Mean Temperature Variability Research Articles

Global Middle-Atmosphere Response to Winter Stratospheric Variability in SABER and MLS Mean Temperature

Abstract Satellite observations of middle-atmosphere temperature are used to investigate the short-term global response to planetary wave activity in the winter stratosphere. The focus is on the relation between variations in the winter and summer hemispheres. The analysis uses observations from Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) for 2002–21 and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) for 2004–21, and reanalysis temperatures and winds from MERRA-2 for 2002–21. We calculate temporal correlations of the Eliassen–Palm flux divergence in the winter stratosphere with global temperature. Results show a robust perturbation extending to midlatitudes of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) stratosphere during Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter. An increase in wave forcing is followed by a decrease in temperatures over the depth of the stratosphere in the SH, peaking at a lag of 3 days. Summer mesospheric temperature perturbations of the opposite sign are seen in many winters. Comparable signals in the NH summer middle-atmosphere are present during some SH winters but are weaker and less consistent than those in the SH during NH winter. A diagnostic evaluation of the patterns of correlation, the mesospheric zonal winds, and the stability criteria suggests that the temperature perturbations in the midlatitude summer mesosphere are more closely associated with the summer stratosphere directly below than with the wave activity in the winter stratosphere. This suggests that the interhemispheric coupling in the stratosphere is driving or contributing to the coupling between the winter stratosphere and the summer mesosphere that has been reported in several investigations. Significance Statement There are many instances in which one part of the atmosphere is found to regularly respond to perturbations occurring in a distant region. In this study, we use observations to investigate one such pattern: temperature changes at high altitude (60–100 km) in the summer that follow dynamical changes near the winter pole at 40–60 km. Such analysis is useful to understand which physical processes contribute to the global connectivity and variability of the atmosphere.

Daily fluctuations in leaf temperature modulate the development of a foliar pathogen

Thermal ecology studies on the ecophysiological responses of organisms to temperature involve two paradigms: physiological rates are driven by body temperature and not directly by the environmental temperature, and they are largely influenced not only by its mean but also its variance. These paradigms together have been largely applied to macro invertebrates and vertebrates but rarely to microorganisms. According to these paradigms, foliar fungal pathogens are expected to respond directly to the fluctuations in leaf temperature, rather than in air temperature. We determined experimentally the impact of two patterns of leaf temperature variation of equal mean temperature, but differing in their daily amplitude, on the development of Zymoseptoria tritici, a fungus infecting wheat leaves. The highest daily thermal amplitude resulted in two detrimental effects for the pathogen fitness: an increase in the length of the latent period, i.e. the ‘generation time’ of the fungus when infecting its host plant, and a decrease in the density of fruiting bodies on the leaves. We discussed these empirical results, mainly the impact of both the daily thermal amplitude and the fluctuation frequency on the pathogen development in planta, in the light of the mathematical effect of the integration of non-linear functions. We concluded that it is necessary to take into account daily leaf temperature amplitudes to improve our understanding and prediction of the development of foliar fungal pathogens and other micro-organisms living in the phyllosphere in the climate change context.

Monthly, annual and decadal variability of extreme and mean air temperatures in Parnaguá – Pi, Brazil

Aiming at the delimitation of the buoyancy of the maximum temperature (TX), minimum temperature (Tn) and average temperature (Tm) of the air in the municipal area of ​​Parnaguá and the lagoon of that municipality. With the development and agricultural expansion, large areas are being deforested, not taking into account the contribution of meteorological factors among them, especially temperatures, can minimize the occurrence of damage from anomalous effects that may happen. TX, Tn and Tm data estimated by the estima software were used - T between the years 1960 - 2019, monthly, annual, maximum and minimum values ​​were obtained. Observing the variability of TX, Tn and Tm, the hottest quarter and its monthly and annual values ​​were delimited, as well as the observed absolute maximum and minimum values. The results show that in the hot period the possibilities of fires and fires increase and in green areas it is beneficial to the production of pastures and grain. Such delimitations of the hottest quarters and the information on the times of lowest maximum air temperature served as a warning to federal, state, municipal authorities and decision makers to carry out better planning. The average temperature is the representation of the variability and its oscillations of extreme temperatures, any variability in these elements the average temperatures adapt to their oscillations and result from the synoptic systems active in the rainy and dry season as well as from the impacts on the environment and its elevation in relation to sea level.

