Time derivatives in air temperature and enthalpy as non-invasive welfare indicators during long distance animal transport in Spain and Portugal.

High temperatures and relative humidity can compromise animal welfare on the farm level, but less is known about those changes during long distance transport of domestic animals to slaughter. Although upper temperature limits have been established to transport pigs in Europe, few indices include relative or absolute humidity maxima or mention appropriate enthalpy ranges.

Sensitivity of a distributed temperature-radiation index melt model based on AWS observations and surface energy balance fluxes, Hurd Peninsula glaciers, Livingston Island, Antarctica

We use an automatic weather station and surface mass balance dataset spanning four melt seasons collected on Hurd Peninsula Glaciers, South Shetland Islands, to investigate the point surface energy balance, to determine the absolute and relative contribution of the various energy fluxes acting on the glacier surface and to estimate the sensitivity of melt to ambient temperature changes. Long-wave incoming radiation is the main energy source for melt, while short-wave radiation is the most important flux controlling the variation of both seasonal and daily mean surface energy balance. Short-wave and long-wave radiation fluxes do, in general, balance each other, resulting in a high correspondence between daily mean net radiation flux and available melt energy flux. We calibrate a distributed melt model driven by air temperature and an expression for the incoming short-wave radiation. The model is calibrated with the data from one of the melt seasons and validated with the data of the three remaining seasons. The model results deviate at most 140 mm w.e. from the corresponding observations using the glaciological method. The model is very sensitive to changes in ambient temperature: a 0.5 ◦ C increase results in 56 % higher melt rates.

Experimental analysis of energy savings and hygrothermal conditions improvement by means of air curtaines in stores with intensive pedestrian traffic

Current worldwide building legislation requirements aim to the design and construction of technical services that reduce energy consumption and improve indoor hygrothermal conditions. The retail sector in Spain, with a lot of outdated technical systems, demands energy conservation measures in order to reduce the increasingly electrical consumption for cooling. Climatic separation with modern air curtains and advanced hygrothermal control systems enables energy savings and can keep suitable indoor air temperature and humidity of stores with intense pedestrian traffic, especially when located in hot humid climates. As stated in the article, the energy savings in commercial buildings with these systems exceeds 30%

`Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus´ titers in citrus and acquisition rates by Diaphorina citri are decreased by higher temperature

`Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus´ is the most prevalent Liberibacter sp. associated with huanglongbing (HLB) in Brazil. Within São Paulo state (SP), HLB has spread more rapidly to and reached higher incidence in regions with relatively mild (cooler) summer temperatures. This suggests that climate can influence disease spread and severity. ?Ca. L. asiaticus? titers on soft, immature leaves from infected ?Valencia? sweet orange plants exposed to different temperature regimes and adult Diaphorina citri fed for 48 h on these plants for ?Ca. L. asiaticus? acquisition were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in two experiments. The first experiment included plants with three levels of infection, three incubation periods (IPs), and air temperatures favorable (14.6 to 28°C) and unfavorable (24 to 38°C) to ?Ca. L. asiaticus?. The second included plants with severe late-stage infections, 10 IPs (based on 3-day intervals over 27 days), and three air temperature regimes (12 to 24, 18 to 30, and 24 to 38°C). Overall, ?Ca. L. asiaticus? titers and the percentages of ?Ca. L. asiaticus?-positive psyllids were lower in plants maintained at the warmer temperature regime (24 to 38°C) than in plants maintained in the cooler regimes. The results suggest that the lower incidence and slower spread of ?Ca. L. asiaticus? to warmer regions of SP are related to the influence of ambient temperatures on titers of ?Ca. L. asiaticus? in leaves.