The Growth of Extended Melem Units on g-C3N4 by Hydrothermal Treatment and Its Effect on Photocatalytic Activity of g-C3N4 for Photodegradation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride under Visible Light Irradiation.

In this work, the growth of extended tri-s-triazine units (melem units) on g-C3N4 (CN) by hydrothermal treatment and its effect on the photodegradation efficiency of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) is investigated. The CN-180-x and CN-200-6 samples were prepared using different hydrolysis times and temperatures, and they were characterized by multiple physicochemical techniques. In addition, their photodegradation performance was evaluated under visible light irradiation. Compared to the CN, CN-180-6 possesses remarkable photocatalytic degradation efficiency at 97.17% towards TC removal in an aqueous solution. The high visible-light-induced photo-reactivity of CN-180-6 directly correlates to charge transfer efficiency, numerous structural defects with a high specific surface area (75.0 m2 g-1), and sufficient O-functional groups over g-C3N4. However, hydrothermal treatment at a higher temperature or during a longer time additionally induces the growth of extended melem units on the surface of g-C3N4, resulting in the inhibition of the charge transfer. In addition, the superoxide radical is proven to be generated from photoexcited reaction and plays a key role in the TC degradation.

Mutation spectrum of ATP7B gene in pediatric patients with Wilson disease in Vietnam.

Background: Wilson disease (WD) is caused by mutations in the copper-transporting P-type adenosine triphosphatase encoded by the ATP7B gene. In this study, we screened and identified the ATP7B mutations among unrelated Vietnamese pediatric patients. Methods: One-hundred-thirteen pediatric patients with clinically diagnosed WD were recruited. DNA samples were extracted from peripheral blood. Mutations in the ATP7B gene were identified by Sanger sequencing. Results: Approximately 98% of the clinically diagnosed WD patients carried ATP7B mutations. A total of 35 different ATP7B variants were detected, including five novel mutations (L658P, L792P, T977K, IVS4 + 1G > A and IVS20 + 4A > G). Remarkably, this study revealed that S105* was the most prevalent variant (32.27%), followed by L1371P (9.09%), I1148T (7.27%), R778L (6.36%), T850I (5.45%), V176Sfs*28 and IVS14-2A > G (4.55%). Most ATP7B mutations were located in the exon 2 (37.73%), exon 16 (10.00%), exon 8 (9.55%), exon 20 (9.09%), exon 10 and exon 18 (5.45%), exon 14 (5.00%), exon 13 and intron 14 (4.55%). We developed a streamlined procedure to quickly characterize mutations in the ATP7B gene in the Vietnamese children, starting with sequencing exon 2 and subsequently to exons 8,10,13-16,18, and 20 to allow quick diagnosis of clinically suspected patients. Conclusion: The mutational spectrum and hotspots of ATP7B gene in the Vietnamese population were fairly different from other East Asian populations. A streamlined procedure was developed to screen exon 2 in ATP7B gene among suspected WD patients to reduce genetically diagnostic cost, to facilitate early detection and intervention in countries with limited resources.

Solvent Etching Process for Graphitic Carbon Nitride Photocatalysts Containing Platinum Cocatalyst: Effects of Water Hydrolysis on Photocatalytic Properties and Hydrogen Evolution Behaviors.

In this study, we synthesized Pt/g-C3N4 photocatalysts modified by a solvent etching process where ethanol (Pt/CN0), water (Pt/CN100), and a 50:50 mixture (Pt/CN50) were used as a solvent, and investigated the optimal properties of g-C3N4 to prepare the best Pt/g-C3N4 for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. From diverse characterizations, water was proven to be a stronger solvent agent, resulting in not only the introduction of more O-functional groups onto the g-C3N4 surface, but also the degradation of a regular array of tri-s-triazine units in the g-C3N4 structure. While the addition of O-functional groups positively influenced the oxidation state of the Pt cocatalyst and the hydrogen production rate, the changes to g-C3N4 structure retarded charge transfer on its surface, inducing negative effects such as fast recombination and less oxidized Pt species. Pt/CN50 that was synthesized with the 50:50 solvent mixture exhibited the highest hydrogen production rate of 590.9 µmol g-1h-1, while the hydrogen production rates of Pt/CN0 (with pure ethanol solvent) and Pt/CN100 (with pure water solvent) were 462.7, and 367.3 µmol g-1h-1, respectively.

Parental Burnout Around the Globe: a 42-Country Study.

