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Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a staple food widely consumed in Tunisia and a source of nutrients beneficial for human health. The tubers are, indeed, important source of vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, including carotenoids, polyphenols, and flavonoids. However, data regarding the functional quality of potato varieties grown and consumed in Tunisia are very scarce. For this reason, two field trials were conducted to focus on the effect of the growing season on the functional quality of four potato genotypes (Selena, El Beidha, Naima, and CL07F172.5): a first autumnal trial in Teboulba, Monastir (September 2015–February 2016), which is the late cropping season (LCS) and a second summer cropping season (SCS) in El ksour, El Kef region at an altitude > 1000 m (July 2015–October 2015). Total carotenoids, total phenolics, and flavonoids contents, as well as the hydrophilic radical scavenging activity and lipophilic radical scavenging activity (LRSA) were determined. The obtained results confirmed the importance of potato tubers as a source of bioactive compounds. All quality traits varied significantly among varieties and cropping seasons. Tubers grown under colder weather conditions (LCS: minimum and maximum averages temperatures and relative humidity (RH) ranging between 14.25 and 22.55°C and 25.46% and 83.07%, respectively) accumulated the highest total vitamin C content and exhibited the highest LRSA values. However, temperature and warmer growing conditions (SCS: minimum and maximum averages temperatures and RH ranging between 19.74 and 34.22°C and 35.46% and 87.51%, respectively) probably enhanced the synthesis and accumulation of total carotenoids, total phenolics, and total flavonoids, associated with higher LRSA values. Core Ideas: The development of a new summer cropping season in Tunisia is examined.The production and quality traits are similar to other potato cropping season.Highland potato production is promising and contributes to fill the existing gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livestock operations generally deal with dairy or beef cattle. Although sufficient attention is paid in design and construction of dairy barns since modern technology, mechanization and labor are used intensively in dairy barns, beef cattle barns are still constructed in traditional styles. However, in cattle barns planned for meat production, which is one of the most important protein sources of human beings, desired conditions should be provided at optimum levels. Working conditions of the workers should be improved, physical, chemical and biological characteristics of animal rations should be improved and hygienic production environment should be provided. Therefore, beef cattle barns should be designed and constructed in accordance with modern technologies and technical standards and regional conditions should be taken into consideration. In this study, planning and design criteria of beef cattle barns for cold climate regions were determined and 100 and 200-head capacity beef cattle barns were developed and designed for Van Province conditions. The designed beef cattle barn project, was submitted to the Agricultural-Specialized Organized Industrial Zone Project Commission and it was deemed appropriate to carry out the exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme cold weather conditions affect construction workers' health and safety performance. Hence, the goal of this article is to identify and analyze these challenges so that effective measures can be developed and implemented to mitigate or eliminate them. To this end, a questionnaire was created and circulated through the online platform QuestionPro. The Kruskal–Walli's test was used to examine the physical and mental health issues identified by the 111 responders, and quantitative analysis was performed by using physiological indicators such as heart rate and personal indicators, including degree of comfort and acclimation. The results showed that physical obstacles such as hypothermia and respiratory issues were perceived differently based on heart rate and garment comfort; and mental issues, such as poor concentration and frequent mood swings, varied with the workers' heart rate and level of acclimatization. Some of the strategies developed for protecting the workers are ensuring that they wear sufficient layers of clothing and heated gloves and have access to technologies such as infrared heaters. Existing practices and legislation that control construction "workers" safety in extreme cold weather conditions are also addressed. The findings of this article will help construction industry professionals effectively manage projects while ensuring their workers' safety in harsh cold weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature is essential for the survival and development of eggs. Some anurans have evolved and developed foam nesting traits, with thermal insulation considered to be among their functions. Foam‐nesting frogs tend to exhibit reproductive plasticity. For example, they oviposit on both trees and the ground. How such plasticity affects foam nest function is of major relevance and is likely related to the adaptation of foam nesting frogs. However, this has not been well studied. In this study, we examined the interaction between foam nest site, foam nest function, and egg fate using the Japanese green tree frog, Zhangixalus arboreus, and analysed how nest site differences (arboreal or terrestrial) affect the thermal function of foam nests. We compared the thermal functions of foam nests between arboreal and terrestrial oviposition sites of Z. arboreus. We artificially replaced half of the arboreal nests with terrestrial environments and recorded temperature in and outside of the experimental terrestrial nest and original arboreal nests. We also examined egg survival and hatching rates for all the nests. The results indicated superior heat insulation in terrestrial nests, with warmer temperatures inside than outside the nests, especially at night, which led to a high egg survival rate. Therefore, terrestrial ovipositing should be valid under cold weather conditions. This may be related to the evolutionary history of oviposition site plasticity of this genus, which originally had an arboreal oviposition trait but evolved into terrestrial site use owing to global cooling. Our novel insights into the evolution and adaptivity of foam nesting and oviposition site use in Z. arboreus make an important contribution to animal ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M. ovipneumoniae) is a significant pathogen causing respiratory infections in goats and sheep. This study focuses on investigating vulnerability of Hu sheep to M. ovipneumoniae infection in the context of late spring's cold weather conditions through detailed autopsy of a severely affected Hu sheep and whole genome sequencing of M. ovipneumoniae. Results: The autopsy findings of the deceased sheep revealed severe pulmonary damage with concentrated tracheal and lung lesions. Histopathological analysis showed tissue degeneration, mucus accumulation, alveolar septum thickening, and cellular necrosis. Immunohistochemistry analysis indicated that M. ovipneumoniae was more in the bronchi compared to the trachea. Genome analysis of M. ovipneumoniae identified a 1,014,835 bp with 686 coding sequences, 3 rRNAs, 30 tRNAs, 6 CRISPRs, 11 genomic islands, 4 prophages, 73 virulence factors, and 20 secreted proteins. Conclusion: This study investigates the vulnerability of Hu sheep to M. ovipneumoniae infection during late spring's cold weather conditions. Autopsy findings showed severe pulmonary injury in affected sheep, and whole genome sequencing identified genetic elements associated with pathogenicity and virulence factors of M. ovipneumoniae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ice buildup on airborne structures operating in cold weather conditions has detrimental impacts on their safety and performance. Due to practical applications, there has been a significant interest in ice removal strategies. However, the current body of literature lacks comprehensive insights into the mechanistic aspects of the ice adhesion/breakage process, resulting in a wide range of reported adhesion strengths that differ by two orders of magnitude. To address this gap, we employed a fracture mechanics-based approach to investigate the fracture behavior of a typical ice/aluminum interface in terms of mode-I and mode-II fractures. We examine a range of surface roughness values spanning from 0.05 to 5 micrometers. An experimental framework employing a single cantilever beam and direct shear tests were developed. The near mode-I and mode-II interfacial fracture toughness and strength values were extracted from the experimentally measured force and displacement by both analytical and numerical models employing cohesive surfaces. The combined experimental and numerical results show that ice adhesion is primarily driven by cohesive interfacial failure, which exhibits almost mode-independent fracture behavior. Mode-I fracture shows directional instability of crack propagation, which is attributed to thermally induced residual tensile stress at the ice layer-substrate interface. The fractographic inspection reveals similar ice-grain size