Investigation of microstructural and electrochemical properties of impregnated (La,Sr)(Ti,Mn)O3±δ as a potential anode material in high-temperature solid oxide fuel cells

The microstructural and electrochemical properties of La0.4Sr0.6Ti0.8Mn0.2O3±δ (LSTM) fabricated via liquid-phase impregnation have been investigated for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) applications. Scanning electron micrography (SEM) showed that LSTM uniformly covers the porous scaffold when heated in an oxidizing atmosphere, which transforms to fine particles when reduced. The electrical conductivity of a 10 wt % CeO2–50 wt % LSTM–8 mol % yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) composite anode was higher than that of a 50 wt % LSTM–8YSZ anode and was stable at 700, 800, and 900 °C under reducing conditions. When the 50 wt % LSTM-8YSZ was used as an anode, power densities of the sample were <100 mW cm–2 over the entire measured temperature range. The addition of 10 wt % of CeO2 and 1 wt % of Pd as catalysts increased the power density to 150 and 210 mW cm–2 at 800 and 850 °C, respectively

Efficient isolation of Magnolia protoplasts and the application to subcellular localization of MdeHSF1

Abstract Background Magnolia is a woody ornamental plant, which is widely used in urban landscaping. However, its lengthy juvenile period and recalcitrance to regeneration impedes functional characterization of its genes. Results We developed an efficient protoplast isolation and transient expression system for Magnolia denudata × Magnolia acuminata ‘Yellow River’. The highest yield of protoplasts was obtained from young leaves digested in 3% Cellulase R10, 0.8% Macerozyme R10, 0.04% pectinase and 0.4 M mannitol enzymolysis solution for 6 h. For transfection of protoplasts, 20% PEG4000 for 5 min was optimal. To verify the protoplast system and begin to understand heat tolerance in Magnolia, a heat shock transcription factor MdeHSF1 was cloned from ‘Yellow River’, which belongs to the HSF subfamily A and has significant homology with AtHSFA1A. Subcellular localization analysis indicated that MdeHSF1 was expressed in the cell nucleus. Furthermore, qPCR analysis of the MdeHSF1 transcript level in response to high temperature stress suggested that MdeHSF1 might be involved in regulating heat stress tolerance in ‘Yellow River’. Conclusion The described protocol provides a simple and straightforward method for isolating protoplast and exploring gene subcellular localization of MdeHSF1 in Magnolia. This expands the new research of protoplast isolation and transfection in Magnolia

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TENDON SUTURE PURCHASE?

Repairs have been performed on porcine flexor tendons and subjected to tensile stress measurements to determine the effects and mechanism of core suture purchase (the length of the suture bite). Eighty-four pig trotter flexor profundus tendons were divided and repaired using four lengths of core suture purchase (1.33, 1, 0.66 and 0.33 cm) using a double modified Kessler repair (four strands, two knots) with a peripheral epitendinous suture. Tendon purchase was achieved by either bilateral equal purchase lengths or with one tendon purchase at a fixed depth of 1 cm. A separate group of tendons were incubated in blood for 24 hours to simulate the wound environment prior to testing. Tensile tests demonstrated a progressive increase of repair strength with purchase length. With the exception of the 0.33 cm group, video analysis demonstrated the mode of failure as suture failure and not due to suture pullout. Therefore, the increase in breaking strength cannot be attributed to a better grip of the tendon ends, but to the mechanical characteristics of the suture polymer. The tendency for the incubated tendons to fail more consistently by pullout rather than suture failure, particularly in the shorter purchase lengths, emphasises the importance of studying tendon purchase in vivo. The significance of ex vivo mechanical testing should be considered with caution

The impact of different forest types on phytolith-occluded carbon accumulation in subtropical forest soils

Purpose Occlusion of carbon in phytoliths is an important biogeochemical carbon sequestration mechanism and plays a significant role in the global biogeochemical carbon cycle and atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration regulation at a millennial scale. However, few studies have focused on the storage of phytolith and phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) in subtropical forest soils. Materials and methods Soil profiles with 100-cm depth were sampled from subtropical bamboo forest, fir forest, and chestnut forest in China to investigate the variation of phytoliths and PhytOC storage in the soil profiles based on amassbalance assessment. Results and discussion The storage of phytoliths in the top 100 cm of the bamboo forest soil (198.13±25.08 t ha−1) was much higher than that in the fir forest (146.76±4.53 t ha−1) and chestnut forest (170.87±9.59 t ha−1). Similarly, the storage of PhytOC in the bamboo forest soil (3.91±0.64 t ha−1) was much higher than that in the fir forest soil (1.18± 0.22 t ha−1) and chestnut forest soil (2.67±0.23 t ha−1). The PhytOC percentage in the soil organic carbon pool increased with soil depth and was the highest (4.29 %) in the bamboo forest soil. Our study demonstrated that PhytOC in soil was significantly influenced by forest type and the bamboo forest ecosystem contributed more significantly to phytolith carbon sequestration than other forest ecosystems. Conclusions Different forest types have a significant influence on the soil PhytOC storage. Optimization of bamboo afforestation/reforestation in future forest management plans may significantly enhance the biogeochemical carbon sink in the following centuries

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Additional file 1: Table S1. Injury degree of landscape plants in the parks and roads in Hang Zhou, China under nature high-temperature. Table S2. The sources of all relative reagent