High-performance solid Acid fuel cells through humidity stabilization

Although they hold the promise of clean energy, state-of-the-art fuel cells based on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are inoperable above 100 degrees C, require cumbersome humidification systems, and suffer from fuel permeation. These difficulties all arise from the hydrated nature of the electrolyte. In contrast, "solid acids" exhibit anhydrous proton transport and high-temperature stability. We demonstrate continuous, stable power generation for both H2/O2 and direct methanol fuel cells operated at approximately 250 degrees C using a humidity-stabilized solid acid CsH2PO4 electrolyte.     

Impact of grafting on cold responsive gene expression in Satsuma mandarin (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Citrus unshiu</Emphasis>)

The major limitation preventing the expansion of Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu) production in the Gulf Coast regions of the US is the risk of freeze damage. Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf has been widely used as a cold hardy rootstock for citrus production in freeze-prone environments. In this study, relative quantitative real-time RT–PCR was used to study cold responsive genes in Satsuma mandarin (C. unshiu), C. unshiu grafted on P. trifoliata rootstock and P. trifoliata following exposure to cold shock or cold acclimation treatments. Major changes in gene expression occurred in the different species during cold stress especially with respect to nitrate transporter, auxin responsive GH3, UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) and chalcone-flavanone isomerase. Very high levels of nitrate transporter were reached early in Poncirus following 60 h of cold shock treatment at 4°C, and in C. unshiu after 3 weeks of gradual cold acclimation. Also, high levels of auxin responsive GH3 were reached in Poncirus following both cold shock and cold acclimation, while levels in C. unshiu were low or reduced. Poncirus rootstock significantly affected gene expression in C. unshiu scion, resulting in a reduction of nitrate transporter, UGT and trehalose 6-phosphate synthase expression levels, and an increase in auxin responsive GH3 gene during cold acclimation. The impact of rootstock on citrus scion during cold stress might be associated with partitioning of nutrients and hormones.     

Long-term effects of fertilisation regime on earthworm abundance in a semi-natural grassland area

Environmental protection organisations involved in farmland-bird conservation promote the use of organic fertilisers, especially farmyard manure, to enhance the availability of earthworms, which are an important prey for farmland-birds. We studied changes in earthworm numbers in a field experiment on a semi-natural grassland with three different types of fertilisation; no fertilisation (NF), and application of slurry manure (SM) or farmyard manure (FM). Samples were taken in April, yearly from 1982 to 1990 and in 2005. On average, the SM treatment had a lower (29%) earthworm abundance and a higher mean individual body weight than the FM and NF treatments. No statistically significant differences were observed between the FM and NF treatment. In 2005, earthworm abundance did not differ between the SM and NF treatment. The yearly variation in earthworm numbers and biomass was high, and significantly related to winter coldness. Colder winters resulted in lower earthworm abundances in the next spring. Especially the number of endogeic earthworms varied with winter coldness. The large variation between years stresses the need to be careful with the interpretation of short-term field experiments, or comparisons between areas based on single sampling events.     

Identification and pathogenicity of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium</Emphasis> spp. from stem bases of winter wheat in Erzurum,Turkey

Four-hundred-sixty-eightFusarium andFusarium-like isolates were obtained from crowns and subcrown internodes of winter wheat grown in Erzurum, Turkey. Of these isolates, 34.8% wereFusarium acuminatum, 32.3% wereF. equiseti, 16.9% wereF. oxysporum, 15.0% wereMicrodochium nivale (formerlyFusarium nivale), 0.6% wereF. tabacinum and 0.4% wereF. solani. In pathogenicity tests on wheat, the highest disease severity was caused by isolates ofM. nivale, whereas isolates ofF. acuminatum, F. equiseti, F. oxysporum andF. solani were slightly virulent; isolates ofF. tabacinum were nonpathogenic. This is the first report ofM. nivale andF. tabacinum from wheat in Turkey. http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Jan. 29, 2003.     

Emigration of hatchery‐reared Pallid Sturgeon,Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson), through a Missouri River dam

The middle Missouri River (MMR; Fort Randall Dam, SD to Gavins Point Dam, NE‐SD) is stocked with hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson), from upper Missouri River broodstock to aid recovery of this federally endangered species. Emigration of these fish through Gavins Point Dam restores genetic connectivity that likely existed pre‐impoundment but could lead to outbreeding depression in the future. Recapture data of hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon stocked in the MMR were evaluated to improve understanding of pallid sturgeon emigration. From 2004 to 2015, 219 emigrants were caught: 4 stocked at age ≥2 years and 215 stocked at age ≤1 year. Emigration of the 2001‐2007 year classes stocked at age 1 was a consistent phenomenon and appeared higher than emigration of year classes stocked at ages 2–3. Little evidence suggested emigration was associated with an unusually high‐water event in 2011. The annual emigration probability of individuals stocked at age 1 estimated from multi‐state mark–recapture models was 0.05 [95% confidence interval = 0.04–0.06] for fish ages ≥1 year. This study suggests that alterations to stocking practices (e.g. stocking age) may affect emigration rates and, therefore, connectivity among pallid sturgeon populations.     

