Average Relative Humidity Research Articles

Spatiotemporal Variation Characteristics of Reference Evapotranspiration and Relative Moisture Index in Heilongjiang Investigated through Remote Sensing Tools

Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is one of the significant parameters in agricultural irrigation, especially in Heilongjiang, a big agricultural province in China. In this research, the spatiotemporal variation characteristics of evapotranspiration (ET), relative moisture index (MI) and influencing factors of ET0 in Heilongjiang, which was divided into six ecology districts according to landforms, were analyzed with meteorological data observed over 40 years from 1980 and MOD16 products from 2000 to 2017 using Morlet wavelet analysis and partial correlation analysis. The results indicated that (1) the spatial distribution of ET and PET in Heilongjiang in humid, normal and arid years showed a distribution of being higher in the southwest and lower in the northwest, and higher in the south and lower in the north. The PET was higher than ET from 2002 to 2017, and the difference was small, indicating that the overall moisture in Heilongjiang was sufficient in these years. (2) In the last 40 years, the ET0 increased while the annual MI decreased. The annual minimum of MI in the six regions of Heilongjiang was −0.25, showing that all six regions were drought free. (3) The importance of the meteorological factors affecting ET0 was ranked as average relative humidity > average wind speed > sunshine duration. This research provides scientific guidance for the study of using remote sensing to reverse ET.

Influence of social and meteorological factors on hand, foot, and mouth disease in Sichuan Province

BackgroundHand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by a variety of enteroviruses remains a major public health problem in China. Previous studies have found that social factors may contribute to the inconsistency of the relationship patterns between meteorological factors and HFMD, but the conclusions are inconsistent. The influence of social factors on the association between meteorology and HFMD is still less well understood. We aimed to analyze whether social factors affected the effect of meteorological factors on HFMD in Sichuan Province.MethodWe collected daily data on HFMD, meteorological factors and social factors in Sichuan Province from 2011 to 2017. First, we used a Bayesian spatiotemporal model combined with a distributed lag nonlinear model to evaluate the exposure-lag-response association between meteorological factors and HFMD. Second, by constructing the interaction of meteorological factors and social factors in the above model, the changes in the relative risk (RR) under different levels of social factors were evaluated.ResultsThe cumulative exposure curves for average temperature, relative humidity, and HFMD were shaped like an inverted “V” and a “U” shape. As the average temperature increased, the RR increased and peaked at 19 °C (RR 1.020 [95% confidence interval CI 1.004–1.050]). The urbanization rate, per capita gross domestic product (GDP), population density, birth rate, number of beds in health care centers and number of kindergartens interacted with relative humidity. With the increase in social factors, the correlation curve between relative humidity and HFMD changed from an “S” shape to a “U” shape.ConclusionsRelative humidity and average temperature increased the risk of HFMD within a certain range, and social factors enhanced the impact of high relative humidity. These results could provide insights into the combined role of environmental factors in HFMD and useful information for regional interventions.

Protecting Apricot Orchards with Rain Shelters Reduces Twig Blight Damage Caused by Monilinia spp. and Makes It Possible to Reduce Fungicide Use

Blossom and twig blight, caused by Monilinia spp., is the main disease in apricot trees. In this study, we installed transparent rain shelters in apricot orchards to study their influence on the modification of the microclimate at the level of the tree canopy and on the reduction in moniliosis damage in twigs. Rain shelters significantly reduced the leaf wetness time measured within the foliage compared to the unsheltered trees (a reduction of between 43% and 67%). However, very few differences were observed in the daily averaged air temperature (up to 6%) and daily averaged air relative humidity (up to 1%). In the first experiment, on the apricot variety Bergarouge® (CEP Innovation, Lyon, France), moniliosis damage on twigs in the absence of phytosanitary protection was reduced by up to 62% for the trees provided with rain protection compared to the trees that did not receive rain shelters. A second experiment, involving five apricot tree varieties, made it possible to verify that fungicide protection could be reduced for the trees protected by rain covers, reducing moniliosis damage on twigs compared to full fungicide protection combined without rain protection. Finally, a third experiment comprising two apricot tree varieties has shown that in organic orchards, rain protection provides protection against moniliosis (twig blight) that is equivalent to an organic farming fungicide protection programme based on the use of copper sulphate and calcium polysulphide.

