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Cinnamomum cassia Presl. is a subtropical plant that is used for food and medicine. Climate change has changed the suitable habitats of medicinal plants, which might have repercussions for the efficacy of herbal remedies. In this study, the potential distribution in each period of Cinnamomum cassia was predicted and the quality in different suitable habitats was evaluated. According to the results, (1) precipitation, temperature, and soil are the primary environmental variables influencing C. cassia distribution. (2) The high-suitable habitats of current climate scenarios were predominantly located in the southern regions (Guangdong and Guangxi etc.) of China, with an area of 706,129.08 km2. Under future climate scenarios, suitable habitats will increasingly move northward, with a greater concentration south of the Yangtze River, particularly in the 2090s SSP585 scenario, the total area of newly extended suitable habitat reaches 312,963.53 km2. (3) HPLC and FTIR, combined with chemometrics, can be effective methods for identifying different suitable habitats of C. cassia. The content of trans-cinnamaldehyde (0.85%) is significantly higher in the high suitability habitat compared to the medium-low suitability habitat (0.30%). Our findings can offer valuable guidance for the identification of suitable C. cassia cultivation areas in China, as well as for the evaluation of C. cassia resource quality and the rational use of resources in different suitable habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of herbarium materials of the Ephedra dahurica Turcz. collected in the Torey Lakes region in different years has revealed the morphological variability of its pollen grains. An inverse relationship has been established between the development of the number of pseudosulci and plicae (ridge) of pollen grains and the values of temperature and humidity during the growing season. During wet seasons, the plant produces pollen grains with few pseudosulci. The number of pseudosulci increases during dry and cool growing seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) stands out as the most critical pest in citriculture. With chemical pesticides facing reduced efficacy and increased resistance in populations, biological control has emerged as a promising strategy. The performance of entomopathogenic fungi is influenced by abiotic factors such as RH and ultraviolet radiation (UV-B). Understanding how these factors interact with entomopathogens enables us to optimize their efficiency against the pest, guiding the ideal timing for application and identifying the most favorable seasons. Our study aimed to assess the impact of different RH levels and UV-B exposure on the efficacy of the entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps javanica (Frieder. and Bally) Kepler, B. Shrestha, and Spatafora (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) strain ESALQ1296 in controlling D. citri. C. javanica with 0.075% KBRAdj® exhibited superior performance in D. citri control across all moisture levels, particularly during periods of low RH (≤ 50%) and extended UV-B exposure (> 4 h), when compared to Tween 80. However, it is expected to perform better when spraying during periods with lower UV-B radiation incidence and higher RH. Considering the high efficacy required to control this vector, implementing the fungus is contingent on the formulation utilized and the prevailing environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous multi-proxy records have revealed the advantages of well-preserved and long-scale geological archives from the lake sediments of Barkol Lake, which is located at northeast Xinjiang in northwest China. However, the exact organic matter (OM) sources in the sediments and their response to climatic variability still remain unclear in this area. In this study, we present an 8.8 kyr n-alkane record extracted from the sediments in Barkol Lake to explore the OM sources and the relationship between n-alkanes and climatic changes. The results indicate that the n-alkane composition was dominated by long-chain n-alkanes(C27–C31), implying a dominant origination of OM from the terrestrial higher plants and emergent aquatic plants. The n-alkane data further revealed that changes in OM sources were related to the surface erosion-transportation-deposition processes controlled by climatic changes. Lake level changes, which are also regulated by climate conditions, played an important role in impacting OM accumulation. Relatively wetter conditions would result in a rising lake level that favored more aquatic OM and less terrestrial OM input, and vice versa. The regional climate patterns have been generally dominated by alternations of cold-wet and warm-dry episodes over the past ~8.8 kyr. We preliminarily concluded the dynamic changes of OM input and the hydrological changes in Barkol Lake was mainly controlled by SSTs in the North Atlantic region and melting water supply modulated by Eurasian ice sheet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Fine-root (diameter ≤ 2 mm) decomposition contributes significantly to nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Roots with arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) and ectomycorrhizas (ECM) differ in root chemistry, which might affect root decomposition rate, but whether this effect differs across forest biomes is unknown. Methods: We used a compiled dataset from temperate and (sub)tropical forests (168 species from 84 studies) to investigate how root chemistry and climate influence fine-root decomposition with different mycorrhizal associations in (sub)tropical and temperate forests. Results: We show that AM trees exhibited faster fine-root decomposition rates than ECM trees did in temperate forests, but not in (sub)tropical forests. In temperate forests, root decomposition rates decreased with increasing root lignin concentrations, and ECM trees had higher root lignin concentrations than AM trees did which likely caused the difference in their decomposition rates. In (sub)tropical forests, root decomposition rates were mainly determined by root phosphorus (P) concentration. ECM and AM trees had similar root P concentrations, and thus their root decomposition rates were similar. In addition, the root decomposition rate was not affected by climate in (sub)tropical or temperate forests. However, the root decomposition rates of both AM and ECM trees were similarly affected by root chemistry and climate for all forests. Conclusions: The findings will help us better predict tree species effects on ecosystem processes by considering their mycorrhizal association, particularly in temperate forests, where AM and ECM species co-occur. Additionally, the findings provide a framework for linking the dynamics of organic matter in forests to fine root quality and climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periods of formation of different sedimentary lithotypes were determined using the results of the study of modern sedimentation processes in the Storefjorden Strait (West Spitsbergen). The chronology of sedimentation was established from variations in specific activity of 210Pb and 226Ra and verified by 137Cs data. Sedimentation rates have varied considerably over the last century in different parts of the sedimentation basin, ranging from 0.04 to 0.3 cm/yr. Sedimentation in the Storefjorden Strait was closely related to changing climatic conditions. Climatic factors (air temperature, atmospheric precipitation) have a different effect in morphologically different sections of the sedimentation basin. In the south of the strait, lithotypes are determined by an oceanological factor (bottom current). Despite the changes in sedimentation rate, the lithotype in the south of Storefjorden has remained stable for more than 100 years. In the north and in the central part of the strait, cooling in the period from 1970 to 1995 caused a change in the bottom sediment structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Substituting chemical fertilizers with organic manure may alleviate soil acidification in vegetable fields, but the optimum organic manure substitution ratio (SR, the ratio of organic nitrogen (N) rate to total N application rate) may vary due to different climatic conditions (mean annual precipitation (MAP), mean air temperature, and climate zone), initial soil properties (soil texture, initial soil pH, and soil organic carbon content), and management practices (vegetable type, cultivation type, planting season, growth cycle, planting years, and N application rate). Methods: Based on a meta-analysis of 348 pairwise observations collected from 74 studies in Chinese vegetable fields, we quantified the responses of topsoil (0–20 cm) pH and vegetable yields to various organic manure (commercial and farmyard manure) substitution ratios (low, SR ≤ 35%; medium, 35% < SR ≤ 70%; and high, SR > 70%) with chemical fertilizer alone as the control. Results: The soil pH increased overall with the increase of SRs. Compared with the control, low, medium, and high SRs increased the soil pH by 2.6%, 5.6%, and 9.0% and the vegetable yield by 11.0%, 12.6%, and 3.2%, respectively. The soil pH in open (33.7%) and greenhouse (66.3%) vegetable fields under medium SR increased by 6.3% and 5.0%, respectively. The initial soil pH, MAP, and climate zone are the key factors affecting soil pH in the vegetable field, and their total contribution ratio on soil pH change accounted for 32.1% of all variables. When the initial soil pH ≤ 6, the soil pH increased with the increase of SRs. Conversely, when the initial soil pH > 8, all SRs decreased the soil pH. The soil pH also tended to increase with increasing MAP and subtropical climate zone. The contribution rate of the N application rate on soil pH change was 7.5%. The growth cycle, planting season, and vegetable type had the least impact on soil pH change. Conclusion: In general, manure substitution can significantly improve the soil pH and vegetable yield. The optimal SR ranges from 35 to 70%. However, the interactions (among factors) and trade-offs during the process remain complicated, which requires further validation based on local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Irrigation system performance regards as a function of climatic conditions. The present study was carried out to study this phenomenon. Sugar beet and sesame corps were cultivated during two agricultural seasons of 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 irrigated with drip and sprinkler systems. The drip and sprinkler systems performance was evaluated in terms of hydraulic characteristics added to irrigation water requirements. The recorded monthly values were compared to the traditional estimation method. The results revealed that irrigation system efficiency was increased by increasing ambient temperature for the drip irrigation system, and vice versa was noticed with the sprinkler irrigation system. Emission uniformity and application efficiency of emitters were increased by increasing ambient temperature. While the sprinkler flow rate and distribution uniformity were decreased by increasing ambient temperature. For drip irrigation system, the average total amount of irrigation water requirements using traditional estimation for sugar beet (2372 m3/fed) was less than the actual calculated (2439 m3/fed), while for sesame crop, the traditional estimation method (2556 m3/fed) was higher than actual calculated (2477 m3/fed). Using a sprinkler system, the average total amount of irrigation water requirements by the traditional estimation (2689 and 2897 m3/fed) was less than the actual calculated (2709 and 3044 m3/fed) for sugar beet and sesame crops, respectively. So, it is important to consider the effects of climatic conditions through the agricultural season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar chimney power plant (SCPP) is one of the promising technologies to convert solar energy into carbon-free power generation. It has cost competitiveness, environment friendly and longer service life. Although remarkable advancements were achieved, commercialization aspect of the SCPP has not been established so far. Feasibility assessment of the large-scale plants was carried out by researchers in different climatic conditions across the globe but none of the studies materialized to date. However, it is almost four decades from the development of the first prototype, and no studies have been discussed the barriers to commercialization of the SCPP yet. Therefore, in this present study, a-state-of-the-art review has been presented which discussed the overview of SCPP technologies, factors affecting the flow and performance characteristics of the plant and major barriers in the commercialization aspect of the plant. The overview of SCPP technology including its global status and recent advances are spotlighted. The power potential and carbon emission mitigation of the SCPP based on the climatic condition and geographical location was studied by taking India as an example. In addition to that, the major challenges and opportunities in the SCPP are also addressed. Based on the analysis, a few recommendations are given for commercialization the plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unsustainable consumption of resources and climate change, it is increasingly difficult to maintain the security of the water–energy–food nexus, especially in regions with low availability. Thus, the need to design more resilient systems is key to sustainable development. Quantifying resilience in integrated systems such as the water–energy–food nexus is a useful way to identify vulnerable areas of the system and thereby take corrective actions to reduce the incidence of interruptions to basic services. Therefore, this work presents a systematic approach to assess the resilience of the water–energy–food nexus in arid and semi-arid regions. Through the proposed approach, it is possible to evaluate how the system failures caused by hurricanes, low-temperature events, and droughts affect the supply of water, energy and food. A resilience index is proposed, which involves penalization costs associated with the resource supply failures of the system. To apply the proposed approach, scenarios corresponding to past conditions and future projections were evaluated for two Mexican arid cities. The results show that in future years the nexus will be vulnerable to extreme events if the conditions for the resource management do not change. The proposed approach allows estimating the economic losses associated with the existence of natural disasters, making it an efficient decision-making tool to implement strategies and improve the security of the water–energy–food nexus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the distribution of Heracleum persicum, H. mantegazzianum, and H. sosnowskyi at the northern limit of their secondary ranges in Europe based on original and published data. The northernmost H. persicum occurrences are localized in coastal regions in the northern and central parts of the Scandinavian Peninsula (up to 71° N). In Fennoscandia, H. mantegazzianum and H. sosnowskyi were noted up to 69° N. The gradient of climatic resources in the subarctic and temperate zones made it possible to identify factors limiting further expansion of these species in northern Europe and determine their tolerance limits to these factors. The duration of the frostless season at the northern boundary of the secondary range of invasive Heracleum species is 80–150 days. The probability of cold damage to vegetating plants in areas located north of 66° N (i.e., in the northern part of Finland and in the continental northern part of European Russia) is high. The biological minimum for the sum of active air temperatures ≥5°C is 1150°C, while the minimum requirement of the studied plants for the sum of active temperatures ≥10°C is over 450°C. If available thermal resources exceed this level, then invasive Heracleum species can naturalize in climatic conditions of subarctic Europe. The presence of a sustainable snow cover more than 25 cm depth in areas where the minimum winter temperatures are less than –30°C prevents the freezing of renewal buds and seedlings, thus, preserving the viability of plants. It is proposed to use climatic indices computed as ratios between the air temperature and the snow cover depth (or the precipitation amount in winter) as climatic markers characterizing wintering conditions for plants. The main factors limiting the spread and naturalization of invasive Heracleum species in northern Europe are lack of heat, soil freezing to temperatures critical for hibernating plant organs, and early autumn frosts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the effects of climatic conditions and drought phase on occurrence frequency (OF) of forest fire in South Korea, and suggested a deep learning-based estimator for the occurrence frequency of fire. There was a high correlation between frequency and relative humidity (RH, R = −0.663) and wind speed (WS, R = 0.532). Using these correlations, we proposed a deep learning model that can estimate the OF. Among the three deep learning models (RH-WS-AMOF, RH-AMOF, and WS-AMOF) by combining RH and WS with average monthly OF (AMOF) during 1997–2019, the RH-WS-AMOF model showed the best performance. R2 and NSE were 0.838 and 0.828, respectively. The higher temperatures and drought lead to increase the potential for forest fire. Standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index was introduced for exploring the link between meteorological drought and forest fire. We confirmed that SPEI can improve the performance of the DBN based on OF estimator in spring. The framework of this study can provide a predictive model for forest fire OF combined with a weather forecast model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After more than a year from the first confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) disease, the role of meteorological factors in the transmission of the virus still needs to be correctly determined. In this scenario of deep uncertainty, the present study aims to investigate the effects of temperature and relative humidity on daily new cases of COVID-19. For this purpose, the COVID-19's development of infection in fourteen Algerian cities characterized by different climatic conditions, during the period from April 1, 2020, to