Normal Temperature Conditions Research Articles

Enhanced infrared sensing properties of vanadium pentoxide nanofibers for bolometer application

The main aim of this work is to report an alternative technique of creating vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) based uncooled infrared (IR) detector, by a state-of-the-art V2O5 nanofibers, manufactured by facile and economical electrospinning process. The nanofibers were thermally and electrically characterized to determine their bolometric performance. The nanofibers show maximum voltage responsivity (Rv) 6987.3 V/W at 100 mA DC bias, in a normal room temperature and pressure condition. Nanofibers show very good thermal response (τs) and recovery time (τr) when subjected to a periodic On-Off cycle of IR lamp (150 W) illumination. Temperature dependent resistance measurement shows that nanofibers are exhibiting semiconductor to metallic phase transition at 67 °C with maximum temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR%) − 1.6%/K at the transition. V2O5 nanofibers characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman Spectroscopy confirms their crystallinity and elemental composition. The optical band gap of the nanofibers is analyzed by UV–Visible spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images confirms their microstructural dimensions and surface homogeneity. The entire analysis reaffirms the suitability of V2O5 nanofibers as one of the futuristic sensing material for IR imaging applications.

Limits to sustained energy intake. XXIX. The case of the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

Golden hamster females have the shortest known gestation period among placental mammals, and at the same time raise very large litters of up to 16 offspring, which are born in a naked and blind state and are only able to pick up food from days 12 to 14 onwards. We quantified energy metabolism and milk production in female golden hamsters raising offspring under cold (8°C), normal (22°C) and hot (30°C) ambient temperature conditions. We monitored energy intake, subcutaneous body temperature, daily energy expenditure, litter size and pup masses over the course of lactation. Our results show that, in line with the concept of heat dissipation limitation, female golden hamsters had the largest energy intake under the coldest conditions and a significantly lower intake at 30°C (partial for influence of ambient temperature: F2,403=5.6; P=0.004). Metabolisable energy intake as well as milk energy output showed the same pattern and were significantly different between the temperatures (partial for milk energy production: F1,40=86.4; P<0.0001), with consistently higher subcutaneous temperatures in the reproductive females (F1,813=36.77; P<0.0001) compared with baseline females. These data suggest that raising offspring in golden hamsters comes at the cost of producing large amounts of body heat up to a level constraining energy intake, similar to that observed in some laboratory mice. Notably, we observed that females seemed to adjust litter size according to their milk production, with the smallest litters (3.4±0.7 pups) being raised by hot-exposed mothers. Future research is needed to unravel the mechanism by which females assess their own milk production capabilities and how this may be linked to litter size at different ambient temperatures. Golden hamsters reach 8-10 times resting metabolic rate when raising offspring under cold conditions, which is compatible with the findings from laboratory mice and other rodents.

Effect of chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia on learning and memory function in mice and the expression of NT and CGRP in brain

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia on learning and memory function of mice and the expression of neurotensin (NT) and calcitonin gene–related peptide (CGRP) in mice brain. A total of 30 C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into normoxia control group (control group, n = 15) and chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia stress group (experimental group, n = 15). The control group was kept under normal temperature and pressure conditions, while the experimental group was kept in a chamber at normal pressure, hypoxia and hypercapnia for 8 h daily and 6 days a week for 4 weeks. On the 28th day, the learning and memory ability of mice was examined by 8-arm maze. The content of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in brain was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were determined by spectrophotometry, and the derangement of hippocampal ultrastructures and numbers of apoptotic neurons were observed by microscope. The expression of NT and CGRP in brain tissue was observed by immunochemistry. Compared to control group, the content of 8-OHdG in hippocampal and serum MDA were significantly increased by 1.3 and 1.78 times, while the activity of SOD in serum was decreased by 27.28% in experimental group. Besides, the cellular structure of the hippocampus was disorderly arranged, the shape is irregular and the quantity is markedly reduced obviously in experimental group. In addition, the content of NT and CGRP in brain tissue was higher in experimental group than in control group ( P &lt; 0.05). The stress of chronic hypoxia and hypercapnia not only can induce learning and memory disorders in mice which may be related to increased neuronal apoptosis and oxidative stress injury but also can increase the expression of NT and CGRP in brain tissue which may have some impact on gastrointestinal motility in mice.

