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Avicennia germinans, the black mangrove, has shifted its range limit northward, and increased in abundance in the Southeastern United States. In January 2018, a 3-day freeze event caused substantial defoliation of green leaves in A. germinans near its northernmost range limit in St. Augustine, FL. During their recovery, plants that lost their leaves grew similarly to plants fertilized with nitrogen, leading to the hypothesis that freeze-killed green leaves (frozen green) may have acted as a fertilizer. To assess the value of frozen green litter as a nutrient subsidy, we performed an experiment in which A. germinans seedlings were grown in sand with green, frozen green, senescent, and control leaf litter. We measured growth response in seedlings using the following criteria: total plant height, internode elongation, and plant biomass. All litter treatments stimulated growth in seedlings to a greater extent than that of controls. Seedlings treated with frozen green leaves were at least 5 cm taller and had 0.5 cm longer internodes than those treated with senescent leaves. Seedlings grown in the green leaf treatment were 8 cm taller, on average, and internodes were 0.12 cm longer than the senescent treatment. Biomass was 0.6–0.8 g greater in seedlings treated with green or frozen green litter than in the control treatments. We also conducted a leaching experiment to compare mass loss rates. Frozen and green leaves lost more mass in the leaching experiment than senescent leaves or controls. These results support the hypothesis that green litter that freezes can act as a nutrient source within the ecosystem and spur rapid recovery from freeze damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Total phenolic contents and total flavonoid contents from Averrhoa bilimbi showed correlation to antioxidant properties. Freeze drying preserved the antioxidative properties of fruit compared to oven drying. Low moisture food product from A. bilimbi with ranging Aw (0.48 to 0.51) and moisture content (15.56 to 24.81%). A. bilimbi exhibited different microstructural and functional group after exposed to different drying method. The use of natural-based ingredients for nutricosmetics, boasting remarkable phytochemical compounds and antioxidant properties sourced from underutilized fruits, has also gained widespread recognition. The present study was conducted to preserve Averrhoa bilimbi using emerging technology of freeze drying. Low moisture food ingredient in powder form was produced from A. bilimbi fruit. The freeze dried of A. bilimbi was compared with classic drying method such as oven drying in term of moisture content, water activity, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, DPPH, and ABTS scavenging activities. The result showed that freeze dried A. bilimbi exhibited highest total phenolic content (18.59 ± 3.39 µg GAE /mg), total flavonoid content (0.010 ± 0.000 µg RE /mg), the strongest DPPH (9.25 ± 0.43 mg/mL), ABTS (5.88 ± 0.26 mg/mL) scavenging activities, compared to oven drying technique. The moisture content of freeze dried A. bilimbi (24.81 ± 4.08%) exhibited higher compared to oven dried of A. bilimbi. The freeze dried A. bilimbi (0.48 ± 0.00 aw) demonstrated higher water activity compared to oven drying technique. Microstructure of freeze dried sample was different from oven dried sample. Oven dried sample microstructure experience a serious damage. The chemical screening and identification was conducted using gas chromatography (GC-MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry of triple quadrupole (HP LCMS-MS QTOF). The freeze drying technology presents a promising result of emerging technology for preserving fruit products. Hence, this emerging drying method presents a good scope for application in the food and cosmetic industry, with good commercial value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel has emerged as a promising wound dressing material, and in situ forming hydrogel has emerged as a promising wound dressing recently. But most in situ forming hydrogel are normally unstable. Herein, we report an in-situ forming hydrogel synthesized from poly(Nisopropylacrylamide166-co-n-butyl acrylate9)-poly(ethyleneglycol)-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide166-co-n-butyl acrylate9) copolymer (P(NIPAM166-co-nBA9)-PEG-P(NIPAM166-conBA9), denoted as PEP) and zinc oxide nano-particle(ZnO nano-particle) in response to skin temperature. This thermoresponsive hydrogel exhibits sol-gel reversibility at high temperatures, which is closed to the temperature of human skin. To investigate its healing effects, we used the Hydrogel dressing® in an SD rat model. The biocompatibility and antibacterial ability against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) of this PEP-ZnO hydrogel wound dressing are confirmed in vitro and in vivo, which could transparently promote the healing of a MRSA-infected frostbitten skin Injury. Materials and methods: Thirty rats were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group received hydrogel and transparent film dressing 30 min to 1 h post-burn, while the control group received only cotton dressing. The wound area was measured, and the wound closure rate was calculated on days 3, 7, and 14 post-surgery. Tissue samples were collected from each rat on these days and stored at −80 °C for histological analysis using H&E, Masson and immunohistochemical staining. This analysis assessed factors such as granulation tissue length, re-epithelialization, re-angiogenesis, collagen deposition, inflammatory cell infiltration, and collagen production. Clinical and histological assessments at 14 days showed more rapid healing in the hydrogel dressing group compared to the control group. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the design of our hydrogel for cooling injury wounds effectively improves healing and mitigates the damage from low temperatures.

Climate change is reshaping coastal wetlands worldwide, driving ecosystem shifts like mangrove poleward expansion into saltmarshes in tropical‐temperate transitional zones. Though warming is recognized as the primary driver, a lack of detailed field studies limits our ability to predict mangrove responses to rapid climate warming.Here, we characterized how mangroves vary across a temperature gradient at 18 sites along Florida's Gulf of Mexico coast (USA). We used minimum air temperature (Tmin) derived from daily data from 1989 to 2021 as the independent variable and applied plot‐based and synoptic approaches to quantify species‐specific mangrove variation at community, population, and individual levels. We then used these results to spatially project future mangrove ecosystem properties under multiple warming scenarios.Across the Tmin gradient from −10.8 to −1.4°C, mangrove canopy height and coverage ranged from 0.4 to 11.5 m and 15% to 98%, respectively, with both exhibiting sigmoidal increases with Tmin. Estimated mangrove aboveground biomass ranged from 0 to 496.7 Mg/ha and showed a positive linear relationship with Tmin due both to the tall tree stratum's increased biomass per tree and higher abundance.While the population abundance and coverage of Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa had positive linear relationships with Tmin, Avicennia germinans exhibited a significant quadratic relationship, reflecting the higher freeze tolerance of this species. Such tolerance may stem from A. germinans' higher morphological plasticity observed at the individual level, adapting to cold stress by exhibiting a more shrub‐like architecture at colder sites.Based on these field‐derived quantitative relationships, we projected substantial increases in mangrove coverage and canopy height near current range limits, with tall A. germinans dominating in the north and R. mangle dominating the centre and south of the study region.Synthesis. To better predict the ecological consequences in coastal wetlands under future climate change, it is essential to understand how mangroves respond to winter temperature regimes across a temperature gradient. Collectively, these cross‐level and species‐specific results advance our understanding of mangrove temperature sensitivity and provide information about the future of coastal wetland structure and function in response to a changing climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the mechanism of freeze–thaw cycles on the nutrient release of soft rock and sand-remodeled soils in Mu Us Sandy land of China, and to clarify the adaptation potential of remodeled soils with different proportions to extreme environment, indoor freezer simulation freeze–thaw experiments were carried out. The research results show that during the 2 cycles of freeze–thaw, the remodeled soil organic matter content and total nitrogen content (TNC) of the three treatments reached their peaks. Compared with that before freezing, T1, T2, and T3 treatments increased TNC by 40.9, 90.2, and 118.9%. The freeze–thaw cycle has a significant impact on the emergence rate of maize (P < 0.05). In the soil during the 2 freeze–thaw cycles, the seedling emergence rate of maize is the highest. Compared with non-freeze–thaw treatment, the maize emergence rate of T1, T2, and T3 treatments was increased by 2, 3, and 3 times, and the emergence rate of T2 and T3 treatments was higher than that of T1 treatments under different freeze–thaw cycles. In conclusion, short-term freeze–thaw cycles can promote soil carbon and nitrogen mineralization and improve nutrient availability in Mu Us Sandy land, and T2 and T3 treatments have better adaptability to the environment.