Association of Daily Variance in Air Temperature With Postoperative Adhesive Small Bowel Obstruction.

Introduction: The influence of air temperature on adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between air temperature and postoperative ASBO.Methods: Overall, 312 patients with postoperative ASBO were included. They were categorized into two groups: the surgery group (n = 83) comprising patients who needed surgery, and the non-surgery group (n = 229) comprising patients who responded to conservative treatment. The associations between patients’ characteristics and weather variables on days of symptom onset with the need for surgical management were investigated. Weather variables included the daily mean barometric pressure, daily mean air temperature, day-to-day differences, daily variances, and diurnal variation in the air temperature. Day-to-day differences in weather variables were calculated as the daily mean variables on the day of symptom onset minus those on the previous day. The daily variances in weather variables were defined as the absolute value of day-to-day differences.Results: Compared to the non-surgery group, the surgery group had older patients (75 vs. 70 years, p = 0.009), a higher proportion of female patients (44.6% vs. 32.3%, p = 0.046), increased incidence of closed-loop sign (50.6% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.001), a lower proportion of feces sign (18.1% vs. 31.3%, p = 0.024), and a prolonged hospital stay (11 vs. 22 days, p < 0.001). The number distribution of patients in the surgery group in day-to-day differences in air temperature was different from that of the non-surgery group; the former has several peaks whereas the latter has almost one peak. Daily variance in mean air temperature on the day of symptom onset was higher in the surgery group than in the non-surgery group (2.3 vs. 1.3℃, p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that increased daily variance in air temperature on the onset day was associated with the need for surgical management (odds ratio 1.254, p = 0.002) and closed-loop obstruction (odds ratio 1.235, p = 0.017). Regarding seasonal variations, the risk of the need for surgery and closed-loop obstruction in each ASBO patient was the highest in spring, followed by that in summer, autumn, and winter. Consistently, the daily variance in mean air temperature in spring was higher than that in summer, autumn, and winter (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.0047, respectively). The risk of the need for surgery and closed-loop obstruction in each ASBO patient was the highest in spring, followed by that in summer, autumn, and winter. Consistently, daily variance in mean air temperature was higher in spring than that in summer, autumn, and winter (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.0047, respectively).Conclusion: Increased daily variance in mean air temperature on the day of onset is associated with the need for surgical management and closed-loop obstruction. Spring is characterized by the highest daily variance in mean air temperature among the four seasons, and is associated with high proportions of the need for surgery and closed-loop obstruction. These results can be clinically useful in terms of hospital resource reallocation and staffing, and can help clarify the pathogenesis of ASBO.

Spatiotemporal variations of seasonal temperature at different percentiles in the three provinces of northeast China from 1961 to 2019

AbstractThe three provinces of northeast China (NEPs) were one of the major grain producing areas in China and has undergone significant climate warming during past decades. However, nowadays researches on climate warming mostly focused on variations of mean temperature or temperature extremes, which missed much information in the other parts of temperature. Therefore, taken NEPs as study area, variations of maximum temperature (Tmax), minimum temperature (Tmin) and diurnal temperature range (DTR) at every 10% percentile from 1961 to 2019 in NEPs were analysed at seasonal scale. The abrupt changes and decadal shifts of Tmax, Tmin and DTR at different percentiles were further highlighted. Results show that (a) for either regional average or station cases, fluctuations of daily Tmax and daily Tmin both decreased in spring and winter, but increased in autumn. In summer, fluctuations of daily Tmin decreased while those of daily Tmax increased. (b) Spatially, Tmax heated up more in south of NEPs at lower percentiles, and in northwest of NEPs at higher percentiles in spring, summer and winter. Tmin and DTR overall showed consistent spatial differences that changes in north and northwest of NEPs were with greater magnitudes. (c) In spring and winter, the higher Tmax/Tmin had earlier abrupt changes than lower Tmax/Tmin, while in summer and autumn, the abrupt changes occurred earlier for lower Tmax/Tmin. (d) In winter, overwhelming positive shifts were significant before 2000, but turned negative after 2000. In summer, Tmax heated up quickly since 1990s and Tmin since 1980s. Shifts in spring and autumn varied during different periods and generally presented alternative warming at higher and lower percentiles. The research can help better depict the warming patterns and figure out the detailed warming procedures in NEPs, which is a strong supplement for current climate change research.

