Season Load Research Articles

Transient analysis of an efficient solar assisted air-conditioning system for subtropical climate with various solar thermal collectors

The air conditioning demand of the world is largely fulfilled by vapor compression systems; however, these systems are also responsible for depleting ozone layer due to the nature of refrigerants. Desiccant cooling systems integrated with solar thermal energy technologies could be an attractive alternative with some performance enhancement techniques. In this study, transient seasonal performance investigation is performed for an innovative solar integrated desiccant cooling system that uses regenerative evaporative cooler known as solar assisted desiccant integrated Maisotsenko cycle cooler for better cooling performance. Furthermore, transient annual performance analysis of solar system for meeting thermal energy requirement for regenerating the desiccant wheel in summer season and handling heating load of the building in winter season is also carried out with three different solar thermal collector technologies for finding out more efficient technology. The key performance indicators in this study are useful energy gain, solar source efficiency, auxiliary energy sharing, coefficient of performance, and solar fraction. The results of the key performance parameters are reported as monthly average values. The proposed integrated system resulted to be very efficient with a maximum COP value of 1.13 in April when latent cooling loads are low and 0.78 in August when latent cooling loads are higher. The system’s maximum cooling capacity is 24 kW in April corresponding to a sensible heat factor of 0.720. Furthermore, the regeneration temperature requirements ranged from 50 °C to 78 °C, respectively that makes it favorable to use low grade thermal energy through non concentrating solar thermal collectors. The regeneration thermal energy requirement for desiccant wheel fluctuates throughout the year, maximizing in August due to higher dehumidification requirements. The study also revealed that the evacuated tube collector technology is most suitable with average annual efficiency of around 36 %.

Measurement of Dynamic Electric Consumption Trend in a Broiler House in Arkansas

Highlights We quantified the diurnal and seasonal electric load pattern during four consecutive growouts of heavy broilers over an 11-month period on a commercial farm. Consumption was measured separately for ventilation fans, lights, feed motors, well pump motors and radiant tube heater blowers. Ventilation fans were the largest consumer of energy and the largest contributor to peak demand on the farm. Average monthly electric demand ranged from 31% to 77% of the corresponding monthly peak demand, calculated from the largest 15-min period. The electricity cost of raising heavier-weight broiler chickens is higher in the summer ($22 per 1,000 kg live weight) than in the winter ($5 per 1,000 kg live weight). Abstract. Characterizing electric energy use in a commercial broiler house—partitioned by bird age, season, and electric load type—can provide engineers with insight for designing energy conservation practices, as well as help to analyze and design on-site renewable energy production sub-systems. This study monitored electric energy consumption in a commercial broiler house in Arkansas, raising heavy broilers (with a capacity of 17,000 birds) during an 11-month period that included four, 8-week flocks. Average electricity use (RMS voltage and current) was measured at a sampling interval of 5 min for all of the major load types, including ventilation, lighting, feed motors, and well-water pump motor. Results indicated that electric consumption for ventilation fans was the greatest load, accounting for over 88% of the total. The endwall fans (for tunnel ventilation) contributed to the peak electric demand (VA) in nine of the 11 months. Over the 11-month monitoring period, broiler chicken production had an average electric energy consumption (per unit live-weight mass produced) of 43 kWh per metric ton of live weight (in a winter flock) to 184 kWh per metric ton (in a summer flock). The corresponding electric costs were $5 per metric ton and $22 per metric ton in winter and summer flocks, respectively (based upon an electricity unit cost of $0.12/kWh). Keywords: Electricity demand, Energy efficiency, Poultry housing.

Energy, economics and environmental (3E's) analysis of a solar-assisted HRES through demand side management.

The limitation of renewable energy is its fluctuation with time, season, and peak load demand. Hence, most of the research was carried using demand side management to reduce the actual consumption load to lower the peak load. This will also hamper the basic energy need of the facility. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to model a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) to attain the specific consumption of a community health centre (CHC) in Yomcha, Arunachal Pradesh, with load shedding. The optimization of HRES is performed on HOMER® Pro software along with the demand side management algorithm and a maximum annual capacity shortage of 5%. Three different cases were compared based on feasibility, economics, and environmental basis to estimate the performance of the HRES. The results show that the proposed model is appropriate for the CHC over the previously proposed system. Moreover, HRES with (design-side management) DSM will reduce the overall cost and increase efficiency and reliability with an net present value of Rs. 3013482 and a cost of energy of Rs. 5.42/kW, renewable fraction 78%, internal rate of return 70%, return of investment 66%, and payback period of 1.4 years. Moreover, it reduces emissions, controls overloading during peak hours, and decreases load shifting. The study also supports the sustainable development goal (SDG)-7 set by the United Nation SDG Committee.