over the examined range of substrate roughness values. For the examined range of surface roughness and temperature, which induces the Wenzel state with full surface wetting at the interface, the ice adhesion is insensitive to the interfacial roughness in both mode-I and mode-II fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High‐functional cosmetic products combined with the concept of "treatment" cosmetics are being introduced to the market. Cosmetic products containing a skin‐derived microbiome, a three‐dimensional (3D) stem cell culture medium, and low‐molecular‐weight collagen are being introduced, and these products are leading the cosmeceutical market. We aimed to confirm the potential of a 3D stem cell culture medium‐containing cream as a skin‐whitening and moisturizing product. Aim: To determine the enhancing effects of a cream containing 3D adipose tissue‐derived mesenchymal stem cell‐conditioned media (3D ADMSC‐CM) on whitening and moisturization. Methods: The inhibitory activities of tyrosinase (TYR) and melanin were confirmed using 3D ADMSC‐CM. Furthermore, hyaluronic acid expression in 3D ADMSC‐CM was verified. The clinical efficacy of the cream containing 3D ADMSC‐CM was established by evaluating its antioxidant properties and effects on skin tone, radiance, freckles, and moisturization. Results: The use of 3D ADMSC‐CM suppressed the inhibitory effects of TYR and melanin by approximately 24% and 33%, respectively, and increased the expression of hyaluronic acid synthase. A significant difference was observed after 4 weeks of using 3D ADMSC‐CM in the skin antioxidant evaluation. After 2 and 4 weeks of use, skin tone and radiance increased and skin freckles decreased significantly. Under extremely cold and dry weather conditions, the use of the cream increased skin moisturization. Conclusions: The 3D ADMSC‐CM cream evaluated in an environment similar to the human body was found to enhance skin whitening and moisturization and can therefore be used in the skin care and cosmetic industries as a biocosmetic product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most species arriving from a donor to a recipient area do not succeed in establishing long-lasting self-sustaining populations. However, successful introductions are far better documented than those that failed, especially those occurring before or near the advent of the Linnaean binomial nomenclature. We report here an introduction from the mid-18th century (possibly in 1750 or 1751) of an exotic mussel transported as fouling on ship hulls from the western coast of Morocco (Atlantic Ocean) to the port of Marseilles (Mediterranean Sea). The exotic mussel, which survived several years, has been identified as probably being the brown mussel, Perna perna, a species with warm-water affinities, which much later became invasive in several areas of the world ocean. The documents of the 18th and early 19th century, which mentioned the event, held 'the curious' and 'amateurs', who harvested the mussels, responsible for its extirpation. More realistically, it is hypothesised that the mussel population did not survive the return of severe cold weather conditions, after a few relatively mild decades, in the context of the Little Ice Age (LIA). These conclusions were deduced from historical data and are therefore open to discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our study aimed to assess the ability of nonmedical civilians to self-apply extremity tourniquets in cold weather conditions while wearing insulating technical clothing after receiving basic training. Methods: A field study was conducted among 37 voluntary participants of an expedition party to the Spanish Antarctic base. The researchers assessed the participant's ability to self-apply five commercial extremity tourniquets (CAT, OMNA, RMT, SWAT-T, and RATS) over cold-weather clothing and their achieved effectiveness for vascular occlusion. Upper extremity self-application was performed with a single-handed technique (OHT), and lower extremity applying a two-handed technique (THT). Perceptions of self-application ease mean values ± standard deviation (SD) were compared by applying a 5% statistical significance threshold. Frequency count determined tourniquet preference. Results: All the tested ETs, except the SWAT-T, were properly self-applied with an OHT, resulting in effective vascular occlusion in the upper extremity. The five devices tested were self-applied correctly in the lower extremities using THT. The ratcheting marine-designed OMNA ranked the highest for application easiness on both the upper and lower extremities, and the windlass CAT model was the preferred device by most participants. Conclusions: Civilian extremity tourniquet self-application on both upper and lower extremities can be accomplished in cold weather conditions despite using cold-weather gloves and technical clothing after receiving brief training. The ratcheting marine-designed OMNA ranked the highest for application ease, and the windlass CAT model was the preferred device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of freezing often occurs when using all-glass vacuum tube solar water heaters during cold winter seasons, leading to problems such as pipe ruptures and tank leakage. In order to further study the nocturnal heat dissipation and freezing characteristics of these heaters, a three-dimensional transient numerical model of their nocturnal heat dissipation was established. The model simulated the nocturnal heat dissipation process, and experimental validations were conducted through nocturnal temperature drops of the collector and temperature drops of individual tubes without a storage tank. Experimental and simulation results revealed that in clear weather conditions during cold winters in Luoyang, the all-glass vacuum tube solar water heaters experienced freezing issues during the night, with freezing predominantly starting from the bottom surface of the vacuum tubes. The frozen length along the tube wall and the thickness of ice at the bottom section reached up to 1180 mm and 5 mm, respectively. In the absence of a storage tank, the freezing situation was severe, with approximately 4/5 of the individual tubes completely frozen. Under specified operating conditions, different storage tank volumes exhibited varying degrees of freezing in the all-glass vacuum tube solar water heaters. When the volume was increased to 15 L, the temperature drop in the storage tank and the vacuum tubes decreased by 12.1% and 7.6%, respectively. Larger storage tank volumes resulted in reduced freezing risks in all-glass vacuum tube solar collectors. This study provides valuable guidance for the design and application of solar collectors and serves as a reference for the development and application of solar energy utilization technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weed management in organic farming needs to integrate a wide range of preventive tools. Here we tested the stale seed bed technique in field experiments with organic lemon balm. In a two‐factorial trial, four intensities of stale seedbed after either autumn or spring ploughing were tested in 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 on alluvial loams of the research farm Wiesengut in the Rhineland, Germany. Increasing the number of stale seedbed passes did not promote weed emergence before sowing in 2020 due to serious spring drought; in 2021 only the two last stale seedbed passes in later spring caused extra weed flushes, while cold weather conditions in early spring prevented weed response to the earlier passes. Despite the differences in the number of germinating weeds in 2021 before sowing, intensification of the stale seedbed had no decreasing effect on weed density in lemon balm after sowing. However, weed species‐specific periods were identified in which the stale seedbed selectively promoted emergence. Autumn ploughing followed by a superficial incorporation of the catch crop in spring resulted in a lower weed emergence than complete residue incorporation by spring ploughing. Seedbank size differed greatly between fields, probably due to crop rotation. The overall weed reducing effect of the tested tillage treatments was low, probably due to high weed pressure on the organic farm. To increase the efficacy of the stale seed bed technique, sufficient soil moisture as well as temperature requirements of the dominating weed flora need to be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To explore experiences engaging in exercise from the perspectives of women living with HIV, specifically, i) nature and extent of exercise, ii) components that characterize exercise experiences, iii) facilitators and barriers, and iv) strategies for uptake and sustainability of exercise. Design: Qualitative descriptive study involving online semi-structured interviews. Recruitment: We recruited women living with HIV from a specialty hospital, community-based organization, and medical clinic in Toronto, Canada. Participants: Ten women living with HIV who may or may not have engaged in exercise. Data collection: Using a semi-structured interview guide, we asked participants to describe their experiences with, facilitators and barriers to, and strategies to facilitate uptake of exercise. We electronically administered a demographic questionnaire to describe personal, HIV and physical activity