Entropy generation characteristics of phase change material in a variable wavy walled triplex tube latent heat storage unit for battery thermal management system

This study focuses on the thermal and frictional entropy generation characteristics of phase change material (PCM) in a triplex tube latent heat storage unit which is a promising technique for thermal management of lithium-ion batteries. Four different wavy structures for the triplex tube heat exchanger with variable waviness are considered, namely Case 1 to 4. Regarding the numerical analysis, the variations in mean temperature and liquid fraction of PCM are first revealed and presented where the crossflow heat transfer fluid in the system is considered water. Furthermore, thermal and frictional entropy generation rates in local and global means are separately discussed for both charging and discharging processes. The results showed that the difference in mean temperature and melting rates among the cases are more noticeable at the end of the process due to intensified natural convection, and Case 3 has 240 s (12.3%) shorter melting time compared to Case 1 and 4. Although solidification rates have similar trends in all cases, the solidification time is different, e.g., it is 110 s (5.2%) shorter in Case 4, compared to Case 1. The entropy generation trends are relatively similar during the solidification, while they are noticeably different in the melting process due to effect of liquid PCM flow.

606 Novel application of a surgeon-operated clysis delivery system in burn surgery

IntroductionTangential excision of burns is associated with significant bleeding. Sub-eschar insufflation of epinephrine-containing clysis has shown to decrease blood loss and associated complications. Administration of adrenaline-containing infiltrates are also beneficial in the harvest of split thickness skin grafts. Clysis is typically delivered with the assistance of a perfusionist-operated system. This method, however, is associated with significant cost and dependent on personnel availability. This study evaluated the use of a novel surgeon-operated fluid management system in the delivery of clysis in burn surgery.MethodsOur initial experience with a novel fluid management system is presented. Prospective collection of infiltration data, including average temperature, pressure, and volume of clysis was performed. Patient and burn factors were evaluated and complications collected. Finally, a cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted.ResultsThirty-seven consecutive cases comprising 22 adult patients (15/22, 68% male), with a mean age of 49 years (+/- 19) were reviewed. The mean % total body surface area of all patients was 39 (+/- 21.7). The mean temperature, pressure and volume of administered clysis was 32.2 degrees Celsius (+/- 4.4), 265.04 mmHg (+/-56.17), and 5805.8 mL (+/- 4844.4), respectively. The mean dose of epinephrine administered was 14.5mg (+/- 12.1). The mean temperature variability was 1.1 °C (+/- 1.2). Total mean packed red blood cells (PRBC) transfused was 507.6 mL (+/- 624.4). There were no recorded complications. We identified a cost savings of $20,766 CAD over the cases examined.ConclusionsWe present the novel application of a fluid management system in burn surgery. This technique provides rapid and safe infiltration of warmed clysis. We are able to maintain intra-operative euthermia despite a large volume of administered clysis and significant intraoperative vulnerability to hypothermia. In addition, this technique may be transfusion-sparing. The introduction of this method of clysis administration was associated with significant cost-savings.

Novel Application of a Surgeon-Operated Clysis Delivery System in Burn Surgery

Insufflation of epinephrine-containing solutions (clysis) has shown to decrease blood loss in burn surgery. Current delivery methods are associated with significant cost and may predispose burn patients to hypothermia. This was a proof-of-concept study to evaluate a novel surgeon-operated clysis delivery system. Our initial experience with a novel fluid management system is presented. Temperature, pressure, and volume of clysis was recorded. Patient and burn factors were evaluated and complications collected. Finally, a cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted. Thirty-seven consecutive cases comprising 22 adult patients (15/22, 68% male), with a mean age of 49 years (+/−19) were reviewed. The mean % total body surface area of all patients was 39 (+/−21.7). The mean temperature, pressure, and volume of administered clysis was 32.2 degrees Celsius (+/−4.4), 265.04 mmHg (+/−56.17), and 5805.8 mL (+/−4844.4), respectively. The mean dose of epinephrine administered was 14.5 mg (+/−12.1). The mean temperature variability was 1.1 °C (+/−1.2). The total mean of packed red blood cells (PRBC) transfused was 507.6 mL (+/−624.4). There were no recorded complications. We identified a cost savings of CAD 20,766 over the cases examined, compared to our conventional clysis delivery technique. This novel technique provides rapid and safe infiltration of warmed clysis in burn surgery. We were able to maintain intra-operative euthermia. In addition, this technique may be transfusion-sparing. The introduction of this method of clysis administration was associated with significant cost-savings. Future randomized study is necessary.