Theoretical background: In the case of acute or chronic threats, innate, automatically activated defense reactions occur: among them, the responses of fight, flight and freeze can be underlined. Yet, there was previously no available instrument in Hungarian that would have specifically measured these re- actions. Aims: The current study aims to adapt the Fight, Flight, Freeze Questionnaire (FFFQ) into Hungarian and to examine the psychometric properties of this measure. Methods: We tested the factor structure of the FFFQ–HU using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on a mixed clinical (183 persons diagnosed with any anxiety or mood disorders) and non-clinical (control group of 311 university students) sample. In order to explore the convergent validity of the instrument, participants completed additional validated scales measuring anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait Scale), depression (9 item version of the Beck Depression Inventory), impulsivity (The 21-Item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Revised), behavioral inhibition and activation (Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Systems Scales), and coping strategies (Ways of Coping Questionnaire). Results: The CFA confirmed the three-factor structure of the original instrument with adequate model fit (RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.95). In terms of convergent validity, fight was primarily related to impulsivity (r S(417) = 0.32, p < 0.001), the fun seeking dimension of behavioral activation (r S(417) = 0.26, p < 0.001), and tension reduction (r S(417) = 0.46, p < 0.001). The main correlates of flight were depression (r S(417) = 0,64, p < 0,001), behavioral inhibition (r S(417) = 0,25, p < 0,001), and tension reduction (r S(417) = 0.32, p < 0.001). Freezing was mostly associated with anxiety (r S(417) = 0.47, p < 0.001), behavioral inhibition (rS(417) = 0.52, p < 0.001), and passive coping (r S(417) = 0.23, p < 0.001). The results of linear regression analyses showed that the only significant and negative explanatory variable for fighting was education (β = –0.19, p < 0.001), while for flight and freeze, clinical group membership was positive (β = 0.27, p < 0.001; β = 0,28, p < 0.001), whereas age was a negative predictor (β = –0.15, p < 0.01; β = –0.10, p = 0.04) of higher factor means. Conclusions: The acceptable psychometric properties of the FFFQ–HU enable the use of the measuring instrument in both research and clinical practice. The defense reactions measured by the FFFQ–HU carry important information that potentially determines the therapeutic process as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is altering biodiversity of ecosystems worldwide by causing shifts in species' home ranges, potential extinctions of species, and Extreme Climatic Events (ECEs), such as hurricanes and extreme temperatures. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of two extreme weather events on butterfly populations in the Gulf Prairies and Marshes ecoregion in Willacy and Kenedy Counties, TX, USA. These weather events occurred during an ongoing study of effects of prescribed burning during summer or winter on butterfly populations. We tested effects of Category 1 Hurricane Hanna by comparing butterfly abundance in the month prior to and following the hurricane (July and August 2020). We tested effects of Winter Storm Uri by comparing butterfly abundance in the three months following the storm (March through May 2021) with abundance during the same period in the previous year (March through May 2020). We measured no effect of the Category 1 hurricane on butterfly populations overall and across all prescribed fire regimes. There was a significant reduction in butterfly abundance following the 2021 winter storm, and effects depended on prescribed fire regime. Our findings indicate that extremely cold temperatures in subtropical regions will likely have greater negative effects on butterfly populations than low-magnitude hurricanes. Implications for insect conservation: With extreme climate events (ECEs) predicted to increase in the future, measures should be taken to provide protection and refugia for butterflies, particularly from prolonged, uncharacteristically low temperatures. Protection includes maintaining undisturbed areas with accumulated plant matter, in preparation for these unpredictable events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freezing is one of the convenient ways for the long-term preservation of fruits. However, the ice crystals produced in the freezing process tend to damage the cell structure, resulting in the loss of juice during thawing. Thus, the quality of fruits after thawing is seriously affected. Three methods could be used to optimize the quality of frozen fruits: Using osmotic dehydration, increasing the freezing rate, optimizing the thawing process. In this study, the new techniques used in fruit freezing and thawing were summarized, such as the osmotic dehydration protection, high-pressure, ultrasound, pulse electric field, microwave and magnetic field. The principles, applications, advantages and disadvantages were compared. This article provided new ideas for the development of fruit freezing and thawing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total mercury (THg) analysis of fish tissue requires the samples to be frozen for long-term storage or analyzed immediately after the fish sample has been obtained. Such rigid field sampling protocols do not account for the logistical challenges that can occur if sampling is conducted in remote areas or collaboratively via community-based monitoring initiatives. Here we present a study that examines the loss of THg from Walleye tissue that has thawed for 3 and 5 days, mimicking potential thaw during transport from remote locations. THg concentrations were not significantly influenced (Kruskal–Wallace, p-value > 0.05) by the thaw and refreeze events. The mean THg concentration per day group was 0.67 ug/g, SD = 0.03, 0.65 ug/g, SD = 0.01, and 0.72 ug/g, SD = 0.01 for the control (no thaw), 3-day thaw and 5-day thaw, respectively. Results from this study suggest the analytical integrity of samples may be maintained if freeze–thaw situations arise when conducting community-based mercury monitoring programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme winter temperatures govern the northern range limit of black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) in southeastern North America. There is a pressing need for studies that advance our understanding of how extreme cold temperature events affect mangroves near their range limits. However, such events are infrequent and challenging to study at regional scales. Here, we compared the damage to mangroves from extreme freeze events in 2018 and 2021, using local data from sites in USA (Florida, Louisiana, and Texas) and northeastern Mexico (Tamaulipas). In 2018, mangrove damage was concentrated in Louisiana and the upper Texas coast, where minimum temperatures ranged from -4 °C to -7 °C. In 2021, damage from a more severe freeze event was concentrated along the central to northern coasts of Texas, where minimum temperatures ranged from -4 °C to -10 °C. We used regional temperature and vegetation data from these events to quantify temperature thresholds for A. germinans leaf damage. Our results indicate that A. germinans leaf damage is likely to occur when temperatures are between -4 °C and -6 °C. These findings help refine temperature thresholds for A. germinans leaf damage and advance understanding of the effects of extreme freeze events on mangrove range expansion. This information is valuable for anticipating future range dynamics in a warming world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore a preparation process of lyophilized protective agent with high protective efficiency, the experiment took Lactobacillus casei as the research object and took the number of viable bacteria after freezing as the index to conduct a single