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Vegetable production in Subtropical China is distinguished by excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization, frequent irrigation, and multiple crop rotations in a single year. The aforementioned variables are closely related to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions. Hence, we conducted a field trial to measure N2O and CH4 emissions using static chamber–gas chromatograph. Four treatments were used: control (CK) with no fertilizer, 100% chemical N fertilization (CN), the conventional 30% chicken manure N plus 70%CN (CMN + CN), and 30% chicken manure biochar N plus 70%CN (CMBN + CN). The annual cumulative N2O emissions reached 12.4, 63.5, 111.8, and 44.1 kg N2O-N ha−1 for the CK, CN, CMN + CN, and CMBN + CN treatments, respectively. Compared to the CN and CMN + CN treatments, the CMBN + CN treatment reduced N2O emissions by 35.9%–65.7%, while it simultaneously increased the total vegetable yield by 16.1% compared to the CN treatment. Seven seasons mean N2O emission factors are 1.3% for CN, 3.8% for CMN + CN, and 0.9% for CMBN + CN. The CH4 emission was negligible, ranging from 0.07 kg CH4-C ha−1 for the CK treatment to 0.8 kg CH4-C ha−1 for the CN treatment. N2O emissions peaked under the conditions of an interior chamber temperature of around 31.9 °C and the water-filled pore space (WFPS) of the soil being approximately 60%. Future climate change will intensify, triggering higher N2O emissions from subtropical vegetable fields. CMB can be one of the best substitutes for direct chicken manure application as a soil supplement because it has a beneficial effect on improving vegetable yield and reducing N2O emissions in Subtropical China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter sprouting potential and red rot resistance are two key parameters for successful sugarcane breeding in the subtropics. However, the cultivated sugarcane hybrids had a narrow genetic base; hence, the present study was planned to evaluate the Erianthus procerus genome introgressed Saccharum hybrids for their ratooning potential under subtropical climates and red rot tolerance under tropical and subtropical climates. A set of 15 Erianthus procerus derived hybrids confirmed through the 5S rDNA marker, along with five check varieties, were evaluated for agro-morphological, quality, and physiological traits for two years (2018–2019 and 2019–2020) and winter sprouting potential for three years (2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021). The experimental material was also tested against the most prevalent isolates of the red rot pathogen in tropical (Cf671 and Cf671 + Cf9401) and subtropical regions (Cf08 and Cf09). The E. procerus hybrid GU 12—19 had the highest winter sprouting potential, with a winter sprouting index (WSI) of 10.6, followed by GU 12—22 with a WSI of 8.5. The other top-performing hybrids were as follows: GU 12—21 and GU 12—29 with a WSI of 7.2 and 6.9, respectively. A set of nine E. procerus-derived hybrids, i.e., GU04 (28) EO—2, GU12—19, GU12—21, GU12—22, GU12—23, GU12—26, GU12—27, GU12—30, and GU12—31, were resistant to the most prevalent isolates of red rot in both tropical and subtropical conditions. The association analysis revealed significant correlations between the various traits, particularly the fibre content, with a maximum number of associations, which indicates its multifaceted impact on sugarcane characteristics. Principal component analysis (PCA) summarised the data, explaining 57.6% of the total variation for the measured traits and genotypes, providing valuable insights into the performance and characteristics of the Erianthus procerus derived hybrids under subtropical climates. The anthocyanin content of Erianthus procerus hybrids was better than the check varieties, ranging from 0.123 to 0.179 (2018–2019) and 0.111 to 0.172 (2019–2020); anthocyanin plays a vital role in mitigating cold injury, acting as an antioxidant in cool weather conditions, particularly in sugarcane. Seven hybrids recorded a more than 22% fibre threshold, indicating their industrial potential. These hybrids could serve as potential donors for cold tolerance and a high ratooning ability, along with red rot resistance, under subtropical climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is one of the main producing and exporting countries of corn and soybean and a continental country with climatic diversity that allows the cultivation of these crops in various agricultural systems. Double cropping is a widely adopted system throughout the national territory, where it is possible to cultivate soybeans at the beginning of the growing season, followed by corn in succession, in the same growing season. The present study aims to systematize the scientific knowledge about the impacts of future climate change scenarios on yield and on the double-cropping system of soybean + corn in Brazil. Systematic review procedures were adopted. The soybean yield is projected to increase in all regions of Brazil under all climate scenarios. Corn yields under future climate scenarios are projected to decline, with the subtropical climate region being less affected than the northern regions. The double-cropping systems of soybean + corn tend to present increasing climate risks in tropical climate regions. Climate change scenarios point to a delay in the start of the rainy season that will delay the sowing of soybeans, consequently delaying the sowing of corn in succession, resulting in fewer rainy days to complete its cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is grown worldwide, from temperate to subtropical climates. Spring season production in humid, subtropical regions, such as southern Florida, is characterized by rising ambient temperatures that can stress lettuce to prematurely bolt and lose shelf life. The objectives of this research were 1) to identify genetic variability in heat tolerance and shelf life among lettuce types and accessions grown under humid, subtropical conditions, and 2) to understand the genotype × environment (G × E) interaction to estimate shelf life of these lettuce accessions. Five lettuce types (romaine, crisphead, butterhead, leaf, and Latin) were grown under commercial conditions in the Everglades Agricultural Area near Belle Glade, FL, USA, for five field experiments over two seasons. Lettuce heads were evaluated at harvest, and subsets were transported to a local commercial grower/shipper for vacuum-cooling and storage at 15 °C according to previously determined protocols for accelerated shelf life testing. Visual appearance ratings were made across harvests and storage time points to segregate lettuce accessions with an estimated marketable shelf life >14 days. The breeding lines tested in this research had head weight and marketability comparable to commercial cultivars. Notably, the crisphead accessions 50113, 60157, 60159, and H1098 had the highest estimated and actual shelf life of more than 21 days, with no presence of bolting or tipburn. Meanwhile, romaine, butterhead, leaf, and Latin types had accessions with estimated and actual shelf life ranging from 14 to 28 days and no presence of bolting or tipburn. A G × E analysis indicated that this interaction is significant; therefore, breeders should consider analyzing G × E when developing new cultivars with good horticultural characteristics, longer shelf life, and most importantly, adaptation to warmer humid, subtropical conditions.