Highly dispersed multiwalled carbon nanotubes coupled manganese salen nanostructure for simultaneous electrochemical sensing of vitamin B2 and B6

A nanocomposite of Mn(salen)Cl (where salen is N,N′-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is prepared. The advantageous properties of MWCNTs and catalytic properties of Mn(salen)Cl (represented as MnIIIsalen) are combined in this new nanocomposite (represented as MWCNTs-MnIIIsalen). Several techniques including electrochemical ones are used for the characterization of the MWCNTs-MnIIIsalen nanostructure. After complete characterization it is utilized for simultaneous determination of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and B6 (pyridoxine) using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). MWCNTs-MnIIIsalen coated on glassy carbon electrode (GC), represented as GC/MWCNTs-MnIIIsalen exhibits high sensitivity and low detection limit. This electrode demonstrates high reproducibility (R.S.D.=3.7% and 3.4% for vitamin B2 and B6, respectively) and long storage stability (more than 10days under normal room temperature condition). Methodologies for the analysis of vitamins B2 and B6 using GC/MWCNTs-MnIIIsalen in pharmaceutical formulations using simple electrochemical techniques are elucidated.

Effect of tilt on mass transfer and hydrodynamic performance in a packing column

To investigate the working performance of packing columns used in offshore floating production, CO2-absorption and hydrodynamic experiments were performed in a tilted laboratory-scale packing column. A six-degree-of-freedom motion parallel platform was adopted to mimic different tilted states (3°–12°). Using a CO2–NaOH system, the effects of the liquid flow rate (6–24m3/m2/h), NaOH concentration (0.5–2mol/L), gas flow rate (4.1–8.0m3/h) and CO2 molar fraction at the inlet (4.0–7.5%) on the CO2 absorption performance were investigated under normal pressure and temperature conditions. Liquid hold-up and pressure drop were measured using a water–air system. Three different types of packing were tested to compare their anti-tilt performance. The experimental results showed that tilt significantly reduced the mass transfer performance of Pall Ring 10mm; however, the reductions in the performance of Sulzer BX500 and BY500 were minor. Further, both liquid holdup and pressure drop of three packings were reduced by tilt.

Experimental study on the cool storage performance of super absorbent polymers for cool storage clothes

In this paper, a kind of cool storage clothes which can cool the human body in high temperature condition is put forward. super absorbent polymers was selected as a cold storage material, through at the normal and extreme environment simulation, the cold storage materials were prepared with different composition, and their performance was tested. Test results show that:under normal temperature conditions, the 1:50 concentration of super absorbent polymers continued to release the longest cooling time, compared with pure water, cooling time extended 43 minutes by about 30%; under the condition of 37°C, the 1:100 concentration of super absorbent polymers continued to release the longest cooling time, compared with pure water, cooling time extended 105 minutes by about 50%.

Study on Ballistic Absorbing Energy Character of High Performance Polyethylene Needle Felt

The ballistic performance of polyethylene needle felt is tested and the failure morphology after test is also observed. The results showed that when the non-dimensionally non-stressed fibers in polyethylene needles are subjected to high-speed projectile, secondary movement such as stretching and twisting occurs first. This secondary movement is very full, it is the main way of ballistic absorbing energy of the polyethylene needle felt which can avoid the polyethylene fiber short-term rapid heating-up and destroyed. Analysis results show that under normal temperature and humidity conditions, the V50 of 6-layer forded polyethylene needle felt sample is 250m/s. At (450 ± 50) m/s speed range of the target missile, the mean value of the penetrative specific energy absorption for 3-layer forded polyethylene needle felt anti-1.1g simulated projectiles (tapered column) reaches 24.1J·m2/kg.

Two rice receptor-like kinases maintain male fertility under changing temperatures

Plants employ dynamic molecular networks to control development in response to environmental changes, yet the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we report the identification of two rice leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinases, Thermo-Sensitive Genic Male Sterile 10 (TMS10) and its close homolog TMS10-Like (TMS10L), which redundantly function in the maintenance of the tapetal cell layer and microspore/pollen viability under normal temperature conditions with TMS10 playing an essential role in higher temperatures (namely, 28 °C). tms10 displays male sterility under high temperatures but male fertility under low temperatures, and the tms10 tms10l double mutant shows complete male sterility under both high and low temperatures. Biochemical and genetic assays indicate that the kinase activity conferred by the intracellular domain of TMS10 is essential for tapetal degeneration and male fertility under high temperatures. Furthermore, indica or japonica rice varieties that contain mutations in TMS10, created by genetic crosses or genome editing, also exhibit thermo-sensitive genic male sterility. These findings demonstrate that TMS10 and TMS10L act as a key switch in postmeiotic tapetal development and pollen development by buffering environmental temperature changes, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms by which plants develop phenotypic plasticity via genotype-environment temperature interaction. TMS10 may be used as a genetic resource for the development of hybrid seed production systems in crops.