characteristics of participants. We conducted a descriptive thematic analysis with the interview data, and descriptive analysis (medians, frequencies, percentages) of questionnaire responses. Results: Women characterized their experiences with exercise with six intersecting components: (1) culture, (2) gender, (3) HIV-related stigma, (4) episodic nature of HIV, (5) sense of belonging, and (6) perceptions of exercise. Facilitators to exercise included: aspirations to achieve a healthy lifestyle, using exercise as a mental diversion, having an exercise companion, and receiving financial support from community-based organizations to facilitate engagement. Barriers to exercise included: limited resources (lack of mental-health support and fitness resources in the community), financial limitations, time and gym restrictions, and cold winter weather conditions. Strategies to facilitate uptake of exercise included: creating social interactions, provision of online exercise classes, raising awareness and education about exercise, and offering practical support. Conclusions: Experiences with exercise among women living with HIV were characterized by intersecting personal and environmental contextual components. Results may help inform tailored implementation of exercise rehabilitation programs to enhance uptake of exercise and health outcomes among women living with HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold weather conditions pose significant challenges to the performance and durability of concrete materials, construction processes, and structures. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the material-related challenges in cold weather concrete construction, including slow setting, reduced curing rate, and slower strength development, as well as frost damage, early freezing, and freeze–thaw actions. Various innovative materials and technologies may be implemented to address these challenges, such as optimizing the concrete mix proportions, chemical admixtures, supplementary cementitious materials, and advanced construction techniques. The paper also examines the impact of weather-related challenges for personnel, equipment, and machinery in cold environments and highlights the importance of effective planning, communication, and management strategies. Results indicate that the successful implementation of appropriate strategies can mitigate the challenges, reduce construction time, and enhance the performance, durability, and sustainability of concrete structures in cold and freezing temperatures. The paper emphasizes the importance of staying updated about the latest advancements and best practices in the field. Future trends include the development of smart and functional concrete materials, advanced manufacturing and construction techniques, integrated design, and optimization of tools, all with a strong focus on sustainability and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auxiliary diesel heaters are commonly used in all types of vehicles in cold climates and conditions around the world. Electric buses used in public transport utilise diesel-burning auxiliary heaters to provide thermal comfort for passengers under cold weather conditions while maintaining the operational range otherwise reduced by electric heating. However, the downside of utilising diesel burners is that they cause similar exhaust pollutants to conventional diesel vehicles. Because the emission control for auxiliary heaters is lax, the diesel burners typically lack any exhaust aftertreatment (EAT), resulting in potentially high local emissions. As the public transport sectors around the world seem to transit from traditional internal combustion engine-vehicles to battery electric applications, the significance of the emissions caused by diesel auxiliary heaters is continuously increasing. EVs are generally considered zero-emission vehicles but the implementation of diesel burners is evidently conflicting with this concept. Nevertheless, publicly available experimental results from studies around this topic are surprisingly limited. The data of the few available publications are not directly comparable because there is no direct procedure or protocol for determining the exhaust pollutants from auxiliary heaters in real-world conditions at present. As a result, assessing the direct effect of the pollutants caused by electric vehicles utilising auxiliary heaters in the public transport is challenging. This study addresses this problem by introducing two methods for measuring auxiliary heater emissions; first, a field-test method that is applicable for a quick screening of the emissions of multiple heater units; secondly, a laboratory test method for a more detailed emission characterisation in a simulated real-world operation environment. In these experiments, the primarily objective was to study the emissions of the auxiliary heaters, including CO2, CO, NOx and soot. The heater operation was found to be cyclic with numerous start-ups during its typical operation. The cyclic operation resulted in concurrent emission peaks in CO and soot. Measurements of actual operation showed auxiliary heater utilisation rates similar to the controlled measurements, although the whole temperature range of the controlled measurements was not reached in real-world conditions. The measurements conducted during the field screening revealed high variations between emissions of individual units. A further screening of auxiliary heaters would provide a better outlook for the mitigation of their emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop a cementitious repair material that can be constructed in cold weather conditions. The addition of nitrite/nitrate-based antifreezing agents has been shown to increase the initial strength of cementitious repair materials in cold weather. However, increasing the amount of these agents may lead to an increase in deformation behavior and shrinkage cracking. In this study, the effects of different types and amounts of nitrite/nitrate-based antifreezing agents on the strength development and deformation behavior of cementitious repair materials under low-temperature conditions were evaluated. As a result, it was found that the addition of a large amount of calcium nitrite can promote hydration and improve the initial strength of the repair material, irrespective of the type of antifreezing agent. However, this also leads to an increase in shrinkage and the concern of shrinkage cracking. Therefore, a repair material that is repairable in winter was developed by balancing the initial strength and deformation behavior through the appropriate selection of antifreezing agents. The developed repair material can be used to repair structures in cold weather conditions, which is of great significance for the construction industry in Hokkaido, Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-integral abutment bridges are integral abutment bridges with a flexible interface at the abutment to reduce the force transferred to the foundation. Past research has investigated the uplift forces from the drill shafts using finite-element analysis, while insufficient experimental data exist to validate this hypothesis. Therefore, a semi-integral abutment bridge in Ohio supported on drilled shafts was monitored for a long-term to investigate the performance of semi-integral abutment with drilled shafts and abutment walls under environmental conditions. During the construction of the bridge, vibrating wire strain gauges were placed in three drilled shafts, footing, and the abutment wall above. Strain and temperature were collected from the installed sensors. It was found that the seasonal and daily temperature changes significantly affect the changes in the strain in the substructure. The behavior of the abutment wall significantly affects the behavior of the footing and drilled shafts. The behavior of the abutment was irreversible, and the top of the abutment wall and the top of the drilled shaft induced higher strain than the bottom. Cracks were noticed at the front face of the abutment wall, and the extremely cold weather conditions induced tensile strain higher than the allowable strain at the top corner of the front face of the abutment wall. In addition, a three-dimensional finite-element model was created and calibrated with the field data. The FEM results were used to investigate the maximum stress magnitudes and locations under temperature variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human thermal climate in the Hungarian lowland is investigated by using a clothing resistance‐operative temperature model performing individual, local, and long‐term concurrent observations of weather and human thermal perception. Human thermal load is characterized in terms of clothing resistance rcl and operative temperature To. The model is also used as a tool to analyse the relationship between rcl and the structural parameters of the body (relative fat mass index (fatBMI) and relative muscle mass index (muscleBMI)). This analysis works with data collected on more than 1,000 occasions of weather and thermal perception observation and uses body structure data of more than 3,000 adults and children. By analysing the data, the following human thermal climate characteristics have been established. (a) To of about 80°C can be considered as the upper limit of heat stress in the Hungarian