Evaluating the impacts of high temperature-mediated changes in soil-plant systems is crucial in sustaining the productivity of heat-sensitive crops like chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Currently, the impact of a high temperature environment on soil processes and crop nutrition, particularly phosphorus (P), remains uncertain in tropical alkaline soils. Therefore, an open-top chamber-based experiment with ambient temperature [a(Temp)] and elevated temperature [e(Temp)] (+2 °C over ambient) aimed to investigate the impacts of high temperature environment on plant physiology, soilplant P dynamics, and yield of chickpea in a moderately-alkaline Vertisol of sub-tropical climate. The e(Temp) reduced Olsen-P (available-P) and NaHCO3-Pi at the flowering stage by 12% and 32%, respectively, as compared to a(Temp) treatment. The e(Temp) treatment markedly reduced KMnO4-oxidizable carbon (-25% to 42%), but did not alter water-soluble carbon. Alkaline phosphatase and ß-glucosidase activities were reduced under the e(Temp) treatment, while acid phosphatase activity remained unchanged. The elevated temperature had a significant impact on chlorophyll-b content (+18%), stomatal conductance (+5%), transpiration rate (+8%), and photosynthetic rate (-22%). The e(Temp) treatment did not alter total P uptake rather altered its distribution in grain (-16%) and stover (+17%) parts, resulting in a lower internal P use efficiency (-12%) and P harvest index (+15%). The e(Temp) treatment caused 12% yield loss compared to a(Temp) treatment. Therefore, this is concluded that retardation in P-mineralization along with terminal heat stress could impair P nutrition, physiological activity, and yield of chickpea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processes involved in deformation, internal strength and stability of soils with long‐term application of fertilizers (organic and inorganic sources) remain poorly investigated and hence understood, particularly in agricultural systems under subtropical climatic conditions. We investigated how long‐term fertilizer management with organic and inorganic amendments in no‐till crops affects the microstructural stability of a sandy Alfisol under oscillatory shear. The study was conducted in southern Brazil on a 17‐year completely randomized block experiment with five fertilizer treatments: pig slurry (PS), cattle slurry (CS), pig deep litter (PDL), mineral fertilizer (MF) and control, i.e. unfertilized (CL). Soil samples were collected from two layers (0–5 and 5–15 cm) for physical and chemical analyses and evaluation of soil rheological properties under oscillatory shear at two matric potentials (0 and −10 kPa). Organic matter accumulation in soil provided by the PDL and CS fertilizers resulted in higher soil stability and elasticity under oscillatory shear, especially in the 0–5 cm layer. Conversely, MF and PS enhanced the soil susceptibility towards deformation under transient stresses, mainly in the 0–5 cm layer under saturated conditions. The PDL significantly increased soil shear resistance under low‐shear strain conditions. Significant differences ceased under high‐shear strain conditions, though PS and MF yielded at significantly lower strains. Hence, under subtropical conditions, long‐term application of organic fertilizers with fibrous components promoted soil microstructure strengthening, reducing soil susceptibility to erosive processes and compaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetable production in Subtropical China is distinguished by excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization, frequent irrigation, and multiple crop rotations in a single year. The aforementioned variables are closely related to soil nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions. Hence, we conducted a field trial to measure N2O and CH4 emissions using static chamber–gas chromatograph. Four treatments were used: control (CK) with no fertilizer, 100% chemical N fertilization (CN), the conventional 30% chicken manure N plus 70%CN (CMN + CN), and 30% chicken manure biochar N plus 70%CN (CMBN + CN). The annual cumulative N2O emissions reached 12.4, 63.5, 111.8, and 44.1 kg N2O-N ha−1 for the CK, CN, CMN + CN, and CMBN + CN treatments, respectively. Compared to the CN and CMN + CN treatments, the CMBN + CN treatment reduced N2O emissions by 35.9%–65.7%, while it simultaneously increased the total vegetable yield by 16.1% compared to the CN treatment. Seven seasons mean N2O emission factors are 1.3% for CN, 3.8% for CMN + CN, and 0.9% for CMBN + CN. The CH4 emission was negligible, ranging from 0.07 kg CH4-C ha−1 for the CK treatment to 0.8 kg CH4-C ha−1 for the CN treatment. N2O emissions peaked under the conditions of an interior chamber temperature of around 31.9 °C and the water-filled pore space (WFPS) of the soil being approximately 60%. Future climate change will intensify, triggering higher N2O emissions from subtropical vegetable fields. CMB can be one of the best substitutes for direct chicken manure application as a soil supplement because it has a beneficial effect on improving vegetable yield and reducing N2O emissions in Subtropical China.

Winter sprouting potential and red rot resistance are two key parameters for successful sugarcane breeding in the subtropics. However, the cultivated sugarcane hybrids had a narrow genetic base; hence, the present study was planned to evaluate the Erianthus procerus genome introgressed Saccharum hybrids for their ratooning potential under subtropical climates and red rot tolerance under tropical and subtropical climates. A set of 15 Erianthus procerus derived hybrids confirmed through the 5S rDNA marker, along with five check varieties, were evaluated for agro-morphological, quality, and physiological traits for two years (2018–2019 and 2019–2020) and winter sprouting potential for three years (2018–2019, 2019–2020, and 2020–2021). The experimental material was also tested against the most prevalent isolates of the red rot pathogen in tropical (Cf671 and Cf671 + Cf9401) and subtropical regions (Cf08 and Cf09). The E. procerus hybrid GU 12—19 had the highest winter sprouting potential, with a winter sprouting index (WSI) of 10.6, followed by GU 12—22 with a WSI of 8.5. The other top-performing hybrids were as follows: GU 12—21 and GU 12—29 with a WSI of 7.2 and 6.9, respectively. A set of nine E. procerus-derived hybrids, i.e., GU04 (28) EO—2, GU12—19, GU12—21, GU12—22, GU12—23, GU12—26, GU12—27, GU12—30, and GU12—31, were resistant to the most prevalent isolates of red rot in both tropical and subtropical conditions. The association analysis revealed significant correlations between the various traits, particularly the fibre content, with a maximum number of associations, which indicates its multifaceted impact on sugarcane characteristics. Principal component analysis (PCA) summarised the data, explaining 57.6% of the total variation for the measured traits and genotypes, providing valuable insights into the performance and characteristics of the Erianthus procerus derived hybrids under subtropical climates. The anthocyanin content of Erianthus procerus hybrids was better than the check varieties, ranging from 0.123 to 0.179 (2018–2019) and 0.111 to 0.172 (2019–2020); anthocyanin plays a vital role in mitigating cold injury, acting as an antioxidant in cool weather conditions, particularly in sugarcane. Seven hybrids recorded a more than 22% fibre threshold, indicating their industrial potential. These hybrids could serve as potential donors for cold tolerance and a high ratooning ability, along with red rot resistance, under subtropical climates.

Brazil is one of the main producing and exporting countries of corn and soybean and a continental country with climatic diversity that allows the cultivation of these crops in various agricultural systems. Double cropping is a widely adopted system throughout the national territory, where it is possible to cultivate soybeans at the beginning of the growing season, followed by corn in succession, in the same growing season. The present study aims to systematize the scientific knowledge about the impacts of future climate change scenarios on yield and on the double-cropping system of soybean + corn in Brazil. Systematic review procedures were adopted. The soybean yield is projected to increase in all regions of Brazil under all climate scenarios. Corn yields under future climate scenarios are projected to decline, with the subtropical climate region being less affected than the northern regions. The double-cropping systems of soybean + corn tend to present increasing climate risks in tropical climate regions. Climate change scenarios point to a delay in the start of the rainy season that will delay the sowing of soybeans, consequently delaying the sowing of corn in succession, resulting in fewer rainy days to complete its cycle.