The Alleviation of Heat Damage to Photosystem II and Enzymatic Antioxidants by Exogenous Spermidine in Tall Fescue.

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb) is a typical cool-season grass that is widely used in turf and pasture. However, high temperature as an abiotic stress seriously affects its utilization. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of spermidine (Spd) on heat stress response of tall fescue. The samples were exposed to 22°C (normal condition) or 44°C (heat stress) for 4 h. The results showed that exogenous Spd partially improved the quality of tall fescue leaves under normal temperature conditions. Nevertheless, after heat stress treatment, exogenous Spd significantly decreased the electrolyte leakage of tall fescue leaves. Spd also profoundly reduced the H2O2 and O2⋅- content and increased antioxidant enzymes activities. In addition, PAs can also regulate antioxidant enzymes activities including SOD, POD, and APX which could help to scavenge ROS. Moreover, application of Spd could also remarkably increase the chlorophyll content and had a positive effect on the chlorophyll α fluorescence transients under high temperature. The Spd reagent enhanced the performance of photosystem II (PSII) as observed by the JIP-test. Under heat stress, the Spd profoundly improved the partial potentials at the steps of energy bifurcations (PIABS and PItotal) and the quantum yields and efficiencies (φP0, δR0, φR0, and γRC). Exogenous Spd could also reduce the specific energy fluxes per QA- reducing PSII reaction center (RC) (TP0/RC and ET0/RC). Additionally, exogenous Spd improved the expression level of psbA and psbB, which encoded the proteins of PSII core reaction center complex. We infer that PAs can stabilize the structure of nucleic acids and protect RNA from the degradation of ribonuclease. In brief, our study indicates that exogenous Spd enhances the heat tolerance of tall fescue by maintaining cell membrane stability, increasing antioxidant enzymes activities, improving PSII, and relevant gene expression.

Synthesis, structural analysis, Hirshfeld surface, spectroscopic characterization and, in vitro, antioxidant activity of a novel organic cyclohexaphosphate

The new hybrid [4-Cl-2-(CH3)C6H3NH3]6P6O18·2H2O was synthesized under normal conditions of temperature and pressure. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study was used to identify its structure. It revealed that this organic cyclohexaphosphate crystallized in the P1¯ triclinic space group with a = 10.41 (10) Å b = 10.94 (7) Å, c = 15.45 (10) Å, α = 77.37 (8), β = 89.75 (8)°, γ = 61.69 (7)°, V = 1501 (2) Å3 and Z = 1. In the crystal framework, the assembling of the three dimensional (3D) structure is formed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds and Van Der Waals interactions. A spectroscopic characterization was carried out to elucidate the structure (UV–Vis, FTIR, 31P MAS-NMR and fluorescent properties). The thermal stability was studied by TG-DTA diagrams under argon atmosphere. Furthermore, 3-D Hirshfeld surfaces in combination with 2-D fingerprint plots were carried out. This compound was also evaluated for its antioxidant activity; four tests were done, in vitro, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), hydroxyl scavenging ability (OH•), ferric reducing power (FRP) and ferrous ion chelating (FIC) ability, using ascorbic acid as a control.

Effect of Two-Stage Aeration on Nitrogen Removal Performance of Aerobic Granular Sludge

Four mini experiments were conducted at different conditions. The heterotrophic microorganisms on the aerobic granular sludge surface consumed organic compounds at the initial stage of aeration. The denitrification rate and the efficiency of NO2--N and NO3--N removal were relatively low. Therefore, under the normal temperature conditions (20-23℃), aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated in the two-stage aeration mode(first in low aeration then in high aeration mode). The low aeration time were carried out at 1, 2 and 3 hours stages respectively, and the characteristics of the granular sludge and its effects on microorganisms were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique. The results show that the increase in the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) particle size improved the denitrification capacity; the denitrification rate of NO2--N was the highest at low aeration mode with 2 h and reached 9.66 mg·(g·h)-1. The accumulation rate of nitrite increased to 77.84% and the total nitrogen removal rate to 70%. The bacterial count inside the granular sludge increased and they were mainly cocci, bacillus, and ellipsoidal bacteria. Moreover, the proportion of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in total bacterial count increased from 13.70% to 15.40%. Therefore, the two-stage aeration process achieved shortened simultaneous nitrification and denitrification processes and showed a good denitrification performance.

