Average Daily Relative Humidity Research Articles

First Report of Diaporthe hongkongensis Causing Leaf Blight on Macadamia in China.

Macadamia (Macadamia ternifolia Maiden and Betche) belongs to the Proteaceae family (Li et al. 2022). In the hilly areas of Guangxi (southern China), macadamia trees are an important source of revenue. The planting area in Guangxi has increased in recent years, exceeding 53,333 hectares by the end of 2022, but this increase is also associated with emergency of, macadamia diseases. Leaf blight symptoms were observed in 37/241 macadamia trees (15% incidence) in a plantation in Nanning, Guangxi province in China, during June, 2022. Disease severity on infected trees ranged from 5% to 60%. The disease developed from the tips or margins of leaves, causing the leaves to turn brown, and later gradually withered (Fig. 1 A). Ten leaves with lesions were collected from five macadamia trees (two leaves per tree. Thereafter, small segments (3 to 4 mm²) excised from the margins of ten lesions were surface sterilized in 75% ethanol for 30 s and 1% hypochlorite for 90 s and Page 1 of 6 2 rinsed in sterile water, before plating onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. Plates were incubated under lighting during the daytime, and darkness at night-time for 5 days at 25℃. Twenty-two purified colonies were generated by subculturing hyphal tips, of which eight exhibited similar morphology and were further characterized. The colonies on PDA were gray with a white outer ring and flat lawn on the surface (Fig. 1 B). The pycnidia were superficial to semi-immersed on PDA, solitary to aggregated, globose to sub-globose, brown to black and oozed yellow mucilaginous masses (Fig.1 C). The α-conidia were unicellular, hyaline elliptical or fusiform, and measuring 4-8 × 1.9-4 μm (n=30) ， whereas the β-conidia were hyaline, long, straight or curved, measuring 20-23 × 0.9-2 μm (n=30) (Fig. 1 D-E). The morphological features were similar to Diaporthe hongkongensis (Dissanayake et al. 2015). The eight morphologically similar isolates were identified as D. hongkongensis using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, but only one isolate, JG11, was selected for further molecular identification. Five target genes, including the ITS region, translation elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1-α), beta-tubulin genes (TUB2), calmodulin (CAL), and histone H3 (HIS) were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4, EF1-728F/EF1-986R, Bt2a/Bt2b, CAL-228F/CAL-737R, and CYLH3F/H3-1b, respectively (Carbone and Kohn 1999). The sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers OQ932790 (ITS) and OR147955-58 for EF1-α, TUB, CAL and HIS genes, respectively. BLAST search of GenBank showed that ITS, EF1-α, TUB, CAL, and HIS sequences of JG11 were similar to Page 2 of 6 3 those of D. hongkongensis NR111848 (99.22% identity), KY433566 (99.72%), MW208603 (99.42%), MW221740 (99.80%), and MW221661 (99.79%), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequences was performed with IQ-TREE software. JG11 was grouped in the same clade as other Diaporthe hongkongensis isolates (Fig. 2). Pathogenicity experiments were carried out on healthy macadamia trees in a greenhouse. Three macadamia trees were used as negative controls where five uninjured leaves per tree were sprayed with sterile distilled water. Uninjured five leaves per tree of three other macadamia trees were sprayed with conidia suspension of the isolate JG11 at a concentration of 1×106. Each treatment was repeated 3 times independently, with 5 leaves per tree (Liu et al. 2023; Havill et al. 2023; Zhang et al. 2022). Plastic bags were placed over all inoculated leaves. The average daily temperature and relative humidity in the greenhouse were 32°C and 65%, respectively. Two days later, browning appeared on the leaves inoculated with the spore suspension and expanded outward. After 5 days, all macadamia leaves inoculated with the fungal spores began to wither, while controls remained asymptomatic (Fig. 1 H-I). D. hongkongensis was consistently re-isolated and purified from inoculated leaves and the identity was confirmed by morphological identification and molecular analysis, completed Koch's postulates. D. hongkongensis has been reported on peach (Zhang et al. 2021), grapevine trunk (Dissanayake et al. 2015) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (Liao et al. 2022). To our knowledge, this is the first report of D. hongkongensis causing leaf blight on macadamia in China. These findings provide a foundation for future research on the epidemiology and control of this newly emerging disease of macadamia.