Cherry blossoms belong to the genus Prunus within the family Rosaceae. There are ∼100 species of indigenous plants, mainly distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and there are more than 200 cultivated varieties (Obha et al. 2007). For blooming successfully in spring, it is necessary for those deciduous trees to undergo a period of chill beforehand. During the flowering period, the entire tree is devoid of leaves while the flowers blossom profusely on the branches, making it more aesthetically valuable. Cherry blossom viewing holds significant cultural importance in many temperate countries and plays a crucial role in international tourism activities (McClellan 2005). Taiwan is located at the junction of the subtropical and tropical climatic zones in the Northern Hemisphere, with the Tropic of Cancer, at the latitude of 23.5°, passing through the southern regions of Taiwan’s main island. The central and northern regions of Taiwan are characterized by a subtropical climate. According to the Flora of Taiwan (Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan 1993), there are 11 native species of the Prunus genus in Taiwan. Among them, Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata Maxim) is distributed in southern China, Ryukyu Islands, and Japan, as well as in broad-leaved forests at high elevations (500–2000 m) throughout Taiwan (Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan 1993). The native Taiwan cherry, displaying a range of flower colors from light pink to deep purple red, naturally blooms from January to March. Due to the mild winter climate in lower altitude areas of Taiwan, the selection of cherry blossom cultivars for landscape applications has been limited. Seed-propagated seedlings have been widely used for landscape purposes in urban and suburban areas, particularly in low-altitude regions (

This study presents a MATLAB/Simulink model to predict the distribution of soil temperatures and design Earth-to-Air Heat Exchangers (EAHEs) efficiently. It compares four EAHE configurations, including single-pipe, multi-pipe, multiple-single pipes (MS-pipes), and twisted-single pipes (TS-pipes) systems. The presented model is validated with reliable results and allows for easy modifications to obtain the final design. Results show that MS-pipe EAHE is the better in terms of pressure losses and good in terms cooling potential. The study proves that the installation of the EAHEs in Kufa, Iraq, is highly efficient, achieving cooling potential of 1626 W in August and 129.8 W in March. Additionally, the study highlights the influence of the geometric configuration of EAHEs on both their flow behavior and thermal efficiency, presenting an equation for comparing pipe lengths at different soil depths. This study fills the knowledge gap in the use of MATLAB simulation for designing EAHEs and estimating soil temperatures distribution and it compares four EAHEs configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems are promising alternatives to landscape impoverishment caused by monoculture systems. However, nutrient management in integrated systems still needs to be more comprehensively resolved. As soil microbial biomass (MB) is a soil nutrient reservoir that can contribute to crop nutrition, this study aimed to understand the relationship between C and N of soil MB (CMB and NMB, respectively), N nutrition index (NNI), and crop yield in monoculture and integrated crop-forestry, crop-livestock, and crop-livestock-forestry systems to propose management strategies for N-fertilization in these systems. The systems were established in an experiment conducted in 2012 at the Center for Technological Innovation in Agriculture (Portuguese acronym: NITA) under a randomized block design with three repetitions using crop (maize), livestock (Angus beef cattle), and forestry (eucalyptus) components. Measurements were performed in 2019. The systems showed satisfactory CMB and NMB values; however, the crop-forestry system presented higher CMB (338.7 mg kg−¹) compared with that of the monoculture system (272.7 mg kg−¹). NMB was increased by 22% after N-fertilization in all systems, and it was higher in the crop-livestock and crop-livestock-forestry systems probably as a result of the deposition of N-rich livestock urine. N-fertilization also increased crop yield and NNI in the monoculture system, but not in the crop-forestry system, probably because trees formed a shady ecosystem that limited plant growth. Thus, the results indicate that N-fertilization tables should consider the specific edaphoclimatic conditions of integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems to avoid excessive N-fertilization rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Miyako Islands (with a population of approximately 50,000) are located in southwestern Japan, with a subtropical oceanic climate. This isolated location permitted a retrospective population-based epidemiological study of subarachnoid hemorrhage. We retrospectively enrolled 110 consecutive patients from 2010 to 2019 using the subarachnoid hemorrhage database at Okinawa Miyako Hospital, which is the only local facility with neurosurgeons. We calculated the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage standardized to the entire Japanese population. The seasonal distribution of subarachnoid hemorrhage onset and patients' epidemiological characteristics were also investigated. The standardized annual incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage was 21.4 per 100,000 population, as reported previously in Japan. The patients' mean age was 62.1 ± 15.4 years, and women constituted 60.9%. Anterior communicating artery aneurysms were most common. The endovascular treatment for ruptured aneurysms was increasing as standard levels in Japan. The rates of symptomatic vasospasm and secondary hydrocephalus requiring additional neurosurgical treatment were 2.7% and 19.1%, respectively. The mortality rate was 23.6%. The percentage of patients with a modified Rankin scale score of 0-2 at discharge was 55.5%. There were no differences in the frequency of subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with seasonal distribution or climatic factors. The incidence, baseline characteristics, and clinical outcomes of subarachnoid hemorrhage in the Miyako Islands were similar to those in other regions of Japan. There are preferable epidemiological backgrounds for further practical clinical research.

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Pastures are of central importance in food production and provide multiple ecosystem services. The objective of this paper was to determine whether the intensification of pasture-based animal production systems, through practices such as fertilization and improved pasture species, has a higher capacity in the short-term (five years) to sequester carbon in the soil compared to (1) natural grassland without anthropogenic interactions, (2) natural grassland fertilized and overseeded with exotic species, and (3) annual pastures with frequent soil disturbance. The study assessed the organic carbon stock (OCS), total organic carbon (TOC), particle size, porosity, and density at different soil strata, as well as the root system and forage production. Forage dry matter (DM) production varied significantly with means ranging from 6615 to 13,000 kg ha–1 year–1 for natural grassland (NG) and permanent pasture (PP), respectively. Improved natural grassland (ING) and NG presented a higher density and root diameter than PP and annual pasture (AP). Forage systems significantly influenced soil porosity and density, with NG and ING showing lower soil densities and higher soil porosities. The OCS (0–100 cm) was similar between NG (270 Mg ha–1), ING (255 Mg ha–1), PP (274 Mg ha–1), and AP systems (256 Mg ha–1). Over a period of five years, the intensification of pasture-based animal production systems did not have a significant impact on OCS in the soils of a Brazilian subtropical highland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminal heat stress severely affects field pea production in tropical climates. Identifying and characterizing marker-trait(s) remain vital for breeding heat-tolerant cultivars of field pea. Field pea genotypes are highly variable for plant stature; however, the significance of plant stature for yield stability under high-temperature conditions is not yet well understood. The study aimed to investigate the sensitivity and significance of plant stature toward yield sustainability of field pea under high-temperature environments. A panel of 150 diverse genotypes with variable plant statures [dwarf (

