Fish skin collagen peptides (FSCP) are mainly extracted from fish processing residues and exhibit outstanding biological activity and excellent functional properties. This study conducted a systematic evaluation of the effects of FSCP incorporation (0-2.0%, w/w) on the multiscale structural characteristics and functional performance of gluten proteins during freezing. Results demonstrated that FSCP exhibited pronounced ice recrystallization inhibition activity, effectively suppressing water migration, reducing the content of freezable water, and preserving the structural integrity of gluten proteins during freezing. On day 28 of freezing, 1.5% FSCP significantly increased the proportion of bound water than the control. Specifically, disulfide bond content increased by 69.69%, whereas intrinsic fluorescence intensity and median particle size decreased by 17.71% and 36.40%, respectively. Analysis of noncovalent interactions revealed that ionic and hydrogen bonds increased by 121.07% and 34.32%, respectively, whereas hydrophobic interactions decreased by 34.73%. FSCP addition enhanced water-holding capacity by 37.54% but reduced oil-holding capacity by 25.50%. Meanwhile, the emulsifying properties have also been enhanced. Rheological measurement further indicates storage and loss modulus increased significantly, while creep strain decreased slightly, reflecting improved viscoelastic behavior. Microstructural analysis further confirmed that FSCP contributed to a more densely packed and continuous gluten protein matrix. These effects are likely attributable to FSCP limiting water mobility through hydrogen bonding, thereby inhibiting ice crystal formation and recrystallization during freezing. Overall, as a novel and highly effective cryoprotectant, FSCP can stabilize protein network structures and enhance their functional properties, demonstrating significant application potential and offering a promising strategy for mitigating freeze-induced deterioration in frozen flour-based foods.

Ceftazidime is an effective antipseudomonal antibiotic, used commonly in cystic fibrosis. Continuous 24-hour intravenous infusion allows children to receive daily treatment at home. However, the instability of 24-h ceftazidime infusions and production of toxic pyridine has led to recommendations not to use them. We aimed to determine a suitable target temperature to limit degradation of ceftazidime in 24-h infusions and assess effectiveness of simple temperature control. For in vitro experiments, infusers with 6g ceftazidime in 0.9% saline were incubated at 4ºC, 25ºC and 33ºC and sampled over 24h to measure ceftazidime and pyridine concentrations using high-performance liquid chromatography. For carried infuser experiments, to simulate 24-h home infusions, children carried two insulated carry bags containing ceftazidime 2g, 6g or 12g infusers with zero, 1 or 2 ice-packs for 24h. Samples were analysed for ceftazidime and pyridine concentrations. Results for in vitro experiments showed that after 24h, ceftazidime remained stable (>90% original concentration) at 4ºC and 25ºC but not 33ºC (decreased to 84%). Pyridine increased over 24h at 4ºC, 25ºC and 33ºC by 50%, 550% and 1,040% respectively. For carried infuser experiments, at a controlled temperature of 17-25ºC, ceftazidime concentration remained >90% for all infusers except 12g with no ice-pack. Pyridine production in infusers with one or two ice-packs were reduced by 44-57% compared to no ice-pack. In conclusion, adding an ice-pack to a ceftazidime infuser in an insulated carry bag halves the pyridine produced. This indicates that a temperature-controlled daily 24-h continuous intravenous infusion of ceftazidime can replace the recommended twice daily 12-h infusions, allowing patients to receive ceftazidime treatment at home.

