In this study we assessed the impact of climate variability on the Ross River virus (RRv) transmission and validated an epidemic-forecasting model in Cairns, Australia. Data on the RRv cases recorded between 1985 and 1996 were obtained from the Queensland Department of Health. Climate and population data were supplied by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Bureau of Statisti...

We validated the lethality of three time and temperature regimens for commercial processing of whole muscle beef jerky. A total of ca. 8.9 log CFU per strip of multiple-strain cocktails of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium, or Listeria monocytogenes were separately applied onto the surface of beef strips that were treated as follows: (i) inoculated but not marinated or (ii) inocu...

The effects of relative humidity and temperature on moisture sorption rate and stability profile of sodium bicarbonate powder exposed to various storage conditions were investigated using gravimetrical and acid-titration methods. In the study, samples were placed in desiccators, which contained various saturated salt solutions to generate desired levels of relative humidity, denoted as RH, rang...

[1] Simulations of warming climates with coupled climate models exhibit strong land-ocean contrasts in changes in surface temperature and relative humidity, but little land-ocean contrast in changes in equivalent potential temperature. A theory that assumes equal changes in equivalent potential temperature over land and ocean captures the simulated land-ocean warming contrast in the tropics if ...

Zhang et al. (2005) present a parameterization for what they term the "growth factor" of a sea salt aerosol particle relative to its formation diameter, which they assert "is a function of relative humidity alone" and independent of an arbitrary reference relative humidity. Here we note that this growth factor implicitly assumes an arbitrary reference relative humidity through the salinity of t...

In the course of investigating RNA metabolism in greening plastids of unexpanded leaves of jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis [L.] DC.) seedlings, it was found that relative humidity had to be controlled in order to obtain reproducible rates of chlorophyll accumulation and 'H-uracil incorporation into newly synthesized RNA. Under high relative humidity conditions, chlorophyll accumulation occurred...

BACKGROUND Nosocomial infections constitute a global health problem. OBJECTIVES To explore the relationship between nosocomial infection rates (NIRs) and climatic factors including temperature and relative humidity in Guangzhou area of China. METHODS 30892 patients in our hospital in 2009 were investigated for nosocomial infection status, and the contemporaneous temperature and relative hum...

An inkjet-printed relative humidity sensor based on capacitive changes which responds to different humidity levels in the environment is presented in this work. The inkjet-printed silver interdigitated electrodes configuration on the paper substrate allowed for the fabrication of a functional proof-of-concept of the relative humidity sensor, by using the paper itself as a sensing material. The ...

The short-term effects of high temperatures are a serious concern in the context of climate change. In areas that today have mild climates the research activity has been rather limited, despite the fact that differences in temperature susceptibility will play a fundamental role in understanding the exposure, acclimatization, adaptation and health risks of a changing climate. In addition, many s...

[1] This study evaluates three major Numerical-Weather-Prediction reanalyses (ERA-Interim, NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis I, and NCEP/DOE Reanalysis II) in modeling surface relative shortwave cloud forcing, cloud fraction, and cloud albedo. The observations used for this evaluation are decade-long surface-based continuous measurements of the U.S. Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program from 03/25...