Average Temperature Variation Research Articles

Occupational safety and health hazards in artisanal gold mines in western and Nyanza region, Kenya

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASSGM) has experienced rapid growth due to mineral value and increasing poverty level in western and Nyanza regions in Kenya. The sub-sector has hazardous tasks occasioned by chemical exposures to such substances as mercury, physical strain and repetitive movements associated with extractive tasks challenge which vary from region to region and site to site. This paper reports findings of a study conducted on ASSGM in Kakamega (Roster mine and Ikolomani) and Migori (Masara-Suna West and Francis - Suna East) counties to assess workplace safety, health risk and good health practice among a population of one thousand four hundred (1400) miners and non-miners to identify and determine levels of health hazard in the sector. Descriptive cross-sectional design that involved stratified sampling technique with three broad stages was used: dividing mining and non-mining population in sub-groups (miners, foremen/supervisors, and head of households) at sites in administering to them research instrument using a simple random technique. Levels of airborne particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) were determined both at mining sites and away from mining sites using low cost monitor sensor (PA-11-SD Purple air sensor). The low-cost monitor sensor data was corrected using collocational data obtained using a continuous particulate monitor (BAM 1020) reference monitor in a similar location. SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyse qualitative data. The study found that common sources of hazards included handling elemental mercury with bare hands during amalgamation and exposure to fumes during refining raw sponge-like gold. Aaverage 24-hour variation cycle for (PM2.5 and PM10) was 117.11±14.47 and 195.18±15.35 μg/m3 in ambient air respectively at all mining sites. Histograms were used to present frequency distribution of variations for (PM2.5 and PM10) from mining activity. The average humidity and temperature variations of artisanal gold mining were in the range of (45-35) percentage (% RH) and (26-28)0C respectively. The study concluded that there were high risk cycle exposures to airborne particulate matter contaminants at artisanal gold mining sites as compared to non- mining sites. The study recommends that the county government should give priority to developing safe guidelines to ASSGM. The central government should also come up with guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in artisanal gold mining to facilitate compliance with OSH requirements in the sector and offer effective participative training.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BIOGAS PRODUCTION BOTH FROM PLANTAIN PEELS AND ROTTEN ONION BLENDED WITH POULTRY DROPPINGS

A comparative study was carried out on biogas production potential of plantain peels and rotten onion blended with poultry droppings. Three digesters labeled A, B and C were fabricated with Digester A fed with a mixture of rotten onion and poultry droppings (OP) in a ratio 1:1, Digester B fed with a mixture of plantain peels and poultry droppings (PP) also in the same ratio but Digester C fed in a ratio 1:2:1 of rotten onion, plantain peels and poultry droppings (OPP). The rate of production over a retention period of 40 days was measured using a digital weighing balance to measure the weight of gas retained in each of the circular rubber tube connected to each digester. The effect of the variation in average daily temperature on biogas yield of each feedstock was also analyzed. The co-digestion of rotten onion, plantain peels and poultry droppings yielded most with value of 705.5 g compared to either of plantain peels and rotten onion blended with poultry droppings which has cumulative gas yield of 348.1 g and 199.9 g respectively. It can be concluded that the blending of poultry droppings with agricultural wastes will greatly improve biogas yield.

