Rise In Humidity Research Articles

Effects of various humid environments on the filtration and dust cleaning performance of filter media

The filtration technology is gaining popularity in underground projects which are characterized by a poor working environment. However, the influence of various humid environments on the filtration performance of filter media (FM) has not been clarified yet. This study is the influence of humid environments on the performances of common mechanical filter media (MFM) and polytetrafluoroethylene coated filter media (CFM). First, the methods to control the dust moisture content, relative humidity and spray rate were determined. Then, the influences of dust loading on the pressure drop, filtration velocity and dust cleaning performance in various humid environments were explored. The results indicate that the maximum pressure drops of MFM and CFM both grow first and then decline with the increase in dust moisture content. The different is that the maximum pressure drops of MFM and CFM both decrease with the rise of relative humidity. In addition, the maximum pressure drops of MFM and CFM both decline first and then rise with the acceleration of the spray. Under the same humid environment, MFM correspond to a larger maximum value and a greater variation of pressure drop than CFM. When the dust moisture content, relative humidity or spray rate increases, the residual pressure drops of both FM grow after dust cleaning, but the latter corresponds to a smaller growth.

Exploring the Impact and Prevention of Epidemics from a New Perspective: COVID-19 Transmission through Express Boxes.

The number of express boxes worldwide exceeded 170 billion in 2021, and, from several regions in China, tested positive. Therefore, it is important to study the transmission of viruses through express boxes. In this paper, we establish a model of express box virus transmission based on comprehensive consideration of environmental factors, such as temperature, disinfection, humidity, virus release intensity, and volume of vehicle, to study the transmission of express box virus, and explore the spatial and geographic spread variation of express box viruses in China. Several important findings emerged from the study, including: (1) Disinfection can prolong the spread of viruses in the express box for ≥21 h; (2) For every 1 °C rise in temperature, the infected time can be prolonged by ≥1.2 h, and for every 10% rise in relative humidity, the virus transmission time can be prolonged by ≥1.32 h; (3) In an environment suitable for virus transmission, when loaded with 1000, 2000, 4000 express boxes, areas where the express delivery time exceeds 22.56, 18, 14.64 h will face the risk of all the boxes in the carriage being infected. These findings could help public health departments prevent the risk of virus transmission from express boxes.

Silvopastoralism and the shaping of forest patches in the Atacama Desert during the Formative Period (ca. 3000–1500 years BP)

During the Formative period by the Late-Holocene (ca. 3000–1500 BP), semi-sedentary and sedentary human occupations had emerged in the oases, salares, and riverine systems in the central depression (2400–1000 masl) of the Atacama Desert, northern Chile (19–25°S). This hyperarid core was marginally occupied during the post-Pleistocene and middle Holocene droughts. Settlement on these lower belts was accompanied by a rise in humidity, the introduction of Andean crops, flourishment of Prosopis spp. (algarrobo) forests, and increasing integration of domestic camelid caravans. Here, we explore lowland husbandry within risk-spreading strategies, focusing on silvopastoralism and endozoochory between camelids and algarrobos. Analysis of camelid coprolites from seven archeological sites located in the Pampa del Tamarugal, Loa River, and Salar de Atacama found intense grinding from camelid chewing and indicated a ruminal digestive system. Abundant macro and microremains in the form of tissues, phytoliths, crystals, cell structures, and others, were identified as Prosopis, Atriplex, Schoenoplectus, Distichlis, and Phragmites. We conclude that camelids were foraging for Prosopis, although the rather low number of entire seeds preserved in the coprolites leads us to think that these herbivores might not have been the main vectors for the spread and germination of algarrobos. More samples and interdisciplinary studies are needed to comprehend the complex socioecological web in the shaping of these forests and the management of the Atacama Desert landscapes.