The role of geological models and uncertainties in safety assessments

Safety assessments in nuclear waste management typically include the analysis of thermo-mechanical (TM)-coupled processes. The TM behavior of the host rock is, among other aspects, dependent on the prevalent geological geometry. This study aims to evaluate the impact of uncertainties in geometry on the TM rock behavior. It is one of the very first studies aiming to bring uncertainties of structural geological models and numerical simulations together. To analyze the influence of geological geometries, a simplified model of the region around the Mont Terri rock laboratory was created. A 3D structural geological model was set up and uncertainties of the lithological contacts were quantified by means of stochastic simulations, resulting in an ensemble of 89 model realizations. These realizations were transformed to a 2D numerical model. In this numerical model, TM simulations were computed over a simulation time of 500 years, employing the Finite Element Method. To simulate a heat source of nuclear waste, the lower edge of the model was set to 100 °C. The results of these simulations show mean temperature variations of 90.89 and 92.70 °C after 500 years, with a maximum stress varying between 0.02 and 0.16 MPa of elastic shear energy density and according mean cumulative displacements ranging from 30 to 38 cm. The presented results indicate that different model geometries and differences in material properties lead to noticeable variabilities of the TM behavior of claystone. However, in this case, these variabilities would not significantly affect the integrity of the rock.

Experimental investigation of CsI aerosol removal in containment spray system test facility of 700 MWe IPHWR

Post-accident management of the radionuclide in a nuclear reactor is always a focus point from the nuclear power plant safety point of view. A number of systems using different radionuclide scrubbing mechanisms are already deployed in the Indian nuclear reactors to safeguard the public during and post-accident scenario. However, it is always desirable to achieve “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA) philosophy. In the same lines, to further strengthen the safety of Indian nuclear reactors, Containment Spray System (CSS) is introduced in 700 MWe Indian pressurized heavy water reactors to cater/mitigate the aftermath of the Design Basis Accidents (DBA) i.e., Loss Of Coolant Accident (LOCA) and Main Steam Line Break (MSLB). It provides the fast vapour suppression and radionuclide removal from containment during/post design basis accidents. In the present work the experimental investigation of the effect of water spray on the CsI aerosol scrubbing/CsI aerosol removal is studied in a scaled down facility. Experiments are also carried out for the CsI aerosol removal when spray is not operating. In order to encompass the containment pressures during DBA, 1.0 bar(g) initial vessel pressure is used to simulate the accident conditions. For simulation of aerosols after accident CsI nano particles (spherical) suspended in the air and CsI dry aerosols are used. The spray flow rate for all the experiment is kept constant approximately 11.3 lpm. However different Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) (D32 = 590 µm, 745 µm, 1000 µm) are used to study the effect of droplet diameter on CsI aerosol removal. The temporal variation of the vessel relative pressure gas mean temperature and wall temperature is measured. Vessel depressurization rate with time is recorded. CsI aerosol removal/ CsI aerosol concentration variation with time is measured using two diverse measurements system namely scrubber method and Optical Particle Counter (OPC). Global decontamination factor and global collection efficiency is deduced based on the studies. Few tests without spray are also carried out to estimate the plate out effect on CsI aerosol removal.

Determination of Metabolic Rate from Physical Measurements of Heart Rate, Mean Skin Temperature and Carbon Dioxide Variation

Thermal comfort depends on four environmental parameters such as air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity and relative humidity and two personal parameters, including clothing insulation and metabolic rate. Environmental parameters can be measured via objective sensors. However, personal parameters can be merely estimated in most of the studies. Metabolic rate is one of the problematic personal parameters that affect the accuracy of thermal comfort models. International thermal comfort standards still use a conventional metabolic rate table which is tabulated according to different activity tasks. On the other hand, ISO 8996 underestimates metabolic rates, especially when the time of activity level is short and rest time is long. To this aim, this paper aims to determine metabolic rates from physical measurements of heart rate, mean skin temperature and carbon dioxide variation by means of nineteen sample activities. 21 male and 17 female subjects with different body mass indices, sex and age are used in the study. The occupants are subjected to different activity tasks while heart rate, skin temperature and carbon dioxide variation are measured via objective sensors. The results show that the metabolic rate can be estimated with a multivariable non-linear regression equation with high accuracy of 0.97.

