Average Daily Relative Humidity Research Articles

Measurement of Enteric Methane Emissions by the SF6 Technique Is Not Affected by Ambient Weather Conditions.

Simple SummaryAlthough the SF6 technique was developed over 25 years ago with the intention that it could be used to measure enteric methane production from ruminants outdoors, no experiments have reported the influence of ambient wind speed, temperature, humidity or rainfall on the accuracy of the technique. Six different cohorts of dairy cows (40 per cohort) were kept outdoors and fed a common diet during spring in 3 consecutive years. Individual cow feed intakes and daily methane productions were measured over 5 consecutive days and an automatic weather station measured air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and rainfall every 10 min. Regression analyses were used to relate the average daily temperature, wind speed, humidity and rainfall to the average daily dry matter intake, methane production and methane yield of each cohort of cows. It was concluded that the modified SF6 technique can be used outdoors during a range of weather conditions without a significant effect on the measurement of methane production or methane yield of dairy cows.Despite the fact that the sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique was developed over 25 years ago to measure methane production from grazing and non-housed animals, no studies have specifically investigated whether ambient wind speed, temperature, relative humidity and rainfall influence the accuracy of the method. The aim of this research was to investigate how these weather factors influence the measurement of enteric methane production by the SF6 technique. Six different cohorts of dairy cows (40 per cohort) were kept outdoors and fed a common diet during spring in 3 consecutive years. Methane production from individual cows was measured daily over the last 5 days of each 32-day period. An automated weather station measured air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and rainfall every 10 min. Regression analyses were used to relate the average daily wind speed, average daily temperature, average daily relative humidity and total daily rainfall measurements to dry matter intake, average daily methane production and methane yield of each cohort of cows. It was concluded that the modified SF6 technique can be used outdoors during a range of wind speeds, ambient temperatures, relative humidities and rainfall conditions without causing a significant effect on the measurement of methane production or methane yield of dairy cows.

The Impact of Meteorological Factors and Air Pollution on the Spread of COVID-19

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as a new infectious disease, has relatively strong ability to spread from person to person. This paper studies several meteorological factors and air quality indicators between Shenzhen and Wenzhou, China, and conducts modelling analysis on whether the transmission of COVID-19 is affected by atmosphere. A comparative assessment is made on the characteristics of meteorological factors and air quality in these two typical cities in China and their impacts on the spread of COVID-19. The article uses meteorological data and air quality data, including 7 variables: daily average temperature, daily average relative humidity, daily average wind speed, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3), a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) is constructed to explore the correlation between atmospheric conditions and non-imported confirmed cases of COVID-19, and the relative risk is introduced to measure the lagging effects of meteorological factors and air pollution on the number of non-imported confirmed cases. Our finding indicates that there is significant differences in the relationship between 7 predictors and the transmission of COVID-19 in Shenzhen and Wenzhou. However, all predictors between the two cities have a non-linear relationship with the number of non-imported confirmed cases. The lower daily average temperature has increased the risk of epidemic transmission in the two cities. As the temperature rises, the risk of epidemic transmission in both cities will significantly decrease. The average daily relative humidity has no significant effects on the epidemic situation in Shenzhen, but the lower relative humidity reduces the risk of epidemic spread in Wenzhou. In contrast, meteorological data have significant impacts on the spread of COVID-19 in Wenzhou. The four predictors (NO2, PM2.5, CO, and O3) have significant effects on the number of nonimported confirmed cases. Among them, PM2.5 has a significant positive correlation with the number of non-imported confirmed cases. Daily average wind speed, NO2 and O3 have different effects on the number of non-imported confirmed cases in different cities.

Ambient air pollution and cerebrovascular disease mortality: an ecological time-series study based on 7-year death records in central China.

