Undetected respiratory infections may adversely affect the intrapulmonary resistance after Stage 2 or Stage 3 Fontan palliation. A few studies describe a higher risk for viral pneumonia during respiratory virus season, but none of them have focused on the effect of symptomatic viral pneumonia on in-hospital clinical course after bidirectional Glenn shunt. We analysed 77 patients who underwent bidirectional Glenn shunt surgery. Six patients were detected with pneumonia and proof of viral ribonucleic acid in tracheal mucus in the very early postoperative time. We compared them retrospectively to the remaining 71 patients regarding preoperative inflammatory signs, mortality, paediatric ICU length of stay, and ventilation time. The infection rate was not seasonal dependent. Ventilation time was significantly elongated in the pneumonia group (558 h ± 634 vs. 8.7 h ± 1.9; p < 0.0001) and so was the paediatric ICU length of stay (29 days ± 26 vs. 3 days±1; p = 0.007). Significantly more patients in the pneumonia group required extracorporeal cardiac life support postoperatively. The mortality was significantly increased in patients with pneumonia. Even subclinical viral pneumonia may cause ventilation-to-perfusion mismatch by raising intrapulmonary resistance. Recorded parameters of postoperative paediatric ICU therapy showed a significant impact of a viral pneumonia on patients after bidirectional Glenn shunt. The respiratory syncytial virus vaccination does not protect these patients from infection with other respiratory viruses. The focus should be put on preoperative diagnosis of pulmonary infections in the vulnerable group of patients with univentricular hearts.

The purpose of this study was to identify internal and external factors associated with outdoor winter walking in older adults. In this scoping review, 12 databases were searched. Inclusion criteria included English language, focus on adults 65 years of age or older, and evaluation of factors associated with outdoor winter walking. Two authors screened titles/abstracts and full text. Conflicts were resolved by consensus. Data were extracted, organized into tables, and summarized as pertaining to barriers/facilitators and internal/external factors associated with outdoor winter walking. A total of 6,843 articles were identified, 1,898 duplicates were removed, 4,789 were excluded during title/abstract screening, and 148 were excluded during full-text review. Eight studies were included. Four categories of factors affecting outdoor winter walking in older adults were identified: adverse weather conditions, physical environment, physical function, and perceptions relating to winter walking conditions. Rehabilitation and exercise professionals can use the results to educate their clients and implement the facilitators of and alternatives and solutions to barriers to outdoor winter walking.

The digestive tract of the little owl, Athene noctua (Strigiformes: Strigidae), is described in two different seasons. The digestive tract of this bird follows the basic model for that of a predatory bird. The cervical esophagus is not expanded to form a crop. The internal surface of the esophagus forms numerous longitudinal folds provided with numerous mucous glands. These longitudinal folds increase in number and vary in depth posteriorly. The folds of the proventriculus are composed of simple branched tubular glands. The ventriculus is lined by a thin layer of koilin. The number of goblet cells gradually increases from the duodenum to the rectum, and the lymphatic tissue diffuses within the lamina propria. The esophageal glands secrete acid mucopolysaccharides, while the gastric glands of the stomach, the goblet cells, and crypts of Lieberkühn secrete acid mucopolysaccharides. Proteins were observed in the different histological structures of the digestive tract. Morphometric and histometric studies showed differences between summer and winter in the esophagus and glandular stomach (especially in winter), but no seasonal differences were seen in the muscular stomach, or small and large intestines.

Shallow Antarctic surface lakes belong to the most extreme aquatic environments on the Earth. In Vestfjella, proglacial surface lakes and ponds are characterized by a 2–5 month long period with liquid water and depths < 2 m. We give a detailed description of nine seasonal lakes and ponds situating at three nunataqs (Basen, Plogen and Fossilryggen) in western Dronning Maud Land. Their physical and geochemical properties are provided based on observations in four summers. Three main ‘lake categories‘ were found: 1) supraglacial lakes, 2) epiglacial ponds and 3) nunataq ponds. Category 3 lakes can be divided into two subgroups with regards to whether the meltwater source is glacial or just seasonal snow patches. Supraglacial lakes are ultra-oligotrophic (electrical conductivity < 10 μS cm−1, pH < 7), while in epiglacial ponds the concentrations of dissolved and suspended matter and trophic status vary over a wide range (electrical conductivity 20–110 μS cm−1, pH 6–9). In nunataq ponds, the maxima were an electrical conductivity of 1042 μS cm−1 and a pH of 10.1, and water temperature may have wide diurnal and day-to-day fluctuations (maximum 9.3°C) because snowfall, snow drift and sublimation influence the net solar irradiance.