Вегетационный период сортов яровой мягкой пшеницы разных групп спелости в земледельческих зонах Красноярского края

The purpose of the study is to analyze the effect of cultivation point and meteorological factors on the duration of the growing season of spring wheat varieties of different ripeness groups. We used data from the State Variety Commission of the Krasnoyarsk Region on the yield and duration of the growing season of spring soft wheat varieties for 1999–2020. Statistical data processing was performed for varieties of four ripeness groups: early ripening, mid-early, mid-ripening and mid-late, undergoing variety testing in 6 natural zones of the Krasnoyarsk Region at 10 state variety plots: Zone III (lowland subtaiga, Kazachinsky state cultivating plot), IV (foothill subtaiga, Dzerzhinsky, Sayansky) , V (Kansk-Krasnoyarsk forest-steppe, Sukhobuzimsky, Uyarsky), VI (forest-steppe of the Chulym District, Nazarovsky, Uzhursky), VII (southern forest-steppe, Karatuzsky), VIII (foothill steppe on ordinary and southern chernozems, Krasnoturansky, Minusinsky). A significant range of variability in the studied period between variety plots was revealed for mid-ripening varieties (22 days), early-ripening (20 days), mid-early (17 days), mid-ripening varieties (12 days). A shorter growing season for all ripeness groups is shown by varieties in the Kazachinsky variety plot, a longer one – in the Sayansky and Uyarsky variety plots. A significant amplitude of variability in the duration of the growing season for all ripeness groups is observed in the Nazarovsky, Karatuzsky, and in mid-ripening and mid-late varieties – Uyarsky, Uzhursky, Minusinsky variety plots. The phenotypic varia-bility of the period under study is determined primarily by the contribution of the factor “varietal plots” (34.0–48.1 %) and the interaction “years × varietal plots” (36.0–53.2 %). The variety plots are located in different natural and climatic zones of the region and have their own characteristics according to the complex of natural conditions, which is shown by different correlations between the duration of the growing season and meteorological factors. They differ in variety areas, which represent the natural zones of the region. It has been proven that to form the duration of the growing season of mid-late varieties at the Dzerzhinsky, Sayansky, Uyarsky and Nazarovsky variety plots, average daily air temperatures are more ne¬cessary; Sayansky, Dzerzhinsky, Sukhobuzimsky – precipitation; Sayan, Dzerzhinsky, Sukhobuzimsky, Uyarsky, Nazarovsky, Uzhursky variety plots – relative air humidity than for varieties of other ripeness groups. Reliable correlations between average daily air temperature, precipitation and relative air humidity with the duration of the growing season were obtained for all ripeness groups at the Karatuz and Krasnoturan variety plots.

INVESTIGATION OF TROPOSPHERIC RADIO REFRACTIVITY AND OTHER RELEVANT PARAMETERS USING METEOROLOGICAL VARIABLES OVER BAUCHI, NIGERIA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) archives were used in this work to obtain the measured monthly average daily temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure over a 41-years period (1981–2021) for Bauchi (latitude , longitude ) to calculate the monthly tropospheric radio refractivity. The site is located in Nigeria's midland climate zone. We also looked into the variation with other factors, the refractivity gradient, and the percentage contribution of the dry term (Ndry) and wet term (Nwet) radio refractivity. The results showed that during the rainy and dry seasons, respectively, the months of August and February had the highest and lowest average values of radio refractivity, measuring 355.032 (N-units) and 273.255 (N-units), respectively. This suggests that radio refractivity is higher during the rainy season than it is during the dry season. The wet term contributes to the significant fluctuation in radio refractivity values, while the dry term makes up 77.60 % of the total value. The average refractivity gradient estimate was found to be – 40.854 N – units/km suggesting super-refraction propagation for Bauchi indicating that electromagnetic waves are often bent downward towards the earth when the super refraction condition occurs.