Extension of the group contribution NRTL-PRA EoS for the modeling of mixtures containing light gases and alcohols with water and salts

The offshore exploitation of petroleum fluids in normal conditions of pressure and temperature of transport and in presence of salt water is concerned with the prevention of gas hydrate formation, generally thanks to continuous injection of inhibitors, or punctual injection of methanol in start-up and shut-down operations. Hence, models of interest should provide both, satisfactory phase equilibrium estimations of hydrocarbon and alcohol mixtures with water and reliable predictions of their behavior in presence of salts.In this work, the NRTL-PRA EoS is extended to the prediction of phase equilibria in mixtures containing strong electrolytes. The proposed model assumes that the a and b parameters of the cubic EoS only depend on the solvent mole fractions (salt-free), while the gEoSE excess Gibbs energy describes all the interactions between solvents and ions with only two contributions: the SMR term, specific of “Short and Middle Range” interactions between solvents and salts, and the LR relation proposed by Pitzer-Debye-Hückel, for the description of “Long Range” electrostatic interactions. The proposed electrolyte version of the NRTL-PRA model was successfully extended to the modeling of phase behavior of mixtures of light gases at high pressures (methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen sulfide) and alcohols (methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol) with water and salts (mainly, ternary mixtures containing sodium chloride). As far as possible, results were compared with those provided, for the same systems, by other literature models (cubic Eos, SAFT and CPA equations).

Overexpression of the Small Heat Shock Protein, PtsHSP19.3 from Marine Red Algae, Pyropia tenera (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) Enhances Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Chlamydomonas

Water temperature is one of the major factors that impacts the growth and life cycle of Pyropia tenera, one of the most valuable and cultivated marine red algae belonging to Bangiales (Rhodophytes). We analyzed transcriptome from gametophyte of P. tenera under normal and high temperature conditions, and identified four small heat shock proteins (sHSPs). They have no significant amino acid sequence homology with known proteins in public databases except PhsHSP22 from Pyropia haitanensis. PtsHSP19.3 gene responded to high temperature but slightly or not to desiccation, freezing or high salt condition. When the PtsHSP19.3 gene was overexpressed in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, transformed Chlamydomonas lines revealed much higher growth rate than that of control cells under heat stress condition. Transformed cells also grew well in those of the control cell onto the medium containing high salt or H 2 O 2 . When the PtsHSP19.3 was fused to GFP and introduced into tobacco protoplast, fluorescence was detected at several spots. Results indicate that PtsHSP19.3 may form super-molecular assembles and be involved in tolerance to heat stress.

