Seasonal and circadian changes in activity rates of adult farm blue foxes

Selostus: Tarhattujen sinikettujen vuodenaikainen ja vuorokautinen aktiivisuus

The dynamic adjustment of local government budgets : Does Spain behave differently?

[spa] El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar si los municipios españoles se ajustan en presencia de un shock presupuestario y (si es así) qué elementos del presupuesto son los que realizan el ajuste. La metodología utilizada para contestar estas preguntas es un mecanismo de corrección del error, VECM, que estimamos con un panel de datos de los municipios españoles durante el período 1988-2006. Nuestros resultados confirman que, en primer lugar, los municipios se ajustan en presencia de un shock fiscal (es decir, el déficit es estacionario en el largo plazo). En segundo lugar, obtenemos que cuando el shock afecta a los ingresos el ajuste lo soporta principalmente el municipio reduciendo el gasto, las transferencias tienen un papel muy reducido en este proceso de ajuste. Por el contrario, cuando el shock afecta al gasto, el ajuste es compartido en términos similares entre el municipio – incrementado los impuestos – y los gobiernos de niveles superiores – incrementando las transferencias. Estos resultados sugieren que la viabilidad de las finanzas pública locales es factible con diferentes entornos institucionales.

The adjustment of energy expenditure and oxidation to energy intake: the role of carbohydrate and fat balance.

Evidence is accumulating that total body mass and its relative composition influence the rate of fat utilization in man. This effect can be explained by two factors operating in concert: (i) the effect of the size of the tissue mass and (ii) the nature of the fuel mix oxidized, i.e. the proportion of energy derived from fat vs. carbohydrate. In a cross-sectional study of 307 women with increasing degrees of obesity, we observed that the respiratory quotient (RQ) in post-absorptive conditions became progressively lower with increased body fatness, indicating a shift in substrate utilization. However, the RQ is known to be also influenced by the diet commonly ingested by the subjects. A short-term mixed diet overfeeding in lean and obese women has also demonstrated the high sensitivity of RQ to changes in energy balance. Following a one-day overfeeding (2500 kcal/day in excess of the previous 24 h energy expenditure), the magnitude of increase in RQ was identical in lean and obese subjects and the net efficiency of substrate utilization and storage was not influenced by the state of obesity.

Environmental sex reversal, Trojan sex genes, and sex ratio adjustment: conditions and population consequences.

Abstract The great diversity of sex determination mechanisms in animals and plants ranges from genetic sex determination (GSD, e.g. mammals, birds, and most dioecious plants) to environmental sex determination (ESD, e.g. many reptiles) and includes a mixture of both, for example when an individual's genetically determined sex is environmentally reversed during ontogeny (ESR, environmental sex reversal, e.g. many fish and amphibia). ESD and ESR can lead to widely varying and unstable population sex ratios. Populations exposed to conditions such as endocrine-active substances or temperature shifts may decline over time due to skewed sex ratios, a scenario that may become increasingly relevant with greater anthropogenic interference on watercourses. Continuous exposure of populations to factors causing ESR could lead to the extinction of genetic sex factors and may render a population dependent on the environmental factors that induce the sex change. However, ESR also presents opportunities for population management, especially if the Y or W chromosome is not, or not severely, degenerated. This seems to be the case in many amphibians and fish. Population growth or decline in such species can potentially be controlled through the introduction of so-called Trojan sex genes carriers, individuals that possess sex chromosomes or genes opposite from what their phenotype predicts. Here, we review the conditions for ESR, its prevalence in natural populations, the resulting physiological and reproductive consequences, and how these may become instrumental for population management.

Seasonal dependence in the solar neutrino flux

Mikheyev-Smirnov-Wolfenstein (MSW) solutions of the solar neutrino problem predict a seasonal dependence of the zenith angle distribution of the event rates, due to the nonzero latitude at the Super-Kamiokande site. We calculate this seasonal dependence and compare it with the expectations in the no-oscillation case as well as just-so scenario, in the light of the latest Super-Kamiokande 708-day data. The seasonal dependence can be sizable in the large mixing angle MSW solution and would be correlated with the day-night effect. This may be used to discriminate between MSW and just-so scenarios and should be taken into account in refined fits of the data.