Paleoecological investigation of the Miocene (23.03-5.33 mya) rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Anatolia

Anatolia’s geographical location as a land bridge between Europe, Asia, and Africa, makes it an important passage for mammal migrations, with a rich fossil potential. However, detailed scientific studies on the Neogene paleogeography of Anatolia are scarce. Rodentia is among the major mammal groups generally adapting to different habitat types and rapidly evolving with the changing geography. Investigating this group provides data to increase the accuracy of ecological analyses. We selected Rodentia fossils from the Miocene excavation sites with published papers, and examined specimens of 14 families from 106 localities. Cricetidae, Muridae, Gliridae, and Sciuridae were found to be most dominant rodent families in Anatolia during the Early Miocene, indicating a high humidity, whereas ecological changes towards the end of this epoch led to a complex formation in the biogeography of micromammals. In the Middle Miocene, a 65% decrease in Muridae, the emergence of Eomyidae, and a significant increase in Spalacidae suggest a climate shift, towards tropical or semi-tropical conditions. In the Late Miocene, Muridae regaining its maximum level and becoming the most crowded family may indicate an unexpected rise in humidity, while the stable prevalence of Eomyidae and Castoridae point to the continuity of aquatic environments and humidity.

Collecting the History of the Church in Australia

Collecting the History of the Church in Australia

Multi-Drugs Resistant Bacteria Associated Particulate Matter In The Ambient Atmosphere of Dhaka, Bangladesh

Nowadays, air pollution is confined to the level of air pollutants and bio-aerosols since it might be pathogenic or induce allergic reactions. The research was carried out to discover the bacteria associated with suspended particulate matter in indoor and outdoor air, as well as to investigate their antibiotic susceptibility. The results revealed that the extent of outdoor air pollutants (i.e., PM2.5, PM10, HCHO, and TVOC) was significantly higher (p< 0.01) than the extent of indoor air pollutants. Culturing the sample filter paper in Nutrient Agar (NA) media at two different temperatures, 25°C and 37°C, allowed us to measure the quantity of bacteria in the air. The concentration of bacteria was 622±22 CFUm-3 at 26±2°C and 11±2 CFUm-3 at 20±2°C in both outdoor and indoor air, respectively. Positive Bacillus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas stutzeri and Brevundimonas diminuta bacteria were identified. All of the identified bacteria were found to be pathogenic. Moreover, some of the identified bacteria showed resistance to some commercially available antibiotics, such as Cefixime, Ceftazimidine, Nalidixic acid, Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamycin, etc. The positive correlation between fine particles and the bacterial concentration (R2= 0.75 for indoor and R2= 0.68 for outdoor air) revealed that the bacteria were highly associated with fine particles than coarse particles. Furthermore, the number and growth of bacteria were affected by the meteorological parameters (i.e., temperature and relative humidity). The rise in relative humidity favoured the increase in bacterial concentration. Therefore, the risk of being affected by bioaerosol is higher in the wet season than that of the dry season. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2021, 7(2): 1-12

Evolution, Causes and Influence Factors of Taal Volcanic Activities

Volcanoes are a kind of geological feature which can bring both destruction and wealth to human beings. This study takes the eruption of Taal Volcano on January 12, 2020 as an example to analyze its eruption evolution, causes and influence factors via QGIS software. Taal Volcano lies at the southwestern end of a convergent boundary between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea tectonic plates where volcanic activities are frequent. Results show that the evolution of the eruption consists of increased CO2 flux, seismic swarms, phreatic explosion chronically. The origin of the volcano is the subduction of the oceanic plate and terrestrial plate. Volcanic eruptions are mostly due to pressurization by active convergent plates activities. The eruption emitted tephra and gas, which exerted impacts on the atmosphere, the nearby vegetation and the water body, and was predicted to result in an El Nino. High concentration of particles, dispersed tephra output, a sharp increase in SO2 and CO content, variation in atmospheric ozone, and rise in humidity were observed in the atmosphere following the eruption. The volcanic output wiped out the plant cover on the volcano island, and covered the vegetation outside of the volcano island, as shown in the RGB band composite and land cover change monitoring images generated using QGIS from Sentinel-2 data. The volcanic output’s influences on nearby water bodies were shown through drops in ocean salinity and Taal lake’s PH, variation in ocean temperature, and increased ocean’s surface latent heat flux.

