Características e fatores associados às quedas atendidas em serviços de emergência

OBJETIVO: Analisar as características dos atendimentos decorrentes de quedas em serviços de urgência e emergência e identificar fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 12.617 atendimentos decorrentes de quedas registrados no Sistema de Vigilância de Violências e Acidentes, coletados em 23 capitais e Distrito Federal, de setembro a novembro de 2009, por meio de uma amostra por conglomerado. Foi utilizada a técnica de análise de correspondência, por permitir a observação conjunta de um grande número de variáveis qualitativas. RESULTADOS: A maior parte das vítimas foi do sexo masculino (56,5%), faixa etária de 0 a 19 anos (45,7%) e declarados não brancos (62,2%). A maioria das quedas ocorreu na residência (54,6%) e via pública (17,4%); 14,3% foram relacionadas ao trabalho. Os tipos predominantes foram "queda no mesmo nível" (57,0%) e "queda de escada/degrau" (15,6%). A maioria das lesões foi classificada como entorse, luxação, contusão, corte e laceração (68,3%). Quedas dentre as crianças associaram-se à ocorrência na residência; com os adolescentes na escola; e jovens na prática esportiva. Quedas em adultos estiveram associadas ao local de trabalho, queda de andaimes, telhados, escada/degrau e buracos e uso de álcool. As quedas no mesmo nível resultaram em lesões de menor gravidade, em membros inferiores e superiores, e as quedas de andaime e telhado se associaram com lesões de maior gravidade e internações. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados mostram que estratégias para a prevenção das quedas devem ser implantadas particularmente em residências, escolas e ambientes de trabalho.

The Ecological Basis for Biogeographic Classification: an Example in Orchid Bees (Apidae: Euglossini)

Biogeography has been difficult to apply as a methodological approach because organismic biology is incomplete at levels where the process of formulating comparisons and analogies is complex. The study of insect biogeography became necessary because insects possess numerous evolutionary traits and play an important role as pollinators. Among insects, the euglossine bees, or orchid bees, attract interest because the study of their biology allows us to explain important steps in the evolution of social behavior and many other adaptive tradeoffs. We analyzed the distribution of morphological characteristics in Colombian orchid bees from an ecological perspective. The aim of this study was to observe the distribution of these attributes on a regional basis. Data corresponding to Colombian euglossine species were ordered with a correspondence analysis and with subsequent hierarchical clustering. Later, and based on community proprieties, we compared the resulting hierarchical model with the collection localities to seek to identify a biogeographic classification pattern. From this analysis, we derived a model that classifies the territory of Colombia into 11 biogeographic units or natural clusters. Ecological assumptions in concordance with the derived classification levels suggest that species characteristics associated with flight performance, nectar uptake, and social behavior are the factors that served to produce the current geographical structure.

Dynamics of phytoplankton associations in three reservoirs in northeastern Brazil assessed using Reynolds' theory

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of seasonality on the behavior of phytoplankton associations in eutrophic reservoirs with different depths in northeastern Brazil. Five collections were carried out at each of the reservoirs at two depths (0.1 m and near the sediment) at three-month intervals in each season (dry and rainy). The phytoplankton samples were preserved in Lugol's solution and quantified under an inverted microscope for the determination of density values, which were subsequently converted to biomass values based on cellular biovolume and classified in phytoplankton associations. The following abiotic variables were analyzed: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, water transparency, total phosphorus, total dissolved phosphorus, orthophosphate and total nitrogen. The data were investigated using canonical correspondence analysis. The influence of seasonality on the dynamics of the phytoplankton community was lesser in the deeper reservoirs. Depth affected the behavior of the algal associations. Variation in light availability was a determinant of changes in the phytoplankton structure. Urosolenia and Anabaena associations were more abundant in shallow ecosystems with a larger eutrophic zone, whereas the Microcystis association was more related to deep ecosystems with adequate availability of nutrients. The distribution of Cyclotella, Geitlerinema, Planktothrix, Pseudanabaena and Cylindrospermopsis associations was different from that seen in subtropical regions and the substitution of these associations was related to a reduction in the eutrophic zone rather than the mixture zone. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