• A new structure of desiccant fixed bed was proposed and tested. • Dehumidification capacity of double-stage box could reach 1.6 g•kg−1 on average. • Maximum dehumidification efficiency of double-stage box could peak 27.8% in given condition. • 97% of the adsorption heat was directed to heat storage of the desiccant. Desiccant fixed bed is a prospective alternative for conventional vapor compression refrigeration system. In this paper, a novel structure of fixed bed, desiccant dehumidification box, was constructed and experimented at a sub-tropical city, Guangzhou. Dehumidification performance of the new structure was evaluated by several indicators. Mathematical models were established concerning moisture adsorption rate and moisture ratio. The adsorption heat generated was analyzed by testing sensible heat gain of the process air and heat storage of the desiccant. The result shows that the double-stage desiccant dehumidification box could perform better generally. The maximum dehumidification capacity could reach 3.9 g•kg−1 and 1.6 g•kg−1 on average in condition 4. Maximum dehumidification efficiency (27.8%) was obtained in the same condition when applying the double-stage box. The desiccant saturated at about 6 h in experiments, of which variation in the double-stage box was more stable and lasting, though moisture adsorption rate presents only a little difference in comparison boxes. Exponential models fit the practical curves within 10% relative error. Maximum average temperature rise of the desiccant and process air was 4.3°C and 3.8°C respectively in the double-stage box, which was 0.4°C and 0.9°C higher than the single-stage box. Around 97% of the adsorption heat was directed to heat storage of the desiccant and only left 3% directed to sensible heat gain of the process air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical monsoon climates, high-density and heterogeneous urban built environments, as well as coastal–mountainous geographical environments influence the development of urban heat island (UHI) effects in Hong Kong. For better weather control of in situ observations and spatial analysis of UHI effects, it is necessary to quantitatively understand the influence of weather conditions on UHI development in Hong Kong and establish weather-based UHI estimation models. Meteorological records of four urban stations, one rural reference station, and one wind reference station at an hourly interval during the period of 2002–2012 were collected from Hong Kong observatory. A frequency analysis of the mean values of multiple meteorological elements and UHI parameters in urban stations was conducted to examine the prevailing and critical weather conditions, as well as the associated UHI conditions in Hong Kong. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was used to estimate the daily maximum UHI intensity (UHImax) based on a set of meteorological elements including cloud amount, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and air temperature, as well as a UHI parameter of the daily maximum UHI intensity of the previous day (UHIpre-max). The results showed that MLR-based models can explain 33% and 56% variations of the UHImax in the summer and the whole year, respectively. The relative importance of each meteorological element on UHI development differed in the summer and annual periods, and the UHImax tended to be intensified under high temperature conditions in the summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood, a distinctive natural calamity, has occurred more frequently in the last few decades all over the world, which is often an unexpected and inevitable natural hazard, but the losses and damages can be managed and controlled by adopting effective measures. In recent times, flood hazard susceptibility mapping has become a prime concern in minimizing the worst impact of this global threat; but the nonlinear relationship between several flood causative factors and the dynamicity of risk levels makes it complicated and confronted with substantial challenges to reliable assessment. Therefore, we have considered SVM, RF, and ANN—three distinctive ML algorithms in the GIS platform—to delineate the flood hazard risk zones of the subtropical Kangsabati river basin, West Bengal, India; which experienced frequent flood events because of intense rainfall throughout the monsoon season. In our study, all adopted ML algorithms are more efficient in solving all the non-linear problems in flood hazard risk assessment; multi-collinearity analysis and Pearson's correlation coefficient techniques have been used to identify the collinearity issues among all fifteen adopted flood causative factors. In this research, the predicted results are evaluated through six prominent and reliable statistical ("AUC-ROC, specificity, sensitivity, PPV, NPV, F-score") and one graphical (Taylor diagram) technique and shows that ANN is the most reliable modeling approach followed by RF and SVM models. The values of AUC in the ANN model for the training and validation datasets are 0.901 and 0.891, respectively. The derived result states that about 7.54% and 10.41% of areas accordingly lie under the high and extremely high flood danger risk zones. Thus, this study can help the decision-makers in constructing the proper strategy at the regional and national levels to mitigate the flood hazard in a particular region. This type of information may be helpful to the various authorities to implement this outcome in various spheres of decision making. Apart from this, future researchers are also able to conduct their research byconsidering this methodology in flood susceptibility assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the temporal behaviour of soil moisture in different environments is essential considering its importance in hydrological processes. Few studies have addressed its dynamics in a subtropical climate, in view of temperature variations throughout the year and well-distributed precipitation events which are characteristics that affect the behaviour of soil moisture over time. The temporal stability of soil moisture was investigated in two sets of data collected from a small watershed in southern Brazil. We used multiple linear regression (MLR) to evaluate whether points with greater temporal stability contributed as predictor variables of the models for estimating soil moisture. Soil moisture was monitored in the superficial (0–10 cm) and subsurface (10–20 cm) layers at 39 points with variations in soil characteristics and topography. To assess the temporal stability of soil moisture, two statistical techniques and MLR models were used to identify the topographic, climatological and soil property variables, as well as those that influenced the dynamics of the soil water content. The results showed that the factors of slope, terrain elevation, microporosity and evapotranspiration were determinants for the strong performance of the models, and that the inclusion of points with greater temporal stability helped to improve the estimate in certain datasets. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that the set of results that express topographic factors, land use and cover, along with the soil physical properties should be considered to characterise the temporal stability of soil moisture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estuaries are important features for global biogeochemical understanding, due to their highly coupled interaction between sediment and water. In those places, the land-sea transect sometimes has a gradient of physical and chemical characteristics, influencing the availability of nutrients and consequently primary production. This study aimed to observe the benthic aerobic respiration and sediment-water nutrient fluxes in a freshwater to marine transect in the Cananéia-Iguape Estuarine-Lagoon Complex (CIELC) on the southeastern Brazilian Coast. This area contains the most pristine mangrove at the limit between tropical and subtropical zones, providing an ideal observatory for ecological research programs. Intact sediment cores were incubated in laboratory to determine fluxes of O2, TCO2, and dissolved nutrients. Three different sites with different salinities were sampled during the four seasons of the year. Sediment characteristics of the sites were compared, showing higher organic matter in the lowest saline (LS) site and higher phytopigments in the highest saline (HS) site, as expected. Benthic aerobic respiration, O2 and CO2 fluxes, ranged from -0.4 to -3.2 mmol m-2 h-1 and 0.1 to 1.5 mmol m-2 h-1, respectively, and exhibited statistically significant variations between seasons and in a salinity gradient. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen and silicate, ranging from -228.7 to 544.8 μmol m-2 h-1 and -205.8 to 4,173.5 μmol m-2 h-1, respectively, were generally released from the sediment, whereas phosphate ranged from -25.2 to 29.6 μmol m-2 h-1 with more variation in time and space. The LS site was characterized as a nitrogen sink and a silicate and phosphate releaser, and the HS site was characterized as a nitrogen producer and a phosphorus consumer. However, seasonal and spatial variations were observed, and the interaction between space and time factors was always highly significant, indicating that the metabolic behavior of the benthic compartment depends on both trophic and physicochemical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High temperature during hot summer months is associated with poor animal reproductive performance. The study aimed to explore the seasonal thermal impacts on the bucks fertility. Twenty healthy mature bucks were used in this study. Depending on environmental temperature, bucks were equally divided into two groups: Winter season (n=10) and Summer season (n=10). Scrotal width, circumstances, length and diameter of right and left testicles, as well as length of right and left testicles were evaluated. From each goat, the semen samples were collected once a month during Summer and Winter seasons. Immediately after collection of semen, volume of semen, pH, concentration, motility, live sperm percentage, sperm morphology (1st abnormalities and 2nd abnormalities), sperm viability and intact acrosome were evaluated. Plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, glucose and testosterone concentrations were monitored. The results revealed that scrotal circumstances, length, diameter of right and left testicles and length of right and left testicles were lower (p<0.05) in Summer season than winter. Scrotal width was not different between the seasons. The Semen volume, concentration, motility, percentage of live sperm and intact acrosome in the Summer season were lower (p<0.05) compared to winter. Semen pH, 1st abnormalities and 2nd abnormalities in Summer season were higher (p<0.05) compared to winter. Plasma triglyceride, cholesterol, glucose and testosterone concentrations were decreased (p<0.05) during summer than in winter. Histopathological lesions were found in Summer group in comparison to winter. In conclusion, the findings confirm that a high temperature during summer conditions negatively affects bucks semen quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term impact of hotel operations on energy consumption and carbon emissions in cooling demand (CD) and condenser heat recovery (HR) is not well understood. This study aims to analyze the changes in CD and HR over a 20-year period for a hypothetical hotel in Hong Kong to assess the long-term impact of hotel operations on energy consumption and carbon emissions. EnergyPlus software is used to simulate CD and HR values, considering architectural features and HVAC system configurations. Long short-term memory (LSTM) models are developed, incorporating indoor temperature setpoint, climatic variables, and historical data. The study assesses building energy simulation from 2003 to 2022 against typical meteorological years and compares the energy and carbon emission performance of various chiller system configurations, including a variable speed chiller system with condenser heat recovery. The LSTM models demonstrate high performance with an R2 value of 0.979 and an accuracy of 0.946 in the confusion matrix. The simulation results show a significant increase of 3.83 % to 18.93 % in peak CD and 6.04 % to 20.48 % in annual total CD from 2003 to 2022, which was not predicted by the typical meteorological year data. The all-variable-speed chiller system with condenser heat recovery maintains high energy performance despite the rising CD, resulting in a notable reduction in carbon emissions (15.77–17.44 kgCO 2 /m2). This study offers valuable insights into the design and operation of sustainable chiller systems, helping to understand long-term trends in cooling demand and condenser heat recovery in hotel operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we relied on historical observations for the period between (2005-2020) for the Baghdad meteorological station, which is characterized by a hot, dry climate in summer and cold and rainy in winter, as it is an example of a subtropical region. The multiple linear regression equation was developed and improved to produce a formula that predicts maximum air temperature. This was done by relying on climatic elements, namely minimum air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity, and entering them into the formula as independent inputs that have a direct impact on estimating the maximum air temperature also calculating the correlation coefficients for each of them. The bias of the model was calculated and its value was entered as the correction for errors that accompany the application of the model.