Drivers of phenotypic divergence in a Mesoamerican highland bird.

Animals derive their coloration from a variety of pigments as well as non-pigmentary structural features. One of the most widespread types of pigments are carotenoids, which are used by all invertebrate taxa and most vertebrate orders to generate red, pink, orange and yellow coloration. Despite their widespread use by diverse animal groups, animals obligately obtain carotenoid pigments from diet. Carotenoid-based coloration is therefore modulated by evolutionary and ecological processes that affect the acquisition and deposition of these pigments into tegumentary structures. The Flame-colored Tanager (Piranga bidentata) is a highland songbird in the cardinal family (Cardinalidae) that is distributed from Mexican sierras through Central America up to western Panama. While female plumage throughout its entire range is predominantly yellow, males exhibit a noticeable split in ventral plumage color, which is bright orange on the West slope and the Tres Marias Islands and blood red in Eastern Mexico and Central America. We used Multiple Regression on Matrices (MRM) to evaluate the relative contributions of geographic distance, climate and genetic distance on color divergence and body differences between geographically disjunct populations. We found that differentiation in carotenoid plumage coloration was mainly explained by rainfall differences between disjunct populations, whereas body size differences was best explained by variation in the annual mean temperature and temperature of coldest quarter. These results indicate that climate is a strong driver of phenotypic divergence in Piranga bidentata.

Contributions of mean temperature and temperature variation to population stability and community diversity.

Future climate changes are predicted to not only increase global temperatures but also alter temporal variation in temperature. As thermal tolerances form an important component of a species’ niche, changes to the temperature regime have the capacity to negatively impact species, and therefore, the diversity of the communities they inhabit. In this study, we used protist microcosms to assess how mean temperature, as well as temporal variation in temperature, affected diversity. Communities consisted of seven species in a multitrophic food web. Each ecosystem was inoculated with the same abundances of each species at the start of the experiment, and species densities, Hill's numbers (based on Shannon diversity), the number of extinctions, and the probability the microcosm contained predators were all calculated at the end of the experiment. To assess how mean temperature and temperature fluctuations affect stability, we also measured population densities through time. We found that increased temporal variation in temperature increased final densities, increased Hill's numbers (at low mean temperatures), decreased rates of extinctions, and increased the probability that predators survived till the end of the experiment. Mean temperatures did not significantly affect either the number of extinctions or the probability of predators, but did reduce the positive effect of increased temporal variation in temperature on overall diversity. Our results indicate that climatic changes have the potential to impact the composition of ecological communities by altering multiple components of temperature regimes. However, given that some climate forecasts are predicting increased mean temperatures and reduced variability, our finding that increased mean temperature and reduced temporal variation are both generally associated with negative consequences is somewhat concerning.

Variability of climate-induced rice yields in northwest Bangladesh using multiple statistical modeling

Because of evident climatic variations and significant contribution to national food production, Bangladesh is a climate extreme hotspot region of examination for climatic consequences for rice (Oryza Sativa) crop production. This study intends to explore the variability of climatic variables (e.g., variations in mean temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and sunshine duration) with rice yields (e.g., Aus, Aman, and Boro rice varieties) in northwest Bangladesh. The modified Mann–Kendall test, Theil–Sen slope estimator, and multiple linear regression (MLR) modeling were used to estimate the association among these factors. Heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation constant standard error (HAC) and feasible generalized least square (FGLS) technique were adopted to measure the climate-rice crop nexus using the regional level dataset for 1976–2015. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal variation of rice yield trends with climatic variables was mapped and assessed by the coefficient of variation. The results show that observed temperature and humidity trends were beneficial for Aus and Aman yields but not Boro yields. In contrast, observed rainfall and sunshine trends were negative for all three rice seasons. The outcomes of the MLR model explained 67%, 92%, and 83% of the variability in Aus, Aman, and Boro rice yields in the study region. The model outcomes showed that humidity and rainfall have negatively affected Aus and Aman rice crops, while temperature and rainfall positively influence Boro rice yield. Regarding the climate change issues and safeguarding food safety at the regional level, the concerned authorities should provide substantial attention to improving heat and drought-tolerance high-yielding varieties against climate effects on Aus and Aman rice varieties.

