Winter Generation Research Articles

Innovative Energy Design for Energy Efficient Buildings - An Example from the Bullitt Center

In recent years, the extreme climate caused by global warming has brought serious consequences to the world. In order to alleviate the problem of global warming, many scholars have started to analyse energy-saving green buildings. Taking the Bullitt Center as an example, this paper illustrates the innovative applications of energy-efficient buildings in solar power generation, rainwater collection and utilization, toilet water conservation and resource utilization and room temperature regulation. It focuses on the differences in the use of solar power generation in winter and summer, the process of purification of rainwater into water, the comparison between composting toilets and vacuum toilets and the steps of regulating the room temperature by windows and ground-source heat pumps. This paper also talks about the limitations of these innovative applications. It could probably give reference to the subsequent construction of buildings, thus promoting energy saving and emission reduction in buildings and mitigating global warming.

A portable balloon integrated photovoltaic system deployed at low altitude

This paper proposed a portable balloon-integrated photovoltaic system (BIPVS) deployed at low altitude. The inflatable and deflatable design enhances the proposed system flexibility and mobility, enabling it have a wider range of application scenarios. Case studies were conducted based on cities' data of Vasteras, Vancouver, New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong to evaluate 10,000 BIPVS's annual power generation potential. Mid-to-high latitudes are not suitable for photovoltaic power generation in winter due to snow and ice coverage. Excluding the unsuitable winter months, simulation results show that the average monthly power generation of the BIPVSs amounts to 3.921 GWh, 4.238 GWh, 4.275 GWh, 3.337 GWh, and 3.379 GWh, respectively, during the effective working months within a year, which shows the superior performance of mid-to-high latitudes over their low latitudes. Over the life cycle, the BIPVSs exhibit a cumulative power generation capacity, amounting to 479.492 GWh, 592.18 GWh, 672.105 GWh, 641.155 GWh, and 708.334 GWh, respectively, and their total profits are 79.614 million USD, 37.007 million USD, 75.146 million USD, 12.946 million USD, 107.369 million USD, accompanied by the return on investment of 218.6 %, 101.6 %, 206.3 %, 35.5 %, 294.8 %, respectively. These findings illustrate the significant energy and economic advantages and potential of BIPVS.

Assessment of oxidative status, detoxification capacity and immune responsiveness in honey bees with ageing

The honey bee (Apis mellifera L.), as an eusocial insect species, is an important model organism in research focusing on ageing and longevity, due to prominent seasonal lifespan plasticity within the worker caste (summer and winter worker bees). In this study, we employed a screening approach to evaluate several molecular parameters, providing comprehensive insights into the antioxidative (superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, reduced glutathione and sulfhydryl group content, total antioxidative capacity), detoxifying (glutathione S-transferase and acetylcholinesterase activity), and immune (phenol oxidase and glucose oxidase activity) status, as well as vitellogenin content, in the summer and winter generation of honey bees, across ageing stages and in two body compartments: the whole abdomen and the head. Summer worker bees were collected weekly for six weeks, while winter bees were collected monthly for five months. The results of our study clearly indicate a reduced overall antioxidative capacity of older groups of worker bees from both generations, while the parameters of immune responsiveness mostly contributed to the separation between the two generations based on season rather than age categories. Detoxification ability appeared to be more susceptible to environmental factors. An age-dependent increase in vitellogenin content was recorded in the abdomen, but without seasonal differences. These findings provide an excellent starting point for further investigations into age-related changes, particularly within the context of honey bee sociality.

Performance assessment of the curved-type multi-channel PV roof for space-heating and electricity generation in winter

The curved-type PV roof integrated with flexible PV tiles is a novel attempt to implement the building-integrated photovoltaic/thermal technology into diverse genres of architectural design. To explore its performance in the function of electricity generation and space-heating, different ventilation configurations of the air channels are adopted in the design of the multi-air-channels of the system; two working modes (fresh-air-heating - FAH and recirculated-air-heating - RAH) are applied in the system's operation. The case study is based on a residential building linked with the system in Hefei, China. The performance assessment is conducted on a typical sunny winter day and through the winter of the Typical Meteorological Year. The investigation results indicate that RAH mode has the potential to raise the indoor air temperature to a greater extent. However, the electrical power output shows a disadvantage due to the relatively poor PV cooling effect; increasing the connection air channels could enhance the indoor air heating but add the fan power consumption. The prediction throughout winter manifests that the all-in-parallel connection produces 1827.63 kWh (FAH) and 1574.55 kWh (RAH) of total energy, whereas the 6-in-series connection produces 2085.91 kWh (FAH) and 1618.99 kWh (RAH).