Background: Literature reporting the association between heat stress defined by universal thermal climate index (UTCI) and emergency department visits is mainly conducted in Europe. This study aimed to investigate the association between heat stress, as defined by the UTCI, and visits to the accident and emergency department (AED) in Hong Kong, which represents a subtropical climate region. Methods: A retrospective study involving 13,438,846 AED visits in the public sector from May 2000 to September 2016, excluding 2003 and 2009, was conducted in Hong Kong. Age-sex-specific ANCOVA models of daily AED rates on heat stress and prolonged heat stress, adjusting for air quality, prolonged poor air quality, typhoon, rainstorm, year, day of the week, public holiday, summer vacation, and fee charging, were used. Results: On a day with strong heat stress (32.1 °C ≤ UTCI ≤ 38.0 °C), the AED visit rate (per 100,000) increased by 0.9 (95% CI: 0.5, 1.3) and 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.1) for females and males aged 19–64 and 4.1 (95% CI: 2.7, 5.4) and 4.1 (95% CI: 2.6, 5.6) for females and males aged ≥ 65, while keeping other variables constant. On a day with very strong heat stress (38.1 °C ≤ UTCI ≤ 46.0 °C), the corresponding rates increased by 0.6 (95% CI: 0.1, 1.2), 2.2 (95% CI: 1.7, 2.7), 4.9 (95% CI: 3.1, 6.7), and 4.7 (95% CI: 2.7, 6.6), respectively. The effect size of heat stress associated with AED visit rates was negligible among those aged ≤ 18. Heat stress showed the greatest effect size for males aged 19–64 among all subgroups. Conclusion: Biothermal condition from heat stress was associated with the health of the citizens in a city with a subtropical climate and reflected in the increase of daily AED visit. Public health recommendations have been made accordingly for the prevention of heat-related AED visits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Mustansiriyah Journal of Science is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Psidium guajava cv. Paluma (guava) has been emphasized as good indicator of phytotoxic tropospheric O3 levels in studies conducted under both controlled and field conditions. However, its performance as bioindicator was never critically evaluated under subtropical climate featured by well-defined wet and dry seasons. The current field study provided new contributions on this aspect. Guava cv. Paluma plants were exposed to ozone in several locations of a metropolitan region in SE Brazil - which is featured by well-defined climate seasonality - to collect data to be used to describe seasonal and spatial variations in leaf injury index and in other leaf traits. Multilinear biomonitoring model was also adjusted for different O3 pollution descriptors (daily O3 concentration, AOT40, SUM00 and SUM60), meteorological conditions (air temperature and relative humidity, solar radiation, and vapor pressure deficit) and morphological leaf traits (visible leaf injury, leaf area, leaf dry mass, and leaf mass per leaf area). Visible leaf injuries tended to be higher in locations near the industrial pole. Autumn was the season when guava plants recorded the highest leaf injury caused by O3. Linear regression analysis did not indicate significant association between different O3 descriptors and mean leaf injury; however, multilinear regression analysis has shown that other independent variables increased the bioindicator model’s explicability (R2 = 0.67). Mean leaf injury observed for the 3rd, 4th and 5th oldest guava cv. Paluma leaves were predicted based on combined effects of air temperature and relative humidity, as well as on O3 expressed as AOT40. The other leaf traits were excluded from the multilinear model. The adjusted model was validated as significant tool for future studies about air quality in subtropical regions with seasonal climate.