Assessment of Tropospheric Radio Refractivity and Its Variation with Climatic Variables Over Zaria, Nigeria

To achieve optimal performances, radio link/system planning and design must take radio refractivity estimation very seriously. This study utilizes measured average daily temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure for forty-one-year period (1981–2021) obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) archives for Zaria (latitude 11.100 N, longitude 7.680 E) strategically located in Nigeria’s midland climate zone to calculate the monthly tropospheric radio refractivity and look into how it varies with other meteorological factors and radio refractive index. The percentage of the contribution of dry term (Ndry) and wet term (Nwet) to radio refractivity and refractivity gradient were investigated. The findings indicated that radio refractivity was higher during the rainy season (August) and lower’during the dry season (February), with a maximum mean value of 350.8733 N-units and a minimum mean value of 284.1975 N-units, respectively, found in those months. The wet term contributes to the significant fluctuation of the radio refractivity, whereas the dry term makes up 76.03% of the total value. The gradient of mean refractivity estimated for Zaria was found to be – 43.8709 N – units/km indicating super-refraction propagation condition.

Performance of bread wheat advanced lines under late sowing

Thirty two advanced wheat lines which included four groups of sister lines and the commercial bread wheat cultivar Borlaug 100 were sown on January 16 and 30, 2019, at the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station, in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. Plots consisted of 1 bed 2 m long with two rows and 0.80 m apart without replications, and a seed density of 100 kg ha-1. Average daily temperature (°C), maximum, minimum, relative humidity, rainfall, heat and cold units were recorded from January 1 to May 15, 2019. The variables evaluated were: days to heading, plant height (cm), and grain weight in 20 spikes (g). The average days for heading of lines was 76 for the first sowing date and 73 for the second. The average plant height of the group for the first sowing date was 95 cm and 88 for the second; line W15.92/4/PASTOR//HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1/5/OAX92.2.5/6/BABAX/LR42//BABAX/3/ ER2000 was the tallest in the first date with 120 cm and with 115 in the second date. The average grain weight of the group in 20 spikes in the first sowing date was 55 g and 40.9 in the second; the line MEX94.15.34/4/PASTOR//HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1/5/ BABAX/LR42//BABAX/3/ER2000 showed the highest weight in the first and second dates with 71.1 g and 49.5, respectively. In the first date, the line W15.92/4/PASTOR//HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1/5/IWA8612414/6/BABAX/ LR42//BABAX/3/ER2000 showed the lowest grain weight in 20 spikes with 41.0 g, while in the second date, the sister line PBL94.14.30/4/PASTOR//HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1/5/BABAX/LR42//BABAX/3/ER2000 (PTSS12SHB 00003T-0TOPB-099Y-099B-7Y-020Y-0B) showed 25.6 g. The average temperature was 18.26 °C with a maximum of 35.2 °C and a minimum of 3.6 °C; the average relative humidity was 67.0 %; there were 13.1 mm of precipitation, and the number of heat and cold units was 146 and 293, respectively.

An investigation of the effects of meteorological factors on the incidence of tuberculosis

To explore the influence of meteorological factors on the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in Yingjisha County, Kashgar Region, Xinjiang, and to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of TB. The Spearman correlation analysis and distribution lag nonlinear model analysis were conducted on the number of daily reported cases of TB from 2016 to 2023 to study the association effect of various meteorological factors and the daily incidence number of TB in Yingjisha County. A total of 13,288 TB cases were reported from January 2016 to June 2023, and June to October is the peak period of annual TB incidence. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that average daily temperature (AT) and average daily wind speed (WS) were positively correlated with TB incidence (rAT = 0.110, rWS = 0.090); and average daily relative humidity (RH) and TB incidence was negatively correlated (rRH = − 0.093). When AT was − 15 °C, the RR reached a maximum of 2.20 (95% CI: 0.77–6.29) at a lag of 21 days. When RH was 92%, the RR reached a maximum of 1.05 (95% CI: 0.92–1.19) at a lag of 6 days. When WS was 5.2 m/s, the RR reached a maximum of 1.30 (95% CI: 0.78–2.16) at a lag of 16 days. There is a non-linearity and a certain lag between meteorological factors and the occurrence and prevalence of TB in the population, which is mainly manifested in the fact that the risk of incidence of TB decreases with the increase of the daily AT, has a hazardous effect within a certain range of humidity as the average daily RH rises, and gradually increases with the increase of the average daily WS. Local residents are advised to pay attention to climate change so as to take appropriate preventive measures, especially women and middle and old age group should pay close attention to climate change and add more clothes in time, minimise travelling in hazy weather and windy and sandy weather, maintain good nutrition, adequate sleep and moderate exercise in daily life to enhance their immunity, wash hands frequently and ventilate the air, and try to avoid staying in humid and confined spaces in order to reduce the risk of latent TB patients developing the disease.

