 29.7 times higher than pure WO3 and ZnIn2S4. 1D/2D WO3@ZIS remained excellently stable after 5 cycling experiments. Moreover, 40 mg L-1 RhB could be degraded within 50 min. The broad and short photogenerated electron transportation path is guaranteed by the 1D/2D and Z-scheme charge separation mechanism. It efficiently prevented photo-generated charge carriers from recombination, resulting in a longer carrier lifespan and better photocurrent responses than that of pure ones. This photocatalytic system showed promising results and also provides a framework for an efficient system for photocatalysis with potential for environmental application.

A Nanocomposite of Bismuth Clusters and Bi2 O2 CO3 Sheets for Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Formate.

The renewable-electricity-driven CO2 reduction to formic acid would contribute to establishing a carbon-neutral society. The current catalyst suffers from limited activity and stability under high selectivity and the ambiguous nature of active sites. Herein, we report a powerful Bi2 S3 -derived catalyst that demonstrates a current density of 2.0 A cm-2 with a formate Faradaic efficiency of 93 % at -0.95 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. The energy conversion efficiency and single-pass yield of formate reach 80 % and 67 %, respectively, and the durability reaches 100 h at an industrial-relevant current density. Pure formic acid with a concentration of 3.5 mol L-1 has been produced continuously. Our operando spectroscopic and theoretical studies reveal the dynamic evolution of the catalyst into a nanocomposite composed of Bi0 clusters and Bi2 O2 CO3 nanosheets and the pivotal role of Bi0 -Bi2 O2 CO3 interface in CO2 activation and conversion.

Psychological injuries in young boxers / Lesões psicológicas em jovens boxeadores / Lesiones psicológicas en jóvenes boxeadores

ABSTRACT Introduction: Boxing is a fighting sport, and many factors cause physical injuries in athletes because of how they compete and train. Injuries are common for athletes who usually participate in this sport. Based on this, the relationship between positive psychological quality at the sport level should be explored, providing a theoretical basis for cultivating optimistic personalities in young athletes. Objective: Analyze the psychological injuries in young boxers to establish a standard to improve the psychological quality evaluation system of young athletes in China. Methods: By comparing the characteristics of different injuries, the possibility of injury occurrence in different activities can be explored, providing a theoretical basis to guide injury prevention, then promoting sports injury prevention. Results: The study shows that through professional training methods to improve the psychological quality of young boxers, these sportsmen should also recognize the importance of psychological training. Conclusion: Technical help in this approach can complete healthy training, aiming to meet the demands of the sport and collaborate to achieve better results. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigating treatment outcomes.

RESUMO Introdução: O boxe é um esporte de luta, havendo muitos fatores que causam lesões físicas nos atletas pelo modo de competição e treinamento. As lesões são comuns para os atletas que costumam participar desse esporte. Baseado nisso, a relação entre qualidade psicológica positiva ao nível esportivo deve ser explorada, fornecendo uma base teórica para o cultivo da personalidade otimista aos jovens atletas. Objetivo: Analisar as lesões psicológicas em jovens boxeadores visando embasar uma norma para melhorar o sistema de avaliação da qualidade psicológica dos jovens atletas na China. Métodos: Comparando as características de diferentes lesões, a possibilidade de ocorrência de lesões em diferentes atividades pode ser explorada, fornecendo uma base teórica para orientar a prevenção de lesões, promovendo então a prevenção de lesões esportivas. Resultados: O estudo mostra que através dos métodos de treinamento profissional para melhorar a qualidade psicológica dos jovens boxeadores, esses esportistas também devem reconhecer a importância do treinamento psicológico. Conclusão: O auxílio técnico nessa abordagem pode completar o treinamento saudável, visando atender as exigências do esporte e colaborar para o alcance de melhores resultados. Nível de evidência II; Estudos terapêuticos - investigação dos resultados do tratamento.