The tropospheric dust loading in Upper Silesia (Poland) shows a steady, annually averaged supply of minerals from natural and anthropogenic sources, industrial dust emitters, domestic heating, transportation, but with superimposed seasonal changes for some dust types. Samples of airborne and deposited particles were collected at monthly intervals between 1996 and 2001 in several cities of Upper Silesia. Dust samples were examined by X-ray powder diffraction, analytical transmission electron microscopy, analytical scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe microanalysis. The most common dust included quartz, gypsum, coke, soot, hematite, magnetite, wüstite, bassanite, graphite and various K-, Fe- and Mg-bearing aluminosilicates, in order of decreasing abundance. Minor phases included α-iron, sulphur, sphalerite, halite, sylvite, hercynite, franklinite, baryte, dolomite, ankerite, apatite, olivine and feldspars. Quartz, and specific industrial minerals, e.g. spinels, sphalerite, olivine and iron, occurred throughout the year in almost constant abundances. The amounts of all other dust components show seasonal variations; gypsum, baryte and other sulphates are particularly abundant in winter. In general, minerals related to low-emission sources are abundant in the winter time, while both natural dusts and dust from high-emission sources are predominant during the summer.

The ground temperature down to 60 cm depth in western Dronning Maud Land (WDML), has been recorded since 2009. The study area is situated in a blockfield that comprises a shallow active layer above permafrost. Using ground thermal regimes and regional climate data, the temporal (seasonal and annual) variability of the active layer was characterized. Active layer depth was calculated for each site for five consecutive summers from 2009/10–2013/14, showing interannual variability with no overall trends of decreasing or increasing active layer depth. Particular attention was paid to 2010 as it matched the average for the ground thermal regimes over the six year study period, as well as the interpolation period used by Meteonorm®. Analysis showed significant synchronous relationships of ground thermal regimes with air temperature and incoming radiation. Moreover, a correlation between pressure and measured ground temperature during the transitional season of the Southern Annual Oscillation in May and September was identified.

Inter-annual and seasonal variability in the nutritional parameters of the edible portion of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) collected from the Arabian Sea were determined for a period of 4 years. Greater levels of long chain n-3 fatty acids (35% during pre-monsoon), critical in the human diet for their anti-inflammatory properties with greater n-3:n-6 fatty acid ratio (8:12) demonstrated that this species may serve as an alternative to balance the greater amount of n-6 fatty acids. The present study demonstrated skipjack tuna as a significant source of protein, amino acids, minerals and vitamins. A balanced essential to non-essential amino acid ratio (1.2:1.4) in the fillets indicated that this species could provide well-balanced protein depositions. Vitamins A and K1 demonstrated post-monsoon maxima, whilst vitamins D3 and E showed pre-monsoon maxima. Greater calcium (172 mg 100 g−1) and phosphorus contents (923 mg 100 g−1) were recorded in the fillets of skipjack tuna during the pre-monsoon season. The chlorophyll-a concentration and sea surface temperature of its habitat were considered to understand their effect on the nutritional composition of skipjack tuna all through the study period. Significant correlation between long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (r2 ~ 0.99) of skipjack tuna alongside chlorophyll-a concentration was observed, particularly during the monsoon. The lesser atherogenic/thrombogenicity indices (<1), greater hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic ratio (>1.0), and lesser cholesterol contents (<50 mg 100 g−1) of the fillets in skipjack tuna contributed towards its parameters to be qualified as a high value, balanced nutritional source.

Silver bellies, Leiognathus splendens were studied for their spatial (south-west and south-east coasts of India), annual (2008–2011) and seasonal (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) variations of protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The monthly mean Sea Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor data for the period from January 2008 to December 2011 were taken into account to indicate the distribution of the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll-a to test the hypothesis that surface productivity might be related to nutritional biochemistry of this species. The four year average total protein content and chlorophyll-a showed good correlation during monsoon on the south-west coast and monsoon/post-monsoon on the south-east coast, suggesting that the protein content is prejudiced by the chlorophyll-a concentration. Amino acid scores observed monsoon maxima along the south-west and south-east coasts. Significant seasonal variations in vitamin content were observed at the study locations with high content of vitamins D3, E, K1 and C on the south-west coast. Na content was maximal during pre-monsoon on the south-west coast, while post-monsoon maxima of Ca and K content were observed. The Fe, Mn and Zn were abundant in the samples collected from the south-west coast. The concentration of Se exhibited maximum values post-monsoon along the south-west and south-east coasts. The present study demonstrated L. splendens as a valuable source of the protein, amino acids, minerals and vitamins, showing that this low-value species is a good source of well balanced proteins with high biological value to be qualified as a preferred healthy food for human consumption.