Physiological Response of Tomato and Cucumber Plants to Micro-Spray in High-Temperature Environment: A Scientific and Effective Means of Alleviating Crop Heat Stress

Drought and heat stresses are severe threats to crop production and food security in arid and semi-arid regions of the globe, especially during the summer. This study investigates the effects of micro-spray on micro-climatic and physiological characteristics of cucumber and tomato plants for four growing seasons (two growing seasons each (cucumber: 2017 and 2018 and tomato: 2021 and 2022)). The experiment was conducted in a Venlo-type greenhouse where plants were irrigated with a combined micro-spray and drip irrigation (MSDI) system (1 min for tomato (seven times a day) and 2 mins (four times a day) for cucumber) and drip irrigation (DI). Both plants’ growth and physiological parameters were recorded at the end of the experiment. Moreover, the experimental results showed that plant height and stem diameter increased under MSDI in all seasons. In addition, a micro-spray duration of 2 min decreased the average daily air temperature (Ta) and leaf temperature (T1) by 0.8 °C and 4.9 °C, respectively, and increased the average daily relative humidity (RH) by 4.3%. However, a micro-spray duration of 1 min reduced the average daily Ta and T1 by 0.76 °C and 4.6 °C, respectively, but the increase in RH (2.7%) was much lower than that in the single micro-spray duration of 2 min. In addition, the net leaf photosynthetic rate (Pn), the effective quantum yield of PSII (ΦPSII), and the stomatal conductance (Gs) of both plants increased under MSDI compared with DI. A K-means analysis showed that MSDI could eliminate the adverse effects of sunlight stress on cucumbers and tomatoes. MSDI increased the yield of cucumber and tomato plants by 18.9% and 40.4%, respectively. The fruit weight of cucumber (2017) and tomato (2021) under MSDI did not increase significantly compared to DI, which indicates that MSDI mitigated heat stress, prevented flowers from being burned, and increased the number of fruits. The results also suggested that the total soluble solids in the cucumbers and tomatoes showed no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the two treatments in four seasons. In conclusion, the MSDI system can be an appropriate strategy for the irrigation needs and climate control of plants grown in greenhouses during the hot season.

Estimation and Correlation of Surface Water Vapour Density in Benin, Nigeria

The present study investigated the monthly average daily mean temperature, relative humidity, surface pressure, cloud cover, and sunshine hours associated with monthly variations in surface water vapour density (SWVD) for the period extending from 1979 to 2016 for Benin (Latitude 6.320N, Longitude 5.100E). The daily variation of SWVD for the dry season (November to March) and rainy season (April to October) for the year 2014 was examined. Statistical indices of coefficient of determination (R2), mean bias error (MBE), root mean square error (RMSE), mean percentage error (MPE), Nash-Sutcliffe equation (NSE), and index of agreement (IA) were used to compare and evaluate the generated two variable SWVD-based models. The findings revealed that the level of SWVD varied throughout the investigation period on each day of the month. The SWVD is higher during the wet season than it is during the dry season, based to the monthly average daily values. The average SWVD was found to be at its highest point in the month of August during the rainy season and its lowest point in the month of December during the dry season (21.1448 gm-3). The greatest amount of SWVD was observed on 23rd May, 2014 with 27.5731gm-3 and the lowest on 26th December, 2014 with 9.6567 gm-3. Pressure and precipitable water vapour are related to each other using a multivariate correlation regression model that was constructed with R2 = 100%, MBE = -0.0204 gm-3, RMSE = 0.0206 gm-3, MPE = 0.1105 %, NSE = 99.9897% and IA = 99.9974% was better appropriate for SWVD estimation with the best fitting and therefore can be used for estimating SWVD in Benin.