Morphology and phase state of PM2.5 in urban and coastal-rural areas during summer

The morphology and phase state are critical physical properties of aerosol particles. However, studies related to the analysis of these properties primarily focus on laboratory experiments, and studies on real aerosol particles are limited. Herein, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) filter samples were obtained to investigate and compare the morphology and phase state of ambient aerosol particles in South Korea. The PM2.5 samples were collected in the summer of June 2021 from two different environments: Seoul (urban) and Seosan (coastal-rural). Optical microscopy was combined with the poke-and-flow technique to determine the morphology and phase state of the PM2.5 as a function of relative humidity (RH) at 293 ± 1 K. At both sites, the PM2.5 droplets, which were extracted in purified water, showed a multiphase nature that was dependent on the RH and chemical composition. Based on the results and ambient average RH in Seoul, most of the PM2.5 was observed in a liquid state on polluted days under an inorganic-dominant condition, but in a semisolid state on clean days under an organic carbon-rich condition. In Seosan, the PM2.5 predominantly existed in a liquid state, due to the high RH caused by proximity to the Yellow Sea. Our study provides fundamental physical properties of PM2.5 for both urban and coastal-rural environments. The results have strong applications for atmospheric chemistry and predicting particle size distributions.

Effects of day-of-hatch intramuscular administration of a herbal extract mixture and its re-supplementation in drinking water on growth performance, stress indicators, and antioxidant status of broiler chickens reared under hot summer conditions.

Broilers under oxidative stress from high ambient temperatures may benefit from the use of additives that have antioxidant properties. This experiment investigated the efficacy of a herbal extract mixture (HEM; aqueous extracts from Ferula gummosa, Thymus vulgaris, and Trachyspermum copticum) in day-old chicks, injected intramuscular (deep pectoral muscle; (0, 30, 60, and 90 μL/0.1 mL of sterilized and distilled water)), and supplemented in drinking water (0 and 0.25 mL/L) during the rearing period. Broilers were reared in battery cages under summer temperature conditions, with average maximum temperature of 35.5°C, average minimum temperature of 25.5°C, and average relative humidity of 50-60%. A total of 400 1-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 8 treatment groups (5 replicates/treatment with 10 birds per replicate). From d1 to d10, the indoor air temperature was adjusted to match fluctuating outdoor summer temperatures, and was set at 30-34°C and 50-60% relative humidity; and from d10 onwards, no adjustments were made. Injection of HEM linearly decreased feed:gain (P = 0.005), heterophile-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratio (P = 0.007), and serum concentrations of cholesterol (P = 0.008), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (P < 0.001), malondialdehyde (P = 0.005), and cortisol (P = 0.008). The 60 μL of HEM injection produced the best results in terms of final body weight (BW; P = 0.003), overall average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.002), European performance index (P < 0.001), carcass yield (P < 0.001), and serum glutathione peroxidase activity (P < 0.001). Supplementation of HEM in drinking water also increased final BW (P = 0.048), overall ADG (P = 0.047), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.042), and total antioxidant capacity (P = 0.030), while decreasing the H/L ratio (P = 0.004) and serum LDL concentration (P = 0.031). There were interactions between injection and water supplementation for BW (day 24; P = 0.045), carcass yield (day 42; P = 0.014), and serum superoxide dismutase activity (day 42; P = 0.004). In conclusion, administering an injection of HEM at a dose of 60 μL at the time of hatching, followed by supplementation at a dose of 0.25 mL/L via drinking water during the rearing period could be a useful strategy for improving the performance and health status of heat-stressed broiler chickens.

Spatio-temporal multidisciplinary analysis of socio-environmental conditions to explore the COVID-19 early evolution in urban sites in South America

This study aimed to analyse how socio-environmental conditions affected the early evolution of COVID-19 in 14 urban sites in South America based on a spatio-temporal multidisciplinary approach. The daily incidence rate of new COVID-19 cases with symptoms as the dependent variable and meteorological-climatic data (mean, maximum, and minimum temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity) as the independent variables were analysed. The study period was from March to November of 2020. We inquired associations of these variables with COVID-19 data using Spearman's non-parametric correlation test, and a principal component analysis considering socio economic and demographic variables, new cases, and rates of COVID-19 new cases. Finally, an analysis using non-metric multidimensional scale ordering by the Bray-Curtis similarity matrix of meteorological data, socio economic and demographic variables, and COVID-19 was performed. Our findings revealed that the average, maximum, and minimum temperatures and relative humidity were significantly associated with rates of COVID-19 new cases in most of the sites, while precipitation was significantly associated only in four sites. Additionally, demographic variables such as the number of inhabitants, the percentage of the population aged 60 years and above, the masculinity index, and the GINI index showed a significant correlation with COVID-19 cases. Due to the rapid evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic, these findings provide strong evidence that biomedical, social, and physical sciences should join forces in truly multidisciplinary research that is critically needed in the current state of our region.