August 31, 2020, has been investigated. A detailed time series analysis along with linear regression was used to state a possible correlation among some climate's factor variability (temperature and relative humidity) and daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The results showed a weak correlation between daily new cases of COVID-19 and meteorological factors throughout the selected regions. In addition, we concluded that the COVID-19 could fit to high or low values of temperature and relative humidity, and other factors not climates could affect the spreading of the virus like demography and human contact. So, after the discovery of the vaccine and before vaccination of 70% of the world's population, living with the virus has become an inevitable reality, and it is mandatory to apply the sanitary procedures to slow down the COVID-19 transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalisation has resulted in the spread of infectious plant diseases to new regions and host species and the novel disease caused by myrtle rust poses a global threat to naïve hosts in the Myrtaceae family of plants. This study uses a focal species, Tristaniopsis exiliflora, to explore the climatic and microclimatic preference of the myrtle rust disease (Austropuccinia psidii). Populations of T. exiliflora were sampled across the species distribution in Far North Queensland, Australia, modelling A. psidii severity as a function of macro- and micro-environmental variables. Disease severity was found to increase with annual precipitation and foliage projective cover, and decrease with maximum temperature and valley confinement. A subsampled population found that individuals with lower canopy heights experienced more severe disease. Our results suggest that, in tropical environments with seasonal rainfall, A. psidii virulence is reduced when mean annual rainfall is less than 1500 mm and virulence is substantially reduced when maximum temperatures exceed 32 °C. The climatic drivers identified in this study align with optimal in vitro conditions for A. psidii germination and development. This suggests that climatic conditions are regulating myrtle rust in natural ecosystems at a broader scale, and that increased conservation efforts should focus on species with narrow climatic distributions and highly susceptible regions such as the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the impact of local climatic conditions on the efficiency of earth-to-air heat exchangers (EAHEs) is investigated by experiments. Four cases of EAHEs were considered: (1) a simple EAHE, (2) an EAHE with solar protection at the upper parts, (3) an EAHE with a chimney effect at the outlet, and (4) an EAHE with a fan at the inlet. The values of air temperature and relative humidity at the inlet, as well as at the outlet of the exchanger, were determined. For Cases 1 and 2, the lowest value of ΔT was -9 °C. However, the highest values were 11.9 and 12.5 °C for Cases 1 and 2, respectively. For Cases 3 and 4, the values of ΔT were equal to 7 and 12.5 °C, respectively. For the hygrometry and in Case 1, the difference in the relative humidity (ΔRH) has been increased by 13% and then decreased by 30%. Case 2 provided an increase in ΔRH by 47%. However, an increase of ΔRH by 43% followed by a decrease by 47% was observed in Case 4. Finally, Case 4 yielded a drying tendency and a stable decrease in ΔRH by 30% during almost all day. The use of a fan allowed the most significant control and reducing the impact of external climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The family Botryosphaeriaceae is one of the most widespread and cosmopolitan endophytic group of fungi. Every year, species of this family cause severe damages on table and wine grape production, worldwide. However, this threat is still poorly known in Algeria. In this study, a large number of Botryosphaeriaceae-like isolates were obtained from symptomatic grapevines collected from eight regions with different ecological conditions, namely: Boumerdès, Médéa, Algiers, Tipaza, El Taref, Sidi Bel Abbes, Biskra and Adrar. The isolates were identified using DNA sequences of the translation elongation factor (tef1-α) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Eleven species belonging to six genera, including Neofusicoccum parvum, N. algeriense, N. vitifusiforme, N. stellenboschiana, N. luteum, Diplodia seriata, D. olivarum, Lasiodiplodia theobromae, Dothiorella sarmentorum, Botryosphaeria dothidea and Neoscytalidium dimidiatum were identified. The spatial distribution of the Botryosphaeriaceae showed that D. seriata and N. stellenboschiana were the most widespread in the Algerian vineyards, while L. theobromae was recorded in the desert region of Biskra. Pathogenicity trials showed that all species were pathogenic on detached green shoots of grapevine, with N. parvum and L. theobromae being the most aggressive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates how two aspects of agricultural production diversity – farm production diversity and composition of production – relate to child height-for-age and weight-for-height in Ethiopia. We use longitudinal data on child anthropometric measurements, household farm production diversity and farm production composition from the Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey for 2011, 2013, and 2015 available through the World Bank. Using longitudinal fixed effects models, we show that an increase in farm production diversity reduces the risk of chronic food insecurity (child height-for-age) but has no impact on acute measures of food insecurity (child weight-for-height). Results also suggest that, in a context of poor rainfall, more diversity in farm production can adversely impact child height-for-age, although livestock sales might mitigate that detrimental effect. These findings highlight the importance of considering the relationship between farm-level food production and child nutrition in a context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Late Miocene-Pliocene Dhok Pathan Formation (DPF) fluvial sequence of Eastern Sulaiman Foldbelt and Thrust Belt (SFTB) has different lithofacies of sandstone and mudstone deposited in the Himalayan foredeep basin. The present study deals with detailed geochemical analyses of DPF to deduce its provenance, weathering, and tectonic settings. The geochemical data of major oxides plot on scatter diagram shows that the sandstones of DPF are predominantly Arkose-Subarkose and Litharenite-Sublitharenite which were mainly sourced from granitic composition and deposited in fluvial conditions under semi-arid to arid climate. The low elemental ratios of Ni/Co and Cu/Zn indicate oxic conditions during deposition. The mudstone's ICV values are 1.44 indicating that the source area was influenced by moderate to high weathering. The geochemical analysis indicates lower values of Zr, Nb, Y, and Y/Ni ratio in studied area which point out the existence of ultramafic/mafic sequence in source area. The tectonic discrimination diagrams depict active continental margin tectonic settings for provenance of DPF with partial influx from Continental and Oceanic Island Arc. The present study concludes that clastic rocks of DPF were mainly sourced from Himalayan orogeny with partial influx of Kohistan-Ladakh arc and subsequent deposition in Himalayan foredeep basin which coincides with regional tectonic scenario. Interpretation of paleoenvironments and basin tectonics by geochemical analysis will help to delineate the poorly understood uplift and denudation history in SFTB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative building materials are being used in building envelopes for reducing their heating and cooling needs. This paper aims to assess the thermal impact of using lightweight concrete in Lebanese building constructions by pouring an 8 cm thickness of lightweight concrete on the roof and the slab and replacing traditional hollow concrete block by lightweight concrete blocks. Thermal properties of two different samples were experimentally determined: the first one (558 kg/m3) used for the roof and the slab and the second one (1074 kg/m3) used for the walls. Then numerical simulations were carried out for a Lebanese traditional detached house using the characteristics of these two samples. The thermally improved Light Weight Concrete building (LWC) was compared to a traditional Lebanese house base case (BC) using a dynamic building energy simulation tool in the four different Lebanese climate zones: coastal, mid-mountain, mountain, and inland zones. The results highlight the effectiveness of integrating LWC to building envelopes by reducing energy consumption and improving thermal comfort in both winter and summer climate conditions and in the different Lebanese climatic zones. The paper demonstrates that the use of LWC in the vertical walls replacing the traditional hollow blocks can reduce the heating needs by up to 9% and by up to 13% for cooling needs. On the other hand, adding a LWC roof screed has a very high impact on cooling and heating energy consumption, which can reach up to 74% in cooling energy savings and up to 24% in heating energy savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chickpea