Heat shock induces in cells the synthesis of specific proteins called heat shock proteins (HSPs) and a transient state of thermotolerance. The putative role of one of the HSPs, HSP27, as a protective molecule during thermal stress has been directly assessed by measuring the resistance to hyperthermia of Chinese hamster and mouse cells transfected with the human HSP27 gene contained in plasmid pHS2711. One- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of [3H]leucine- and [32P]orthophosphate-labeled proteins, coupled with immunological analysis using Ha27Ab and Hu27Ab, two rabbit antisera that specifically recognize the hamster and the human HSP27 protein respectively, were used to monitor expression and inducibility of the transfected and endogenous proteins. The human HSP27 gene cloned in pHS2711 is constitutively expressed in rodent cells, resulting in accumulation of the human HSP27 and all phosphorylated derivatives. No modification of the basal or heat-induced expression of endogenous HSPs is detected. The presence of additional HSP27 protein provides immediate protection against heat shock administered 48 h after transfection and confers a permanent thermoresistant phenotype to stable transfectant Chinese hamster and mouse cell lines. Mild heat treatment of the transfected cells results in an induction of the full complement of the endogenous heat shock proteins and a small increase in thermoresistance, but the level attained did not surpass that of heat-induced thermotolerant control cells. These results indicate that elevated levels of HSP27 is sufficient to give protection from thermal killing. It is concluded that HSP27 plays a major role in the increased thermal resistance acquired by cells after exposure to HSP inducers.
Mumtaz Manzoor, Ali B. M. Ali, Ramesh Sharma
et al.
Abstract This study presents a comprehensive first-principles investigation of the structural, mechanical, electronic, optical, thermoelectric, and thermodynamic properties of half-Heusler PtTiZ (Z = Ge, Pb) compounds using the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) method combined with semiclassical Boltzmann transport theory. Exchange–correlation effects were treated within the LDA, PBE-GGA, and Tran–Blaha modified Becke–Johnson (TB-mBJ) schemes to achieve accurate electronic descriptions. Both alloys crystallize in a stable cubic F-43 m structure and exhibit indirect semiconducting behavior with band gaps of 0.66 eV (PtTiGe) and 0.387 eV (PtTiPb). The density-of-states analysis indicates that the valence region is dominated by Ti-3d and Z-p hybridized states, confirming strong p–d interactions. Mechanical stability criteria and positive elastic constants verify that both compounds are mechanically robust, with PtTiGe being stiffer and harder than PtTiPb. Optical results reveal pronounced absorption and high optical conductivity in the ultraviolet region, suggesting potential for optoelectronic applications. Thermoelectric analysis demonstrates p-type character with Seebeck coefficients of 229.21 µV K⁻¹ (PtTiGe) and 236.21 µV K⁻¹ (PtTiPb) at 300 K, and 235.05 µV K⁻¹ and 237.31 µV K⁻¹ at 1200 K, respectively. The corresponding lattice thermal conductivities decrease to 0.45 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹ and 0.32 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, yielding maximum dimensionless figures of merit (ZT) of 0.68 and 0.70 at 1200 K. Thermodynamic results confirm that the Debye temperature increases with pressure while heat capacity decreases, ensuring stability at elevated conditions. Overall, the synergistic combination of electronic tunability, optical responsiveness, and favorable thermoelectric performance highlights PtTiZ (Z = Ge, Pb) as promising candidates for high-temperature thermoelectric and ultraviolet-optoelectronic applications.
Navneet Thakur, Vidhi Raturi, Aparna Sreeprakash
et al.