RESUMEN Introducción: El boxeo es un deporte de lucha, y hay muchos factores que provocan lesiones físicas en los deportistas debido al modo de competición y entrenamiento. Las lesiones son comunes para los atletas que suelen participar en este deporte. En base a esto, se debe explorar la relación entre la calidad psicológica positiva a nivel deportivo, proporcionando una base teórica para el cultivo de la personalidad optimista a los jóvenes atletas. Objetivo: Analizar las lesiones psicológicas en jóvenes boxeadores con el fin de fundamentar una norma para mejorar el sistema de evaluación de la calidad psicológica de los jóvenes atletas en China. Métodos: Al comparar las características de las diferentes lesiones, se puede explorar la posibilidad de que se produzcan lesiones en diferentes actividades, lo que proporciona una base teórica para orientar la prevención de lesiones y, a continuación, promover la prevención de lesiones deportivas. Resultados: El estudio muestra que, a través de los métodos de entrenamiento profesional para mejorar la calidad psicológica de los jóvenes boxeadores, estos deportistas también deberían reconocer la importancia del entrenamiento psicológico. Conclusión: La ayuda técnica en este enfoque puede completar el entrenamiento saludable, con el objetivo de cumplir con las exigencias del deporte y colaborar para lograr mejores resultados. Nivel de evidencia II; Estudios terapéuticos - investigación de los resultados del tratamiento.

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with zero-profile versus stand-alone cages for two-level cervical spondylosis: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To assess the mid-long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of zero-profile (ZP) compared with stand-alone (ST) cages for two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Methods: We included 77 patients (39 women and 38 men) who underwent two-level ACDF between May 5, 2016, and May 5, 2020, and who were followed up for at least 1 year. The subjects were divided into the ST (n = 38) and ZP (n = 39) group. For the evaluation of functional status, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA), Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores were used. Additionally, radiological outcomes and procedure complications were observed at final follow-up. Results: Both groups had excellent clinical outcomes at the final follow-up. There were no significant intergroup (ZP vs. ST) differences in the fusion rate (91.02% vs. 90.79%, P > 0.05) and postoperative dysphagia (15.4% vs. 2.6%, P = 0.108). However, the disc height at the final follow-up in the ZP group was higher than that in the ST group (6.86 ± 0.84 vs. 6.17 ± 1.03, P = 0.002). The ZP group accomplished a lower loss of cervical lordosis (18.46 ± 4.78 vs. 16.55 ± 4.36, P = 0.071), but without reaching statistical significance. Conclusion: ACDF with either ZP or ST cages turns out to be a dependable strategy for two-level ACDF in terms of clinical results. However, compared with the ST, the ZP cage may achieve a significantly lower loss of disc height.

Heterogeneous Oxysulfide@Fluoride Core/Shell Nanocrystals for Upconversion-Based Nanothermometry.

Lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) often suffer from weak luminescence, especially when their sizes are ultrasmall (less than 10 nm). Enhancing the upconversion luminescence (UCL) efficiency of ultrasmall UCNPs has remained a challenge that must be undertaken if any practical applications are to be envisaged. Herein, we present a Ln3+-doped oxysulfide@fluoride core/shell heterostructure which shows efficient UCL properties under 980 nm excitation and good stability in solution. Through epitaxial heterogeneous growth, a ∼4 nm optically inert ß-NaYF4 shell was coated onto ∼5 nm ultrasmall Gd2O2S:20%Yb,1%Tm. These Gd2O2S:20%Yb,1%Tm@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs exhibit a more than 800-fold increase in UCL intensity compared to the unprotected core, a 180-fold increase in luminescence decay time of the 3H4 → 3H6 Tm3+ transition from 5 to 900 µs, and an upconversion quantum yield (UCQY) of 0.76% at an excitation power density of 155 W/cm2. Likewise, Gd2O2S:20%Yb,2%Er@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs show a nearly 5000-fold increase of their UCL intensity compared to the Gd2O2S:20%Yb,2%Er core and a maximum UCQY of 0.61%. In the Yb/Er core-shell UCNP system, the observed variation of luminescence intensity ratio seems to originate from a change in lattice strain as the temperature is elevated. For nanothermometry applications, the thermal sensitivities based on thermally coupled levels are estimated for both Yb/Tm and Yb/Er doped Gd2O2S@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs.

