Review on core-shell structured cathode for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Lowing the operating temperature can greatly promote the commercialization of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), however it also results in a significant increase in cell impedance, which is the bottleneck for the development of intermediate temperature SOFCs (IT-SOFCs). Major hurdles in developing conventional single-phase cathode materials for IT-SOFCs are poor electrochemical performance or durability. The investigation of new cathode materials or the optimization of the existing cathodes is imminent for the development of IT-SOFCs. Among them, core-shell structured cathode can combine the advantages of multiple components, and has been demonstrated with excellent oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic activity and long-term stability. This review summarizes the recent research progress on core-shell structured cathode for enhanced electrochemical performance, long-term stability, CO₂ tolerance and Cr tolerance. Furthermore, the future directions are discussed from a perspective of materials design, preparation and characterization. Core-shell structured cathodes are expected to play an increasingly critical role in the commercialization of IT-SOFCs.     

Effectiveness of the Australian breeding value for heat tolerance at discriminating responses of lactating Holstein cows to heat stress

Heat stress has negative consequences for milk production and reproduction of dairy cattle. These adverse effects are likely to increase because of climate change and anticipated increases in milk yield. Some of the variation among cows in ability to resist effects of heat stress is genetic. The current objective of this observational study was to assess the effectiveness of the Australian breeding value for heat tolerance (ABVHT) based on the decline in milk yield with heat stress for predicting cow differences in effects of heat stress on regulation of body temperature, milk production, and reproductive function. Genomic breeding values for heat tolerance were calculated for 12,487 cows from a single California dairy farm. Rectal temperature in the afternoon (1100–2045 h) was measured on a subset of 626 lactating cows with ABVHT ≥102 (heat tolerant) or <102 (heat sensitive). Rectal temperature was 0.12°C lower for heat-tolerant cows than heat-sensitive cows. Vaginal temperatures were measured every 15 min for 5 d in 118 cows with ABVHT ≥108 (extreme heat tolerant) or <97 (extreme heat sensitive). Vaginal temperature was 0.07°C lower for extreme heat–tolerant cows than extreme heat–sensitive cows. Lactation records for 4,703 cows with ABVHT were used to evaluate seasonal variation in first 90-d milk yield, fat percent, and protein percent for each ABVHT quartile. Overall, cows with higher ABVHT had lower milk yield, fat percentage, and protein percentage and higher first service pregnancy rate. There was no summer depression in production or reproduction or interactions between season and ABVHT quartile. We observed that ABVHT can successfully identify heat-tolerant cows that maintain lower body temperatures during heat stress. The lack of a pronounced seasonality in milk production or reproduction precluded evaluation of whether ABVHT is related to the magnitude of effect of heat stress on those traits.     

新型燃料生物丁醇研究进展

随着石油资源的日趋匮乏，丁醇作为一种燃料具有广阔的发展前景，它可以成为替代汽油的可再生能源。利用生物质发酵生产丁醇是解决能源短缺问题的一个有效途径，但是传统的丙酮-丁醇-乙醇（ABE）发酵法生产丁醇面临菌株对氧的耐受性低、原料成本高、丁醇的转化率和浓度低等问题。基于上述问题，该文从丁醇生产菌对氧的耐受性、发酵原料的选择、丁醇生产菌对溶剂的耐受性差导致的丁醇转化率和浓度低以及丁醇的原位提取等方面综述了生物丁醇生产的研究现状，讨论了ABE发酵存在的问题并提出改进策略，以期为丁醇生产菌株的定向改造及发酵过程控制优化提供借鉴。     

Digital twin of composite assembly manufacturing process

Industry is facing the management of geometrical deviations along the entire lifecycle of the product. It is helped by digital twin tools that may minimise the geometrical deviations from nominal of products. The new digital twin tools allow to manage geometrical variations through a set of steps fully related by modern information and communication technologies that establish a continuous and unambiguous flow of information among the different steps of this digital process along the whole product lifecycle. They are based on data coming from manufacturing, assembly and inspection. The available large data sets from manufacturing and inspection allow to develop new and more accurate simulation models that realistically consider form deviations and process signature, i.e. the pattern left by the manufacturing process on the produced part surfaces. The present work introduces a digital twin tool to support the lightweight design of assemblies in composite material. It establishes a continuous and unambiguous flow of variation information from the part design to assembly, passing through manufacturing by considering the manufacturing signature. It was applied to a case study and the obtained results agree with the experimental ones.     

Preparation and mechanical properties of β-Zr2O(PO4)2: A soft and damage tolerant ceramic with machinability and good thermal shock resistance

Damage tolerant and easily machinable ceramics play important roles in the field of thermal sealing and insulation. Herein, a soft and machinable β-Zr₂O(PO₄)₂ ceramic with excellent thermal shock resistance is reported through detailed investigation on its mechanical properties. β-Zr₂O(PO₄)₂ exhibits low hardness (5.9 GPa), low Pugh’s ratio (G/B = 0.36) and good thermal shock resistance. It also can be machined by WC tools and tolerant to damage. The damage tolerance is demonstrated by the residual strength versus indentation load curve as well as the load-displacement curve during compression strength test. From the crystal structure point of view, the mechanism that underpins the damage tolerance of β-Zr₂O(PO₄)₂ is the anisotropic chemical bonding within the crystal structure, which results in low and anisotropic shear deformation resistance. The possible slip systems of β-Zr₂O(PO₄)₂ are (010)[100] and (100)[010].     