lowland, similarly, To of about −35 to −37°C can be taken as the lower limit of cold stress. (b) Interpersonal thermal load variations increase with increasing of cold stress; these variations are the smallest within the "thermoneutral" zone. (c) In cold stress situations, there is a significant sexual dimorphism in the relationship between rcl and fatBMI. (d) In night time period of the day, To can vary between 25°C and the lower limit of cold stress. In this range of To, thermal perception types "neutral," "cool," "cold," and "very cold" occurred. Based on the results, it can be seen that interpersonal thermal load variations cannot be neglected in extreme cold weather conditions, and that interpersonal variations of fatBMI index are determinant in the formation of individual clothing resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human thermal climate in the Hungarian lowland is investigated by using a clothing resistance‐operative temperature model performing individual, local, and long‐term concurrent observations of weather and human thermal perception. Human thermal load is characterized in terms of clothing resistance rcl and operative temperature To. The model is also used as a tool to analyse the relationship between rcl and the structural parameters of the body (relative fat mass index (fatBMI) and relative muscle mass index (muscleBMI)). This analysis works with data collected on more than 1,000 occasions of weather and thermal perception observation and uses body structure data of more than 3,000 adults and children. By analysing the data, the following human thermal climate characteristics have been established. (a) To of about 80°C can be considered as the upper limit of heat stress in the Hungarian lowland, similarly, To of about −35 to −37°C can be taken as the lower limit of cold stress. (b) Interpersonal thermal load variations increase with increasing of cold stress; these variations are the smallest within the "thermoneutral" zone. (c) In cold stress situations, there is a significant sexual dimorphism in the relationship between rcl and fatBMI. (d) In night time period of the day, To can vary between 25°C and the lower limit of cold stress. In this range of To, thermal perception types "neutral," "cool," "cold," and "very cold" occurred. Based on the results, it can be seen that interpersonal thermal load variations cannot be neglected in extreme cold weather conditions, and that interpersonal variations of fatBMI index are determinant in the formation of individual clothing resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the characteristics of carbonaceous species in an urban background site. Real-time measurements of inorganic (sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, chloride, and black carbon [BC]) and organic submicron aerosols (OA) were carried out at the urban background site of Vilnius, Lithuania, during January–February 2014. An aerosol chemical speciation monitor (ACSM, Aerodyne Research Inc., Billerica, MA, USA) and co-located 7-λ aethalometer (AE-31, Magee Scientific, Berkeley, CA, USA) were used to analyze the chemical compositions, sources, and extinction characteristics of the PM1. Extremely contrasting meteorological conditions were observed during the studied period due to the transition from moderately cold (~2 °C) conditions to extremely cold conditions with a lowest temperature of −25 °C; therefore, three investigation episodes were considered. The identified periods corresponded to the transition time from the moderately cold to the extremely cold winter period, which was traced by the change in the average temperature for the study days of 1–13 January, with T = −5 °C and RH = 92%, in contrast to the period of 14–31 January, with T = −14 °C and RH = 74%, and the very short third period of 1–3 February, with T = −8 °C and RH = 35%. On average, organics accounted for the major part (53%) of the non-refractory submicron aerosols (NR-PM1), followed by nitrate (18%) and sulfate (9%). The source apportionment results showed the five most common OA components, such as traffic and heating, to be related to hydrocarbon-like organic aerosols (HOAtraffic and HOAheating, respectively), biomass-burning organic aerosols (BBOA), local organic aerosol (LOA), and secondary organic aerosol (SOA). Traffic emissions contributed 53% and biomass burning 47% to the BC concentration level. The highest BC and OA concentrations were, on average, associated with air masses originating from the southwest and east–southeast. Furthermore, the results of the PSCF and CWT methods indicated the main source regions that contributed the most to the BC concentration in Vilnius to be the following: central–southwestern and northeastern Poland, northwestern–southwestern and eastern Belarus, northwestern Ukraine, and western Russia. However, the potential sources of OA were widely distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military diving operations occur in a wide range of austere environments, including high-altitude environments and cold weather environments; however, rarely do both conditions combine. Ice diving at altitude combines the physiologic risks of diving, a hypothermic environment, and a high-altitude environment all in one. Careful planning and consideration of the potential injuries and disease processes affiliated with the aforementioned physiologic risks must be considered. In this case report, we describe a Navy diver who became obtunded secondary to hypoxia during an ice dive at 2,987 m (9,800 ft) elevation and was subsequently diagnosed with high-altitude pulmonary edema. Further consideration of the environment, activities, and history does not make this a clear case, and swimming-induced pulmonary edema which physiologically possesses many overlaps with high-altitude pulmonary edema may have contributed or been the ultimate causal factor for the diver's acute response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is an endemic osteoarthropathy. Its distribution region covers a long and narrow belt on the Pacific side and belongs to continental climate with short summer, long frost period, and large temperature differences between day and night. In particular, KBD patients are typically scattered in the rural areas with seasonal features such as cold winters and rainy autumns. Etiological studies have demonstrated that the carrier of pathogenic factors is the grains produced in endemic areas. Risk factors for KBD include fungal contamination of grains due to poor storage conditions associated with cold weather. The epidemiological characteristics of KBD include agricultural area, early age of onset, gender equality, family aggregation, regional differences, and annual fluctuations. A series of preventive measures have been successfully taken in the past decades. National surveillance data indicate that the annual incidence of KBD is gradually declining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel integration of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell with lithium ion batteries is presented for a hydrogen electric vehicle. The performance of the PEM fuel cell is affected by the temperature of input air that is drawn from the environment for electrochemical reaction with the hydrogen. Preheating the input air before it enters the PEM fuel cell can potentially improve its performance, especially during cold weather conditions. In addition, removing the heat generated in the lithium ion battery cells is necessary for efficient, safe and long-term operation of the hydrogen electric vehicle. In this context, this study introduces an air-cooled battery thermal management system in which the air is taken from the environment, preheated through cooling of batteries and then used in the PEM fuel cell stack. Both the PEM fuel cell and the lithium ion battery systems are analyzed to investigate the compatibility and applicability of the proposed system. Also, the PEM fuel cell electrical power output and energy efficiency are assessed through varying the operating conditions. It is found that, at a current density of 0.4 A/cm2, the energy efficiency of the PEM fuel cell improves from 45% to 48% by preheating the air from 10 °C to 40 °C. Furthermore, during discharge of the lithium ion battery, the cooling air removes an average heat generation rate of 3.5 W per unit area of the lithium ion battery to maintain the battery temperature at around 25 °C. • A novel PEM fuel cell-battery integration is proposed for a hydrogen vehicle. • Heat generation in lithium ion battery is recovered by preheating fuel cell air. • The applicability and compatibility of the proposed system are investigated. • A parametric study is performed for the integration in hydrogen electric vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: vulnerability; victimhood; Greece; gender; displacement EN vulnerability victimhood Greece gender displacement 874 881 8 10/04/22 20221001 NES 221001 This intervention explores the ways in which gendered and racialized constructions of vulnerability and victimhood are politically contested and mobilized in asylum procedures and support. Stories from Samos Story 1 - Shelter from the Cold Weather conditions on Samos can be extreme. The Vathy RIC was located next to the main town and closed in September 2021, replaced by a closed and controlled Multi-Purpose Reception and Identification Centre (MPRIC) in a remote part of the island called Zervou. [Extracted from the article]