The Selection Exerted by Oil Contamination on Mangrove Fungal Communities

Mangrove ecosystems are tropical environments that are characterized by the interaction between the land and the sea. As such, this ecosystem is vulnerable to oil spills. Here, we show a culture-independent survey of fungal communities that are found in the sediments of the following two mangroves that are located on the coast of Sao Paulo State (Brazil): (1) an oil-spill-affected mangrove and (2) a nearby unaffected mangrove. Samples were collected from each mangrove forest at three distinct locations (transect from sea to land), and the samples were analyzed by quantitative PCR and internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based PCR-DGGE analysis. The abundance of fungi was found to be higher in the oil-affected mangrove. Visual observation and correspondence analysis (CA) of the ITS-based PCR-DGGE profiles revealed differences in the fungal communities between the sampled areas. Remarkably, the oil-spilled area was quite distinct from the unaffected sampling areas. On the basis of the ITS sequences, fungi that are associated with the Basidiomycota and Ascomycota taxa were most common and belonged primarily to the genera Epicoccum, Nigrospora, and Cladosporium. Moreover, the Nigrospora fungal species were shown to be sensitive to oil, whereas a group that was described as "uncultured Basidiomycota" was found more frequently in oil-contaminated areas. Our results showed an increase in fungal abundance in the oil-polluted mangrove regions, and these data indicated potential fungal candidates for remediation of the oil-affected mangroves.

The importance of landscape structure for seed dispersal in rain forest fragments

Questions What are the main features of the seed rain in a fragmented Atlantic forest landscape? Can seed rain species attributes (life form, dispersal mode, successional status) relate to the spatial arrangement (size and number of fragments, edge density and presence of corridor) of forest fragments in the landscape? How does the rain forest landscape structure affect the seed rain? Location Atlantic rainforest, Sao Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. Methods Seed rain samples were collected monthly throughout 1yr, counted, identified and classified according to species dispersal mode, successional status and life form. Seed rain composition was compared with woody species near the seed traps. Relationships between seed rain composition and landscape spatial arrangement (fragment area, presence of corridor, number of fragments in the surroundings, proximity of fragments, and edge density) were tested using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Results We collected 20142 seeds belonging to 115 taxa, most of them early successional and anemochorous trees. In general, the seed rain had a species composition distinct from that of the nearby forest tree community. Small isolated fragments contained more seeds, mainly of anemochorous, epiphytic and early-successional species; large fragments showed higher association with zoochorous and late-successional species compared to small fragments. The CCA significantly distinguished the species dispersal mode according to fragment size and isolation, anemochorous species being associated to small and isolated fragments, and zoochorous species to larger areas and fragment aggregation. Nevertheless, a gradient driven by proximity (PROX) and edge density (ED) segregated lianas (in the positive extremity), early successional and epiphyte species (in the negative end); large fragments were positively associated to PROX and ED. Conclusions The results highlight the importance of the size and spatial arrangement of forest patches to promote habitat connectivity and improve the flux of animal-dispersed seeds. Landscape structure controls seed fluxes and affects plant dispersal capacity, potentially influencing the composition and structure of forest fragments. The seed rain composition may be used to assess the effects of landscape spatial structure on plant assemblages, and provide relevant information for biodiversity conservation.

Relationship between space distribution of the benthic macroinvertebrates community and trophic state in a Neotropical reservoir (Itupararanga, Brazil)

The purpose of this work was to verify the benthic macroinvertebrates community responses through environmental factors along a headwater tropical reservoir. Samplings were taken with a Van-Veen grab along the reservoir in littoral and profundal regions and in the headwater, next to the dam and the middle of the reservoir. Samples were taken during both wet and dry seasons. Dissolved oxygen concentrations, electric conductivity, temperature and pH near the sediment have been performed in situ, at every sampling station by using a multiprobe and Secchi disc. Total water phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentrations were analyzed to determine the trophic state index. Sediment's organic matter, total phosphorus, nitrogen concentrations and granulometric composition were measured. In order to verify which environmental variables would have more influence over the benthic macroinvertebrates community, a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was performed. The total number of recorded taxa was 28. Among them, the family Chironomidae (Diptera) was the richest group (19 taxa). It can be proposed that the benthic macroinvertebrates community may be influenced by environmental conditions such as nutrient and organic matter availability, as well as dissolved oxygen concentration. Macroinvertebrates are adequate bioindicators of water quality due to their sensibility to environmental changes mentioned before. Chironomus sp, Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Branchiura sowerbyi comprises a group that can be considered bio-indicators of eutrophic conditions. A second group can be considered as indicator of mesotrophic conditions. The presence of two or more members from that group which comprises Tanytarsini spp, Fissimentum sp, Pelomus sp and Goeldichironomus sp, like predominant taxa, may indicates mesotrophic conditions.

