Typical Season Research Articles

Clothing Area Factor for Typical Seasonal Clothing of Infant

It is not ethical to conduct experiments on infants regarding the thermal environment. Therefore, to examine the thermal environment of infants, experiments and simulations using a human body thermal model may be feasible by clarifying the human body coefficient values of infants. When focusing on the heat transfer area of the infant’s body coefficient values, the body surface area and solar radiation area factor have only been clarified as the standard. The essential basic data for examining the thermal environment of infants have not been sufficiently obtained. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the clothing area factor for infants’ clothing in a typical season. The clothing area factor of infants clothed in summer, mid-season, and winter clothing was measured using a photographic method. The clothing area factor was 1.22, 1.42, and 1.90 for summer, mid-season, and winter clothing, respectively, indicating a significant seasonal difference. It was also found that the clothing area factor was significantly greater for infants than for adults.

Decline of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus detection in facility-based surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic, South Africa, January to October 2020 separator commenting unavailable

Background In South Africa, COVID-19 control measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 spread were initiated on 16 March 2020. Such measures may also impact the spread of other pathogens, including influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with implications for future annual epidemics and expectations for the subsequent northern hemisphere winter. Methods We assessed the detection of influenza and RSV through facility-based syndromic surveillance of adults and children with mild or severe respiratory illness in South Africa from January to October 2020, and compared this with surveillance data from 2013 to 2019. Results Facility-based surveillance revealed a decline in influenza virus detection during the regular season compared with previous years. This was observed throughout the implementation of COVID-19 control measures. RSV detection decreased soon after the most stringent COVID-19 control measures commenced;however, an increase in RSV detection was observed after the typical season, following the reopening of schools and the easing of measures. Conclusion COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions led to reduced circulation of influenza and RSV in South Africa. This has limited the country's ability to provide influenza virus strains for the selection of the annual influenza vaccine. Delayed increases in RSV case numbers may reflect the easing of COVID-19 control measures. An increase in influenza virus detection was not observed, suggesting that the measures may have impacted the two pathogens differently. The impact that lowered and/or delayed influenza and RSV circulation in 2020 will have on the intensity and severity of subsequent annual epidemics is unknown and warrants close monitoring.

Health Care Providers Can Help Combat Harmful Misinformation About the Pandemic.

In a typical flu season or an atypical pandemic, much of the burden for ensuring one's health falls on individual behavior choices, and public health messaging is a tool for enabling people to make good ones. Today's complicated media environment is difficult to navigate. As trusted experts, physicians can guide patients toward evidence-based resources.

The Effects of Collegiate Sports Coaching on the Male Voice: Pilot Data

PurposeThis research gathered pilot data on the effects of a typical collegiate athletic season on the male coach's voice. Materials and methodsTen male coaches and ten age- and sex-matched controls participated. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed to assess group differences in: 1) written self-reports obtained during one session, 2) acoustic and aerodynamic variables obtained during regular season and during off-season for the coaches and only once for the controls, and 3) auditory-perceptual data provided by three speech-language pathologists using the Consensus Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Voice during one listening session. Data pertaining to the coaches’ regular season, to the coaches’ off-season, and to the control participants were designated as in-season, off-season, and control, respectively. ResultsSignificant self-reported findings included more phonotraumatic behaviors in the coaches than in the controls and higher in-season than off-season and control vocal demand. The coaches’ history of voice problems was unrelated and the controls’ was related to respiratory illness and addressing a large audience. A significant acoustic finding was lower off-season than control low fundamental frequency. Finally, trained listeners perceived control loudness as more aberrant than off-season loudness and they noted vocal fry twice as many times in in-season and off-season than in control voices. ConclusionsThis study exposed traces of adverse voice reactions to coaching and confirmed that coaches harbor a job-based proclivity to voice overuse. Self-reported measures appeared to be the least and aerodynamic the most immune to phonatory exertion that pervades daily coaching tasks. Future studies are warranted to further delineate how athletic coaching interferes with voice production.