ANALISIS PRODUKSI BIOGAS SEBAGAI ENERGI ALTERNATIF PADA KOMPOR BIOGAS MENGGUNAKAN CAMPURAN KOTORAN SAPI DAN AMPAS TAHU

Biogas decomposes organic waste by bacteria through an anaerobic fermentation process that produces manageable methane gas. The purpose of this study was to determine the temperature, pressure, mass and flame duration of biogas produced from a mixture of cow dung and tofu waste liquid waste using a batch type digester. The digester uses a volume capacity of 30 liters with a volume of stuffing raw material as much as of the volume of the digester. This study uses three variations of the volume ratio of the mixture of cow dung and tofu waste liquid waste, namely S1 (50%: 50%), S2 (70%: 30%), and S3 (90%: 10%) with the addition of 2.5 liters of water for each variation. Data collection was carried out for 30 days at 11.00 WITA and 17.00 WITA. Based on the results of the study, it is known that the mixed variation of 50%: 50% is the best variation compared to the variations of 70%: 30%, and 90%: 10%. The results of the daily average environmental temperature variation of the S1 mixture are 30.19°C, and the average substrate temperature are 27.06°C. The average daily yield of biogas pressure are 0.039 bar with a total mass of biogas are 57.8 grams. Based on the measurement results of biogas flame duration comparasion with LPG on the total mass of biogas with the variation of the S1 mixture, it is obtained that biogas flame duration are 4.38 minutes while the combustion of LPG gas with the same total mass are 49 seconds.

Influence of flow and thermal characteristics on thermal comfort inside an automobile cabin under the effect of solar radiation

Present work describes the thermal comfort of the driver in an automobile cabin under the effect of solar radiation for different cooling jet directions. Three-dimensional transient cooling simulations of the in-cabin flow and heat interactions have been carried out using commercial solver ANSYS Fluent 18.1. The surface to surface (S2S) radiation model embedded within the solver has been employed to simulate the internal conditions of radiative heat transfer. The transient behavior of the flow inside the cabin has been brought out using Fourier spectra of velocity signals. The spatial distributions of temperature and velocity for different values of driver-side vertical guide vane angle have also been presented. The interaction between cooling jets from the air-conditioning vents with air inside the automobile cabin has been illustrated using iso-Q surfaces describing the vortex structures in the flow field. Variation of bulk average temperature with vertical guide vane angle is also reported in this study. The thermal comfort of the driver has been evaluated using Equivalent Temperature (ET) and Effective Draft Temperature (EDT) for different values of vertical guide vane angles. The ET and EDT values corresponding to different locations on the body of the driver have been compared to bring out the relative significance of draft and radiative heat transfer on the thermal comfort inside an automobile cabin. Optimal guide vane angle corresponding to enhanced mixing and thermal comfort has also been identified.

Study on the Equivalent Average Temperature Variation of the Coal Core during the Freeze Coring Process.

In the freeze coring process, the core tube is subjected to cutting heat, frictional heat with the coal wall, and refrigerant action, which causes the temperature of the coal core to be different at different positions and at different times. The equivalent average temperature is proposed to represent the change law of the whole temperature of the coal core and to provide the temperature boundary condition for calculating gas loss. Relying on the self-developed simulation platform for the freezing response characteristics of gas-containing coal, a temperature change simulation test of the freezing core under different external heat conditions was carried out, and the freezing core heat transfer model was constructed with the help of COMSOL to analyze the coal core radial temperature changes during the freeze coring process. Because the drilling sampling time of the freeze coring process is short and there is a thermal isolation device between the drill bit and the core tube, the influence of cutting heat is ignored when the model is established, and only the coal core diameter is studied. The results show that the law of equivalent average temperature of the coal core with time is consistent with the experimental law, which is divided into three stages: rapid decline, slow decline, and relative stability. The temperature drop amplitude and rate of the equivalent average temperature of the coal core decrease with increasing external heat temperature. For example, when the external temperature is 60, 70, 80, and 90 °C, the limit temperatures of the equivalent average temperature of the coal core are −36.301, −30.358, −23.956, and −18.899 °C, respectively.

