Lithiation-induced fracture of silicon nanowires observed by in-situ scanning electron microscopy.

Silicon is expected to be a useful anode material in lithium ion batteries for future energy storage applications, because of its high theoretical charge storage density of Li ions. However, volume expansion due to lithiation fractures the Si anode material, leading to poor cycle stability of battery operation. The approaches to overcome the problem include using Si nanowires to relieve the stress induced by volume expansion and coating a protective layer on the Si anode to prevent delamination.

Growth of heterojunctions in Si-Ge alloy nanowires by altering AuGeSi eutectic composition using an approach based on thermal oxidation.

Understanding the growth mechanism of heterojunctions in silicon-germanium alloy (Si-Ge) nanowires is helpful for designing adequate physical properties in the material for device applications. We examine the formation of the heterojunction in low Ge-content Si-Ge nanowires by an approach of thermal oxidation, which produces an atomically abrupt interface with an obvious concentration change. Forming heterojunctions in Si-Ge nanowires by this approach involves more complicated reaction routes than direct growth of heterojunction nanowires using the vapor-liquid-solid method.

[Effects of different winter cover crops on soil organic carbon in a double cropping rice paddy field.].

In a double cropping rice field experiment, effects of five winter cover crops on the total organic carbon (TOC), active organic carbon (AOC), carbon pool management index (CPMI) and organic carbon storage were studied in three soil layers (0-5, 5-10 and 10-20 cm).Winter cover crops of ryegrass (Ry), Chinese milk vetch (Mv), potato (Po), and rape (Ra) between two rice crops were compared with fallow as control (CK). The results showed that the TOC and AOC contents under Ry, Mv, Po and Ra treatments were higher than those of CK in all three la-yers.

[Effects of long-term fertilization on soil organic carbon pool and carbon sequestration under double rice cropping].

This paper studied the effects of 30 years (1981-2010) fertilization with chemical N, P, and K, pig manure (PM), and rice straw (RS) on the soil organic carbon (SOC) and its components contents under intensive double rice cropping. The experiment was established on a typic Hapli-Stagnic Anthrosols in Hunan in 1981, and the soil samples were collected in November 2010. In treatment NPK, the contents of SOC, particulate organic C (POC), and KMnO4-oxidizable C (KMnO4-C) were higher than those in treatments NP and NK.

Microcystin-LR induces protein phosphatase 2A alteration in a human liver cell line.

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, and has potent hepatotoxicity and tumor promotion activity. Numerous studies on MC-LR toxicity have been conducted in rat hepatocytes, but few studies of the effects of microcystins on human hepatocytes have been done. In this study, HL7702 cells (a human normal liver cell line) were incubated in MC-LR for 24 h.