Modulation of energy metabolism of lymphocytes in children by natural physical factors]

The aim of this work is exploration of natural physical factors influencing change of age-dependent energy exchange parameters (e.g. activity of SDG) in healthy and premature children. 35 healthy and 35 premature children were investigated over 11 years from early antenatal and postnatal period. Cytochemical investigations were carried out 1-2 time a year until 6 years of age. Solar activity, geomagnetic excitability, air temperature and atmospheric pressure and its diurnal variation on index represented environmental factors. It is suggested that quiet magnetic field might be a predictor of higher level of SDG activity and vice versa. Higher activity of magnetic field leads to displacement of maximum-age of SDG activity to an earlier age. Lymphocytes react to magnetic storm in a phasic manner. Other physical environmental factors might have reciprocal effect so that some of them could negate the effect of others. If intrauterine development took place in a year of higher solar activity, early-development results. However, later development is characterized by lower level of SDG activity. On premature children, as well as in healthy subjects, the more influencing factors on energetic age-dependent parameters are geomagnetic field and variation of atmospheric SDG activity in healthy children is within normal range (and has a training effect), while in premature children depression of hydrogenase in the end stage.     

The influence of meteorological and geomagnetic factors on acute myocardial infarction and brain stroke in Moscow,Russia

Evidence of the impact of air temperature and pressure on cardiovascular morbidity is still quite limited and controversial, and even less is known about the potential influence of geomagnetic activity. The objective of this study was to assess impacts of air temperature, barometric pressure and geomagnetic activity on hospitalizations with myocardial infarctions and brain strokes. We studied 2,833 myocardial infarctions and 1,096 brain strokes registered in two Moscow hospitals between 1992 and 2005. Daily event rates were linked with meteorological and geomagnetic conditions, using generalized linear model with controls for day of the week, seasonal and long-term trends. The number of myocardial infarctions decreased with temperature, displayed a U-shaped relationship with pressure and variations in pressure, and increased with geomagnetic activity. The number of strokes increased with temperature, daily temperature range and geomagnetic activity. Detrimental effects on strokes of low pressure and falling pressure were observed. Relative risks of infarctions and strokes during geomagnetic storms were 1.29 (95 % CI 1.19–1.40) and 1.25 (1.10–1.42), respectively. The number of strokes doubled during cold spells. The influence of barometric pressure on hospitalizations was relatively greater than the influence of geomagnetic activity, and the influence of temperature was greater than the influence of pressure. Brain strokes were more sensitive to inclement weather than myocardial infarctions. This paper provides quantitative estimates of the expected increases in hospital admissions on the worst days and can help to develop preventive health plans for cardiovascular diseases.     

The Effects of Space and Terrestrial Weather Factors on Arterial Stiffness and Endothelial Function in Humans

A differential evolution algorithm was used to detect the biotropic influence of geomagnetic activity on several parameters of human vascular tone. Studies of the characteristics of vascular tone in healthy volunteers showed that arterial stiffness and endothelial function, as well as blood pressure and heart rate, depend on the geomagnetic and, in most cases, weather conditions. The pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured to characterize the arterial stiffness and was found to be the most sensitive to the effects of space weather parameters. The strength of the effect of geomagnetic activity was for the first time observed to depend on the configuration of terrestrial weather parameters. A linear correlation between the K index of geomagnetic activity and PWV was estimated at r =–0.44 (p = 0.0003), although the relationship was detectable exclusively in the case of certain terrestrial weather parameters. Endothelial dysfunction and the pulse-rate response to variations in geomagnetic activity implicated nitrogen monoxide in body adaptation to variations in geomagnetic activity.

     

Gender differences in weather sensitivity of normal adult people detected in rheoencephalograms and electroencephalograms

In the real-life environment, the subjectively unperceived reactivity of rheoencephalogram (REG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) to ordinary geophysical factors (including wind, atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, and temperature) is gender-dependent. Correlations between REG and EEG values and weather fluctuations are more frequent and stronger in men. Dependence of EEG rhythms on weather factors increases as the rhythmic activity within the δ–θ–α–β range becomes more rapid. This pattern is particularly evident in men but not women. Reactivity of neurodynamic parameters in female REG and EEG is responsive to the ovarian-menstrual cycle. Almost all cases of cerebral weather sensitivity of women were objectified in the post-ovulatory period, whereas in the preovulatory period, episodes of weather sensitivity were few.     