The muscle lipid, fatty acids and total cholesterol profiles of the spiny cheek grouper, Epinephelus diacanthus, collected from south-west (Arabian Sea) and south-east coasts (Bay of Bengal) of India were evaluated over four years (2008–2011) with regard to three seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon). Fatty acids were correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration and sea surface temperature. Lipid content, total polyunsaturated, eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic fatty acids of the samples from the south-west coast showed positive correlation with chlorophyll-a concentration during the monsoon (r2 = 0.93, 0.97, 0.97 and 0.99, respectively). Higher hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic ratio (>1.0) and low atherogenic (<1.2), thrombogenicity (≤0.6) indices make the groupers collected from the coast of the Arabian Sea a valued candidate species for human nutrition. High levels of n-3 fatty acids (>19% during post-monsoon), important in the human diet for their platelet anti-aggregating and blood pressure-reducing properties, for groupers collected from the south-west coast, with higher n-3/n-6 fatty acid ratio (>5.1) proved this species from the coast of the Arabian Sea to be a desirable item in the human diet.

The Istanbul Strait (Bosphorus) is a part of the Turkish Straits System, connecting the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. There are three cetacean species in the Strait, namely the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). To monitor the presence of the cetaceans, a fixed stereo passive acoustic monitoring system (A-tag) was deployed in the middle of the Strait from July 2009 to September 2010. In total 26,814 click trains were detected. Presence, direction and inter-click intervals of phonating cetaceans were measured. Most click trains were detected during the night time. Diel presence pattern was prominent in March and April. In spring, the cetaceans were concentrated in one specific direction from the fixed monitoring system. In contrast, they were found in all directions for the rest of the year. Short range sonar (inter-click intervals (ICIs) less than 50 ms) was commonly detected in spring. During the rest of the year ICIs could reach up to 150 ms. All these findings suggest that they were feeding or socializing in spring and mostly travelling in the other seasons. It is well known that pelagic fish such as sprat and bluefish start their migration from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea in spring. This study suggests that the cetaceans use the middle part of the Strait for feeding on the pelagic fish in spring when the fish migration has just started.

In Iropical seasonal forests, mass seedling death may incidentally occur early in the rainy season following untimely germination provoked by an isolated heavy rainfall. We hypothesized that, in a soil with little moisture retention capacity, irregular rainfall patterns would result in large fluctuations of water supply and, in the early wet season, drought episodes could cause seedling death. This hypothesis was tested in a seasonal tropical forest in Mexico where seedling density is low and the soil consists of almost pure sand with a low water retention capacity. Various patterns of simulated rainfall were applied in the forest to seeds and seedlings of three common tree species. Overall very little difference in germination and seedling survival was observed between the various rainfall treatments. The results showed that rainfall patterns and the soil texture may interact in a much more complex way than was initially hypothesized, and that water availability to seeds and seedlings is not necessarily predictable. The absence of seedlings of the three tree species might be better explained by high seed predation and low light level in the understorey.

The root and trunk characteristics of species in a complex, lowland, evergreen, tropical rainforest at a seasonally inundated, coastal site on siliceous sands were examined. Roots in the soil were predominantly colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi although ectomycorrhizas were found on four species which contributed almost 25% of total basal area. Surface root mats were not a characteristic of the study site. In contrast, the ability to produce apogeotropic (upwardly growing) aerial roots which grew on and within the bark on trunks and branches was a consistent feature of the dominant species of trees in this forest. Eleven species representing eight families and constituting more than 85% of the basal area at the site produced these roots. Most trunks with DBH greater than 20 cm supported apogeotropic aerial roots produced by a range of species including themselves. Apogeotropic roots were most frequently found on the basal 0.5 m of trunks; however, they did occur up to 5 m above the forest floor. Apogeotropic aerial roots originated both from epicormic buds under the bark and from soil, and they were frequently colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi. There was a strong association between the ability to support these upwardly growing roots and the occurrence of laminated papery and flaky bark. We postulate that production of apogeotropic roots may provide a mechanism for nutrient uptake and root respiration during periods of inundation, for intercepting nutrients in stemflow and/or for extracting nutrients from bark.

