An idealized model of advection and condensation of water vapor is considered as a representation of processes influencing the humidity distribution along isentropic surfaces in the free troposphere. Results are presented for how the mean relative humidity distribution varies in response to changes in the distribution of saturation specific humidity and in the amplitude of a tropical moisture s...

BACKGROUND Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) delivers air at a high flow, which is associated with airway mucosal drying and impaired airway functioning. OBJECTIVES To examine the effects of mechanical ventilation parameters on relative humidity and absolute humidity during NPPV, and to evaluate the effect of a heated passover humidifier on relative humidity, absolute humidity,...

With the continuous progress of human production and life, air quality has become the focus of attention. In this paper, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces were taken as the study area, where there are 58 air quality monitoring stations from which daily and monthly data are obtained. Firstly, the temporal characteristics of the air quality index (AQI) are explored. Th...

We explored the threshold effects of meteorological factors on hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in mainland China to improve the prevention and early warning. Using HFMD surveillance and meteorological data in 2011, we identified the threshold effects of predictors on the monthly incidence of HFMD and predicted the high risk months, with classification and regression tree models (CART). The ...

Seasonal influenza infection is a major challenge in public health. The term "seasonal influenza" refers to the typical increase in the number of influenza patients in the winter season in temperature zones. However, it is not clear how environmental factors within a single flu season affect influenza infection in a human population. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of temperature and humidi...

In Situ Gaseous Reduction (ISGR) using hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a technology developed for soil remediation by reductive immobilization of contaminants such as hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Deploying the technology requires us to obtain a much-improved understanding of the interactions among the contaminants, H2S, and various soil components. In this study, Cr(VI) reduction by gaseous H2S was ...

Many species have been found to be capable of foliar water uptake, but little research has focused on this in desert plants. Tamarix ramosissima was investigated to determine whether its leaves can directly absorb water from high humidity atmosphere and, if they can, to understand the magnitude and importance of foliar water uptake. Various techniques were adopted to demonstrate foliar water up...