Abstract Background Temperature fluctuations beyond optimal limits such as heat or cold severely impair plant growth and productivity. Biostimulants are emerging as sustainable tools to enhance plant resilience under stress. Methyl salicylate (MeSA), a known defense modulator, holds promise as a biostimulant; however, its volatility and poor aqueous solubility limit its applications. To overcome these drawbacks, we have developed methyl-β-cyclodextrin (M-β-CD) based inclusion complex (IC) of MeSA. This study evaluated MeSA/M-β-CD-IC for improving temperature tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana, offering a novel and environmentally compatible strategy for stress mitigation. Results Phase solubility analysis revealed that modified β-cyclodextrin (M-β-CD) enhanced MeSA solubility 4.41-fold, with a 1:1 inclusion stoichiometry. Spectroscopic, morphological and thermal analysis (FTIR, NMR, SEM and TGA) confirmed successful complexation and improved thermal stability. The in vitro release profile of MeSA/M-β-CD-IC indicated ~ 91% cumulative MeSA release at 120 min, validating enhanced aqueous release. Biologically, MeSA inhibited seed germination at ≥ 2.5 mM, whereas M-β-CD promoted germination at low concentrations. Notably, the MeSA/M-β-CD-IC alleviated MeSA-induced inhibition, enabling successful germination across all concentrations. Under cold and heat stress, plants treated with M-β-CD showed robust growth and biomass, while the MeSA/M-β-CD-IC treatment achieved intermediate yet significant protection compared with MeSA alone. Photosynthetic efficiency (Φmax, Fv/Fm, NPQ) and pigment contents were improved in IC-treated plants, reflecting enhanced photoprotection. Cold stress induced higher oxidative damage than heat, but MeSA/M-β-CD-IC markedly reduced reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde accumulation. Molecularly, MeSA/M-β-CD-IC pre-priming enhanced the expression of cold-responsive (CBF, COR) and heat-responsive (HSFA, HSP) genes, along with major antioxidant genes (APX, CAT, GR, POD, SOD), indicating coordinated activation of stress signaling and tolerance pathways. Conclusions Encapsulation of MeSA within M-β-CD substantially improves its aqueous solubility and biological efficacy. The inclusion complex strengthens Arabidopsis tolerance to cold and heat through activation of antioxidant and thermoprotective mechanisms. This work highlights cyclodextrin-based encapsulation as a sustainable, scalable approach for delivering volatile biostimulants to enhance crop resilience under climate stress. Graphical abstract
Municipal solid waste poses significant environmental challenges due to its wide range and po-tential contaminating impact. Finding sustainable solutions for its disposal is imperative. Moreover, certain types of municipal solMunicipal solid waste poses significant environmental challenges due to its wide range and potential contaminating impact. Finding sustainable solutions for its disposal is imperative. Moreover, certain types of municipal solid waste can serve as valuable resources in the construction sector. This study introduces a novel non-firing binder, devoid of cement, crafted from cullet, caustic alkali, water, and a plasticizing additive. These constituents undergo collaborative wet grinding in a ball mill, achieving a specific surface area of 500–550 m2/kg. Concurrently during milling, glass particles are ground, and amorphous silica is leached with an alkaline solution, yielding a viscous-fluid adhesive mass enriched with siliceous compounds. This mass fills metal mold cells; upon attaining stripping strength, samples undergo heat treatment (drying) up to 90ºC. During this process, sols transform into polysilicic acid gels, which, after 5–6 hours, partially crystallize, achieving requisite strength. The resulting binder, produced without firing, boasts a compressive strength of approximately 25 MPa and a water resistance coefficient of 0.89. Suitable for low-grade concrete production (including glass concrete, fine-grained concrete, and foam concrete), its microstructure was analyzed via scanning electron microscopy, affirming the effective utilization of cullet in construction materials.id waste can serve as valuable resources in the con-struction sector. This study introduces a novel non-firing binder, devoid of cement, crafted from cullet, caustic alkali, water, and a plasticizing additive. These constituents undergo col-laborative wet grinding in a ball mill, achieving a specific surface area of 500–550 m2/kg. Concurrently during milling, glass particles are ground, and amorphous silica is leached with an alkaline solution, yielding a viscous-fluid adhesive mass enriched with siliceous compounds. This mass fills metal mold cells; upon attaining stripping strength, samples undergo heat treatment (drying) up to 90ºC. During this process, sols transform into polysilicic acid gels, which, after 5–6 hours, partially crystallize, achieving requisite strength. The resulting binder, produced without firing, boasts a compressive strength of approximately 25 MPa and a water resistance coefficient of 0.89. Suitable for low-grade concrete production (including glass con-crete, fine-grained concrete, and foam concrete), its microstructure was analyzed via scanning electron microscopy, affirming the effective utilization of cullet in construction materials.