Power Generation Performance of CdTe Thin Film Solar Modules in Lhasa

With the increasing energy consumption of buildings, reducing the energy consumption of buildings has become a key link to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality. Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) is an important research direction. Based on the CdTe thin film solar modules power generation system on the south-facing wall of a building in Lhasa, the article collected the annual power generation data for 2022. The characteristics and variation patterns of the total monthly power generation and typical monthly daily power generation are analyzed. Furthermore, the correlation between power generation performance and the main influencing factors was analyzed. The differences in power generation characteristics between CdTe thin films solar modules and single crystal silicon solar modules were compared and analyzed. The results show that the annual power generation of the CdTe thin film solar modules power generation system exhibits a “U” shaped distribution, and the power generation in winter is greatly affected by weather conditions. The peak power of 1kWp CdTe thin film solar modules is lower than that of single crystal silicon solar modules. The generation duration is longer than single crystal silicon solar modules. The total power generation is greater than single crystal silicon solar modules.

Picturing China's photovoltaic energy future: Insights from CMIP6 climate projections

Vigorous development of solar photovoltaic energy (PV) is one of the key components to achieve China's “30•60 Dual-Carbon Target”. In this study, by utilizing the outputs generated by CMIP6 models under different shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) and a physical PV model (GSEE), future changes in PV power generation across China are provided for the outlined carbon neutralization period (2051–2070). The results reveal distinct spatiotemporal characteristics in the changes in PV output across China. Overall, compared to the historical period, annual PV power generation is projected to decrease in northern regions and Tibet Plateau with a maximum decrease of ∼4 % under the high emission scenario (SSP585), while southern and central regions exhibit significant increases. Remarkably, under the green development pathway (SSP126), PV power generation is expected to rise by over 10 % in these regions. The magnitude of decrease in the north and increase in the south is projected to become more pronounced with the continuous increase of future carbon emissions. It is anticipated that the three northern regions of China will experience greater decreases in PV power generation in winter compared to other seasons, especially under SSP585. Additionally, the southeast region shows the smallest increase in summer PV generation out of all seasons. Moreover, under SSP126 trajectory, most regions in China exhibit reduced inter-annual and intra-annual variability in PV generation compared to the historical levels. This suggests that pursuing a sustainable path could substantially mitigate potential risks associated with PV generation fluctuations in China.

Frazil ice events: Assessing what to expect in the future

Abstract This article addresses the question: What is expected from frazil ice activity in rivers, taking into account the changing climate? It begins with an overview of what frazil ice is and what is required for the occurrence of frazil ice events, namely a supercooled water column. Methodologies to anticipate frazil ice events in the short term are based on air temperature and water discharge, underlining the significance of these two parameters for any predictive methods. Longer-term approaches, calibrated against past events (hindcasting), are used to anticipate frazil ice activity into the future, with indicators such as frazil ice risk, water temperature and frazil volume. Any of these approaches could conceivably be applied to frazil-prone river stretches. To assess climate impact, each location should be treated separately. River ice dynamics can lead to the formation of a hanging dam, a frequent outcome of frazil ice generation in the early winter, causing flow restriction. Flood modeling and forecasting capabilities have been developed and implemented for operational use. More frequent mid-winter breakups are expected to extend the occurrence of frazil ice events into the winter months – the prediction of these will require climate model output to adequately capture month-to-month variability.