Changes of Activity of Energy and Ion Exchange Enzymes and the Energy Substrates Content in Tissues of Perca fluviatilis and Rutilus rutilus under Toxic Water Pollution

The paper deals with impact of toxic pollution on activity of energy and ion exchange enzymes in roach and perch. Significant changes in content of energy substrates in liver, gills and muscles of perch and roach were established depending on season and toxic load. The glycogen content in liver of perch specimens from the polluted lake (Kyrilivske) was lower than in specimens from the control lake (Babyne). Also, lower activity of SDH in muscles and gills of roach has been established. It should be noted that roach was characterized by higher variability of the studied enzymes' activity. This indicates the species specificity of the metabolic reactions of the studied fishes to counteract toxic pollution.

Microbial response on the first full-scale DEMON® biomass transfer for mainstream deammonification

Sidestream partial nitritation and deammonification (pN/A) of high-strength ammonia wastewater is a well-established technology. Its expansion to the mainstream is, however mainly impeded by poor retention of anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB), insufficient repression of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and difficult control of soluble chemical oxygen demand and nitrite levels.At the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Strass (Austria) the microbial consortium was exhaustively monitored at full-scale over one and a half year with regular transfer of sidestream DEMON® biomass and further retention and enrichment of granular anammox biomass via hydrocyclone operation.Routine process parameters were surveyed and the response and evolution of the microbiota was followed by molecular tools, ex-situ activity tests and further, AnAOB quantification through particle tracking and heme measurement.After eight months of operation, the first anaerobic, simultaneous depletion of ammonia and nitrite was observed ex-situ, together with a direction to higher nitrite generation (68% of total NOx-N) as compared to nitrate under aerobic conditions. Our dissolved oxygen (DO) scheme allowed for transient anoxic conditions and had a strong influence on nitrite levels and the NOB community, where Nitrobacter eventually dominated Nitrospira. The establishment of a minor but stable AnAOB biomass was accompanied by the rise of Chloroflexi and distinct emergence of Chlorobi, a trend not seen in the sidestream system. Interestingly, the most pronounced switch in the microbial community and noticeable NOB repression occurred during unfavorable conditions, i.e. the cold winter season and high organic load. Further abatement of NOB was achieved through bioaugmentation of aerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AerAOB) from the sidestream-DEMON® tank. Performance of the sidestream pN/A was not impaired by this operational scheme and the average volumetric nitrogen removal rate of the mainstream even doubled in the second half of the monitoring campaign. We conclude that a combination of both, regular sidestream-DEMON® biomass transfer and granular SRT increase via hydrocyclone operation was crucial for AnAOB establishment within the mainstream.

Evaluation of the LOTOS-EUROS NO<sub>2</sub> simulations using ground-based measurements and S5P/TROPOMI observations over Greece

Abstract. The evaluation of chemical transport models, CTMs, is essential for the assessment of their performance regarding the physical and chemical parameterizations used. While regional CTMs have been widely used and evaluated over Europe, their validation over Greece is limited. In this study, we investigate the performance of the Long Term Ozone Simulation European Operational Smog (LOTOS-EUROS) v2.2.001 regional chemical transport model in simulating nitrogen dioxide, NO2, over Greece from June to December 2018. In situ NO2 measurements obtained from 14 stations of the National Air Pollution Monitoring Network are compared with surface simulations over the two major cities of Greece, Athens and Thessaloniki. Overall the LOTOS-EUROS NO2 surface simulations compare very well to the in situ measurements showing a mild underestimation of the measurements with a mean relative bias of ∼-10 %, a high spatial correlation coefficient of 0.86 and an average temporal correlation of 0.52. The CTM underestimates the NO2 surface concentrations during daytime by ∼-50 ± 15 %, while it slightly overestimates during night-time ∼ 10 ± 35 %. Furthermore, the LOTOS-EUROS tropospheric NO2 columns are evaluated against ground-based multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) NO2 measurements in Athens and Thessaloniki. We report that the CTM tropospheric NO2 column simulations over both urban and rural locations represent the diurnal patterns and hourly levels for both summer and winter seasons satisfactorily. The relative biases range between ∼ −2 % and −35 %, depending on season and relative NO2 load observed. Finally, the CTM was assessed also against space-borne Sentinel-5 Precursor (S5P) carrying the Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) tropospheric NO2 observations. We conclude that LOTOS-EUROS simulates extremely well the tropospheric NO2 patterns over the region with very high spatial correlation of 0.82 on average, ranging between 0.66 and 0.95, with negative biases in the summer and positive in the winter. Updated emissions for the simulations and model improvements when extreme values of boundary layer height are encountered are further suggested.

