scholarly journals The impact of climatic variation on the opportunity for sexual selection

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean D Twiss ◽  
Christopher Thomas ◽  
Veronica Poland ◽  
Jeff A Graves ◽  
Patrick Pomeroy
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climatic Variation ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Fundamental Parameter ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Local Weather

Many studies have demonstrated influences of climatic variation on a variety of ecological processes, however, its impact on the potent evolutionary force of sexual selection has largely been ignored. The intensity of sexual selection is a fundamental parameter in animal populations, which depends upon the degree of polygamy and will probably be influenced by the impact of local climatic variation upon ‘environmental potential for polygamy’. Here, we provide evidence of a direct effect of local climatic variation on the intensity of sexual selection, by showing a clear correlation between local weather conditions and inter-annual changes in the degree of polygamy in a long-term study of colonially breeding grey seals ( Halichoerus grypus ). Our results show that changes in local weather conditions alter the annual proportion of males contributing to the effective population size ( N e ) by up to 61%. Consequently, over the ‘lifetime’ of a cohort, a broader range of individuals will contribute genetically to the next generation if local weather conditions are variable. In the context of predicted future changes in climatic variation, these findings have broad implications for population genetics of socially structured animal systems through the major influence that the degree of polygamy has upon N e .

scholarly journals How Would We Cycle Today If We Had the Weather of Tomorrow? An Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on Bicycle Traffic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10254
Author(s):  
Anton Galich ◽  
Simon Nieland ◽  
Barbara Lenz ◽  
Jan Blechschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Validation Procedure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
Local Weather

Bicycle usage is significantly affected by weather conditions. Climate change is, therefore, expected to have an impact on the volume of bicycle traffic, which is an important factor in the planning and design of bicycle infrastructures. To predict bicycle traffic in a changed climate in the city of Berlin, this paper compares a traditional statistical approach to three machine learning models. For this purpose, a cross-validation procedure is developed that evaluates model performance on the basis of prediction accuracy. XGBoost showed the best performance and is used for the prediction of bicycle counts. Our results indicate that we can expect an overall annual increase in bicycle traffic of 1–4% in the city of Berlin due to the changes in local weather conditions caused by global climate change. The biggest changes are expected to occur in the winter season with increases of 11–14% due to rising temperatures and only slight increases in precipitation.

scholarly journals Enhanced COVID-19 data for improved prediction of survival

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhuan Zeng ◽  
Anupam Gautam ◽  
Daniel H Huson
Keyword(s):  
Language Processing ◽  
World Economy ◽  
Source Code ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Gradient Boosting ◽  
Wide Spread ◽  
Prediction Of Survival ◽  
Extreme Gradient Boosting ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Local Weather

AbstractThe current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the rapid world-wide spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is having severe consequences for human health and the world economy. The virus effects individuals quite differently, with many infected patients showing only mild symptoms, and others showing critical illness. To lessen the impact of the pandemic, one important question is which factors predict the death of a patient? Here, we construct an enhanced COVID-19 dataset by processing two existing databases (from Kaggle and WHO) and using natural language processing methods to enhance the data by adding local weather conditions and research sentiment.Author summaryIn this study, we contribute an enhanced COVID-19 dataset, which contains 183 samples and 43 features. Application of Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) on the enhanced dataset achieves 95% accuracy in predicting patients survival, with country-wise research sentiment, and then age and local weather, showing the most importance. All data and source code are available at http://ab.inf.uni-tuebingen.de/publications/papers/COVID-19.

Regulation of mouse colony abundance by Heligmosomoides polygyrus

Parasitology ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn E. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Breeding Population ◽  
Heligmosomoides Polygyrus ◽  
Mouse Population ◽  
Host Abundance ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Ubiquitous Presence ◽  
Direct Life Cycle

SUMMARYDespite the ubiquitous presence of parasites, parasitism has not been considered among the list of regulatory factors in animal populations until recently. A detailed long-term study on the impact of the direct life-cycle nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus on a breeding population of laboratory mice provides a clear example of the ability of helminths to regulate host abundance. In the absence of the parasite, the mouse population equilibrated at a density of 320 mice/m2 as a result of density-dependent effects on recruitment. When the parasite was added and transmission was maintained at high levels, infected mouse populations equilibrated at densities of < 18 mice/m2. Reduced rates of parasite transmission and elimination of the parasite from the system both resulted in an increase in mouse density. These results have implications for both ecology and parasitology as they demonstrate a potentially important but often ignored component of host populations that may well influence host abundance and community structure.

Does kraft hardwood and softwood pulp viscosity correlate to paper properties?