Analysis of rainfall and temperature trends and variability in semi-arid Tharaka South Subcounty, Kenya

To better understand the impacts of climate variability, including spatiotemporal variations in mean rainfall, temperature, and other climatic elements, it is imperative to analyze the dynamics of these elements. Despite the high vulnerability of the Tharaka South Subcounty, Kenya, to the impacts of climate change and variability, no studies have analyzed the local climatic trends and variability to inform response strategies. In this study, we analyzed rainfall and temperature trends and variability in Tharaka South Subcounty using gridded rainfall and temperature data sourced from CHIRPS and CHIRTS. Variability analysis employed descriptive statistics, coefficients of variation, standardized anomalies, and the precipitation concentration index. Trends were analyzed using a Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimator. The study area is characterized by low rainfall that shows a decreasing trend. Local rainfall is generally marked by high and increasing variability, high and increasing concentration, and a high probability of extreme events. The area has also experienced increasingly severe and frequent droughts, with most years in the study period having below-average rainfall. Rainfall variability is thus characterized by a decrease in rainfall, high rainfall concentration, extreme rainfall events, and more frequent and severe droughts. Large-scale climate forcings also influence the local rainfall trends and variability. In addition, the study area has high temperatures that show an increasing trend, and the region experiences a fluctuating temperature regime. An increase in temperature is associated with a reduction in rainfall amount. Moreover, the area is marked by spatial variability of rainfall and temperature, both with positive and negative spatial trends. The findings of this study will improve understanding of climatic trends and variability, leading to a better understanding of their impacts and informing the development of effective response strategies in the study area.

Co‐ordinated elevational diversity patterns for soil bacteria, fungi, and plants in alkaline soils of arid northwestern China

AbstractPlants often show remarkable elevational distribution patterns in arid‐montane ecosystems. However, it is not clear if soil microbes follow elevational diversity patterns, even though they represent the majority of biodiversity and drive varieties of ecological processes. Here, we conducted a survey of fungal and bacterial communities across an elevational gradient from 2350 to 3850 m in a typical mountainous grassland of arid northwestern China. Our results revealed co‐ordinated alpha and beta diversity patterns for soil microbes and plants along the elevational gradient, and the richness and Shannon diversity of bacteria, fungi, and plants exhibited a unimodal elevational pattern. The unimodal diversity pattern for soil microbes was further confirmed by the shifts in the relative abundance of dominant bacterial phyla (Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Nitrospirae) and fungal phyla (Zygomycota) along the elevational gradient. Soil variables (soil pH, organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen) explained the largest proportion of the variability in both bacterial and fungal communities, followed by plant (richness and Shannon diversity) and climatic (mean annual temperature and precipitation) variables. These environmental factors together explained a larger proportion of variability in bacterial communities (54.88%) than in fungal communities (24.15%). Our results strongly supported the existence of co‐ordinated elevational diversity patterns for soil microbes and plants in arid‐montane ecosystems, and highlighted that the importance of soil pH in microbial elevational patterns was also apparently in alkaline soils.Highlights Soil bacteria and fungi follow elevational diversity patterns of plants. Species richness and Shannon diversity index exhibited unimodal elevational patterns. Soil, plant, and climatic factors are co‐responsible for microbial diversity. These factors explained more variation in bacteria than that in fungi. Microbial diversity is more vulnerable to precipitation than temperature.

Effects of daily mean temperature and other meteorological variables on bacillary dysentery in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China.

BackgroundAlthough previous studies have shown that meteorological factors such as temperature are related to the incidence of bacillary dysentery (BD), researches about the non-linear and interaction effect among meteorological variables remain limited. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of temperature and other meteorological variables on BD in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, which is a high-risk area for BD distribution.MethodsOur study was based on the daily-scale data of BD cases and meteorological variables from 2014 to 2019, using generalized additive model (GAM) to explore the relationship between meteorological variables and BD cases and distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) to analyze the lag and cumulative effects. The interaction effects and stratified analysis were developed by the GAM.ResultsA total of 147,001 cases were reported from 2014 to 2019. The relationship between temperature and BD was approximately liner above 0 °C, but the turning point of total temperature effect was 10 °C. Results of DLNM indicated that the effect of high temperature was significant on lag 5d and lag 6d, and the lag effect showed that each 5 °C rise caused a 3% [Relative risk (RR) = 1.03, 95% Confidence interval (CI): 1.02–1.05] increase in BD cases. The cumulative BD cases delayed by 7 days increased by 31% for each 5 °C rise in temperature above 10 °C (RR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.30–1.33). The interaction effects and stratified analysis manifested that the incidence of BD was highest in hot and humid climates.ConclusionsThis study suggests that temperature can significantly affect the incidence of BD, and its effect can be enhanced by humidity and precipitation, which means that the hot and humid environment positively increases the incidence of BD.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.21-00005.