Estimation of probable maximum precipitation of a high-mountain basin in a changing climate

Abstract To estimate the probable maximum precipitation (PMP) in a changing climate, this study proposes a new PMP estimation framework based on weather research forecasting (WRF) initialed with temperature (predicted by post-processing) for changing climate conditions. First, in order to determine temperature disturbance influencing PMP under climate change, a random forest (RF) model considering error correction is introduced to predict the temperature in the future. Results show that the revised RF model could improve accuracy in temperature prediction. Furthermore, numerical experiments of disturbance amplification of three factors (humidity, wind speed, and temperature) using the WRF model are conducted. This new scheme could consider the effect of three elements (horizontal range, vertical layer, and ratio) of influencing factors’ maximization on PMP. Results indicate that for the most unfavorable precipitation scenario of each factor magnification, the combination of three elements is different. Then, the joint amplification numerical experiments of three factors proved the existence of their interactions when multi-factors changed simultaneously. Finally, this method was tested in a high-mountain basin, the Upper Nujiang River Basin. Results showed that the increase of wind speed plays a leading role in rainfall enhancement, and the rising of relative humidity and temperature has a certain disturbance effect on rainfall.

Study on the influence mechanism of ambient humidity on the temperature rise of decay‐like composite insulators

At present, observing the temperature rise of composite insulators is an effective method for the detection of decay-like defects. However, ambient humidity will affect the temperature rise of composite insulators, which will cause problems in screening the decay-like composite insulators. Therefore, it is urgent to study the temperature rise principle of decay-like insulators and find out the influence mechanism of humidity on temperature rise. In this study, a four-electrode system is designed to measure the surface current, volume current and interface current of the decay-like short sample and the intact short sample under different humidity. Then the equivalent circuit models of short samples and the 500 kV full-size decay-like composite insulator are built to analyse the contribution rates of leakage conductance loss and polarisation loss to temperature rise. The results show that the contribution rates of the polarisation loss to the temperature rise of two samples are 35.8% and 23.6% in low humidity, while they are 98.3% and 64.4% in high humidity. For the full-size decay-like composite insulator, the contribution rates of polarisation loss to its temperature rise in high or low humidity are more than 99%. In addition, the proportion of polarisation loss increases at first and then decreases with the increase of the length of the decay-like section. The conclusions of this study provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the corresponding relationship between decay-like defects and temperature rise and improve the detection rate of decay-like insulators.

Role of Major Weather Parameters in the Production of Black Pepper in Kerala

Aim: The present study intends to analyse the influence of weather parameters on the production of black pepper in six major pepper producing districts of Kerala, the Indian state which contributes a considerable share to national spice exports.
 Methodology: This research is based on secondary data which is limited to six major black pepper producing districts of Kerala which were chosen based on their contribution to total production of the state 2020. More than 50% of the production was from Idukki district followed by Wayanad (8%), and around 3 to 3.5% from Kannur, Kasargod, Kottayam and Kollam districts respectively. Annual precipitation, Relative humidity, Maximum and Minimum temperatures were the parameters taken into consideration along with production data of over 15 years (2005-2019) which was then subjected to regression analysis using panel data.
 Results: According to the results, significant reduction in production by 2.52% and 1.88% was recorded for unit increase maximum (P= 0.047) and minimum temperature (P=0.03) respectively. Likewise, unit rise in relative humidity and rainfall was responsible for decrease
 In production by 1.1%, and 0.07% respectively though they were reported to be insignificant.
 Conclusion: From the present study, it could be concluded that maximum and minimum temperatures were found to be significant in affecting the production of black pepper. However the negative regression coefficients obtained for other factors like rainfall and relative humidity implied its negative effect on production. In order to combat these variations, there is therefore, the need to create awareness to farmers in India on the need to adopt best farming practices in order to improve yield of this important crop.