Оценки неопределённостей доз внешнего и внутреннего облучения населения в загрязнённых областях РФ после аварии на ЧАЭС на основе инструментальных данных

The paper presents the results estimation of uncertainties in doses to the thyroid, from external and internal exposure to radiation following the Chernobyl accident. For the estimation the data-base of radiometry activities of Cs-134+137 in the body and I-131 to the thyroid in 1986 for 28,311 residents of Kaluga region and 16,470 residents of Bryansk region. Whole body radiation spectrome-try measurements made for 167,325 residents of Bryansk region from 1990 through 1994 were used. The computational model for reassessment of I-131 activities into individual exposure doses is an analytical relationship that describes the relative dynamics of radionuclide activities in a chain consisting “vegetation”, “milk”, “thyroid” and “inside the human body”, that is the chain of successive single-chamber models with time-constant transition rates between chambers and depending on the age of a person after single deposition of radionuclides on vegetation. The dy-namics of specific activities of I-131, Cs-134+137 in the vegetation chamber is calculated according to the agroclimatic model, with account of the dynamics of precipitation, the growth of forage and food vegetation biomass according to the data of the annual variation of average daily air tem-peratures in the surface layer of the atmosphere. The official methodology was used to calculate external exposure doses and reassess whole body radiation spectrometry measurements into in-ternal exposure doses. Based on the results of the studies, uncertainty estimates were obtained in terms of standard geometric deviations in the year of the accident – for individual, average in populated areas and integral dose estimates: (minimum/average/maximum) doses of internal thyroid and whole body exposure, respectively (1.1/2,0/3.0), (1.2/1.5/2.3) and (1.3/2.9/3.3); for doses since 1987, respectively (1.2/1.9/4.0), (1.2/1.9/2.1) and (1.4/5.2/8.2). The uncertainty of the calculation model for internal doses since 1987 is estimated at 2.1 times; the uncertainties estimated from the data of individual dosimetry of external and internal exposure of the population with the allocation of critical groups are equal to 1.5 and (1.9-2.2) times, respectively.

Population-based dynamical modelling for global warming mitigation assessment by nuclear energy resource

Climate change is analysed by the global population growth incorporated with the energy and its related social aspect consequences where the energy-mix policy has been issued to mitigate the carbon production fossil fuels such as oil and coal. In the simulation study, there are comparisons using three types of the population growth rate. Results show the temperature change where the variations of average temperature for 2020 are analysed in three cases of regions. The highest value is on 4th year as 4.49 in type 1 (land). So, the indirect method of the population growth to reduce the world temperature could be analysed as another way to treat the climate change. The other regional effect could be studied in the future work to find out the trend of nation and temperature variations.

1199. Decreased Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus Activity during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: An Ecological Time-Series Analysis, 2014 through 2020

BackgroundNon-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), such as sanitary measures and travel restrictions, aimed at controlling the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), may affect the transmission dynamics of human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV). We aimed to quantify the contribution of the sales of hand hygiene products and the number of international and domestic airline passenger arrivals on HRSV epidemic in Japan. MethodsThe monthly number of HRSV cases per sentinel site (HRSV activity) in 2020 was compared with the average of the corresponding period in the previous 6 years (from January 2014 to December 2020) using a monthly paired t-test. A generalized linear Poisson regression model was used to regress the time-series of the monthly HRSV activity against NPI indicators, including sale of hand hygiene products and the number of domestic and international airline passengers, while controlling for meteorological conditions (monthly average temperature and relative humidity) and seasonal variations between years (2014–2020). ResultsThe average number of monthly HRSV case notifications in 2020 decreased by approximately 85% (P < 0.001) compared to those in the preceding 6 years (2014–2019) (Figure 1A). For every average ¥1 billion (approximately &9,000,000/£6,800,00) spent on hand hygiene products during the current month and 1 month before (lag 0-1 months) there was a 0.22% (P = 0.02) decrease in HRSV infections (Table 1). An increase of average 1,000 domestic and international airline passenger arrivals during the previous 1–2 months (lag 1–2 months) was associated with a 4.6×10−4% (P < 0.001) and 1.1×10−3% (P = 0.007) increase in the monthly number of HRSV infections, respectively. Figure 1. Monthly seasonal variations of number of HRSV activity, NPI indicators, and meteorological conditions during 2014-2020. (A) Monthly seasonal variations of number of HRSV cases per sentinel sites based on national HRSV surveillance data during 2014-2020. (B) Monthly seasonal variations of retail sales of hand hygiene products per ¥1 billion (unit: yen) during 2014-2020. (C) Monthly seasonal variations of number of domestic airline passengers per 1,000 population (unit: person) during 2014-2020. (D) Monthly seasonal variations of number of international airline passengers per 1,000 population (unit: person) during 2014-2020. (E) Monthly seasonal variations of average temperature (unit: ℃) throughout Japan during 2014-2020. (F) Monthly seasonal variations of relative humidity (unit: %) throughout Japan during 2014-2020.Table 1. Generalized linear Poisson regression model for the monthly number of human respiratory syncytial virus cases among prefectures in Japan. ConclusionThis study suggests that there is an association between the decrease in the monthly number of HRSV cases and improved hygiene and sanitary measures and travel restrictions for COVID-19 in Japan, indicating that these public health interventions can contribute to the suppression of HRSV activity. These findings may help in public health policy and decision making.Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Soil temperature and horticultural traits as influenced by mulching materials and orchard floor management practices in ber (Zizypus mauritiana Lamk.)