Most studies of short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and cerebrovascular diseases focused on specific stroke-related outcomes, and results were inconsistent due to data unavailability and limited sample size. It is unclear yet how ambient air pollution contributes to the total cardiovascular mortality in central China. Daily deaths from cerebrovascular diseases were obtained from the Disease Surveillance Point System (DSPs) of Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the period from 2013 to 2019. Air pollution data were obtained from Wuhan Ecology and Environment Institute from 10 national air quality monitoring stations, including average daily PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3. Average daily temperature and relative humidity were obtained from Wuhan Meteorological Bureau. We performed a Poisson regression in generalized additive models (GAM) to examine the association between ambient air pollution and cerebrovascular disease mortality. We observed a total of 84,811 deaths from cerebrovascular diseases from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2019 in Wuhan. Short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 was positively associated with daily deaths from cerebrovascular diseases, and no significant association was found for O3. The largest effect on cerebrovascular disease mortality was found at lag0 for PM2.5 (ERR: 0.927, 95% CI: 0.749-1.105 per 10 μg/m3) and lag1 for PM10 (ERR: 0.627, 95% CI: 0.493-0.761 per 10 μg/m3), SO2 (ERR: 2.518, 95% CI: 1.914, 3.122 per 10 μg/m3), and NO2 (ERR: 1.090, 95% CI: 0.822-1.358 per 10 μg/m3). The trends across lags were statistically significant. The stratified analysis demonstrated that females were more susceptible to SO2 and NO2, while elder individuals aged above 65 years old, compared with younger people, suffered more from air pollution, especially from SO2. Short-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and NO2 were significantly associated with a higher risk of cerebrovascular disease mortality, and elder females seemed to suffer more from air pollution. Further research is required to reveal the underlying mechanisms.

Effect of silicon oxide supplementation in broiler chickens' drinking water on performance and litter quality under tropical environment

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of silicon oxide in broiler chickens drinking water on performance and litter quality. A total of 120, one-day old mixed sex broiler chicks were randomly divided into 4 treatments and 3 replications, with 10 birds in each replicate in a completely randomised experimental design, with 4 silicon levels (0.00, 1.50, 2.00 and 2.50 mg of silicon oxide/litre of water. Corn-soya based diets were formulated at the starter (0–4 weeks) and finisher (5–8weeks) phases and were supplied ad libitum with free access to water. The average daily temperature and relative humidity inside the poultry house were 35.9 °C and 36%, respectively. At the starter phase, chicks administered 2.00mg silicon oxide/litre of water had significantly (p<0.05) higher final body weight (991.00g) and average weight gain (950.96g) compared to chicks without silicon oxide 778.57 g and 738.54g. The inclusion of 2.00 mg silicon oxide/litre of water improved feed conversion ratio compared to the control group (p < 0.05) and significantly reduced feed cost per kg gain. For the finisher phase, chickens administered 2.00mg silicon oxide/litre of water had the best results for final weight, weight gain and feed cost per kg gain. Also, inclusion of silicon oxide in broiler chickens water improved litter quality as predominantly dry material but with some areas of wet shavings was observed. In conclusion, silicon oxide in broiler chickens drinking water at 2.00mg/litre of water enhanced growth performance, improved feed conversion ratio and litter quality as well as reduced feed cost per kg gain at the starter and finisher phases respectively.

Characteristics and Formation Mechanism of Three Haze Pollution Processes in Chengdu in Winter

Based on the online monitoring data of gaseous pollutants and components in PM2.5 from Chengdu super observatory of atmospheric environment, the meteorological factors and component characteristics of three haze pollution process in Chengdu from 2019 to 2020 were analyzed. The CMB model was adopted to simulate the sources and variation trends of PM2.5 pollution during the study period, and the causes of each pollution process were analyzed. The results showed that all the three pollution processes occurred under adverse meteorological conditions, where the relative humidity and temperature continued to rise and the wind speed and boundary layer height continued to decrease. The average daily relative humidity was greater than 70%, average daily temperature was greater than 8℃, average daily wind speed was less than 0.8 m ·s-1, and average daily boundary layer height was less than 650 m. During the three events of pollution, the main components were NO3-, OC, NH4+, and SO42-. Among them, the mass concentration and proportion of NO3- increased by 1.47-2.09 and 0.22-0.35 times, respectively, during the pollution period as compared to those during the clean period. NO3- was a key component of PM2.5 pollution during winter in Chengdu. During the three pollution processes, the mean values of SOR and NOR were 0.40 and 0.27, respectively, and the secondary transformation degree of SO2 and NOx was high. The conversion of SO2 to SO42- was mainly dominated by heterogeneous oxidation at night, and the conversion of NOx to NO3- was dominated by heterogeneous hydrolysis. The characteristics of the three processes were slightly different. Process Ⅰ showed evident secondary nitrate-dominated characteristics. During the period of rising PM2.5 concentration in process Ⅱ, it was mainly affected by coal emissions, but during the periods of high PM2.5 concentration, it was mainly affected by NO3-. Process Ⅲ was also a nitrate-dominated process, but emissions of fossil fuel combustion had increased during certain polluted periods. Secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate, motor vehicles, and coal combustion were the main pollution sources during the study period. The PM2.5 concentration was positively correlated with the contribution of secondary nitrate and negatively correlated with the contribution of dust source.