Thermal Image-Based Temperament Classification by Genetic Algorithm and Adaboost Classifier.

Background:Temperament (Mizaj) determination is an important stage of diagnosis in Persian Medicine. This study aimed to evaluate thermal imaging as a reliable tool that can be used instead of subjective assessments.Methods:The temperament of 34 participants was assessed by a PM specialist using standardized Mojahedi Mizaj Questionnaire (MMQ) and thermal images of the wrist in the supine position, the back of the hand, and their whole face under supervision of the physician were recorded. Thirteen thermal features were extracted and a classifying algorithm was designed based on the genetic algorithm and Adaboost classifier in reference to the temperament questionnaire.Results:The results showed that the mean temperature and temperature variations in the thermal images were relatively consistent with the results of MMQ. Among the three body regions, the results related to the image from Malmas were most consistent with MMQ. By selecting six of the 13 features that had the most impact on the classification, the accuracy of 94.7 ± 13.0, sensitivity of 95.7 ± 11.3, and specificity of 98.2 ± 4.2 were obtained.Conclusions:The thermal imaging was relatively consistent with standardized MMQ and can be used as a reliable tool for evaluating warm/cold temperament. However, the results reveal that thermal imaging features may not be only main features for temperament classification and for more reliable classification, it needs to add some different features such as wrist pulse features and some subjective characteristics.

Dynamical Downscaling of Temperature Variations over the Canadian Prairie Provinces under Climate Change

In this study, variations of daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperature (expressed as Tmean, Tmax, and Tmin) over the Canadian Prairie Provinces were dynamically downscaled through regional climate simulations. How the regional climate would increase in response to global warming was subsequently revealed. Specifically, the Regional Climatic Model (RegCM) was undertaken to downscale the boundary conditions of Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Earth System Model Version 2M (GFDL-ESM2M) over the Prairie Provinces. Daily temperatures (i.e., Tmean, Tmax, and Tmin) were subsequently extracted from the historical and future climate simulations. Temperature variations in the two future periods (i.e., 2036 to 2065 and 2065 to 2095) are then investigated relative to the baseline period (i.e., 1985 to 2004). The spatial distributions of temperatures were analyzed to reveal the regional impacts of global warming on the provinces. The results indicated that the projected changes in the annual averages of daily temperatures would be amplified from the southwest in the Rocky Mountain area to the northeast in the prairie region. It was also suggested that the projected temperature averages would be significantly intensified under RCP8.5. The projected temperature variations could provide scientific bases for adaptation and mitigation initiatives on multiple sectors, such as agriculture and economic sectors over the Canadian Prairies.

Seasonal evolution and interseasonal changes in polar mesospheric clouds at high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere

The total areas and other related characteristics of polar mesospheric clouds of the Southern Hemisphere are determined on the basis of the processing of images obtained from the AIM satellite mission. Daily images have been analyzed from 2007 to 2008 to 2019–2020 austral summer seasons. The set of the analyzed data allowed us to study the features of seasonal and inter-seasonal changes in the development of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs). Long-term temporal changes in such parameters as the maximum and integral areas of the cloud field, the date of the first appearance and disappearance of PMCs, as well as their season durations have been considered in detail. The conclusion about the non-random nature of changes in these characteristics in some seasons is substantiated. It is possible that the PMC evolution is influenced by fluctuations in weather and climatic conditions in the Antarctic region. This assumption is supported by both the relationship between the intensity of mesospheric clouds development in the Southern Hemisphere and variations in seasonal mean (in the context of the clouds existence) temperatures in Antarctica as well as between the stable similarity in seasonal changes in temperature and PMC field areas.