Aerosol number fluxes over the Amazon rain forest during the wet season

Number fluxes of particles with diameter larger than 10 nm were measured with the eddy covariance method over the Amazon rain forest during the wet season as part of the LBA (The Large Scale Biosphere Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia) campaign 2008. The primary goal was to investigate whether sources or sinks dominate the aerosol number flux in the tropical rain forest-atmosphere system. During the measurement campaign, from 12 March to 18 May, 60% of the particle fluxes pointed downward, which is a similar fraction to what has been observed over boreal forests. The net deposition flux prevailed even in the absolute cleanest atmospheric conditions during the campaign and therefore cannot be explained only by deposition of anthropogenic particles. The particle transfer velocity v(t) increased with increasing friction velocity and the relation is described by the equation v(t) = 2.4x10(-3)xu(*) where u(*) is the friction velocity. Upward particle fluxes often appeared in the morning hours and seem to a large extent to be an effect of entrainment fluxes into a growing mixed layer rather than primary aerosol emission. In general, the number source of primary aerosol particles within the footprint area of the measurements was small, possibly because the measured particle number fluxes reflect mostly particles less than approximately 200 nm. This is an indication that the contribution of primary biogenic aerosol particles to the aerosol population in the Amazon boundary layer may be low in terms of number concentrations. However, the possibility of horizontal variations in primary aerosol emission over the Amazon rain forest cannot be ruled out.

Preslaughter mortality of broilers in relation to lairage and season in a subtropical climate

The preslaughter handling and transport of broilers are stressful operations that might affect welfare and meat quality and could increase numbers of deaths before slaughter. However, the influence of thermal factors during transportation and lairage at slaughterhouses is complex in subtropical regions, where increasing temperature and high RH are the major concerns regarding animal survival before slaughter. In this study we assessed the influence of a controlled lairage environment on preslaughter mortality rates of broiler chickens that were transported during different seasons of the year and had varying lairage times in the subtropical climate. Preslaughter data from 13,937 broiler flocks were recorded daily during 2006 in a commercial slaughterhouse in southeastern Brazil. The main factors that influenced daily mortality rate were mean dry bulb temperature and RH, lairage time, daily periods, density of broilers per crate, season of the year, stocking density per lorry, transport time, and distance between farms and slaughterhouse. A holding area at the slaughterhouse with environmental control was assessed. Using a double GLM for mean and dispersion modeling, the seasons were found to have significant effects (P < 0.05) on average mortality rates. The highest incidence was observed in summer (0.42%), followed by spring (0.39%), winter (0.28%), and autumn (0.23%). A decrease of preslaughter mortality of broilers during summer (P < 0.05) was observed when the lairage time was increased, mainly after 1 h of exposure to a controlled environment. Thus, lairage for 3 to 4 h in a controlled lairage environment during the summer and spring is necessary to reduce the thermal load of broiler chickens.

Influence of climate on clinical diagnostic dry eye tests: pilot study

Purpose. To analyze dry eye disease (DED) tests and their consistency in similar nonsymptomatic population samples living in two geographic locations with different climates (Continental vs. Atlantic). Methods. This is a pilot study including 14 nonsymptomatic residents from Valladolid (Continental climate, Spain) and 14 sex-matched and similarly aged residents from Braga (Atlantic climate, Portugal); they were assessed during the same season (spring) of two consecutive years. Phenol red thread test, conjunctival hyperemia, fluorescein tear breakup time, corneal and conjunctival staining, and Schirmer test were evaluated on three different consecutive visits. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted kappa (J) coefficient for quantitative and ordinal variables, respectively. Results. Fourteen subjects were recruited in each city with a mean (TSD) age of 63.0 (T1.7) and 59.1 (T0.9) years (p = 0.08) in Valladolid and Braga, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient and J values of the tests performed were below 0.69 and 0.61, respectively, for both samples, thus showing moderate to poor reliability. Subsequently, comparisons were made between the results corresponding to the middle and higher outdoor relative humidity (RH) visit in each location as there were no differences in mean temperature (p Q 0.75) despite RH values significantly differing (p e 0.005). Significant (p e 0.05) differences were observed between Valladolid and Braga samples on tear breakup time (middle RH visit, 2.76 T 0.60 vs. 5.26 T 0.64 seconds; higher RH visit, 2.61 T 0.32 vs. 5.78 T 0.88 seconds) and corneal (middle RH, 0.64 T 0.17 vs. 0.14 T 0.10; higher RH, 0.60 T 0.22 vs. 0.0 T 0.0) and conjunctival staining (middle RH, 0.61 T 0.17 vs. 0.14 T 0.08; higher RH, 0.57 T 0.15 vs. 0.18 T 0.09). Conclusions. This pilot study provides initial evidence to support that DED test outcomes assessing the ocular surface integrity and tear stability are climate dependent. Future large-sample studies should support these outcomes also in DED patients. This knowledge is fundamental for multicenter clinical trials. Lack of consistency in diagnostic clinical tests for DED was also corroborated. (Optom Vis Sci 2015;92:e284Ye289)