factor test on cryoprotective agent, antioxidant, filler and acid base regulator. On the basis of single factor test, four influencing factors of response surface method were screened out. The formula of the compound lyophilized protective agent was optimized by the response surface method with four factors and three levels. The results showed that, in the single factor test, the high survival rate of bacteria were trehalose, sodium thiosulfate, mannitol and sorbitol. In the compound optimization test, the optimal combination of protective agents was trehalose 15%, sodium thiosulfate 2%, mannitol 15%, sorbitol 3%. Under this process conditions, the number of viable bacteria after freezing was 4.6×109 CFU/mL, and the survival rate was 90%. After 672 h freezing test, the survival rate was 88%. It shows that the optimized compound lyophilized protective agent has good protective effect against Lactobacillus casei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adequate adaptation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is crucial in potentially life-threatening situations. The defence cascade provides a descriptive model of progressing dominant physiological reactions in such situations, including cardiovascular parameters and body mobility. The empirical evidence for this model is scarce, and the influence of physiological reactions in this model for predicting trauma-induced intrusions is unresolved. Objectives: Using a trauma-film paradigm, we aimed to test physiological reactions to a highly stressful film as an analogue to a traumatic event along the defence cascade model. We also aimed to examine the predictive power of physiological activity for subsequent intrusive symptoms. Method: Forty-seven healthy female participants watched a stressful and a neutral film in randomized order. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and body sway were measured. Participants tracked frequency, distress, and quality of subsequent intrusions in a diary for 7 consecutive days. Results: For the stressful film, we observed an initial decrease in HR, followed by an increase, before the HR stabilized at a high level, which was not found during the neutral film. No differences in HRV were observed between the two films. Body sway and trembling frequency were heightened during the stressful film. Neither HR nor HRV predicted subsequent intrusions, whereas perceived distress during the stressful film did. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the physiological trauma-analogue response is characterized by an orientation response and subsequent hyperarousal, reaching a high physiological plateau. In contrast to the assumptions of the defence cascade model, the hyperarousal was not followed by downregulation. Potential explanations are discussed. For trauma-associated intrusions in the subsequent week, psychological distress during the film seems to be more important than physiological distress. Understanding the interaction between physiological and psychological responses during threat informs the study of ANS imbalances in mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. We used a trauma-film analogue to examine the defence cascade model and to investigate the influence of psychophysiological response on subsequent intrusions. While we found an orientation phase, upregulation phase, and coactivation indicated by heart rate, no downregulation phase was observed. None of the physiological parameters examined predicted subsequent intrusions, whereas subjective distress during the film did. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTBackground: Adequate adaptation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) is crucial in potentially life-threatening situations. The defence cascade provides a descriptive model of progressing dominant physiological reactions in such situations, including cardiovascular parameters and body mobility. The empirical evidence for this model is scarce, and the influence of physiological reactions in this model for predicting trauma-induced intrusions is unresolved.Objectives: Using a trauma-film paradigm, we aimed to test physiological reactions to a highly stressful film as an analogue to a traumatic event along the defence cascade model. We also aimed to examine the predictive power of physiological activity for subsequent intrusive symptoms.Method: Forty-seven healthy female participants watched a stressful and a neutral film in randomized order. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and body sway were measured. Participants tracked frequency, distress, and quality of subsequent intrusions in a diary for 7 consecutive days.Results: For the stressful film, we observed an initial decrease in HR, followed by an increase, before the HR stabilized at a high level, which was not found during the neutral film. No differences in HRV were observed between the two films. Body sway and trembling frequency were heightened during the stressful film. Neither HR nor HRV predicted subsequent intrusions, whereas perceived distress during the stressful film did.Conclusions: Our results suggest that the physiological trauma-analogue response is characterized by an orientation response and subsequent hyperarousal, reaching a high physiological plateau. In contrast to the assumptions of the defence cascade model, the hyperarousal was not followed by downregulation. Potential explanations are discussed. For trauma-associated intrusions in the subsequent week, psychological distress during the film seems to be more important than physiological distress. Understanding the interaction between physiological and psychological responses during threat informs the study of ANS imbalances in mental disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Blueberries bloom in late winter or early spring in Florida, making the flowers and young fruit highly susceptible to freeze and frost injury. Killing freezes can occur as late as mid to late March throughout much of Florida, long after the initiation of bloom, especially for early-ripening southern highbush blueberry cultivars. This publication describes conditions that often occur in commercial blueberry fields during and after bloom when the potential for freeze damage exists. Practices that growers can use to minimize freeze damage are also discussed.

Porous asphalt concrete (PAC) have a typical big void-skeleton structure, and porous asphalt mixtures with large voids are more prone to freeze–thaw damage. As a result, research on the influence of freeze–thaw cycles on the micro-structure and mechanical characteristics of porous asphalt mixes offers a theoretical framework for overcoming water stability concerns in porous asphalt mixtures in practice, as well as for further popularization and application. In this study, styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt and high viscosity modified asphalt were constructed on the basis of the original asphalt, and the mix proportions of asphalt mixes PAC-13, AC-13, and SMA-13 were designed. To begin, molecular dynamics simulations were used to look into the effects of freeze–thaw cycles on asphalt–aggregate interface adhesion and mixture micro-mechanical properties. Second, the effects of freeze–thaw cycles on the void characteristics of porous asphalt mixtures were explored utilizing digital image processing technologies. Finally, the freeze–thaw split test was utilized to evaluate the macroscopic mechanical properties of a porous asphalt mixture after freezing and thawing cycles. According to the study findings, high viscosity modified asphalt made with 4% SBS/8% TPS has the greatest performance. The application of SBS/TPS-modified asphalt can considerably improve the damage resistance of porous asphalt mixes. The micro-structure and mechanical qualities of porous asphalt mixtures are damaged by freeze–thaw cycles, and the damage gets worse as the number of cycles rises. The study’s conclusions provide a theoretical justification for the application of porous asphalt pavement.

