Recent progress in the characterization of two groups of genes responsible for natural differences in frost tolerance inwheat and barley is reviewed here. The first group includes the vernalization genes that delay flowering until the end of the winter and protect sensitive floral primordia. This process is regulated mainly by differences in the regulatory regions of VRN1 and VRN3 genes or in t...

The fold recognition methods are promissing tools for capturing the structure of a protein by its amino acid residues sequence but their use is still restricted by the needs of huge computational resources and suitable efficient algorithms as well. In the recent version of FROST (Fold Recognition Oriented Search Tool) package the most efficient algorithm for solving the Protein Threading Proble...

We develop a mathematical model of frost heave in colloidal soils. The theory accounts for heave and consolidation, while not requiring a frozen fringe assumption. Two solidification regimes occur: a compaction regime in which the soil consolidates to accommodate the ice lenses, and a heave regime during which liquid is sucked into the consolidated soil from an external reservoir, and the added...

Formerly extensive on the Volcanic Plateau, frost flat heathland dominated by monoao (Dracophyllum subulatum ) is now reduced to fragments. It is threatened by mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) at the only major site where it is likely to survive indefinitely (Rangitaiki Conservation Area). In the past, fire has perpetuated monoao on frost flats, but in future it may accelerate the sprea...

The accretion of ice and frost on various infrastructure is ubiquitous in cold and humid environments, causing economic losses amounting to billions of dollars every year worldwide. The past couple of decades have seen unprecedented advances in the fields of surface chemistry and micro/nanofabrication, enabling the development of hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces that promote facile dei...

The NOAA frost point hygrometer (FPH) is a balloon-borne instrument flown monthly at three sites to measure water vapor profiles up to 28 km. The FPH record from Boulder, Colorado, is the longest continuous stratospheric water vapor record. The instrument has an uncertainty in the stratosphere that is < 6 % and up to 12 % in the troposphere. A digital microcontroller version of the instrument i...

Trees are sensitive to extreme weather and environmental conditions. This sensitivity is visible in tree-ring widths and cell structure. In our study, we hypothesized that the sudden frost noted at the beginning of May in both 2007 and 2011 affected cambial activity and, consequently, the number and size of vessels in the tree rings. It was decided to test this hypothesis after damage to leaves...