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 643-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT J. OGLESBY ◽  
HUMPHREY J. MOYNIHAN ◽  
RICARDO B. SANTOS ◽  
ASHOK GHOSH ◽  
PETER W. HART
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Strength Loss ◽  
Strength Properties ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Paper Properties ◽  
Physical Strength ◽  
Pulp Viscosity ◽  
Softwood Pulp ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Related Paper

The impact of commercially prepared, fully bleached pulp viscosity variation on handsheet physical properties was evaluated at different levels of pulp refining. Hardwood pulps from the same brownstock species mix, cooking parameters, and kappa numbers were processed through two different commercial bleach plants: one with a D0(EP)D1D2 sequence and the second with an OD0(EOP)D1 sequence. Additionally, a commercial softwood (predominately Scotts pine) brownstock pulp bleached by an OD0(EP)D1D2 sequence was employed in this study. Pulps with viscosities ranging from 14 to 21 mPa∙s were refined in a Valley beater to two freeness levels, and the associated handsheet physical properties were measured in this study. Over the pulp viscosity range of 14 to 21 mPa∙s, no clear correlation was found to exist between pulp viscosity and related paper physical properties. Finally, a series of laboratory prepared bleached pulps were purposely prepared under non-ideal conditions to reduce their final viscosities to lower values. Handsheets made from these pulps were tested in their unbeaten condition for physical strength properties. Significant and rapid strength loss occurred when the measured pulp viscosity dropped below 12 mPa∙s; overall strength properties showed no correlation to viscosity above the critical 12 mPa∙s value.

Prospects of spring wheat cultivation in the conditions of arid Volga region

2020 ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
Valery Genadievich Popov ◽  
Andrey Vladimirovich Panfilov ◽  
Yuriy Vyacheslavovich Bondarenko ◽  
Konstantin Mikhailovich Doronin ◽  
Evgeny Nikolaevih Martynov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spring Wheat ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Volga Region ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Wheat Cultivation ◽  
Forest Belts ◽  
Clear Differentiation ◽  
The Impact

The article analyzes the experience of the impact of the system of forest belts and mineral fertilizers on the yield of spring wheat, including on irrigated lands. Vegetation irrigation is designed to maintain the humidity of the active soil layer from germination to maturation at the lower level of the optimum-70-75%, and in the phases of tubulation-earing - flowering - 75-80% NV. However, due to the large differences in zones and microzones of soil and climate conditions and due to the weather conditions of individual years, wheat irrigation regimes require a clear differentiation. In the Volga region in the dry autumn rainfalls give the norm of 800-1000 m3/ha, and in saline soils – 1000-1300 and 3-4 vegetation irrigation at tillering, phases of booting, earing and grain formation the norm 600-650 m3/ha. the impact of the system of forest belts, mineral fertilizers on the yield of spring wheat is closely tied to the formation of microclimate at different distances from forest edges.

scholarly journals Energy Performance Assessment of Innovative Building Solutions Coming from Construction and Demolition Waste Materials

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1226
Author(s):  
Beatriz Fraga-De Cal ◽  
Antonio Garrido-Marijuan ◽  
Olaia Eguiarte ◽  
Beñat Arregi ◽  
Ander Romero-Amorrortu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Insulation ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
The Impact

Prefabricated solutions incorporating thermal insulation are increasingly adopted as an energy conservation measure for building renovation. The InnoWEE European project developed three technologies from Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) materials through a manufacturing process that supports the circular economy strategy of the European Union. Two of them consisted of geopolymer panels incorporated into an External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) and a ventilated façade. This study evaluates their thermal performance by means of monitoring data from three pilot case studies in Greece, Italy, and Romania, and calibrated building simulation models enabling the reliable prediction of energy savings in different climates and use scenarios. Results showed a reduction in energy demand for all demo buildings, with annual energy savings up to 25% after placing the novel insulation solutions. However, savings are highly dependent on weather conditions since the panels affect cooling and heating loads differently. Finally, a parametric assessment is performed to assess the impact of insulation thickness through an energy performance prediction and a cash flow analysis.

scholarly journals Earthworm Abundance Changes Depending on Soil Management Practices in Slovenian Vineyards

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1241
Author(s):  
Stanko Vršič ◽  
Marko Breznik ◽  
Borut Pulko ◽  
Jesús Rodrigo-Comino
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Soil Tillage ◽  
Soil Biodiversity ◽  
Straw Mulch ◽  
Green Cover ◽  
The Impact

