A Facile Preparation and Energetic Characteristics of the Core/Shell CoFeO/Al Nanowires Thermite Film.

In this study, CoFeO is selected for the first time to synthesize CoFeO/Al nanothermite films via an integration of nano-Al with CoFeO nanowires (NWs), which can be prepared through a facile hydrothermal-annealing route. The resulting nanothermite film demonstrates a homogeneous structure and an intense contact between the Al and CoFeO NWs at the nanoscale. In addition, both thermal analysis and laser ignition test reveal the superb energetic performances of the prepared CoFeO/Al NWs nanothermite film.

Gap initiation with 20.35 mm: an initiator integrating the Al/CuO multilayer film and traditional electronic plug to enhance the ignition ability.

In order to enhance the ignition ability and reliability of traditional electronic initiators, a novel electronic initiator has been designed to integrate with a nanothermite multilayer film and an electrode plug. The Al/CuO nanothermite multilayer film with different thickness is deposited on the surface of the electrode plug by magnetron sputtering which uses Pt-W wire as electronic resistance. The exothermicity of Al/CuO nanothermite multilayer film is so favourable that the ignition ability of electronic initiator is significantly improved.

Genomic Analysis To Identify Signatures of Artificial Selection and Loci Associated with Important Economic Traits in Duroc Pigs.

Identifying genetic basis of domestication and improvement in livestock contributes to our understanding of the role of artificial selection in shaping the genome. Here we used whole-genome sequencing and the genotyping by sequencing approach to detect artificial selection signatures and identify the associated SNPs of two economic traits in Duroc pigs. A total of 38 candidate selection regions were detected by combining the fixation index and the Composite Likelihood Ratio methods.

Annexin A8 (ANXA8) regulates proliferation of porcine endometrial cells via Akt signalling pathway.

Annexin A8 (ANXA8) gene, a member of the annexin family, encodes an anticoagulant protein involved in blood coagulation cascade and acts as an indirect inhibitor of the thromboplastin-specific complex. However, little is known about the function of ANXA8 in porcine endometrial cells so far. Here, ANXA8 mRNA was found to be abundant in porcine endometrium on days 11-13 of pregnancy.

Comparative analyses of longissimus muscle miRNAomes reveal microRNAs associated with differential regulation of muscle fiber development between Tongcheng and Yorkshire pigs.

Tongcheng (TC) and Yorkshire (YK) are two pig breeds with distinctive muscle morphology. Porcine microRNAome (miRNAome) of the longissimus muscle during five developmental stages (40, 55, 63, 70, and 90 days post coitum (dpc)) was explored by Solexa sequencing in the present study to find miRNAs involved in the different regulation of skeletal muscle development between the two breeds. A total of 320 known porcine miRNAs, 64 miRNAs corresponding to other mammals, and 224 potentially novel miRNAs were identified.

Core/shell CuO/Al nanorod thermite film based on electrochemical anodization.

In this study, a new method was reported for the fabrication of the nanostructured CuO/Al thermite film on a Cu substrate. The CuO nanorod (NR) arrays grew vertically from the Cu surfaces by electrochemical anodization processes, followed by the deposition of an Al layer on the CuO NRs via magnetron sputtering to form a core/shell CuO/Al nanothermite film, whose component, structure and morphology were subsequently characterized. In addition, the energy-release characteristics of the obtained nanothermite film were investigated using thermal analyses and laser ignition tests.

Monodisperse Low-Bandgap Macromolecule-Based 5,5'-Bibenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole Swivel Cruciform for Organic Solar Cells.

A novel low bandgap star-like macromolecule was synthesized and applied as electron donor material in the bulk heterojunction solar cells, in which the 5,5'-bibenzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole was used as the central node, in conjunction with four conjugated donor-acceptor arms. Compared with the corresponding small molecule with first generation arms, the macromolecule with second generation branches exhibited significantly enhanced photovoltaic device performances (blended with PC71BM as the active layer) due to dramatically improved short-circuit current density () and fill factor (FF). The improvement in and FF can be attributed to the more broad absorption and the more favorable phase separation when comparing a monodisperse macromolecule with the second generation arms (SFTBT) with a small molecule with first generation branches (DFTBT).

Spiro-fluorene based 3D donor towards efficient organic photovoltaics.

A novel 3D donor material (SF8TBT) based on spiro-fluorene has been developed. Compared with the corresponding 1D linear molecule, the OPVs of this 3D donor exhibited power conversion efficiencies of 4.82%, much higher than that of 1D small molecules (1.

A 304 bp insertion/deletion mutation in promoter region induces the increase of porcine IDH3β gene expression.

Obese and lean pig breeds show obvious differences in adipose metabolism/fat deposition; however, the molecular mechanism underlying phenotype variation remains unknown. In order to understand it, we analyzed the differences of gene expression in backfat between Meishan (a typical Chinese indigenous obese breed) and Large White (a lean Western breed) pigs. Here, we cloned porcine β subunit of IDH3 (IDH3B) and 2447 bp 5'-flanking sequence of this gene, and determined the genomic structure.