Selecting optimal power consumption patterns in the Republic of Altai local grid system based on renewable and alternative power sources

The authors develop a system of optimal planning of power consumption in the Republic of Altai local grid system based on a large proportion of renewable and alternative generating power sources. The studies were carried out using the linear programming method for power consumption patterns used by generating consumers. Power consumption charts by seasons and hourly retrospective rows of weather data by wind current velocity and solar insolation over 2021 were used as source data. Wind turbines, solar photovoltaic facilities, hydro-power plants, and energy accumulators were considered as local power consumption facilities to calculate electricity generation. The article provides calculation results for electricity generation in winter, since this is when a higher power deficiency is observed. It was shown that power consumers in the region under study can independently install additional generating power sources in the form of wind turbines, solar photovoltaic facilities, hydro-power plants, and energy accumulators due to electricity deficiency. Their combined generation mitigates the unpredictability of power generation by renewable sources. The authors propose a method that allows generating consumers to minimize their material and financial expenses and reduce the carbon footprint. The significance of the study consists in the substantiation of a hybrid power supply system with a high proportion of renewable and alternative power sources, which is implemented in the Republic of Altai and can be reproduced in other local energy systems with similar weather conditions.

SEASONAL ASSESSMENT OF RUN-OF-RIVER HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT RAMP EVENTS

This study aims to seasonally examine run-of-river type hydroelectric power plants' ramp rates (generation changes) (RoRHPP). Turkey RoRHPP generations were obtained for this objective between 01 December 2020 and 01 December 2021. Obtained data are hourly resolution and belong to 560 plants. The total installed power of the plants used in work is 7897.06 MW. This study used histogram fields to examine ramp rates of 5%, 7.5%, and 10% of the installed power in 1, 3, and 6-hour periods. As a result of the investigations, the cumulative histogram areas of the ramps of 5% and above in 6 hours temporal periods of the spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons were calculated as 39430.94, 22117.72, 17811.76, and 34914.32, respectively. When these ramps are evaluated according to their directions, the histogram areas of positive ramp (generation increase) in spring, summer, autumn, and winter are 20052.1, 10945.74, 9095.8, and 17303.19, respectively. The histogram areas of the negative ramps (reduction of generation) in spring, summer, autumn, and winter are 19378.84, 11171.98, 8715.96, and 17611.13, respectively. According to all these results, ramp events in Turkey's RoRHPP productions occurred the most in the spring. In addition, It was also concluded that positive ramp events occurred more in all seasons.

THE VOICE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS AND ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINE

The purpose of the article is to determine the role of the middle class in political democracy and economic democracy in Ukraine. The role of the Ukrainian middle class in the revolutionary events of 2004 and 2013-2014 – the Ukrainian Maidans, the influence of the middle class on the results of the parliamentary elections in Ukraine and its presentation in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine are noted. The pendulum-like oscillation of self-identification of the middle class between "service to the oligarchs" and "resistance to democracy," the basis of civil society, is noted. The emphasis is placed on the fact that democracy is the rule of the middle class, and the principle of equal freedom is at the core of economic democracy. The compromise between capitalism and democracy is the need to distribute the public good under the supervision of political democracy in the interests of the middle class. Methodology. The theory of economic democracy was used to study the essence and characteristics of the middle class in Ukraine. By means of sociological methods of empirical research middle class identification by indicators of income, education, labor (employment), consumer behavior is given. Differences of "European" middle class from Ukrainian middle class are marked. In connection with the fact that the level of income of the Ukrainian middle class does not correspond to the indicators of EU countries, the necessity of application of subjective indicators to determine self-identification of middle class representatives in Ukraine is substantiated. The definition of the middle class from the opposite, i.e., what the middle class is not (not the oligarchs, not the authorities, not the working class, etc.) is also applied. Results. The trajectories of the middle class in Ukraine have been defined – from active participation in the Ukrainian revolutions to the role of a servant of the oligarchic regime. The middle class is well positioned to establish a regime of political democracy and to oppose the oligarchic-lumpen alliance. What hinders this is the insufficient activity of the middle class during election campaigns and especially after them. The oligarchs' established monopoly in the economy and media space allows for effective election campaigns in the mass media and the financing of political parties. This nullifies attempts of the middle class to establish political democracy in Ukraine. The growing role of the new middle class – intellectuals and representatives of the creative industries – has been noted. The self-identification factors of the middle class include a sense of justice, responsibility for the future and the practice of democratic values. According to sociological research, representatives of the Ukrainian middle class strive for democratic changes, overcoming corruption, deconstruction of the oligarchic regime, and implementation of market reforms. They have higher education, are interested in art, go to restaurants, and can sometimes afford vacations abroad. The political parties that declared support for the middle class and defined it as a target group in the elections included the "Team of Winter Generation," "Veche," "Self Reliance", and "Voice". The first two were perceived as oligarchic projects, while the last two parties made it to parliament, respectively, in the eighth and ninth convocations. Separately, the 2019 elections, in which the voice of the middle class became truly powerful, are examined separately. The "old faces," representatives of the post-Soviet oligarchy, and bureaucrats lost in the majoritarian districts. The middle class refused to support those politicians and parties that had become "servants of the oligarchs" in parliament, taking an important step in building not only a political democracy, but also an economic democracy. Practical implications. The results of the study can be used in the process of European integration of Ukraine, the implementation of reforms to develop political democracy as the rule of the middle class and economic democracy as a democratic system of redistribution of public resources. Value/originality. This study of the middle class and economic democracy allows us to understand the economic factors that influence politics, the role of the middle class and its characteristics in the process of establishing political democracy and economic democracy in Ukraine.