The January 2017 wintry weather spread over the south‐eastern Europe and Turkey ‐which led to extremely low temperatures (−40°C) and snowstorms. This study strived to draw together key prominent dynamical mechanisms governing seasonal temperature variability in a warming climate, which can serve as a recognizable flow pattern and yield insights into their most important triggering mechanisms and maintenance. The connection between cold spells and atmospheric blocking was elucidated by utilizing an objective cold‐wave indicator and a two‐dimensional blocking indicator. The cold‐wave indicator ‐which uses a non‐parametric approach to diagnose a spatiotemporally varying minimum temperature threshold‐ gave an objective account of cold spells of January 2017. An analysis of cold‐wave activities indicated that parts of Europe and Turkey went through very cold weather conditions for approximately 7–12 days. Cold spells were closely related to the position of the blocking and the 500 hPa geopotential height anomalies. The horizontal distribution of surface temperature anomalies indicated that associated temperature anomalies were quite large in the south‐eastern Europe and Turkey. The persistence of the anticyclone over the eastern Atlantic steered the low pressure system towards the south‐eastern Europe and Turkey. The collocation of prominent atmospheric patterns led to the formation of extreme cold spells. Our results of two‐dimensional atmospheric blocking index revealed that blocking lasted for 5 days over the eastern Atlantic ‐which enabled anticyclonic conditions persisting. Diagnostics indicate that the imposed blocking over the north‐east Atlantic alters the direction and strength of the zonal flow in the south‐eastern Europe, which influences the behaviour of synoptic‐scale flow in its downstream. These results are consistent with the inferences drawn from surface temperature analyses, which accentuate the role of blocking imposed circulation on the anomalous low temperature anomalies. Characteristics of blocking at the north‐eastern Atlantic shed light on the winter climate variability over Europe and Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Water management of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is an important parameter to improve efficiency, especially in cold weather conditions. The generated water of the electrochemical reactions inside PEMFC may stay inside the cell and fill the pores in the gas diffusion layer (GDL), which degrades the cell and reduces the lifetime. The formation of water in PEMFC has a direct relationship with the capillary pressure that can be determined by the GDL's wettability and microstructure. Furthermore, wettability is dependent on the material, which can be changed by the contact angles of the GDL. Using the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methods, different values of the GDL's contact angle have been examined to observe their corresponding effects on the maximum GDL liquid removal. Higher values of the GDL liquid removal result in better water management. Using the simulation data, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was trained in the current density of 0.4 (A/cm2) and the voltage of 0.604 (V) to predict the GDL liquid removal in 5700 points and to develop the optimization analysis. Results indicated that the highest GDL liquid removal of 0.225 (kg/m3s) can be obtained by the GDL's contact angle of 102.63°. Highlights: PEMFC three‐dimensional simulation model with seven path serpentine flow field.The impacts of GDL contact angle on the maximum GDL liquid removal.Training an ANN model to calculate the maximum GDL liquid removal.At the contact angle of 102.63°, maximum GDL liquid removal is 0.225 [kg/m3s]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic dark earth (ADE) is a category of Anthrosols (anthropogenic soils) characterised by dark colour from homogeneous charcoal inclusion and extraordinary fertility compared with non‐anthropogenic soils. The study aims to provide a detailed overview of the origin and distributions of ADEs, together with their physical and chemical characteristics, to reveal their fertility status for arable land use. According to this study, most studied ADEs are well distributed in tropical (Amazonian and African dark earth) and temperate (European dark earth) climatic regions. Middens are localised, with large‐sized ones well preserved in the Arctic region due to the wet and cold weather conditions. The formation of ADE is mainly associated with deliberate and unintentional ancient human activities: deposition of domestic and occupational wastes, charred residues, biomass ashes, burning, and fertilisation of fields. The characteristic dark colour of ADE resulted mainly from charcoal and the decomposition of organic wastes. The material composition of ADEs (including charcoal, organic matter, and clay) contributes to the formation of sizable pores for the retention of water and elements and aeration. ADE exhibits a C:N ratio for good mineralization, stable organic matter stock, and higher cation exchange capacity. Additionally, ADEs are characterised by circum‐neutral reactions and enriched by nutrients (C, N, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) and other elements (Sr, Rb, and Ba) compared with surrounding non‐anthropogenic soils. Although generally highly productive, a comparison of herbage production and crop yields between ADEs and natural soils is not well studied. The persistence of anthropogenic activities that lead to the formation of ADE indicates that these soils are still subject to continuous development, especially in rural settings. Adopting the process of ADE development in recent arable land can represent a promising future for sustainable agriculture. Highlights: Anthropogenic dark earths (ADEs) are characterized by their physical and chemical signatures.Characteristic high pore size of ADEs due to charcoal inclusion support the retention of nutrients.ADEs are often have reduced acidity and high C, N, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe contents.ADEs represent an archive of fertile soils suitable for sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to determine 1) the characteristics of the people of Arfak who migrated to the city of Manokwari ; 2) the driving factors for the migration of the Arfak people from their home villages, and 3) the pull factors for the migration of the Arfak people to the city of Manokwari . To obtain data, the study used a descriptive approach through survey activities to the Arfak community living in the city of Manokwari as a case. The case of this research is the mobility or migration of the Arfak community as the main ethnic group in Manokwari Regency. The results showed that the main driving force behind Arfak mountain residents leaving their villages was economic factors, namely in their home villages they did not have adequate educational facilities, limited employment opportunities only relied on agriculture and forest labor, transportation and communication facilities were still lacking, the price of goods was limited. basic necessities are expensive, and the fear of being attacked by suanggi . Meanwhile, the issue of differences of opinion within the church, land disputes, and cold weather conditions do not always have an effect. While the main pull factor so that Arfak residents are interested in moving to the city of Manokwari are because the reasons in the city are good health and education facilities and services, available jobs, easy access to government, and guaranteed security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In winter, wind turbines often face the risk of blade icing, and traditional methods – which mostly rely on manual observation and sensors – are limited by the experience of testers and costs; therefore, they are not widely used in practice. With the development of artificial intelligence, data-driven methods have garnered increased attention. However, it is challenging to mine the effective hidden information within data. In this regard, this paper proposes a wind turbine blade icing detection method based on feature engineering and the PSO-ConvLSTM-Transformer. Firstly, feature engineering is carried out with the help of expert experience to construct the mechanism variables related to icing; secondly, the ConvLSTM-Transformer prediction model is constructed to mine the timing information between supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) data, and finally, the model hyper-parameters are optimized by using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to improve the diagnostic performance and generalizability of the model. The proposed model is evaluated using two wind turbine blade icing datasets. The proposed PSO-ConvLSTM-Transformer has significant advantages over multiple baseline models. This study can inform wind farm operations in terms of optimizing maintenance strategies, ensuring the safe and efficient operation of wind turbines in cold weather conditions. • Constructing ConvLSTM-Transformers deep learning model for wind turbine icing detection. • Explored the impact of domain knowledge-based icing mechanism features on deep neural networks. • Tested the effect of different optimization