Effect of different potassium sources on the seasonal variation of potassium and free polyamines in scots pine needles

Summary

Seasonal changes in platform use by adult farmbred silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes)

Selostus: Aikuisten hopeakettujen hyllynkäytön vuodenaikaisvaihtelut

Evaluation of physical quality indices of a soil under a seasonal semideciduous forest

The concept of soil quality is currently the subject of great discussion due to the interaction of soil with the environment (soil-plant-atmosphere) and practices of human intervention. However, concepts of soil quality relate quality to agricultural productivity, but assessment of soil quality in an agronomic context may be different from its assessment in natural areas. The aim of this study was to assess physical quality indices, the S index, soil aeration capacity (ACt/Pt), and water storage capacity (FC/Pt) of the soil from a permanent plot in the Caetetus Ecological Reserve (Galia, São Paulo, Brazil) under a seasonal semideciduous forest and compare them with the reference values for soil physical quality found in the literature. Water retention curves were used for that purpose. The S values found were higher than the proposed limit for soil physical quality (0.035). The A and E horizons showed the highest values because their sandy texture leads to a high slope of the water retention curve. The B horizons showed the lowest S values because their natural density leads to a lower slope of the water retention curve. The values found for ACt/Pt and FC/Pt were higher and lower than the idealized limits. The values obtained from these indices under natural vegetation can provide reference values for soils with similar properties that undergo changes due to anthropic activities. All the indices evaluated were effective in differentiating the effects of soil horizons in the natural hydro-physical functioning of the soils under study.

Seasonal changes in 24-h and basal energy expenditures in rural Gambian men as measured in a respiration chamber.

Adaptation of 24-h energy expenditure (24-h EE) to seasonal variations in food availability was studied, by using a respiration chamber, in 18 rural Gambian men on three occasions: period 1--at the end of the rainy season, which is characterized by low food availability; period 2--during the nutritionally favorable dry season; and period 3--at the onset of the following rainy season. From periods 1 to 2 body weight increased by 2.8 +/- 0.4 kg, and a rise in 24-h EE was observed (from 8556 +/- 212 kJ/d to 9166 +/- 224 kJ/d), which was correlated to weight change (r = 0.73, P less than 0.001). During period 3, 24-h EE averaged 8740 +/- 194 kJ/d. Diet-induced thermogenesis increased significantly from periods 1 to 2 (5.9 +/- 0.5% to 8.2 +/- 0.8%) and subsequently decreased to 3.6 +/- 0.6% during period 3. In rural Gambian men, metabolic adaptations in response to seasonal changes in food availability are reflected by a decrease in body weight, mainly manifested by a loss of fat-free mass accompanied by a decreased 24-h EE and a lowered diet-induced thermogenesis.

Lack of seasonal variation in cardiovascular mortality in a country near the equator

Introduction: Mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) varies according to seasons in countries that are located far away from the equator, likely linked to concomitant seasonal variation in underlying CVD risk factors. We assessed temporal variation in CVD mortality in the Seychelles, a small island state situated near the equator and where the climate is virtually constant throughout the year. Seychelles is one of the few countries located near the equator where all deaths are registered. Methods: We recoded all deaths along broad causes, including CVD (n=5643), stroke (2112) and myocardial infarction (MI, 804). Stroke and MI were considered as the cause of death if the diagnosis appeared in any of the four fields for underlying causes of death in the death certificates. In view of the small size of the population, we pooled all deaths (n=13'163) between 1989 and 2010. Results: Mortality for all CVD, stroke and MI did not systematically vary according to month or season (chi square >0.05). A lack of variation was also observed within sex and age categories. Conclusion: The lack of seasonal variation in CVD mortality in a country located near the equator is consistent with the hypothesis that seasonal variation in CVD decreases along decreasing a country's latitude.

Estimation of soil nitrate in the spring as a basis for adjustment of nitrogen fertiliser rates

Selostus: Maassa olevan nitraattitypen arviointi simulointimallin avulla