Ecological Predictors of Pupal Survival in a Common North American Butterfly.

All holometabolous insects undergo a pupal life stage, a transformative period during which the insects are immobile and thus particularly vulnerable to both natural enemies and harmful abiotic conditions. For multivoltine species like the silver-spotted skipper [Epargyreus clarus (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)], which produces both diapausing and nondiapausing generations throughout much of its range, both the duration of the pupal stage and the ecological challenges faced by pupae can differ among generations. We conducted a set of field experiments to investigate the seasonal and annual variation in pupal mortality for E. clarus pupae experiencing different biotic and abiotic conditions. We also examined the behavioral and ecological factors influencing the construction and persistence of pupal shelters by prepupal larvae. Surprisingly, measures of both cumulative and daily pupal predation were significantly higher during the relatively short (10-14 d) nondiapausing (summer) generations, compared with the diapausing (winter) generations, despite a nearly 20-fold longer pupal duration recorded for the latter. Indirect evidence from field censuses suggested that this intergenerational difference in mortality was due to seasonal variation in consumption of pupae by generalist vertebrate predators. The presence of a shelter increased survival in summer, though not in winter, perhaps because winter pupae were likely to be buried under autumnal leaf litter, regardless of initial shelter status. When constructing their shelters, prepupal E. clarus larvae did not prefer host leaves over nonhost leaves, suggesting that induced preferences are unlikely to play an important role in this process. Despite finding marked differences in the decomposition rates of shelter leaves derived from host vs. nonhost plants, several lines of evidence suggest that these differences are unlikely to impact E. clarus pupal mortality during either the summer or winter generations.

Meteorologically‐Informed Spatial Planning of European PV Deployment to Reduce Multiday Generation Variability

AbstractRenewable generation variability over multiple days is a key challenge in decarbonizing the European power system. Weather regimes are one way to quantify this variability, but so far, their applications to energy research have focused on wind power generation in winter. However, the projected growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity implies that its absolute variability across the continent will grow substantially. Here we combine weather regimes based on ERA5 reanalysis data with country‐specific capacity factors to investigate multiday PV generation variability in Europe. With current installed capacity (131 GW), total PV production in Europe (52.3 GW) varies by 0.9 GW on average, with a maximum change of 3.0 GW, upon transition from one weather regime to another. Using projected PV capacity for 2050 (1.94 TW), variability would rise to 13.9 and 43.8 GW. We present optimized spatial distributions of capacity additions in three scenarios that substantially reduce variability by up to 40%. One of them ascertains a large local PV production, thereby minimizing the need for long‐range power transmission while still reducing variability by about 30%, highlighting that optimized siting and local generation can be reconciled. Our results emphasize the value of leveraging climate information in decarbonizing power systems.