The mean pairwise velocity of massive halos reflects the gravitational force law on cosmic scales. We combine cosmic microwave background intensity maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and a galaxy catalog from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to estimate the mean pairwise velocity using the kinematic Sunyaev-Zeldovich (kSZ) effect. On scales from 30 to 230 megaparsecs, we constrain the gravitational acceleration between pairs of halos at separation r to be g∝1/r^{n} with n=2.1±0.3, which is consistent with Newtonian gravity in an expanding spacetime (i.e., the standard ΛCDM model). This constraint shows agreement with an inverse quadratic radial dependence over the large distances separating galaxy halos, as expected in standard cosmology. Upcoming surveys have the potential to rule out n=1 at 10σ significance. Our results establish the kSZ effect as a powerful tool for testing gravity on cosmological scales.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening condition defined as core body temperature > 40 °C plus end organ damage, most notably CNS dysfunction. Standard of care has long included the use of evaporative and convective cooling techniques; however, Cold Water Immersion (CWI) has emerged as a potential new standard of care. Thermal Emergency Management Patient (TEMP) bags (ie. body bags) allow for cooling rates that meet or exceed ideal rates of 0.2 °C/min. We investigated several commercially available bags to assess which characteristics would make up the ideal TEMP bag for CWI cooling. We conducted an observational study to test the characteristics of different bags that optimize cooling for CWI by obtaining seven commercially available body bags. Each bag was put through the same real-life simulation of patient cooling, both on the ground and with movement to patient stretcher utilizing 38 L of ice water. We evaluated water depth and residual volume, as well as the integrity and strength of each bag. On average, bags lost 14.49 L of water during testing, with a median amount of water loss of 10.7 L Bags with center zippers and those with handles lost the least amount of water. Five out of the seven bags experienced some sort of structural failure. The characteristics found to be most beneficial include thicker bag material, double sewn or fused seams, and center zippers. Further research into which characteristics or specific bag would be optimal for CWI needs to be conducted to ensure patient safety and efficacy of treatment.

Feeding behavior in cattle affects feed efficiency, which is important for increasing the profitability of production while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact. Over a six-year period, indigenous beef cows (Afrikaner, Bonsmara, Nguni) were crossed with indigenous and exotic (Angus, Simmental) sires in a hot and arid area, to produce 15 breed groups. After weaning, the bull calves were fed in a feedlot setting wherein daily feed intake and partial body weight were measured. The serial correlations of daily feed intake and partial body weight on consecutive days were estimated for each animal. Analyses of variance for the z-transformed serial correlations of daily feed intake and partial body weight were conducted. The linear model included the fixed effect of test group comprising pen and date at the beginning of the test and a fixed breed group effect. The average serial correlation of daily feed intake (r = 0.10) was interpreted to suggest that a test period of 36 days was sufficient to achieve 80% average accuracy for the animals being tested. The average serial correlation of partial body weight was very high (r = 0.94). Thus, there seems little need to average values over days to achieve an accurate estimate of the weight of an animal at any specific point in time. Variation among animals in the serial correlation of daily feed intake indicates differences in feeding behavior over time, but this variability was not related to breed composition. The results indicate that a test period of 36 days is sufficient to achieve 80% accuracy of the mean for daily feed intake of the animals being tested.

Mosquito control programs deploy mosquito traps for surveillance and targeting of vector mosquitoes. The primary attractant in these traps is generally carbon dioxide (CO2), which acts as a powerful long-distance lure. Historically, dry ice and compressed gas have been accessible as lures, but they may exhibit logistical hardships (storage, safety, equipment, calibration, consistency, etc.). Additionally, the aforementioned standards can be inaccessible in remote or low-resource environments. Microbial lures have often been proposed to bridge this gap, but prior options, such as yeast, have proven inferior compared to traditional CO2 lures. However, a mycelium-based CO2 generator, the Exhale CO2 Bag, is now commercially available. Initial studies suggested this product may be suitable for mosquito surveillance. To validate this, semi-field cage assays were conducted in Florida by releasing several species of vector mosquito into enclosures to be recollected by either Biogents or United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-style traps paired with the Exhale, gas cylinders, dry ice, or unbaited. Dry ice and compressed gas performed equivalently, with Exhale collecting 25% to 50% fewer mosquitoes, and unbaited traps collected 10% to 30% fewer than Exhale. Additionally, field testing in Utah, with traps deployed across rural wetlands, industrial transition areas, and urban metropolitan areas, all yielded the same result: the Exhale mycelium and unbaited traps collected an average of 35 or fewer mosquitoes, as compared to regulated gas CO2 traps collecting 1,000 to 3,000 mosquitoes in the same areas. Though some merits exist for a mycelium-based trap, the current data and recent literature fail to support this technology for host-seeking traps in existing mosquito surveillance programs.