Cryopreservation-induced delayed injury and cell-type-specific responses during the cryopreservation of endothelial cell monolayers.

The cryopreservation of endothelial cell monolayers is an important step that bridges the cryopreservation of cells in suspension to that of tissues. Previous studies have identified clear distinctions in freezing mechanisms between cells in suspension and in monolayers, as well as developed novel protocols for monolayer cryopreservation. Recently, our group has shown that human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) and porcine corneal endothelial cell (PCEC) monolayers grown on Rinzl plastic substrate can be cryopreserved in 5% dimethyl sulfoxide, 6% hydroxyethyl starch, and 2% chondroitin sulfate, following a slow-cooling protocol (-1 °C/min) with rapid plunge into liquid nitrogen from -40 °C.

Hysteresis resulting in forestry heat storage underestimation: A case study of plantation forestry in northern China.

Heat storage (Q) is an important component of the near-surface energy balance, and has been increasingly considered in recent energy balance studies. Studies have revealed that the hysteresis of heat storage was always been ignored, which leaded to the underestimation of heat storage proportion in energy balance. So, for further understanding the role of hysteresis effect in forestry heat storage, an observation experiment of heat storage in forestry of Pinus sylvestris var.

Application of Boundary Layer Displacement Thickness in Wind Erosion Protection Evaluation: Case Study of a Sand Barrier.

Since the establishment of blown sand physics, surface roughness has been widely used in current research to indicate the ability of a surface to resist wind erosion and to evaluate the windproof effect of protective measures. However, since the calculation of surface roughness can result in different values and its applicability is poor, there are disadvantages to its use. Therefore, it is proposed that the boundary layer displacement thickness should be used rather than roughness as an indicator to solve such problems.

Attention, novelty preference and the visual paired comparison task.

The innate ability of humans to identify, process and ascribe greater attentional resources (attention bias) to novel stimuli is essential for exploring new opportunities and consequently adapt to changing environments. One of the most common tests to assess attention bias to novel stimuli (Novelty Preference - NP) is the visual paired comparison task (VPC). In the VPC task subjects are presented with novel and previously seen images (repeated images) and NP is measured by parameters that describe visual scanning patterns on these images.

Effect of Straw Checkerboards on Wind Proofing, Sand Fixation, and Ecological Restoration in Shifting Sandy Land.

Due to their simple layout and adaptability to various environments, straw checkerboards are widely used to control windblown sand in China. To fully understand the wind proofing and sand-fixing benefits of different board specifications, and to determine the restorative effects of straw checkerboard, we tested different sizes of checkerboard, determined their performance as a windbreak and in trapping shifting sand, and constructed models based on wind tunnel tests, enabling the wind speed flow field to be analysed. We also sampled the soil in areas where straw checkerboards had been established for several years and analysed the trends in soil physical and chemical properties over time.

How the Plant Temperature Links to the Air Temperature in the Desert Plant Artemisia ordosica.

Plant temperature (Tp) is an important indicator of plant health. To determine the dynamics of plant temperature and self-cooling ability of the plant, we measured Tp in Artemisia ordosica in July, in the Mu Us Desert of Northwest China. Related factors were also monitored to investigate their effects on Tp, including environmental factors, such as air temperature (Ta), relative humidity, wind speed; and physiological factors, such as leaf water potential, sap flow, and water content.