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The stable carbon isotope composition of the structural carbonate derived from animal bone hydroxylapatite (δ13CB-HA) could record an animal’s diet. These records provide critical evidence for different paleontological disciplines, e.g., paleodiet analyses, and paleoclimate reconstructions. Compared to those of other body tissues, such as bone collagen or teeth enamel hydroxylapatite, δ13CB-HA values record information on the whole diet of an animal in its last years. δ13CB-HA can be applied to fossil animals of various body sizes. The δ13C analytical instruments available only require that prepared bone samples be approximately 2–5 mg for precise measurement, allowing δ13CB-HA analysis to be feasible on most vertebrate fossils without destructive sampling, especially on small mammals or birds whose teeth are not large enough for sampling or are lost. Moreover, δ13CB-HA can be used from different times or under less than ideal burial environments. For fossils dating back to Devonian or buried in hot and humid regions, dietary information has been completely lost in bone collagen during post-depositional processes but still remained in the δ13CB-HA values because hydroxylapatite is less influenced by diagenetic effects after deposition. In addition, systematic methods such as X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy have been developed to qualitatively or semiquantitatively assess the influence of diagenesis on bone hydroxylapatite to ensure the credibility of the δ13CB-HA values. With the above merits, δ13CB-HA analysis is therefore becoming an increasingly important method in paleodiet-related research. Currently, applications of the δ13CB-HA method on fossil animals are primarily focused on two aspects, namely, paleodietary reconstruction of fossil animals with uncertain diets and paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on the δ13CB-HA values of fossil herbivores. The published researches, combined with our new results from early birds, demonstrate the considerable significance of the δ13CB-HA method in paleontological and paleoenvironmental research. Notably, the δ13CB-HA-based paleodietary analysis of early vertebrates, especially the large number of small birds or mammals discovered in the past decades would be an important work in the near future.

BACKGROUND Persons with an amputation may have an increased heat strain due to reduced surface area. However, there is limited evidence on the thermoregulatory responses in persons with lower-limb amputation (LLA). Although a previous study reported no difference in their rectal temperatures (Tres) in a hot environment, suggesting compensatory sweating of the intact limb, we examined the thermoregulatory responses of such persons in a hot and humid environment. OBJECTIVE To compare the thermoregulatory responses-through changes in Tre, sweat, and oxygen uptake (O2)-between persons with LLA and able-bodied (AB) individuals, in hot and humid environments. STUDY DESIGN A nonrandomized control trial. METHODS Nine AB men (AB group) and nine persons with LLA group performed the arm ergometer exercise at 60% peak power output intensity for 60 min in a hot and humid environment, and they were tested before and after performing. The O2, Tre and skin temperature, and total body sweating, and local sweating during exercise were measured and compared between the groups. RESULTS The changes in O2 and Tre after the endurance exercise did not differ between the groups (ΔTre: AB group, 1.1°C ± 0.5°C; LLA group, 1.2°C ±0.3 °C; P = 0.65), whereas the amount of local sweating of the chest (group effect, P < 0.01 by two-way analysis of variance [group × time], the group effect size was medium, η2 = 0.10) and dehydration rate (AB group, 1.5% ± 0.5%; LLA group, 2.1% ± 0.5%; P = 0.03) were higher in the LLA than in the AB group. CONCLUSIONS We compared the thermoregulatory responses of persons with LLA with those of AB individuals in hot and humid environments. Core body temperatures of persons with LLAs during endurance exercise were not different from those of AB men even in hot and humid environments. We found compensatory increases in the sweat rate of the chest and increased dehydration rate in persons with LLA. More sweat potentially means that athletes with LLA need to drink more fulids.

Comfort is essential in sportswear, where athlete requires transportation and evaporation of sweat from body. In addition to that water vapor permeability, thermal resistance and air permeability a...

Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is a key pointer of atmospheric evaporation demand and has been extensively used to describe the hydrological change. In this study, the reference evapotranspiration over the hot and humid town, Annamalainagar, very near to the east coast in Tamilnadu State, India, have been estimated employing the FAO Penman-Monteith (PM) method and the observed daily weather data during 1977-2016. The objective of the present study is two-fold: (i) To identify the multi-decadal trend of the various measured meteorological parameters namely, mean air temperature (Tmean), vapour pressure deficit (VPD), actual sunshine hours (SSH), net radiation (Rn) and wind speed (WS) at the study location and (ii) To identify the main contributing meteorological parameter for the detected decreasing trend in ETo over the multi-decadal period.

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells are emerging as a high-efficiency and prospectively cost-effective solar technology with great promise for deployment at the utility scale. However, despite the remarkable performance progress reported lately, assuring sufficient device stability-particularly of the perovskite top cell-remains a challenge on the path to practical impact. In this work, we analyze the outdoor performance of encapsulated bifacial perovskite/silicon tandems, by carrying out field-testing in Saudi Arabia. Over a six month experiment, we find that the open circuit voltage retains its initial value, whereas the fill factor degrades, which is found to have two causes. A first degradation mechanism is linked with ion migration in the perovskite and is largely reversible overnight, though it does induce hysteretic behavior over time. A second, irreversible, mechanism is caused by corrosion of the silver metal top contact with the formation of silver iodide. These findings provide directions for the design of new and more stable perovskite/silicon tandems

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has emerged as a major global challenge since 2019. With the fast rise in the infected cases and deaths worldwide, many environmental and climate-related myths and fallacies spreaded fast. These fallacies include virus cannot spread in hot and humid conditions, cold weather can inhibit the virus, drinking hot water and sunlight can help cure the COVID-19, ultraviolet (UV) disinfectant lamps and UV rays from sunlight can kill the virus, use of hairdryers and hot showers for virus prevention, etc. Social norms and mindset of the people in the world towards a pandemic are quite similar. The primary purpose of this article is to enlighten the readers regarding these climatological misconceptions and social fallacies, helping spread proper knowledge and manage the outbreak of this deadly pandemic.