A Paulownia coreana Box for Storage of Annals of Joseon Dynasty: Its Efficacy and Functionality Evaluations of Temperature and Relative Humidity Control, and Microbe and Insect Repellent Activity

Paulownia coreana has various advantages as a convenient workability, aesthetic outlook, beautiful patterns, low weight and high strength, and its permeability. P. coreana has been widely used for storage but there are no empirical researches proving its functionality in a field of conservation science until now. In this study, the seasonal and daily temperature and relative humidity control, and microbe and insect repellent activity were evaluated under the controlled and uncontrolled circumstances from 2015 to 2016. The results showed to be mainly excellent in relative humidity control and the buffering effect was good to adjust the average daily relative humidity range from the outside. With respect to the antimicrobial properties of P. coreana, we observed that its water-soluble extract produced visible zones of inhibition against five bacteria. However, it was difficult to predict the antimicrobial and/or insecticidal properties.

Research on climate zoning indicators for operating environment of liquefied natural gas ambient air vaporizer

LNG must be gasified to gaseous natural gas by heating and returned to the required temperature before it can be used. The heat transfer performance and gasification capacity of ambient air vaporizer (AAV) are related to the temporal and spatial characteristics of the climatic environment. The purpose of this paper is to establish the climate zoning indicators for operating environment of AAV for the first time, and to provide reference for the application of AAV in different regions. The T8-80 and AAV degree days (CDD T8-80) were first proposed by establishing the integral heat transfer model of AAV. Based on the comprehensive consideration of the thermal load characteristics and heat transfer performance of AAV, a climate zoning indicator system for AAV was established. It includes AAV degree days, average daily temperature in coldest month and average daily relative humidity in winter. Globally, we selected four cities and one country to discuss the application of indicators. The results show that: the heat transfer performance of AAV is closely related to the environment; T8-80 and AAV degree days played a major role in the climate zoning of AAV operation; the indicators are applicable in the world and have good application effect.

Effects of temperature and relative humidity on the number of outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and their interaction effect in Lanzhou, China

To understand the relationships of daily average temperature and relative humidity with outpatient visit frequency of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and whether temperature and relative humidity have a lag effect. The effects of daily average temperature, relative humidity, and their interaction in Lanzhou between January 2013 and December 2017 on the outpatient visit frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients were analyzed using Poisson generalized linear regression model combined with distributed lag non-linear model. There was a non-linear relationship between the daily average temperature and the outpatient visit frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Between -12 °C and -8 °C, the outpatient visit frequency increased gradually with the decrease of the daily average temperature, and the outpatient visit frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients increased by 11.60% per 1 °C of temperature drop. The daily average relative humidity also presented a non-linear effect on the outpatient visit frequency chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. When the daily average relative humidity was in the range of 15%-28%, the outpatient visit frequency increased gradually with the decrease of relative humidity, and the outpatient visit frequency of COPD patients increased by 37.05% for every 1% decrease of relative humidity. A synergistic effect was found between air temperature and relative humidity on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, that is, under different relative humidity, the effect of air temperature was different. When the daily average relative humidity ≤ 50% and the daily average temperature≤11 °C, the effect of air temperature was the most obvious. For every 1 °C drop in temperature, the daily out-patient visit frequency of the whole population increased by 12.68% (5.62% in males and 7.56% in females; 5.24% in population < 65 years and 14.74% in population ≥ 65 years). When the daily average relative humidity > 50% and the daily average temperature ≤ 11 °C, the daily outpatient visit frequency of the whole population increased by 9.00% for every 1 °C drop in temperature (< 65 years, 7.11%; ≥65 years, 10.93%). When the daily average temperature > 11 °C, the temperature had no effect on the daily outpatient visit frequency of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients under different relative humidity. The presence of a certain extent of interaction is observed between daily average temperature and relative humidity. Low-temperature and dry environment (relative humidity ≤50%, temperature ≤11 °C) as well as low-temperature and high-humidity environment (relative humidity > 50%, temperature ≤11 °C) can both increase the risk of outpatient visit in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Prey-stage preferences, functional and numerical responses, and mutual interference of Typhlodromus bagdasarjani (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Eotetranychus frosti (Tetranychidae)