Field pea is highly sensitive to climatic vagaries, particularly high-temperature stress. The crop often experiences terminal heat stress in tropical climates indicating the need for the development of heat-tolerant cultivars. Characterization and identification of stress-adaptive plant traits are pre-requisites for breeding stress-tolerant/adaptive cultivar(s). In the study, a panel of 150 diverse field pea genotypes was tested under three different temperature environments (i.e., normal sowing time or non-heat stress environment (NSTE), 15 days after normal sowing time or heat stress environment-I (LSHTE-I), and 30 days after normal sowing time or heat stress environment-II (LSHTE-II)) to verify the effect of high-temperature environment, genotype, and genotype × environment interaction on different plant traits and to elucidate their significance in heat stress adaptation/tolerance. The delayed sowing had exposed field pea crops to high temperatures during flowering stage by + 3.5 °C and + 8.1 °C in the LSHTE-I and LSHTE-II, respectively. Likewise, the maximum ambient temperature during the grain-filling period was + 3.3 °C and + 6.1 °C higher in the LSHTE-I and LSHTE-II over the NSTE. The grain yield loss with heat stress was 25.8 ± 2.2% in LSHTE-I, and 59.3 ± 1.5% in LSHTE-II compared to the NSTE. Exposure of crops to a high-temperature environment during the flowering stage had a higher impact on grain yield than the heat stress at the grain filling period. Results suggested that the reduced sink capacity (pod set (pod plant−1), seed set (seed pod−1)) was the primary cause of yield loss under the heat stress environments, while, under the NSTE, yield potential was mostly attributed to the source capacity (plant biomass). The high-temperature stress resulted in forced maturity as revealed by shrinkage in crop period (5–11%) and reproductive period (15–36%), prominently in long-duration genotypes. The failure of pod set in the upper nodes and higher ovule abortion (7–16%) was noticed under the high-temperature environments, particularly in the LSHTE-II. Multivariate analysis results revealed seed set, pods plant−1, last pod bearing node, and plant biomass as a critical yield determinant under the heat stress. The GGE biplot suggested that the genotypes G-112, G-114, and G-33 had higher potential to sustain yield coupled with higher stability across the environments and, thus, could serve as a source for breeding heat-tolerant high yielding cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in urbanization and climate change projections point to a worsening of floods and urban river contamination. Cities need to adopt adaptive urban drainage measures capable of mitigating these drivers of change. This study presents a practical methodology for a modular design of bioretention systems incorporating land use and climate change into existing sizing methods. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis for these methods was performed. The methodology was applied to a case study in the city of Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil. Three application scales were evaluated: property scale (PS), street scale (SS) and neighborhood scale (NS) for three temporal scenarios: current, 2015–2050 and 2050–2100. The choice of the sizing method was the factor with greatest influence on the final bioretention performance, as it considerably affected the surface areas designed, followed by the hydraulic conductivity of the filtering media. When analyzing the sensitivity of the parameters for each method, the runoff coefficient and the daily precipitation with 90% probability were identified as the most sensitive parameters. For the period 2050–2100, there was an increase of up to 2×, 2.5× and 4× in inflow for PS, SS and NS, respectively. However and despite the great uncertainty of future drivers, bioretention performance would remain almost constant in future periods due to modular design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing stress–inducing trait(s) and deploying their genetic diversity are crucial for developing stress–tolerant cultivar(s). The study aimed to investigate the genotypic variations in chickpea senescence traits and their significance in yield sustainability under water–deficit stress conditions. Therefore, a panel of eighty–eight chickpea that differ in maturity duration [early–maturing (≤ 100 days) and late–maturing (> 110 days)], were grown under soil water deficit conditions. The parameters viz. days to onset of senescence (DTSI), senescence duration (SD), days to flowering (DF), reproductive period (RP), and days to maturity (DM) were recorded for each genotype and their relations with grain yield were evaluated. The parameter DTSI defines the earliness or delay in the onset of senescence; while SD represents the pace of senescence. Temporal dynamics of senescence were visually scored following a 0–10 scale. The trait senescence duration (SD) exhibited negative correlation with yield, being higher in the late maturing genotypes over the early maturing genotypes. The senescence index [SD/RP], which exhibited a higher genotypic variability over the parameter SD, was found to have a significant negative association with yield. While the index [DTSI/DM] exhibited a strong positive correlation with yield (p

Pastures are of central importance in food production and provide multiple ecosystem services. The objective of this paper was to determine whether the intensification of pasture-based animal production systems, through practices such as fertilization and improved pasture species, has a higher capacity in the short-term (five years) to sequester carbon in the soil compared to (1) natural grassland without anthropogenic interactions, (2) natural grassland fertilized and overseeded with exotic species, and (3) annual pastures with frequent soil disturbance. The study assessed the organic carbon stock (OCS), total organic carbon (TOC), particle size, porosity, and density at different soil strata, as well as the root system and forage production. Forage dry matter (DM) production varied significantly with means ranging from 6615 to 13,000 kg ha–1 year–1 for natural grassland (NG) and permanent pasture (PP), respectively. Improved natural grassland (ING) and NG presented a higher density and root diameter than PP and annual pasture (AP). Forage systems significantly influenced soil porosity and density, with NG and ING showing lower soil densities and higher soil porosities. The OCS (0–100 cm) was similar between NG (270 Mg ha–1), ING (255 Mg ha–1), PP (274 Mg ha–1), and AP systems (256 Mg ha–1). Over a period of five years, the intensification of pasture-based animal production systems did not have a significant impact on OCS in the soils of a Brazilian subtropical highland.

The publication presents the results of research on soil temperature distribution at a depth of 0.25–3 m in three measurement locations. Two boreholes were located in Białystok in the temperate climatic zone and one measuring well was installed in Belmez in the subtropical climatic zone. Measurements were made in homogeneous soil layers in sand (Białystok) and in clay (Białystok and Belmez). Based on the results of the measurements, a simplified model of temperature distributions as a function of depth and the number of days in a year was developed. The presented model can be used as a boundary condition to determine heat losses of district heating pipes located in the ground and to estimate the thermal efficiency of horizontal heat exchangers in very low-temperature geothermal energy applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical climate is characterized by high solar altitude angle in summer which causes the roof get more heat through solar radiation. GR, DSR, and CR all can decrease solar radiation heat gain of the roof. However, few researches have been done to the comparison of the thermal performance of these three roofs, especially in subtropical climate. In this study, four rooms were built separately with GR, DSR, CR, and ordinary roof (OR). The experiment was done from July 23 to August 4. Results showed that stabilities of the indoor air temperature of the four rooms were: DSR room > GR room > CR room > OR room. The GR, CR, and DSR can reduce the external surface temperature by 13.7°C, 12.0°C, and 4.8°C during the day while bring a temperature rise of 2.3°C, 1.9°C, and 0.9°C at night. Correlation analysis results showed that the internal surface heat flux of GR and DSR were negative correlated with weather factors while internal surface heat flux of OR and CR were positive correlated with weather factors. This study can give support to the selection between GR, DSR, and CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was done to evaluate the effects of diet nutrients density on performance and egg quality in laying hens during the post-peak production phase of the first laying cycle under subtropical climate. A total of 768, 49-weeks-old Hy-Line-W36 laying hens were assigned in a completely randomised design with six treatments, eight replicates, and 16 birds each. Experimental treatments were given the diet with nutrients density recommended by the Hy-Line-W36 guide for their age and level of production (100%) or were given 92, 94, 96, 98, and 102% of that. During the experimental period, the average ambient temperature and humidity were 27.41 ± 2.54 °C and 35 ± 5%, respectively. By increasing diet nutrients density significantly improved egg production (EP), egg weight (EW), egg mass (EM), feed conversion ratio (FCR). Also, egg crude protein and yolk ether extract composition, egg special gravity and relative shell weight significantly increased as increased diet nutrient density. Average bird’s daily feed intake (FI), eggshell thickness, Haugh unit and solid percentage did not affect by diet nutrients density. By linear broken-line models, the diet nutrients density for optimised EP, EM, and FCR were estimated at 97.93, 97.57, and 100% of strain recommendation, respectively. It is concluded, laying hens during the post-peak production phase of the first laying cycle and under subtropical climate was not able to adjust FI with diet dilution. Nutrient requirements varied to what productive parameter was taken for optimisation. Optimum FCR was achieved when the diet was formulated to followed strain recommendations.HIGHLIGHTS Hy-Line-W36 laying hens during the post-peak production phase of the first laying cycle and under subtropical climate cannot adjust their feed intake with dietary nutrients dilution.