002 Effects of cold temperature and fat supplementation on rumen microbial populations in Korean cattle

In lower critical temperature, cattle increase their metabolic rate to supply more body heat. This increases nutrient requirements, particularly energy, and may affect rumen fermentation characteristics and thus the rumen microbial ecosystem. This study was performed to examine whether cold temperature and fat supplementation affects rumen microbial populations in Korean cattle. Six Korean cattle steers (average 17 mo of age and 375 kg of BW) were divided into a conventional control diet group (n = 3) and a 1.75% fat supplementation group (n = 3). Steers were allowed to receive daily a concentrate (1.5% of BW) and 3 kg of tall fescue hay. Steers were raised in metabolic cages in a temperature-controlled room with 2 different temperature conditions. Animals were grown in natural cold condition for 12 d with 2 different diets, and they were then grown in neutral normal temperature for 12 d. There was a 10-d resting period between the 2 temperature conditions in a feedlot with the control diet. The minimum ambient temperature (−6.24°C) of the cold environment was lower (P < 0.01) than that (15.8°C) of the normal temperature condition. Rumen fluid samples were obtained via stomach tube on the last day of each of 2 experimental periods 3 h after the morning feeding. Rumen fluids were frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −70°C. Genomic DNA was extracted and used for 16S rRNA metagenomics sequencing by an Illumina HiSeq 2000 system. Raw sequencing data was processed by QIIME. Statistical analysis was conducted by 2-way (diet and temperature) ANOVA. Bacteroidetes was the most abundant phylum followed by Firmicutes in all rumen fluid samples. Relative abundances of the genera Propionibacterium and Anaeroplasma were higher (P < 0.05) in cold temperature than in normal temperature, whereas those of Desulfovibrio and Mogibacterium were lower (P < 0.05) in cold temperature. Relative abundance of the family R4-45B was higher (P < 0.05) in the fat diet group than in control diet group, whereas that of Pyramidobacter was lower (P < 0.05) in fat diet group. Real-time PCR was performed to validate the metagenomics data and to identify the changes of microbial population at species levels with 19 microbial primers. Succinimonas amylolytica was higher (P < 0.05) in cold temperature than in normal temperature. Ruminococcus albus was higher (P < 0.05) in the fat diet group than in the control diet group. In conclusion, metagenomics and real-time PCR results reveals that cold temperature and fat supplement affect microbial populations in the rumen of beef cattle.

Multi-physics modeling and simulation of heat and electrical yield generation in photovoltaics

Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert only a small part of solar energy into electricity. The rest of solar energy is dissipated into heat leading to an increase of PV cells temperature. It is well established that temperature increase negatively affects the electrical yield of the cells. As PV panels are constituted of several PV cells which are mounted in series or parallel, the PV panels’ efficiency is therefore damaged by the increase of temperature. To study the coupled electrical yield and thermal behavior of PV panels, multi-physics models were developed. The models generally combine an electrical model with a thermal one. However, the photons wavelength effects are not accounted for in most of the models proposed in the literature. To account for this, we propose to use the Markov chain process for building an optical model. Therefore, the proposed multi-physics approach was developed by coupling three models: optical, electrical and thermal models. This proposed multi-physics approach was numerically implemented in the MATLAB software. The model was next applied to commercial silicon PV panels to predict their electrical and thermal behavior under Normal Operating Conditions Temperature (NOCT) conditions. The predicted results are compared to the manufacturer data sheets to validate the model. Finally, The thermal and electrical behaviors were also predicted under different irradiance levels.

Investigation of ignition characteristics and performance of a neat n-butanol direct injection compression ignition engine at low load

Neat (100%) n-butanol was implemented in a direct injection (DI) compression ignition (CI) engine. The ignition, combustion, and emission characteristics at low engine load (below 6.5bar IMEP), including near idling, were investigated. The engine experiments were performed using a modern common rail type single cylinder DI CI engine with a compression ratio of 18.2:1. Chemical kinetic simulations were also conducted to analyze the ignition characteristics of the experiments. The research results showed that neat n-butanol could not be auto-ignited at normal intake temperature and pressure conditions due to its low reactivity. However, the use of a high intake pressure of 0.75bar gauge, and an injection timing of −26° ATDC at 5.0bar IMEP, enabled auto-ignition even without the use of intake heating. One possible reason for this was attributed to the enhancement of the low temperature reaction regime. The ignition timing advancement sensitivity to intake pressure was approximately 1.0°CA/0.1bar at 5.0bar IMEP, and a higher intake pressure allowed a wider injection timing range. A neat n-butanol fueled DI CI engine had a five times longer ignition delay and a 85% longer combustion duration than the same engine fueled with diesel at 2.0bar IMEP. However, the combustion duration tended to shorten rapidly with increasing engine load, which was the opposite tendency to diesel. At low load, the nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot emissions were very low compared to those of diesel, whereas the total hydrocarbons (THC), formaldehyde (HCHO), and carbon monoxide (CO) were higher than those of diesel. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emission was lower than that of diesel. This could be due to the reduced CO oxidation and the lower carbon content in n-butanol. Finally, by combining the previously published results with these results in this research, fuel injection strategies and intake oxygen conditions required to achieve low NOx (≤0.60g/kWh) and soot (≤0.02g/kWh) emissions and moderated maximum cylinder pressure rise rate (≤10bar/°CA) were summarized over a wide load range of 2.0–11.5bar IMEP.

Image-Guided Hydrogen Gas Delivery for Protection from Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury via Microbubbles.