Ascochyta blight caused by Didymella rabiei is one of the most important fungal diseases affecting yield and seed quality negatively in Turkey. Breeding efforts against this devastating disease fail as the resistance/tolerance is broken in a short period of their commercial cultivation. This study was aimed to determine the status of Ascochyta blight epiphytotics and the effect of climatic factors on the disease incidence and severity in Turkey. Chickpea fields were surveyed for disease prevalence and severity in forty-five major chickpea-growing provinces in 9 climatic regions in the cropping season 2014, 2015, and 2016 in Turkey. The data on major weather parameters, i.e., rainfall (mm), air temperature (oC) and relative humidity (%), were procured from Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkey, and correlations among disease severity, altitude, weed density, nodule numbers, and climatic conditions were calculated. Principal component analysis was studied to determine the complex effects of all the variables on Ascochyta disease severity. It was observed that there was significant difference in percent incidence and severity of Ascochyta blight among the 45 provinces representing nine agro-climatic regions during the period under study. The highest disease incidence and severity (%) were recorded in Bosporus, Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean regions, while it was the lowest in Eastern Anatolia and Southeastern Anatolia. Negative correlation was recorded between disease severity and altitude and temperature, and that relative humidity (%) and rainfall (mm) showed statistically positive correlation with the disease severity. The disease severity was not effected by nodule numbers and weed density ratios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of adhesive joints of D16AT An. Ox. chrom. aluminum alloy, made with the use of epoxy and phenolic-rubber adhesives, while exposed to constant tensile load and climatic factors in humid subtropics, both in open air and under a canopy, which made it possible to develop recommendations for the protection of adhesive compounds from exposure climatic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The upper part of the subsurface component of the Earth's cryosphere—polygonal peatlands—are considered in this paper. The polygonal peatlands are widespread in the cryolithozone in northwestern Siberia. When the upper permafrost layer thaws under the influence of climatic fluctuations, the ice-bearing transition and intermediate layers in the polygonal peatlands serve as a buffer zone. Therefore, the identification of these layers is a crucial task. The specific features of the layers, their relationship with ice of various origins, and the properties of peat have been determined. The differences in the structure of the intermediate layer, associated with polygonal microrelief of the surface, have been revealed. Thawing of the transitional layer against the background of modern warming has been recorded on the basis of monitoring of a seasonally thawed layer. To identify the transitional and intermediate layers, the indicators—the cryogenic structure, degree of preservation, color, water content, and density of peat—have been determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsaturated clay deposits swell and shrink as a result of seasonal variations in climatic conditions and affect the performance of underground infrastructure systems. This paper investigates the response of a 150-mm PVC pipe buried in a highly plastic clay deposit under field conditions. A numerical model was established to integrate the daily climatic conditions. To accurately model field performance, the developed numerical model incorporated the use of a bimodal soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) and the simulation of the hydraulic characteristics of a cracked soil structure. The model results showed that the response of both the soil and the pipe was influenced by soil properties (native and backfill), the depth below the ground surface, and most importantly, the surface boundary condition (sealed versus unsealed surface). Although the pipe trench was covered by a pavement structure, the backfill material consisting of granular materials (i.e., mixed concrete) showed a noticeable variation in volumetric water content (VWC) with time. It was also observed that the effects of the atmosphere extended below the pipe burial depth to a depth of 4 m in the clay soil surrounding the trench. While the pipe trench was backfilled with a non-expansive material, the pipe experienced fluctuating displacements throughout the year. Finally, the model was utilized to give insight into the actual flux transferred through the pavement structure to the backfill material surrounding the pipe. It was predicted that approximately 30% of the surface net flux permeated the pavement structure and interacted with the underlying backfill materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings represent a large part in terms of fossil energy consumption, which depends on the great need for heating. Even if the solar absorption heat storage system is possible, the performance of this system is affected by the cycle limits and the climatic conditions. The goal of the present study is to control the thermal performance of the system cycle according to the imposed climatic conditions of Bucharest city, Romania, and therefore a numerical model was developed for this purpose. The scheme and the thermodynamic cycle, the energy and mass balance equations, and the computational algorithm were presented. The results show that the cycle temperature increases at the end of desorption when the heating power supplied to the desorber is increased, which is also proportional to the drop in temperature at the beginning of the desorption. The temperature at the end of absorption and the mass flow rates of the solution have a significant effect on the thermal power released from the absorber and used to heat the building. For an average daily heat power of 1.35 kW/m2 and 10 hours per day of heating the building, the system with a solar collector area of 3 m2 has the capacity of heat supply for all the cold period. However, an economic strategy remains necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence is another breakthrough under the rapid development of the Internet and technology. It provides possibilities for the learning of knowledge, the automation of knowledge acquisition, the universality of expressing knowledge, and the efficiency of searching and solving. In the context of the global development of artificial intelligence, it also provides the possibility for the activation of the agent. Mountain is an important geomorphic unit on the earth's surface. The biodiversity and the richness of resources are the foundation for storing tourism resources, water resources, and mineral resources. These abundant resources in the mountains also provide a good ecosystem for the surrounding areas and optimize the ecological environment of the surrounding areas. But the mountain ecosystem is actually very fragile. It can be compared to the engine of global climate change. Under the influence of global climate change, the diversity of species and the production of social development services will be affected. The water and soil elements of the ecosystem will change accordingly, and the coupling process will also change. In 2020, the domestic marathon event data will increase year by year, and the number of participants will continue to increase. Marathon is a challenging sport for all people to participate in, and its key point is no longer the word "sports." "Marathon" is people's pursuit of health and self-challenge. Completing the full course of the marathon will give people a sense of pride and accomplishment from the bottom of their hearts. The Chinese Athletics Association held 1102 marathons in 2020, an increase of 236% from the 328 in 2019. But with the rapid development of marathon sports, many problems have also appeared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bumble bees are important pollinators in natural environments and agricultural farmlands, and they are in particular adapted to harsh environments like high mountain habitats. In these environments, animals are exposed to low temperature and face the risk of desiccation. The Eastern Himalayas are one of the recognized biodiversity hotspots worldwide. The area covers subtropical rainforest with warm temperature and high precipitation as well as high mountain ranges with peaks reaching up to 7,000 m, shaping a diverse floral and faunal community at the different elevational zones. To identify possible adaptation strategies, we investigated the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of four bumble bee species occurring at different elevational ranges in Arunachal Pradesh, the northeastern most state in India. At 17 locations along an elevational gradient, we collected workers of two species from lower elevations (B. albopleuralis and B. breviceps; ~ 100 m − 3,000 m asl) and two species from higher elevations (B. prshewalskyi and B. mirus; ~ 2,800 m − 4,500 m asl). The CHC profiles of all four species showed