Eutrophication, climate change, and river flow fragmentation are the main cause of nuisance algal blooms worldwide. This study evaluated the conditions that trigger the growth and occurrence of nuisance phytoplankton in the Santa Lucía River, a subtropical floodplain lotic system that supplies drinking water to 60% of the population of Uruguay. The main variables that explained phytoplankton biovolume were extracted from generalized linear models (GLM). The potential impact of nuisance organism advection on water utility was estimated by the phytoplankton biovolume transport (BVTR, m3 day−1), an indicator of biomass load. Santa Lucía River had a wide flow range (0.7×105–1438×105 m3 day−1) and eutrophic conditions (median, TP: 0.139 mg L−1; TN: 0.589 mg L−1). GLMs indicated that phytoplankton biomass increased with temperature and soluble reactive phosphorus. Contrary to expectations, the presence of cyanobacteria was positively associated with periods of high flow that result in high cyanobacterial biovolume transport, with a probability of 3.35 times higher when flow increased by one standard deviation. The cyanobacterial biovolume transported (max: 9.5 m3 day−1) suggests that biomass was subsidized by allochthonous inocula. Biovolume from other nuisance groups (diatoms, cryptophytes, and euglenophytes) was positively associated with low-flow conditions and high nutrient concentrations in the main river channel, thereby indicating that these conditions boost eukaryote blooms. The evaluation of BVTR allows a better understanding of the dynamics of fluvial phytoplankton and can help to anticipate scenarios of nuisance species transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To find out duration of adipocere formation in hot and humid area. Study Design: Cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Mohi-Ud-Din Islamic Medical College Mirpur Azad Kashmir and HITEC-IMS Taxila, from Jan 2017 to Jan 2019. Methodology: Total 25 cases with adipocere formation were included in this study. The cause of death, time since death, death circumstances, surrounding environment from where the body was recovered and demographic profile of the deceased were considered, while cases of septicemic deaths were excluded from the study. The adipocere was confirmed by forensic medicine consultants by its soft, moist and greasy consistency, grayish white appearance and ammoniacal smell. Results: Most of the cases recovered during months of March to June from open and closed areas, while 3 cases were recovered from water source or river banks. The time duration of recovery from time of death was from 5 days to 15 days 3h. The adipocere formation showed a high odds ratio 2.0-(95%-CI-0.115-3.482) and OR-1.5-(95%-CI-.098-2.306) for bodies recovered from water and open areas respectively. The adipocere formation in hot and rainy season showed OR-3.3-(95%-CI .190-4.199) and OR-2.4-(95%-CI .122-3.642) respectively. The adipocere formation occurred more during days 1-5 with an OR-1.9-(95%-CI .221-1.625). Conclusion: The adipocere formation can be seen as early as 2 days in a hot humid environmentin closed areas, while the extent of adipocere is larger in bodies recover from water source.

Subtropical monsoon climates, high-density and heterogeneous urban built environments, as well as coastal–mountainous geographical environments influence the development of urban heat island (UHI) effects in Hong Kong. For better weather control of in situ observations and spatial analysis of UHI effects, it is necessary to quantitatively understand the influence of weather conditions on UHI development in Hong Kong and establish weather-based UHI estimation models. Meteorological records of four urban stations, one rural reference station, and one wind reference station at an hourly interval during the period of 2002–2012 were collected from Hong Kong observatory. A frequency analysis of the mean values of multiple meteorological elements and UHI parameters in urban stations was conducted to examine the prevailing and critical weather conditions, as well as the associated UHI conditions in Hong Kong. Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) was used to estimate the daily maximum UHI intensity (UHImax) based on a set of meteorological elements including cloud amount, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, and air temperature, as well as a UHI parameter of the daily maximum UHI intensity of the previous day (UHIpre-max). The results showed that MLR-based models can explain 33% and 56% variations of the UHImax in the summer and the whole year, respectively. The relative importance of each meteorological element on UHI development differed in the summer and annual periods, and the UHImax tended to be intensified under high temperature conditions in the summer.

Flood, a distinctive natural calamity, has occurred more frequently in the last few decades all over the world, which is often an unexpected and inevitable natural hazard, but the losses and damages can be managed and controlled by adopting effective measures. In recent times, flood hazard susceptibility mapping has become a prime concern in minimizing the worst impact of this global threat; but the nonlinear relationship between several flood causative factors and the dynamicity of risk levels makes it complicated and confronted with substantial challenges to reliable assessment. Therefore, we have considered SVM, RF, and ANN—three distinctive ML algorithms in the GIS platform—to delineate the flood hazard risk zones of the subtropical Kangsabati river basin, West Bengal, India; which experienced frequent flood events because of intense rainfall throughout the monsoon season. In our study, all adopted ML algorithms are more efficient in solving all the non-linear problems in flood hazard risk assessment; multi-collinearity analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient techniques have been used to identify the collinearity issues among all fifteen adopted flood causative factors. In this research, the predicted results are evaluated through six prominent and reliable statistical (“AUC-ROC, specificity, sensitivity, PPV, NPV, F-score”) and one graphical (Taylor diagram) technique and shows that ANN is the most reliable modeling approach followed by RF and SVM models. The values of AUC in the ANN model for the training and validation datasets are 0.901 and 0.891, respectively. The derived result states that about 7.54% and 10.41% of areas accordingly lie under the high and extremely high flood danger risk zones. Thus, this study can help the decision-makers in constructing the proper strategy at the regional and national levels to mitigate the flood hazard in a particular region. This type of information may be helpful to the various authorities to implement this outcome in various spheres of decision making. Apart from this, future researchers are also able to conduct their research byconsidering this methodology in flood susceptibility assessment.