A new high-quality elderberry plant extract exerts antiviral and immunomodulatory effects in vitro and ex vivo

ABSTRACTInfections of the respiratory system, including common cold and influenza, are affecting people worldwide and are more or less prone to spread depending on the season and viral load of the host. For reducing symptoms and duration of illness, treatment options to standard prescribed drugs are in demand. Natural products could provide immune-supporting treatment alternatives. Elderberry extracts have been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of respiratory infections for decades and numerous studies describe the beneficial effects of elderberries on the immune system and respiratory infectious disease. We investigated the immunomodulative and antiviral effects of a high-quality, anthocyanin-enriched elderberry fruit extract (eldosamb®). Results reveal that elderberry extract reduced the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ, leading to a shift towards the Th2-Helper cell response and showing antiviral efficacy against the MVA virus. Thus, with its anti-inflammatory and antiviral bioactivity the proprietary elderberry extract suggests its use as an immunomodulatory health product.

Seasonal changes in immune response and reproductive investment in a biparental beetle

Immunity and reproduction are physiologically demanding processes, therefore trade-offs are expected between these life history traits. Furthermore, investments in these traits are also known to be affected by factors such as sex, body size, individual condition, seasonal changes and parasite infection. The relationship between immunity and reproduction and the effect of other factors on this relationship were investigated in many species, but there are a small number of studies on these patterns in biparental invertebrates. Lethrus apterus is an iteroparous biparental beetle with predominant female care in respect of collecting and processing food for larvae. Males guard the nest built underground and also their mate. Here we investigate how sex, body size, time within the reproductive season and parasite load may influence the relationship between immunocompetence and reproductive investment in this species. In beetles from a natural population we quantified immune response by measuring the encapsulation response, antimicrobial activity of hemolymph, the investment into reproductive tissues by measuring the size of testis follicles in males and total egg size in females, and parasite load by counting the number of mites on the beetles. We found that the encapsulation response is condition-dependent, as large individuals showed significantly higher encapsulation ability than small ones. Antimicrobial capacity was significantly higher in females than in males. In case of antimicrobial activity there was also a seasonal change in the relationship between immunity and reproductive investment, but only under heavy mite load. Reproductive investment was influenced by the interaction between body size and season (in females) and by body size and season (in males). Furthermore in females the interaction between antimicrobial activity and season indicated that reproductive investment increased with antimicrobial activity early in the reproductive season. By investigating the relationship between immunity and reproductive investment in a natural population of a biparental beetle species, we can conclude that investments into these important life history traits are governed by complex interactions between physiological and environmental factors. Our results are discussed in the context of life history evolution, highlighting the role of the assessed factors in shaping trade-offs themselves (in invertebrates).

УДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ ЛАНДШАФТНО- РЕКРЕАЦІЙНОГО СЕРЕДОВИЩА МІСТ ТА ПОЗАМІСЬКИХ ТЕРИТОРІЙ ШЛЯХОМ ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ВЕЛОСИПЕДНОЇ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ


 
 
 The classification of urban and suburban landscapes and recreation objects is given, and the expediency of using cycling transport as an independent within the territory of green plantations and transit in the general system of the city bicycle network is analyzed. Estimates of the number of parking lots for bicycles in city parks of different sizes are given. The results of the study are illustrated by the introduction of a project for the reconstruction of the park of culture and recreation them. M. Rylsky in Kyiv, Ukraine. Quantitative and qualitative indicators of improving the landscape and recreational environment of cities and outlying areas are identified by introducing bicycle infrastructure: normative data, radii of accessibility to destinations and services, the possibility of changing the type of operation and mode of operation from the capacity and conditions of the inhabitants' activity depending on the season and season load on city objects; the efficiency of communications in remote networks, functional optimality, convenience of communication, strengthening of the connection of the city with natural resources.
 