An Analysis of Blasthole Condition towards Toxic Fumes Generation from Blasting Activities in Surface Mine

One impact of blasting activities is the release of toxic fumes capable of disturbing living creatures around the blasting zone. Fumes are affected by several factors, including blasthole conditions. Measurement for this research was performed in a coal mine called PT. Kaltim Prima Coal in Kalimantan, Indonesia, to investigate the impact mentioned above through a quantitative method, which was performed directly in the field. The results show that the formed CO gas level ranged between 60.34 - 360.29 ppm, while the formed NO2 gas level ranged between 0.3 - 3.16 ppm, with average temperature and relative humidity of the blastholes at 31°C and 77.01%, respectively. Based on these results, the temperature and relative humidity conditions in the blastholes have a linear effect on the formation of toxic fumes by 84%. Considering the average wind speed at the measurement sites was 2.14 m/s, the trend of decreasing toxic fumes, time variables, and threshold limit values of exposure for humans of up to 15-minutes, it can be concluded that the safe time for workers to return to the site is less than 1 minute.

Water and heat recovery for greenhouses in cold climates using a solid sorption system

Greenhouses are basically used to create a protected growing environment for crops. In winter climates, cold air temperature and high humidity level are two major problems for greenhouse production, which induce plant diseases and yield losses. In this research, we proposed a climate control system which integrates solid sorption and sensible thermal storage. During the sorption phase, indoor vapor was captured by sorbents while sorption heat was used to increase the air temperature. During the desorption phase, vapor was released and condensed into liquid water. Heat exchanged through the water-cooling condenser was recovered and stored for nocturnal space heating. In the comparative filed experiments, pure silica gels (SG) and composite sorbents CaCl2@SG were chosen as sorbent materials, respectively. During experiments using SG, the averaged nocturnal air temperature was increased by 3.23 °C and the averaged nocturnal relative humidity was decreased by 16.91%. During experiments using CaCl2@SG, the changes were 2.58 °C and 17.39%, respectively. Moreover, CaCl2@SG significantly decreased the averaged humidity ratio by 0.40 g/kg, while SG imposed tiny effect on this parameter. The energy-saving effect of the prosed system was further discussed through simulation.

The Relationship between Tourism Planning and Bioclimatic Comfort in Rural Areas: The Case of Kofçaz/Kirklareli/Türkiye

In this study, the bioclimatic comfort status for tourism was determined through PET using RayMan model in the case of rural settlements of Kırklareli/Kofçaz located in the northwest part of Turkey. For calculating the thermal comfort index of PET in RayMan, monthly average temperature, relative humidity, and wind measurement long- term values between 1980-2018 with respect to 13 climate stations located within the borders of Turkey and Bulgaria were used and interpolated with the IDW method in ArcGIS program. Afterwards, seasonal, and monthly climatic maps were established regarding annual average temperature, relative humidity and wind speed. The maps obtained were classified according to the comfort zones that determine the bioclimatic comfort and the bioclimatic comfort map of the study area was created. As a result of the assessments performed, it has been determined that the bioclimatic comfort situation varies temporally and spatially. The results obtained from the study will be effective in determining the period and place preferences in tourism planning, determining rural development-oriented strategies, and ensuring the quality of life and comfort of the relevant stakeholders. It will serve as a reference for the climate-sensitive approach targeted in upper-scale plans and policies within the scope of combating climate change.