algorithms on the performance of deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbes play a primary role in aquatic ecosystems and biogeochemical cycles. Spatial patchiness is a critical factor underlying these activities, influencing biological productivity, nutrient cycling and dynamics across trophic levels. Incorporating spatial dynamics into microbial models is a long-standing challenge, particularly where small-scale turbulence is involved. Here, we combine a fully 3D direct numerical simulation of convective mixed layer turbulence, with an individual-based microbial model to test the key hypothesis that the coupling of gyrotactic motility and turbulence drives intense microscale patchiness. The fluid model simulates turbulent convection caused by heat loss through the fluid surface, for example during the night, during autumnal or winter cooling or during a cold-air outbreak. We find that under such conditions, turbulence-driven patchiness is depth-structured and requires high motility: Near the fluid surface, intense convective turbulence overpowers motility, homogenising motile and non-motile microbes approximately equally. At greater depth, in conditions analogous to a thermocline, highly motile microbes can be over twice as patch-concentrated as non-motile microbes, and can substantially amplify their swimming velocity by efficiently exploiting fast-moving packets of fluid. Our results substantiate the predictions of earlier studies, and demonstrate that turbulence-driven patchiness is not a ubiquitous consequence of motility but rather a delicate balance of motility and turbulent intensity. Author summary: Understanding how spatial patchiness in aquatic microbes develops at different scales is crucial for understanding their interactions, their population dynamics, and their role in the wider ecosystem. Patchiness in microbial populations at very small scales is hard to measure or model, particularly where turbulence is involved, and patch formation mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we simulated both swimming and passive microbes in a realistic model of small-scale turbulence at an unprecedented resolution. We find that patchiness is triggered far below the surface and only among highly agile swimmers. This demonstrates that microbial patchiness can develop at sub-metre scales within realistic turbulent flows, albeit under restricted conditions. Our results predict that that strong turbulence near the surface of large water bodies (such as oceans and lakes) generated by night-time or cold weather conditions inhibits patch formation, and that patchiness is triggered primarily in deeper waters near the thermocline—a region of transition between warm surface waters and cooler waters at greater depth. Our findings highlight the sensitive balance of conditions needed to trigger patchiness in realistic flows, and demonstrate how small differences in individual behaviour can produce substantially different outcomes in the population as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of new generation wide-base tires (NGWBT) compared to conventional dual-tire assemblies (DTA) has been a controversial topic over the past years. Although NGWBT can improve fuel efficiency and ride quality, they may cause more pavement damage, due to the reduced contact area between tire and pavement. The degree of pavement damage caused by NGWBT and DTA varies based on pavement structure and environmental conditions. The goal of this research is to investigate the impact of these tire configurations (NGWBT and DTA) on four different pavement structures used in the City of Calgary, which has cold weather conditions. For this purpose, three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) models were developed and validated. The actual tire-pavement interaction, including the dimensions and shape of the contact area, as well as the non-uniform contact stress distribution over the contact area was considered for each load case (NGWBT and DTA). Using the 3D FE model, the strain values at critical locations were calculated and used to perform pavement damage analysis by considering bottom-up fatigue cracking and subgrade rutting. The results showed that, on average, the longitudinal strains at the bottom of the asphalt layer induced by NGWBT are 12.8-18.3% higher than the strains induced by DTA. In addition, considering a market penetration rate of 20% for NGWBT, the normalized combined damage ratios (CDRNGWBT/CDRDTA) for the strongest and weakest pavement structures investigated were determined to be 1.057 and 1.115, respectively, indicating that weaker pavement structures are more vulnerable to NGWBT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black Sea freezing in winter is observed regularly in its northern parts and near the Kerch Strait. The reason for this is the relatively shallow northwestern shelf part and the river inflow of the three major European rivers Danube, Dnieper, and Dniester, as well as Don through the Azov Sea, carrying a large amount of fresh water to this part of the Black Sea. The global warming that has been observed in recent decades has made these episodes less intense; nevertheless, they exist and impact people who live n the area. The aim of this study is to analyze the extent of sea-ice variability in the last 15 years, observed by satellite observations, and to describe the weather conditions favorable for freezing to occur. It is found that, in 2006, 2012 and 2017, sea ice extended unusually southward, which is related to the unusually cold winter and weather conditions in these years. The weather patterns associated with the periods of maximal sea ice in the Black Sea are discussed. In addition, we analyze how the winter conditions change in the period 1926–2021 by combining different data sources. The winter is classified as cold, moderate or mild through the Winter Severity Index following a previously published methodology. The findings in our paper could help to monitor and predict these events and to inform the interested end-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Antarctic plateau, characterized by cold and dry weather conditions with very little precipitation, is mostly covered by snow at the surface. This paper describes an intercomparison of snow models, of varying complexity, used for numerical weather prediction or academic research. The results of offline numerical simulations, carried out during 15 d in 2009, on a single site on the Antarctic plateau, show that the simplest models are able to reproduce the surface temperature as well as the most complex models provided that their surface parameters are well chosen. Furthermore, it is shown that the diversity of the surface parameters of the models strongly impacts the numerical simulations, in particular the temporal variability of the surface temperature and the components of the surface energy balance. The models tend to overestimate the surface temperature by 2–5 K at night and underestimate it by 2 K during the day. The observed and simulated turbulent latent heat fluxes are small, of the order of a few W m -2 , with a tendency to underestimate, while the sensible heat fluxes are in general too intense at night as well as during the day. The surface temperature errors are consistent with too large a magnitude of sensible heat fluxes during the day and night. Finally, it is shown that the most complex multilayer models are able to reproduce well the propagation of the daily diurnal wave, and that the snow temperature profiles in the snowpack are very close to the measurements carried out on site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have examined whether the primary and/or secondary sex ratio in mammals, including humans, deviates from an equilibrium of 1:1. Although effect size in the sex ratio variation is expected to be low, a large sample size allows the identification of even small deviations from parity. In this study, we investigated whether the sex ratio of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) offspring at birth approaches parity, using a large data set from roe deer offspring tagged in Baden‐Württemberg (Germany, 1972–2019, N = 12,437). In addition, a systematic re‐analysis of available data on the secondary sex ratios of roe deer was conducted to test whether our finding withstood the accumulation of further data. The null hypothesis that the sex ratio of roe deer (prenatal sex ratio and sex ratio at birth) approaches parity was rejected. Moreover, the secondary sex ratio of roe deer offspring deviated from the male‐biased mean for relatively cold or warm weather conditions during autumn and winter. Our study provides strong evidence for a male‐biased sex ratio in a large herbivore and weak evidence for variations in the secondary sex ratio owing to environmental conditions. The pattern is highly relevant in the context of climate change and its impact on the population dynamics of large herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of the in situ strength of concrete at early age is very important as it provides the necessary information required to start subsequent construction operations. Overestimation of the strength may cause serious safety hazards and underestimation may lead to unnecessary costly delays. This study investigates the performance of the maturity method in estimating the