Therapeutic tools in the biomedical field are increasingly utilizing nanoparticles (NPs) with a small size and large surface area. Chitosan (CS), a biotic polymeric carbohydrate found in shellfish, is a promising carrier for these diagnostic systems due to its biocompatibility, low toxic effects, and diverse shapes. CS-NPs are therapeutic transporters with properties such as bionomical, pH, and heat sensitivity, increased homogeneity, and potential to pass through the brain. These nanomaterials can detect and cure pathological conditions using curative instruments. CS-NPs slow down the movement and growth of anti-inflammatory colonies while encouraging the growth of cells causing inflammation. They could provide active substances for treating various medical conditions, such as auto-immune deformities, hyperglycemia, hypersensitivity, and cancer. Scientific resources are dedicated to improving the efficacy of CS-NP active agent compositions. Recent discoveries highlight the medicinal implications of CS-NPs preparations for drug delivery in managing severe inflammatory aberrations.
Passive radiative cooling has emerged as a sustainable energy-saving solution, characterized by its energy-free operation and absence of carbon emissions. Conventional radiative coolers are designed with a skyward orientation, allowing for efficient heat dissipation to the cold heat sink. However, this design feature presents challenges when installed on vertical surfaces, as nearby objects obstruct heat release by blocking the cooler’s skyward view. Here, we introduce a directional radiative cooling glass (DRCG) designed to facilitate efficient heat dissipation through angular selective emission. The DRCG is constructed as a multilayer structure incorporating epsilon-near-zero materials, specifically Si3N4 and Al2O3, layered on an indium-tin-oxide thermal reflector. This innovative design restricts thermal emission to specific angular ranges, known as the Berreman mode. Additionally, the transparent layers enable a visible transmittance exceeding 84 %. Theoretical simulations validate the enhanced cooling performance of the DRCG, exhibiting a temperature reduction of over 1.5 °C compared with conventional glass in hot urban environments characterized by a nearby object temperature exceeding 60 °C and a sky view factor of 0.25. Furthermore, outdoor experiments demonstrate that employing the DRCG as a window enhances space-cooling performance by ∼1.5 °C. These findings underscore the potential of transparent energy-saving windows in mitigating the urban heat island effect.
S.J.R. Woodward, J.P. Edwards, K.J. Verhoek
et al.
Heat stress events in dairy cows are associated with behavioral and physiological changes such as seeking shade, increased respiration rate and body temperature, reduced milk production, and psychological distress. Knowledge of the relationship between weather and animal responses to heat stress enables automated alerts using forecast weather, aiding early provision of shade or other mitigation practices. While numerous heat stress indices for cattle have been developed, these have limitations for cows exposed to wind and solar radiation (i.e., predominantly grazing outdoors or managed on pasture). To develop a predictive model for heat stress events in pasture-based dairy systems, rumen temperature data from smaXtec (smaXtec animal care GmbH, Graz, Austria) rumen boluses in 443 cows on 3 dairy farms in Northland, New Zealand, were used to identify heat stress events and these were matched with automated weather station data collected on or near the farm. Heat stress rate (HSR) was defined as the percentage of cows within an age-breed group having a rumen temperature greater than 3 standard deviations above an individual cow's mean and heat stress events were defined as HSR >25%. Single and multiple linear regression models, including published heat stress indices, were generally able to predict a high proportion of heat stress events (sensitivity 34%–68%), but were insufficiently discriminating, predicting also a high number of false positives (precision only 9%–27%). A machine learning algorithm, cubist, was the best performing model, predicting 79% of heat stress events with a precision of 52% for this dataset. Our proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential of this approach, using climate data to predict and forecast heat stress events in pasture-based dairy systems. Further work should test the cubist model using independent data, refine dataset construction, investigate the value of including known animal variables such as cow age or breed, and incorporate other measures of heat stress such as respiration rate.