Supramolecular interaction is a kind of intermolecular interaction with molecular recognition ability. Based on molecular recognition, the design, synthesis, and assembly of novel supramolecular fu...

Introduction and Aim: The most common practice for marking the radiation field borders in conventional radiotherapy is with marker pens. In the hot and humid environment in India these markings rapidly fade and require remarking. In some cases, they require re-simulation and re-planning. Mehndi has been used in India for ceremonial marking on skin for long. Here we seek to evaluate the same for radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: Eighty-two patients with no history of hyper-sensitivity to mehendi were scheduled to be analyzed on per protocol treatment basis, with 41 in each arm. Subjects were randomized by lottery method till the target number in one of the arms is reached. Since one subject in each arm had not received the per protocol management due to default, two more subjects were included and randomized. The minimum duration of treatment was 5 weeks. Markings were done either with mehndi cones (Arm A) or conventionally used Skin marking pens. They were repeated as per requirements. The number of application and gap between them were recorded. The data was later analyzed with SPSS v23 for frequencies, independent sample T test, including Mann-Whitney test. The analysis was per protocol. Results: No incidence of hypersensitivity to mehendi occurred.The mean and median number of applications was significantly less in the Mehndi arm compared to control arm (median being 2 in mehndi arm compared to 4 in Pen arm). The median gap between applications and each application was also significantly lower in the Mehndi arm (11.5 days vs 7.25 days). There was no significant difference with visualization. The comfort level of the technologists, consultants and patients were better with Mehndi than with pen arm on Likert scale. Conclusion: Mehndi is more durable than the pen marking it is equally visible for health care professionals and more comfortable to patients. The skin tone of our patients did not pose any challenge in visualization during set up either in ambient lighting or with lasers.

Recent studies underline that simple and non-invasive retrofit solutions can recover natural ventilation potential in existing buildings under temperate climate. Nonetheless, the efficiency of these solutions in dense urban contexts under hot and humid climate remains unclear. This paper aims to evaluate the thermal comfort gains caused by natural ventilation when retrofitting an office building in downtown Rio de Janeiro. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and thermal simulations are carried out on Ansys CFX and Design builder to assess indoor air flow before and after retrofit. The diagnosis of the current scenario indicates that the surrounding buildings block a significant part of the wind flow, and occupants experience only a few hours of thermal comfort during the year, especially on lower floors. To increase indoor air flow, the fixed upper windows were transformed into pivot windows and kept open permanently. This measure increases the annual hours of thermal comfort by 0.5-35%, depending on the floor and the adaptive comfort model. These findings suggest that natural ventilation itself may not be sufficient to ensure occupants' comfort throughout the year under the investigated context.

The greenhouse is vital to protect indoor crops from the harsh hot-humid climate. This study firstly identifies design attributes of greenhouses such as dimension, shapes, orientation, and shading. Secondly, it assesses the impacts of design attributes on the greenhouse daylight performance using VeluxVisualizer. The results showed an increase in the number of skylights caused higher average daylight illuminance in the greenhouse. All the models passed the requirement for plants with small sunlight claim between 7 and 9 hours per day. This study paves the way for energy-efficient buildings with the aid of building simulation to benefit the users. Keywords: Greenhouse Design Features, Daylight Simulation, Hot and Humid Climate eISSN: 2398-4287© 2021. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v6i16.2711

In Louisiana, most districts restripe their roadways using waterborne paints every other year; this strategy is questionable in relation to efficiency and economy. Previous studies show substantial variability in paint service life throughout the U.S.A., ranging between 0.25 and 6.2 years. Shortcomings in modeling the retroreflectivity of waterborne paints appear to significantly contribute to these variations as several studies predicted these values using degradation curves with a coefficient of determination (R2) as low as 0.1. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop new cost-effective restriping strategies using 4 in. and 6 in. wide waterborne paints (15 and 25 mils thickness) when applied on asphalt pavements in hot and humid climates. To achieve this objective, National Transportation Product Evaluation Program data were collected and analyzed to evaluate the field performance of waterborne paints commonly used in southern states of the U.S.A. and to develop a decision making model that may be used by transportation agencies to predict when to restripe their roadways. Results indicated that 4 in. wide standard paints exhibited service life up to four years depending on the line color, traffic and initial retroreflectivity, while 4 in. wide high build paints had a service life of at least three years. Based on a life-cycle cost analysis, it was concluded that Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development could restripe its district roads every three years instead of the current two-year period using the same product (4 in. or 6 in. wide) saving about $20 million or $2 million, respectively, every year when restriping a 5,000-mi network.

The skylight on the roof of an atrium can be popular for commercial malls to illuminate the core area of the building. However, the solar radiation and its heat can get into the building together with the daylight, causing excessive cooling load. This paper studies the daylighting and energy performances of skylight coverage area for the air-conditioned atriums in the hot and humid regions. The energy performance with different atrium heights, glass types and the coverage ratios of the skylight are studied. The daylight performance was simulated by the ray-tracing Radiance and was transferred into EnergyPlus for energy evaluations. The finding suggested that, for hot and humid climates, the skylight coverage ratio should be controlled carefully to prevent the excessive solar heat gain. When the on/off lighting control is applied, the total energy consumption of the single-floor cases (or of the top floor for the multi-floor cases) leveled off when the coverage ratio of the skylight reached 9%. Thus, the skylight is favorable to the energy saving of the low-rise or single-floor commercial buildings only under the current assumptions, as the ground of the atrium cannot be well illuminated while the excessive solar radiation gets into the building. The skylight should be shaded in cooling seasons to prevent the excessive solar heat gains.