Barshalder 1 : A cemetery in Grötlingbo and Fide parishes, Gotland, Sweden, c. AD 1-1100. Excavations and finds 1826-1971

The prehistoric cemetery of Barshalder is located along the main road on the boundary between Grötlingbo and Fide parishes, near the southern end of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The cemetery was used from c. AD 1-1100. The level of publication in Swedish archaeology of the first millennium AD is low compared to, for instance, the British and German examples. Gotland’s rich Iron Age cemeteries have long been intensively excavated, but few have received monographic treatment. This publication is intended to begin filling this gap and to raise the empirical level of the field. It also aims to make explicit and test the often somewhat intuitively conceived results of much previous research. The analyses deal mainly with the Migration (AD 375–540), Vendel (AD 520–790) and Late Viking (AD 1000–1150) Periods. The following lines of inquiry have been prioritised. 1. Landscape history, i.e. placing the cemetery in a landscape-historical context. (Vol. 1, section 2.2.6) 2. Migration Period typochronology, i.e. the study of change in the grave goods. (Vol. 2, chapter 2) 3. Social roles: gender, age and status. (Vol. 2, chapter 3) 4. Religious identity in the 11th century, i.e. the study of religious indicators in mortuary customs and grave goods, with particular emphasis on the relationship between Scandinavian paganism and Christianity.. (Vol. 2, chapter 4) Barshalder is found to have functioned as a central cemetery for the surrounding area, located on peripheral land far away from contemporary settlement, yet placed on a main road along the coast for maximum visibility and possibly near a harbour. Computer supported correspondence analysis and seriation are used to study the gender attributes among the grave goods and the chronology of the burials. New methodology is developed to distinguish gender-neutral attributes from transgressed gender attributes. Sub-gender grouping due to age and status is explored. An independent modern chronology system with rigorous type definitions is established for the Migration Period of Gotland. Recently published chronology systems for the Vendel and Viking Periods are critically reviewed, tested and modified to produce more solid models. Social stratification is studied through burial wealth with a quantitative method, and the results are tested through juxtaposition with several other data types. The Late Viking Period graves of the late 10th and 11th centuries are studied in relation to the contemporary Christian graves at the churchyards. They are found to be symbolically soft-spoken and unobtrusive, with all pagan attributes kept apart from the body in a space between the feet of the deceased and the end of the over-long inhumation trench. A small number of pagan reactionary graves with more forceful symbolism are however also identified. The distribution of different 11th century cemetery types across the island is used to interpret the period’s confessional geography, the scale of social organisation and the degree of allegiance to western and eastern Christianity. 11th century society on Gotland is found to have been characterised by religious tolerance, by an absence of central organisation and by slow piecemeal Christianisation.