a significant degree of variation in the composition of hydrocarbons, indicating species specificity. We also found clear correlation with elevation. The weighted mean chain length of the hydrocarbons significantly differed between the low and high elevation species, and the proportion of saturated hydrocarbons in CHC profiles significantly increased with the elevational range of the bumble bee species. Our results indicate that bumble bees living at high elevations reduce the risk of water loss by adapting their CHC composition on their cuticle, a phenomenon that has also been found in other insects like ants and fruit flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of activity patterns is important for understanding the capacity of animals for adapting their behavior based on their habitat conditions. Among bears, daily activity patterns are considered to be strongly influenced by regional climate conditions. We monitored the activity patterns (active vs. inactive) of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) using infrared camera traps (from May 2013 to November 2016) in the Qinling Mountains, China. We used 125 photos, with 19,132 camera days from 55 camera locations. Based on relative independent capture (RIC), bears were found to be intensively active during June (5.86 ± 1.05 SE), July (8.45 ± 2.74), September (14.83 ± 6.13), and October (8.70 ± 3.43), with activity levels gradually decreasing beyond October. After this decline, activities eventually come to a halt when the bears enter in hibernation. We found that their hibernation period was shorter in the Qinling bears, with only 3 months of denning from January to March. Based on their daily patterns, bears were predominantly active during the daytime both in spring (70.83 ± 35.41%) and summer (52.09 ± 28.89%), but more active at twilight during autumn (51.12 ± 42.88%). We assumed that food preferences and food availability (due to warmer regional climatic conditions) might be responsible for such deviations in daily and monthly activity patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for minerals pressurizing the mining authorities to extract low-grade ore results in more mining waste and degradation of the environment. The main aim of review was to understand the role of climatic factors (temperature, wind, and precipitation) in dispersal and mobility of heavy metals in soil, water, and vegetation in Cu mining region. The major source of contamination in the mining sector is tailings, overburden rocks, and abandoned mines. The contaminates or fine particles of sulfide-rich mining waste follow two major pathways for the dispersal: aerial and leaching. Sulfides on exposure to oxygen and water generate acid mine drainage which results in leaching of heavy metals. The pit water of abandoned mines is also a cause of concern which contaminates the groundwater resources. Climatic factors such as temperature, precipitation, and wind significantly influence the paths of contaminate dispersal. In arid/semi-arid regions, high temperature forms fine-grained efflorescence salts on tailings or exposed surficial mines which are carried away by strong winds/water and contaminates the surroundings. In wet regions, the leaching of heavy metals from both tailings and overburden rocks sulfides results in environmental contamination. The application of impermeable layers is highly recommended. The climatic factors (temperature, wind, and precipitation) significantly control the dispersal and mobility of heavy metals in Cu mining region. The implementation of waste management policies and pollution control technologies is recommended after considering the climatic factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic patterns of phenotypic variation are common in birds and its study is important for the understanding of the underlying evolutionary processes taking place in a population over time and space. Here, we analyzed geographic phenotypic variation in a highly variable species, the Velazquez´s Woodpecker (Centurus santacruzi). Across the range of C. santacruzi, distinct plumage morphs (both color and pattern) are associated with locality, while size did not show a clear geographic pattern. We show correlations of phenotypic characters with environmental variables, with a tendency towards more barred and redder plumage patterns in habitats with more stable and less seasonal year-round precipitation. Plumage characters are also partially correlated, with redder coloration associated with a more densely barred back pattern. Our results suggest local phenotypic adaptation in response to environmental variation could drive the high geographic variation present in this taxon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the promising areas for the potato business and a potential for increasing its overall profitability is industrial processing. As a result of it, consumers are offered semifinished or ready-to-eat products. The purpose of this work, which was carried out in 2017–2019 at the Kurakhsky mountain test site, was to investigate the productivity and quality indicators of potato cultivars and hybrids in the high mountains of the Republic of Dagestan and to identify cultivars with high dry-matter and starch content as promising for industrial processing. The study was carried out using 22 potato cultivars of domestic and foreign breeding. According to the results of field studies, the following cultivars with high productivity were identified: Zhukovsky Ranny, Impala, Irbitsky, Krepysh, Manifesto, Nevsky, Spiridon, and Udacha, with yields of 33.7–38.0 t/ha. Comparative assessment using the data of the originators of the cultivars and the data of our studies showed that the solids content in tubers increases by 3–6% depending on the cultivar when growing potatoes in the mountainous climatic conditions of the republic. As a result of our study, cultivars with high solids content (more than 25%) were identified: Alena, Vector, Gioconda, Desiree, Matushka, Nart, Primobella, Predgorny, and Rossi. This investigation showed that the mountainous province of the republic is characterized by favorable soil and climatic conditions for the cultivation of potatoes with a wide range of applications, both food-related and processing ones. The most suitable cultivars for industrial processing, taking into account their quality indicators, were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Decomposition of manure deposited onto pasture from grazing animals represents an important process for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles in grassland systems. However, studies investigating manure decomposition are scarce; especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods: In this study, we measured decomposition of three types of animal manure (cattle, sheep, goat) over >1 year using litter bags at four climatically different sites across Kenya. Results Manure dry matter, total C, total N and ammonium concentrations decreased exponentially, with the most rapid decrease occurring during the first few weeks following application, followed by slower changes during the following 2–3 months. Rates of N mineralization were lower than those for C mineralization, resulting in decreasing C/N ratios over time. Generally, cattle manure decomposed faster than sheep or goat manure despite having a higher initial C/N ratio and lower N concentration, with decomposition rates for dry matter ranging from 0.200 to 0.989 k year−1. Cellulose decomposed first, while lignin concentrations increased among all manure types and at all sites. Conclusions: We found that total manure decomposition rates were positively correlated with cumulative precipitation and aridity index, but negatively correlated with mean temperature. Our results show much slower decomposition rates of manures in semi-arid tropical environments of East Africa as compared to the few previous studies in temperate climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 15400-year mercury (Hg) accumulation history was reconstructed from a lake sediment core collected from Daping Swamp in western Nanling Mountains, South China. Our results show that the natural input of Hg was deeply influenced by varying climatic conditions. Under wet and warm conditions, increased surface soil organic matter induced by improved vegetation conditions favor an increased input of surface soil-bound Hg to the lake, thus leading to higher Hg accumulation rate, and on the other hand, the direct atmospheric wet deposition of Hg into the lake would also be enhanced. In contrast, under relatively cold and dry conditions, it would display an inverse picture. The signal of anthropogenic influence possibly derived from regional Hg pollution likely started at ~ 3400 cal. years BP, roughly corresponding to the early stage of the Shang Dynasty in Chinese history. Four periods of increased anthropogenic Hg inputs appeared in ~ 3358–2170, ~ 2170–1730, ~ 1369–1043, and especially ~ 600–250 cal. years BP, corresponded to the Shang and Zhou, the Qin and Han, the Sui and Tang, and the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, respectively. A clearly weakened anthropogenic input occurred between~1750 and 1400 cal. years