Dry matter and macronutrient accumulation in fruits of Conilon coffee with different ripening cycles

The period between anthesis and fruit ripening varies according to the Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) genotype. Therefore, the time of the nutritional requirements for fruit formation may differ, depending on the formation phase and the genotype, and may directly affect split application of fertilizer. The aim of this study was to quantify the accumulation of dry matter and N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S at several stages in the fruit of the Conilon coffee genotype with different ripening cycles, which may suggest the need for split application of fertilizer in coffee. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Nova Venecia, Espírito Santo, Brazil, throughout the reproductive cycle. The treatments were composed of four coffee genotypes with different ripening cycles. A completely randomised experimental design was used. with five replicates. Plagiotropic branches were harvested from flowering to fruit ripening at 28-day intervals to determine the dry matter of the fruits and the concentration and accumulation of the nutrients they contained. The behavior of dry matter and macronutrient accumulation during the study period was similar and increasing, but it differed among genotypes sampled in the same season. Early genotypes exhibited a higher speed of dry matter and nutrient accumulation. Split application of fertilizer should differ among coffee genotypes with different ripening cycles (early, intermediate, late and very late).

Differential growth responses to water balance of coexisting deciduous tree species are linked to wood density in a Bolivian tropical dry forest

A seasonal period of water deficit characterizes tropical dry forests (TDFs). There, sympatric tree species exhibit a diversity of growth rates, functional traits, and responses to drought, suggesting that each species may possess different strategies to grow under different conditions of water availability. The evaluation of the long-term growth responses to changes in the soil water balance should provide an understanding of how and when coexisting tree species respond to water deficit in TDFs. Furthermore, such differential growth responses may be linked to functional traits related to water storage and conductance. We used dendrochronology and climate data to retrospectively assess how the radial growth of seven coexisting deciduous tree species responded to the seasonal soil water balance in a Bolivian TDF. Linear mixed-effects models were used to quantify the relationships between basal area increment and seasonal water balance. We related these relationships with wood density and sapwood production to assess if they affect the growth responses to climate. The growth of all species responded positively to water balance during the wet season, but such responses differed among species as a function of their wood density. For instance, species with a strong growth response to water availability averaged a low wood density which may facilitate the storage of water in the stem. By contrast, species with very dense wood were those whose growth was less sensitive to water availability. Coexisting tree species thus show differential growth responses to changes in soil water balance during the wet season. Our findings also provide a link between wood density, a trait related to the ability of trees to store water in the stem, and wood formation in response to water availability.