In the two previous papers in this miniseries about using Lewin's (1951) unfreeze-change- refreeze model for managing change, we identified how this model is well known and liked because it is easy to understand and apply (Ellis, 2023). We have covered the unfreeze and changes aspect of the model -- the final stage of Lewin's change model in refreezing, or what Lewin called 'freezing'. This final paper on Lewin's change model will consider what refreezing might mean for the manager leading change and what it requires of them in managing their team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Spring frosts pose an important threat to orchard productivity in temperate zones and projections do not exclude damaging events in the future. However, there is no up-to-date and systematic comparison of the effectiveness and conditionality of the existing passive and active damage prevention strategies. This systematic review seeks to answer the questions “How do the performances of spring frost damage reduction strategies in temperate fruit orchards compare?” and “How do environmental conditions affect the effectiveness of frost damage reduction strategies in temperate fruit orchards?”. Methods This review covers a large range of on-field strategies for the protection of flowering orchards against damage inflicted by late spring frost. All major temperate fruit tree crops and grapevines were included, provided that the performance of frost damage reduction was compared against a control in terms of bud and flower survival, yield and delays in flowering time, or ambient temperature change. Articles and reports were collected between June and October 2021 from the Web of Science Core Collection and regional indexes and from the databases Scopus, FAO AGRIS, USDA Agricola, CAB Abstracts and the Groenekennis database of the University of Wageningen, the Netherlands, as well as from relevant institutional websites and the Chinese scholarly search engine ‘Baidu’. Biases resulting from inadequate randomisation, incomplete reporting or deficient study designs were reported. Temporal and spatial research trends and gaps were mapped based on 104 selected studies (from 8970 identified studies). Data was extracted for every experiment that an article reported on, leading to 971 data points. Groups of frost protection methods were compared in terms of effectiveness whereby environmental factors were examined to explain the variation of the effectiveness by means of mixed linear models. Review findings Most included studies originate from the United States and Europe more than from the temperate fruit production regions in Asia. An increase over time in the research on foliar applications, including growth regulation hormones was observed. Apple, peach and more recently grapevine were the most researched fruit types, followed by cherry and pear. The validity of the selected studies was generally low as measures of variability were reported only occasionally. Therefore, only descriptive comparisons of effectiveness were undertaken between intervention classes by fruit types. Sprinkler systems were found to perform best for most studied outcomes, while the emerging biochemical solutions revealed mixed results. The performances of resource-intensive heating systems did not outperform low-resource techniques such as tunnels or coverings of individual buds. The lack of reporting standards did not allow extensive correlations with ambient factors and reduced the transferability of the review’s findings. A need for standard protocols for experiments and reporting is therefore apparent. Conclusions In this field, strong shortcomings in the documentation of experimental setups and reporting standards were exposed. Implications for policy making are limited while for research recommendations to reduce bias and increase comparability are put forward.

Adverse weather conditions, particularly freezing or drought, are often associated with poor seedling establishment following restoration seeding in drylands like the Great Basin sagebrush steppe (U.S.A.). Management decisions such as planting date or seed source could improve restoration outcomes by reducing seedling exposure to weather barriers. We simulated the effects of management and environmental factors on seedling exposure to post‐germination barriers for bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides), Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), and bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata). We combined germination timing models with daily soil moisture and temperature estimates to calculate yearly germination favorability and post‐germination freezing and drought barriers for three planting dates (15 October, 15 November, and 15 March) and three seed sources or cultivars per species for 5,000 sites in each of 40 years (water years 1980–2019). We tested the effects of site environmental variables (elevation, mean annual precipitation, heat load, and clay content) and management choices (seed source and planting date) on germination favorability and barrier occurrence (mean) and variability (coefficient of variation). Seedling exposure to barriers was strongly linked to management decisions in addition to site mean precipitation and elevation. Later fall plantings and seed sources with slower germination (lower mean germination favorability) were less likely to encounter freezing and drought barriers. These results suggest that management actions can play a role comparable to site environmental variables in reducing exposure of vulnerable seedlings to adverse weather conditions and subsequent effects on restoration outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chicken meatball is a globally recognized meat product with substantial economic value, the quality of which is easily affected by refrigeration. Coating procedure is more effective than traditional quality maintenance assays (such as adding water retainers to meat products, etc.) in providing targeted protection on the surface of meat products, and maintaining the appearance and internal quality of chicken meatballs in frozen conditions. Nevertheless, there are few reports on using water retaining agents as coating to improve the quality of bulk meat products. Thus, the formulation and proportion of 17.5% glycerin-10.4% high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-0.1% guar gum as a composite coating water retaining agent has been developed, which can enhance resistance to low temperatures and antioxidant capacity of the frozen chicken meatballs by forming a three-dimensional gel structure. The thawing loss rate, cooking loss rate and drip loss rate of the coated chicken meatballs were reduced to 0.23%, 1.56%, and 1.87%, respectively. In comparison with the control group, the relative content of free water (extra-myofibrillar water) (P 22) of the coating group decreased to 98.6%, and the total sulfhydryl group content was elevated to 0.26 mmol/gprot, indicating that the novel coating had delayed the water loss and protein oxidation of meat. After discussing the protective effect and its mechanism of the novel coating on meat products, it was found that this integration is conducive to the improvement of the water retention, color, texture and sensory properties of conditioned chicken meatballs during frozen storage, thereby offers valuable chemical and biological evidence for the practical storage of meat product. • A novel composite coating water retaining agent was developed. • Glycerin, HFCS and guar gum are used as raw materials for the novel coating. • Water distribution and WHC of chicken meatballs were improved by the coating. • The coating reduces weight loss/thawing loss of commercial meat products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual stimuli can elicit instinctive approach and avoidance behaviours. In mouse, vision is known to be important for both avoidance of an overhead threat and approach toward a potential terrestrial prey. The stimuli used to characterize these behaviours, however, vary in both spatial location (overhead or near the ground plane) and visual feature (rapidly expanding disc or slowly moving disc). We therefore asked how mice responded to the same visual features presented in each location. We found that a looming black disc induced escape behaviour when presented overhead or to the side of the animal, but the escapes produced by side-looms were less vigorous and often preceded by freezing behaviour. Similarly, small moving discs induced freezing behaviour when presented overhead or to the side of the animal, but side sweeps also elicited approach behaviours, such that mice explored the area of the arena near where the stimulus had been presented. Our observations therefore show that mice combine cues to the location and features of visual stimuli when selecting among potential behaviours.