Effects of outdoor temperature on changes in physiological variables before and after lunch in healthy women

Previous studies of autonomic nervous system responses before and after eating when controlling patient conditions and room temperature have provided inconsistent results. We hypothesized that several physiological parameters reflecting autonomic activity are affected by outdoor temperature before and after a meal. We measured the following physiological variables before and after a fixed meal in 53 healthy Japanese women: skin temperature, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, salivary amylase, blood glucose, heart rate, and heart rate variability. We assessed satiety before and after lunch using a visual analog scale (100 mm). We recorded outdoor temperature, atmospheric pressure, and relative humidity. Skin temperature rose significantly 1 h after eating (greater in cold weather) (P?=?0.008). Cold weather markedly influenced changes in diastolic blood pressure before (P?=?0.017) and after lunch (P?=?0.013). Fasting salivary amylase activity increased significantly in cold weather but fell significantly after lunch (significantly greater in cold weather) (P?=?0.007). Salivary amylase was significantly associated with cold weather, low atmospheric pressure, and low relative humidity 30 min after lunch (P?P?=?0.001). The decreased low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio, increased Δ LF/HF ratio, and increased Δ salivary amylase activity imply that cold outdoor temperature is associated with dominant parasympathetic activity after lunch. Our results clarify the relationship between environmental factors, food intake, and autonomic system and physiological variables, which helps our understanding of homeostasis and metabolism.     

Influence of weather conditions on activity of tropical snakes

Abstract There are many anecdotal reports of massive day‐to‐day variation in activity levels of tropical reptiles and amphibians, and intuition suggests that weather conditions may be responsible for much of that variation. Our analysis of a large data set on the activity levels of tropical snakes and frogs confirms the existence of this short‐term variation in activity levels, reveals strong synchrony between sympatric taxa in this respect, but also shows that standard weather variables (temperature, humidity, precipitation, moonlight, atmospheric pressure) are surprisingly poor at predicting the numbers of individuals and species encountered during standardized surveys. We recorded the numbers of snakes and prey taxa (frogs) encountered on 349 nights over the course of one year on a 1.3‐km transect in the Adelaide River floodplain, in the wet–dry tropics of Australia. Frogs, water pythons (Liasis fuscus), slatey‐grey snakes (Stegonotus cucullatus) and keelbacks (Tropidonophis mairii) all showed strongly seasonal patterns of activity. After adjusting for seasonal differences, encounter rates were related to climatic conditions but different taxa responded to different weather variables. Water python activity was related to amount of moonlight, keelback activity was related to temperature, and frog activity was related to relative humidity, rainfall, temperature and moonlight. However, weather variables explained relatively little of the variation in activity levels. Strong synchrony was evident among encounter rates with various taxa (independent of season and weather conditions), suggesting that activity levels may be determined by other unmeasured factors.     

Correlations of life-span variation parameters in 128 successive generations of Drosophila melanogaster with changes in atmospheric pressure and geomagnetic activity

Correlations between the parameters of life-span (LS) distribution of Drosophila melanogaster, including mean LS (MLS) and the time of 10 and 90% population mortality, and some geophysical parameters that are usually beyond the control of researchers dealing with laboratory cultures, including atmospheric pressure, solar activity indices (Wolfs sunspot numbers and 2,800-MHz radio flux), and geomagnetic activity (planetary index, K_p), were studied. Geophysical data were obtained from free-access official web sites of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration of the US Department of Commerce and the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism and Radiowave Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The geophysical parameters were calculated only for the period corresponding to 10 days of preimaginal development of the flies from egg to imago. Canonical correlation analysis, calculation of the non-parametric Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients, and graphical data analysis were used. Highly significant correlations between parameters of LS distribution in males and females and environmental factors, such as the atmospheric pressure on the 4th and 5th day of development and geomagnetic activity indices (K_p) on the 6th and 10th day of development were found, with correlation coefficients varying from 0.31 to 0.37 (P<0.02). Assuming a causal relationship between geophysical factors and LS, it may be hypothesized that energetically weak environmental factors determine the formation of LS oscillatory dynamics in laboratory populations. The possible mechanisms underlying the contribution of these environmental factors to the LS variation in successive generations are discussed.     