BP, coinciding with the Three Kingdoms to the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Our results revealed the history of the natural Hg accumulation since the Last Deglacial period, and the existence of regional atmospheric Hg induced from anthropogenic activity spanning the last ~ 3400 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotic and abiotic factors may individually or interactively disrupt plant–pollinator interactions, influencing plant fitness. Although variations in temperature and precipitation are expected to modify the overall impact of predators on plant–pollinator interactions, few empirical studies have assessed if these weather conditions influence anti-predator behaviors and how this context-dependent response may cascade down to plant fitness. To answer this question, we manipulated predation risk (using artificial spiders) in different years to investigate how natural variation in temperature and precipitation may affect diversity (richness and composition) and behavioral (visitation) responses of flower-visiting insects to predation risk, and how these effects influence plant fitness. Our findings indicate that predation risk and an increase in precipitation independently reduced plant fitness (i.e., seed set) by decreasing flower visitation. Predation risk reduced pollinator visitation and richness, and altered species composition of pollinators. Additionally, an increase in precipitation was associated with lower flower visitation and pollinator richness but did not alter pollinator species composition. However, maximum daily temperature did not affect any component of the pollinator assemblage or plant fitness. Our results indicate that biotic and abiotic drivers have different impacts on pollinator behavior and diversity with consequences for plant fitness components. Even small variation in precipitation conditions promotes complex and substantial cascading effects on plants by affecting both pollinator communities and the outcome of plant–pollinator interactions. Tropical communities are expected to be highly susceptible to climatic changes, and these changes may have drastic consequences for biotic interactions in the tropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reliability of printed circuit boards (PCB) is at risk due to continuous miniaturization. As a result, PCBs are more susceptible to external factors such as humidity, temperature, contamination, etc., which affect their general performance, leading to failure of electronic devices. Therefore, protection of the devices against these factors is gaining greatly in importance. Plasma polymerization is used as a method to form a protective barrier by applying plasma polymer films on PCBs. However, the humidity robustness of such plasma coatings on the PCB surface is unknown. In this work, several methods were used to characterize two types of plasma-coated PCBs based on 1H,1H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate precursor (single-layer and stacked coatings) upon exposure to humidity, temperature, and bias voltage. Modulated-temperature differential scanning calorimetry enabled thermal analysis of the plasma coatings. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in combination with the gravimetric moisture vapor sorption technique were used to study the interaction of these coatings with moisture and quantify the water uptake. The results revealed an only 2% increase of the capacitance of the coatings due to water uptake. Direct-current (DC) leakage current measurements were used to study the influence of a bias voltage applied between the electrodes on the coated PCBs upon exposure to cyclic climatic conditions. Electrical DC testing revealed the protective character of the stacked coating, which did not fail under the given stress conditions, in contrast to the single-layer plasma coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is one of the most important crops in Argentina. This crop can be affected by the presence of different Fusarium species, causing two distinct diseases known as Fusarium ear rot and Gibberella ear rot. In this study, a total of 90 samples from commercial fields of Buenos Aires province in Argentina were collected during the 2015, 2016 and 2017 harvest seasons with the aim to evaluate Fusarium species presence, mycotoxin content and to establish a relationship between the main Fusarium mycotoxins infecting maize grains and the environmental conditions. The results showed that F. verticillioides was the most isolated species followed by F. subglutinans, species of Fusarium graminearum species complex, F. proliferatum, and F. cerealis varying their presence according to the harvest season evaluated. Regarding mycotoxins, deoxynivalenol and 3-acetyl-deoxynivalenol showed content from 281.26 ± 22.51 to 359.02 ± 42.57 μg/kg in the 3 yrs evaluated, while 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol, nivalenol, and zearalenone were not found. With regard to B1 and B2 fumonisins, these mycotoxins were detected below the detection limit of 0.3 μg/kg in some maize samples in the 3 yrs. The selection of maize genotypes, cultural practices, and climatic conditions could be responsible for the Fusarium species found and their respective mycotoxin production. Due to worldwide concern about food security and the potential risk the global climate change could impart, it will be necessary to develop predictive models based on meteorological conditions to determine the risk of Fusarium presence and mycotoxin production in maize similar to those developed in other crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant species of semi-natural grasslands are threatened by several simultaneous global change drivers, most notably land-use and climate change. In this study, we explore spatiotemporal variation and changes in deterministic (λ) and stochastic population growth rates (λs), and the underlying vital rates of eight populations of Arnica montana at the species' north-western range margin in Norway. We assess to what extent variation in the demographic rates could be attributed to environmental correlates of the key global change drivers likely to operate at the range edge, including population size, surrogates of habitat quality, temperature and precipitation. We found no relationship between λ and population size or habitat quality, but λ declined in response to both increasing precipitation and increasing temperature. Life-table response experiments revealed that the temporal variability was driven by survival and clonality, whereas the spatial variation was driven by clonality. Our results suggest that A. montana has a threshold response to increasing precipitation, likely due to adaptations to local climatic conditions. Growth and flowering were both negatively affected by increasing temperature, but these effects had a low influence on the spatiotemporal variability in λ. In contrast, the stochastic growth rate was negatively influenced by climate change, indicating an increased extinction risk for marginal populations, possibly leading to range contraction of A. montana as climate change proceeds. Altogether, our study illustrates how the fates of peripheral populations, which are critically important in species range dynamics, may be affected by both deterministic and stochastic effects of multiple coinciding global change drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on study of hygrothermal behavior of building made of new bio-concrete based on straw-rape. The assessment was conducted using a numerical study, performed using a coupled heat and mass transfer model which takes into account the temperature dependence of the moisture retention curve. The model consists on coupling of envelope model with mono-zone building ambient air model which takes into account ventilation, occupants production and internal inertia in term of thermal and moisture buffering. The model of building envelope was validated by comparison against experimental data carried out on real scale wall. The results reveal that considering moisture retention curve as a temperature-dependent property leads to better prediction of the relative humidity variation in the material, whereas it has weak influence on temperature variations. However, the overall isothermal model may be enough to predict the temperature and relative humidity variations of the indoor ambient air of building. Results have showed good contribution of the internal thermal inertia to reduce temperature variation of the ambient air of building. In addition, simulations highlighted strong capacity, of the straw-rape concrete, to damp the high variations of outdoor relative humidity for all considered climates, especially in desert climate. This effect conduces to avoid accumulation of moisture in the material thus it may rise the life service of the wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adaptation of green building rating systems (GBRS) as tools for providing a reliable evaluation of specific built environments is becoming increasingly significant, since factors such as regional climatic conditions may hinder the direct application of any GBRS in its non-adapted form. Energy efficiency is one of the central categories