In this the second of a three-part mini-series on using the Lewin model of change management, we will look at the process of change, sometimes called movement, and the role of the manager in leading it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinization in frozen soil has posed a serious threat to the emergence and growth of crops in the next growing period. It is of great importance for the accurate detection of the content and composition of soil salt during the freeze-thaw period. Fortunately, the spectral data can be used to monitor the soil salinity during the crop growing period, particularly for the soil under an unfrozen state. However, the monitoring models under the unfrozen state cannot suitable for the frozen soil, due to the variation in the soil reflectance during freezing. In this study, an inversion model was established for the soil water-soluble salt ions in the frozen state using hyperspectral technology. A systematic analysis was made to compare the accuracy of the model in the frozen and unfrozen states. The soil samples were first collected with different salinity gradients from the Jiefangzha Irrigation Area of Hetao Irrigation District in the Inner Mongolia of China. The contents of major water-soluble salt ions (i.e., HCO3-, Cl-, CO32-, SO42-, K+, Na+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) were then measured in the unfrozen soil. The hyperspectral reflectance of soil samples was also measured by the ASD FieldSpec 3 instrument. Secondly, the soil samples were then frozen at -15°C for 12h. After that, the above-mentioned hyperspectral reflectance and ion contents were measured once again after freezing. The raw spectral data was also processed using standard normal variable (SNV) for the subsequent model construction, in order to make the hyperspectral curves smoother. Thirdly, two-thirds of the soil samples were used for the modeling (n = 78), while one-third for the validation (n = 39). The concentration gradient method was utilized to ensure the statistical characteristics of the modeling and the validation sets resembled that of the whole sample set. At the same time, the sensitive spectral intervals of each water-soluble salt ion were selected using variable importance in projection (VIP). The hyperspectral inversion model was formulated for the major water-soluble salt ions content with the sensitive spectral bands using partial least squares regression (PLSR), support vector regression (SVR), and extreme learning machine (ELM). Finally, the performances of these models were evaluated by the determination coefficient of calibration sets (RC 2), determination coefficient of prediction sets (RP 2), root mean square error (SRMSE), and residual predictive deviation (SRPD). The results showed that the VIP hyperspectral monitoring model managed to invert the most content of the water-soluble salt ions in the frozen soil, but the inversion accuracy of different ions varied greatly. Among them, the prediction accuracies of Cl-and K+ were extremely high with an RPD of above 2.5. There was a reasonably good prediction accuracy of SO42-, Ca2+, and Na+ (2.0

Background: Neurophysiological models link dissociation (e.g. feeling detached during or after a traumatic event) to hypoarousal. It is currently assumed that the initial passive reaction to a threat may coincide with a blunted autonomic response, which constitutes the dissociative subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective: Within this systematic review we summarize research which evaluates autonomic nervous system activation (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure) and dissociation in PTSD patients to discern the validity of current neurophysiological models of trauma-related hypoarousal. Method: Of 553 screened articles, 28 studies (N = 1300 subjects) investigating the physiological response to stress provocation or trauma-related interventions were included in the final analysis. Results: No clear trend exists across all measured physiological markers in trauma-related dissociation. Extracted results are inconsistent, in part due to high heterogeneity in experimental methodology. Conclusion: The current review is unable to provide robust evidence that peri- and post-traumatic dissociation are associated with hypoarousal, questioning the validity of distinct psychophysiological profiles in PTSD. There is no consensus on physiological biomarkers of trauma-related dissociation. Peri- and post-traumatic dissociation are physiologically distinct from stress reactions in chronic states. Standardized methodologies may increase the reproducibility and specificity of psychophysiological biomarkers of dissociation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effects of freezing duration and matcha concentration on the rheological properties, moisture distribution, and multiscale structure of dough. The results indicated that both freezing and high concentrations of matcha (≥1 %) significantly reduced the stiffness of the dough matrix, restricted its ability to expand during fermentation, and disrupted the structure of gluten protein. Furthermore, freezing induced moisture redistribution within the dough. Specifically, the water content in the 0 % matcha dough decreased by 1.5 %, indicating a weakening of protein-moisture interactions, disruption of disulfide bond conformations, and inhibition of disulfide bond aggregation in gluten proteins, thereby destabilizing the gluten network. Additionally, freezing negatively impacted yeast gas production capability, while matcha addition did not influence yeast activity. Moreover, low concentrations of matcha did not significantly impact the multiscale structure of the dough. This study provided crucial scientific insights for recipe optimization and quality control in bread production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Plasmonic surface-enhanced transmission Raman spectroscopy (SETRS) has emerged as a promising optical technique for detecting and predicting the depths of deep-seated lesions in biological tissues. However, in vivo studies using SETRS are scarce and typically show shallow penetration depths. Moreover, the optical parameters used in the prediction process are often derived from frozen samples and there is limited understanding of how freezing affects the optical properties of biological tissues and the accuracy of depth prediction in living models. In this work, we conduct in vivo SETRS measurements on thick abdominal tissue region of the live rats to investigate the impact of freezing on the measured optical properties for the purpose of depth prediction. First, we fabricated ultrahigh bright surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) nanotags and utilized a custom transmission Raman system. We then measured the change of optical attenuation at two different wavelengths (Δ μ ) for four types of rat tissues (including skin, fat, muscle, and liver) following freezing. The freezing process dramatically affects Δ μ values, even after only 1 day of freezing. In contrast, Δ μ values obtained from fresh samples enable precise localization of SERS lesion phantoms in the live rat with only 5% deviation. The total thickness of the live rat is 2.6 cm, which, to the best of our knowledge, is the highest value of in vivo SETRS studies so far. This work helps to fill the gap in the SERS field of tissue localization and optical coefficient studies in highly heterogeneous tissues, and demonstrates the potential of the SETRS technique to achieve precise clinical localization of deep lesions.

Background: Neurophysiological models link dissociation (e.g. feeling detached during or after a traumatic event) to hypoarousal. It is currently assumed that the initial passive reaction to a threat may coincide with a blunted autonomic response, which constitutes the dissociative subtype of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Objective: Within this systematic review we summarize research which evaluates autonomic nervous system activation (e.g. heart rate, blood pressure) and dissociation in PTSD patients to discern the validity of current neurophysiological models of trauma-related hypoarousal. Method: Of 553 screened articles, 28 studies (N = 1300 subjects) investigating the physiological response to stress provocation or trauma-related interventions were included in the final analysis. Results: No clear trend exists across all measured physiological markers in trauma-related dissociation. Extracted results are inconsistent, in part due to high heterogeneity in experimental methodology. Conclusion: The current review is unable to provide robust evidence that peri- and post-traumatic dissociation are associated with hypoarousal, questioning the validity of distinct psychophysiological profiles in PTSD.