We propose to use a quantum spin chain as a device to store and release energy coherently and we investigate the interplay between its internal correlations and outside decoherence. We employ the quantum Ising chain in a transverse field and our charging protocol consists of a sudden global quantum quench in the external field to take the system out of equilibrium. Interactions with the environment and decoherence phenomena can dissipate part of the work that the chain can supply after being charged, measured by the ergotropy. We find that overall, the system shows remarkably better performance, in terms of resilience, charging time, and energy storage, when topological frustration is introduced by setting antiferromagnetic interactions with an odd number of sites and periodic boundary conditions. Moreover, we show that in a simple discharging protocol to an external spin, only the frustrated chain can transfer work and not just heat.
The implementation of the upgrading of the national coal electric power unit has provided a clear proposal to promote the clean and low-carbon transformation of the power industry. With the power of large-scale intermittent renewable energy and power generation, the electric crew should be flexible enough to adjust resources to achieve a depth of 35% THA. This article aims to propose a heat extracting and heat storage system for fire power plants, to realize the coordinated control strategy of the deep peak, and to explore the coordinated control strategy of the steam–molten salt heat exchanger, molten salt and water exchanger, and the turbine’s main control. The simulation results reveal that the coordinated control of the steam–molten salt heat exchanger, molten salt and water heat exchanger, and steam turbine control could reduce the depth of the fire power unit by 10% THA. The output power response speed of the thermal power unit is enhanced by utilizing the heat turbine, which could effectively enhance the output power response speed of the thermal power unit and increase the output power response speed pertinent to 302.55 s by 75.60%.
Eduardo Baena, Sergio Fortes, Francisco Muro
et al.
The management of cellular networks, particularly within the environment rapidly advancing to 6G, presents considerable challenges due to the highly dynamic radio environment. Traditional tools such as Radio Environment Maps (REMs) have proven inadequate for real-time network changes, underlining the need for more sophisticated solutions. In response to these challenges, this work introduces a novel approach that harnesses the unprecedented power of state-of-the-art image classifiers for network management. This method involves the generation of Network Synthetic Images (NSIs), which are enriched heat maps that precisely reflect varying cellular network operating states. Created from user location traces linked with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), NSIs are strategically designed to meet the intricate demands of 6G networks. This research delves deep into a comprehensive analysis of the diverse factors that could potentially impact the successful application of this methodology in the realm of 6G. The results from this investigation, coupled with a comparative assessment against traditional REM usage, emphasize the superior performance of this innovative method. Additionally, a case study involving an automatic network diagnosis scenario validates the effectiveness of this approach. The findings reveal that a generic Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), one of the most powerful tools in the arsenal of modern image classifiers, delivers enhanced performance, even with a reduced demand for positioning accuracy. This contributes significantly to the real-time, robust management of cellular networks as we transition into the era of 6G.
Hybrid nanofluids provide better thermal network, mechanical resistance, good aspect ratio and thermal conductivity rather than usual/mono nanofluids. The hybrid nano-composition of multi-wall carbon nanotubes and nickel zinc ferrites possesses superior thermal properties and embellished heat transfer characteristics. The main concern, in this paper, is to examine the novel thermal aspects of water based pure nanofluid (MWCNTs) and hybrid nanofluid (MWCNTs-NiZnFe2O4). The prominent effects of viscous dissipation, motile gyrotactic microorganisms and activation energy have also been taken into account. The other aspect of the study is also to interpret the flow features of hybrid nanofluids subject to Darcy-Forchheimer medium. The characteristics of both hybrid and usual case of nanofluids are covered in this analysis. The governing model problem comprising of coupled and highly non-linear system of equations is treated numerically via a persuasive numerical technique named “Successive over Relaxation” method. A numerical comparison not only validates the code but also found to be in a good correlation with the earlier ones. It can be deduced from the outcomes of the present study that higher levels of Peclet number cause a decrease in the density distribution of motile microorganisms. For the higher values of Forchheimer parameter, lower will be the velocity of fluid and higher will be the shear stress in either, pure or hybrid, case of nanofluids.