PHYSICAL, chemical, and biological properties of activated sludge are influenced by changes in ionic strength and ionic composition of sludge. Many studies have investigated the effects of various cations on sludge characteristics [e.g. 1–6] and concluded that cations, particularly divalent cations, play a crucial role in the formation of flocs, influence floc properties such as size, density, ...

Background: Reported concentrations of amyloid(1– 42) (A 42) and tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) differ among reports. We investigated the effects of storage temperature, repeated freeze/thaw cycles, and centrifugation on the concentrations of A 42 and tau in CSF. Methods: Stability of samples stored at 80 °C was determined by use of an accelerated stability testing protocol according to the A...

This study was performed to explore the deterioration of physicochemical quality of beef hind limb during frozen storage at -20℃, affected by repeated freeze-thaw cycles. The effects of three successive freeze-thaw cycles on beef hind limb were investigated comparing with unfrozen beef muscle for 80 d by keeping at -20±1℃. The freeze-thaw cycles were subjected to three thawing methods and carri...

Stems or roots + stems of potted, 2-year-old paper birch (Betula papyrifera L.) were subjected to simulated winter thaws of various durations in climate-controlled chambers. The simulated thaws induced dieback of shoots of the treated plants. Although the stem thaw treatment did not significantly increase dieback, there were significant (P < 0.05) correlations between growing degree days above ...

This paper provides experimental results to investigate the mechanical properties of sustainable strain-hardening cement composite (2SHCC) for infrastructures after freeze-thaw actions. To improve the sustainability of SHCC materials in this study, high energy-consumptive components-silica sand, cement, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers-in the conventional SHCC materials are partially replaced...

*The 'thaw-expansion hypothesis' postulates that xylem embolism is caused by the formation of gas bubbles on freezing and their expansion on thawing. We evaluated the hypothesis using centrifuge experiments and ultrasonic emission monitoring in Pinus contorta. *Stem samples were exposed to freeze-thaw cycles at varying xylem pressure (P) in a centrifuge before the percentage loss of hydraulic c...

Previous study demonstrated that the low survival of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) under conventional slow-cooling cryopreservation protocols is predominantly due to apoptosis rather than cellular necrosis. Hence, this study investigated whether a synthetic broad-spectrum irreversible inhibitor of caspase enzymes, Z-VAD-FMK can be used to enhance the post-thaw survival rate of hESC. About 1...

We evaluated net photosynthesis, respiration, leaf conductance, xylem pressure potential (XPP) and cold hardiness in red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) seedlings exposed to either a continuous thaw (CT) or a daytime thaw with freezing nights (FN) for 8 days during mid-winter. Physiological differences between CT and FN seedlings were evident for all measured parameters. However, the temporal expre...

Semen cryopreservation and artificial insemination (AI) are potentially valuable methods for supporting the breeding management of endangered species like the Asian elephant. Cryopreservation of Asian elephant semen has however proven problematic with respect to maintenance of both adequate semen quality and fertility post-thaw. In this study, nine ejaculates from three adult bulls were used to...

Histology and transmission electron microscopy studies were carried out on buffalo muscles that were subjected to repeated freeze-thaw cycles at -10 and -18°C. In the first freeze thaw cycle (-10°C) structures of muscle showed slight change and closely resembled to those of normal muscle. There were frequent gaps in the half way across the fibres and some cracks in individual fibre were also no...