Barshalder 2 : Studies of late Iron Age Gotland

The prehistoric cemetery of Barshalder is located along the main road on the boundary between Grötlingbo and Fide parishes, near the southern end of the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The ceme-tery was used from c. AD 1-1100. The level of publication in Swedish archaeology of the first millennium AD is low compared to, for instance, the British and German examples. Gotland’s rich Iron Age cemeteries have long been intensively excavated, but few have received monographic treatment. This publication is intended to begin filling this gap and to raise the empirical level of the field. It also aims to make explicit and test the often somewhat intuitively conceived re-sults of much previous research. The analyses deal mainly with the Migration (AD 375–540), Vendel (AD 520–790) and Late Viking (AD 1000–1150) Periods. The following lines of inquiry have been prioritised. 1. Landscape history, i.e. placing the cemetery in a landscape-historical context. (Vol. 1, section 2.2.6) 2. Migration Period typochronology, i.e. the study of change in the grave goods. (Vol. 2, chapter 2) 3. Social roles: gender, age and status. (Vol. 2, chapter 3) 4. Religious identity in the 11th century, i.e. the study of religious indicators in mortuary cus-toms and grave goods, with particular emphasis on the relationship between Scandinavian paganism and Christianity. (Vol. 2, chapter 4) Barshalder is found to have functioned as a central cemetery for the surrounding area, located on pe-ripheral land far away from contemporary settle-ment, yet placed on a main road along the coast for maximum visibility and possibly near a harbour. Computer supported correspondence analysis and seriation are used to study the gender attributes among the grave goods and the chronology of the burials. New methodology is developed to distin-guish gender-neutral attributes from transgressed gender attributes. Sub-gender grouping due to age and status is explored. An independent modern chronology system with rigorous type definitions is established for the Migration Period of Gotland. Recently published chronology systems for the Vendel and Viking Periods are critically reviewed, tested and modified to produce more solid models. Social stratification is studied through burial wealth with a quantitative method, and the results are tested through juxtaposition with several other data types. The Late Viking Period graves of the late 10th and 11th centuries are studied in relation to the contemporary Christian graves at the churchyards. They are found to be symbolically soft-spoken and unobtrusive, with all pagan attributes kept apart from the body in a space between the feet of the deceased and the end of the over-long inhumation trench. A small number of pagan reactionary graves with more forceful symbolism are however also identified. The distribution of different 11th cen-tury cemetery types across the island is used to in-terpret the period’s confessional geography, the scale of social organisation and the degree of alle-giance to western and eastern Christianity. 11th century society on Gotland is found to have been characterised by religious tolerance, by an absence of central organisation and by slow piecemeal Christianisation.

Dynamics of epithelial monolayers assessed by acoustic and impedimetric whole cell biosensors

Mit der Zielsetzung der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die detailierten Analyse von Migrationsdynamiken epithelilaler Monolayer anhand zweier neuartiger in vitro Biosensoren verfolgt, der elektrischen Zell-Substrat Impedanz Spektroskopie (electrical cell-substrate impedance sensing, ECIS) sowie der Quarz Kristall Mikrowaage (quartz crystal microbalance, QCM). Beide Methoden erwiesen sich als sensitiv gegenüber der Zellmotilität und der Nanozytotoxizität.rnInnerhalb des ersten Projektes wurde ein Fingerprinting von Krebszellen anhand ihrer Motilitätsdynamiken und der daraus generierten elektrischen oder akkustischen Fluktuationen auf ECIS oder QCM Basis vorgenommen; diese Echtzeitsensoren wurdene mit Hilfe klassicher in vitro Boyden-Kammer Migrations- und Invasions-assays validiert. Fluktuationssignaturen, also Langzeitkorrelationen oder fraktale Selbstähnlichkeit aufgrund der kollektiven Zellbewegung, wurden über Varianz-, Fourier- sowie trendbereinigende Fluktuationsanalyse quantifiziert. Stochastische Langzeitgedächtnisphänomene erwiesen sich als maßgebliche Beiträge zur Antwort adhärenter Zellen auf den QCM und ECIS-Sensoren. Des weiteren wurde der Einfluss niedermolekularer Toxine auf die Zytoslelettdynamiken verfolgt: die Auswirkungen von Cytochalasin D, Phalloidin und Blebbistatin sowie Taxol, Nocodazol und Colchicin wurden dabei über die QCM und ECIS Fluktuationsanalyse erfasst.rnIn einem zweiten Projektschwerpunkt wurden Adhäsionsprozesse sowie Zell-Zell und Zell-Substrat Degradationsprozesse bei Nanopartikelgabe charackterisiert, um ein Maß für Nanozytotoxizität in Abhangigkeit der Form, Funktionalisierung Stabilität oder Ladung der Partikel zu erhalten.rnAls Schlussfolgerung ist zu nennen, dass die neuartigen Echtzeit-Biosensoren QCM und ECIS eine hohe Zellspezifität besitzen, auf Zytoskelettdynamiken reagieren sowie als sensitive Detektoren für die Zellvitalität fungieren können.

