Improved durability and reduced system complexity of solid oxide fuel cell systems

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) show great potential for clean and efficient power generation applications. However, their high cost is preventing their market entry. This dissertation focuses on solutions to increase the durability of SOFCs and to reduce the complexity of SOFC systems to drive their cost down. Chromium poisoning of the cathode is a major issue limiting the durability of SOFCs. This issue is addressed by the development of a protective manganesecobalt spinel coating for steel interconnects. Coated interconnects were characterised in SOFC relevant conditions and the results showed that the coating fulfilled its main requirements, which are: limitation of chromium transport from the interconnect to the cathode, protection against oxidation of the steel and low and stable area-specific resistance. Evidence was found that another source of chromium is the balance-of-plant (BoP) components upstream of the cathode, an issue which did not receive much attention in the literature. Therefore, a method for measuring chromium evaporation from BoP components was developed and validated on a stainless steel pipe. SOFC systems based on natural gas commonly include a fuel processing subsystem for fuel steam reforming. The need for an external water source can be eliminating by recycling the steam-rich anode off-gas. Investigations were performed on a pre-reformer with a precious metal catalyst and it was found that adding an anode off-gas recycling loop had no detrimental effect on the activity of the catalyst and carbon formation could be avoided. Additionally, results showed the possibility to generate the hydrogen-containing gas needed to prevent the reoxidation of the anode catalyst during heat-up phase. The results permitted the implementation of an anode off-gas recycling loop in a 10 kW SOFC system. Additionally, the system was heated up without supplying any premixed hydrogencontaining gas, which enables to reduce the complexity of the system. Finally, the durability of a stack can be improved by seal solutions with limited material interactions. A hybrid seal solution was developed by coating a compressible core with glass layers. The developed seal reduced the leak rate compared to a purely compressible seal. Material interactions were studied with a post-experimental investigation of an SOFC stack. Interactions were limited with the exception of evidence of increased oxidation at the steel/seal/air interface. Overall, the solution was found to be promising and the obtained results led to the commercialisation of the developed seal solution by Flexitallic Ltd (UK)

Actinomycosis in a gray four-eyed opossum (Philander opossum) caused by a novel species of Schaalia

Background: Infective lesions of the jaws and adjacent tissues (lumpy jaw disease, LJD) have been recognized as one major cause of death of captive macropods. Fusobacterium necrophorum and Actinomyces species serve as the main source of LJD in kangaroos and wallabies. Currently, little is reported about LJD or similar diseases in opossums. Case presentation: Here we report a case of actinomycosis resembling the entity lumpy jaw disease in a gray four-eyed opossum, caused by a novel species of Schaalia. A 2.8 year old male Philander opossum was presented with unilateral swelling of the right mandible. After an initial treatment with marbofloxacin, the opossum was found dead the following day and the carcass was submitted for necropsy. Postmortem examination revealed severe mandibular skin and underlying soft tissue infection with subsequent septicemia as the cause of death. Histological examination demonstrated Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon, typically seen in classical cases of actinomycosis. Bacteriology of liver and mandibular mass yielded a previously undescribed species of Schaalia, whose 16 S rRNA gene sequence was 97.0 % identical to Schaalia canis. Whole genome sequencing of the opossum isolate and calculation of average nucleotide identity confirmed a novel species of Schaalia, for which no whole genome sequence is yet available. Conclusions: The herewith reported Schaalia infection in the gray four-eyed opossum resembling classical actinomycosis gives a novel insight into new exotic animal bacterial diseases. Schaalia species may belong to the normal oral microbiome, as in macropods, and may serve as a contributor to opportunistic infections. Due to the lack of current literature, more insights and improved knowledge about Schaalia spp. and their pathogenicity will be useful to choose appropriate therapy regimens and improve the treatment success rate and outcome in exotic and endangered species

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

La paléopathologie : une analyse complémentaire notable dans la caractérisation de groupes élitaires de la fin de l’Antiquité : l’exemple du site d’Evrecy (Normandie)

International audienc