Exposure-lag-response associations between extreme environmental conditions and primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) reportedly believe that their symptoms worsen on extreme weather days due to variations in environmental conditions. However, few studies have assessed the acute effects of environmental exposure on the onset of pSS. This study aimed to evaluate the exposure-response relationship between extreme environmental conditions and pSS outpatient visits. We obtained data on pSS outpatient visits from two provincial general hospitals in Hefei, China, during 2014-2019. A distributed lag non-linear model was used to estimate the exposure-lag-response relationship between environmental variables and pSS. We detected significant and non-linear associations between extreme environments and pSS. The estimated relative risk (RR) for a lag of 3days was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.03 to 1.19) for extreme cold and for a lag of 21days was 1.07 (95% CI: 1.01 to 1.12) for extreme dampness. Long sunshine duration was positively correlated with pSS (lag 11, 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.08). Moreover, female patients were more susceptible to these effects. Patients older than 65years old were more vulnerable to frigid environments (lag 3, RR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.54), while younger patients were more vulnerable to extreme dampness (lag 21, RR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.16). Extreme cold and high humidity were negatively correlated with the same-day outpatient visits. Our findings suggest a potential relationship between exposure to extreme environmental conditions and increased risk of pSS outpatient visits. We therefore suggest that policymakers and doctors aim to further our understanding of environmental effects on pSS and adopt adequate measures to alleviate pSS symptoms. Key Points • Extreme cold, extreme dampness, and long sunshine duration increased the risk of pSS outpatient visits, especially for females. • Young pSS patients are more susceptible to a rise in humidity. • Elderly pSS patients are more sensitive to extreme cold weather.

New loci and neuronal pathways for resilience to heat stress in cattle

While understanding the genetic basis of heat tolerance is crucial in the context of global warming’s effect on humans, livestock, and wildlife, the specific genetic variants and biological features that confer thermotolerance in animals are still not well characterized. We used dairy cows as a model to study heat tolerance because they are lactating, and therefore often prone to thermal stress. The data comprised almost 0.5 million milk records (milk, fat, and proteins) of 29,107 Australian Holsteins, each having around 15 million imputed sequence variants. Dairy animals often reduce their milk production when temperature and humidity rise; thus, the phenotypes used to measure an individual’s heat tolerance were defined as the rate of milk production decline (slope traits) with a rising temperature–humidity index. With these slope traits, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using different approaches, including conditional analyses, to correct for the relationship between heat tolerance and level of milk production. The results revealed multiple novel loci for heat tolerance, including 61 potential functional variants at sites highly conserved across 100 vertebrate species. Moreover, it was interesting that specific candidate variants and genes are related to the neuronal system (ITPR1, ITPR2, and GRIA4) and neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction functions for heat tolerance (NPFFR2, CALCR, and GHR), providing a novel insight that can help to develop genetic and management approaches to combat heat stress.

Climate Variability, Dengue Vector Abundance and Dengue Fever Cases in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Time-Series Study

Numerous studies on climate change and variability have revealed that these phenomena have noticeable influence on the epidemiology of dengue fever, and such relationships are complex due to the role of the vector—the Aedes mosquitoes. By undertaking a step-by-step approach, the present study examined the effects of climatic factors on vector abundance and subsequent effects on dengue cases of Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Here, we first analyzed the time-series of Stegomyia indices for Aedes mosquitoes in relation to temperature, rainfall and relative humidity for 2002–2013, and then in relation to reported dengue cases in Dhaka. These data were analyzed at three sequential stages using the generalized linear model (GLM) and generalized additive model (GAM). Results revealed strong evidence that an increase in Aedes abundance is associated with the rise in temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall during the monsoon months, that turns into subsequent increases in dengue incidence. Further we found that (i) the mean rainfall and the lag mean rainfall were significantly related to Container Index, and (ii) the Breteau Index was significantly related to the mean relative humidity and mean rainfall. The relationships of dengue cases with Stegomyia indices and with the mean relative humidity, and the lag mean rainfall were highly significant. In examining longitudinal (2001–2013) data, we found significant evidence of time lag between mean rainfall and dengue cases.