Seasonal Performance Evaluation of Air-Based Solar Photovoltaic/Thermal Hybrid System

Recently, the use of novel renewable energy has attracted attention for suppressing the generation of carbon dioxide to prevent global warming. There is growing interest in energy reduction in buildings using solar energy because of its ease of use and repair and excellent maintenance. Therefore, in this study, air-based Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems, which can increase the utilization of solar energy, are compared with the existing PV system through measurement. PVT systems can increase the amount of power generation by lowering the temperature of the panel using air passing through the lower part of the panel. It is also possible to use the heated air obtained from the panel as indoor heating or for supplying hot water in a building. As a result of measuring the performance of existing PV panels and PVT panels under the same weather conditions, the power generation efficiency of PVT panels through which air passes increases compared to PV panels. Overall, an air-based PVT system can utilize solar energy about three times more than existing PV systems by utilizing solar heat and solar power. In summer, thermal collection and power generation by PVT were 51.9% and 19.0%, respectively, and power generation by PV was 18.0%. In contrast, the amount of thermal collection and power generation in winter was 43.5% and 20.3%, respectively, and the amount of power generated by PV was 18.7%. As such, it is necessary to review methods for utilizing the increase in power generation in winter and thermal collection in summer.

A survey of lifespan in Winterschmidtiidae (Sarcoptiformes: Astigmata)

The Winterschmidtiidae are a family of over 140 species of fungivorous, saprophagous, predatory and/or parasitic mites in insect/vertebrate nests, in decaying organic matter, in soils and on plants worldwide. In this review, I provide a survey of the immature developmental time, adult longevity and lifespan of the Winterschmidtiidae as part of the series on the lifespans in the Acari. The complete life cycle in this family includes five immature stages (the egg, larva, protonymph, deutonymph and tritonymph) and adult male/female, with deutonymphs lost in some genera such as Czenspinskia and Oulenziella. Development or lifespan data have been reported for only three species (< 3%) of the Winterschmidtiidae, and the experimentally measured lifespans of one to two months most likely reflect those of the summer generation. Afrocalvolia nataliae has two generations per year: the summer generation, which has no deutonymph stage, is mainly devoted to feeding and reproduction and lasts for one month only; the winter generation, however, has a deutonymph stage to resist the cold conditions and lasts for as long as 11 months.

Effect of “EM® PROBIOTIC FOR BEES” on the dynamics viability of bee in an entomological cage experiment

At present, Ukraine is one of the first honey producing country in Europe. Around 100 thousand tonnes of honey are produced annually in Ukraine, therefore, maintaining the health of the bee colonies is an important issue. The use of different groups of drugs for the prevention of bee diseases is strictly controlled, now the known alternatives to antibiotics are probiotics. The micro-organisms in these preparats are able to synthesise vitamins and amino acids necessary for the growth and development of bees, which in turn activates the immunocompetent cells of the insects and prolongs their life. The immunomodulatory and immunostimulatory ability of such supplements of “beneficial” microorganisms is known, both in veterinary and human medicine. The use of such remedies is therefore promising in the field of modern beekeeping. “EM® PROBIOTIC FOR BEES” is a biopreparation that positively influences the microbiological environment of insects, as the preparation is based on Effective Microorganisms®. The ability of this probiotic to influence the dynamics of life span of Ukrainian steppe bees in a wooden entomological cage experiment (in vivo) was the main objective of the experiment. The effect of the probiotic on bee viability was determined by daily analysis and counting the number of dead insects. The study involved the settlement of bees in a wooden entomological cages and the creation of optimal conditions for their keeping (at a temperature of +24 – +25 °C and a humidity of 50–70 %). The product was diluted with buckwheat honey syrup solution and sugar syrup solution at concentrations of 5 %; 2.5 %; 1.25 %; control groups of bees received native solutions of the sugar syrup and buckwheat honey syrup. The analysis of the results shows a positive effect of “EM® PROBIOTIC FOR BEES” on the longevity of Ukrainian steppe worker bees of the winter generation in a entomological cage experiment. A beneficial effect of the probiotic product diluted in sugar syrup at concentrations of 1.25 % to 5 % has been detected on the bee organism, which increased their lifespan. When the product was diluted with buckwheat honey syrup, the best longevity of the insects was recorded at a concentration of 1.25 % compared to the control group of bees. The coefficient of average life expectancy of bees indicates the predominance of sugar syrup as a solvent for this probiotic compared to buckwheat honey syrup under laboratory conditions.

