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Abstract Solid oxide fuel cell is a device that can convert chemical energy directly into electricity. Its advantages, such as high efficiency, low emission, quiet operation, fuel flexibility, bring about the broad application prospect. However, it is difficult to obtain the temperature distribution in the existing planar cross flow solid oxide fuel cell through the experiment. In this paper, a control orient two-dimensional differential equation model is established for a planar cross flow solid oxide fuel cell based on the finite node method, and an iterative algorithm for calculating the real time voltage of the fuel cell is proposed for the model. Based on the model, the temperature distribution of the fuel cell in the test and system configuration is simulated. The simulation results show that the model can reflect the thermoelectric characteristics of the planar cross flow solid oxide fuel cell, especially the temperature distribution of the fuel cell. The SOFC temperature distribution modeling in this paper is helpful for the development of temperature distribution observers and design related control methods in later studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effect of replacement rate of RCA on the calcium leaching of concrete was studied. Effect of initial stress damage on calcium leaching of recycled concrete was studied. Model for compressive strength of recycled concrete after calcium leaching is built. The accelerated calcium dissolution tests of concrete with different replacement rates of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and different initial damage degrees D 0 were carried out by using ammonium chloride solution. The results show that the dissolution resistance of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is negatively correlated with the replacement rate of RCA and the D 0. The mass loss, dissolution depth, the attenuation of ultrasonic wave velocity, and the degradation of mechanical properties (compressive strength and splitting tensile strength) of RAC after calcium dissolution increase with the increasing replacement rate of RCA. When the D 0 is less than 0.2, the dissolution resistance of RAC is not obviously affected by the initial stress damage; however, when the D 0 is greater than 0.2, the mass loss, dissolution depth, the attenuation of ultrasonic wave velocity, and the deterioration of mechanical properties of RAC increase linearly with the increasing of D 0. Compared with the compressive strength, the splitting tensile strength is more sensitive to the calcium dissolution and the initial stress damage of concrete. An obvious pH gradient is formed in the concrete after dissolution, and the pH value in a certain depth of the concrete decreases with the increasing of the replacement rate of RCA and the D 0. Finally, the prediction model for compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of RAC after calcium dissolution is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To provide genetic information and materials for breeding hybrid japonica rice with wide adaptability and strong competitive advantage of yield, elite alleles and their carrier varieties of growth duration (GD) and productive panicle number per plant (PN) were detected. A natural population composed of 94 japonica varieties was phenotyped for the GD, PN and plant height (PH) in two environments. The conditional phenotypic data were transferred by the linear model method in software QGAStation 1.0, and association mapping based on the unconditional and conditional phenotype values of GD and PN was analyzed by using general linear model in software TASSEL. A total of 34 simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker loci associated with GD and PN were detected in the two environments. Among them, 15 were associated with GD, and 19 were associated with PN. Four elite alleles of RM8095-120bp, RM7102-176bp, RM72-170bp and RM72-178bp were associated with GD, and their carrier varieties were Hongmangshajing, Nipponbare, Hongmangshajing and Nannongjing 62401, respectively. These elite alleles from the carrier varieties can shorten GD by 2.03-9.93 d when they were introduced into improved materials. RM72-182bp associated with PN was an elite allele, and its carrier variety was Xiaoqingzhong. It can increase PN by three when introduced into improved materials. Moreover, these elite alleles can be used to improve target traits without influencing another two traits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The DNA fragments about 1 600 bp were amplified using random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD) primer OPA12 with the templates of mitochondrial DNA of Zhenshan 97A and Zhenshan 97B, and were sequenced. The nucleotide sequences and lengths of the fragments from Zhenshan 97A and Zhenshan 97B showed no difference. The precise length of the fragment was 1 588 bp. Sequence characterized amplification region (SCAR) primers were then developed to discriminate the cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines and their maintainer lines. A specific 1 588 bp fragment could be amplified with SCAR primers, CHI19F2/CHI19R2 and CHI20F3/CHI23R3, in the mitochondrial DNA of Zhenshan 97A, but not Zhenshan 97B. Furthermore, the specific fragment could be also amplified from the total DNA from green leaf tissues of Zhenshan 97A with SCAR primers, but not Zhenshan 97B. With the corresponding primers, the specific fragment could also be amplified from the total DNA of green leaves of other two CMS lines with wild abortive type cytoplasm (CMS-WA), namely Zhenpin A and Tianfeng A, but not in their maintainer lines. Moreover, using total DNA as template, each of the four pairs of SCAR primers could also be used to amplify the 1 588 bp fragment in CMS-ID (Indonesia paddy type) line II-32A, but not in II-32B, and the specific fragment was amplified from the DNA of both F1 and F2 seedlings of Shanyou 63. The results of detecting the genetic purity of a man-made mixture of the seeds of Zhenshan 97A using CHI20F3/CHI23R3 were completely consistent with the phenotypes. Taken together, these results indicated that the specific 1 588 bp-fragment amplified by CHI20F3/CHI23R3 was the unique amplification products of CMS mitochondrial DNA, and could be used to distinguish CMS-WA and CMS-ID lines from their corresponding maintainer lines at the seedling stage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Panicle angle (PA) of 254 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between two japonica varieties Xiushui 79 and C Bao was investigated under four environments, and a genetic linkage map including 111 SSR markers was constructed. Genetic analysis was conducted by mixed major gene plus polygene inheritance models, and quantitative trait loci (QTLs) identification by the QTLNetwork 2.0 and the composite interval mapping approach of WinQTLCart 2.5 software. Results showed that the PA trait was controlled by two major genes plus polygenes, mainly by major genes. Eight QTLs for PA were detected by the QTLNetwork 2.0 software, and each locus explained 0.01% to 39.89% of the phenotypic variation. Twelve QTLs for PA were detected by the WinQTLCart 2.5 software, with each locus explaining 2.83% to 30.60% of the phenotypic variation. Two major QTLs (qPA9.2 and qPA9.5) distributed between RM3700 and RM3600 and between RM5652 and RM410, respectively, and a moderate QTL (qPA9.7) distributed between RM257 and OSR28, were both detected by the two methods in all of the four environments. The negative effect alleles of the three QTLs were from Xiushui 79. In addition, eight pairs of epistatic QTLs with minor effects were also detected. QTL × environment interactions were not significant for additive QTLs and epistatic QTL pairs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: QTL mapping for seven quality traits was conducted by using 254 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) derived from a japonica-japonica rice cross of Xiushui 79/C Bao. The seven traits investigated were grain length (GL), grain length to width ratio (LWR), chalk grain rate (CGR), chalkiness degree (CD), gelatinization temperature (GT), amylose content (AC) and gel consistency (GC) of head rice. Three mapping methods employed were composite interval mapping in QTLMapper 2.0 software based on mixed linear model (MCIM), inclusive composite interval mapping in QTL IciMapping 3.0 software based on stepwise regression linear model (ICIM) and multiple interval mapping with regression forward selection in Windows QTL Cartographer 2.5 based on multiple regression analysis (MIMR). Results showed that five QTLs with additive effect (A-QTLs) were detected by all the three methods simultaneously, two by two methods simultaneously, and 23 by only one method. Five A-QTLs were detected by MCIM, nine by ICIM and 28 by MIMR. The contribution rates of single A-QTL ranged from 0.89% to 38.07%. All the QTLs with epistatic effect (E-QTLs) detected by MIMR were not detected by the other two methods. Fourteen pairs of E-QTLs were detected by both MCIM and ICIM, and 142 pairs of E-QTLs were detected by only one method. Twenty-five pairs of E-QTLs were detected by MCIM, 141 pairs by ICIM and four pairs by MIMR. The contribution rates of single pair of E-QTL were from 2.60% to 23.78%. In the Xiu-Bao RIL population, epistatic effect played a major role in the variation of GL and CD, and additive effect was the dominant in the variation of LWR, while both epistatic effect and additive effect had equal importance in the variation of CGR, AC, GT and GC. QTLs detected by two or more methods simultaneously were highly reliable, and could be applied to improve the quality traits in japonica hybrid rice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Genetic segregation analysis for flag leaf angle was conducted using six generations of P1, P2, F1, B1, B2 and F2 derived from a cross of 863B (a maintainer line of japonica rice) and A7444 (a germplasm with large flag leaf angle). Genotypes and phenotypes of flag leaf angle were investigated in 863B (P1), A7444 (P2) and 141 plants