Circadian rhythms reflect extensive programming of biological activity that meets and exploits the challenges and opportunities offered by the periodic nature of the environment. In the present investigation, we recorded the total activity of athletic horses kept at four different times of the year (vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice), to evaluate the presence of seasonal variations of daily activity rhythms. Athletic Thoroughbred horses were kept in individual boxes with paddock. Digitally integrated measure of total activity of each mare was continuously recorded by actigraphy-based data loggers. Horse total activities were not evenly distributed over the day, but they were mainly diurnal during the year. Daily activity rhythms showed clear seasonal variations, with the highest daily amount of activity during the vernal equinox and the lowest during the winter solstice. Interestingly, the amount of activity during either photophase or scotophase changed significantly throughout the year. Circadian analysis of horse activities showed that the acrophase, the estimated time at which the peak of the rhythm occurs, did not change during the year, it always occurred in the middle of the photoperiod. Analysing the time structure of long-term and continuously measured activity and feeding could be a useful method to critically evaluate athletic horse management systems in which spontaneous locomotor activity and feeding are severely limited. Circadian rhythms are present in several elements of sensory motor and psychomotor functions and these would be taken into consideration to plan the training schedules and competitions in athletic horses.

Pterobranchs are small marine filter feeders in the phylum Hemichordata. Their phylogenetic position and anatomical structure has resulted in pterobranchs featuring in many scenarios concerning the evolution of chordates. Despite this interest, the basic reproductive biology of pterobranchs is still poorly known. To address this issue, the reproductive season of Rhabdopleura compacta was investigated by collecting specimens in 2004–2007 from a population growing on disarticulated bivalve shells off the south coast of Devon, UK. I analysed reproductive status by categorizing shells according to the condition of the colonies growing on them. The frequency of shells having mature females was almost constant from spring to autumn among shells with active colonies. However, it was apparent that: (a) shells having mature females were more likely to be incubating embryos or larvae in June and July than other months; and (b) the production of embryos was high in June, and then decreased by July. Thus, despite the previous speculation that the species is capable of successful sexual reproduction throughout the year, the present study shows seasonality in reproduction of R. compacta, with at least a peak season during summer.

The skill of seasonal mean precipitation and temperature predictions by multi-model ensemble (MME) schemes has been examined using hindcast data from the APEC Climate Network (APCN). The hindcast data of the member models have been collected from several institutions in the APEC region. Skill metrics, namely, anomaly correlation coefficient (ACC), Hanssen-Kuipers skill (HKS), and economic value were used to assess the APCN MME predictions. The member models have a range of skills in predicting the seasonal mean conditions: however, the MME schemes consistently produce improved predictions. Though the weighted multi-model ensemble schemes have better skill scores in terms of ACC, the unbiased multi-model ensemble mean provides better and more useful categorical predictions as seen from the HKS score and the economic values. Prediction skills show distinct seasonality in different regions. Precipitation prediction skill is the lowest in the Asian monsoon region in June-July-August. The APCN MME predictions have positive economic values in most regions and examination of monthly values suggests that the MME predictions are reasonably good and useful even with three-month lead times. An uncalibrated multi-model probabilistic prediction scheme gives an indication of threshold probability for which the seasonal predictions are more beneficial to users. The extreme climatic conditions are predicted well by the MME schemes. However, user sectors for which the extreme climate predictions are beneficial are different to those of regular three-category predictions. These results can be used in planning and preparedness for the extremes of climate in the future, and when developing economic decision support models.

Objectives: To critically review the scientific literature relating to the timing of deliberate self harm behaviour and completed suicide.

Method: A literature search of the Medline and CINAHL databases from 1970-2002 was performed, using deliberate self harm, overdose, self poisoning, suicide, parasuicide, and time, timing, day, week, month and season as key words. Relevant secondary references were retrieved and hand searching of important journals was done.

Results: The time of day of non-fatal self harm shows a marked diurnal variation, with an evening peak that is related to non-violent episodes, concomitant alcohol use, and a younger age. It is not conclusively linked to the degree of suicidal intent or particular psychiatric diagnoses. Completed suicides more commonly occur earlier in the day, at the beginning of the week and during springtime, but show no overall increase during many national events and holidays.

Conclusions: Circadian biological mechanisms involving the serotonin-melatonin axis, Cortisol secretion and sleep abnormalities appear to be implicated. Psychosocial explanations for these epidemiological findings include alcohol use, a sense of personal isolation and the ‘broken promise’ effect.

We derive the Laplace transforms of sums and weighted sums of random variables forming a Markov chain whose stationary distribution is gamma. Both seasonal and non-seasonal cases are considered. The results are applied to two problems in stochastic reservoir theory.