A new type of flax fiber-reinforced bio-sourced thermoset composites is investigated to explore their usage in hot and humid conditions and is compared with flax fiber reinforced epoxy composites. Hygrothermal aging of composites is carried out for 40 days at 50 °C and 90%RH. The influence of moisture uptake of composites during aging is evaluated in terms of physical parameters (i.e., swelling and weight gain) and mechanical properties. The deterioration of the mechanical properties during aging is mainly attributed to the presence of flax fibers, especially the fiber-matrix interface. The evolution of flexural properties induced by aging is similar for both synthetic epoxy composites and bio-based benzoxazine composites and is described using an analytical model. The mechanical test results show that after 40 days of aging, flax/benzoxazine composites lose about 20% of their flexural properties whereas flax/epoxy composites lose about 32% of properties. The recovery of flexural properties after drying is higher for flax/benzoxazine composites than for flax/epoxy composites, which demonstrates the potential of this bio-sourced thermoset composite material.

The field experiments were conducted at Student’s Instruction Form, ANDUA&T, Kumarganj Ayodhya. The climate is hot and humid summer and cold winters, during the rabi crop season in the year 2017-18. One hundred genotypes of Rapeseed-mustard were used for the present investigation. The earliest appearance of disease (30 days) was noted in genotypes RAURD-09-32, RM-WR-09-5, PAB-09-07, PRB-2004-3-4, RGN-307, RH-0834, RH-0902, RH-0952, RH-0903, RHH-1101, YSWB- 2012/9 (44 days) PPBJ-2, RAURD-09-78, and (45 days) PPBN-3, PT-2006-4 and lowest disease severity was recorded genotypes PHR-2, (9.5) PAB- 2004-4 (20.5) PPBJ-2 (22.2), PPBN-3 (22.3) PPBN-2 (22.6) PPBJ-5 (23.3), PPBJ-3 (24.3), PPBJ-4 (24.5) PAB-2005-16 (24.5), RRM-789, (43.6), RH-0555A, (43.7). AUDPC showed more susceptible genotypes the lowest PHR-2 (214.5) was recorded and genotypes screened, none of the genotypes were found disease -free or highly resistance, only 1 genotype namely (PHR-2) were found resistance, 8 genotypes namely (PPBN-2, PPBN-3, PPBJ-3, PPBJ-2, PPBJ-5, PPBJ-4, PAB-2005-16, PAB- 2004-4), were rated as moderated resistance, 37 moderated susceptible and 54 as susceptible.

Nowadays, the achievement of a good sporting performance depends on a good development of physical capacities from a young age while respecting the different stages of growth. In spite of this, some football coaches and trainers have no mastery of the principles of training. They subject children to physical effort that does not correspond to the child's developmental stages. In order to evaluate the respiratory function and maximum oxygen consumption of children trained in football, series of test matches were organised by age group under a temperature of 38°C and a humidity of 60%. The results of the study show an increase in maximum oxygen consumption according to age with extremes of 36, 54 ml/min/kg and 55, 99 ml/min/kg. The classification of the values of V ̇O2max according to the spirometry values shows a representativeness of 13-14 year old children in the class of low spirometry values (CV, FEV1 and DEP) and a strong representativeness of 16-17 year old children in the class of high spirometry values (CV, FEV1 and DEP). A correlation exists between maximum oxygen consumption, spirometry equations and anthropometric parameters during the growth of children playing football. Keywords: Training, children, football, spirometry, Congo (Brazzaville)

One hundred milliliters of milk produced in the first 150 days of lactation of 24. Bunaji (White Fulani) cattle in Ibadan contained an average of 703, 659, 44, 557, 146, 21, 27 and 54 mg total nitrogen (TN), protein nitrogen (PN), non-protein nitrogen (NPN), casein nitrogen (CN), non-casein nitrogen NCN), proteoses-peptone nitrogen (PPN), lactoglobulin nitrogen (LGN) and lactalbumin nitrogen (LAN) respectively. CN, NCN, PN, NPN, PPN, LGN and LAN accounted for 79.2, 20.8, 93.7, 63, 3.1, 3.9 and 7.6% of TN respectively. CN constituted 833% of PN while one-third of NCN consisted of P PN and LGN. The most abundant component of NCN was LAN which occurred twice as high as LGN. The influence of stage of lactation was significant (P < 0.05) on TN, more remarkable on PN and CN but not significant (P >005) on NCN, NPN, PPN, LGN and LAN, Only TN and CN were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated (r 0.989). The positive or negative relationships between the other nitrogen fractions were trivial.

The use of living walls has been increasing around the world due to their several benefits. However, studies of suitable plant species for living walls, particularly in extreme climates, are quite limited. This study examines the performance of 12 plant species used in two living wall systems: a felt-pocket and a planter in a tropical climate in Thailand. All plants were monitored across wet and cold seasons for plant height, visual quality, thermal performance, and carbon sequestration. The findings show variations in plant performances across the 12 plant species. Increases in plant growth were observed for all plants except for herbaceous and succulent plants, which were less tolerant to wet conditions. Smaller plant increments resulted in poorer thermal properties and less potential for carbon sequestration. The planter system had a higher amount of carbon contents than the felt-pocket system due to its higher plant density. Over 6 months, living wall systems sequestered carbon, with averages of 48.2 g C·m−2 for the felt-pocket system and 166.7 g C·m−2 for the planter system.

