Facile Synthesis of ZnO@TiO 2

ZnO nanorod thin films grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glasses have been synthesized via facile thermal evaporation. To optimize the performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), we fabricated ZnO@TiO2 core-shell composite by a simple dip-coating method immersed in the mixed solution of Ti(OC4H9) and ethanol. Results of solar cell testing showed that ZnO@TiO2 core-shell nanorod thin films on FTO significantly increased open circuit voltage (from 0.47 V to 0.53 V), short circuit current (from 10.78 mA/cm2 to 13.98 mA/cm2), and fill factor (from 51% to 55%). The photoelectric conversion efficiency (PEC) increased from 3.3% for bare ZnO DSSCs to 4.85% for ZnO@TiO2 core-shell structured DSSCs. This is mainly ascribed to the improvement in light harvesting efficiency, electron transfer, and the effective suppression of charge recombination

Molecular evidence of Rickettsia raoultii, “Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae” and a novel Babesia genotype in marbled polecats (Vormela peregusna) at the China-Kazakhstan border

Abstract In this study, two road-killed marbled polecats (Vormela peregusna) were molecularly analysed for tick-borne pathogens. Rickettsia raoultii, “Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae” and a novel Babesia genotype have been identified, for the first time in marbled polecat. DNA of this Babesia sp. genotype was also present in four out of 15 Haemaphysalis erinacei ticks collected from the Babesia PCR-positive marbled polecat. Results of this study suggest that marbled polecats may serve as reservoirs for these bacteria and protozoans

Additional file 1: of Molecular evidence of Rickettsia raoultii, “Candidatus Rickettsia barbariae” and a novel Babesia genotype in marbled polecats (Vormela peregusna) at the China-Kazakhstan border

Table S1. Information for the sequences from the GenBank database used in Fig. 1. (DOCX 18 kb