Lag responses in mood reports to changes in the weather matrix

Correlations were calculated between daily self-evaluated mood reports (4 reports/day) of 10 student subjects and 10 meteorological-geophysical variables over a 90-day period. The variables included mean and/or change measures of temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, sunshine hours, wind speeds and global geomagnetic activity. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the weather matrix used could account for not more than 35% of the mood variance on the day of the evaluation. Lag correlations over the previous week clearly indicated a greater number of significant correlations between mood reports and weather of the previous two days. The mean correlation coefficient was 0.27. In general, "lower moods" were associated with fewer sunshine hours, higher relative humidity, and smaller humidity variations than "higher moods". It was concluded that mood reports can show weak responsivity to antecedent weather fluctuations.     

Seasonal Variations in Atmospheric Pressure,Partial Oxygen Density,and Geomagnetic Activity as Additional Synchronizers of Circannual Rhythms

Biophysics - Abstract—The seasonal dynamics of atmospheric pressure and geomagnetic activity in the regions with different climates were analyzed to calculate the seasonal variations in the...     

Weather conditions determine attenuation and speed of sound: Environmental limitations for monitoring and analyzing bat echolocation

Echolocating bats are regularly studied to investigate auditory‐guided behaviors and as important bioindicators. Bioacoustic monitoring methods based on echolocation calls are increasingly used for risk assessment and to ultimately inform conservation strategies for bats. As echolocation calls transmit through the air at the speed of sound, they undergo changes due to atmospheric and geometric attenuation. Both the speed of sound and atmospheric attenuation, however, are variable and determined by weather conditions, particularly temperature and relative humidity. Changing weather conditions thus cause variation in analyzed call parameters, limiting our ability to detect, and correctly analyze bat calls. Here, I use real‐world weather data to exemplify the effect of varying weather conditions on the acoustic properties of air. I then present atmospheric attenuation and speed of sound for the global range of weather conditions and bat call frequencies to show their relative effects. Atmospheric attenuation is a nonlinear function of call frequency, temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure. While atmospheric attenuation is strongly positively correlated with call frequency, it is also significantly influenced by temperature and relative humidity in a complex nonlinear fashion. Variable weather conditions thus result in variable and unknown effects on the recorded call, affecting estimates of call frequency and intensity, particularly for high frequencies. Weather‐induced variation in speed of sound reaches up to about ±3%, but is generally much smaller and only relevant for acoustic localization methods of bats. The frequency‐ and weather‐dependent variation in atmospheric attenuation has a threefold effect on bioacoustic monitoring of bats: It limits our capability (1) to monitor bats equally across time, space, and species, (2) to correctly measure frequency parameters of bat echolocation calls, particularly for high frequencies, and (3) to correctly identify bat species in species‐rich assemblies or for sympatric species with similar call designs.     

大气环流特征量的水稻白背飞虱发生程度预报模型的研究

根据500hPa大气环流特征量能表征天气形势和控制天气条件的这一特性,利用线性及单调曲线相关与最优化因子相关两种技术对环流特征量因子进行普查、对比分析,发现白背飞虱虫情指标与环流因子之间关系不仅是线性及几种单调曲线的关系,而且还存在非线性、非单调的单峰(谷)型的相关关系,并从中挑选一批与水稻白背飞虱虫情指标相关极其显著、稳定性强、因子间相互独立、可靠的大气环流特征量作为预报因子,在此基础上,建立了江苏省水稻白背飞虱虫情指标预报的环流模型,且还证实了模型中的环流因子与影响白背飞虱迁入、发生发展的气象条件呈显著相关关系,为预报白背飞虱发生程度提供了新的长期因子和新途径。     

The regulation of activity in populations of the terrestrial slugLimax maximus (Gastropoda; Limacidae)

The activity of the slug Limax maximus was studied in relation to weather. Three hundred-and-fifty-eight hourly observations of activity and weather were made on 21 nights from May until October, 1976. Factors causally important to molluscan activity were included in a step-down correlation-regression analysis of daily and seasonal behavior. The analysis was also performed using weather data from the previous hourly observation. Models using lag-weather did not explain as much variability as did concurrent weather. The regression models explained about 73% to 87% of the observed variation in activity. The most important factors included in the regression models were time of day (circadian rhythm), light intensity, changes in light intensity and surface temperature. Shelter temperature, temperature gradients, length of the night, and time of sunset were also included in some models. Age and hydration were shown to be key factors in other experiments. A model incorporating weather thresholds estimated from field data explained 83.06% of the variability in the activity of L. maximus over the season. The values predicted from the model did not differ significantly from those actually observed in the field (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, p>0.50).     