 

Updated Review of the Applied Physiology of American College Football: Physical Demands, Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition, and Injury Characteristics of America’s Favorite Game

While there are various avenues for performance improvement in college American football (AF), there is no comprehensive evaluation of the collective array of resources around performance, physical conditioning, and injury and training/game characteristics to guide future research and inform practitioners. Accordingly, the aim of the present review was to provide a current examination of these areas in college AF. Recent studies show that there is a wide range of body compositions and strength characteristics between players, which appear to be influenced by playing position, level of play, training history/programming, and time of season. Collectively, game demands may require a combination of upper- and lower-body strength and power production, rapid acceleration (positive and negative), change of direction, high running speed, high-intensity and repetitive collisions, and muscle-strength endurance. These may be affected by the timing of and between-plays and/or coaching style. AF players appear to possess limited nutrition and hydration practices, which may be disadvantageous to performance. AF injuries appear due to a multitude of factors-strength, movement quality, and previous injury-while there is also potential for extrinsic factors such as playing surface type, travel, time of season, playing position, and training load. Future proof-of-concept studies are required to determine the quantification of game demands with regard to game style, type of opposition, and key performance indicators. Moreover, more research is required to understand the efficacy of recovery and nutrition interventions. Finally, the assessment of the relationship between external/internal-load constructs and injury risk is warranted.

Health assessment of grey mullet Mugil cephalus based on interrelationship between parasite co‐infections and relative condition factor

AbstractThis study aimed to assess the health status of grey mullet Mugil cephalus by means of relative condition factor under the coexisting parasite groups within seasons. Fish were captured monthly in the Lower Kızılırmak Delta in Samsun, Turkey, from December 2011 to November 2012. A total of five taxonomic groups containing 13 parasite species were constituted: Trichodina (Trichodina puytoraci, T. lepsii), Monogenea (Ligophorus cephali, L. mediterraneus, Gyrodactylus sp., Microcotyle mugilis), Digenea (Ascocotyle (Phagicola) longa, Diplostomum spathaceum, Tylodelphys clavata, Posthodiplostomum sp., Haplosplanchnus pachysomus), Acanthocephala (Neoechinorhynchus agilis) and Copepoda (Ergasilus lizae). Only one mullet was not parasitized and 13.8%, 36.3%, 29.2%, 16.2% and 4.5% were infected by one, two, three, four and five parasite groups respectively. Health assessment of mullets was performed by means of relative condition factor based on weight–length relationship estimated by robust regression methods. General linear modelling was employed to investigate any effect of season and infection load on this condition measure. Potential impacts of multiple parasitism on the community, which have been largely overlooked in the literature, were first visually revealed by relating the levels of co‐infections (in terms of prevalence and intensity) to the seasons. Then, a correlation analysis was carried out between condition estimates and the log‐ratios of relative abundances of parasite groups. The results showed that mullets suffering from Monogenea–Digenea–Acanthocephala (M–D–A) and also along with Copepoda (M–D–A–C) co‐infection had weights less than expected (Kn < 1) under winter conditions. However, Trichodina involved co‐infections appeared to prefer large sized hosts (Kn > 1) particularly in autumn.

Differentiation of the Seasonal Loading of Combine Harvester Depending on its Technical Readiness

Development of the worn machinery market on the former USSR and availability of the commercial farm units with varying areas of cereal cropping causes the necessity in grounding the economically viable correlation between the combine harvester season load and its technical readiness. It is determined that on the increasing the combine harvester season load from 150 to 350 hectares the rational operational readiness must be raised from 0,4 to 0.85, the repair time must be decreased from six hours to half an hour and the mean time between failures must be raised from six hours to twenty hours. It is possible to ensure these activities by means of repair-servicing correlations, increasing the number of participants in eliminating the consequences of failure and forming the fund of the changeable spare parts, their timely delivery to the mobile units, using the aggregate repair method.

25-Hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency and deficiency is associated with HIV disease progression and virological failure post-antiretroviral therapy initiation in diverse multinational settings.

Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) has been associated with increased HIV mortality, but prospective studies assessing treatment outcomes after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation in resource-limited settings are lacking. A case-cohort study (N = 411) was nested within a randomized cART trial of 1571 cART-naive adults in 8 resource-limited settings and the United States. The primary outcome (WHO stage 3/4 disease or death within 96 weeks of cART initiation) was met by 192 cases, and 152 and 29 cases met secondary outcomes of virologic and immunologic failure. We studied prevalence and risk factors for baseline low 25(OH)D (<32 ng/mL) and examined associated outcomes using proportional hazard models. Low 25(OH)D prevalence was 49% and ranged from 27% in Brazil to 78% in Thailand. Low 25(OH)D was associated with high body mass index (BMI), winter/spring season, country-race group, and lower viral load. Baseline low 25(OH)D was associated with increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) progression and death (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-4.18) and virologic failure (aHR 2.42; 95% CI, 1.33-4.41). Low 25(OH)D is common in diverse HIV-infected populations and is an independent risk factor for clinical and virologic failure. Studies examining the potential benefit of vitamin D supplementation among HIV patients initiating cART are warranted.

Two-dimensional modelling of hydrodynamics and water quality of a stratified dam reservoir in the southern side of the Mediterranean Sea

A vertical two-dimensional, laterally averaged hydrodynamic and water quality model CE-QUAL-W2 was used to simulate water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, chlorophyll a, total suspended solids, alkalinity, ammonium, phosphate, and total iron in the Sejnane Dam (North Tunisia) in response to external forcings that characterize main features of climate in the southern side of the Mediterranean Sea. The hydrodynamic modelling results show that the model is able to reproduce accurately the measured water surface elevation, spatio-temporal patterns of temperature, dissolved oxygen and other state of variables and to capture most of the seasonal changes in the reservoir. Three scenarios involving the impacts of severe drought season, summer rainfall and total suspended solids load on hydrodynamics and water quality are analyzed. Severe drought reduces the thickness of hypoxic waters from 10 to 2–4 m and shifts the temperature of the entire water column up to 5 °C during summer and about 1.2 °C in winter. The thermocline takes place 1 month before that of the reference and sinks to the bottom faster by 1–2 m per month. Summer rainfall dilutes the first waves of the autumn rains and disrupts the thermal gradient in the water column, which may show complex thermal structures. TSS load has the most negative effects on water quality in that it shifts the phosphorus concentration by 1–3 mg/l and promotes an early warming of surface water in spring and an early cooling since late summer by up to 1 °C. During summer stratification, it contributes to the cooling of the metalimnion by 2 °C on average, which may alter its structure and dynamics as an aquatic biotope.

AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF RAIN-INDUCED CRACKING OF SWEET CHERRIES (PRUNUS AVIUM L.)

Fruit cracking in sweet cherries is unpredictable and is an economically significant problem for growers world-wide. The need for adequate management strategies based on informed risk assessment is clearly evident. Recent resultss from a University of Tasmania project have broadened the understanding of this fruit cracking phenomenon through a number of novel findings. It was discovered that two water uptake pathways result in cherry fruit cracking, and that each pathway results in particular crack types. Current management strategies for fruit cracking focus on water uptake across the fruit skin. Results from this study show that the development of apical and stem end cracks are induced by skin surface wetting, while deep cracks on the side of the fruit are induced by water moving via the vascular system. This new knowledge provides the basis for developing more effective management strategies. The project has further identified that the extent and type of fruit cracking are impacted by variety, season, and crop load. Nine varieties were monitored over four years and it was established that each variety had a particular tendency for crack type. Crop load was negatively correlated with fruit cracking. In addition, the amount or distribution of rainfall in the weeks prior to harvest did not significantly affect cracking incidence, yet season was highly influential, suggesting more than a direct rainfall effect. There are also strong indications that diurnal rhythms, and ambient environmental conditions, play a role in the development of cracking. These findings are important for the development of future cherry fruit cracking management strategies, which may need to be variety specific and encompass whole tree water relations based on the different mechanisms of cracking.