The present paper investigates the performance of a conventional single slope passive solar still (CSS) under the influence of a paraffin based phase change material (PCM) and a nano-PCM (n-PCM) in terms of the fresh water production per day. To achieve this objective, three solar stills with the same dimensions were designed and fabricated. Among them, one still was left without any modification (CSS), another one was incorporated with paraffin as PCM (PCMSS), and third one was assimilated with an n-PCM (NPCMSS). Previously, the n-PCM was prepared by adding 0.5% mass of silica nanoparticles in paraffin. The experiments had steered on a hot and humid weather at Coimbatore, India during the month of April 2020. The results evidenced that the incorporation of PCM and n-PCM improved the fresh water production by 51.22% and 67.07%, respectively.

The study was carried out to evaluate the feed consumption and performance of five coloured types of chickens reared under intensive system in the hot and humid climate conditions. The growth parameters like body weight, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio of the coloured birds like Aseel, Dahlem Red, Kaveri, Kadaknath and Rhode Island Red were studied in the intensive conditions. Carcass characteristics, incidence of mortality and cost of production of different types of coloured chicken were measured. Kaveri showed the highest body weight gain and Kadaknath the lowest (P≤0.05) among the five types and the sequence found was: Kaveri>Dahlem Red>RIR>Assel and Kadaknath. Feed conversion ratio followed the order: Kadaknath/RIR/Dahlem Red> Aseel>Kaveri, the differences being significant (P≤0.05). The mortality rate was highest for Rhode Island Red (20%) followed by Dahlem Red (10%), Kaveri/Kadaknath (8%) and Aseel (2%). The dressing percentage was higher in Rhode Island Red, Kaveri and Dalhem Red than Assel and Kadaknath. Some other carcass parameters like back, thigh and drum stick yield percentage also differed significantly among the types of chicken. The cost of production per kg live weight or per kg dressed weight was the lowest for Kaveri and highest for Kadaknath. From the above experiment it was concluded that Kaveri excelled the other colored chicken type in respect to the body weight gain, feed efficiency followed by RIR, Dahlem Red and Aseel.

Citrus canker presents major challenges in citrus production worldwide. The disease spreads and develops rapidly under conducive environmental conditions, and Louisiana’s hot and humid weather provides highly favorable conditions for citrus canker development in both commercial and backyard citrus production. Despite being considered eradicated in late 1940s, citrus canker was reconfirmed in Louisiana in 2013. Citrus is the most popular fruit tree grown commercially and in backyards in Louisiana, and satsumas dominate with 63% of total citrus acreage. The results from an annual citrus cooperative agricultural pest survey from 2014 to 2016 revealed that satsumas are highly tolerant to citrus canker with only 2.5% disease incidence, but the survey lacked information on the types of satsuma cultivar. The main objective of this study was to screen commercially available satsuma cultivars including Brown’s Select, Louisiana Early, Miho, Owari, and St. Ann for their susceptibility to citrus canker under natural field disease inoculum conditions with a goal to provide citrus growers with alternate disease management tactics. The results showed that there were significant differences in disease severity (average number of lesions per leaf) among the satsuma cultivars. Of the five satsuma cultivars, Brown’s Select and Miho consistently showed less disease severity with delayed incidence. Additionally, both Brown’s Select and Miho exhibited significantly smaller lesion size, which could lower canker inoculum production for secondary infections. This work provides Louisiana growers with scientific field-based data to make sound decisions in selecting less-susceptible satsuma cultivars for future plantings to mitigate disease spread and development in the state.

Air conditioning systems that utilize solar energy are generally cost-effective when used to provide cooling requirements in commercial, home, and industrial buildings as well. The utilization of solar energy is the least compared to the various form of renewable energy sources. Air conditioning is required in hot and humid climates such as India to maintain thermal comfort in closed rooms. The widespread use of these air conditioning systems will significantly increase electricity demand during the summer. The country is facing major power supply problems due to power shortages. In this study, solar collector designed as per Delhi’s geological coordinates and 4 different times of hours i.e., 12, 14, 16 & 18 on 11 July of a year. From the numerical results, the flat plate collector in 12, 14, 16, & 18 h in a day on 11 June in Delhi, at 12 times of hours when the sun is at peak. From the temperature profiles, it is evident that the temperature on the absorber is very high and also efficiency. It was concluded that the efficiency and temperature of absorber at different 4 points of times in a day which helpful for researchers to design solar-powered air conditioner using a flat plate collector.

The study was carried out to compare the growth performance, gut microbiota, incidence of footpad dermatitis (FPD), leg weakness, physiological, and immunological responses in broilers kept in cage (CS) and floor pen (FS) rearing systems under a tropical environment. One-day-old male Cobb 500 chicks were allocated to either three-tiered wire-floored battery cages or floor pens with wood shavings. The body weight on day 42 and feed intake from days 1 to 42 of caged chickens were lower than those of chickens reared in floor pens. However, the caged chickens had significantly better overall (days 1–42) feed conversion ratios than those on floor pens. The FS system was detrimental to the incidence of FPD. The FS birds showed higher and lower caecal counts of Escherichia coli and Salmonellae, respectively than the CS birds. The FS birds had longer durations of latency-to-lie than their caged counterparts, which suggested that the former had a lower incidence of leg weakness. Higher serum basal concentrations of corticosterone, ovotransferrin and ceruloplasmin were noted in the FS chickens compared to the CS group. Antibody titre against Newcastle disease vaccinations was not affected by the rearing system. In conclusion, the cage rearing system appeared to benefit performance, the incidence of FPD, physiological response, fear reactions, and intestinal population of E. coli in broiler chickens under the hot and humid tropical conditions. However, raising broilers on floor pens improves body weight and leg strength, and reduces the caecal Salmonellae population compared to caged broilers.HIGHLIGHTS Caged broilers have better feed efficiency and lower caecal Escherichia coli population and incidence of food-pad dermatitis than those on floor pens. Raising broilers on floor pens improves body weight and leg strength, and reduces the caecal Salmonellae population compared to caged broilers. Broilers on floor pens are more physiologically distressed than their caged counterparts.