Changes in Mass Treatment of the Canine Parvovirus ICU Population in Relation to Public Policy Changes during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Previous work has indicated that canine parvovirus (CPV) prevalence in the Central Texas region may follow yearly, periodic patterns. The peak in CPV infection rates occurs during the summer months of May and June, marking a distinct “CPV season”. We hypothesized that human activity contributes to these seasonal changes in CPV infections. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in drastic changes in human behavior which happened to synchronize with the CPV season in Central Texas, providing a unique opportunity with which to assess whether these society-level behavioral changes result in appreciable changes in CPV patient populations in the largest CPV treatment facility in Texas. In this work, we examine the population of CPV-infected patients at a large, dedicated CPV treatment clinic in Texas (having treated more than 5000 CPV-positive dogs in the last decade) and demonstrate that societal–behavioral changes due to COVID-19 were associated with a drastic reduction in CPV infections. This reduction occurred precisely when CPV season would typically begin, during the period immediately following state-wide “reopening” of business and facilities, resulting in a change in the typical CPV season when compared with previous years. These results provide evidence that changes in human activity may, in some way, contribute to changes in rates of CPV infection in the Central Texas region.

Decreased influenza activity during the COVID-19 pandemic-United States, Australia, Chile, and South Africa, 2020.

Transplant recipients are among the groups for whom the updated recommendations for 2020–2021 influenza vaccination should generally be considered essential, notably in the face of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Urgent wake up call for the National Basketball Association.

Frequent air travel and the condensed game schedule typical of a National Basketball Association (NBA) team during the season, often results in accompanying sleep disturbances related to sleep length, sleep quality, and sleep timing (with highly harmful impacts on health, both physical and mental). These issues are not only problematic for NBA players, but also the coaches, training staff, and management support. In this narrative review, we summarize the detrimental effects that this travel and game schedule could have on NBA team members' sleep, as well as their physical and mental health. Multiple peer-reviewed articles address the role of sleep in athletic performance and health; however, to date, the literature focused on sleep-related issues that are unique to the NBA schedule is scarce. Firstly, this review addresses the impact of the NBA schedule, outlining the number of games and the travel involved (number of flights, the timing of flights, timings of arrival at destination and hotel); we also outline a typical daily NBA travel schedule, providing the reader a glimpse of what this encompasses. Secondly, we provide a brief overview of sleep science and discuss specific applications related to the NBA. Finally, we provide comment on the unique current situation of the NBA "bubble". Based on this review, there appears to be considerable scope for further investigation of the acute and chronic effects of sleep disturbances concerning the NBA travel and game schedule. Sleep science recommendations need to inform practice, target sleep interventions, and personalized protocols designed to enhance sleep health that can be incorporated at the organizational level.

Distribution and seasonal evolution of supraglacial lakes on Shackleton Ice Shelf, East Antarctica

Abstract. Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) enhance surface melting and can flex and fracture ice shelves when they grow and subsequently drain, potentially leading to ice shelf disintegration. However, the seasonal evolution of SGLs and their influence on ice shelf stability in East Antarctica remains poorly understood, despite some potentially vulnerable ice shelves having high densities of SGLs. Using optical satellite imagery, air temperature data from climate reanalysis products and surface melt predicted by a regional climate model, we present the first long-term record (2000–2020) of seasonal SGL evolution on Shackleton Ice Shelf, which is Antarctica's northernmost remaining ice shelf and buttresses Denman Glacier, a major outlet of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. In a typical melt season, we find hundreds of SGLs with a mean area of 0.02 km2, a mean depth of 0.96 m and a mean total meltwater volume of 7.45×106 m3. At their most extensive, SGLs cover a cumulative area of 50.7 km2 and are clustered near to the grounding line, where densities approach 0.27 km2 km−2. Here, SGL development is linked to an albedo-lowering feedback associated with katabatic winds, together with the presence of blue ice and exposed rock. Although below-average seasonal (December–January–February, DJF) temperatures are associated with below-average peaks in total SGL area and volume, warmer seasonal temperatures do not necessarily result in higher SGL areas and volumes. Rather, peaks in total SGL area and volume show a much closer correspondence with short-lived high-magnitude snowmelt events. We therefore suggest seasonal lake evolution on this ice shelf is instead more sensitive to snowmelt intensity associated with katabatic-wind-driven melting. Our analysis provides important constraints on the boundary conditions of supraglacial hydrology models and numerical simulations of ice shelf stability.