Prevalence of Fleas and Gastrointestinal Parasites in Free-Roaming Cats in Central Mexico

The prevalence of fleas and gastrointestinal parasites in free-roaming and domestic cats in central Mexico was evaluated. Three hundred and fifty eight cats captured in the street or brought in by owners to the Animal Control Center Unit, a unit of State Government, from June 2010 to May 2011, were included in the study. All cats were examined for the presence of fleas and gastrointestinal worms. One-hundred and ninety (53%) cats were infested with at least one flea species. Single infestations were observed in 106 (30%) cats and mixed infestations in 84 (23%) cats. Four species of fleas were recovered: Ctenocephalides felis in 53% of the cats, C. canis in 18%, Echidnophaga gallinacea in 7% and Pulex irritans in 1%. One-hundred and sixty three (45%) cats were infected with one or more species of gastrointestinal parasites: 48 (13%) with nematodes, 145 (40%) with cestodes, and one animal presented Moniliformis moniliformis. Prevalences and mean intensity of infection were: Physaloptera praeputialis 7 and 18; T. cati 3 and 2; Ancylostoma tubaeforme 2.5 and 2; Toxascaris leonina 0.5 and 2; Dipylidium caninum 36 and 32; Taenia taeniformis 4 and 3 and Moniliformis moniliformis 0.3 and 106, respectively. There was significant association (P<0.01), between season and ectoparasites load, more fleas were obtained in the summer and autumn than in the winter and spring; however, no statistical difference was observed for endoparasites load (P>0.05). The correlation between the total number of ectoparasites and endoparasites was not significant (r = 0.089, P = 0.094).

An aerobiological perspective in allergy and asthma

Allergic diseases are amongst the most common chronic disorders worldwide. Today, more than 300 million of the population is known to suffer from one or other allergic ailments affecting the socio-economic quality of life. Major causative agents implicated are pollen grains, fungal spores, dust mites, insect debris, animal epithelia, etc. Several aerobiological studies have been conducted in different parts of the world to ascertain aerial concentration and seasonality of pollen grains and fungi. Especially from clinical point of view, it is important to know the details about the pollen season and pollen load in the atmosphere. The flowering time of higher plants are events that come periodically in each season, but the time of blooming may differ from year to year, in different geographic locations. Based on differences recorded in several years of observations in airborne pollen, pollen calendars are drawn as an aid to allergy diagnosis and management. This review article emphasises on various aerobiological parameters of environmental pollen from different parts of the world with special emphasis from India. The role of aerobiology in the diagnosis and management of allergic diseases is reviewed briefly in this article.

Cold Regions of the Roof on the Building Energy Consumption Impact

This paper analyzes in cold regions the impact of the roof on the building load, And a typical building, the use of DEST software simulation of a typical building roof insulation in different circumstances changes in energy consumption. The results showed that: for top-level residential load, when the roof heat transfer coefficient decreased by 50%, relative to the original roof, heating season load can be reduced by nearly 20%, air-conditioning load can be decreased by 7% quarter or so.

Do Fleas Affect Energy Expenditure of Their Free-Living Hosts?

BackgroundParasites can cause energetically costly behavioural and immunological responses which potentially can reduce host fitness. However, although most laboratory studies indicate that the metabolic rate of the host increases with parasite infestation, this has never been shown in free-living host populations. In fact, studies thus far have shown no effect of parasitism on field metabolic rate (FMR).Methodology and ResultsWe tested the effect of parasites on the energy expenditure of a host by measuring FMR using doubly-labelled water in free-living Baluchistan gerbils (Gerbillus nanus) infested by naturally occurring fleas during winter, spring and summer. We showed for the first time that FMR of free-living G. nanus was significantly and positively correlated with parasite load in spring when parasite load was highest; this relationship approached significance in summer when parasite load was lowest but was insignificant in winter. Among seasons, winter FMRs were highest and summer FMRs were lowest in G. nanus.DiscussionThe lack of parasite effect on FMR in winter could be related to the fact that FMR rates were highest among seasons. In this season, thermoregulatory costs are high which may indicate that less energy could be allocated to defend against parasites or to compensate for other costly activities. The question about the cost of parasitism in nature is now one of the major themes in ecological physiology. Our study supports the hypothesis that parasites can elevate FMR of their hosts, at least under certain conditions. However, the effect is complex and factors such as season and parasite load are involved.

Application of a hybrid model on short‐term load forecasting based on support vector machines (SVM)

To overcome the shortcoming of single train set of support vector machines (SVM), a novel hybrid model based on dual support vector machines (DSVM) is presented in this paper. The first SVM takes the recent samples in the vicinity of the demand day as its train samples. It can capture the most recent dynamic changing load. The second one takes the same season's load samples in historic years that have the similar attributes with the demand days as its train samples to reflect the season‐period rule. Final results can be archived by converging both SVM. The raw dataset related to experiments was obtained from the EUNITE network. The experiments have proved that the accuracy of proposed model is better than traditional one in general and showed this model's feasibility in practical application.