The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the early-stage restoration of seasonally dry tropical forest in Chamela, Mexico

It was evaluated the effect of two different sources of local inocula from two contrasting sites (mature forest, pasture) of arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF) and a non-mycorrhizal control on the plant growth of six woody species differing in functional characteristics (slow-, intermediate- and fast-growth), when introduced in a seasonally tropical dry forest (STDF) converted into abandoned pasture. Six plots (12 X 12m) were set as AMF inoculum source. Six replicates of six different species arranged in a Latin Square design were set in each plot. Plant height, cover area and the number of leaves produced by individual plant was measured monthly during the first growing season in each treatment. Species differed in their ability to benefit from AMF and the largest responsiveness in plant height and leaf production was exhibited by the slow-growing species Swietenia humilis, Hintonia latiflora and Cordia alliodora. At the end of the growing season (November), the plant height of the fast growing species Tabebuia donnel-smithii, Ceiba pentandra and Guazuma ulmifolia were not influenced by AMF. However, inocula of AMF increased leaf production of all plant species regardless the functional characteristics of the species, suggesting a better exploitation of above-ground space and generating a light limited environment under the canopy, which contributed to pasture suppression. Inoculation of seedlings planted in abandoned pasture areas is recommended for ecological restoration due to the high responsiveness of seedling growth in most of species. Use of forest inoculum with its higher diversity of AMF could accelerate the ecological restoration of the above and below-ground comunities.

The influence of the season of the year and of dilution on the development of swine manure and wood shaves co-composting

The objective of this research was to study the influence of factors related to the proper management of pig manure (lower dilution) and the season of the year in the progress of the co-composting of pig manure with wood shavings and in the final quality of the compost resulting from the treatments. In the first experiment, two types of swine manure were used: a diluted one (2% Dry Matter - DM), typical from the management usually used in Brazil, and a more concentrated one (6% DM). The manures were incorporated into the wood shavings (6L:1kg) over the course of four weeks. The development of composting was accompanied by monitoring of temperatures inside the piles and the emission of CO2 and CH4 gases during 65 days, including the period of incorporation. The results showed that the diluted manure does not provide the minimum conditions for starting the process. After the incorporation period, any biomass heating was observed and neither the aerobic or anaerobic respiration of the microorganisms, resulting in a compost with low quality. In the second experiment, which evaluated composting in winter and summer during 85 days, it was found that the heat exchange with the environment influences the temperature generated within the piles. The lower temperatures significantly reduced the methanogenesis on the biomass.

Goat scrotal-testicular biometry: Influence of the season on scrotal bipartition

The scrotal-testicular biometry was evaluated in goats raised in Piaui state, Brazil, presenting different levels of scrotal division, in rainy and dry periods of the year. For this study, eighteen male goats at mating age were accomplished and arranged into three groups (6 animals each), obeying the classification as goats with no scrotal bipartition (GI), goats showing scrotal bipartition up to 50% of testicular length (GII), and goats with more than 50% of scrotal bipartition (GIII). The biometry of the scrotal-testicular was made evaluating the scrotal length (SL), scrotal circumference (SC), testicular length (TL) and testicular volume (TV). The results were evaluated following the variance analysis (ANOVA) and the SNK test applied on the average comparisons. The analysis of the data demonstrated high values, in dry and rainy periods, of SC (24.63cm/ 26.97cm), SL (16.61cm/ 18.24cm), TL (5.32cm/ 5.93cm), TV (173.81cm³/ 203.01cm³). This supports the hypothesis of the influence of the period of the year and of the scrotal bipartition on the scrotal-testicular biometry in goat.

Density and sowing season of two Brachiaria species on the soybean culture

The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth and yield of soybean cultivar M-8766 in consortium with Brachiaria brizantha. BRS Piata and Brachiaria ruziziensis at different densities and sowing dates. The experimental design was randomized blocks with treatments arranged in a factorial 2 x 2 x 3 with four replications. Used as factors grass species (Brachiaria brizantha Piata and Brachiaria ruziziensis BRS) intercropped with soybean M-8766, sowing dates (12 and 24 days after soybean emergence) and three seeding rates (0, 5, 10 kg ha-1 of seed). At 71 days after soybean emergence were evaluated plant height, stem diameter, dry mass of leaves, stems and shoots, and 4 months after sowing determined the weight of 100 grains and soybean yield. The results showed that when seeded at a density of 10 kg ha-1 at 12 and 24 DAE soy, Brachiaria brizantha. BRS Piata caused reduction in yield in the order of 6.71% and 3.03% respectively, while the Brachiaria ruziziensis was one that caused a greater reduction in productivity in the order of 13.42 and 16.23%, respectively, of these values expression when considering the price of soybean sack. B. ruziziensis expressed less competitive with soybean. However, the large biomass production of this grass provides deployment system till the next harvest.