Grain yield of wheat advanced lines adapted to stress, during the crop season 2017-2018

Twenty five advanced wheat lines which included six groups of sister lines and the commercial durum wheat cultivar Movas C2009 as well as bread wheat cultivar Borlaug 100 were sown on January 16 and 30, 2018, at the Norman E. Borlaug Experimental Station, in the Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico. Plots consisted of 1 bed 2 m long with two rows and 0.80 m apart without replications, and a seed density of 100 kg ha-1. Average daily temperature (°C), maximum, minimum, relative humidity, rainfall, and cold units were recorded from January 16 to May 15, 2018. The variables evaluated were: days to heading, a thousand grain weight (g), and grain yield per plot (g). The average days for heading of lines was 69 days. The average plant height of the group was 84 cm; lines IWA8612949/3/2*ATILLA*2/PBW65//MURGA and BAV92/SERI showed a height of 100 and 95 cm, respectively. The average a thousand grain weight of the group was 41.3 g; line SOKOLL/3/PASTOR//HXL7573 /2*BAU/4/SOKOLL/WBLL1 showed the highest weight with 46.3 g, followed by IWA8612949/3/2*ATILLA*2 /PBW65//MURGA and CROC_1/AE.SQUARROSA(256)/4/PASTOR//HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1/5/BABAX/ LR42//BABAX/3/ER2000 with 46.2 and 45.3 g, respectively; while the line FRANCOLIN#1 showed the lowest TGW with 36.2 g. The average grain yield per plot was 339.5 g. Outstanding lines were W15.92/4/PASTOR// HXL7573/2*BAU/3/WBLL1 (442 g), SOKOLL (426 g), and FRANCOLIN#1 (422 g) which were above 5.27 t ha-1. The average temperature was 19.26°C with a maximum of 38.7°C and a minimum of 2.1°C; the average relative humidity was 64.0%; there were 9.1 mm of precipitation, and the number of cold units was 254.

Retrospective analysis of factors affecting rate of skeletonization within a tropical climate

Estimating the post mortem interval (PMI) in skeletonized cases is an extremely challenging exercise. Sri Lanka lacks adequate taphonomic research which is a serious limitation when assessing PMI in forensic death investigations. Methods that have been proposed to estimate PMI using the total body score (TBS) and accumulated degree days (ADD) are mainly based on data from continental and temperate climates and have shown less reliability in tropical climates. With the intention of developing a region-specific, evidence-based guide which would be applicable to tropical climates like Sri Lanka, we selected thirteen skeletonized remains with known PMIs from forensic case records and analysed their taphonomy in relation to selected weather data. We also compared the ADD values within our dataset with reference ranges calculated using published formula.All except one were found from outdoor locations. The TBS ranged from 24 to 32 and had a weak positive correlation with the PMI. The earliest appearance of skeletonization was 15 days in a body found indoors. The highest rate of skeletonization was seen in a body with a TBS of 32 and a PMI of 23 days. The average daily temperature and relative humidity were similar across all the cases however, the amount of rainfall varied. Bodies exposed to monsoon rains (n = 6) had a lower mean rate of skeletonization compared to those that were not exposed (n = 4) suggesting lower rates of decomposition during periods of heavy rainfall.No correlation was found between ADD and TBS. In 9 (69.2%) cases, the actual ADD was much lower than reference ADD ranges for TBS values, indicating poor applicability of TBS and ADD based formulae in estimating PMI within the Sri Lankan climate. Our study shows a strong need for taphonomic and entomological research in tropical climates to further explore the impact of monsoons on biotic and abiotic factors affecting skeletonization.

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.

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.

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.

Effect of Average Relative Humidity on Epistaxis.

Background Epistaxis is a very common symptom. The occurrence of epistaxis may be affected by dry environments, but there are some differences among previous reports and this view is controversial. Objective We investigated the relationship between the number of epistaxes and daily average relative humidity. Methods Data on patients with epistaxis between March 2011 and February 2021 were collected from two hospitals. The daily average relative humidity was examined, and the change in the number of patients with epistaxis due to humidity was investigated using a generalized linear mixed model. Results A total of 4184 cases of epistaxis were identified. The number of epistaxis cases per day was significantly associated with the daily average relative humidity (p < 0.001). One percent increment in average relative humidity decreases the number of epistaxis cases per day by 1.1%. Conclusion A negative correlation was found to exist between daily average relative humidity and occurrences of epistaxis.

Distribution over time and space of PM2.5 in Beijing- Tianjin- Hebei region and its influence of meteorological factors

As the capital economic belt and the political center of China, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has always been faced with the problem of air pollution. In this study, the emission, seasonal and geographical changes of PM2.5 in this region is analyzed with spatial-temporal distribution. It is found that the concentration of PM2.5 shows a spatial distribution of decreasing from southwest to northeast. In winter, the daily average concentration of PM2.5 is significantly higher than that in other seasons. The influence of meteorological factors on PM2.5 in each city is discussed by cluster analysis, and the correlation between these factors and PM2.5 is studied. The results indicate that the daily average precipitation and wind speed are negatively correlated with PM2.5 concentration, while the daily average relative humidity is positively correlated with it. Finally, this study also puts forward suggestions for PM2.5 control in this area according to the types of cities’ PM2.5 discharge affected by meteorological elements.