ABSTRACTPrey-stage preference, functional response, numerical response, and mutual interference of Typhlodromus bagdasarjani Wainstein & Arutunjan feeding on Eotetranychus frosti (McGregor) (Tetranychidae) were determined at 25 ± 1ºC, with 16:8 h L: D, at an average daily relative air humidity of 60 ± 10% on apple leaves. The results of the no-choice experiment on E. frosti revealed that the predator T. bagdasarjani consumed significantly more eggs than other prey stages. In the choice experiment, the predator showed a significant preference for E. frosti protonymphs, followed by larvae, whereas preference for consumption of eggs or deutonymphs was less. Likewise, T. bagdasarjani demonstrated a type II functional response on protonymphs of E. frosti. The attack rate (a) and handling time (Th) coefficients of a Type II response were estimated by fitting Rogers model to the data. The oviposition rate increased at the highest prey density and tended to stabilize when prey density was greater than 32 prey/day. The negative value of the interference coefficient (−0.159) in the mutual interference analysis showed an inverse relationship between the predator density and per capita searching efficiency. The results of this study revealed that T. bagdasarjani can play a role in controlling E. frosti populations, particularly when prey densities are low.

Induction and Formation of Accessory Corpus Luteum after Artificial Insemination (AI) Might Increase Pregnancy Rate per AI in Heat Stressed Dairy Cows

Abstract The present study aimed to evaluate whether the induction and the formation of an accessory corpus luteum (CL) after AI might increase the pregnancy per AI (P/AI) in heat stressed dairy cows. Starting at d 50±3 post-partum, 113 lactating Holstein cows from one commercial herd during summer were scored for body condition, blood sampled and examined by ultrasound. Those bearing a CL&gt;25mm and progesterone (P4) level&gt;2ng/mL were synchronized using a double PGF2α injection given 12 h apart and AI-ed at detected estrus. In total 18 cows, there were not any signs of estrus (n=10) nor a P4 level &lt;2ng/mL at the time of enrolment (n=8) and therefore they were excluded from the study, leading to 95 cows finally enrolled.. At d5 post-AI, cows were randomly allocated into 2 groups: control group (CON, n=45) without any additional treatment, and treatment group (GnRH, n=50), treated with 0.008 mg Buserelin – a GnRH agonist. Blood sampling and ultrasound examination were done at d5, d14 and at d21 after AI, whereas the pregnancy diagnosis was done at d21 and d30 after AI. Average daily temperature and relative humidity values were used to calculate the temperature-humidity index (THI). The average THI during the experiment was 79.5±0.6. At d5, no differences were observed neither between the number of the CL nor between the P4 level in both groups. At d14 and d21, 82% of the GnRH-treated cows had more than one CL versus 0% of the CON cows. Both at d14 and 21, GnRH-treated cows had higher P4 levels compared to the CON cows (p&lt;0.05). In addition, P/AI were higher in the GnRH group than in the CON group (65% vs. 48.3%, p&lt;0.05), whereas late embryonic losses were higher in CON in comparison to GnRH cows (10.6 vs. 4%, respectively). The BCS at the moment of insemination did not affect P/AI (p&gt;0.05). In conclusion, the induction of an accessory CL at d 5 after AI might increase P/AI in heat stressed dairy cows.