Dynamic moisture sorption and humidity response inside the wooden space to cyclical changing external relative humidity

ABSTRACT Wood is usually processed into various spaces and used in buildings, packaging and furniture. Dynamic moisture sorption and humidity response inside wooden space to sinusoidally changing external relative humidity (RH) were demonstrated by using a self-assembly device, which simultaneously recorded moisture content (MC) and RH changes. Wood has hierarchical structures, which provided the basis of moisture sorption and further influenced RH inside. Internal RH changed sinusoidally, similar to external RH and MC. During internal and external moisture exchange, water molecules experienced dynamic compound actions, including moisture gradient pressure, the attraction of sorption sites and water molecules and diffusing hindrance. Consequently, MC and internal RH exhibited dynamic phase lag of over 0.39 radian. Meanwhile, moisture sorption was higher for thinner wood, especially in a longer cyclic period since more water molecules interacted with sorption sites with less diffusing hindrance. Correspondingly, the humidity change was lower inside thicker wooden spaces in a shorter period. The average internal RH and amplitude decreased by 5% and 83.7%, respectively. Dynamic humidity change hysteresis existed and showed positive relation to the cyclic period but inversely with wood thickness. The study helped better understand dynamic moisture sorption and humidity change in wooden space and facilitated the better application of wood in human life.

ENTOMOFAUNA DE INTERES FORENSE ASOCIADA AL PROCESO DE DESCOMPOSICIÓN CADAVÉRICA DE Sus scrofa EN ÉPOCA DE VERANO EN UN DISTRITO DEL NORTE DEL PERÚ

Necrophagous insects, mainly Diptera and Coleoptera, are involved in the cadaveric decomposition process depending on time ofstudy and location, are important to estimate the postmortem interval. Pigs have become the most frequently used animal model in forensic science. The objective of this research was to identify the genera and/or species of necrophagous insects in the five stages of the cadaveric decomposition process, at the time of summer 2018 taking place in an urban area of Nuevo Chimbote (Ancash, Peru), using SusscrofaL. as an animal model. It was used a 12-kg pig carcass, recently euthanized and kept for 70 days, at an average temperature of 24.26°C and an average relative humidity of 66.96% inside a Schoenly-type trap to capture insects. Insects of the Diptera and Coleoptera orders were found in the different phases of decomposition: In the initial phase (two days) only dipterous insects, Sarcophagasp., Chrysomyaalbiceps, Cochliomyiamacellariaand Luciliacuprinawere identified; in the phase of active putrefaction(two days) the same species of diptera and coleoptera, Necrobiarufipesand Dermestesfrischii; in the advanced putrefaction phase (three days) the same species and also Muscadomesticadiptera; in the fermentation phase (11 days) the same species and also beetle Ammophorusperuvianus; and in the skeletonization phase (52 days) only beetles Saprinussp., Necrobiarufipesand Dermestesfrischiiwere identified. The results of this study indicate that in an open environment in an urban area of Nuevo Chimbote(Ancash, Peru), in summer season (January-March), the entomofauna was associated with the decomposition of S. scrofwhich is composed of five species of the order Diptera and four of the order Coleoptera. In addition, it was possible to observe that in the initial phase only diptera were present and in the final phase (skeletation) only coleoptera, which could be used as decomposition markers.

The Effect Of Climate Change On Productivity Of Clove (Syzigium Aromaticum) In Haruku Island, Central Maluk Regency

The world trade history has recorded Maluku as a spice-producing region, including cloves. This commodity has high economic value and is the main source of income for farmers in several areas in Maluku Province. Climate is an environmental factor that also influences plant metabolism and physiology, so that changes in some elements of climate can have a negative impact on plant growth and productivity. The objective of this study was to get information regarding effect of climate variable on productivity of cclove in Haruku island, Central Maluku Regency. Data was collected by field srvey, while secondary data was gathered form related agencies. The results showed that the Haruku Island area with a local-unimodal rain pattern experienced an increase in annual rainfall of 11.8% in the period of 1991-2020 compared to the previous period (1961-1990). The rainy season rainfall (April-September) tends to increase by 15.2%, while the dry season rainfall (October-March) does not show a significant increase, namely only 1.3%. In the last 60 years (1961 – 2020) in the Haruku Island region, El-Nino extreme dry rainfall occurred 19 times. La-Nina wet extreme rainfall events occurred 14 times. Climate variables that affect production are the average annual length of solar radiation, the average annual relative humidity and the amount of annual rainfall

Thermal Performance Evaluation for Two Designs of Flat-Plate Solar Air Heater: An Experimental and CFD Investigations