Enteroviral infection in Ural Federal District and West Siberia: results of epidemiologic observation involving molecular-genetic methods

The objective of this work was to reveal the incidence patterns of enteroviral infection (EVI) in the constituent territories of Ural Federal District (UFD) and West Siberia in modern times. Materials and methods . We used the data from forms of federal statistical EVI monitoring for the period from 2017 to 2019 as well as those from the epidemiological investigation reports obtained from the disease clusters. The genotype of the enteroviruses was determined in specimens of biomaterial from 1,213 patients and their contacts using the molecular genetic method. Results and discussion . In most of the regions presented, an unfavourable epidemic situation with a trend towards further increase in the incidence still remains. Enteroviral infection has typical estivo-autumnal seasonality and age structure. Its most common clinical form is exanthematous lesion of skin and mucous membranes. The intensity and dynamics of the disease clusters formation closely correlates with the level and seasonal dynamics of the EVI incidence in the given area. A total of 36 enterovirus genotypes were detected. Most of the typed strains belonged to species A (39.8 %) and В (55.1 %), and their ratio did not change considerably from 2017 to 2019. However, the intraspecific type structure was subject to major variation. Conclusion . In most regions of UFD and West Siberia, an unfavourable epidemic situation with EVI with a trend towards further increase in the incidence still remains. Genotyping of the detected strains with subsequent phylogenetic analysis permitted more precise identification of the spectrum of the imported enterovirus strains and of those endemic for a specific area as well as evaluating the rate of their spread and their epidemic potential. Studying the variability of the enteroviral population demonstrated high intraspecific dynamics of the genotypes that maintains the intensity of the epidemic. Importation of new genovariants of Coxsackievirus B5 and echoviruses-30 and-11 with a high epidemic potential into the territory of UFD and West Siberia deserves particular attention.

Decreased Influenza Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, Australia, Chile, and South Africa, 2020.

After recognition of widespread community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), by mid- to late February 2020, indicators of influenza activity began to decline in the Northern Hemisphere. These changes were attributed to both artifactual changes related to declines in routine health seeking for respiratory illness as well as real changes in influenza virus circulation because of widespread implementation of measures to mitigate transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Data from clinical laboratories in the United States indicated a 61% decrease in the number of specimens submitted (from a median of 49,696 per week during September 29, 2019-February 29, 2020, to 19,537 during March 1-May 16, 2020) and a 98% decrease in influenza activity as measured by percentage of submitted specimens testing positive (from a median of 19.34% to 0.33%). Interseasonal (i.e., summer) circulation of influenza in the United States (May 17-August 8, 2020) is currently at historical lows (median=0.20% tests positive in 2020 versus 2.35% in 2019, 1.04% in 2018, and 2.36% in 2017). Influenza data reported to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) FluNet platform from three Southern Hemisphere countries that serve as robust sentinel sites for influenza from Oceania (Australia), South America (Chile), and Southern Africa (South Africa) showed very low influenza activity during June-August 2020, the months that constitute the typical Southern Hemisphere influenza season. In countries or jurisdictions where extensive community mitigation measures are maintained (e.g., face masks, social distancing, school closures, and teleworking), those locations might have little influenza circulation during the upcoming 2020-21 Northern Hemisphere influenza season. The use of community mitigation measures for the COVID-19 pandemic, plus influenza vaccination, are likely to be effective in reducing the incidence and impact of influenza, and some of these mitigation measures could have a role in preventing influenza in future seasons. However, given the novelty of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty of continued community mitigation measures, it is important to plan for seasonal influenza circulation in the United States this fall and winter. Influenza vaccination of all persons aged ≥6 months remains the best method for influenza prevention and is especially important this season when SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus might cocirculate (1).

A unique high natural background radiation area – Dose assessment and perspectives