Estimation model of winter wheat disease based on meteorological factors and spectral information

Wheat scab (WS, Fusarium head blight), one of the most severe diseases of winter wheat in Yangtze-Huaihe river region, whose monitoring and timely forecasting at large scale would help to optimize pesticide spraying and achieve the purpose of reducing yield loss. In the present study, remote sensing monitoring on WS was conducted in 4 counties in Yangtze-Huaihe river region. Sensitive factors of WS were selected to establish the remote sensing estimation model of winter wheat scab index (WSI) based on interactions between spectral information and meteorological factors. The results showed that: 1) Correlations between the daily average temperature (DAT) and daily average relative humidity (DAH) at different time scales and WSI were significant. 2) There were positive linear correlations between winter wheat biomass, leaf area index (LAI), leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and WSI. 3) NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), RVI (ratio vegetation index) and DVI (difference vegetation index) which had a good correlation with LAI, biomass and LCC, respectively, and could be used to replace them in modeling. 4) The estimated values of the model were consistent with the measured values (RMSE = 5.3%, estimation accuracy = 90.46%). Estimation results showed that the model could efficiently estimate WS in Yangtze-Huaihe river region.Graphical abstract

Application of Numerical Weather Prediction Data to Estimate Infection Risk of Bacterial Grain Rot of Rice in Korea.

This study was conducted to evaluate usefulness of numerical weather prediction data generated by the Unified Model (UM) for plant disease forecast. Using the UM06- and UM18-predicted weather data, which were released at 0600 and 1800 Universal Time Coordinated (UTC), respectively, by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), disease forecast on bacterial grain rot (BGR) of rice was examined as compared with the model output based on the automated weather stations (AWS)-observed weather data. We analyzed performance of BGRcast based on the UM-predicted and the AWS-observed daily minimum temperature and average relative humidity in 2014 and 2015 from 29 locations representing major rice growing areas in Korea using regression analysis and two-way contingency table analysis. Temporal changes in weather conduciveness at two locations in 2014 were also analyzed with regard to daily weather conduciveness (Ci) and the 20-day and 7-day moving averages of Ci for the inoculum build-up phase (Cinc) prior to the panicle emergence of rice plants and the infection phase (Cinf) during the heading stage of rice plants, respectively. Based on Cinc and Cinf, we were able to obtain the same disease warnings at all locations regardless of the sources of weather data. In conclusion, the numerical weather prediction data from KMA could be reliable to apply as input data for plant disease forecast models. Weather prediction data would facilitate applications of weather-driven disease models for better disease management. Crop growers would have better options for disease control including both protective and curative measures when weather prediction data are used for disease warning.

Meteorological factors affecting respiratory syncytial virus infection: A time-series analysis.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a major cause of hospitalization in children. Meteorological factors are known to influence seasonal RSV epidemics, but the relationship between meteorological factors and RSV infection in children is not well understood. We aimed to explore the relationship between meteorological factors and RSV infections among hospitalized children, using different statistical models. We conducted a retrospective review concerning children with RSV infections admitted to a tertiary pediatric hospital in Wenzhou, China, between January 2008 and December 2017. The relationship between meteorological factors (average daily temperatures, average daily relative humidity, rainfall, rainfall days, and wind speed) and the incidence of RSV in hospitalized children was analyzed using three time-series models, namely an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, a generalized additive model (GAM), and a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-based model. In total, 15 858 (17.6%) children tested positive for RSV infection. The ARIMA model revealed a marked seasonal pattern in the RSV detection rate, which peaked in winter and spring. The model was a good predictor of RSV incidence (R2 : 83.5%). The GAM revealed that a lower temperature and higher wind speed preceded increases in RSV detection. The LASSO-based model revealed that temperature and relative humidity were negatively correlated with RSV detection. Seasonality of RSV infection in hospitalized children correlated strongly with temperature. The LASSO-based model can be used to predict annual RSV epidemics using weather forecast data.