The main objective of this research was to create two different configurations of a flat-plate solar air heater, namely, Conventional-Case A and Modified-Case B, and develop a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using ANSYS R15.0. The purpose of the CFD model was to simulate the heat transfer behavior of the proposed solar air heaters under unsteady conditions. The RNG k-ε turbulence model was employed for this CFD study. The experiments were conducted on sunny days, under the same conditions as the Egyptian climate. The results of the experiments show that the simulated CFD model and the measured outlet airflow temperatures, relative humidity, and velocities of the two tested solar air heaters were compared. The developed model made very satisfactory predictions. Moreover, the deviations between the average CFD outlet air temperatures and the experimental results were 7% and 7.8% for Case B and Case A, respectively. The CFD-simulated average relative humidity was reduced by 31.6% when using Case B compared with Case A, and it was reduced by 28.8% when comparing the experimental data to Case B. Additionally, the average CFD thermal efficiencies obtained for Case B and Case A were 28.7% and 21.6%, respectively, while the average experimental thermal efficiencies for the cases were 26.4% and 18.2%, respectively. The proposed model can be used to design and simulate other solar air heater designs.

Overwintering diapause and survival of western Leucotaraxis argenticollis, a promising biological control agent for Adelges tsugae, in the eastern United States

Successful use of biological control agents can be improved with a thorough understanding of the life history, survival, diapausing strategy, and synchrony with the host in the introduced range. Introduction of a novel organism can be influenced by abiotic factors that can impact the interactions with their target prey. Leucotaraxis argenticollis (Zetterstedt) and Le. piniperda (Malloch) (Diptera: Chamaemyiidae) are two species of predatory fly showing promise in the biological control program to manage the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Annand)(Hemiptera: Adelgidae), in eastern North America. Field releases of these Leucotaraxis spp. began in 2015, but little is known about their potential for survival or how they overwinter. In an effort to explore Le. argenticollis establishment potential, laboratory reared puparia were observed at seven sites, across a latitudinal gradient, on the east coast and one site on the west coast (native range) of North America from July 20, 2020, to June 1, 2021. Leucotaraxis piniperda puparia were included at five sites and observed to be diapausing in a different stage or using a different cue. Adult Le. argenticollis emerged in spring 2021, after successfully overwintering as puparia, with a subset emerging in summer-fall 2020 at all observation sites. Results suggest that 1) the interaction of mean daily fall maximum temperatures and relative humidity has the most impact on survival, 2) mean daily minimum fall temperatures influence induction/maintenance of diapause, and 3) mean average daily fall temperatures and relative humidity impact survival to spring emergence. Substantial variation in survival and facultative diapause of Le. argenicollis was observed along a latitudinal gradient, potentially influencing predator establishment, supporting the need for continued research.

Effect of U-bending deformation on pitting corrosion of 2205 duplex stainless steel under wet-dry cycling of chloride salt droplets

The pitting behavior of 2205 duplex stainless steel after U-bending deformation was investigated under wet-dry cycling of droplets. At the tensile side, the average critical relative humidity for pitting (RHpit) was increased from 44.5% to 55.6%, the critical relative humidity (RHrep) for repassivation was correspondingly increased from 59.9% to 76.6%. The compressive strain increased the critical relative humidity to 52.9% (RHpit) and 73.3% (RHrep), respectively. Compared to the hemispherical pits without deformation, selective dissolution of the ferrite phase with irregular pits appeared on the tensile side. The decrease in pitting resistance and the formation of irregular pit morphology were discussed.

Toxicity of some Biocides in the Tomato leaf Miner Tuta Absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Laboratory