Design and Development of Instrumentation Systems to determine the Dry Rubber Content in Natural Rubber Latex

Hevea latex is a natural biological liquid of very complex composition .Besides rubber hydrocarbons,it contains many proteinous and resinous substances,carbohydrates,inorganic matter,water,and others.The Dry Rubber Content (DRC) of latex varies according to season, tapping system,weather,soil conditions ,clone,age of the tree etc. The true DRC of the latex must be determined to ensure fair prices for the latex during commercial exchange.The DRC of Hevea latex is a very familiar term to all in the rubber industry.It has been the basis for incentive payments to tappers who bring in more than the daily agreed poundage of latex.It is an important parameter for rubber and latex processing industries for automation and verious decesion making processes.This thesis embodies the efforts made by me to determine the DRC of rubber latex following different analytical tools such as MIR absorption,thermal analysis.dielectric spectroscopy and NIR reflectance.The rubber industry is still Looking for a compact instrument that is accurate economical,easy to use and environment friendly.I hope the results presented in this thesis will help to realise this goal in the near future.

In situ degradability of dry matter and neutral-detergent fibre of thorn scrubland forage consumed by goats in the semi-arid region of north Mexico

Three goats provided with oesophageal and ruminal cannulae were used to determine variations in dry matter (DM) and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) degradability of the forage consumed when grazing thorn scrubland in the semi-arid region of north Mexico, during two consecutive dry and wet periods. Ingesta samples were incubated intraruminally, the data were fitted to the exponential equation P = a + b (1-e(-ct)) and statistically analysed using a randomized-block design. Organic matter and crude protein (CP) contents were higher (P < 0.05) in the wet seasons. Values of NDF were similar in dry and wet season of both years whereas higher numerical values of acid-detergent fibre (ADF), lignin and cellulose were registered in the dry seasons. DM and NDF degradabilities after 24 and 48 h of ruminal incubation were higher (P < 0.05) in the wet seasons. Higher values (P < 0.05) in DM and NDF bag losses at zero time (A fraction) were registered in the two wet seasons. The insoluble but fermentable DM and NDF (B fractions) were higher (P < 0.05) in the 1999 wet season and variable in the rest of the studied period. Numerically higher values of DM and NDF c fraction were found in wet periods, whereas DM and NDF potential degradabilities were higher (P < 0.05) in the wet season in 1999 and similar across seasons in 2000. Lowest (P < 0.05) contents of CP in grazed forage, DM and NDF degradabilities after 48 h of ruminal incubation, and A, and B, and c fractions were observed in the dry seasons. Thus, these results may be related to both the lower feeding value of forage consumed by the animals and lower performance of livestock during this period. Then, the DM and NDF degradability after 48 h, together with the insoluble but fermentable matter and the c fraction permit the nutritive value of the forage consumed by grazing goats to be accurately described.

Modelling simultaneously water content and dry matter dynamics of wheat grains

A model was devised to describe simultaneously the grain masses of water and dry matter against thermal time during grain filling and maturation of winter wheat. The model accounted for a linear increase in water mass of duration anthesis-m(1) (end of rapid water assimilation phase) and rate a, followed by a more stable water mass until in,, after which water mass declined rapidly at rate e. Grain dry matter was described as a linear increase of rate bgf until a maximum size (maxgf) was attained at m(2).The model was fitted to plot data from weekly samples of grains taken from replicated field experiments investigating effects of grain position (apical or medial), fungicide (five contrasting treatments), sowing date (early or late), cultivar (Malacca or Shamrock) and season (2001/2002 and 2002/2003) on grain filling. The model accounted for between 83 and 99% of the variation ( 2) when fitted to data from individual plots, and between 97 and 99% when fitted to treatment means. Endosperm cell number of grains from early-sown plots in the first season were also counted. Differences in maxgf between grain positions and also between cultivars were mostly the result of effects on bgf and were empirically associated with water mass at nil. Fungicide application controlled S. tritici and powdery mildew infection, delayed flag leaf senescence, increased water mass at m(1) (wm(1)), and also increased m(2), bgf and maxgf. Fungicide effects on water mass were detected before fungicide effects on dry matter, but comparison of the effects of individual fungicide treatments showed no evidence that effects on wm(1), nor on endosperm cell numbers at about m(1), were required for fungicide effects on maxgf, (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trends in the start of the wet season over Africa