The biological effects of low dose-rate radiation exposures on humans remains unknown. In fact, the Japanese nation still struggles with this issue after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Recently, we have found a unique area in Indonesia where naturally high radiation levels are present, resulting in chronic low dose-rate radiation exposures. We aimed to estimate the comprehensive dose due to internal and external exposures at the particularly high natural radiation area, and to discuss the enhancement mechanism of radon. A car-borne survey was conducted to estimate the external doses from terrestrial radiation. Indoor radon measurements were made in 47 dwellings over three to five months, covering the two typical seasons, to estimate the internal doses. Atmospheric radon gases were simultaneously collected at several heights to evaluate the vertical distribution. The absorbed dose rates in air in the study area vary widely between 50 nGy h−1 and 1109 nGy h−1. Indoor radon concentrations ranged from 124 Bq m−3 to 1015 Bq m−3. That is, the indoor radon concentrations measured exceed the reference levels of 100 Bq m−3 recommended by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, the outdoor radon concentrations measured were comparable to the high indoor radon concentrations. The annual effective dose due to external and internal exposures in the study area was estimated to be 27 mSv using the median values. It was found that many residents are receiving radiation exposure from natural radionuclides over the dose limit for occupational exposure to radiation workers. This enhanced outdoor radon concentration might be as a result of the stable atmospheric conditions generated at an exceptionally low altitude. Our findings suggest that this area provides a unique opportunity to conduct an epidemiological study related to health effects due to chronic low dose-rate radiation exposure.

Forest Fire Regime in a Mediterranean Ecosystem: Unraveling the Mutual Interrelations between Rainfall Seasonality, Soil Moisture, Drought Persistence, and Biomass Dynamics

Frequent and severe droughts typically intensify wildfires provided that there is enough fuel in situ. The extent to which climate change may influence the fire regime and long time-scale hydrological processes may soften the effect of inter-annual climate change and, more specifically, whether soil-water retention capacity can alleviate the harsh conditions resulting from droughts and affect fire regimes, are still largely unexplored matters. The research presented in this paper is a development of a previous investigation and shows in what way, and to what extent, rainfall frequency, dry season length, and hydraulic response of different soil types drive forest fires toward different regimes while taking into consideration the typical seasonality of the Mediterranean climate. The soil-water holding capacity, which facilitates biomass growth in between fire events and hence favors fuel production, may worsen the fire regime as long dry summers become more frequent, such that the ecosystem’s resilience to climate shifts may eventually be undermined.

Water quality and eutrophication in the Curuçá estuary in northern Brazil

Under natural conditions, estuarine environments exhibit temporal and spatial variability in response to intense physical oscillations of tides and freshwater discharge. Various interactions occur between these physical forces, the resident biota, and surrounding human populations. Therefore, the study of estuaries must consider multiple factors, from aesthetic and sanitary to trophic. To reduce anthropogenic impacts on an estuary, measures must be taken to evaluate its trophic state and to describe its biotic and abiotic relationships. This study applied the Trophic State Index (TSI) and Trophic Index (TRIX) to identify alterations and their possible origins in the waters of the Muriá creek, Curuçá municipality, Pará, Brazil in 2015. The results reflect the typical seasonality of the region. The TSI and TRIX indexes show that Muriá creek is naturally susceptible to eutrophication due to its hydrologic characteristics and diffuse sources of pollution. The combined indexes approach is considered satisfactory because each index provides unique and complementary information. Both indexes use simple methodology and are easy to apply, which allows for efficient monitoring with a rapid response time.

Improving the Understanding of CrIS Full Spectral Resolution Nonlocal Thermodynamic Equilibrium Radiances Using Spectral Correlation

AbstractIn recent years, significant progress has been made in fast radiative transfer model (RTM) simulation of daytime nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) emission. However, NLTE remains as one important reason that prevents the hyperspectral shortwave infrared (SWIR) radiance observations from being assimilated into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models. To better understand the limitations of existing RTM‐based NLTE simulation, this study introduces a new statistical method, called Spectral Correlations to Estimate Non‐Local Thermal Equilibrium (SCENTE), to estimate the NLTE radiances in the Cross‐track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) SWIR radiance observations. SCENTE is applied to four typical season days, including spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, and winter solstice. By analyzing calculation/background minus observation (BMO) of CrIS SWIR brightness temperature (BT), results show that SCENTE characterizes the NLTE well with standard deviation of differences (STD) comparable to observation noise for both daytime and nighttime, while the community RTM (CRTM) has substantially larger STD at night, mainly due to the lack of daytime NLTE just beyond the day/night terminator and the lack of aurora‐related NLTE. Detailed investigation of the biases of BMO shows that CRTM underestimates daytime SWIR NLTE effects by 0.76 K, while SCENTE overestimates SWIR NLTE effects by 0.70 K. The overestimation is because SCENTE uses CRTM‐simulated SWIR local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) radiances in the training, which is underestimated by 0.70 K in BT. SCENTE, complementary to RTM‐based simulations, can be used for quality control of SWIR radiances for assimilation and retrieval of atmospheric soundings.