Unraveling the Interfacial Polarization Effect between Pd and Polymeric Carbon Nitride toward Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to CO.

The efficient electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to carbon monoxide (CO) using renewable energy is an effective route to pursue carbon neutrality. Optimizing the binding energy of CO on palladium (Pd) metal-based materials used in this process is to make sure the timely desorption of CO from their active sites is critical. Tuning the electronic structure of the Pd center is an effective strategy to optimize its catalytic performance. Herein, we rationally design Pd nanoparticles (NPs)/polymeric carbon nitride (CN) (Pd/CN) composite, which alters the electronic structure of Pd by introducing the interfacial polarization effect to accelerate CO desorption and improve CO selectivity of Pd catalyst. The optimized Pd/CN exhibits a CO Faradaic efficiency of 92.7% at -0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode in CO2-saturated 0.1 M KHCO3 solution. Experimental investigations and theoretical calculations jointly confirm that the enhanced CO selectivity and stability originate from the electron transfer at the Pd/CN interface, and the weakened *CO adsorption on the palladium hydride surface.

3D Flower-Like Zinc Cobaltite for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Nitrate to Ammonia under Ambient Conditions.

Nitrate (NO3 - ) as a common pollutant of groundwater causes drinking water safety problems and seriously endangers people's health. Electrochemical reduction of nitrate to ammonia under ambient condition is a green and significant route to reduce the concentration of NO3 - and produce ammonia (NH3 ), known as a complement to the Haber-Bosch reaction. Currently, noble-metal electrocatalysts are often used in electrochemical reduction of NO3 - , but high cost and scarcity limited their application. Herein, three-dimensional (3D) flower-like zinc cobaltite (ZnCo2 O4 ) electrocatalyst was developed to convert nitrate into ammonia at room temperature. The NH3 yield rate could reach up to around 2100 µg mg-1 h-1 at a potential of -0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which was around 2.0 times higher than that of pristine Co3 O4 . In addition, the NH3 faradaic efficiency of ZnCo2 O4 electrocatalyst could reach around 95.4 % at potential of -0.4 V vs. RHE with good structural and morphological stability, which surpassed most reported non-noble metal-based electrocatalysts. Further studies concluded that the improved activity of electrocatalytic NO3 - reduction was ascribed to the existence of abundant active sites and the charge transfer from Co atoms to Zn atoms after Zn doping. Importantly, this work opens a new path for the development of Co-based materials as electrocatalysts for reducing nitrate to ammonia.

Engineering BiVO4@Bi2S3 heterojunction by cosharing bismuth atoms toward boosted photocatalytic Cr(VI) reduction.

The photocatalytic efficiency is limited by poor charge separation efficiency and high carrier transport activation energy (CTAE) of photogenerated electron/hole pairs than traditional semiconductor. Hybridizing nanostructure with two staggered alignment band structure is proved as an effective strategy to mitigate these two challenges but still suffers a strong coulomb electrostatic repulsive force between two heterogeneous semiconductors. Here, we steer a friendly sulfurization process to construct BiVO4@Bi2S3 heterojunction with a scenario of cosharing Bi atoms. The intimate atomic-level contact between BiVO4 and Bi2S3 not only enhances the visible-light absorption and lowers CTAE, but also accelerate carrier's separation efficiency, which enables it to deliver the best photocatalytic performance toward reduction of Cr(VI). BiVO4@Bi2S3 only needs less than 40 min to completely reduce 50 ppm Cr(VI) solution. The type II heterojunction photocatalytic mechanism is systematically studied to decipher the carriers' transfer track between BiVO4 and Bi2S3. Our new finding of engineering inorganic heterojunction by cosharing atoms opens a new avenue to other similar materials for potential applications.