A quarter of a century of daily rainfall data from the Global Telecommunications System are used to define the temporal and spatial variability of the start of the wet season over Africa and surrounding extreme south of Europe and parts of the Middle East. From 1978 to 2002, the start of the wet season arrived later in the year for the majority of the region, as time progressed. In some parts of the continent, there was an annual increase in the start date of up to 4 days per year. On average, the start of the wet season arrived 9–21 days later from 1978 to 2002, depending on the threshold used to define the start of the rains (varying from 10–30 mm over 2 days, with no dry period in the following 10 days). It is noted that the inter-annual variability of the start of the wet season is high with the range of start dates varying on average from 116 to 142 days dependent on the threshold used to determine the start date. These results may have important implications for agriculturists on all levels (from the individual farmer to those responsible for regional food supply), as knowledge of potential future climate changes starts to play an increasingly important role in the agricultural decision-making process, such as sowing and harvesting times.

Multi-season eddy covariance observations of energy, water and carbon fluxes over a suburban area in Swindon, UK

Eddy covariance measurements of the turbulent sensible heat, latent heat and carbon dioxide fluxes for 12 months (2011–2012) are reported for the first time for a suburban area in the UK. The results from Swindon are comparable to suburban studies of similar surface cover elsewhere but reveal large seasonal variability. Energy partitioning favours turbulent sensible heat during summer (midday Bowen ratio 1.4–1.6) and latent heat in winter (0.05–0.7). A significant proportion of energy is stored (and released) by the urban fabric and the estimated anthropogenic heat flux is small but non-negligible (0.5–0.9 MJ m−2 day−1). The sensible heat flux is negative at night and for much of winter daytimes, reflecting the suburban nature of the site (44% vegetation) and relatively low built fraction (16%). Latent heat fluxes appear to be water limited during a dry spring in both 2011 and 2012, when the response of the surface to moisture availability can be seen on a daily timescale. Energy and other factors are more relevant controls at other times; at night the wind speed is important. On average, surface conductance follows a smooth, asymmetrical diurnal course peaking at around 6–9 mm s−1, but values are larger and highly variable in wet conditions. The combination of natural (vegetative) and anthropogenic (emission) processes is most evident in the temporal variation of the carbon flux: significant photosynthetic uptake is seen during summer, whilst traffic and building emissions explain peak release in winter (9.5 g C m−2 day−1). The area is a net source of CO2 annually. Analysis by wind direction highlights the role of urban vegetation in promoting evapotranspiration and offsetting CO2 emissions, especially when contrasted against peak traffic emissions from sectors with more roads. Given the extent of suburban land use, these results have important implications for understanding urban energy, water and carbon dynamics.

Have greenhouse gases intensified the contrast between wet and dry regions?

While changes in land precipitation during the last 50 years have been attributed in part to human influences, results vary by season, are affected by data uncertainty and do not account for changes over ocean. One of the more physically robust responses of the water cycle to warming is the expected amplification of existing patterns of precipitation minus evaporation. Here, precipitation changes in wet and dry regions are analyzed from satellite data for 1988–2010, covering land and ocean. We derive fingerprints for the expected change from climate model simulations that separately track changes in wet and dry regions. The simulations used are driven with anthropogenic and natural forcings combined, and greenhouse gas forcing or natural forcing only. Results of detection and attribution analysis show that the fingerprint of combined external forcing is detectable in observations and that this intensification of the water cycle is partly attributable to greenhouse gas forcing.