Weather impacts on leisure activities in Halifax,Nova Scotia

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of daily atmospheric weather conditions on daily leisure activity engagement, with a focus on physically active leisure. The methods capitalize on time diary data that were collected in Halifax, Nova Scotia to calculate objective measures of leisure activity engagement. Daily meteorological data from Environment Canada and daily sunrise and sunset times from the National Research Council of Canada are used to develop objective measures of the natural atmospheric environment. The time diary data were merged with the meteorological data in order to quantify the statistical association between daily weather conditions and the type, participation rate, frequency, and duration of leisure activity engagement. The results indicate that inclement and uncomfortable weather conditions, especially relating to thermal comfort and mechanical comfort, pose barriers to physically active leisure engagement, while promoting sedentary and home-based leisure activities. Overall, daily weather conditions exhibit modest, but significant, effects on leisure activity engagement; the strongest associations being for outdoor active sports and outdoor active leisure time budgets. In conclusion, weather conditions influence the type, participation rate, frequency, and duration of leisure activity engagement, which is an important consideration for health-promotion programming.     

Space radiation enhancement linked to geomagnetic disturbances.

Space radiation dosimetry measurements have been made on board the Space Shuttle. A newly developed active detector called "Real-time Radiation Monitoring Device (RRMD)" was used (Doke et al., 1995; Hayashi et al., 1995). The RRMD results indicate that low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) particles steadily penetrate around the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) without clear enhancement of dose equivalent and some daily periodic enhancements of dose equivalent due to high LET particles are seen at the lower geomagnetic cutoff regions (Doke et al., 1996). We also have been analyzing the space weather during the experiment, and found that the anomalous high-energy particle enhancement was linked to geomagnetic disturbance due to the high speed solar wind from a coronal hole. Additional analysis and other experiments are necessary for clarification of these phenomena. If a penetration of high-energy particles into the low altitude occurs by common geomagnetic disturbances, the prediction of geomagnetic activity becomes more important in the next Space Station's era.     

Day time wheel running activity in laboratory rats following geomagnetic event of 5–6 July 1974

Albino laboratory rats that were given free access to running wheels while maintained on a 12:12 h L:D schedule were observed to display marked increases in day cycle activity following an unusually intense geomagnetic storm. The activity changes were not immediate but peaked one day to several days after the storm. Two less intense geomagnetic storm conditions during the 51 day observation period were associated with less marked activity increases. Ambient room temperature fluctuations were not significantly correlated with either geomagnetic activity or day cycle activity measures.     

Auditory exostoses as an aquatic activity marker: a comparison of coastal and inland skeletal remains from tropical and subtropical regions of Brazil

Auditory exostoses are bone masses located in the external auditory canal. Currently, most researchers agree that the environment (especially water temperature, but also atmospheric temperature and wind action) plays a pivotal role in the development of this trait. This article discusses whether the presence of auditory exostoses can be used as an aquatic activity marker in bioarchaeological studies, especially in groups that inhabited tropical and subtropical regions. We analyzed 676 skeletons (5,000 years BP to historical times) from 27 coastal and inland native Brazilian groups. Very low frequencies of auditory exostoses were found in the inland groups (0.00-0.03), but the expected high frequency of auditory exostoses in the coastal groups was not always observed (0.00-0.56). These differences might be explained by the combination of water and atmospheric temperatures in conjunction with wind effects. In areas with mild atmospheric temperatures and wind chill factors, the coastal populations analyzed do not show high frequencies of auditory exostoses. However, high frequencies of auditory exostoses develop where cold atmospheric temperatures are further lowered by strong wind chill. Therefore, the association between aquatic activities, low atmospheric temperature, and wind chill is strongly correlated with the presence of auditory exostoses, but where these environmental factors are mild, the frequencies of auditory exostoses are not necessarily high. Concluding, auditory exostoses should be cautiously used as a marker of aquatic activity in bioarchaeological studies in tropical and subtropical regions, since these activities do not always result in the presence of this trait.     