The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is one of the most important fruit crop of NEH Region of India. Marbling disease is caused by the acetic acid bacteria Acetobacter peroxydans Visser't Hooft and Erwinia herbicola var. ananas (Serrano) Dye. However, sporadically levels occur only in the lowland tropics and epidemic also occurring of the hot and humid. Infection by marbling bacteria occurs through the open flower. The pineapple fruit purchased from local market of Siang regions of Arunachal Pradesh. Marbling of pineapple is an asymptomatic disease in the field and is evidenced with a brownish coloration when the infected fruit is use to eat and processed. Although, maximum disease incidence (32.4%) recorded from East Siang in the month of August, the purpose of this record of marbling disease is aware to pineapple growers because there is no cost effective disease management method to cultivation of pineapple in Siang regions.

Os nematoides do gênero Rhabditis são responsáveis por causar a otite parasitária em bovinos leiteiros da raça Gir. Esta afecção parasitária tem sido relatada em vários países de clima quente e úmido. No Brasil, a rhabditiose tem sido descrita em diversas regiões, sendo responsável pela queda na produção de leite nos rebanhos afetados. Ao melhor do nosso conhecimento literário, a otite parasitária gera danos diretos na economia e sanidade animal, contudo, exististe uma certa discrepância no controle e terapêutica utilizados. O objetivo dessa revisão foi proporcionar a comunidade científica, técnicos e aos produtores rurais uma atualização do conhecimento da problemática da otite parasitária no Brasil e no mundo. O controle parasitário do Rhabditis spp., bem como a sua terapêutica ainda são considerados ineficazes, visto que as recidivas são comuns. Dessa forma, a problemática da otite parasitária no Brasil ainda carece de novos estudos, mas alguns protocolos alternativos experimentais recentes apontam sinergicamente para um “horizonte” mais produtivo no controle desta parasitose.

This research proposes the use of membrane-assisted radiant panels to improve the thermal comfort of naturally ventilated spaces in hot and humid climates. These radiant panels are capable of condi...

Background: Studies have shown how births exhibit seasonal patterns, with peaks and troughs in particular months and seasons. Most of this literature focuses on national-level patterns mainly in countries of the northern hemisphere. Objective: The aim of the paper is to describe key features of contemporary birth seasonality at a subnational scale across Australia. Methods: Data on births across the year by region for the 2001‒2016 period were acquired from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. A Births Index was calculated to standardise for length of month and variations in birth numbers between regions. Choropleth maps and graphs were used to illustrate the geographical patterns. Results: Birth seasonality across Australia’s regions is moderate but the patterns vary in a strongly clustered way. In northern and central latitudes of Australia, births are above-average early in the year (February to April), while in the southeast of the country they tend to be above-average in September and October. Conclusions: The Australian results are consistent with physiological hypotheses that climate and environmental influences have a role in the seasonality of births. Hot and humid summers in northern Australia, and cold winters in the southernmost parts of the country, might be responsible for reducing the number of conceptions below their regional averages for the year. Contribution: We demonstrate how birth seasonality across the regions of Australia has a strong climatic pattern that is consistent with physiological hypotheses.

Cement-stabilized full-depth reclamation (CSFDR) is a common rehabilitation treatment used by transportation agencies. Yet, several gaps exist in the literature regarding the long-term fiel...

The domestic dwellings in Pakistan have predominantly implemented low-carbon strategies by harvesting solar energy using photo-voltaic (PV) panels as a long-term vision of low-carbon economy. Most of the urban areas in Pakistan stay hot and humid in an entire year. Consistent solar irradiation at higher temperatures is one of the major factors that affect the power generation performance of monocrystalline PV systems pose challenges to performance and degradation issues. Monocrystalline PV module efficiencies are declining and damaging under the continuous exposure to higher surface day-time temperatures in the different parts of the country. MATLAB simulations were performed based on the validated mathematical approach. This paper investigates the hot arid surface temperature impacts on the performance of PV modules during the summer and winter seasons in Pakistan. The investigations are performed examining the comparative output power generating performance of the PV system. This paper also investigates the influence of installations of PV-system in the North, South, East and West regions of Pakistan. It was examined that the northern areas of Pakistan are more suitable for maintaining the long-term durability of the PV system. Investigations are performed for the peak summer and peak winter days. During summer months, cooling strategies have to be implemented to overcome the heating effects whilst reducing degradation effect on installed PV-system.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text, Objectives: To evaluate impact of electrolyte supplementation on hydration status and health outcomes in Guatemalan agricultural workers performing heavy work under hot climatic conditions. Methods: A 3-week pragmatic trial was conducted with a group of 50 workers during the 2017 to 2018 sugarcane harvest. Workers received an electrolyte hydration intervention during 2 of the 3 weeks. Blood and urine samples were collected each week. Results: Increased electrolyte intake resulted in less muscle injury. Kidney function was maintained across the intervention period. Workers were adequately hydrated and average electrolyte levels remained in normal ranges. Mild indications of hyponatremia occurred at higher levels of fluid intake. Conclusions: This trial demonstrates the feasibility of maintaining workers’ electrolyte levels under extremely hot and humid conditions while mitigating muscle injury. Electrolyte supplementation should be added to standard workplace water, rest, and shade interventions to protect workers.