B3a km 19 - ein linienbandkeramischer Fundplatz bei Friedberg, Wetteraukreis

Durch den Straßenbau an der Bundesstraße B3a veranlasst, wurden im Zeitraum vom 13.08.2007 bis zum 07.12.2007 archäologische Untersuchungen im Bereich der Streckenkilometer 19 bis 22 durch die Firma Archbau Essen, unter Kontrolle des Landesamtes für Denkmalpflege Hessen und der Kreisarchäologie Wetteraukreis durchgeführt. Bei km 19 wurde dabei eine Siedlung mit angrenzendem Gräberfeld aus der Linienbandkeramik (im Folgenden als LBK bezeichnet) festgestellt. Daneben ergaben sich eine Bestattung und ein Erdwerk der Michelsberger Kultur, Grubenkomplexe und ein Bronzehort aus der Urnenfelderkultur sowie eine mittelalterliche Straße.Heute liegt die Fundstelle Friedberg B3a km 19 in der südlichen Wetterau 30 km nördlich von Frankfurt am Main in Hessen an der Wetter 140 m über NN und gehört zum Wetteraukreis. rnDie 21 ha messende Ausgrabungsfläche umfasste insgesamt 344 Befunde. Die Identifikation der bandkeramischen Strukturen erfolgte hierbei vorwiegend durch die vergesellschaftete Keramik. Von zentraler Bedeutung sind die fünf Hausgrundrisse A bis E im nördlichen Sektor der Fundstelle, wobei die Präsenz zahlreicher „Dreipfostenriegel“ sowie die Nordost-Südwest Ausrichtung der Strukturen als Belege für eine Zeitstellung innerhalb der LBK angesehen werden. Über die Korrespondenzanalyse der bei den Siedlungsstrukturen angetroffenen Keramik konnte darüber hinaus eine Abfolge von Hausgenerationen erstellt werden. Daneben existierten eine Reihe weiterer Befunde von LBK-zeitlichen Pfostenstellungen, bei denen es sich um Zäune oder Palisaden gehandelt haben könnte. Südwestlich dieser Hausgrundrisse wurde bei den Ausgrabungen eine Grabenstruktur geschnitten, für die eine Funktion als Einfassung der bandkeramischen Siedlungsstrukturen möglich ist. Südlich dieser Grabenstruktur konnten sechs Hockerbestattungen der LBK festgestellt werden. Die räumliche Anordnung im Bereich der westlichen Grabungsgrenze lässt den Schluss zu, dass es sich hierbei um ein Gräberfeld handelt, welches bisher nur zu einem geringen Teil ergraben wurde. Ein Zusammenhang zu den Hausgrundrissen A bis E kann erwogen werden. Der nördliche Sektor der Fundstelle umfasste außerdem zahlreiche Grubenbefunde der LBK sowie einige Grubenkomplexe, wobei letztere als Lehmentnahmegruben anzusprechen sind. Abschließend soll hier noch auf die Existenz zweier bandkeramischer Öfen, darunter ein Grubenofen, im Südosten von Friedberg B3a km 19 hingewiesen werden. rnDen mit Abstand größten Anteil am bandkeramischen Fundmaterial aus Friedberg B3 km 19 hatte die Keramik mit 3428 Elementen. An Steingeräten konnten nur 12 Silices sowie 4 Beile und 14 Mahlsteine über die Typologie und die vergesellschaftete Keramik in die LBK eingeordnet werden. Bei den Knochengeräten zeigte sich ein einzelner beschädigter Kamm. Der Fokus der Analysen des bandkeramischen Fundmaterials aus Friedberg B3a km 19 lag auf der Keramik und deren Auswertung innerhalb von Seriation und Korrespondenzanalyse. Um den Untersuchungen mehr Validität zu verleihen und eine optimale Einordnung zu erreichen, wurden die Keramik-Daten aus Friedberg B3a km 19 mit anderen Datensätzen aus Südhessen kombiniert. Dabei war nicht nur die räumliche Nähe der Fundstellen entscheidend, sondern auch die stilistisch-typologische Nähe der Inventare. In Friedberg B3a km 19 waren die Phasen nach Meier-Arendt von einem frühen III bis zum Ende der Phase V anwesend. Phase II kann nur als marginal angesprochen werden. Es ließ sich kein Übergang zum Mittelneolithikum fassen. Nach der Interpretation aller relativchronologischer Daten könnte es sich in Friedberg B3a km 19 um eine Hausentwicklung mit sieben Phasen à 25 Jahren über 175 bis zu 200 Jahren handeln, die eine kontinuierliche Belegung des Platzes von der mittleren bis zum Ende der jüngsten LBK beschreibt. Insgesamt pflegt sich die Fundstelle Friedberg B3a km 19 so in die bandkeramische Siedlungslandschaft der südlichen Wetterau ein.