The experiment was conducted in the Entomology Laboratory/Plant Protection Department/College of Agriculture and Forestry/Mosul University/Iraq in the year 2021, to evaluated the toxicity of biocides, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill, (conc. 1, 3, 5 g/L) Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (conc. 1, 3, 5 g/L), Spinosad (conc. 0.15, 0.30, 0.60 ml/L) and Neem plant extract (Azadirachta indica) (conc. 0.25, 0.50, 1.00 ml/L) on the third larval instar and pupal stage of tomato leafminer (TLM) under laboratory conditions, 25 - 27 °C, and the average relative humidity was 60 - 65%. The results of the study showed that the treatment with Spinosad at a concentration of 0.60 mm/L was significantly superior compared to the rest of the biocides, with an average mortality of 86.67% and 90.67% for larvae and pupae, respectively. All biocides differed significantly compared to the control, which amounted to 0.00%, and the highest mean of larval mortality was 71.67% for the reading after ten days of treatment, which differed significantly compared to the reading after one and three days of treatment, which amounted to 23.89 and 50.56%, respectively. While the reading after nine days of treatment outperformed significantly, and recorded the highest average of pupal mortality, which amounted to 68.00%, compared to the lowest average reading after seven days of treatment, which amounted to 44.00%. The treatment with the biocides B. thuringensis at a concentration of 1, 3 and 5 g/L was superior, with the lowest average percentage of transformation of larva to pupal stage reaching 15.56, 2.22 and 0.00%, respectively, compared to the rest of the concentrations of other biocides and the control, which was 73.33%. The biocides B. thuringensis was significantly superior to the rest of the biocides, and the lowest average percentage of emergence was recorded, as it reached 6.67% in the third concentration 5 g/L, which did not differ significantly compared to the third concentration of the rest of the biocides, however, it differed significantly compared to the rest of the concentrations of other biocides, and the control, as the highest mean of the percentage of emergence rate was 76.67%. It is noted from the study that all biocides had a significant effect on their toxicity to TLM compared to the control, and that the toxicity of biocides for the third larval instar and pupa of TLM increased with increasing concentration and number of days after treatment, and led to a decrease in the average percentage of adult emergence with an increase in concentration used compared to the control. From the results of this study, it is possible to introduce these pesticides in the integrated pest management programs for TLM in open fields and protected cultivation.

Complexity and Predictability of Daily Actual Evapotranspiration Across Climate Regimes

AbstractEstimation of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) is challenging due to its complex interactions with surrounding environments; thus, understanding the complexity and predictability of ETa along with its influencing factors is essential to improve ETa estimation. Based on the FLUXNET and ChinaFLUX datasets, we first examined whether daily ETa exhibited chaotic behaviors, and then investigated how daily ETa complexity and predictability varied across climate regimes and ecosystems using the chaos theory. The results of recurrence plot and correlation dimension (CD) analysis suggested the existence of chaotic behaviors in daily ETa, implying the system controlling ETa processes was deterministic with a limited number of controlling variables. The recurrence quantification analysis further revealed a varying degree of complexity for ETa processes (e.g., determinism‐DET with a range from 0.01% to 40.7%) across the sites. Specifically, daily ETa featured stronger deterministic properties (e.g., higher DET and lower CD values) and thus higher predictability in humid and arid regions; whereas, higher degrees of daily ETa complexity emerged in sub‐humid and semi‐arid regions due to more complex interactions with environmental factors. Moreover, primary environmental controls on daily ETa complexity varied with climatic and land surface conditions. Results showed that energy and water supplies along with average daily temperature and relative humidity were the primary controls on the ETa complexity across the sites, while leaf area index also played an important role at drier sites. As a first attempt, this study provides additional avenues to understand the complexity of ETa processes from a global perspective using the chaos theory.

Feasibility study of dynamic thermal-modeling development using measurement and validation: Case study of indoor fish farm

Since energy consumption in buildings relies primarily on their purpose as opposed to the type of occupants, relatively high energy is also consumed in the indoor fish farms where people do not live. In particular, energy consumption of indoor fish farms has been increasing for the high productivity and economic efficiency. Therefore, a feasibility study of dynamic thermal modeling development for indoor fish farms is critical to analyze energy consumption. In this study, an indoor fish farm thermal model was developed, and the feasibility of the model was analyzed using onsite indoor temperature, relative humidity, and water temperature data. Further, the major sensitive variables in model development and their effects were investigated. The errors between measured and predicted results obtained using the developed thermal model were within hourly acceptable limits, which means the developed thermal model was valid. The activity factor (AF) and air change per hour (ACH), which are the major sensitive variables, significantly affected thermal performance such as evaporation loss, indoor temperature, relative humidity and water temperature. The average indoor relative humidity increased by approximately 16% when AF increased from 0 to 2. The average evaporation loss of the fish farm increased by 20.9 kW to 49 kW when ACH was 10. Therefore, similar to an indoor fish farm, the effects of aeration, opening/closing of windows and doors must be considered for simulations during energy-model development and future improvements. The results suggest that the proposed thermal model for indoor fish farms can be used to develop an energy model and expanded to various fields for predicting energy consumption and optimal control.

First Report of Colletotrichum fructicola Causing anthracnose on macadamia in China.