Open spaces in Hong Kong are in short supply and they are often underused due to the adverse climate, especially in hot and humid summer. This is a missed opportunity that can be otherwise realized to promote health and social interactions for local communities. The high density urban environment makes the condition worse by raising the urban heat island effect and leaving planners with fewer mitigation options. This study aims to test the hypotheses that an unfavourable thermal environment disrupts the use of outdoor open spaces; if yes, whether such disruptions differ by age groups. On-site measurement and computer simulations were conducted in three open spaces in public housing estates in Ngau Tau Kok, Hong Kong. Thermal conditions were assessed using the Universal Thermal Climate Index. Occupant activities were recorded, together with a questionnaire survey. Results showed that an open space purposefully designed for breeze and shading was 2.0°C cooler in Universal Thermal Climate Index compared with the other two. It attracted more optional/social activities, higher frequency of visits, and longer duration of stay. The elderly activities were more susceptible to disruptions from heat stress compared with younger groups. Elderly activities largely diminish when ambient thermal environment exceed 39°C in Universal Thermal Climate Index. Findings have implications to design and retrofitting of open spaces in order to maximize their use.

Architects welcome double skin facade (DSF) due to its aesthetic quality. The first DSF structure was intended to prevent cold weather and strong winds. Nowadays, the application of DSF under different climates has been investigated in many previous studies. However, little work had been done on the behaviour of DSF in hot and humid climates. Therefore, this paper aimed to extend the application into this specific climate and Guangzhou was selected as the sample city. Both the climate and the design influence the performance of DSF. In this paper, rather than explore how each design parameter influences the performance, the design was evaluated from an overall aspect. The Designbuilder software was used to build the single skin facade (SSF) and double skin facade base model. Annual HVAC energy consumption for both the two models was calculated and compared. An optimisation process was conducted to figure out what kinds of parameter combination could make the design more energy-saving and thermally comfortable. The results indicated that it was possible to design an energy-saving DSF system applied in hot and humid climates compared with the SSF model. The efficiency of the DSF could be further enhanced with a better parameter combination. The optimised options had some features in common, which could provide some inspirations for the application of DSF in hot and humid climates.

The building sector is one of the largest energy consumers worldwide. Especially in the hot-humid Southeast Asian region, this sector consumes about 30% of primary energy demand. This is mainly dom...

Malgré la hausse de la température atmosphérique pendant la grande saison de pluies, la Fédération Congolaise de Football (FECOFOOT) organise les matchs à 14 heures. Dans le but d’évaluer les paramètres physiologiques des footballeurs par poste de jeu et la distance totale qu’ils parcourent au cours d’un match éprouvant de football en république du Congo. Un match test a été organisé à une température de 39 °C et une humidité relative de 60 %. La fréquence cardiaque d’effort (170,4 ± 8,73 bpm), la température corporelle centrale (37,06 ± 0,20 °C) ainsi que la quantité d’eau consommée au cours du match (2,28 ± 0,37 L) des attaquants étaient plus élevées que les autres joueurs. Par contre, la perte hydrique (3,55 ± 0,55%), la dépense énergétique (868,00 ± 99,52 kcal) et la distance totale parcourue (8,95 ± 0,47 km) des milieux de terrain étaient supérieures aux autres joueurs. Le football pratiqué dans un environnement chaud et humide entraine une contrainte physiologique élevée responsable de la contre performance des footballeurs. Mots clés : Perte hydrique, performance, footballeur, climat chaud et humide, R. Congo. English Title: Physiological responses by playing position of elite footballers during a challenging match in a hot and humid environment Despite the rise in atmospheric temperature during the great rainy season, the Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) organizes the matches at 2 pm. For the purpose of evaluating the physiological parameters and the total distance travelled by footballers per playing position during a challenging football match in the republic of Congo. A test match was held in a hot and humid environment with a temperature of 38 °C and a relative humidity of 60%. The exertion heart rate (170.4 ± 8.73 bpm), core body temperature (37.06 ± 0.20 °C) and the amount of water consumed during the match (2.28 ± 0.37 L) of the strikers were higher than those of the other players. In contrast, water loss (3.55 ± 0.55%), energy expenditure (868.00 ± 99.52 kcal) and total distance travelled (8.95 ± 0.47 km) from midfielders were higher than other players. Football played in a hot and humid environment leads to a high physiological stress responsible for the counter-performance of footballers. Keywords: Water loss, performance, football player, hot and humid climate, R. Congo.

Indirect evaporative cooling is a rapidly developing air-handling technology and has great application potentials for energy recovery in hot and humid regions. The condensation in dry channels of an indirect evaporative cooler (IEC) occurs when the dew point temperature of outdoor air is high. However, the dynamic heat transfer performance of an IEC during the process of condensation evolution was rarely discussed. This paper aims to experimentally investigate the dynamic behaviour of primary air condensation and its effects on the convective and total heat transfer rate of an IEC. A transparent cover plate is placed outside an aluminium heat exchanger plate to visualize the evolution process of droplets retained on the surface. The droplets' falling frequency was recorded and the accumulated condensate mass was correlated based on an analytical method taking into account the contact angle and droplet volume. Results showed that the dynamic dehumidification performance can pose great influences on the convective heat transfer in IEC. The gradually diminished dropwise regions and increase of filmwise regions deteriorate the wet-bulb effectiveness of IEC by 14.8%. The convective heat flux keeps decreasing with the accumulation of condensate retention until a dynamic equilibrium is achieved between the retained and falling droplets.