四川盆地北部山区中华蜜蜂活动气象指数构建及应用

基于四川盆地北部山区(简称四川盆北山区)2个地面气象观测站的气象资料和1个中华蜜蜂核心保护区的产量资料以及中华蜜蜂的生态特征和活动规律,分析了区内中华蜜蜂的气候生态适宜性;并以气温、水分、光照、风力和天气状况为影响指标,参考生活气象指数,构建四川盆北山区中华蜜蜂活动气象指数和年景评价分级计算方法。结果表明: 影响研究区中华蜜蜂活动的主要气象因子有气温、空气相对湿度、日照时数、风力和白天降水累计时长,其中,气温和白天降水累计时长是影响中华蜜蜂活动的主要限制性气象因子。通过这5个指标因子的不同取值组合,构建中华蜜蜂活动气象指数并进行分级评价:当指数＞12时,天气条件好,适宜中华蜜蜂活动;当指数为7～12时,天气条件一般,较适宜中华蜜蜂活动;当指数为1～7时,天气条件较差,中华蜜蜂活动明显减少;当指数≤1时,天气条件差,不适宜中华蜜蜂活动或处于越冬期。运用该指数对中山蜂场进行气候评价,多年(4—10月)平均综合气象指数为129.3(评分60.4),总体气象条件良好,“土蜂蜜”单产与年度综合气象指数显著相关,气象年景评价准确率90%。     

Recommendations for a medical-meteorologic prognosis for hemophilia]

A one year lasting study about the relation between bleedings in haemophiliacs and weather was performed. There had been included 1802 bleeding events. The influence of meteorologic factors to bleeding was proved. The influx of warm air proved inopportune. The decrease in atmospheric pressure as well as winter cold fronts lead to increase of bleeding tendency. Haemophiliacs should avoid physical and psychical stress in such unconvenient atmospheric situations. The replacement therapy should be adapted to the weather situation.     

Atmospheric pressure and suicide attempts in Helsinki,Finland

The influence of weather on mood and mental health is commonly debated. Furthermore, studies concerning weather and suicidal behavior have given inconsistent results. Our aim was to see if daily weather changes associate with the number of suicide attempts in Finland. All suicide attempts treated in the hospitals in Helsinki, Finland, during two separate periods, 8 years apart, were included. Altogether, 3,945 suicide attempts were compared with daily weather parameters and analyzed with a Poisson regression. We found that daily atmospheric pressure correlated statistically significantly with the number of suicide attempts, and for men the correlation was negative. Taking into account the seasonal normal value during the period 1971–2000, daily temperature, global solar radiation and precipitation did not associate with the number of suicide attempts on a statistically significant level in our study. We concluded that daily atmospheric pressure may have an impact on suicidal behavior, especially on suicide attempts of men by violent methods (P < 0.001), and may explain the clustering of suicide attempts. Men seem to be more vulnerable to attempt suicide under low atmospheric pressure and women under high atmospheric pressure. We show only statistical correlations, which leaves the exact mechanisms of interaction between weather and suicidal behavior open. However, suicidal behavior should be assessed from the point of view of weather in addition to psychiatric and social aspects.     

The estimation of population density of the green rice leafhopper,Nephotettix cinticeps Uhler,in spring field by the capture recapture method

The population parameters of green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix cincticeps in hibernated generation was estimated by the capture-recapture method on the gramineous weeds of resting paddy field from late in April to mid-May, 1962–1965. The difficulty of applying the capture-recapture method to this insect is caused from the low density and the low activity of the leafhopper, so that it is necessary to make the suitable plan of capture-recapture series and to construct the special method to detect the population parameters. The number of adults differed greatly among the years and among the plots in the same year. But, in general, the density was relatively high late in April, and decreased rapidly in May. The number of males was higher than that of females late in April, but decreased rapidly to become lower in May. The sampling efficiency with sweep-net depends upon the many factors, such as weather and floristic conditions; especially the atmospheric temperature and the force of wind are considered to affect greatly to the efficiency. In general, low temperature and strong wind are the cause of low sampling efficiency.