Association between climate and infectious diseases among children in Varanasi city, India: A prospective cohort study

The effects of climate on infectious diseases could influence the health impacts, particularly in children in countries with the unfair socioeconomic conditions. In a prospective cohort of 461 children under 16-years-of-age in Varanasi city, India, the association of maximum-temperature (Tmax), relative humidity (RH), absolute humidity (AH), rainfall (RF), wind-speed (WS), and solar radiation (SLR) with prevalent infectious diseases (Diarrhea, Common cold and flu, Pneumonia, Skin-disease and Malaria, and Dengue) was examined using binomial-regression, adjusting for confounders and effect modifiers (socioeconomic-status; SES and child anthropometry), from January 2017 to January 2020. Attributable-fraction (AFx) was calculated due to each climate variable for each infectious disease. The result showed that each unit (1 °C) rise in Tmax was associated with an increase in diarrhea and skin-disease cases by 3.97% (95% CI: 2.92, 5.02) and 3.94% (95% CI: 1.67, 6.22), respectively, whereas, a unit decline in Tmax was associated with an increase in cold and flu cases by 3.87% (95% CI: 2.97, 4.76). Rise in humidity (RH) was associated with increase in cases of cold and flu by 0.73% (95% CI: 0.38, 1.08) and malaria (AH) by 7.19% (95% CI: 1.51, 12.87) while each unit (1 g/m3) decrease in humidity (AH) observed increase in pneumonia cases by 3.02% (95% CI: 0.75, 5.3). WS was positively associated with diarrhea (14.16%; 95% CI: 6.52, 21.80) and negatively with dengue (17.40%; 12.32, 22.48) cases for each unit change (kmph). RF showed marginal association while SLR showed no association at all. The combined AFx due to climatic factors ranged from 9 to 18%. SES and anthropometric parameters modified the climate-morbidity association in children with a high proportion of children found suffering from stunting, wasting, and underweight conditions. Findings from this study draw the attention of government and policymakers to prioritize effective measures for child health as the present association may increase disease burden in the future under climate-change scenarios in already malnourished paediatric population through multiple pathways.

Effect of environmental conditions on fracture behavior of solder joints

Double cantilever beam (DCB) specimens were prepared according to standard surface mount technology (SMT). The samples were stored inside an environmental chamber at two different relative humidity values (i.e. 40 or 100%) for either 2 or 4 h. Then they were aged at 25 °C, 75 °C or 125℃ for the same time. Finally, after being cooled to room temperature, fracture tests were performed under mode-I loading conditions at a strain rate of 0.03 s−1 at room temperature. Storage time did not have a significant effect on the fracture behavior. The fracture load and energy of the solder joints decreased significantly when the temperature was increased from 25 to 75℃. By further increase in the temperature from 75 to 125℃, the fracture strength slightly increased. This behavior was attributed to the thickness of intermetallic compound (IMC) as well as the portion of brittle phases on the joint microstructure. The influence of relative humidity on the fracture strength was less than the temperature effect due to coarsening behavior of microstructure with a humidity rise. The fracture surface of the specimen stored at a temperature of 25℃ and relative humidity of 40% was flat and smooth, while in other cases, the fracture surfaces showed a three-dimensional roughness.

COVID-19 and Environment


 
 
 Environmental and demographic factors played an important role in the transmission of COVID-19,. This review discusses the potential impact of climatic variables such as temperature, humidity, Air Quality Index (AQI), air pollutants, wastewater and different surfaces on the spread of SARS-COVID-2 virus. Different studies have demonstrated the significant effect of ambient rise in temperature and humidity on Corona cases. However, air quality index and air pollutants are more significantly associated with the mortality rate of corona patients. Furthermore, COVID-19 can survive longer on smooth surfaces as compare to the rough surfaces. The presence of the virus is also detected in stool samples of the patient and wastewater but no study has shown transmission of disease through drinking contaminated water. Hence, meteorological and environmental factors have significant impact on the occurrence of the virus and its spread.
 
