H2O2 treatment boosts activity of NiFe layered double hydroxide for electro-catalytic oxidation of urea

Urea oxidation reaction (UOR) provides a method for hydrogen production besides wastewater treatment, but the current limited catalytic activity has prevented the application. Herein, we develop a novel H₂O₂ treatment strategy for tailoring the surface oxygen ligand of NiFe-layered double hydroxides (NiFe-LDH). The sample after H₂O₂ treatment (NiFeO-LDH) shows significant enhancement on UOR efficiency, with the potential of 1.37 V (RHE) to reach a current density of 10 mA/cm². The boost is attributed to the richness adsorption O ligand on NiFeO-LDH as revealed by XPS and Raman analysis. DFT calculation indicates formation of two possible types of oxygen ligands: adsorbed oxygen on the surface and exposed from hydroxyl group, lowered the desorption energy of CO₂ product, which lead to the lowered onset potential. This strategy is further extended to NiFe-LDH nano sheet on Ni foam to reach a higher current density of 440 mA/cm² of UOR at 1.8 V (RHE). The facile surface O ligand manipulation is also expected to give chance to many other electro-catalytic oxidations.     

Prenatal diagnosis of 5p deletion syndrome following abnormally low maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin

Prenatal diagnosis of 5p deletion syndrome, or cri du chat, following an abnormally low measurement of a screening of serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), is reported. Karyotyping following amniocentesis revealed a terminal deletion in the short arm of one chromosome 5. The pregnancy was electively terminated. 5p deletion syndrome has been described with abnormally high hCG levels and normal hCG levels. This is the first report of its association with abnormally low levels. The association between chromosomal abnormalities and hCG is discussed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prenatal diagnosis of primary anophthalmia with a 3q27 interstitial deletion involving SOX2

We report an interstitial deletion of chromosome 3q26-q28 in a fetus in which anophthalmia had been detected prenatally. FISH analysis, using BAC clones encompassing the SOX2 locus, showed that SOX2 gene was involved in the chromosomal breakpoint of the deletion. This case confirms that haploinsufficiency for SOX2 plays a crucial role in human eye development and emphasizes the necessity of careful chromosomal analysis, including FISH analysis of the 3q region, in case of prenatal discovery of anophthalmia. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome in association with a balanced reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes 3 and 5

We present a case report on a fetus with multiple malformations, diagnosed by ultrasound at 20 weeks' gestation. From the combination of intrauterine growth retardation and limb abnormalities that were observed, the most likely diagnosis was considered to be Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS). Following counselling, the mother opted to terminate the pregnancy. Chromosome analysis of cultured amniotic fluid cells showed a karyotype of 46,XX,t(3;5)(q21;p13). Postmortem examination of the baby confirmed the presence of features consistent with a diagnosis of CdLS. This case provides a report of a definitive diagnosis of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome, suspected on the basis of ultrasound imaging and confirmed by amniocentesis findings. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trisomy 2 due to a 3:1 segregation in an abortion studied by QF-PCR and CGH

Balanced reciprocal translocation is one of the known causes of recurrent spontaneous abortions. Cytogenetic studies of unbalanced miscarriages are difficult due to the growth failure of early loss and usually macerated abortions. We present a molecular study of an abortion in which the father carries a balanced reciprocal translocation t(2;17)(q32.1;q24.3) using QF-PCR and CGH techniques. DNA analysis showed the presence of a trisomy 2 due to a 3:1 interchange segregation. Recombinant events could also be investigated by comparing DNA samples from the family. We propose QF-PCR in addition to CGH as an efficient diagnostic method to improve our knowledge of unbalanced offspring in balanced translocation carriers. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis, characterization and experimental investigation of Cu-BTC as CO2 adsorbent from flue gas

Porous Cu-BTC material was synthesized by the solvothermal method. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) was used to test the phase purity of the synthesized material and investigate its structural stability under the influence of flue gas components. The thermal stability of the material was determined through thermal gravimetric (TG) analysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to study the microstructure of the material. Cu-BTC was demonstrated not only to have high CO₂ adsorption capacity but also good selectivity of CO₂ over N₂ by means of packed bed tests. The adsorption capacity of Cu-BTC for CO₂ was about 69 mL/g at 22°C. The influence of the main flue gas components on the CO₂ capacity of the material were discussed as well.