Calib-Net: Calibrating the Low-Cost IMU via Deep Convolutional Neural Network.

The low-cost Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) can provide orientation information and is widely used in our daily life. However, IMUs with bad calibration will provide inaccurate angular velocity and lead to rapid drift of integral orientation in a short time. In this paper, we present the Calib-Net which can achieve the accurate calibration of low-cost IMU via a simple deep convolutional neural network. Following a carefully designed mathematical calibration model, Calib-Net can output compensation components for gyroscope measurements dynamically. Dilation convolution is adopted in Calib-Net for spatio-temporal feature extraction of IMU measurements. We evaluate our proposed system on public datasets quantitively and qualitatively. The experimental results demonstrate that our Calib-Net achieves better calibration performance than other methods, what is more, and the estimated orientation with our Calib-Net is even comparable with the results from visual inertial odometry (VIO) systems.

Unveiling the Synergistic Effect between Graphitic Carbon Nitride and Cu2 O toward CO2 Electroreduction to C2 H4.

Electrochemically reducing carbon dioxide (CO2 RR) to ethylene is one of the most promising strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and simultaneously produce high value-added chemicals. However, the lack of catalysts with excellent activity and stability limits the large-scale application of this technology. In this work, a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 )-supported Cu2 O composite was fabricated, which exhibited a 32.2 % faradaic efficiency of C2 H4 with a partial current density of -4.3 mA cm-2 at -1.1 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode in 0.1 m KHCO3 electrolyte. The introduction of g-C3 N4 support not only enhanced the uniform dispersion of Cu2 O nanocubes, but also stabilized the important *CO intermediates. Moreover, the g-C3 N4 itself had a good activity of reducing CO2 to form *CO, which enriched the key intermediates of C-C coupling around cuprous oxide. The findings highlight the importance of the g-C3 N4 support, a unique two-dimensional material, including not only the strong CO2 adsorption and activation capacity but also its synergistic effect with the cuprous oxide in CO2 RR selectivity.

Presurgical Short-Term Halo-Pelvic Traction for Severe Rigid Scoliosis (Cobb Angle >120°): A 2-Year Follow-up Review of 62 Patients.

STUDY DESIGN: A 2-year follow-up review of 62 patients with severe rigid scoliosis (>120°). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of halo-pelvic traction (HPT) for treating severe rigid scoliosis (>120°). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Severe rigid scoliosis (>120°) is still a challenge for spine surgeons. A combination of presurgical HPT traction, osteotomy, and internal fixation could be a safe and effective solution for these cases. METHODS: We reviewed the records of all the patients with severe rigid scoliosis (>120°) treated with presurgical HPT from 2013 through 2017. Radiographic measurements were performed. The period of traction, estimated blood loss, operation time, complications, and bed rest period were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 62 patients who had 2-year radiological follow-up were included in the study. In 30 patients, vertebral column resection (VCR) was performed aiming to achieve a better correction rate. In patients who received a VCR, the average preoperative Cobb angle was 133.6°, and the average correction rate at 2 years after surgery was 65.4%. Compared with the average height before treatment, at 2 years after surgery the average height was 12.5 cm greater. In patients who did NOT received VCR, the average preoperative Cobb angle was 131.5°, and the average correction rate at 2 years after surgery was 64.1%. Compared with the average height before treatment, at 2 years after surgery the average height was 14.0 cm greater. Common complications during HPT included infected pelvic pins, brachial plexus palsy, and weakness of the lower extremities. No patients experienced permanent neurological deficits or death. CONCLUSION: For severe rigid scoliosis with a Cobb angle greater than 120°, a combination of short-term presurgical HPT and posterior surgery is an effective and safe solution. After 4 to 6 weeks of presurgical HPT the Cobb angle can be decreased by approximately 50%, providing a favorable condition for spine corrective surgery.Level of Evidence: 3.