 

Waste heat recovery in commercial gas-fired tumble dryers

Thermal drying is energy intensive due to the unavoidable thermodynamic constraint of supplying sufficient energy to evaporate the water (hfg > 2000 kJ kg−1). Textile dryers only use about half (∼55%) of the total input energy for drying. To reduce the wasted energy, exhaust gas recirculation and waste heat recovery using a recuperative heat exchanger are investigated numerically and experimentally. The two methods aim to recover energy from the exhaust stream typically at T < 55 °C for most of the drying period. Experiments are conducted on a commercial gas-fired tumble dryer. A theoretical model is developed to simulate and optimize the drying process. Recirculating the hot humid exhaust gases improves heat and mass transfer in the drum; however, the high humidity ratio of the recirculated air is not amenable to enhancing evaporation. An optimal recirculation ratio of 51% is found to reduce the specific moisture extraction ratio and drying time by 9% and 164 s, respectively. To avoid the rise in humidity associated with recirculation, a compact plate-fin heat exchanger is used to recuperatively preheat the air entering the combustor. Energy savings of ∼15% and reduction in drying time by 216 s over the baseline case are estimated. The predicted data demonstrate good agreement with experiments.

Prediction of upper airway dryness and optimal continuous positive airway pressure conditions

Continuous positive airway pressure is the most effective long-term treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea, which is a sleeping disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. It introduces pressurized atmospheric air into the respiratory system in order to maintain open airways without blockage. Some continuous positive airway pressure devices incorporate a convective heat transfer humidifier to overcome dryness. However, many side effects, including the unacceptable excess of water droplets in the air supply line, have been reported and improvements are essential for better patient’s comfort and acceptance of the therapy. The excess of water droplets is attributed to the qualitative rather than the quantitative approach of determining the rise in temperature and humidity of the inspired air. Therefore, a human upper airway mathematical model is developed to predict the heat and water transfer variation between normal breathing and continuous positive airway pressure conditions and determine the optimal input temperature and relative humidity in the continuous positive airway pressure humidifier.

Development of a portable electronic device for the detection and indication of fireworks and firecrackers for security personnel

The use of fireworks and firecrackers to celebrate festivities is a very common activity in the Philippines. But due to the lack of strict control and regulation, there are unwanted risks of accidents from occurring due to the poor handling and storage conditions of these devices. Proper monitoring is important to reduce any unnecessary risks imposed on human life and property. While existing storage monitoring devices exist, the developed prototype is designed to contain sensors that are more suited in monitoring the ideal conditions of where the fireworks are stored. Monitoring the climate conditions on these devices may seem trivial at first, but such climate change can involve a rapid rise in temperature that can accidentally ignite the fireworks and deal with catastrophic damage. Another concern is the rise of humidity that may alter that chemical characteristics of the gunpowder stored in the fireworks. Such changes may not have any noticeable effects until it arrives in the consumer, that may experience an unwanted and unintended change in the performance of the fireworks leading to accidents. Therefore, it is important for this device to properly monitor the surrounding area then indicate various forms of alarms as a method of redundancy.

A preliminary study on urban malaria during the minor transmission season: The case of Adama City, Oromia, Ethiopia

The distribution of malaria shows considerable spatial heterogeneity globally, regionally and locally. For the design of effective malaria control and elimination, and for its implementation in Ethiopia, urban malaria should be given due attention. Therefore, the present study was aimed to examine the status of urban malaria during the minor transmission season in Adama city. A total of 2590 febrile patients were screened using the gold standard microscopy-based blood test for malaria diagnosis from seven purposively selected health facilities found in Adama City from April to July 2018. Socio-demographic data were collected from malaria positive patients to correlate predisposing factors; like previous malaria history, settlement, travel history, age, and other associated risk factors with malaria incidence. Climatological data, such as temperature and relative humidity, recorded during the study period were also collected from the data base of Adama meteorology center for analysis. The microscopic data indicated that from a total of 2590 febrile patients screened for malaria during the study period 3.7% (97/2590) of them were confirmed malaria positive. Adolescents and adults (≥15 years of age) were found to be most affected by Plasmodium vivax (66%) and Plasmodium falciparum (20.5%), and mixed (6%). Analysis of the climatological data revealed a rise in environmental temperature and relative humidity during the study that coincides with the increase of malaria cases, since it creates favorable mosquito breeding for malaria transmission in the city. P. vivax was found as a predominant species in causing malaria burden indicating its public health problem in Adama city affecting the productive age group of the community, adolescents and adults, during the minor transmission season of malaria. In addition to its public health importance by causing morbidity and mortality such kind of scenario may also exacerbates poverty.