Macadamia (Macadamia ternifolia Maiden and Betche) is an important commercial crop in the world and has the reputation of being the king of nuts (Liu et al. 2019). In August 2020, symptoms of anthracnose appeared on leaves of macadamia in Chongzuo, Guangxi Province, China, with an incidence of 15-20%. The disease developed from the edge of leaf. Initially, the disease symptoms on leaves were faded green spots, light yellow. After expanding and linking together, the leaves appeared brown or black irregular spots, and the edges of diseased leaves dried up and formed large necrosis, eventually leading to defoliation. A large number of orange-yellow spots (acervuli) developed on the diseased parts. Under high humidity conditions, the diseased part was grayish-brown or black, and a large number of yellowish-brown conidia were produced on the leaf surface (Fig.1 A-E). Ten symptomatic leaves were collected and washed with distilled water. Twelve lesion marginal tissues were sterilized with 75% ethanol (V/V) for 30 s and 1% NaOCl for 1min and rinsed with sterile distilled water, plated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 28°C under light. After 3 days, the incubated samples all produced similar cultural morphology. One isolate named GXMC2 as a representative was selected for following study. The colony by single-spore purification on PDA were grayish green with a white outer ring and cottony on surface, pale blackish green in reverse side (Fig.1 F). Conidia with oil droplets were solitary, cylindrical, transparent and measuring 13.78 to 19.25 μm (average 16.90 μm) × 5.14 to 7.33 μm (average 6.23 μm) (n=100) (Fig.1 G). Appressoria were brown to dark brown, with different shapes such as ovoid, elliptical or irregular, some with lobes. The average size was 7.89 to 13.25 μm (average 10.64 μm) × 5.76 to 9.02 μm (average 7.86 μm) (n=100) (Fig.1 H). No setae were found. The isolate was identified as Colletotrichum fructicola on the basis of the morphology of the colonies, conidia and appressoria (Park et al. 2018). The six target gene sequences, including internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (TUB), actin (ACT), histone3 (HIS3), chitin synthase A (CHS), and glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPHD) (Qiu et al. 2020), were selected for PCR amplification. The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers MZ821661, MZ821660, MZ821662, MZ821663, MZ821664 and MZ821665 respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences were performed with MEGA 7.0 software. The isolate was grouped in the same clade as other C. fructicola (Fig.2). In May 2022, Inoculation was conducted in the field. Four-year-old macadamia leaves were disinfected with 75% alcohol. The conidial suspension was sprayed on 5 unwounded healthy leaves, and 5 leaves sprayed with sterile distilled water served as control. The experiment was replicated 3 times, with each replicate containing 5 leaves. The average daily temperature and average daily relative humidity in the field were 30°C and 62%, respectively. After 2 days, yellow-brown spots appeared on the inoculated leaves and expanded outward. After 4 days, the diseased areas were dark brown, and the controls remained asymptomatic. The same fungal pathogen was reisolated and purified from inoculated leaves and the identity was confirmed by morphological characterization and molecular analysis, confirming Koch's postulates (Fig.1 I-J). In China, C. fructicola has been reported on Passiflora edulis Sims, Brassica parachinensis, Illicium verum, Peucedanum praeruptorum, etc. (Li et al. 2021; Yu et al. 2022; Zhao et al. 2021; Ma et al. 2020). To our knowledge, this is the first report of anthracnose of macadamia caused by C. fructicola in China. This study provides the basis for further research on this disease.

Spatiotemporal Distributions of Scolytinae Beetles in the Subtropical Forests of Southern China

Scolytinae beetles serve as important regulators of ecosystem integrity. However, some of these species have been identified as important pests. The Guangdong region of China exhibits unique geographic characteristics, but is also subject to substantial anthropogenic disturbances, making it an important region for ecological research. This study was designed to assess the biodiversity and abundance of these Scolytinae beetles in subtropical areas, to define indicators associated with environmental disturbances, and to thereby provide additional valuable information that can support the conservation of the ecosystem and the monitoring and controling of pest species. For these analyses, a two-season survey of Scolytinae communities was performed across three habitats to examine the patterns of variation within these communities. These analyses revealed that environmental disturbances were associated with a drop in Scolytinae beetle population diversity, with Hypothenemus sp.2, Xyleborinus andrewesi, and Xyleborinus artestriatus offering particular value as indicators associated with severe environmental disruptions. Plant diversity and composition also impacted Scolytinae beetle communities through a range of complex mechanisms. Scolytinae beetle diversity was also found to be higher during the rainy season relative to the dry season, with beetle abundance being responsive to average temperatures, but unrelated to average relative humidity levels.