&#x0D; Different type of mulches viz. paddy straw mulch (PSM), black polythene mulch (BPM), and white polythene mulch (WPM) were spreaded under the canopies of Indian ber (Zizypus mauritiana Lamk.) trees in second fortnight of October. The treatments of inter-cultivation (IC) and chemical weed management (CWM), and control trees were also kept for comparative analysis. The daily soil temperature recorded at 0900, 1200, 1400 and 1700 hours from October to April months during 2018-19 and 2019-20 revealed significant variations under different treatments. The respective soil temperature variation during 1st and 2nd year was minimum (9.2 and 9.9 oC) under PSM as compared to 16.5 oC in control plots throughout the investigation period. The soil temperature under PSM was higher during extreme winters whereas, it was comparatively lower during pre and post-winter season as compared to other treatments.The variations in intra-day average soil temperature during the months of October-November and again in March-April was higher than in December-February; the period of extreme winters. Significant reduction in physiological fruit drop was recorded under all the treatments with minimum fruit drop under PSM followed by BPM, while it was maximum in control trees. Likewise, fruit weight and fruit yield was also recorded highest under PSM followed by BPM treatments. The microbes in the rhizopshere of mulched trees with PSM followed by BPM exhibited highest and sustained activity from from Otober to April month under North-West Indian conditions.&#x0D;

Digesters as Heat Storage – Energetic Assessment of Flexible Variation of Digester Temperature

AbstractA flexible digester temperature enables holistic storage of surplus heat and minimization of heat deficits on water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). Heat‐saving potentials, performance as heat storage, and emissions of CO2 are considered in four scenarios with increasing flexibility of digester temperature for a model WRRF with 500 000 PE (population equivalent). In comparison to a digester temperature at 37 °C all year, the scenario with seasonal variation of average digester temperatures between 32.5 and 43.6 °C has the greatest annual heat‐saving potential and increase of stored heat. Further, the ranges of digester temperatures indicate a great performance as heat storage.

Genomic evidence for adaptive differentiation amongMicrohyla fissipespopulations: Implications for conservation

AbstractAimAmphibians require both terrestrial and aquatic environments to complete their life cycles. Thus, they are subject to complex selection pressures stemming from different environments, and these selection pressures are likely to vary geographically with variation in temperature and precipitation. Studies of genetic differentiation along geographical clines allow identification of footprints of these selection pressures.LocationChina.MethodsTo identify possible signatures of local adaptation to particular environmental conditions, we conducted a genome‐scan with 20,572 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) obtained with restriction site‐associated DNA sequencing of pooled samples from 10Microhyla fissipespopulations spanning a 1,398 km long latitudinal gradient in China.ResultsThe results revealed significant genetic differentiation among populations (FST=0.090). Numerous outlier SNPs associated with variation in both annual average temperature (n = 69) and precipitation (n = 248) were detected.Main conclusionsThe degree and pattern of population differentiation in the SNPs supported the hypothesis that these SNPs have been subject to directional natural selection associated with temperature and precipitation and, hence, are reflective of geographically varying local adaptation. Hence, conservation and management plans forMicrohyla fissipesshould take into account this heterogeneity in genetic constitution in its populations.