Intraseasonal variation of the association between cold temperature and mortality risk in Shandong Province

Objective: To explore the intraseasonal variation in mortality risk from cold temperature exposure in Shandong Province. Methods: Mortality data in Shandong province from 2013 to 2018 were collected from the cause of death surveillance system of Shandong Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The basic information mainly included the date of death, age, gender, education level, cause of death, home address, etc. The daily meteorological data from China Meteorological Data Network mainly included the grid coordinate data of 0.01°×0.01° latitude and longitude, such as daily average temperature (℃) and daily average relative humidity (%). The cold season was from November to February. The first two months were the early cold season and the last two months were the late cold season. The extreme cold temperature was defined as the 10th percentile of the temperature range of cold season. Time-stratified case crossover design with distributed lag non-linear model analyzed the association between temperature and mortality and the association between extreme low temperature and mortality in different lag days in the cold season, and compared the intraseasonal differences between early (November-December) and late (January-February) cold season. Results: The temperature ranged from -17.3 ℃ to 18.6 ℃ in Shandong Province during the cold season from 2013 to 2018, and the P10 (extreme low temperature) was -13.7 ℃. The average daily temperature in the early cold season was (3.63±4.66) ℃. The temperature in the late cold season was (-0.09±3.70) ℃. The average daily relative humidity was (63.89±14.75) % in the early cold season and (62.27±14.19) % in the late cold season. This study included 1 473 300 deaths in the cold season in Shandong Province between 2013 and 2018. There were 824 601 (55.97%) males and 349 824 (23.75%) cases aged<65 years. There were 803 691 (54.55%) deaths due to circulatory diseases and 140 415 (9.53%) deaths due to respiratory diseases. The results of DLNM showed that the cumulative OR of extreme low temperature in the four months of cold season was 1.74 (95%CI: 1.63, 1.86) with the optimal temperature of 18.6 ℃ as the reference. The cumulative OR values of early and late cold season were 1.50 (95%CI: 1.32, 1.71) and 2.56 (95%CI: 2.12, 3.09), respectively (P<0.001). The lag effect lasted for 12 d. Conclusion: There is an intraseasonal variation of the association between cold temperature and mortality risk in Shandong Province. The mortality risk related to cold temperature in the late cold season is higher than that in the early cold season.

Assessment of disease burden related to non-optimal temperature across China

Objective: To estimate the excess mortality attributed to non-optimal ambient temperature in China. Methods: Mortality data and meteorological data from 239 counties in 2013-2018 were collected to simulate the quantitative exposure-response relationship between the temperature and mortality using distributed lag nonlinear models for time series studies. Then the number of non-optimal-temperature-related excess deaths was assessed and the spatial distribution was explored. Results: There were averagely (12±8) cases of all-cause deaths per day per county from 2013 to 2018. The average daily temperature was (14.98±10.31)℃, and the daily average relative humidity was (68.79±17.25)%. The daily average O3 concentration was (58.95±34.96) μg/m³, and the daily average PM2.5 concentration was (54.97±45.56) μg/m³. The exposure-response curve between daily average temperature and all-cause mortality showed a "U" shape, and the theoretical minimum mortality temperature (MMT) corresponding to the minimum number of deaths was 21.60 ℃. When the temperature was higher than MMT, the heat-related health effect increased with the temperature rising. When the temperature was lower than MMT, the cold-related effect increased with the temperature decreasing. The attributable fraction (AF) of death caused by non-optimal temperature was 8.76% (95%CI: 8.07%-9.10%), and the AF of death caused by cold effect and heat effect was 7.21% (95%CI: 6.51%-7.57%) and 1.55% (95%CI: 1.46%-1.61%), respectively. The excess deaths from non-optimal temperature in 2015 were 519 122, 72.98% of which could be attributed to low temperature. The number of excess deaths caused by non-optimal temperature mainly showed a decreasing trend from the east to the west, relatively high (117 522) in East China. Heilongjiang Province (in Northeast China) had the most excess deaths (26 924) caused by low temperature, and Guangdong Province(in South China) had the most excess deaths (27 763) caused by high temperature. Conclusion: The non-optimal temperature has a significant impact on health and causes a considerable burden of disease in China with obvious spatial heterogeneity.