The state of Amapá is located in the extreme north of Brazil, within the Amazon rainforest and is crossed by the Equator. It has a hot and humid climate with rains that last 8 months a year and 4 months of unrelenting sun that melts rubber from car seals, fries eggs on the floor and even cooks a whole egg tub, in case you forget in a car exposed to the sun . It was believed that with this potent solar incidence, the Sars-COV 2 virus would not have so much impact in this region, a terrible mistake! Today Amapá has the highest incidence of Covid-19 in the whole of Brazil, with a maid of 600 cases per hundred thousand inhabitants and in the Amazon it is the 3rd in deaths and loses in this item only to the state of Amazonas and Pará.

The cumulative permanent strain of subgrade soils plays an important role in the pavement structure design and long-term pavement performance maintenance. In Southern China, the hot and humid clima...

The COVID-19 can be transmitted in areas with hot and humid climates. Regardless of the climate, protective measures must be taken in areas where COVID-19 has occurred. The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly. This eliminates the viruses that may be on the hands and avoids the infection that can occur by touching the eyes, mouth, and nose.

Purpose: To examine the effects of precooling via crushed ice ingestion on cognitive function during exercise in the heat. Methods: Eleven active men ingested either 7 g·kg−1 of crushed ice (ICE) or thermoneutral water (CON) 30 minutes before running 90 minutes on a treadmill at a velocity equivalent to 65% VO2peak in hot and humid conditions (35.0°C [0.5°C], 53.1% [3.9%] relative humidity). Participants completed 3 cognitive tasks to investigate decision making (8-choice reaction time [CRT]), working memory (serial seven [S7]), and executive control (color multisource interference task [cMSIT]) on arrival, after precooling, and after running. Results: Precooling significantly decreased preexercise core (Tcore) and forehead skin temperature in ICE compared with CON, respectively (Tcore 0.8°C [0.4°C], –0.2°C [0.1°C]; Thead –0.5°C [0.4°C], 0.2°C [0.8°C]; P ≤ .05). Postrun, ICE significantly reduced errors compared with CON for CRT (P ≤ .05; d = 0.90; 90% confidence interval, 0.13–1.60) and S7 (P ≤ .05; d = 1.05; 90% confidence interval, 0.26–1.75). Thermal sensation was lower after precooling with ICE (P ≤ .05), but no significant differences were recorded between conditions for cMSIT errors, skin temperature, heart rate, or ratings of perceived exertion or perceived thirst (P > .05). Conclusions: Precooling via ICE maintained cognitive accuracy in decision making and working memory during exercise in the heat. Thus, ICE may have the potential to improve sporting performance by resisting deleterious effects of exercise in a hot and humid environment on cognitive function.

Gutierrez-Vargas, R, Martin-Rodriguez, S, Sanchez-Urena, B, Rodriguez-Montero, A, Salas-Cabrera, J, Gutierrez-Vargas, JC, Simunic, B, and Rojas-Valverde, D. Biochemical and muscle mechanical postmarathon changes in hot and humid conditions. J Strength Cond Res 34(3): 847-856, 2020-The aim of this study was to compare biochemical changes and mechanical changes in the lower-limb muscles before and after a marathon race in hot and humid conditions. Eighteen healthy runners participated in a marathon at between 28 and 34° C and 81% humidity in Costa Rica. Serum magnesium (Mg), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase, and hematocrit (HCT) were measured before and after the marathon. Tensiomyography measurements from the rectus femoris (RF) and vastus medialis, muscle displacement (Dm), contraction time (Tc), and velocities of contraction to 10 and 90% of Dm (V10 and V90) were obtained before and after the marathon. Postrace measurements showed a 544% increase in CPK (t(17): -6.925, p < 0.01), a 16% increase in HCT (t(17): -7.466, p < 0.01), a 29% decrease in Mg (t(17): 3.91, p = 0.001), a 2% decrease in body mass (t(17): 4.162, p = 0.001), a 4% increase in Tc of the RF (t(17): -2.588, p = 0.019), and a 12% increase in Dm of the RF (t(17): -2.131, p < 0.048) compared with prerace measurements. No significant biochemical or mechanical differences were found between runners in terms of their finish times. These findings showed that completing a marathon in hot and humid conditions induced a significant reduction in lower-limb muscle stiffness, body mass, and Mg, and increased neuromuscular fatigue, CPK, and HCT, because of muscle damage and dehydration. Knowledge of the effects of heat and humidity may be of value for coaches and sports medicine practitioners in developing effective hydration and recovery protocols for marathon runners in these special conditions.

Objective Our overall objective was to characterize potential changes in breed composition of lots of beef calves marketed through video auctions. Specific objectives of the study were to (1) assess trends in percentage of lots marketed with Brahman influence nationally and regionally within the United States and (2) characterize trends in percentage of beef calf lots sired by a single breed. Materials and Methods Data were available on 93,081 lots marketed through 189 summer video auctions from 1995 to 2018. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to determine presence of an increasing or decreasing trend, with P ≤ 0.05 considered significant. Results and Discussion Nationally, the percentage of Brahman-influenced lots decreased (P Implications and Applications Nationally, percentage of Brahman-influenced lots decreased, but it remained static in regions with a relatively hot and humid climate. Market signals from packers may influence decisions, and commercial beef producers should appropriately consider environment, buyer demands, and available resources when making breed composition and trait selection decisions.

While the identity of a victim of a localized disaster – such as a train or bus crash – may be established quickly through personal effects, fingerprints, dental records, and a comparison of decedent DNA to family reference specimen DNA, a different scenario presents itself in mass disasters, such as the Asian Tsunami of 2004. In the aftermath of the tsunami, visual appearance was initially used to assign “foreign” or “indigenous” classifications to the remains of thousands of victims. However, this visual identification approach was undermined by the speed with which bodies deteriorated under the hot and humid conditions. Time was spent populating ante-mortem DNA databases for different nationalities, which led to problems when creating a post-mortem DNA database because recovery of viable DNA was compromised due to rapid decomposition. As a consequence, only 1.3% of victims were identified by DNA; in contrast, 61% were identified based on dental examination, although this process took several months and a significant number of deceased from the 2004 Asian Tsunami still remain to be identified.