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Hypersonic vehicles are an important area of research in the aerospace field today. One of the important issues is the power of the engine. In order to achieve large-span flight speeds, a more efficient approach is to use combined power systems. However, the problem of pre-cooler icing can occur in combined engine applications. The flow in the pre-cooler is extremely complex. Outside the tube is the high-temperature wet air entering from the engine intake, and the tube cooling is the ultra-low temperature cooling medium. Icing not only increases the heat exchange resistance of the pre-cooler during operation and affects the heat exchange performance of the pre-cooler, but also causes a large total pressure loss, resulting in a degradation of the engine performance. There is a lack of research on the icing law of the pre-cooler under different parameters. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a corresponding numerical calculation study on pre-cooler icing and explore the influence of various influencing factors on icing. In this paper, a mathematical model of icing (frost) is established for the frosting phenomenon that may occur during the operation of the pre-cooler. Additionally, the principle of heat and mass transfer in the icing process is described by the mathematical model, and the influence of different parameters on the frosting parameters is explored by using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The law of tube bundle icing under different parameters was calculated, and the variation laws of frost layer morphology and wet air pressure drop were obtained. The laws of tube bundle icing under different parameters were calculated, and the changes in frost layer pattern and wet air pressure drop when each parameter was changed, which can provide guidance for the design and application of pre-coolers in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spring frosts pose an important threat to orchard productivity in temperate zones and projections do not exclude damaging events in the future. However, there is no up-to-date and systematic comparison of the effectiveness and conditionality of the existing passive and active damage prevention strategies. This systematic review seeks to answer the questions "How do the performances of spring frost damage reduction strategies in temperate fruit orchards compare?" and "How do environmental conditions affect the effectiveness of frost damage reduction strategies in temperate fruit orchards?". Methods: This review covers a large range of on-field strategies for the protection of flowering orchards against damage inflicted by late spring frost. All major temperate fruit tree crops and grapevines were included, provided that the performance of frost damage reduction was compared against a control in terms of bud and flower survival, yield and delays in flowering time, or ambient temperature change. Articles and reports were collected between June and October 2021 from the Web of Science Core Collection and regional indexes and from the databases Scopus, FAO AGRIS, USDA Agricola, CAB Abstracts and the Groenekennis database of the University of Wageningen, the Netherlands, as well as from relevant institutional websites and the Chinese scholarly search engine 'Baidu'. Biases resulting from inadequate randomisation, incomplete reporting or deficient study designs were reported. Temporal and spatial research trends and gaps were mapped based on 104 selected studies (from 8970 identified studies). Data was extracted for every experiment that an article reported on, leading to 971 data points. Groups of frost protection methods were compared in terms of effectiveness whereby environmental factors were examined to explain the variation of the effectiveness by means of mixed linear models. Review findings: Most included studies originate from the United States and Europe more than from the temperate fruit production regions in Asia. An increase over time in the research on foliar applications, including growth regulation hormones was observed. Apple, peach and more recently grapevine were the most researched fruit types, followed by cherry and pear. The validity of the selected studies was generally low as measures of variability were reported only occasionally. Therefore, only descriptive comparisons of effectiveness were undertaken between intervention classes by fruit types. Sprinkler systems were found to perform best for most studied outcomes, while the emerging biochemical solutions revealed mixed results. The performances of resource-intensive heating systems did not outperform low-resource techniques such as tunnels or coverings of individual buds. The lack of reporting standards did not allow extensive correlations with ambient factors and reduced the transferability of the review's findings. A need for standard protocols for experiments and reporting is therefore apparent. Conclusions: In this field, strong shortcomings in the documentation of experimental setups and reporting standards were exposed. Implications for policy making are limited while for research recommendations to reduce bias and increase comparability are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of diagnosing illnesses associated with brain cognitive and gait freezing phase patterns has led to a recent surge in interest in the study of gait for mental disorders. A more precise and effective way to characterize and classify many common gait problems, such as foot and brain pulse disorders, can improve prognosis evaluation and treatment options for Parkinson patients. Nonetheless, the primary clinical technique for assessing gait abnormalities at the moment is visual inspection, which depends on the subjectivity of the observer and can be inaccurate. This study investigates whether it is possible to differentiate between gait brain disorder and the typical walking pattern using machine learning driven supervised learning techniques and data obtained from inertial measurement unit sensors for brain, hip and leg rehabilitation. The proposed method makes use of the Daphnet freezing of Gait Data Set, consisted of 237 instances with 9 attributes. The method utilizes machine learning and feature reduction approaches in leg and hip gait recognition. From the obtained results, it is concluded that among all classifiers RF achieved highest accuracy as 98.9 % and Perceptron achieved lowest i.e. 70.4 % accuracy. While utilizing LDA as feature reduction approach, KNN, RF and NB also achieved promising accuracy and F1-score in comparison with SVM and LR classifiers. In order to distinguish between the different gait disorders associated with brain tissues freezing/non-freezing and normal walking gait patterns, it is shown that the integration of different machine learning algorithms offers a viable and prospective solution. This research implies the need for an impartial approach to support clinical judgment. • Cognitive driven gait detection and classification using computational techniques. • Gait pattern identification with help of Wearable acceleration sensors. • Dimensionality reduction improves gait data classification accuracy. • Random Forest classifier outperform other discriminants and achieves 98 % accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two main sources of fibers and bioactive compounds represented by pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) and quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) were selected for the present study. The current changes in consumers behavior oblige manufacturers to develop new assortments of ready-to-eat products, considering their nutritional characteristics. Hence, this study aimed to process free sugar pumpkin and quince puree using a combination of freezing (−15 °C) and cooking at 95 °C for 20 min. Four variants of purees were obtained by using different combinations between pumpkin and quince (pumpkin puree, quince puree, and pumpkin and quince puree in ratios of 1:1 and 3:1). The samples were characterized in terms of complex interconnected analysis, which