Cardiomyocyte death induced by ischemia-reperfusion is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Hydrogen (H2), as an antioxidant, has been shown to have great potential in preventive and therapeutic applications against lethal injury that occurs from ischemia-reperfusion. However, H2 is sparingly soluble in water, resulting in its poor bioavailability in blood and damaged tissues. Here, we have developed an ultrasound-visible H2 delivery system by loading H2 inside microbubbles (H2-MBs) to prevent myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Using this system, the concentration of H2 in unit volume can be greatly improved under normal temperature and pressure conditions. H2-MBs can be visually tracked with ultrasound imaging systems and can effectively release their therapeutic gas. In vivo systemic delivery of H2-MBs in myocardial ischemic rats at the start of reperfusion resulted in a significant reduction of infarct size and pathological remodeling. Further analysis showed that this approach markedly inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis and reduced myocardial inflammation and oxidant damage in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion rats. These results indicate that H2-MBs are a promising visual delivery system for H2-based therapeutic applications.

Expanding the temperature range for generation of droplet clusters over the locally heated water surface

A wide range of possible temperatures of levitating water droplets is interesting for the upcoming laboratory studies of biochemical processes in the droplets. The previously obtained temperature of droplets levitating above the locally heated water of room temperature appeared to be too high for some important biochemical experiments. At the same time, it was not obvious that one can generate much colder droplets. Fortunately, this problem is solved experimentally in the present study with the use of a strong cooling water layer and ambient air. The modified experimental configuration which includes a separate volume of cold air just above the central part of water layer is designed to work at quite different temperature conditions. It is shown that even moderate local heating of water surface is the most important factor to produce sufficiently large self-assembled levitating clusters of water droplets which are similar to those observed at normal temperature conditions. The effect of ambient temperature on both the generation process and characteristics of droplet clusters is studied in the paper.

THz Imaging as a Method to Detect Defects of Aeronautical Coatings

Ice adhesion over critical aircraft surfaces is a serious potential hazard that runs the risk of causing accidents. To face this issue, the design and diagnostics of new multifunctional coatings with icephobic and aesthetical properties are demanded. In particular, diagnostic tools, capable of characterizing coating surface finishing and its defects, are needed. In this paper, terahertz (THz) imaging is considered as a high-resolution diagnostic tool useful for contactless surveys providing information on surface defects and material inner structure. Therefore, two composite specimens, one covered by a classical commercial livery coating and the other one by a new multifunctional coating with icephobic properties, are investigated by THz surveys carried out in normal environmental conditions of pressure and temperature. The results, obtained by processing the raw data properly, corroborate that THz imaging allows us to detect variations of the coating thickness, to localize hidden anomalies as well as to characterize surface defects at millimetric scale.

Transcriptomic Response of Chinese Yew (Taxus chinensis) to Cold Stress.

Taxus chinensis is a rare and endangered shrub, highly sensitive to temperature changes and widely known for its potential in cancer treatment. How gene expression of T. chinensis responds to low temperature is still unknown. To investigate cold response of the genus Taxus, we obtained the transcriptome profiles of T. chinensis grown under normal and low temperature (cold stress, 0°C) conditions using Illumina Miseq sequencing. A transcriptome including 83,963 transcripts and 62,654 genes were assembled from 4.16 Gb of reads data. Comparative transcriptomic analysis identified 2,025 differently expressed (DE) isoforms at p < 0.05, of which 1,437 were up-regulated by cold stress and 588 were down-regulated. Annotation of DE isoforms indicated that transcription factors (TFs) in the MAPK signaling pathway and TF families of NAC, WRKY, bZIP, MYB, and ERF were transcriptionally activated. This might have been caused by the accumulation of secondary messengers, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Ca2+. While accumulation of ROS will have caused damages to cells, our results indicated that to adapt to low temperatures T. chinensis employed a series of mechanisms to minimize these damages. The mechanisms included: (i) cold-enhanced expression of ROS deoxidant systems, such as peroxidase and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase, to remove ROS. This was further confirmed by analyses showing increased activity of POD, SOD, and CAT under cold stress. (ii) Activation of starch and sucrose metabolism, thiamine metabolism, and purine metabolism by cold-stress to produce metabolites which either protect cell organelles or lower the ROS content in cells. These processes are regulated by ROS signaling, as the “feedback” toward ROS accumulation.