The 2018–2019 weak El Niño: Predicting the risk of a dengue outbreak in Machala, Ecuador

AbstractBetween October 2018 ‐ May 2019, sea surface temperature conditions in the central‐eastern tropical Pacific indicated a mild El Niño event. In May 2019, the global El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) forecast consensus was that these generally weak warm patterns will persist at least until the end of the northern hemisphere summer. El Niño and its impact on local climatic conditions in southern coastal Ecuador influence the inter‐annual transmission of dengue fever in the region. In this study, we use an ENSO model to issue forecasts of El Niño for the year 2019, which are then used to predict local climate variables, precipitation and minimum temperature, in the city of Machala, Ecuador. All these forecasts are incorporated in a dengue transmission model, specifically developed and tested for this area, to produce out‐of‐sample predictions of dengue risk. Predictions are issued at the beginning of January 2019 for the whole year, thus providing the longest forecast lead time of 12 months. Preliminary results indicate that the mild and ongoing El Niño event did not provide the optimum climate conditions for dengue transmission, with the model predicting a very low probability of a dengue outbreak during the typical peak season in Machala in 2019. This is contrary to 2016, when a large El Niño event resulted in excess rainfall and warmer temperatures in the region, and a dengue outbreak occurred 3 months earlier than expected. This event was successfully predicted using a similar prediction framework to the one applied here. With the present study, we continue our efforts to build and test a climate service tool to issue early warnings of dengue outbreaks in the region.

Comparative analysis of window operating behavior in three different open-plan offices in Nanjing

Abstract Research on the window operating behavior of offices is of great significance for reducing building energy consumption and improving indoor comfort. The open-plan office is a common office form that involves a large number of people and a complex staff composition. The window operating behaviors in open-plan offices are also random and various. This study took three open-plan offices with different situations (area, office type, staff composition, etc.) as an example, which provides a new perspective on how people behave differently when opening or closing windows. The window operating behaviors in two typical seasons (summer and transition seasons) were recorded and analyzed. The occupants’ schedules and influencing factors of window operating behavior were investigated by questionnaire surveys. In addition, the indoor environmental parameters, occupancy situation, and on-off statuses of windows and air conditioning were acquired through field measurements. Furthermore, the differences in window operating behaviors in the three open-plan offices were compared from the perspectives of influencing factors, duration of the window on-off statuses, and cause of window control actions, among others. In addition, Spearman Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze the ranks of the candidate motivations for window operating behaviors. The preliminary results show that influenced by the personnel composition, type of air conditioner and adjustable degree of windows, the window operating behaviors of different office buildings have larger discrepancies than that in the same building. However, there were some common characteristics in the window regulation behaviors of the three open-plan offices: they were generally influenced by the coupling of environmental factors, schedule factors, and equipment factors. This study reveals that when expand the research object from a single building to multiple buildings, more difficulties and challenges would be involved into behavior research.

Feasibility Analysis of the Operation Strategies for Combined Cooling, Heating and Power Systems (CCHP) based on the Energy-Matching Regime

Although numerous studies have considered the two traditional operation strategies: following the electric load (FEL) and following the thermal load (FTL), for combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) systems in different case studies, there are limited theoretical studies on the quantification methods to assess the feasibility of these two strategies in different load demands scenarios. Therefore, instead of a case study, we have undertaken a theoretical analysis of the suitable application scenarios for FEL and FTL strategies based on the energy-matching performance between systems’ provision and users’ demands. To compare the calculation models of energy saving rate (ESR) for FEL and FTL strategies in the left and right sub-regions of the energy-supply curve, a comprehensive parameter (χ) that combines three inherently influential factors (off-design operation parameter, energy-matching parameter, and install capacity coefficient) is defined to determine the optimal installed capacity and feasibility of FEL or FTL strategies quantitatively. The results indicate that greater value of χ will contribute to a better energy saving performance, and FEL strategy shows better performance than FTL in most load demands scenarios, and the optimal installed capacity occurs when the load demand points were located in different regions of the energy-supply curve. Finally, taking a hotel in Beijing as an example, the value of the optimal install capacity coefficient is 0.845 and the FEL strategy is also suggested, and compared to the maximum install capacity, the average values of the ESR on a typical summer day, transition season, and winter can be enhanced by 3.9%, 8.8%, and 1.89%, respectively.