Sexing accuracy and indicators of maturation status in captive Murray cod Maccullochella peelii peelii using non-invasive ultrasonic imagery

Macroscopic- and histological-based assessments of gonad condition were compared with ultrasound images to determine the feasibility of this technology as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for identifying sex and assessing maturation status of Murray cod. Four age-classes (1+, 2+, 3+ and 6+ years), were sub-sampled at monthly intervals throughout their annual reproductive cycle and scanned with a 5 MHz linear transducer. An interpretation of sex was made from the resulting images and maximum cross-sectional gonad diameter and area were recorded. Fish were subsequently dissected to confirm gender, and the weights and maturation status of gonads determined and then compared with their respective image profile. Ovaries of females were usually a distinctive feature in ultrasound images, being particularly obvious in older and/or more developed fish. In contrast, the identification of male testis was more problematic. Nonetheless, identifying sex from ultrasound images was consistently achieved by recording the presence/absence of a female ovary (96% total sexing accuracy). Maximum cross-sectional ovary diameter and area were highly correlated with gonad weight (r² = 0.90 and 0.89, respectively) suggesting that indices of maturation status, comparable to the gonadosomatic index (GSI), can be obtained non-destructively from ultrasound scans of females. A less distinct relationship occurred between these dimensions and weight of testes (r² = 0.41). Significant increases (P < 0.05) in mean gonad index (GI, calculated from gonad diameter) occurred for most gonad development stages. However, differences in mean GI between maturation stages were confounded by phenotypic variability, indicating that GI may be limited to population level studies. Nevertheless, ultrasound images of ovaries at each development stage were visually distinctive and enabled qualitative evaluations of maturity, thereby complementing quantitative GI assessments. Repeated serial-monitoring of the same population using ultrasound appears to have great potential for tracking maturation-induced changes in broodfish.     

Retrogradation of Maize Starch After Thermal Treatment Within and Above the Gelatinization Temperature Range

Studies of starch retrogradation have not considered the initial thermal treatment. In this article, we explore the effect of heating to temperatures within and above the gelatinization range on maize starch retrogradation. In the first experiment, 30% suspensions of waxy (wx) starch were initially heated to final temperatures ranging from 54 to 72°C and held for 20 min. On reheating in the differential scanning calorimeter immediately after cooling, the residual gelatinization endotherm peak temperature increased, the endotherm narrowed, and enthalpy decreased. Samples stored for seven days at 4°C showed additional amylopectin retrogradation endotherms. Retrogradation increased dramatically as initial holding temperature increased from 60 to 72°C. In a second experiment, wx starch was initially heated to final temperatures from 54 to 180°C and rapidly cooled, followed by immediate reheating or storage at 4°C. Maximum amylopectin retrogradation enthalpy after storage was observed for initial heating to 82°C. Above 82°C, retrogradation enthalpy decreased as initial heating temperature increased. A similar effect for ae wx starch was observed, except that retrogradation occurred more rapidly than for wx starch. These experiments show that heating to various temperatures above the range of gelatinization may profoundly affect amylopectin retrogradation, perhaps due to varying extents of residual molecular order in starch materials that are commonly presumed to be fully gelatinized. This article shows that studies of starch retrogradation should take into account the thermal history of the samples even for temperatures above the gelatinization temperature range.     

Investigation of Ossification Pattern of Structures of Equine Metacarpophalangeal Articulation with the Aid of Digital Imaging Segmentation and Processing Techniques: A Preliminary Report

Radiographs, taken at lateromedial (LM) view, were obtained from metacarpophalangeal articulations of 25 horses of variable ages, ranging from 2 to 20 years, as well as a few of undetermined ages. Images of radiographs were acquired as digitized images with the aid of high-resolution (megapixel) digital cameras directly from lighted platforms, and the acquired 24-bits bitmap formatted images were converted to 8-bit grayscale tagged-image format (TIF) images. The TIF images were processed by a technique involving an on-screen quantitative evaluation of spot pixel intensity values in the digitized images, followed by monadic arithmetic pixel subtraction and addition. A color mapping of the pixels into their respective red and blue sub-spectra of the RGB spectrum also was performed. The entire processing operation was accomplished through the use of a standard digital imaging software. The results demonstrate typical bands of possible ossification pattern within the diaphyses, metaphyses, and the epiphyses of the articulating metacarpal and proximal phalanx in the processed radiographic images compared with their nonprocessed counterparts. The relevance of this novel observation, although preliminary, lies in the prospects of assessing pre-race skeletal health status of horses through a cost-effective, simple, and reliable method.     

Photoacoustic detection of orthophosphate in aqueous solution

The photoacoustic spectroscopy at 633 nm wavelength of a 8 mW He-Ne laser has been used to measure the concentration of orthophosphate dissolved in distilled water. Determination is achieved through the combined use of the colorimetric molybdenum blue method with the high detection sensitivity offered by the photoacoustic technique. A concentration of 1 mmol m^?3 (96 ppb) orthophosphate could readily be detected with the relatively simple experimental set-up.