Durable Self-Cleaning Radiative Cooling Coatings for Building Energy Efficiency.

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) is an energy-saving technology without an additional energy supply or environmental pollution. At present, most PDRC coatings for buildings are only aiming at high solar reflectivity (RS) and high mid-infrared emissivity (EMIR) while ignoring practicalities such as adhesion strength, scalability, and durability. In this work, modified calcined kaolin/(ethylene trifluorochloroethylene copolymer-polydimethylsiloxane) (MK/(FEVE-PDMS)) coating with super practicability is prepared by using MK as a filler, FEVE as an adhesive, and PDMS as a hydrophobic modifier. The RS and EMIR of the coating are 92.5 and 94.6%, respectively. The MK/(FEVE-PDMS) coating exhibits superhydrophobicity, with an advancing contact angle (ACA) of 160.2° and a hysteresis contact angle of 7.3°. At an average solar irradiance of 742.78 W m-2, the coating achieved a temperature drop of 13.12 °C (shielded with PE film) and 3.09 °C (without shielding), respectively, relative to the environment. The coating adheres firmly to the substrate with an adhesion strength of class 2. The superhydrophobicity of the coating provides excellent durability and ease of repair, which can resist UV aging and mechanical damage. The durable superhydrophobicity gives the coating long-term stability in PDRC performance. Additionally, the cheap raw materials and the preparation process, consistent with the production of existing paints, show excellent scalability. Moreover, the energy consumption simulation results show that the energy saving ratio of the coating is more than 10% in the densely populated Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. The durable self-cleaning radiative coating developed in this work has potential application prospects in areas where the demand for cooling in summer is large and the demand for heating in winter is small.

Effects of serum and follicular fluid on the in vitro maturation of canine oocytes.

The effects of gonadotropin, serum and follicular fluid on the in vitro maturation of canine oocytes were examined. Additionally, spindle size and spindle migration in MI-stage oocytes derived by in vivo or in vitro maturation were evaluated for the first time. Mature oocytes collected from beagle dog ovaries were divided into two experiments. In experiment I, oocytes were cultured in basic TCM 199 medium supplemented with different levels of P4, E2 and FSH. In experiment II, oocytes in the estrus or anestrus stage were cultured in basic medium supplemented with 30% or 40% canine serum plus 20% or 10% follicular fluid. Our results showed that in experiment I, more oocytes reached MI-MII (18.57%) after supplementation with 1 IU/ml FSH+ 5 IU/ml P4 + 5 IU/ml E2 than after supplementation with other levels of reagents. However, there were no significant differences among the groups (three different concentration groups and a control group) with respect to the proportions of oocytes that resumed meiosis, completed meiosis or degenerated. In experiment II, the number of oocytes from the estrus stage that reached MI-MII in TCM 199 medium supplemented with 40% canine serum and 10% follicular fluid (46.72%) was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than the number of oocytes from the anestrus stage that reached MI-MII in medium supplemented with 30% canine serum and 20% follicular fluid (21.84%). In addition, the degeneration rate was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the 40% canine serum/10% follicular fluid group from follicular stage than in the other three groups. The average spindle length of the MI-stage oocytes that matured in vivo was significantly (p < 0.01) longer than that of the MI-stage oocytes that matured in vitro (21.75 vs. 14.39 µm). These results suggest that supplementation of the culture medium with 40% estrus serum and 10% follicular fluid had a positive influence on the in vitro maturation of canine oocytes and greatly affected spindle size in MI-stage oocytes.

Molecular Detection and Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Edward's Long-Tailed Rats (Leopoldamys edwardsi).

Toxoplasma gondii is an important zoonotic parasite infecting humans and various animals with a worldwide distribution. However, limited information is available on T. gondii infection in wild rats. The present study aimed to examine the prevalence and characterize the genotypes of T. gondii in wild rats in two regions of China. Brain tissues were collected from 111 Edward's long-tailed rats (Leopoldamys edwardsi) and 117 Bower's white-toothed rats (Berylmys bowersi) between November 2017 and January 2018. Genomic DNA was extracted and amplified by PCR targeting the T. gondii B1 gene. B1 gene-positive samples were genotyped at 10 genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2 [5', 3'] and [alternative], SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico) using multilocus nested polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism. Six (5.41%, 6/111) Edward's long-tailed rats from Chongqing Municipality were positive for T. gondii B1 gene, whereas no T. gondii infection was detected in Bower's white-toothed rats (n = 117) from Guangdong province. T. gondii prevalence in female and male rats was 1.77% (2/113) and 3.48 (4/115), respectively. Four of the six positive DNA samples were completely genotyped at 10 genetic loci and were identified as ToxoDB#20. The present study revealed the occurrence of T. gondii infection in Edward's long-tailed rats. These findings raised public health concerning about T. gondii infection in wild rats. These results provide reference data for understanding the distribution of T. gondii genotypes in wild rats in China.