for evaluating building performance, although the category is weighted differently by leading GBRS, such as the Building Research Establishment Assessment Method, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Moreover, varying climatic conditions in different counties can affect building performance and result in different levels of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This study focuses on the built environment of Saudi Arabia and seeks to improve the accuracy of its newly established GBRS, namely the Saudi Environmental Assessment Method. After reviewing various existing international GBRS, the study finds that they have a deficiency in their building performance ratio and/or matrix that indicates the differences resulting from various climatic conditions. This can engender unfair building assessments when comparing between two buildings in two different climatic zones. Therefore, it is essential to recognize to what degree the climatic conditions can affect a building's energy performance within the Saudi Arabian context. In order to address this issue, which is the research question of the study, a critical analysis is conducted that reviews international assessment methods and, employing the building simulation tool IES-VE, assesses three distinct climatic zones: (a) the hot arid climate of Riyadh, (b) the hot humid climate of Jeddah, and (c) the mild hot mountainous climate of Al-Baha. In total, 30 typical building models, 10 in each zone, are subjected to a sensitivity analysis, and the results reveal that the different climatic conditions in Saudi Arabia have a significant effect on building performance. The study therefore concludes developing a climatic conditions ratio/matrix is imperative for enhancing the accuracy of the building assessment method employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in men and there is a growing interest in identifying natural compounds for its management. We analyzed bioactive withanolides in Withania coagulans from 11 different sites in Pakistan and evaluated the antiprostate cancer activities of leaf extracts from two sites with the greatest amounts. Total withanolide concentration differed by ~ 17-fold between sites, ranging from 1.01 ± 0.01 mg/g dry weight (mean ± SE) at Jand to 16.83 ± 0.02 mg/g at Mohmand Agency. Different tissues varied in their total withanolide content with roots having the least (0.42 ± 0.07 mg/g dry weight) and leaves the most (2.45 ± 0.45 mg/g). We found strong inverse correlations between site annual precipitation versus withanolide amounts in fruits (r = − 0.84, P = 0.001), leaves (r = − 0.88, P < 0.001), roots (r = − 0.91, P < 0.001), and total (r = − 0.89, P < 0.001), but not stems (r = − 0.20, P = 0.556). Extracts made from Mianwali and Mohmand Agency leaves possessed high anticancer activity in terms of increased induction of apoptosis and decreased cell viability, cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of different prostate cancer cell lines. These results are useful for the selection of withanolide-rich germplasm with potent anticancer properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial pattern (SP) and neighbourhood distance (ND) of trees are crucial for pollination services, in particular for dioecious species. However, land use types through human disturbances may affect the natural SP and ND and possibly have a negative effect on pollination services. Though several studies have focused on the effect of land use types on SP of trees, few have reported on ND. In this study, we compared SP and ND of the dioecious Borassus aethiopum Mart. between two land use types (protected areas vs farmlands) in two contrasting climatic regions (semi-arid vs sub-humid) in Benin. Trees were mapped in twelve plots from six populations. Pair-correlation function was used to generate univariate and bivariate SP and ND. Next, ANOVA was used to compare ND. While supporting the overall trend towards a less aggregated pattern along plant life-cycle, the study showed that the SP of B. aethiopum was altered from aggregated and spatial association in protected areas toward random and independence patterns in farmlands with increased ND among individuals, particularly between adult males and females. In addition, differences in ND between land use types varied across climatic regions, the differences being higher in the drier semi-arid region, thus suggesting more intense human activities in this region and climatic region-specific management. Management actions should mainly aim at reducing or not further increasing ND, particularly between female and male adult populations in farmlands in the semi-arid region through planting new individuals of B. aethiopum trees or limiting their removal but at the same time account for other tree species to maximise diversity of farmlands' functions and services. Further studies should examine whether the observed increased ND due to human-disturbances in farmlands is detrimental for the species pollination services, fruit production and whether it affects the species spatio-temporal population genetic structuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the long-term performance under two farming systems of Capia pepper, a summer vegetable in high demand, consumed fresh, as paste, dried, or roasted. The trial was conducted for 9 years on certified organic and conventional plots of Ege University, İzmir, Turkey. In both farming systems, pepper was the main summer crop, but the preceding crop varied between the farming systems and over the years. Certified organic seeds and seedlings of Yalova yağlık-28, an open pollinated variety, were used for Capia pepper production. Yields were statistically similar in the conventional (45,217 kg ha−1) and organic (43,645 kg ha−1) systems; however, significant yield variations occurred with respect to the annual conditions. The farming system significantly influenced fruit quality. The average fruit weight was 99.7 g in the conventional plots compared with 88.8 g in the organic. The fruit pericarp was thicker in the organic (5.1 mm) than in the conventionally grown ones (4.5 mm). The L-ascorbic acid content was (73.4 mg 100 g−1) higher in the conventional fruit, whereas the total soluble solids (7.7%) and red pulp color, determined by a chromameter, as a*/b* (2.0), were more pronounced in fruit from the organic plots. The long-term trial showed that organic management helped to improve the soil organic matter content and fruit quality, especially from the perspective of processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe population declines of amphibians have been shown to be attributed to climate change. Nevertheless, the various mechanisms through which climate can influence population dynamics of amphibians remain to be assessed, notably to disentangle the relative synergetic or antagonistic influences of temperature and precipitations on specific life history stages. We investigated the impact of rainfall and temperature on the egg-clutch abundance in a population of agile frog ( Rana dalmatina) during 29 years (1987-2016) on 14 breeding sites located in Brenne Natural Park, France. Specifically, we examined the influence of environmental conditions occurring during five temporal windows of the year cycle corresponding to specific life history stages. Overall, our results suggest that the year-to-year fluctuations of egg-clutch abundances in Brenne Natural Park were partly dependent on local climatic conditions (rainfall and temperature). Climate seemed to influence breeding frogs during the autumn-winter period preceding reproduction. Spring and summer conditions did not influence reproduction. Additionally, we failed to detect effects of climatic conditions on newly metamorphosed individuals. Other factors such as density dependence and inter-specific interactions with introduced predators are likely to play a significant role in reproduction dynamics of the studied frog populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White shrimp ( Litopenaeus setiferus) fisheries-independent and fisheries-dependent landings can be highly variable and may be related to environmental factors that influence growth, mortality, and survival. We used linear regression analysis to look for potential relationships between environmental and white shrimp catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) data collected from the Ashepoo-Combahee-Edisto (ACE) Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) for four critical months in the shrimp life cycle. This analysis used data from white shrimp fisheries-independent CPUE (2002 to 2014) and water quality and meteorological variables for August (juvenile), December (sub-adult), March (adult), and April (spawning adult). The results showed that shrimp CPUE was mainly correlated with water temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen concentration collected through the ACE Basin NERR's System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP), but offshore wind, precipitation, and intra-annual CPUEs also partially explained the variability in monthly CPUEs. Black gill prevalence was correlated with water temperature and salinity. Additionally, our analysis found that