Effect of Seasonal Variations on human semen parameter

Background: Effect of seasonal variations in human fertility has been intensively researched; some studies acknowledge influences of seasonal changes on natural conception while others cannot confirm them. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of a possible Seasonal pattern in the functional parameters of Semen samples.Materials and Methods: This study was carried out on 335 Semen samples that were collected and analyzed according to the average highest temperature of the Normo-spermic men between January 2019 and December 2 014 at the Fertility Center in Al- Sadr medical city. Najaf Iraq.Results: ALL Semen Parameters displayed trends opposite to average highest temperature variations. Semen volume, sperm concentration sperm motility and normal sperm morphology were significantly lower (p&lt;0.05) in summer than other seasons of the red year: Semen volume sperm concentra and normal sperm morphology was found to be statistically significantly higher in the winter (p&lt;0.05). The percentage of sperm motility was a significantly (p&lt;0.05) is higher in spring The highest values of Semen volume sperm concentration and sperm morphology was recorded in January and February, while a higher sperm motility was found during the march any of the year.Conclusion: We observed that was significant effect of season on the semen parameters. Highest environment temperature may be a determining factor for the seasonal variations in semen quality.

Heat Transfer Enhancement for On-Chip Cooling Application Using Novel Composite Heat Sink—Comparative Numerical Study

This study investigates the enhancement of thermal performance of a composite heat sink (CHS). The novelty is that instead of embedding a conventional heat pipe at the bottom of base plate of the heat sink, a series of microheat pipes (MHPs) are embedded above, in such a manner that it replaces the solid fin arrangement. With this novel idea, the comparison of thermal performance of novel CHS with embedded MHP and micro-oscillating heat pipe (MOHP) is carried computationally using ANSYS-FLUENT-2019R1. The parametric study is carried out by varying the heat input in evaporator section and the convective condition in condenser section in accordance with the single fin of heat sink, and additionally different fill ratios in both MHP and MOHP are also considered. The thermal resistance modeling is used to calculate the effective total thermal resistance of the novel CHS using the volume averaged properties. The average temperature variation in single MOHP is found to be more which results in better performance than single MHP. The lowest thermal resistance of single MOHP is 0.827 K/W and single MHP is 0.969 K/W for 3.2-W distributed heat input and 35-W/ m <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> ·K convective condition. The total thermal resistance of novel CHS is more efficient than the conventional heat sink with solid fins by an average of 64.7% and 72.3% for MHP and MOHP, respectively, at considered maximum convective condition. Finally, the thermal resistance of novel CHS with MHP or MOHP is compared with the previously investigated CHS which seems to have enhanced heat transfer.

Effect of operating temperature conditions in 21-year-old insulated pipe for a district heating network

Since the insulated pipe in the district heating network should have a service life of more than 30 years based on EN253, the long-term thermal performance of PU foam is substantially important to guarantee sufficient shear strength. To examine the effect of operating temperature conditions on the degradation of PU foam in 21-year-old insulated pipe, two types of aged pipes were prepared from public office and general residence, since a large fluctuation in temperature profile with low average temperature is noted at the public office, while a small variation in temperature profile and high average temperature is noted at the general residence. The rate of thickness reduction in the cell wall of the aged PU foam is relatively faster at the public office than at the general residence since it underwent large fluctuation in operating temperature despite being exposed to low average temperature. In terms of the shear strength of the aged pipe, it exhibits relatively low shear strength at the public office compared to general residence, which reveals that the temperature fluctuation in the operating condition for the DH network tends to influence the degradation rate of the insulated pipe, substantially, compared to average exposed temperature.

