InSitu Anodization of WO3-Decorated TiO2 Nanotube Arrays for Efficient Mercury Removal.

WO3-decorated TiO2 nanotube arrays were successfully synthesized using an in situ anodization method in ethylene glycol electrolyte with dissolved H2O2 and ammonium fluoride in amounts ranging from 0 to 0.5 wt %. Anodization was carried out at a voltage of 40 V for a duration of 60 min. By using the less stable tungsten as the cathode material instead of the conventionally used platinum electrode, tungsten will form dissolved ions (W6+) in the electrolyte which will then move toward the titanium foil and form a coherent deposit on the titanium foil. The fluoride ion content was controlled to determine the optimum chemical dissolution rate of TiO2 during anodization to produce a uniform nanotubular structure of TiO2 film. Nanotube arrays were then characterized using FESEM, EDAX, XRD, as well as Raman spectroscopy. Based on the FESEM images obtained, nanotube arrays with an average pore diameter of up to 65 nm and a length of 1.8 µm were produced. The tungsten element in the samples was confirmed by EDAX results which showed varying tungsten content from 0.22 to 2.30 at%. XRD and Raman results showed the anatase phase of TiO2 after calcination at 400 °C for 4 h in air atmosphere. The mercury removal efficiency of the nanotube arrays was investigated by photoirradiating samples dipped in mercury chloride solution with TUV (Tube ultraviolet) 96W UV-B Germicidal light. The nanotubes with the highest aspect ratio (15.9) and geometric surface area factor (92.0) exhibited the best mercury removal performance due to a larger active surface area, which enables more Hg2+ to adsorb onto the catalyst surface to undergo reduction to Hg°. The incorporation of WO3 species onto TiO2 nanotubes also improved the mercury removal performance due to improved charge separation and decreased charge carrier recombination because of the charge transfer from the conduction band of TiO2 to the conduction band of WO3.

Use of anthropometric indices to reveal nutritional status: normative data from 10,226 Chinese neonates.

BACKGROUND: Measures of body size at birth are widely used for the evaluation of prenatal growth but limitations exist in their interpretation. OBJECTIVE: To establish the percentile curves for the six common anthropometric indices (PI: ponderal index, BMI: body mass index, THR: thigh circumference/head circumference ratio, MAC/OFC: mid-arm circumference/head circumference, W/OFC: weight/head circumference, and W/L: weight/length) and determine the best anthropometric index for evaluating intrauterine nutritional status in Chinese neonates. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional anthropometric study was carried out. The anthropometric measurements were performed according to the Hall's guidelines within 48 h of birth. RESULTS: 10,226 infants (5,422 males, 4,804 females) with gestation 28-42 weeks from 12 hospitals were included for analysis. All of the six anthropometric indices correlated well with total skinfold thickness (T-SF, the sum of triceps skinfold thickness and subscapular skinfold thickness; p < 0.0001). Among the six anthropometric indices, W/L showed the highest correlation coefficient with T-SF (r = 0.622; p < 0.0001 in whole group, r = 0.653; p < 0.0001 in preterm infants, r = 0.612; p < 0.0001 in term infants). CONCLUSION: The present study establishes the gender-specific reference curves for the six important anthropometric indices in Chinese infants. W/L is a readily available index at birth that reflects the intrauterine nutritional state.

Normative data for triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants.

UNLABELLED: Skinfold thickness is a validated parameter of subcutaneous fat accumulation. Data on triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were collected from 10,043 (5318 males, 4725 females) singletons at 12 hospitals with gestation 31-42 wk. The LMS method using maximum penalized likelihood was used to perform model fitting of the anthropometric centiles for these parameters. Both triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were greater in girls than in boys. Racial differences were found when comparing with other populations. The triceps subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants were significantly lower than those of US white infants but larger than those of African-American infants, Israeli infants, Spanish infants and Indian infants. CONCLUSION: This study provides the first set of references for the triceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses of Chinese infants by gestation and gender. These data are helpful in determining the nutritional status of infants at birth and in assessing the postnatal growth of Chinese infants.