in BC1F1 (863B/A7444//863B) population. An SSR genetic linkage map was constructed and QTLs for flag leaf angle were detected. The genetic map containing 79 information loci was constructed, which covers a total distance of 441.6 cM, averaging 5.6 cM between two neighboring loci. Results showed that the trait was controlled by two major genes plus polygene and the major genes were more important. Fifteen markers showed highly significant correlations with flag leaf angle based on single marker regression analysis. Two QTLs (qFLA2 and qFLA8) for flag leaf angle were detected by both composite interval method in software WinQTLCart 2.5 and composite interval method based on mixed linear model in QTL Network 2.0. The qFLA2 explained 10.50% and 13.28% of phenotypic variation, respectively, and was located at the interval of RM300 and RM145 on the short arm of chromosome 2. The qFLA8 explained 9.59% and 7.64% of phenotypic variation, respectively, and was located at the interval flanking RM6215 and RM8265 on the long arm of chromosome 8. The positive alleles at the two QTLs were both contributed from A7444. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Unconditional and conditional QTL mapping were conducted for growth duration (GD), plant height (PH) and effective panicle number per plant (PN) using a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between two japonica rice varieties Xiushui 79 and C Bao. The RIL population consisted of 254 lines was planted in two environments, Nanjing and Sihong, Jiangsu Province, China. Results showed that additive effects were major in all of QTLs for GD, PH and PN detected by the two methods, and the epistatic effects explained a small proportion of phenotypic variation. No interactions were detected between additive QTL and environment, and between epistatic QTL pairs and environment. After growth duration was adjusted to an identical level, RM80-160bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for PN, with an additive effect of 0.71. When effective panicle number per plant was adjusted to an identical level, RM448-240bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for GD, with an additive effect of 4.64. After plant height was adjusted to an identical level, RM80-160bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for PN, with an additive effect of 0.62, and RM448-240bp was detected as an applicable elite allele for GD, with an additive effect of 3.89. These applicable elite alleles could be used to improve target traits without influencing the other two traits. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The tubular solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack has important parameters that need to be identified and optimized for the control of high performance. In this paper, a simple SOFC electrochemical model which its parameters need to be optimized is introduced to implement stack control for high output power. A dynamic SOFC model is built based on three sub-models to provide a large numbers simulated data and different condition for optimization. Unlike the traditional parameter optimization method--simple genetic algorithm (SGA), an improved genetic algorithm (IGA) is introduced. The proposed method shows more accuracy and validity by comparing the different results using SGA and IGA methods, the simulated data, and experimental data. The models and IGA method are adapted to control processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Photocatalytic water splitting is considered to be a green H 2 generation approach and has potential to be applied in the future. As a photocatalytic active material for H 2 evolution, CdS is a good candidate. However, the pristine CdS still suffers from low efficiency and poor stability. To address those issues, we developed noble-metal-free CdS@MoS 2 core-shell nanoheterostructures which exhibit outstanding photocatalytic H 2 evolution performance thus far with rate of 62.55 mmol g−1 h−1, which exceeds that of pristine CdS by a factor of 148. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic stability can be well retained with no deterioration of activity in 24 h reaction. The excellent performance can be reasonably attributed to the low crystallinity of MoS 2 with numerous active sites provided, and the band alignment of CdS and MoS 2 as determined by valence band-XPS and Mott-Schottky plots analysis, which significantly promotes charge transportation and separation. The enhanced photocatalytic stability here should be ascribed to the intimate growth of MoS 2 shells which significantly passivate the surface trap states of CdS cores and thus the photocorrosion is remarkably retarded. This novel strategy will inspire the fabrication of other photocatalytic systems, and may high-efficient photocatalysts be obtained. Image 1 • The CdS@MoS 2 core-shell heterostructures were successfully synthesized. • The CdS@MoS 2 exhibits high performance of 62.55 g−1 h−1. • CdS@MoS 2 heterostructures exhibit good stability in the long-term test of 24 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]