Correlation properties of spontaneous motor activity in healthy infants: a new computer-assisted method to evaluate neurological maturation

Qualitative assessment of spontaneous motor activity in early infancy is widely used in clinical practice. It enables the description of maturational changes of motor behavior in both healthy infants and infants who are at risk for later neurological impairment. These assessments are, however, time-consuming and are dependent upon professional experience. Therefore, a simple physiological method that describes the complex behavior of spontaneous movements (SMs) in infants would be helpful. In this methodological study, we aimed to determine whether time series of motor acceleration measurements at 40-44 weeks and 50-55 weeks gestational age in healthy infants exhibit fractal-like properties and if this self-affinity of the acceleration signal is sensitive to maturation. Healthy motor state was ensured by General Movement assessment. We assessed statistical persistence in the acceleration time series by calculating the scaling exponent α via detrended fluctuation analysis of the time series. In hand trajectories of SMs in infants we found a mean α value of 1.198 (95 % CI 1.167-1.230) at 40-44 weeks. Alpha changed significantly (p = 0.001) at 50-55 weeks to a mean of 1.102 (1.055-1.149). Complementary multilevel regression analysis confirmed a decreasing trend of α with increasing age. Statistical persistence of fluctuation in hand trajectories of SMs is sensitive to neurological maturation and can be characterized by a simple parameter α in an automated and observer-independent fashion. Future studies including children at risk for neurological impairment should evaluate whether this method could be used as an early clinical screening tool for later neurological compromise.

Vegetation and hydrologic influences on carbon and nitrogen in subsurface water of a forested riparian wetland

Vegetation communities affect carbon and nitrogen dynamics in the subsurface water of mineral wetlands through the quality of their litter, their uptake of nutrients, root exudation and their effects on redox potential. However, vegetation influence on subsurface nutrient dynamics is often overshadowed by the influences of hydrology, soils and geology on nutrient dynamics. The effects of vegetation communities on carbon and nitrogen dynamics are important to consider when managing land that may change vegetation type or quantity so that wetland ecosystem functions can be retained. This study was established to determine the magnitude of the influences and interaction of vegetation cover and hydrology, in the form of water table fluctuations, on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a northern forested riparian wetland. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) concentrations were collected from a piezometer network in four different vegetation communities and were found to show complex responses to vegetation cover and water table fluctuations. Dissolved organic carbon, DIC, NO3- and NH4+ concentrations were influenced by forest vegetation cover. Both NO3- and NH4+ were also influenced by water table fluctuations. However, for DOC and NH4+ concentrations there appeared to be more complex interactions than were measured by this study. The results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not correspond in relationship to the significance of vegetation communities. Dissolved inorganic carbon was influenced by an interaction between vegetation cover and water table fluctuations. More hydrological information is needed to make stronger conclusions about the relationship between vegetation and hydrology in controlling carbon and nitrogen dynamics in a forested riparian wetland.