could provide further information for the added-value products. Thus, highest values of β-carotene content were attributed to pumpkin puree (P −5.34 ± 0.05 mg/g DW) and pumpkin and quince puree 3:1 (PQ 3:1 −3.78 ± 0.014 mg/g DW). These findings are also supported by the values of ABTS inhibition, which was registered as 71.32% for the P sample and 76.25% for the PQ 3:1 sample. The textural analysis revealed firmness values of 1.27 N for pumpkin puree and 2.33 N for quince puree. Moreover, the structural changes were minimum, while the cellular structure and some tissues were preserved intact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic engineers investigating water loss incidents, caused by water leaking from damaged copper tube piping systems inside buildings, are tasked with determining if that damage is from the piping being exposed to subfreezing temperatures or some other cause. This paper provides guidance for such investigations and factual basis for such opinions, including presenting the results of experimental testing of water-filled copper tube piping systems exposed to subfreezing conditions. It also discusses piping standards and building codes. When ice forms a solid plug inside a pipe, the portion of the piping downstream of that plug becomes isolated. As the ice plug grows, the pressure in the isolated portion of the piping system increases dramatically from hydraulic pressure until the strength of the "weak link" is exceeded, which causes a rupture that relieves the pressure. Oftentimes, no significant water flows through the rupture at that time because the ice plug prevents water flow through the pipe. However, significant water flow occurs once the plug melts. This paper demonstrates why it is critically important for forensic engineers to understand this sequence of events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding nitrogen fertilizers to soils can induce short-term changes in soil N pools, and consequently cause extra release of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions that are sourced directly from soils rather than from added N – a response termed the 'priming effect'. However, it is unknown how priming effects on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions can be altered following a strong freeze–thaw cycle. A mesocosm (pot) experiment evaluated two soil managements: with and without history of manure applications. These soils were subjected to three moisture regimes: Low, Medium and High. Apart from the controls, which received no N, we banded 15 N-labelled urea into these soils representing a typical fall fertilization, and subsequently simulated a wide fall-freeze–thaw cycle, with temperatures from + 2, to − 18, and finally + 23 °C, respectively. The overall highest N2O production was observed 1 day after thawing. At that time, measurements of N2O site preference indicated that denitrification produced 83% of the N2O flux. Relative to the unamended controls (baseline), adding urea consistently triggered a 24% greater cumulative N2O production originated from soil N following thawing (245 vs. 305 μg N2O-N kg−1 soil, P = 0.022). This substantiates a positive priming of N2O that manifested shortly after the rapid, wet thawing of the soils. Soils having a manure history or higher moisture also exhibited an augmented production of N2O from soil N rather than from the added urea (Ps < 0.01). Although the overall N2O priming was positive, two weeks after thawing, negative priming of daily N2O fluxes also occurred, but only in soils under High moisture. Besides urea addition, the propensity for primed N2O emissions after soil thawing was enhanced under higher moisture conditions and in the soil with history of manure applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-year-old, field-grown golden kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis) and fuzzy kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa) plants were evaluated for injury following an early freeze event of −4.1 °C on 14 Nov. 2018 in Burleson County, TX. Plant material included seven cultivars: one seed-propagated [Sungold™ (ZESY002)] and three cutting-propagated golden kiwifruit (AU Golden Dragon, AU Golden Sunshine, CK03), and one seed-propagated (Hayward) and two cutting-propagated fuzzy kiwifruit (AU Authur and AU Fitzgerald). Observations were made 5 weeks after the frost event. Base trunk diameter (BD) and maximum trunk diameter damaged (MDD) provided a reference of plant size and crude measurement of damage intensity, as evident by presence of water-soaked necrotic and/or dehydrated tissue following the removal of a thin slice of periderm, vascular cambium, phloem, and xylem. Percent of base diameter damaged (PBDD) was calculated as MDD divided by BD and provided an assessment of damage, unbiased by plant size. Percent of shoot damaged (PSD) was visually evaluated as the percentage of entire shoot system exhibiting damage. In addition, presence of basal damage (DB) and basal cracking (CB) were recorded. A strong cultivar response was observed for BD, MDD, PBDD, and PSD. Mean cultivar values for PSD ranged from 79% and 19% for AU Authur and Sungold™ seedlings, respectively, which represented extremes among cultivars. Fuzzy kiwifruit exhibited greater injury (PBDD, PSD, DB, and CB) as compared with golden kiwifruit cultivars. Basal damage and basal cracking proved unique to fuzzy kiwifruit, as DB ranged from 0% in Sungold™ seedlings to 100% in fuzzy kiwifruit ‘AU Authur’ and ‘AU Fitzgerald’. In spite of having greater vigor, golden kiwifruit plants sustained less injury. Method of propagation had no effect on injury. PBDD and PSD proved to be reliable field assays for documenting injury, based on their strong correlation value (r = 0.92). Greater relative autumn frost tolerance of golden kiwifruit over fuzzy kiwifruit cultivars is previously unreported.

Hydrogel has emerged as a promising wound dressing material, and in situ forming hydrogel has emerged as a promising wound dressing recently. But most in situ forming hydrogel are normally unstable. Herein, we report an in-situ forming hydrogel synthesized from poly(Nisopropylacrylamide166- co - n -butyl acrylate9)-poly(ethyleneglycol)-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide166- co - n -butyl acrylate9) copolymer (P(NIPAM166- co -nBA9)-PEG-P(NIPAM166-conBA9), denoted as PEP) and zinc oxide nano-particle(ZnO nano-particle) in response to skin temperature. This thermoresponsive hydrogel exhibits sol-gel reversibility at high temperatures, which is closed to the temperature of human skin. To investigate its healing effects, we used the Hydrogel dressing® in an SD rat model. The biocompatibility and antibacterial ability against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) of this PEP-ZnO hydrogel wound dressing are confirmed in vitro and in vivo, which could transparently promote the healing of a MRSA-infected frostbitten skin Injury., Materials and Methods: Thirty rats were randomly divided into two groups. The treatment group received hydrogel and transparent film dressing 30 min to 1 h post-burn, while the control group received only cotton dressing. The wound area was measured, and the wound closure rate was calculated on days 3, 7, and 14 post-surgery. Tissue samples were collected from each rat on these days and stored at -80 °C for histological analysis using H&E, Masson and immunohistochemical staining. This analysis assessed factors such as granulation tissue length, re-epithelialization, re-angiogenesis, collagen deposition, inflammatory cell infiltration, and collagen production. Clinical and histological assessments at 14 days showed more rapid healing in the hydrogel dressing group compared to the control group., Conclusion: Our results indicate that the design of our hydrogel for cooling injury wounds effectively improves healing and mitigates the damage from low temperatures., Competing Interests: All authors disclosed no relevant relationships., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier BV on behalf of The Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine.)