The Greenway House is a new residence located in the Garden City of Coral Gables, Florida, inspired by the early revival architecture of the City and traditional architecture. The residence is located in an in-fill site and designed to incorporate a specimen oak tree which is seen from the main house and the carriage house. Unlike typical houses in the neighborhood whose massing is parallel to the street with front and rear yards defined by property setbacks, the orientation of the Greenway main house and carriage house is perpendicular to the street. This orientation allows one to experience the garden, the courtyard with its pool, and the prominent oak tree as part of the architectural ensemble of subtropical components appropriate to the site’s geographic and urban setting. The Greenway House is specifically designed as requested by the clients to be at once traditional in terms of place-making, spatial sequences and the making of the rooms that are identifiable; while still considering contemporary, domestic living where spaces are visually connected and fairly open to the natural environment.

The present study aimed to compare a Litopenaeus vannamei culture throughout two short cycles and one long cycle of production in a BFT (biofloc technology) system. The study was conducted in six lined 600‐m2 ponds and was composed of two treatments with three replicates each: two short consecutive crops (SC) of 75 days and a 150‐day long cycle (LC). Stocking density was 42 shrimp m−2 for all cycles, and initial weight was 1.20 g in SC1 and LC and 1.40 g in SC2. Economic analysis was also carried out to compare the results of treatments. In terms of water quality, sedimentable solids and turbidity were significantly higher in the LC treatment. All other water quality parameters presented no significative differences between treatments, and mean values were maintained within the recommended levels for shrimp culture. There was a significant difference in the final average weights between treatments, with the value of the long treatment being greater than twice the values of the short cycles. The productivity did not differ significantly between the sum of the SC and LC treatments. Production data were assessed using economic indicators. The treatment results show positive Gross and Net Margin; however, SC1 negatively influenced the SC result, mainly for ML and IL. The best result of the profitability index was the LC. The results of the present study and considering the strategies used, there was no influence on productivity, but on profitability in the cultivation of L. vannamei in lined ponds under subtropical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil water repellency (SWR) is a physical phenomenon whereby the surface of soil particles cannot be, or resists being, moistened by water. The recovery process of fire-induced SWR can provide important evidence for ecosystem resilience, but most existing studies ignored this process. Prescribed burning is a widely used method to reduce the risk of fire and fuel. However, prescribed fires can increase SWR, reducing infiltration and increasing overland flow and subsequent soil erosion. In order to understand the ecosystem resilience process from fire-induced SWR, soil samples were collected before and after prescribed burning. Four different forest types in the Hunan province of China were studied. Soil samples at four different soil depths (0–5, 6–10, 11–15, and >15 cm) and four time intervals (3, 30, 180, and 360 d) after burning at different intensities were collected. No significant difference in SWR was found among the four forest types, but the SWR of soil in plantations was stronger than that in secondary forests before fire. Most soil samples showed slightly increased SWR after burning, SWR increasing with fire intensity. Surface soil (0–5 cm) SWR showed greater sensitivity to fire disturbance than subsurface soil (>5 cm). SWR had a smaller scope of influence and shorter recovery period in burned secondary forests. Although SWR recovered over time, recovery was slower with increasing fire intensity. SWR always recovered to pre-fire levels given sufficient time. Our study revealed the recovery process of SWR, and explored the temporal and spatial mechanisms of forest ecosystem recovery after prescribed burning. • WDPT of high intensity fire is higher than that of moderate intensity fire. • Surface soil water repellency is more sensitive to fire disturbance than that of subsurface soil. • Subsurface soil is difficult to recover once affected by fire. • Explored the mechanisms of forest ecosystem recovery after prescribed burning. • Reveal the ecosystem resilience process from fire-induced SWR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtropical regions have clay-rich, weathered soils, and long dry periods followed by intense rainfall that produces large fluctuations in soil water content (SWC) and hydrological behavior. This complicates predictions of spatio-temporal dynamics, as datasets are typically collected at too coarse resolution and observations often represent a duration that is too short to capture temporal stability. The aim of the present study was to gain further insights into the role of temporal sampling scale on the observed temporal stability features of SWC order to aid the design of optimal SWC sampling strategies. This focused on both sampling frequency and total monitoring duration, as previous analyses have not considered both of these sampling aspects simultaneously. We collected relatively high resolution data of SWC (fortnightly over 3.5 years) for various soil depths and under contrasting crops (peanuts and citrus) at the red soil region of southeast China. The dataset was split into a three-year training period and a six-month evaluation period. Altogether 13 sampling frequencies (intervals ranging from 15 to 240 days) and eight monitoring duration periods (between three and 36 months) were derived from the training period to identify temporal stability features and the most time stable location (MTSL). The prediction accuracies of these MTSLs were tested using the independent evaluation data. Results showed that vegetation type did affect the spatio-temporal patterns of SWC, whereby the citrus site exhibited a stronger temporal variation and weaker temporal stability than the peanut site. However, the effects of both sampling frequency and observation duration were more pronounced, irrespective of the role of vegetation type or soil depth. With increasing sampling interval or decreasing monitoring duration, temporal stability of SWC was generally overestimated; by less than 10% when sampling interval increased from every 15 to 240 days and by up to 40% with duration decreasing from 36 to 3 months. Our results suggest that sampling strategies and trade-offs between sampling interval and duration should focus on capturing the main variability in hydro-climatological conditions. For subtropical conditions, we found that sampling once every 45 days over 24 months to be the minimum sampling strategy to ensure errors in SWC temporal stability of less than 10%.

Copyright of Revista Caatinga is the property of Revista Caatinga and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Tropical or subtropical climates result in considerable heat stress in outdoor environments, which handicaps social activities in public spaces such as urban parks. This study aims to find out the effects of park planning factors on thermal environments. The research measured 18 urban parks around the city of Gold Coast in Australia from January to March 2018 which is the summer time of the Southern Hemisphere. Climate data were collected for each park, based on which park cooling intensity, mean radiant temperature and physiological equivalent temperature were calculated as thermal environment indicators. Meanwhile, park planning factors such as park tree coverage, park size and distance to major water bodies (the sea) were selected for multiple linear regressions with the thermal indicators. Our findings have confirmed that the park planning factors had significant effects on the thermal indicators. The effect of park tree coverage was most significant. This study provides important evidence and guidance for urban planning to create better outdoor thermal environments in parks to facilitate social activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication presents the results of research on soil temperature distribution at a depth of 0.25–3 m in three measurement locations. Two boreholes were located in Białystok in the temperate climatic zone and one measuring well was installed in Belmez in the subtropical climatic zone. Measurements were made in homogeneous soil layers in sand (Białystok) and in clay (Białystok and Belmez). Based on the results of the measurements, a simplified model of temperature distributions as a function of depth and the number of days in a year was developed. The presented model can be used as a boundary condition to determine heat losses of district heating pipes located in the ground and to estimate the thermal efficiency of horizontal heat exchangers in very low-temperature geothermal energy applications.