Long‐term fluctuations in density of two species of caddisfly from south‐east Australia and the importance of density‐dependent mortality

AbstractThe long‐term dynamics of freshwater insect populations have attracted little interest. The aim of this study was to examine the recruitment, larval mortality and reproductive output of two species of bivoltine caddisfly,Tasimia palpata(Tasimiidae) andAgapetus kimminsi(Glossosomatidae). In the Cumberland River in south‐western Victoria, both species displayed summer and winter generations and their grazing larvae occupied the same rock surfaces. Ten consecutive generations of these species were monitored to determine which life‐history phases were density dependent. If direct density dependence occurs, mortality during a phase of the life cycle should be positively correlated with the density of individuals entering that phase.Quantitative samples (21 each month) were taken from April 2004 to March 2009 along a 190 m reach. Mean density (R1, numbers/m2) at the beginning of a generation represented the density of larval recruits. Density when pupal density was highest represented mean density at the end of a generation (R2, numbers/m2). Densities of eggs laid (S, numbers/m2) by each generation were determined from pupal densities (P, numbers/m2), development time of pupae and egg numbers per female.The relationship between the number of recruits (R1) and egg density (S) was modelled using a Ricker stock‐recruitment curve. In this model, K1or ln (S/R1), a measure of mortality, is a linear function of S. To extend the analysis to the rest of the life cycle K2(ln [R1/R2]; larval mortality) and K3(ln [R2/P]; mortality during pupation) were calculated. K2and K3were correlated against R1and R2, respectively, to determine whether these sources of mortality were related to starting densities.The Ricker curve forT. palpatawas an excellent fit and K1was correlated with S (r = 0.96,p = 0.03). K2was unrelated to R1(r = 0.05,p = 0.78), but K3was correlated with R2(r = 0.98,p = 0.005). Thus, population regulation ofT. palpataoccurred during recruitment and pupation, i.e. the reproductive phases of its life cycle.The Ricker curve was a poor fit forA. kimminsiand K1was unrelated to S (r = 0.56,p = 0.29). However, K2was correlated with R1(r = 0.92,p = 0.05), but K3was unrelated to R2(r = 0.04,p = 0.84).A. kimminsithus showed density‐dependent mortality during its larval phase. Its larval mortality was also positively correlated with R1ofT. palpata(r = 0.88,p = 0.0008), increasing as the strength of eachT. palpatageneration increased. This suggests competition occurred between the species, most probably related to food or feeding. For both species, K values were unrelated to water temperature or discharge.The populations of the two species were not affected by strong population movements (i.e. immigration or emigration). If such movements had been substantial, they would have disrupted the K values and obscured the density‐dependent trends.

Amplicon Sequencing of Variable 16S rRNA from Bacteria and ITS2 Regions from Fungi and Plants, Reveals Honeybee Susceptibility to Diseases Results from Their Forage Availability under Anthropogenic Landscapes.