广西生榨米粉中益生乳酸菌的筛选及鉴定

通过革兰氏染色、过氧化氢酶试验、溶血性试验、耐酸、耐胆盐试验及体外抗氧化能力测定从广西本地传统发酵食品生榨米粉中筛选优良益生乳酸菌，对其生长情况及产酸性能进行测定，并通过分子生物学技术对其进行鉴定。结果表明，共分离得到146株γ-溶血乳酸菌，其中22株乳酸菌对pH 2.0和0.3%胆盐均具有良好耐受性，且乳酸菌PM20、PM22、FD13及PM44的综合体外抗氧化能力较好。4株菌株的生长及产酸趋势一致，其中菌株PM44的生长速度和产酸能力最强。经鉴定菌株PM20、PM22、FD13均为发酵乳杆菌（Lactobacillus fermentum），菌株PM44为乳酸片球菌（Pediococcus acidilactici）。     

Exploiting heterozygosity in industrial yeasts to create new and improved baker's yeasts

The main aim of the work was to utilize heterozygosity of industrial yeast strains to construct new baker's yeast strains. Commercial baker's yeast strain ALKO 743, its more ethanol tolerant descendant ALKO 554 selected initially for growth over 300 generations in increasing ethanol concentrations in a glucose medium, and ALKO 3460 from an old domestic sour dough starter were used as starting strains. Isolated meiotic segregants of the strains were characterized genetically for sporulation ability and mating type, and the ploidy was determined physically. Heterozygosity of the segregant strains was estimated by a variety of molecular characterizations and fermentation and growth assays. The results showed wide heterozygosity and that the segregants were clustered into subgroups. This clustering was used for choosing distantly or closely related partners for strain construction crosses. Intrastrain hybrids made with segregants of ALKO 743 showed 16–24% hybrid vigour or heterosis. Interstrain hybrids with segregants of ALKO 743 and ALKO 3460 showed a wide variety of characteristics but also clear heterosis of 27–31% effects as assayed by lean and sugar dough raising. Distiller's yeast ALKO 554 turned out to be a diploid genetic segregant and not just a more ethanol tolerant mutant of the tetraploid parent strain ALKO 743.     

Impacts of chronic and increasing lipopolysaccharide exposure on production and reproductive parameters in lactating Holstein dairy cows

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration causes immunoactivation, which negatively affects production and fertility, but experimental exposure via an acute bolus is unlikely to resemble natural infections. Thus, the objectives were to characterize effects of chronic endotoxemia on production parameters and follicular development in estrous-synchronized lactating cows. Eleven Holstein cows (169 ± 20 d in milk; 681 ± 16 kg of body weight) were acclimated to their environmental surroundings for 3 d and then enrolled in 2 experimental periods (P). During P1 (3 d) cows consumed feed ad libitum and baseline samples were obtained. During P2 (7 d), cows were assigned to continuous infusion of either (1) saline-infused and pair-fed (CON-PF; 40 mL/h of saline i.v.; n = 5) or (2) LPS infused and ad libitum fed (LPS-AL; Escherichia coli O55:B5; 0.017, 0.020, 0.026, 0.036, 0.055, 0.088, and 0.148 μg/kg of body weight/h i.v. on d 1 to 7, respectively; n = 6). Controls were pair-fed to the LPS-AL group to eliminate confounding effects of dissimilar nutrient intake. Infusing LPS temporally caused mild hyperthermia on d 1 to 3 (+0.49°C) relative to baseline. Dry matter intake of LPS-AL cows decreased (28%) on d 1 of P2, then progressively returned to baseline. Relative to baseline, milk yield from LPS-AL cows was decreased on d 1 of P2 (12%). No treatment differences were observed in milk yield during P2. Follicular growth, dominant follicle size, serum progesterone (P4), and follicular P4 and 17β-estradiol concentrations were similar between treatments. Serum 17β-estradiol tended to increase (115%) and serum amyloid A and LPS-binding protein were increased (118 and 40%, respectively) in LPS-AL relative to CON-PF cows. Compared with CON-PF, neutrophils in LPS-AL cows were initially increased (45%), then gradually decreased. In contrast, monocytes were initially decreased (40%) and progressively increased with time in the LPS-AL cows. Hepatic mRNA abundance of cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily C (CYP2C) or CYP3A was not affected by LPS, nor was there a treatment effect on toll-like receptor 4 or LBP; however, acyloxyacyl hydrolase and RELA subunit of nuclear factor kappa B tended to be increased in LPS-AL cows. These data suggest lactating dairy cows become tolerant to chronic and exponentially increasing LPS infusion in terms of production and reproductive parameters.