Dental casts are invaluable research tools. There are a variety of molding compounds available, all having temperature, humidity, and timing guidelines to ensure a precise replica of dentition. However, not all field research conditions allow for adherence to environmental guidelines requiring longer wait times prior to pouring epoxy for casting. This study, tests a common molding compound in extreme environments and over varying time intervals, testing the integrity of the dental molds in producing precise replicas of original teeth. 580 molds were created under three varying environments: room temperature, hot/humid, and cold/dry. Molds were removed from these environments in two-week intervals over twelve weeks. The resulting casts were measured to determine timing limitations for producing accurate dental casts under varying environments. Molds stored at room temperature retained their shape and size for the complete twelve weeks. Molds kept in a hot and humid environment, however, only maintained their shape and size up to four weeks, whereas molds in a cold and dry environment showed significant changes by the end of the second week. These findings provide additional tools for researchers working in a variety of field conditions allowing casts to be taken of specimens that cannot be transported off site.

Aerobic performance is negatively impacted by tropical climate due to impairment of thermoregulatory mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that a torso application of a 4% menthol solution would have the same effect on a best performance 10-km run as an external use of cold water. Thirteen trained male athletes completed four outdoor 10-km runs (T=29.0±1.3°C, relative humidity 59.0±13.6%) wearing a tee-shirt soaked every 2-km either in a cold (~6°C) or warm/ambient (~28°C) solution, consisting in water or in a 4% menthol solution, (CTL, MENT-Amb, CLD and MENT-CLD). Run performances were improved from 4.8 to 6.1% in CLD (51.4±5.5 min), MENT-Amb (52.2±5.9 min) and MENT-CLD (51.4±5.1 min) conditions (vs. CTL, 55.4±8.4 min, P

Chip seal is a preventive maintenance technique typically applied on relatively low traffic roads to reduce pavement deterioration rate and to defer the need for costly rehabilitation activities. This study aims to address the common challenges with chip seal application in hot and humid climates such as Louisiana to ensure the maximum benefits are achieved. Specifically, this study evaluated the short and long-term field performances and optimal timing of chip seal by analyzing the cracking, roughness, and overall pavement conditions of 47 flexible and composite pavement sections in Louisiana. Furthermore, potential moisture damage in asphalt concrete after chip seal application was assessed. Results indicated that chip seal extended pavement service life by 4–17 years based on the pre-treatment pavement conditions and pavement type (flexible or composite). Based on the cost benefit analysis, it is recommended to use alternating cycles of asphalt overlay and chip seal on low volume roads (less than 5,300 vehicles per day) with chip seal applied when the pavement condition index (PCI) of the pavement drops to a value between 70 and 74. In this case, significant monetary savings could be achieved when compared with adding chip seals at different time periods (outside the recommended range of PCI between 70 and 74). Results also showed that the application of chip seal does not seem to contribute to moisture damage. Instead, shallow groundwater conditions present in the State seem to contribute to moisture damage in asphalt pavements owing to moisture entrapment underneath the asphalt layer.

Preventive maintenance treatments are widely used throughout the United States to extend pavement service life (PSL), and therefore, defer costly rehabilitation activities. However, optimizing the use of these treatments faces several key challenges. First, the benefits resulting from these treatments are not well-defined. Second, there is considerable debate over the optimal timing of these treatments. Third, concerns exist that these treatments may be responsible for moisture damage if the surrounding moisture conditions are not adequately considered before installation. Although significant research has been conducted to address these challenges, few efforts have been directed toward technology transfer and implementation of the research findings. Therefore, the objective of this study was to combine the results of a comprehensive research study addressing these challenges into an enhanced decision-making tool that can be used to select the best maintenance treatment to be applied to an existing asphalt concrete (AC) overlay based on the project conditions. For a given project, this tool will predict the most cost-effective maintenance treatment (crack sealing, chip seal, microsurfacing, or do nothing) to address existing surface distresses without causing moisture damage. The tool will also provide the optimal timing of installation of the recommended treatment. To ensure that the developed tool is practical and simple to use, it was developed using macros in Microsoft Excel. The developed tool is implementation-ready and should be utilized by the relevant Department of Transportation to maximize the benefits from pavement maintenance activities.

Los estudios realizados en campo y laboratorio muestran que los revestimientos fríos (cool roof coatings) contribuyen a disminuir las transferencias de calor que se dan a través de las cubiertas, las cuales son una de las principales causas de malestar térmico en los climas cálidos y húmedos. No obstante, no hay suficientes investigaciones que cuantifiquen sus beneficios en el clima tropical y existe una falta de precisión técnica engran parte del material publicitario de los productos disponibles en el mercado. Por lo tanto, con el fin de reducir esta brecha en el conocimiento, en este estudio se analizó el comportamiento térmico en campo de las láminas de hierro galvanizado con zinc antes y después de aplicarles un revestimiento frío. Como indicador se utilizó la temperatura superficial del material. Durante los dos meses que duró el experimento, se realizaron95 observaciones a diferentes horas del día, donde se midió la temperatura superficial de la lámina con y sin revestimiento y se anotó la hora y el estado de nubosidad del cielo. Los resultandos muestran que la lámina a la que se le aplicó el revestimiento tiene una temperatura promedio 0.85 °C más baja. Esta diferencia es estadísticamente significativa (p = 0.037) y es independiente de la hora del día y del estado de nubosidad del cielo. No obstante es un diferencial de temperatura menor al que encontraron losestudios previos.