European Apis mellifera and Asian Apis cerana honeybees are essential crop pollinators. Microbiome studies can provide complex information on health and fitness of these insects in relation to environmental changes, and plant availability. Amplicon sequencing of variable regions of the 16S rRNA from bacteria and the internally transcribed spacer (ITS) regions from fungi and plants allow identification of the metabiome. These methods provide a tool for monitoring otherwise uncultured microbes isolated from the gut of the honeybees. They also help monitor the composition of the gut fungi and, intriguingly, pollen collected by the insect. Here, we present data from amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA from bacteria and ITS2 regions from fungi and plants derived from honeybees collected at various time points from anthropogenic landscapes such as urban areas in Poland, UK, Spain, Greece, and Thailand. We have analysed microbial content of honeybee intestine as well as fungi and pollens. Furthermore, isolated DNA was used as the template for screening pathogens: Nosema apis, N. ceranae, N. bombi, tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi), any organism in the parasitic order Trypanosomatida, including Crithidia spp. (i.e., Crithidia mellificae), neogregarines including Mattesia and Apicystis spp. (i.e., Apicistis bombi). We conclude that differences between samples were mainly influenced by the bacteria, plant pollen and fungi, respectively. Moreover, honeybees feeding on a sugar based diet were more prone to fungal pathogens (Nosema ceranae) and neogregarines. In most samples Nosema sp. and neogregarines parasitized the host bee at the same time. A higher load of fungi, and bacteria groups such as Firmicutes (Lactobacillus); γ-proteobacteria, Neisseriaceae, and other unidentified bacteria was observed for Nosema ceranae and neogregarine infected honeybees. Healthy honeybees had a higher load of plant pollen, and bacteria groups such as: Orbales, Gilliamella, Snodgrassella, and Enterobacteriaceae. Finally, the period when honeybees switch to the winter generation (longer-lived forager honeybees) is the most sensitive to diet perturbations, and hence pathogen attack, for the whole beekeeping season. It is possible that evolutionary adaptation of bees fails to benefit them in the modern anthropomorphised environment.

Seasonality in telomerase activity in relation to cell size, DNA replication, and nutrients in the fat body of Apis mellifera

In honeybees (Apis mellifera), the rate of aging is modulated through social interactions and according to caste differentiation and the seasonal (winter/summer) generation of workers. Winter generation workers, which hatch at the end of summer, have remarkably extended lifespans as an adaptation to the cold season when the resources required for the growth and reproduction of colonies are limited and the bees need to maintain the colony until the next spring. In contrast, the summer bees only live for several weeks. To better understand the lifespan differences between summer and winter bees, we studied the fat bodies of honeybee workers and identified several parameters that fluctuate in a season-dependent manner. In agreement with the assumption that winter workers possess greater fat body mass, our data showed gradual increases in fat body mass, the size of the fat body cells, and Vg production as the winter season proceeded, as well as contrasting gradual decreases in these parameters in the summer season. The differences in the fat bodies between winter and summer bees are accompanied by respective increases and decreases in telomerase activity and DNA replication in the fat bodies. These data show that although the fat bodies of winter bees differ significantly from those of summer bees, these differences are not a priori set when bees hatch at the end of summer or in early autumn but instead gradually evolve over the course of the season, depending on environmental factors.

The role and value of distributed precipitation data in hydrological models

Abstract. This study investigates the role and value of distributed rainfall for the runoff generation of a mesoscale catchment (20 km2). We compare four hydrological model setups and show that a distributed model setup driven by distributed rainfall only improves the model performances during certain periods. These periods are dominated by convective summer storms that are typically characterized by higher spatiotemporal variabilities compared to stratiform precipitation events that dominate rainfall generation in winter. Motivated by these findings, we develop a spatially adaptive model that is capable of dynamically adjusting its spatial structure during model execution. This spatially adaptive model allows the varying relevance of distributed rainfall to be represented within a hydrological model without losing predictive performance compared to a fully distributed model. Our results highlight that spatially adaptive modeling has the potential to reduce computational times as well as improve our understanding of the varying role and value of distributed precipitation data for hydrological models.

Structural-semantic and functional-stylistic characteristics of Vasily Aksenov’s new coined words in epic novel «Moscow Saga»

This scientific article examines occasional neologisms extracted from the texts of the epic novel by Vasily Aksyonov "The Moscow Saga", which consists of three novels: "Winter Generation", "War and Prison", "Prison and Peace", created in 1991-1992. The study is performed in two parts. The first part identifies the main methods used by the writer to create occasionalisms. The main functions are established in the second part, that are performed by individual author's neologisms. In the course of the analysis, it is concluded that the writer in the process of occasionalism development resorts to different methods, both conventional and non-conventional. The former include prefixation, suffixation, different types of addition, the latter include gendiadis and contamination. Conventional methods, namely, suffixation is the most productive among them. From the point of view of the functional characteristics of the studied units, it is noted that occasionalisms perform nominative, playful, emotionally expressive, euphemistic and ideological functions. The predominant character of the second and third function is pointed out, which generally correlates with the tendencies of the author's word-creation.