High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children. It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71% mothers; Mage = 39.20) and showed that the prevalence of parental burnout varies dramatically across countries. Analyses of cultural values revealed that individualistic cultures, in particular, displayed a noticeably higher prevalence and mean level of parental burnout. Indeed, individualism plays a larger role in parental burnout than either economic inequalities across countries, or any other individual and family characteristic examined so far, including the number and age of children and the number of hours spent with them. These results suggest that cultural values in Western countries may put parents under heightened levels of stress. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-020-00028-4.

Nasalance scores for Vietnamese-speaking children with oral clefts.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to obtain nasalance scores for Vietnamese-speaking patients with repaired cleft palate with or without cleft lip. METHODS: A total of 29 children with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (4-18 years old, mean age 7.9±3.5 years old) were included in this study. Speech material was designed specifically for the Vietnamese language. The speech material consisted of oral stimuli (19 oral words and 18 oral sentences), oro-nasal stimuli (eight sentences), and nasal stimuli (seven sentences). The patients repeated the stimuli after the examiner. The Nasometer II (model 6450) was used to compute nasalance scores. RESULTS: The mean nasalance scores were 27.1% for oral stimuli, 40.2% for oro-nasal stimuli, and 57.5% for nasal stimuli. Hypernasality was detected in 41.4% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Vietnamese-speaking patients with repaired cleft palate with or without cleft lip who did not undergo speech therapy had poor speech outcomes.

Normative nasalance scores for Vietnamese-speaking children.

OBJECTIVE: The Nasometer is increasingly being used to complement auditory perceptual assessment of nasality. Nasalance scores which are obtained from the Nasometer vary across languages. Normative nasalance scores have been established for many languages but not for the Vietnamese language. The objective of this study was to obtain the normative nasalance scores for Vietnamese-speaking children. PARTICIPANTS: In this study, 102 healthy Vietnamese children speaking in the central regional dialect aged from 7 to 9 years (45 boys, 57 girls; mean age = 7.5 years) at a primary school in Hue, Vietnam participated. PROCEDURES: Three speech stimuli, which were specific for the Vietnamese language, were designed: oral stimuli (19 words and 18 sentences), oro-nasal stimuli (eight sentences) and nasal stimuli (seven sentences). The children were asked to repeat these stimuli after the examiner. The Nasometer II (model 6450) was used to obtain the nasalance scores. The procedure took about 10 minutes for each child. RESULTS: The mean nasalance scores and the standard deviation of each stimulus were: 13.1 ± 5.8 (oral stimuli), 30.7 ± 6.6 (oro-nasal stimuli) and 56.9 ± 9.2 (nasal stimuli). No significant differences between the genders were found. CONCLUSIONS: The normative nasalance scores provide essential reference information for clinicians who deal with nasalance disorders, especially patients with cleft palate. The nasalance scores in this study were established for Vietnamese children speaking in the central regional dialect and can be applied to both genders.

Simple analysis of total mercury and methylmercury in seafood using heating vaporization atomic absorption spectrometry.

This study aimed to develop a simpler method for determining total mercury (T-Hg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in biological samples by using methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) in the degreasing step. The fat in the samples was extracted by MIBK to the upper phase. T-Hg transferred into the water phase. This was followed by the extraction of MeHg from the water phase using HBr, CuCl2 and toluene. The MeHg fraction was reverse-extracted into L-cysteine-sodium acetate solution from toluene. The concentrations of T-Hg and MeHg were determined by heating vaporization atomic absorption spectrometry. Certified reference materials for T-Hg and MeHg in hair and fish were accurately measured using this method. This method was then applied to determine T-Hg and MeHg concentrations in the muscle, liver and gonads of seafood for the risk assessment of MeHg exposure. The mean T-Hg and MeHg concentrations in squid eggs were 0.023 and 0.022 µg/g, and in squid nidamental glands 0.052 and 0.049 µg/g, respectively. The MeHg/T-Hg ratios in the eggs and nidamental glands of squid were 94.4% and 96.5%, respectively. The mean T-Hg and MeHg concentrations in the gonads of sea urchins were 0.043 and 0.001 µg/g, respectively, with a MeHg/T-Hg ratio of 3.5%. We developed an efficient analytical method for T-Hg and MeHg using MIBK in the degreasing step. The new information on MeHg concentration and MeHg/T-Hg ratios in the egg or nidamental glands of squid and gonads of sea urchin will also be useful for risk assessment of mercury in seafood.