Association Between Air Temperature and the Incidence of Acute Coronary Heart Disease in Northeast China.

AimThe aim of this study was to examine the association between air temperature and incidence of acute coronary heart disease in Northeast China.MethodsWe obtained coronary heart disease (CHD) daily hospitalization data from January 2017 to June 2019, and collected meteorological data including average daily air temperature, air pressure, relative humidity, wind velocity, sunshine duration and water vapor pressure, for the same period. Totally, This study included data from 6775 patients with CHD.ResultsAfter adjusting for confounding factors, low air temperature was inversely associated with CHD. Additionally, in the warm season (April–September), the number of daily hospital admissions for CHD was higher (≥24.2°C) if the average daily air temperature was low (≤15.4°C).ConclusionLow air temperature might be a risk factor for CHD among the elderly, especially in the warm season.

Genetic evaluation of heat tolerance in Holstein cows in Japan.

We used test‐day records and daily records from provincial weather stations in Japan to evaluate heat tolerance (HT) in Holstein cows according to a random regression test‐day model. Data were a total of 1,641,952 test‐day records for heritability estimates and 17,245,694 test‐day records for genetic evaluation of HT by using milk yield and somatic cell score (SCS) in Holstein cows that had calved for the first time in 2000 through 2015. Temperature–humidity index (THI) values were estimated by using average daily temperature and average daily relative humidity records from 60 provincial Japanese weather stations. The model contained herd–test‐day, with lactation curves on days in milk within month–age group as a fixed effect. General additive genetic effect and HT of additive genetic effect were included as random effects. The threshold value of THI was set to 60. For milk yield, estimated mean heritabilities were lower during heat stress (THI = 78; 0.20 and 0.28) than when below the heat stress threshold (THI ≤ 60; 0.26 and 0.31). For SCS, heritability estimates (range 0.08–0.10) were similar under all heat stress conditions. Genetic trends of HT indicated that EBVs of HT are changing in an undesirable direction.

Empirical Models for Estimating Tropospheric Radio Refractivity Over Osogbo, Nigeria

Background:Estimation of tropospheric radio refractivity is significant in the planning and design of terrestrial communication links.Methods:In this study, the monthly average daily atmospheric pressure, relative humidity and temperature data obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the period of twenty two years (July 1983 - June 2005) for Osogbo (Latitude 7.470N, Longitude 4.290E, and 302.0 m above sea level) were used to estimate the monthly tropospheric radio refractivity. The monthly average daily global solar radiation with other meteorological parameters was used to developed one, two, three and four variable correlation(s) tropospheric radio refractivity models for the location. The accuracy of the proposed models are validated using statistical indicator 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).Results:In each case one empirical model was recommended based on their exceptional performances after ranking, except for the two variation correlations with two empirical models. The recommended models were further subjected to ranking from which the three variable correlations model that relates the radio refractivity with the absolute temperature, relative humidity and global solar radiation was found more suitable for estimating tropospheric radio refractivity for Osogbo with R2= 100.0%, MBE = -0.2913 N-units, RMSE = 0.3869 N-units, MPE = 0.0811%, NSE = 99.9999% and IA = 100.00%.Conclusion:The newly developed recommended models (Equations 16c, 17d, 17f, 18d and 19) can be used for estimating daily and monthly values of tropospheric radio refractivity with higher accuracy and has good compliance to highly varying climatic conditions for Osogbo and regions of similar climatic information.