strength of in situ concrete subjected to cold weather at early age. Instrumented concrete slabs were subjected to cold weather conditions at early ages and their strengths were measured using drilled core samples from the slab. Sensors embedded in the slabs measured the temperature in the concrete which was used to estimate the strength using the maturity method. The measured core strengths at 24 and 72 h after casting are then compared with the estimated strengths using the maturity method and its performance is evaluated. The core strengths are also compared with the strength of standard cylinders cured at the same condition as the slabs. More than 250 cylinders from two slab thicknesses and four batches of concrete were used in the experiments to obtain statistically significant experimental data. The results show that the maturity method performed much better than the standard cylinder strength. On average the standard cylinder strength underestimated the core strength by more than 40% while the maturity method overestimated the strength by less than 10% with a lower variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to structural and environmental reasons, the use of pozzolans as cementitious materials in several kinds of concrete has increased in the last decade. The objectives of this experimental study were to examine the effect of weather conditions, winter and spring, on curing metakaolin-based pervious concrete; investigate the impact of various eco-friendly fine aggregates for improving the structural behaviour of this type of concrete in the above conditions; study the performance of these mixtures in the management of urban runoff; and evaluate the influence of three fine aggregates (quartz, dolomite and vermiculite) on improving the structural behaviour of various metakaolin-based pervious concrete mixtures (metakaolin was replaced by 5–25% for cement). Results indicated that: (1) in the mixtures which were cured in winter, metakaolin had no positive effect on performance of pervious concrete, but it intensified the freeze trend, so that the compressive strength of pervious concrete was significantly reduced by increasing the proportion of metakaolin, (2) in the samples cured in spring, metakaolin led to a 15% increase in the compressive strength of pervious concrete compared to the control sample, (3) the fine aggregates had desirable effects on improving the structural behaviour of pervious concrete; they reduced the freeze severity in the mixtures cured in winter and increased the compressive strength of mixtures cured in spring and (4) all the tested mixtures were able to drain 10–40 cm of runoff in a short time period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a direct-expansion heat pump water heater system integrated uninsulated micro-channel PV/T solar collector (UMC-PVT-SC) is proposed. This system can realize storage for both thermal energy and electricity, ensuring the supply of domestic hot water. The theoretical models of micro-channel PV/T solar collector, hot water storage tank, compressor and electronic expansion valve are established to investigate the performance of the micro-channel PV/T heat pump water heater system. R134a is used as refrigerant. The system performance is numerically simulated using MATLAB for different solar radiation intensity, ambient temperature and wind speed. The results show that solar radiation intensity has the largest influence on the system performance, followed by ambient temperature and wind speed. The coefficient of performance of the heat pump (COP HP) and the overall coefficient of performance (COP pvt) of the integrated system increase while the required operating time reduces, as solar radiation intensity and ambient temperature increase. The uninsulated micro-channel PV/T solar collector (evaporator) can absorb thermal energy from both ambient air and solar radiation and therefore achieve high COP HP , electric efficiency and COP pvt. Even under cold weather conditions, the proposed solar collector and heat pump heater demonstrate high efficiencies, heating and power generation capacities. When ambient temperature is −18.6 °C and solar irradiance is 322 W/m2, the collector efficiency and electric efficiency of UMC-PVT-SC are still at 0.718 and 0.244, respectively, and the COP HP and COP pvt of the heat pump heater are 3.5, 5.63, respectively. The present work is of potential value for delivering net zero. • A novel uninsulated micro-channel photovoltaic/thermal solar collector is designed. • The photovoltaic/thermal solar collector can absorb heat from air without sun. • The overall energy efficiency of photovoltaic/thermal solar collector can reach 1.86 in winter. • It is a simple and low-cost solution of the combination of solar energy and heat pump. • The solar assisted heat pump can operate independently without external electric power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary inorganic aerosols (SIA), as one of the main ubiquitous components of PM 2.5 , still have unclear impacts on their formation in the ambient environment, especially under extremely cold weather conditions. To explore the effects of open biomass burning (OBB) source emissions and meteorological factors on SIA formation, biomass burning tracer, i.e., levoglucosan (LG), was observed along with SIA were analyzed during the heating season at the Longfengshan (LFS) background of Northeast China. Based on the LG/OC ratio and fire hotspots, the entire sampling campaign was divided into OBB and non-open biomass burning (NBB) periods. It was found that OBB emissions had little effect on sulfate formation but a significant impact on nitrate formation. High relative humidity (RH) conditions played a crucial role in SIA formation, with both SO 4 2−/EC and NO 3 −/EC increasing as RH elevated at temperatures below −10 °C. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of SO 4 2−/EC and NO 3 −/EC indicated that temperature could enhance the activity of either aqueous-phase production or gas-phase reactions, subsequently promoting the formation of SO 4 2− and NO 3 − in the ambient environment. Additionally, positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis was used to scientifically separate the sources of ambient aerosols during OBB and NBB periods. • The precursors concentration and meteorological conditions both affect secondary inorganic ions formation. • Compared to SO 4 2−/EC, NO 3 −/EC increased more significantly with heavier biomass burning pollution. • High temperature (T > −10 °C) and humidity conditions (RH > 80%) promote the formation of secondary inorganic ions. • Temperature-dependent of NO 3 −/EC was increased sharper than that of SO 4 2−/EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In cold regions, concrete practitioners face challenges when trying to achieve quality results with concrete produced under low temperatures. The addition of nano-silica, which has vigorous reactivity, to concrete can produce mixtures with a dense microstructure and improved hardened properties under cold temperatures. Thus, this research focused on gaining a fundamental understanding of the performance of nano-modified concrete which was mixed, cast and cured at a temperature of −5°C, without any method of heating or insulation. This study adopted the response surface method as a statistical modelling approach to assess the effect of different parameters on the performance of 28 mixtures. Four factors were implemented in this model – water/binder ratio, fly ash content (0–25%), nano-silica dosage (0–4%) and type of antifreeze admixtures – followed by optimisation scenarios. The mixtures' performance was assessed based on multiple responses: initial and final setting times, early- and late-age compressive strengths and resistance to freezing–thawing cycles. In addition, mercury intrusion porosimetry, thermogravimetry and backscattered scanning electron microscopy were conducted to capture the microstructural evolution of the mixtures. Nano-modified mixtures with and without fly ash, especially with a low water/binder ratio (0·32) and high calcium nitrite content, showed promising performance when cast under cold weather conditions without any protection method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To test the a priori hypothesis that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with cold weather during all seasons, not only during the winter. Methods. We applied a case‒crossover design to all cases of nontraumatic OHCA in Helsinki, Finland, over 22 years: 1997 to 2018. We statistically defined cold weather for each case and season, and applied conditional logistic regression with 2 complementary models a priori according to the season of death. Results. There was an association between cold weather and OHCA during all seasons, not only during the winter. Each additional cold day increased the odds of OHCA by 7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4%, 10%), with similar strength of association during the autumn (6%; 95% CI = 0%, 12%), winter (6%; 95% CI = 1%, 12%), spring (8%; 95% CI = 2%, 14%), and summer (7%; 95% CI = 0%, 15%). Conclusions. Cold weather, defined according to season, increased the odds of OHCA during all seasons in similar quantity. Public Health Implications. Early warning systems and cold weather plans focus implicitly on the winter season. This may lead to incomplete measures in reducing excess mortality related to cold weather. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(1):107–115. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306549) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algae are not only a great source of natural bio energy but also they have the ability to capture CO2. ALGADISK refers to a biofilm reactor for algae biomass production that could compete with the current algae cultivation technologies, e.g., open-pond and tubular photo bioreactors. When algae-based biomass is grown on the surface attached biofilm as opposed to a suspended culture, then the biomass is concentrated and it can be more easily harvested. Automatic and continuous harvesting, increased efficiency and decreased water requirements indicate ALGADISK as a promising technology. Since it is in developing stage, it has its own disadvantages such as it is not recommended to operate in cold weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate matter (PM) emissions constitute a major air pollution concern for commercial poultry production facilities. Recently, the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) has emerged as a promising technology for mitigation of poultry PM. However, further optimisation of ESP design, operation scale, and operating parameters is necessary for improved PM removal efficiencies and practical applications in poultry facilities. In this study, a comprehensive model of the poultry PM collection process in a simulated ESP module was developed using COMSOL software. The model simulated airflow characteristics, electric field and space charge development, particle charging, and particle trajectory tracking of both PM 10 and PM 2.5. Wire-plate ESP configurations with varying design parameters, such as number of wire electrodes and plate separation distance, were simulated using the COMSOL model at an inlet air velocity of 2.0 m s−1 to identify the optimal configuration for development of ESP physical prototypes. The model was validated by laboratory testing of a prototype ESP within a wind tunnel under three sets of ventilation conditions representing hot, warm, and cold weather, respectively. The prototype ESP exhibited PM 10 collection efficiencies of 90.8%, 97.1%, and 99.0% in hot, warm, and cold weather conditions, respectively. The observed PM 2.5 collection efficiencies under these respective conditions were 86.9%, 94.4%, and 97.8%. This COMSOL model can be used as an inexpensive alternative to developing physical prototypes when evaluating ESP designs for PM mitigation in poultry facilities. • Comprehensive model of PM collection in a wire-plate ESP was developed using COMSOL. • Model used to simulate various ESP designs and find best one for poultry PM removal. • Validation performed by testing prototype ESP in wind tunnel with flour as PM. • Model accurately predicted PM removal efficiencies with relative errors below 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equine grass sickness (EGS) is a rare and often fatal disease of the grazing equids, with the majority of clinical signs associated with failure of normal gastrointestinal function. EGS has the highest incidence in Great Britain but is also frequently reported in other northern European countries. A very similar condition called mal seco has been recognised in South America. The precise aetiology of the disease is unknown, but is thought to be associated with potent neurotoxins, produced in the gastrointestinal system by Clostridium botulinum type C, a bacteria commonly found in the soil, under certain environmental conditions. EGS occurs almost exclusively in horses that have an access to grass and it is acknowledged that certain premises are associated with a higher occurence of EGS. Most often only one animal is affected, however, outbreaks in a larger number of horses in a limited period of time are not uncommon. The disease can affect any age of the horse but is most commonly diagnosed in younger animals between two and seven years of age. Older horses may develop resistance to the causative agent and therefore not get affected. It was found that periods of dry, sunny and frosty weather result in an increased number of cases and occurence of the disease is most prevalent in the spring months between April and June, with a peak in May. The risk of developing EGS is higher if the affected horses have recently had a change of feeding regimen, been moved to a new pasture or treated with anthelmintics. EGS occurs in three different forms; acute, subacute and chronic. Clinical signs are a result of extensive neuronal degeneration of autonomic and enteric nervous system, while also affecting brain and spinal cord. Symptoms in the acute and subacute cases are severe and occur rapidly. Gastrointestinal paralysis results in signs of acute colic, accumulation of large amounts of gastric reflux, gasseous distention of the large intestine and lack of fecal output. Muscle tremors, ptosis and patchy sweating are often observed. The prognosis is usually bleak and most of the time the horses diagnosed with EGS are subjected to euthanasia. Chronic form is less severe and develops more slowly. The symptoms are those of a mild intermittent colic, reduced appetite, difficulty in swallowing and rapid weight loss. Rhinitis sicca can also be observed. Some of these cases may survive under certain conditions and with an intensive supportive care. It is often difficult to distinguish EGS from other causes of colic. A definite diagnosis is confirmed with histopathologic examination of myenteric or submucosal plexus of the ileum. Loss of neurons can be observed in all parts of the gastrointestinal system. Commonly used ancillary diagnostic procedure is a ptosis test, which involves topical application of phenylephrine eye drops to the cornea, causing reversal of the drooping eyelids. This report describes three acute cases and one subacute case of EGS which were presented to Højgård Hestehospital, Denmark in May 2020. Time between onset of clinical signs between the first and the last case was 15 days, following a 14-day period of dry, cold and sunny weather conditions. Age of admitted horses ranged from two to seven years and all of them were treated with ivermectin two days before the onset of clinical signs. The first three cases had been living together on the same grass field and were presented to the hospital with nearly identical acute colic signs. They were tachycardic, had decreased peristaltic, developed a lack of fecal output and accumulated large amounts of gastric reflux. An exploratory laparotomy was performed on the first admitted case where moderate distention of small intestine and signs of enteritis were found, with proximal enteritis being considered the most likely diagnosis at the time. Postoperative treatment consisted of antimicrobial and antiinflammatory therapy, administration of intravenous fluids, prokinetics and frequent gastric decompression. There was no significant improvement after six days of supportive care and the horse was subsequently euthanised. Post mortem samples of small intestine were collected and pathohistological findings revealed autonomic neuronal depletion and neuronal degeneration of ileum, which confirmed diagnosis of an acute case of EGS. Second and third cases were kept on medical treatment and were euthanised after four and three days, respectively, after their condition had progressively worsened. The fourth case was turned out daily on the paddock next to the grass field where the first three horses were being kept and was referred to the hospital after being unsuccesfully treated for an impaction by the referring vet. Dullness, droopy eyelids and muscle tremors were noted upon presentation, along with other clinical signs, consistent with an impaction of large intestine. No improvement was observed after medical treatment and the decision for surgical intervention was taken later in the day, being aware of the fact that the horse had a high probability of being affected by EGS as well. Cecum and large colon impaction was found and pelvic flexure enterotomy was performed to empty the contents of the intestine. The horse continued on supportive therapy after. Patchy sweating over shoulder and gluteal regions was noted on the second day after the surgery. On the third day the horse was euthanised due to lack of clinical improvement and poor prognosis. Based on the clinical appearance and findings, the first three presented cases were examples of an acute form of EGS, while the last case was a subacute form. The last official report of EGS in Denmark goes back to 1948, however, many anecdotal reports of the disease appearing in certain regions of the country exist. The main purpose of this case report is to draw more attention to EGS as it appears to occur more often than being noted, in order to set a correct diagnosis, avoid unnecessary treatment and therefore not prolong animal suffering. Suspicion of EGS should be considered whenever a horse is presented with clinical signs of acute colic, nasogastric reflux, intestinal hypomotility and decreased fecal output, especially in the spring months, with high suspicion when muscle fasciculations, patchy sweating and bilateral ptosis are observed four to five days after the onset of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]