A time-series study on the association of ambient temperature with daily outpatient visits of eczema in Huizhou city

Objective: To explore the impact of environmental temperature exposure on eczema visits. Methods: Eczema clinic data from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019 were collected from the Huizhou Dermatology Hospital, and data on meteorological factors (average daily temperature and relative humidity) for the same period were derived from 86 meteorological stations of the Guangdong Provincial Climate Center. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to assess the lagged effect of environmental temperature exposure on eczema, and a natural smooth spline function was used to control the nonlinear confounding of humidity. Results: There were 254 053 eczema outpatient visits at the Huizhou Dermatology Hospital within four years, with an average of 173.89 visits per day. The relationship between daily average temperature and the number of visits was non-linear (U shape). The risk of eczema increased by 2.20% (1.19%-3.21%) for every 1 ℃ decrease for the low temperature, and increased by 2.35% (1.24%-3.5%) for every 1 ℃ increase for the high temperature. The effect of high temperature was greater than that of low temperature. In all cases, 1.60% (0.44%-2.68%) of eczema outpatient visits were attributed to low temperature and the attributable number was 4 065 (1 128-6 798), while 6.33% (1.40%-10.87%) of eczema outpatient visits were due to high temperature and the attributable number was 16 082 (3 557-27 616). Conclusion: Both high temperature and low temperature are associated with increased risk of eczema.

Daily average relative humidity forecasting with LSTM neural network and ANFIS approaches

Because hurricanes, droughts, floods, and heat waves are all important factors in measuring environmental changes, they can all result from changes in atmospheric air temperature and relative humidity (RH). Besides, climate, weather, industry, human health, and plant growth are all affected by RH. Accurately and consistently forecasting RH is a challenge due to its non-linear nature. The present study tried to predict one day ahead of RH in determined provinces from different climatic regions of Turkey (Ankara, Erzurum, Samsun, Diyarbakır, Antalya, and Bilecik) using long short-term memory (LSTM) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) with fuzzy c-means (FCM)–based machine learning models. As evaluation criteria, root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and correlation coefficient (R) were employed. The outcomes from the forecasting models were also validated using observed data. During the testing stage, the smallest MAE and RMSE values were discovered to be 5.76% and 7.51%, respectively, in Erzurum province, with an R value of 0.892 when using the LSTM method. Moreover, the smallest MAE and RMSE values were obtained to be 5.95% and 7.67%, respectively, in Erzurum province with an R value of 0.887 using the ANFIS model according to the daily RH prediction. The results indicate that both the LSTM and ANFIS approaches performed satisfactory performance in daily RH prediction, with the LSTM and ANFIS approaches producing nearly identical results.

The local environmental factors impact the infestation of bee colonies by mite Varroa destructor

Colony collapse disorder has become a global problem for beekeepers, and agriculture, which depends on bee pollination. Among other factors, the impact of the parasitic mite V. destructor, which causes varroosis, increases the risk of bee colony collapse. Global climatic changes can affect honey bee colony fate on multiple levels, including the spread of its antagonist, the ectoparasite mite V. destructor. In this work, we presumed that local meteorological conditions and the choice of appropriate beekeeping management significantly influence the number of Varroa mites falling off of honey bees. Therefore, we examined using statistical analyses the relation between biotic (number of V. destructor in A. mellifera colonies, bee quine line) and abiotic factors (maximum, minimum and average daily temperature, maximum, minimum and average daily relative humidity, hive location). Ambient air temperature proved to be a significant factor in this issue. When the daily maximum temperature ranging from 25.1 to 31.7 °C and minimum daily temperature above 5.5 °C, there was an increase in the fall of V. destructor. The highest fall of V. destructor for the whole study period was recorded when the daily air temperature was increased between 13.9 and 28.7 °C and the humidity was decreased between 47.2 and 22.7 % in the hives located in the open space. This study shows that mite falls are also influenced by the hives' location and the beeline's hygienic characteristics. Therefore, beekeepers should consider these factors when planning management strategies.