winter water temperatures of ≤11 °C were correlated with reduced shrimp abundance the following spring. Ultimately, managers would like to successfully predict white shrimp stock abundance throughout fishing seasons based on environmental conditions. This study is a first step in identifying the environmental variables that may be useful in predicting white shrimp CPUE in the South Atlantic Bight. The techniques employed here can serve as a basis for predicting and managing other wild annual fisheries stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of climatic conditions and their impact on seasonal variations of physico-chemical characteristics of Saanen goat milk produced over a period of 4 years. Lactation period (early, mid and late) and year were considered as factors that influence physico-chemical composition of milk. Pearson's coefficient of correlation was calculated between the physico-chemical characteristics of milk (fat, proteins, lactose, non-fat dry matter, density, freezing point, pH, titrable acidity) and climatic condition parameters (air temperature, temperature humidity index-THI, solar radiation duration, relative humidity). Results showed that all physico-chemical characteristics of Saanen goat milk varied significantly throughout the lactation period and years. The decrease of fat, protein, non-fat dry matter and lactose content in goat milk during the mid-lactation period was more pronounced than was previously reported in the literature. The highest values for these characteristics were recorded in the late lactation period. Observed variations were explained by negative correlation between THI and the physico-chemical characteristics of Saanen goat milk. This indicated that Saanen goats were very prone to heat stress, which implied the decrease of physico-chemical characteristics during hot summers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ecological time-series study is conducted to quantify health-effect coefficients associated with climate-sensitive variables namely temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and wind speed and estimate environmental burden of diseases attributed to temperature as the main climatic variable together with climate change in Nepal. The study is based upon daily data of climate-sensitive variables and hospitalizations collected for 5 years between 2009 and 2014. Generalized linear model is used to estimate health-effect coefficients accounting distributed lag effects. Results show 3.08%, 10.14%, and 3.27% rise in water-borne, vector-borne, and renal disease hospitalizations, respectively, and 3.67% rise in water- and vector-borne disease deaths per 1 °C rise in average temperature. Similarly, 2.45% and 1.44% rise in heart disease hospitalization and all-cause mortality, respectively per 1 °C rise in absolute difference of average temperature with its overall average (20 °C). The computed attributable fractions are 0.3759, 0.6696, 0.2909, and 0.1024 for water-borne, vector-borne, renal, and heart disease hospitalizations, respectively, and 0.0607 and 0.4335 for all-cause mortality and disease-specific mortality of water- and vector-borne diseases, respectively. The percent change in attributable burdens due to climate change are found to be 4.32%, 4.64%, 7.20%, and −2.29% for water-borne, vector-borne, renal, and heart disease hospitalizations, respectively, and −1.39% and 6.55% for all-cause deaths and water-borne and vector-borne disease deaths, respectively. In conclusion, climate-sensitive variables have significant effects on many major health burdens in Nepal. In the context of changing climatic scenarios around the world including that of Nepal, such changes are bound to affect the health burden of Nepalese people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambient vibrations have been continuously recorded at Dar El Beida, about 20 km from Algiers (Algeria). This data set allows determining that, in the low-frequency domain (<1 Hz), ambient vibration sources are mainly linked to Mediterranean Sea effects, while in the high-frequency domain, they are closely related to anthropogenic activity. Climatic conditions have an influence on the ambient vibration spectral amplitudes in the low-frequency domain, which is not the case in the high-frequency domain. The limit between the low-frequency and high-frequency domain, based on natural versus anthropogenic activity, is not clear cut and lies between 1.25 and 1.50 Hz. Variations of H/V peak amplitudes in the low-frequency domain are clearly linked to the climatic conditions. In the high-frequency domain, H/V peaks are not related to climatic conditions and cannot be clearly related to anthropogenic source changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of characteristic types of porous building materials are determined in the whole range of moisture content from dry to fully water-saturated state. A transient pulse technique is used in the experiments, in order to avoid the influence of moisture transport on measured data. The investigated specimens include cement composites, ceramics, plasters, and thermal insulation boards. The effect of moisture-induced changes in thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity on the energy performance of selected building envelopes containing the studied materials is then analyzed using computational modeling of coupled heat and moisture transport. The results show an increased moisture content as a substantial negative factor affecting both thermal properties of materials and energy balance of envelopes, which underlines the necessity to use moisture-dependent thermal parameters of building materials in energy-related calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The presence of endophytes (EF) and ergovaline contents (ERV) in grasses from permanent grasslands in Poland with relation to the local climatic conditions were investigated to determine climatic features that likely affect the endophyte presence and ergovaline production. Methods: About 750 ecotypes of 26 grass species were collected from 226 locations and tested for EF presence and ERV contents. Results were used to calculate correlation coefficients as well as autocorrelations using 21 bioclimatic variables ascribed to each locality. Results: Ergovaline was found in endophyte infected (E+) plants from 68 % locations, mostly in Festuca pratensis and Lolium perenne. The average highest amount of ERV was produced by E+ Festuca arundinacea ecotypes (0.998 mg·kg). Mean ERV in L. perenne and F. pratensis were much lower - 0.200 and 0.125 mg·kg, respectively. E+ ecotypes of Deschampsia cespitosa, Lolium multiflorum, Phleum pratense and Poa pratensis were ERV free. Spatial correlation coefficients proved positive correlation between temperature-related variables and EF for Festuca rubra, F. ovina and L. perenne. For ERV in F. pratensis significant but negative spatial correlation coefficients were calculated for the summer precipitation. Conclusions: The proportion of overall variation of EF and ERV ascribed to climatic condition was low. Spatial variability of EF in tested species was most probably random. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altitudinal gradients involve macroclimatic changes that can affect the diversity of several organisms. We tested the effects of elevation and small-scale variables on the diversity and composition of terricolous communities (lichens and bryophytes) in five páramos in southern Ecuador. The altitudinal range considered (from 2700 to 4000 m a.s.l.) is associated with changes in rainfall, temperature and irradiance. At each páramo, forty 40 x 40 cm2 sample plots were randomly selected in similar areas of vegetation (grass páramo) and conservation status. The presence/absence and cover of lichens and bryophytes were recorded in 200 sample plots. A total of 90 species (46 lichens and 44 bryophytes) were identified. Our results showed that total species richness, lichen and bryophyte richness, Simpson's inverse and Shannon's index were related to elevation and slope. Nevertheless, the response to elevation was dependent on the organism considered. Thus, meanwhile lichens had their maximum richness at the highest elevation (3930 m a.s.l.), bryophytes had a maximum peak at middle elevation (3300 m a.s.l.). Species composition also differed significantly among the five páramos, especially in bryophytes. We conclude that differences in the elevation of these páramos and small-scale variables such as slope significantly affect the diversity and composition of terricolous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shear strength of soil is an important parameter that affects tree stability and can vary depending on the magnitude of the soil's negative pore-water pressure (matric suction). The surface flux boundary condition affects the matric suction of soil, and therefore is important for tree stability. Field measurements were performed around a roadside tree for 2 years. The instrumentation results show that the matric suction in the soil fluctuated between 0 and 35 kPa. Matric suction changes in the soil could lead to a decrease in the tree resistive moment of up to 80 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]