The ambient temperature and relative humidity affect the metabolic and physiological responses of bees, thus affecting their life activities. However, the physiological changes in bee due to high temperature and high humidity remain poorly understood. In this study, we explored the effects of higher temperature and humidity on the epiphysiology of bees by evaluating the survival, tolerance and body water loss in two bee species (
Apis cerana
and
Apis mellifera
). We also evaluated the changes in the activity of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes in their body. We observed that under higher temperature and humidity conditions, the survival rate of
A
.
mellifera
was higher than that of
A
.
cerana
. On the other hand, a comparison of water loss between the two species revealed that
A
.
mellifera
lost more water. However, under extremely high temperature conditions,
A
.
cerana
was more tolerant than
A
.
mellifera
. Moreover, under higher temperature and humidity conditions, the activity of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes in bees was significantly increased. Overall, these results suggest that high temperatures can adversely affect bees. They not only affect the survival and water loss, but also stimulate oxidative stress in bees. However, unlike our previous understanding, high humidity can also adversely affect bees, although its effects are lower than that of temperature.
The excessive accumulation of ice seriously threatens various industrial facilities and production activities. Currently, slippery liquid-injected porous surfaces (SLIPS) have been developed as a new strategy for anti/de-icing; however, the lack of research on the adsorption and storage capacity for lubricating fluids has limited the development of SLIPS in the anti/de-icing field to some extent. In this work, a slippery liquid-infused phosphate network-like surface (SLIPNS) is prepared that adjusts the texture of the surface by varying the phosphating time to control the adsorption and storage of lubricating fluids. The as-obtained surface structure gives the SLIPNS excellent oil-storage/locked properties, can delay the freezing time of sessile droplets up to 436 s, which is almost 10 times that of an untreated aluminum sheet, and exhibits one-tenth the ice adhesion strength of untreated aluminum substrates (14.39 kPa). In addition, the SLIPNS shows effective durability and antifouling ability and has great potential in solving long-term anti/de-icing problems.
It is urgent and significant for the further development of superhydrophobic materials to exploit a facile, low-cost, scalable, and eco-friendly method for the manufacture of superhydrophobic materials with self-cleaning, antifouling, directional transportation, and other characteristics. Herein, an outstanding superhydrophobic material composed of a flexible microconvex aramid paper substrate, micron-scale cone-shaped copper, micro−nanoscale dendritic copper oxide, and hydrophobic copper stearate film has been successfully constructed through delicate architectural design and a convenient preparation approach. Based on the microstructure evolution and composition analysis results, it is revealed that the cone-shaped copper was etched into a dendritic copper oxide structure step by step from the top to bottom and from the outside to inside in an alkaline liquid environment. Moreover, by virtue of the compositional features and structural characteristics, the constructed superhydrophobic material showcased a high contact angle (CA), low sliding angle (SA), high porosity, low surface free energy, and adhesion work. Meanwhile, the dendritic microstructure analysis, the calculation of solid−liquid interfacial tension, and the force analysis of water droplets jointly revealed the mechanism of the bounce and merged bounce of water droplets. Finally, this superhydrophobic material has the functions of self-cleaning, antifouling, and directional transportation, especially by controlling the deformation of the material to realize the transportation of water droplets in a specified direction.
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