Empirical Models for Estimating Tropospheric Radio Refractivity Over Osogbo, Nigeria

Background:Estimation of tropospheric radio refractivity is significant in the planning and design of terrestrial communication links.Methods:In this study, the monthly average daily atmospheric pressure, relative humidity and temperature data obtained from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the period of twenty two years (July 1983 - June 2005) for Osogbo (Latitude 7.470N, Longitude 4.290E, and 302.0 m above sea level) were used to estimate the monthly tropospheric radio refractivity. The monthly average daily global solar radiation with other meteorological parameters was used to developed one, two, three and four variable correlation(s) tropospheric radio refractivity models for the location. The accuracy of the proposed models are validated using statistical indicator 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).Results:In each case one empirical model was recommended based on their exceptional performances after ranking, except for the two variation correlations with two empirical models. The recommended models were further subjected to ranking from which the three variable correlations model that relates the radio refractivity with the absolute temperature, relative humidity and global solar radiation was found more suitable for estimating tropospheric radio refractivity for Osogbo with R2= 100.0%, MBE = -0.2913 N-units, RMSE = 0.3869 N-units, MPE = 0.0811%, NSE = 99.9999% and IA = 100.00%.Conclusion:The newly developed recommended models (Equations 16c, 17d, 17f, 18d and 19) can be used for estimating daily and monthly values of tropospheric radio refractivity with higher accuracy and has good compliance to highly varying climatic conditions for Osogbo and regions of similar climatic information.

INFLUENCE OF NODULOUS AND ENDOPHYTIC BACTERIA SEEDS INOCULATION UPON THE SOYA VARIETIES YIELD UNDER IRRIGATED CONDITIONS OF SOUTHERN STEPPE OF UKRAINE

Relevance of research.To increase the effectiveness of symbiotic fixation in recent years, the complex inoculation of legume seeds with nodulousbacteria along with endophytic bacteria is used.However, the issue of the inoculant use effectivenessbased on rhizobia and endophytic bacteria is still not well studied enough.So, an assessment of their effectiveness is extremely important for the further development of existing scientific knowledge about the microbial and plant symbiosis of leguminous crops. Along with the above, the involvement of nitrogen from the air into the nutrients circulation by legumes provides the ecological improvement of the environment.&#x0D; The purpose of scientificresearches is to specify the effectiveness of the effect of complex inoculation of seeds by the strains of nodulous and endophytic bacteria on the yield of different varieties of soybean under the irrigatedconditions of the southern Steppe zone of Ukraine.&#x0D; Materials and methods of research.Two-factor field experiment is based on the split plot method in a four-time repetition, where the main plots (first-order plots), factor A – varieties of soya: ultra-fast-growing –Diona and mid-growing –Aratta, subplots(second-order plots), factor B –inoculation of seeds with different strains of nodulous and endophytic bacteria: Control 1 (without seed water treatment); Control 2 (seed water treatment); RyzobinK(association of three strains of Bradyrhizobiumjaponicum: B.japonicum of УКМВ-6018, УКМВ-6023, УКМВ-6035); RyzobinK+ Ranibacillus sp.1; RyzobinK + Bacillus sp.4; RyzobinK + Brevibacillus sp.5; RyzobinK + Pseudomonas sp.6; RisobinK + Bacillus megateriumУКМВ-5724.Soybean sowing was carried out in the third decade of April with a seeder «Клен» with a rows width of 45 cm to a depth of 6 cm. The seed rate of Diona varietyis 800000 and Aratta– 600000 similar seeds per 1 hectare.&#x0D; The influence of weather and climatic conditions on the soybean crop formation was specified by determining the potential evaporation, moisture deficit and humidity coefficient. The evaporation and lack of moisture supply during the interphase periods of studied soybean varieties significantly changed and depended on the average daily temperature and relative air humidity and the amount of precipitation fallen during the growing season.&#x0D; Results of the research and their discussion.The application of strains of nodulous and endophytic bacteria during inoculation of seed material significantly influenced the yield of different soybean varieties. On average, in 2017-2018, the highest yield of soybean seeds was obtained from pre-sowing inoculation with nodulous bacteria, which is the basis of RisobinK, in combination with endophytic bacteria.In particular, the maximum yield of Dionavariety was formed during pre-sowing inoculation of seeds RisobinK + Bacillus sp.4 – 3,12 t/ha, Aratta variety – 2,55 t/ha. The high yield of soybean Diona variety – 2,85 t/ha and Aratta variety – 2.40 t/ha were also obtained for inoculation of seeds by the bacterial complex RisobinK + Brevibacillus sp.5. The lowest yield of both sorts of soy was obtained in the version Control 1 (without seed treatment with water) – 2,27 t/ha Diona variety and 2,13 t/ha –Aratta variety.&#x0D; Conclusions.Thus, the seeds crop formation of different varieties of Diona and Aratta soybeans under the conditions of regional dry (95%) climate change in 2017-2018, significantly depended on the hydrothermal conditions of the vegetation period and the symbiosis of nodulous and endophytic bacteria on the irrigated land of the southern subzone Steppe of Ukraine.Pre-sowing inoculation of soybean seeds varieties with the nodulous and endophytic bacteria, in comparison with the control variants, significantly influenced the formation of soya varieties crop, and increased the yield of Dionavariety by 0,58-0,85 t/ha and the Aratta variety – 0,27-0,42 t/ha.

