Germinating conidiospores of Neurospora crassa that were exposed to 45 degrees C, a temperature that induces a heat shock response, were protected from injury caused by freezing in liquid nitrogen and subsequent thawing at 0 degrees C. Whereas up to 90% of the control spores were killed by this freezing and slow thawing, a prior heat shock increased cell survival four- to fivefold. Survival was...

OBJECTIVES To document and characterize freezing temperatures in the Indonesian vaccine cold chain and to evaluate the feasibility of changes designed to reduce the occurrence of freezing. METHODS Data loggers were used to measure temperatures of shipments of hepatitis B vaccine from manufacturer to point of use. Baseline conditions and three intervention phases were monitored. During each of...

Upon increasing levels of threat, animals activate qualitatively different defensive modes, including freezing and active fight-or-flight reactions. Whereas freezing is a form of behavioural inhibition accompanied by parasympathetically dominated heart rate deceleration, fight-or-flight reactions are associated with sympathetically driven heart rate acceleration. Despite the potential relevance...

Freezing sensitivity of leaves and xylem was examined in four co-occurring Mediterranean oaks (Quercus spp.) grown in a common garden to determine whether freezing responses of leaves and xylem were coordinated and could be predicted by leaf lifespan. Freezing-induced embolism and loss of photosynthetic function were measured after overnight exposure to a range of subzero temperatures in both s...

Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, is one of the most important tools in plant breeding and has previously been demonstrated for plant freezing tolerance. Freezing tolerance is an important trait because it can limit the geographical distribution of plants and their agricultural yield. Plants from temperate climates increase in freezing tolerance during exposure to low, non-freezing temperatures in a ...

Brine freezing was applied to two small pelagic underutilised fish species (mackerel, Scomber scombrus; horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus). Rancidity development was studied during their frozen (-18oC) storage up to 9 months and quality change results were compared to common freezing conditions (control treatment). Fish samples treated under brine freezing conditions showed a higher lipid oxid...

A shift in chaparral species composition occurs from coastal to inland sites of the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California. Past studies have attributed this pattern to differential adaptations of chaparral species to gradients in moisture and solar radiation. We examined an alternate hypothesis, that shifts in species composition from coastal to inland sites is a result of differential ...

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. em. Thell.) is sown in the autumn and harvested the following summer, and therefore must survive subfreezing temperatures for several months. Because of autumn rains and winter snows, the plants usually are subjected to these subfreezing temperatures while growing in saturated soil. As the plants freeze, they are subjected to freezing episodes that may vary in...

OBJECTIVES In some individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), freezing of gait episodes develops as the disease progresses. The neural mechanism underlying freezing in PD is poorly understood. Here, we report a 2-year follow-up on the novel discovery of prolonged step initiation duration as a potential marker of impending freezing. METHODS Non-freezing PD participants in stages 2.5...

Changes in freezing injury percentage, lipid peroxidation (malonaldehyde formation), antioxidant enzymes activity and proline content were monitored in the leaves of olive cvs. ‘Fishomi’ and ‘Roughani’ under diff erent freezing temperatures (-5, -10, -15 and -20°C for 10 h). Th e results showed that freezing injury (determined by electrolyte leakage analysis) and malonaldehyde (MDA) content of ...