Association of meteorological factors with the frequency of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in Japan

This 5-year ecological study assessed the association between meteorological factors and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) frequency in 571 eyes of 543 cases of primary RRD at the Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital, Japan. We examined the monthly and seasonal distributions of RRD frequency using one-way analysis of variance. We then evaluated the relationship between monthly RRD frequency and 36 meteorological parameters using Poisson regression analysis. Furthermore, we developed multivariate regression models to predict the frequency of RRD based on specific meteorological parameters. There were no significant differences in the monthly and seasonal distributions (monthly, P = 0.99; seasonal, P = 0.77). The following eight parameters were associated with a lower RRD frequency: average sea level barometric pressure and average daily variation of average temperature, maximum temperature, maximum wind speed, maximum instantaneous wind speed, humidity, average sea level barometric pressure, and minimum sea level barometric pressure (P < 0.05). The best model to predict RRD frequency showed sufficient validity (Akaike’s information criterion with correction for small sample size = 332.0) and predictive power (proportion of variance explained by cross-validation method = 84.82%, 95% CI 72.18–93.72). In conclusion, low atmospheric pressure and high meteorological stability are significantly associated with a higher frequency of RRD. In addition, the Poisson regression analysis showed sufficient validity and predictability for predicting RRD frequency.

A re-evaluation of the Earth’s surface temperature response to radiative forcing

There is much current debate about the way in which the earth’s climate and temperature are responding to anthropogenic and natural forcing. In this paper we re-assess the current evidence at the globally averaged level by adopting a generic ‘data-based mechanistic’ modelling strategy that incorporates statistically efficient parameter estimation. This identifies a low order, differential equation model that explains how the global average surface temperature variation responds to the influences of total radiative forcing (TRF). The model response includes a novel, stochastic oscillatory component with a period of about 55 years (range 51.6–60 years) that appears to be associated with heat energy interchange between the atmosphere and the ocean. These ‘quasi-cycle’ oscillations, which account for the observed pauses in global temperature increase around 1880, 1940 and 2001, appear to be related to ocean dynamic responses, particularly the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. The model explains 90% of the variance in the global average surface temperature anomaly and yields estimates of the equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) (2.29 ∘C with 5%–95% range 2.11 ∘C to 2.49 ∘C) and the transient climate response (TCR) (1.56 ∘C with 5%–95% range 1.43 ∘C to 1.68 ∘C), both of which are smaller than most previous estimates. When a high level of uncertainty in the TRF is taken into account, the ECS and TCR estimates are unchanged but the ranges are increased to 1.43 ∘C to 3.14 ∘C and 0.99 ∘C to 2.16 ∘C, respectively.

Heat transfer and energy storage performances of phase change materials encapsulated in honeycomb cells

Thermal energy storage devices are vital for reducing the inconsistency between energy supply and demand as well as for enhancing the performance of solar thermal systems. The present study investigates the melting process in metallic honeycombed heat exchangers filled with n-octadacane as phase change material (PCM). Further, a parametric study is conducted for four different honeycomb cell sizes, fin thicknesses, and angles of inclinations of the computational domain. The findings are described in the form of heated surface average temperature variation, melt fraction of the PCM, and thermal energy stored. Results show that the honeycomb fin structure considerably improves the heat transfer in the PCM. Further, it was observed that the honeycomb cell size and fin thickness greatly influence the variation of the average front surface temperature, melt fraction, and energy storage rate, whereas the inclination angle doesn't have a significant effect when cell size is less than 0.01 m. From the study, it was also observed that when the computational domain is horizontal without honeycomb cells, the pure conduction in the PCM results in much higher front surface temperature, which is greatly reduced in presence of the honeycomb cells.

