An observation of seasonal variations in underground muon rate, Rμ, has been performed at Soudan, MN, by the MINOS Far Detector. The four percent fluctuation seen over three years was highly correlated to the temperature variations of the upper atmosphere. The coefficient relating variations in temperature to variations in muon rate was found to be: αT = (T/Rμ)(∂Rμ/∂T ) = 0.87±0.03, which is ne...

BACKGROUND Straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) migrate over vast distances across the African continent, probably following seasonal bursts of resource availability. This causes enormous fluctuations in population size, which in turn may influence the bats' impact on local ecosystems. We studied the movement ecology of this central-place forager with state-of-the-art GPS/acceleration log...

Lake Võrtsjärv (270 km2, mean depth 2.8 m, Estonia) is an eutrophic and turbid lake (Secchi depth 0.5-1 m) with a high nutrient load (total nitrogen 1-2 mg N l(-1), total phosphorus approximately 50 microg P l(-1)) leading to a highly productive phytoplankton population (average chlorophyll a concentration 24 microg l(-1)). Seasonal dynamics of the main members of pelagic microbial loop - phyto...

Species in which ambient temperatures directly determine offspring sex may be at particular risk as global climates change. Whether or not climate change affects sex ratio depends upon the effectiveness of buffering mechanisms that link ambient regimes to actual nest temperatures. For example, females may simply lay nests earlier in the season, or in more shaded areas, such that incubation ther...

BACKGROUND Reliable health metrics are crucial for accurately assessing disease burden and planning interventions. Many health indicators are measured through passive surveillance systems and are reliant on accurate estimates of denominators to transform case counts into incidence measures. These denominator estimates generally come from national censuses and use large area growth rates to esti...

BACKGROUND Pediculosis capitis and scabies are common parasitic skin diseases, especially in resource-poor communities, but data on epidemiology and morbidity are scanty. OBJECTIVES To assess the prevalence, seasonal variation and morbidity of pediculosis capitis and scabies in poor neighbourhoods in north-east Brazil. METHODS The study comprised cross-sectional surveys of a representative ...

Techniques for the enumeration and the determination of the potential activity of disturbed sediment mixed populations at control sites and sites within the Athabasca oil sands formation were applied to August and December samples. These techniques included the determination of general heterotrophic potential for the assimilation and respiration of glutamate, which indicated no oil sand-related...