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The experiment aimed to investigate the influence of rosemary extract on oxidative stress in weaned piglets. A total of 144 'Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire' ternary hybrid piglets weighing about 8.0 kg and weaned at 26 days of age were randomly divided into four groups, with six replicates in each group and six piglets (half in male and female) in each replicate. The piglets in the control group were fed with a basal diet, and experimental groups (200, 400, 600 mg/kg RE group) added an additional 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg rosemary extract (RE) to the basal diet, respectively. The test lasted for 24 d. The results showed that compared with the control group, the addition of 200 mg/kg RE could significantly increase the average daily gain and average daily feed intake of weaned piglets (P<0.05), and significantly reduce the feed to gain ratio (P<0.05). On the 10th day, compared with the control group, the serum GSH-Px and SOD activity of weaned piglets in the experimental groups were significantly increased (P<0.05), CAT activity in serum of weaned piglets in 600 mg/kg RE group was significantly increased (P<0.05), and the content of MDA in the 600 mg/kg RE group was decreased significantly (P<0.05). On the 10th day, the serum levels of IGF-I and Ghrelin in weaned piglets in the 200 mg/kg RE group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the GH levels in the serum of weaned piglets in 400 mg/kg RE group were significantly increased (P<0.05). On the 24th day, the serum levels of IGF-I and GH in the weaned piglets in the 200 mg/kg group were significantly increased (P<0.05), and the serum levels of IGF-I in the weaned piglets in the 600 mg/kg group were significantly increased (P<0.05). The study indicates that the addition of RE to the diet can alleviate the oxidative stress caused by early weaning of piglets, promote the growth and development of weaned piglets, and enhance the antioxidant ability of piglets, and the suitable amount of addition is 200 mg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two octaisobutyl-polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (oib-POSS) reinforced biodegradable poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) composites were prepared via two different methods, i.e., melt compounding and solution casting, which were named as mPCL/oib-POSS and sPCL/oib-POSS, respectively, in this work. Oib-POSS dispersed finely in both composites; moreover, oib-POSS aggregates were larger in mPCL/oib-POSS than in sPCL/oib-POSS. Despite the different preparation methods, oib-POSS obviously promoted the crystallization of PCL, especially in sPCL/oib-POSS, but did not modify the crystal structure of PCL. The storage moduli of PCL were improved significantly in both composites. PCL/oib-POSS composites with enhanced crystallization behavior and improved dynamic mechanical properties were successfully prepared through both methods; moreover, the solution casting method was more effective than the melt compounding method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Till now, there are no systematic reports on the effect of the quality of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) on lithium storage properties, as the reported methods to fabricate graphene‐based electrodes are usually not effective enough to reduce graphene oxides to graphene. Herein, graphite oxide is thermally exfoliated and annealed with a high‐temperature graphitization oven at different temperatures (800–2000 °C). A series of Fe3O4/TRG hybrids are synthesized as anode materials for lithium‐ion batteries with TRGs acting as substrates of in‐situ formed Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Both, the electroconductivity of the TRGs and their interfacial interaction with Fe3O4 influence the lithium storage performances of the hybrids. However, the electroconductivity of the TRGs and the formation of interfacial bonds are conflicting. Because the oxygen‐containing groups and defects of TRG are greatly removed leading to enhanced electrical conductivity with the increase of thermal annealing temperature. Hence, the resulting Fe3O4/TRG hybrids show first decreased then increased electrochemical performances with increasing annealed temperatures. In a word, the effect of interfacial interaction is dominant at a relatively low annealing temperature, while the effect of conductivity is dominant at a relatively high annealing temperature. The optimized hybrids exhibit excellent cycling and rate performances. This work should provide useful information for the rational design and construction of high‐performance electrodes for energy storage applications. Functional groups vs. conductivity: both the electroconductivity of thermally reduced graphene oxide (TRG) sheets and their interfacial interaction with Fe3O4 nanoparticles influence the lithium storage performances of the synthesized hybrid material. However, the two key factors are conflicting. The effect of interfacial interaction is dominant at a relative low annealing temperature, while the effect of conductivity is dominant at a relative high annealing temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the electrochemical catalytic conversion process is effective in increasing the reversible capacity of lithium‐ion batteries, the low contact efficiency between metal catalyst and substrate and pulverization of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film without protection are not beneficial for the electrochemical reactions. Herein, Fe7S8 nanoparticles are confined by both reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and in‐situ‐formed amorphous carbon (C) to form dual‐carbon‐confined Fe7S8 as a lithium‐ion anode. The dual‐carbon‐confined structure provides a confined space to prevent pulverization of the SEI film and increases the local concentration of intermediate phases, which could be electrocatalytically decomposed by Fe nanoparticles formed in situ to increase the reversibility of the electrochemical reactions and gain high reversible capacity. In addition, the dual‐carbon‐confined structure ensures fast transfer of electrons and boosts transport of lithium ions due to the highly conductive dual‐carbon shell. Thus, the Fe7S8/C/RGO anode delivers an excellent rate performance and long cycling stability. At current densities of 2000 and 5000 mA g−1, the reversible capacities are 520 mA h g−1 over 1500 cycles and 294 mA h g−1 over 2000 cycles, respectively. Dual confinement: Fe7S8 nanoparticles dually confined by both reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and in‐situ‐formed amorphous carbon (C) were fabricated as Li‐ion battery anodes (see figure). The dual‐carbon‐confined structure prevents pulverization of the solid electrolyte interface film, increases the local concentration of intermediate phases, makes the electrochemical catalytic conversion reaction occur easily, and ensures fast transfer of electrons and increased transport of lithium ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]