Investigation of the cooling performance and thermal comfort for 4-way cassette air conditioner with swinging motion of vanes

A numerical simulation was carried out to investigate the cooling performance and thermal comfort of a 4-way cassette air conditioner when its vanes are positioned at constant angles of 30°, 40°, 50° and 60° and swinging with a constant angular velocity. The indoor airflow characteristics and thermal comfort were evaluated. The average room temperature variation with respect to time have a good agreement with the measured data with a maximum relative error of 2 %. The average room air temperature variation according to time shows that the case of swinging vane is increased by 5.9 %, compared to the case of fixed vane angle of 60°, due to the enhancement of heat transfer by the swinging motion of discharged airflow. Moreover, the flapping discharged airflow resulting from the swinging motion makes occupants feel thermally more comfortable, based on thermal comfort indices.

COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHICKPEA VARIETIES BY COMPLEX OF ECONOMIC AND VALUE TRAITS IN THE CONDITIONS OF THE RIGHT BANK FOREST STEPPE OF UKRAINE

The article summarizes the information on the current state of the economic use of chickpea varieties, which are available in the State Register of the varieties suitable for distribution in our country. The data on the dynamics of their implementation by years have been generalized with the given characteristics of the varieties according to the complex of economic-valuable peculiarities. The results of the analysis of varietal resources and yield of chickpeas according to their agroecological plasticity and grain productivity in the conditions of climate change in the zone of the right-bank Forest Steppe of Ukraine have been also scientifically substantiated. It has been determined that as of 2020, there are 21 varieties of chickpeas in the State Register of Plant Varieties Suitable for Distribution in Ukraine. The most promising varieties by maturity group, yield level have been determined. The assortment characterized by stable realization of genetic potential in various limits of variation of average daily air temperatures and conditions of moisture supply is. Therefore, the most promising varieties of chickpeas Skarb and Dostatok have been identified. On the basis of the analysis of domestic and foreign scientific literature, various technological aspects of chickpea cultivation have been studied in order to ensure the rational use of natural agricultural potential, which will further increase the sown area of these plants. The relevance of the research reveals itself in the tasks of applied research on the basis of research sites of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University («Development of methods for improving the technology of growing legumes using biofertilizers, bacterial preparations, foliar fertilizers and physiologically active substances»).

Extreme weather conditions and dengue outbreak in Guangdong, China: Spatial heterogeneity based on climate variability

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown associations between local weather factors and dengue incidence in tropical and subtropical regions. However, spatial variability in those associations remains unclear and evidence is scarce regarding the effects of weather extremes. ObjectivesWe examined spatial variability in the effects of various weather conditions on the unprecedented dengue outbreak in Guangdong province of China in 2014 and explored how city characteristics modify weather-related risk. MethodsA Bayesian spatial conditional autoregressive model was used to examine the overall and city-specific associations of dengue incidence with weather conditions including (1) average temperature, temperature variation, and average rainfall; and (2) weather extremes including numbers of days of extremely high temperature and high rainfall (both used 95th percentile as the cut-off). This model was run for cumulative dengue cases during five months from July to November (accounting for 99.8% of all dengue cases). A further analysis based on spatial variability was used to validate the modification effects by economic, demographic and environmental factors. ResultsWe found a positive association of dengue incidence with average temperature in seven cities (relative risk (RR) range: 1.032 to 1.153), a positive association with average rainfall in seven cities (RR range: 1.237 to 1.974), and a negative association with temperature variation in four cities (RR range: 0.315 to 0.593). There was an overall positive association of dengue incidence with extremely high temperature (RR:1.054, 95% credible interval (CI): 1.016 to 1.094), without evidence of variation across cities, and an overall positive association of dengue with extremely high rainfall (RR:1.505, 95% CI: 1.096 to 2.080), with seven regions having stronger associations (RR range: 1.237 to 1.418). Greater effects of weather conditions appeared to occur in cities with higher economic level, lower green space coverage and lower elevation. ConclusionsSpatially varied effects of weather conditions on dengue outbreaks necessitate area-specific dengue prevention and control measures. Extremes of temperature and rainfall have strong and positive associations with dengue outbreaks.