This paper delineates various forms of 'desparked' shutdown, such as in learned helplessness, trauma and dissociation, and extreme neglect. It examines how overwhelming experiences are at their root contracting, involving a numbing down and a turning away from life. It suggests that recovery always requires experiencing a new sense of safety and trust, and that from there one can experience a reboot and respark into life. It suggests that while safeness is always central in work with trauma, courage is also necessary, especially to push through defences that might have been outgrown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We synthesize the interconnected impacts of Texas' water and energy resources and infrastructure including the cascading effects due to Winter Storm Uri. The government's preparedness, communication, policies, and response as well as storm impacts on vulnerable communities are evaluated using available information and data. Where knowledge gaps exist, we propose potential research to elucidate health, environmental, policy, and economic impacts of the extreme weather event. We expect that recommendations made here — while specific to the situation and outcomes of Winter Storm Uri — will increase Texas' resilience to other extreme weather events not discussed in this paper. We found that out of 14 million residents who were on boil water notices, those who were served by very small water systems went, on average, a minimum of three days longer without potable water. Available county-level data do not indicate vulnerable communities went longer periods of time without power or water during the event. More resolved data are required to understand who was most heavily impacted at the community or neighborhood level. Gaps in government communication, response, and policy are discussed, including issues with identifying — and securing power to — critical infrastructure and the fact that the state's Emergency Alert System was not used consistently to update Texans during the crisis. Finally, research recommendations are made to bolster weaknesses discovered during and after the storm including (1) reliable communication strategies, (2) reducing disproportionate impacts to vulnerable communities, (3) human health impacts, (4) increasing water infrastructure resilience, and (5) how climate change could impact infrastructure resilience into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous sealing of cracks in concrete through bacteria-induced calcification has become a topic of great concern in the last two decades. This paper is focused on two main issues of the so-called bio-based self-healing concrete, i.e. protection of the bacterial spores embedded in the cementitious matrix and behavior of the material at low temperatures. The second aspect is particularly important as the impact of the conditions corresponding to real outside environment was rarely investigated before. An investigation of the influence of temperatures below the freezing point is a unique extension of the current state of the art. In the current study, as a form of protection, superabsorbent polymers (SAP) powder and 16 % polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) water solution are applied. The performed mechanical tests showed pronounced negative impact of the PVA addition on both tensile and compressive strength (a decrease of 56 % and 79 %, respectively), while the SAP negatively affected only the compressive strength (a drop of 30 %). In our study, the composite containing SAP reached even slightly higher tensile strength compared to the control (around 7 % increase). The healing action was observed on cracked cementitious composites beams at ideal (i.e. room) temperature, low temperature (10 °C), and after exposure to freeze cycles (–5 to 0 °C). After 28-day immersion in water at the ideal temperature, the series containing SAP and bacterial spores (BAC_SAP) showed the most pronounced healing – the value of the average maximum healed crack width (Δwmax) reached 219 μm. In the case of preliminary freeze cycling, the BAC_SAP also reached the highest values. At low temperatures, the positive impact of SAP seems to be inhibited as Δwmax is the highest in the control series. In all of the applied conditions, insufficient crack-sealing was detectable in the samples containing PVA. Thus, the SAP proved to be applicable for the protection of bacterial spores at ideal temperatures; however, more research concerning its mechanism in cementitious composite at lower temperatures is needed.

Abstract Microneedles are regarded as an emerging and promising transdermal drug delivery strategy. Great efforts are devoted to getting rid of their material restrictions and imparting them with abilities to carry various drugs. Here, inspired by ice formation in nature and based on characteristics of different frozen materials, the authors present novel ice microneedles made from versatile soft materials using a simple freezing template‐based fabrication stratagem for effective transdermal delivery of diverse actives. Their strategy can convert microneedles with almost all water‐containing components from softness into hardness for guaranteeing satisfactory penetration, thus removing their material component limitations. As all fabrication procedures are mild and actives can maintain activity during these processes, the ice microneedles can carry and deliver various actives from small molecules and macromolecules to even living organisms. They have demonstrated that these ice microneedles can easily penetrate mouse and swine skins using a microneedle injector, with their active‐carried tips left inside after their ice base melts. Thus, by loading heparin, erythropoietin, or biosafe Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) inside the ice microneedles to treat mouse models, the practical values of these microneedles are well displayed, indicating their bright prospects in universal drug delivery systems.

Secale cereale L. (rye) as an overwinter forage usually harvested in the autumn, widely grows in the northeastern China, where the temperature varies widely from day to night. In this area, the crop is confronted with not only freeze–thaw stress, but also the soil salinization. In this study, the rye seedlings under alkaline salt (AS) stress were subjected to both cutting treatment (CT) after growing for 7 days and freeze–thaw (FT) stress（10/−5°C) after 6 days regrowth. The changes of soluble protein (SP), malondialdehyde (MDA), relative water content (RWC), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in seedlings were studied to analyze the physiological effects of FT and AS stress with CT. The results indicated, under the combined stress, the enzyme activity and RWC decreased and the soluble protein and MDA content increased. Cutting treatment led to the accumulated of MDA, increase of enzyme activity and decrease of RWC in seedlings. The finding from the study indicates that the CT could aggravate the membrane peroxidation under the combined stress of FT and AS and enhance the osmotic adjustment ability of rye and activated the antioxidant enzyme system. The rye having been cut is more sensitive to the compound stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microneedles are regarded as an emerging and promising transdermal drug delivery strategy. Great efforts are devoted to getting rid of their material restrictions and imparting them with abilities to carry various drugs. Here, inspired by ice formation in nature and based on characteristics of different frozen materials, the authors present novel ice microneedles made from versatile soft materials using a simple freezing template‐based fabrication stratagem for effective transdermal delivery of diverse actives. Their strategy can convert microneedles with almost all water‐containing components from softness into hardness for guaranteeing satisfactory penetration, thus removing their material component limitations. As all fabrication procedures are mild and actives can maintain activity during these processes, the ice microneedles can carry and deliver various actives from small molecules and macromolecules to even living organisms. They have demonstrated that these ice microneedles can easily penetrate mouse and swine skins using a microneedle injector, with their active‐carried tips left inside after their ice base melts. Thus, by loading heparin, erythropoietin, or biosafe Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) inside the ice microneedles to treat mouse models, the practical values of these microneedles are well displayed, indicating their bright prospects in universal drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicle applications require efficient cold start ability and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this study, various self‐cold start strategies including purging the PEMFC at shutdown and using galvanostatic operation at startup are proposed. The cold start characteristics from −5°C of a single cell are experimentally investigated in situ on a laboratory scale. The amount of cumulated charge transfer density, corresponding to the amount of product water, is used as an index to quantify the cold start capability. Gas purge at shutdown before freeze is found to facilitate the PEMFC cold start, although the improvement is relatively small compared with other methods such as gradually increasing the current during startup. Microscopic studies of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) after cold start failure are conducted to determine material degradation due to ice formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangrove trees are tropical foi·est species that in recent years are increasingly found in temperate zone salt mai-shes. The resultant regime shift due to the migration of mangrove trees into an herbaceous system may have profound implications on biomass allocation, biodiversity and food web dynamics along the Gulf Coast of Florida. This research seeks to exainine the growth of individual mangrove trees along a latitudinal gradient over several years froin temperate North Florida to subtropical Tampa Bay. The response to freezing temperatures is examined inore closely and a discussion of the morphological changes in the trees along the latitudinal gradient is presented. Finally, the role micro-climate plays in shaping these morphological characteristics is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]