Earthworms are key indicators of soil quality and health in vineyards, but research that considers different soil management systems, especially in Slovenian viticultural areas is scarce. In this investigation, the impact of different soil management practices such as permanent green cover, the use of herbicides in row and inter-row areas, use of straw mulch, and shallow soil tillage compared to meadow control for earthworm abundance, were assessed. The biomass and abundance of earthworms (m2) and distribution in various soil layers were quantified for three years. Monitoring and a survey covering 22 May 2014 to 5 October 2016 in seven different sampling dates, along with a soil profile at the depth from 0 to 60 cm, were carried out. Our results showed that the lowest mean abundance and biomass of earthworms in all sampling periods were registered along the herbicide strip (within the rows). The highest abundance was found in the straw mulch and permanent green cover treatments (higher than in the control). On the plots where the herbicide was applied to the complete inter-row area, the abundance of the earthworm community decreased from the beginning to the end of the monitoring period. In contrast, shallow tillage showed a similar trend of declining earthworm abundance, which could indicate a deterioration of soil biodiversity conditions. We concluded that different soil management practices greatly affect the soil’s environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), especially in the upper soil layer (up to 15 cm deep), which affects the abundance of the earthworm community. Our results demonstrated that these practices need to be adapted to the climate and weather conditions, and also to human impacts.

scholarly journals A Study of the Effects of Rain, Snow and Hail on the Atmospheric Electric Field near Ground

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 996
Author(s):  
Athanasios Karagioras ◽  
Konstantinos Kourtidis
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Potential Gradient ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Fair Weather ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Rain Events ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Bounce Back

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of rain, snow and hail on potential gradient (PG), as observed in a period of ten years in Xanthi, northern Greece. An anticorrelation between PG and rainfall was observed for rain events that lasted several hours. When the precipitation rate was up to 2 mm/h, the decrease in PG was between 200 and 1300 V/m, in most cases being around 500 V/m. An event with rainfall rates up to 11 mm/h produced the largest drop in PG, of 2 kV/m. Shortly after rain, PG appeared to bounce back to somewhat higher values than the ones of fair-weather conditions. A decrease in mean hourly PG was observed, which was around 2–4 kV/m during the hail events which occurred concurrently with rain and from 0 to 3.5 kV/m for hail events with no rain. In the case of no drop, no concurrent drop in temperature was observed, while, for the other cases, it appeared that, for each degree drop in temperature, the drop in hourly mean PG was 1000 V/m; hence, we assume that the intensity of the hail event regulates the drop in PG. The frequency distribution of 1-minute PG exhibits a complex structure during hail events and extend from −18 to 11 kV/m, with most of the values in the negative range. During snow events, 1-minute PG exhibited rapid fluctuations between high positive and high negative values, its frequency distribution extending from −10 to 18 kV/m, with peaks at −10 and 3 kV/m.

scholarly journals It’s the Weather: Quantifying the Impact of Weather on Retail Sales

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Rose ◽  
Les Dolega
Keyword(s):  
Weather Condition ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Retail Sales ◽  
Weather Impact ◽  
High Street ◽  
Sector Decision ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe weather is considered as an influential factor on consumer purchasing behaviours and plays a significant role in many aspects of retail sector decision making. As a result, better understanding of the magnitude and nature of the influence of variable UK weather conditions can be beneficial to many retailers and other stakeholders. This study addresses the dearth of research in this area by quantifying the relationship between different weather conditions and trading outcomes. By employing comprehensive daily sales data for a major high street retailer with over 2000 stores across England and adopting a random forest methodology, the study quantifies the influence of various weather conditions on daily retail sales. Results indicate that weather impact is greatest in the summer and spring months and that wind is consistently found to be the most influential weather condition. The top five most weather-dependent categories cover a range of different product types, with health foods emerging as the most susceptible to the weather. Also, sales from out-of-town stores show a far more complex relationship with the weather than those from traditional high street stores with the regions London and the South East experiencing the greatest levels of influence. Various implications of these findings for retail stakeholders are discussed and the scope for further research outlined.

scholarly journals Economic Analysis of a Transport Company in the Aspect of Car Vehicle Operation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Magdalena Rykała ◽  
Łukasz Rykała
Keyword(s):  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Neural Model ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Bulk Materials ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Average Temperature ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Vehicle Operation ◽  
The Impact

The article describes the issues of transport of bulk materials. The knowledge of this process has a key impact on the rational planning of transport tasks. It is necessary to have knowledge about the transport services market and the competition that exists in it. In order to achieve a competitive advantage on the market, enterprises should analyze data on the implementation of transport tasks on an ongoing basis. It is also important that the costs incurred from the conducted activity are minimized, while increasing the quality of services and taking into account the sustainable development of the enterprise. The study analyzes data from a few selected motor vehicles in the period of 3 years of operation, coming from an enterprise specializing in the transport of bulk materials. Moreover, a global sensitivity analysis was performed based on a neural model describing the impact of the analyzed factors on the company’s profit. The results show that the most important factors influencing the company’s profit are the fuel consumption of individual vehicles, the driver (driving style) and the month (average temperature, weather conditions).

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