Long-range correlations in rectal temperature fluctuations of healthy infants during maturation

BACKGROUND: Control of breathing, heart rate, and body temperature are interdependent in infants, where instabilities in thermoregulation can contribute to apneas or even life-threatening events. Identifying abnormalities in thermoregulation is particularly important in the first 6 months of life, where autonomic regulation undergoes critical development. Fluctuations in body temperature have been shown to be sensitive to maturational stage as well as system failure in critically ill patients. We thus aimed to investigate the existence of fractal-like long-range correlations, indicative of temperature control, in night time rectal temperature (T(rec)) patterns in maturing infants. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We measured T(rec) fluctuations in infants every 4 weeks from 4 to 20 weeks of age and before and after immunization. Long-range correlations in the temperature series were quantified by the correlation exponent, alpha using detrended fluctuation analysis. The effects of maturation, room temperature, and immunization on the strength of correlation were investigated. We found that T(rec) fluctuations exhibit fractal long-range correlations with a mean (SD) alpha of 1.51 (0.11), indicating that T(rec) is regulated in a highly correlated and hence deterministic manner. A significant increase in alpha with age from 1.42 (0.07) at 4 weeks to 1.58 (0.04) at 20 weeks reflects a change in long-range correlation behavior with maturation towards a smoother and more deterministic temperature regulation, potentially due to the decrease in surface area to body weight ratio in the maturing infant. alpha was not associated with mean room temperature or influenced by immunization CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the quantification of long-range correlations using alpha derived from detrended fluctuation analysis is an observer-independent tool which can distinguish developmental stages of night time T(rec) pattern in young infants, reflective of maturation of the autonomic system. Detrended fluctuation analysis may prove useful for characterizing thermoregulation in premature and other infants at risk for life-threatening events.

Non-exponential return time distributions for vorticity extremes explained by fractional Poisson processes

Serial correlation of extreme midlatitude cyclones observed at the storm track exits is explained by deviations from a Poisson process. To model these deviations, we apply fractional Poisson processes (FPPs) to extreme midlatitude cyclones, which are defined by the 850 hPa relative vorticity of the ERA interim reanalysis during boreal winter (DJF) and summer (JJA) seasons. Extremes are defined by a 99% quantile threshold in the grid-point time series. In general, FPPs are based on long-term memory and lead to non-exponential return time distributions. The return times are described by a Weibull distribution to approximate the Mittag–Leffler function in the FPPs. The Weibull shape parameter yields a dispersion parameter that agrees with results found for midlatitude cyclones. The memory of the FPP, which is determined by detrended fluctuation analysis, provides an independent estimate for the shape parameter. Thus, the analysis exhibits a concise framework of the deviation from Poisson statistics (by a dispersion parameter), non-exponential return times and memory (correlation) on the basis of a single parameter. The results have potential implications for the predictability of extreme cyclones.

Quantification of biotic responses to rapid climatic changes around the Younger Dryas — a synthesis

To assess the presence or absence of lags in biotic responses to rapid climatic changes, we: (1) assume that the δ18O in biogenically precipitated carbonates record global or hemispheric climatic change at the beginning and at the end of the Younger Dryas without any lag at our two study sites of Gerzensee and Leysin, Switzerland; (2) derive a time scale by correlating the δ18O record from these two sites with the δ18O record of the GRIP ice core; (3) measure δ18O records in ostracods and molluscs to check the record in the bulk samples and to detect possible hydrological changes; (4) analyse at Gerzensee and Leysin as well as at two additional sites (that lack carbonates and hence a δ18O record) pollen, plant macrofossils, chironomids, beetles and other insects, and Cladocera; (5) estimate our sampling resolution using the GRIP time scale for the isotope stratigraphies and the biostratigraphies; and (6) summarise the major patterns of compositional change in the biostratigraphies by principal component analysis or correspondence analysis. We conclude that, at the major climatic shifts at the beginning and end of the Younger Dryas, hardly any biotic lags occur (within the sampling resolution of 8–30 years) and that upland vegetation responded as fast as aquatic invertebrates. We suggest that the minor climatic changes associated with the Gerzensee and Preboreal oscillations were weakly recorded in the biostratigraphies at the lowland site, but were more distinct at higher altitudes. Individualistic responses of plant and animal species to climatic change may reflect processes in individuals (e.g. productivity and phenology), in populations (e.g. population dynamics), in spatial distributions (e.g. migrations), and in ecosystems (e.g. trophic state). We suggest that biotic responses may be telescoped together into relatively short periods (50 to 150 years), perhaps disrupting functional interactions among species and thus destabilising ecosystems.