Children's Hospital ICU Resource Allocation in an Adult Pandemic.

* Abbreviation: COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease 2019 Imagine the following situation: A 25-year-old is intubated in the emergency department for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–related acute respiratory distress syndrome. The adult ICU is full. The nearby PICU has many available beds and staff. The pediatric intensivist and their administrators must decide how to respond. Do ethical considerations permit, require, or forbid extending PICU care to this adult patient? Two features of the COVID-19 pandemic make situations like this increasingly likely. First, there is significant variation in disease incidence. Adults are at much higher risk of serious COVID-19–related illness requiring ICU care than are children.1,2 Children generally have had fewer infections and milder disease.3,4 Second, there is significant variation in available capacity. According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine, there are only 68 558 adult ICU beds, 5137 PICU beds, 22 901 NICU beds, 25 157 step-down beds, and 1183 burn beds in the United States today.5 In a moderate or severe outbreak, with tens of thousands of adults requiring ICU care,1 the need will quickly outstrip available resources.6 Children’s hospitals, by contrast, likely will have surplus capacity. We are at the end of the typical influenza and respiratory syncytial virus seasons. We have canceled nearly all elective surgery nationwide, easing demand for postoperative care in the PICU. This has left … Address correspondence to Ian D. Wolfe, PhD, RN, CCRN, Children’s Mercy Bioethics Center, 2401 Gillham Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108. E-mail: wolfe370{at}umn.edu

Seasonal Changes In Cardiovascular Function, Risk Factors, And Oxidative Stress Of Wildland Firefighters

Wildland firefighters (WLFF) experience extreme physiological strain throughout a typical season due to intense occupational demands and consistent woodsmoke exposure. There is a rationale to indicate that accumulated physiological strain, and oxidative stress, throughout a WLFF season has the potential to negatively alter cardiovascular function and risk factors. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of a season on cardiovascular function, risk factors, and markers of oxidative stress in WLFF. METHODS: Fourteen members of a Type I interagency hotshot crew participated in the study (males: n=13, females: n=1, age: 30.1 years ± 4.8). Pre- and post-seasonal resting measurements (May, October) were obtained for heart rate variability (lnRMSSD, lnHF, lnHF, LF:HF), pulse wave velocity (PWV), blood lipid panels (TC, TG, LDL, HDL), metabolic biomarkers (blood glucose, HbA1c), blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and blood oxidative stress (3-nitrotyrosine, 8-isoprostane). Paired samples t-tests were used to identify differences among pre- and post- seasonal values. RESULTS: There were no seasonal effects observed on resting heart rate variability, PWV, 3-nitrotyrosine, 8-isoprostane, TC, TG, LDL, blood glucose, SBP, or DBP (p>0.05). A significant reduction occurred in HDL (Pre: 53 mg/dL ± 14, Post: 45 mg/dL ± 18, p=0.043) and HbA1c increased (Pre: 5.2% ± 0.2, Post: 5.3% ± 0.2, p=0.034) from pre- to post-season. CONCLUSION: These data suggest a WLFF season did not impact resting markers of heart rate variability, pulse wave velocity, and oxidative stress. Alterations in metabolic biomarkers of cardiovascular risk factors (HDL and HbA1c) demonstrate unfavorable seasonal changes, suggesting that the WLFF season may increase cardiovascular risk.

Optimal Scheduling of Island Microgrid with Seawater-Pumped Storage Station and Renewable Energy

The rapid development of renewable energy, represented by wind and photovoltaic, provides a new solution for island power supplies. However, due to the intermittent and random nature of renewable energy, a microgrid needs energy-storage components to stabilize its power supply when coupled with them. The emergence of seawater-pumped storage stations provides a new method to offset the shortage of island power supply. In this study, an optimal scheduling of island microgrid is proposed, which uses seawater-pumped storage station as the energy storage equipment to cooperate with wind, photovoltaic and diesel generator. First, a mathematic formulation of seawater-pumped storage station with renewable energy is presented. Then, to reach the goal of economic dispatch, an optimal scheduling model of island microgrid is established with the consideration of both respective operation constraints and island load requirements. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by an island microgrid over two typical seasons. The simulation results show that the proposed framework not only increases the usage of renewable energy, but also improves the operational reliability and economy of island microgrids.