Analysis on association between incidence of hand foot and mouth disease and meteorological factors in Xiamen, 2013-2017

Objective: To study the influence of meteorological factors on the incidence of hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Xiamen, Fujian province, and provide scientific evidence for the early warning, prediction, prevention and control of HFMD. Methods: Correlation analysis and distribution lag nonlinear models (DLNM) analysis of meteorological factors such as daily average pressure, daily average relative humidity, daily average temperature and sunshine hours and the incidence of HFMD in Xiamen during 2013 to 2017 were conducted by using R3.4.3 software. Results: A total of 36 464 cases of HFMD were reported in Xiamen during 2013-2017, and the incidence showed an upward trend (F=40.359, P=0.008). The daily average relative humidity, daily average temperature and sunshine hours were positively correlated with the incidence of HFMD (r>0), and the daily average site pressure was negatively correlated with the incidence of HFMD (r<0). In the case of a lag of 0-5 days, when the daily average pressure of the station was higher than 1 005 hPa, the risk of HFMD gradually increased with the increase of air pressure, and the risk of disease decreased with the increase of lag days. The risk was highest when air pressure was 1 017 hPa and at the lag of 0 day (RR=1.14, 95%CI: 0.67-1.94). When the relative humidity was higher than 95%, the risk of HFMD gradually increased with the increase of relative humidity, and the lag time ranged from 0 day to 10 days, which was most obvious on the 4(th) and 5(th) days. The risk was highest when relative humidity was 100% and at the lag of 5 days (RR=1.32, 95%CI: 1.02-1.71). When the air temperature was >28 ℃ and <8 ℃, the risk of HFMD existed, but the lag time was inconsistent. The relative risk was highest during 15-20 days at low air temperature, and the lag time at high air temperature was mainly during 5-15 days. The risk was highest when air temperature was 28 ℃ and at the lag of 4 days (RR=1.10, 95%CI: 0.94-1.29). The sunshine time was >12 h and lag of 0-3 days was a risk factor for the incidence of HFMD. The risk was highest when sunshine time was 13 h and the lag of 0 day (RR=1.20, 95%CI: 1.05-1.36). Conclusion: Meteorological factors such as daily average pressure, daily average relative humidity, daily average temperature and sunshine hours were associated with the incidence of HFMD with certain lag in Xiamen. So, it is suggested to use these data in the early warning system of HFMD.

Relationship between key environmental factors and profiling of volatile compounds during cucumber fruit development under protected cultivation

To provide precision management of cucumber under protected cultivation, the relationships between environmental factors and daily increment of aroma in two lines were analyzed during development, using Pearson correlation and stepwise regression. Irrespective of the line tested, the daily increment of volatile compounds and C6 aldehydes were positively correlated with average daily light intensity (X1), while the daily increment of C9 aldehydes was negatively correlated with average daily relative humidity (X4) and average daytime relative humidity (X7). X1 was considered as the most significant environmental factor which affected the daily increment of volatile compounds in both lines, X7 was the environmental factor which affected the daily increment of C9 aldehydes most in No.14-1, and X1 and X4 were the factors which affected the daily increment of C6 aldehydes and C9 aldehydes most in No.26. A range of environmental factors was forecast for the maximal daily increment of volatile compounds.