[1] A quantitative definition of and ability to predict the onset and duration of the dominant rainfall season in a region are important for agricultural and natural resources management. In this paper, a methodology based on an analysis of daily rainfall occurrence is proposed and applied to define the onset and end of the rainfall season in northeast Brazil. Multiple rainfall gauges are consi...

Short-term variability in composition and abundance of copepod populations were studied during the dry (winter) and rainy (summer) seasons, at the dam region of Jurumirim Reservoir, São Paulo, Brazil. An intensive sampling program was carried out during 30 days in each period of the year. Samples and measurements were taken every other day at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 m depths. The relationship b...

Immunity to malaria is hard won, and yet it is imperfect. In areas of high malaria transmission, most symptomatic malaria and nearly all severe malaria and malaria deaths are in young children. This is the pattern in much of the malaria-endemic areas of West Africa, which bear the brunt of global malaria morbidity and mortality. Across the Sahel transmission of malaria is intense during the 3–4...

We estimate habit formation in voting—the effect of past on current turnout—by exploiting transitory voting cost shocks. Using county-level data on U.S. presidential elections from 1952-2012, we find that rainfall on current and past election days reduces voter turnout. Our estimates imply that a 1-point decrease in past turnout lowers current turnout by 0.6-1.0 points. Further analyses suggest...

During 2 successive rainy seasons, January 2008 through May 2008 and November 2008 through March 2009, Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) caused outbreaks in Madagascar. Human and animal infections were confirmed on the northern and southern coasts and in the central highlands. Analysis of partial sequences from RVFV strains showed that all were similar to the strains circulating in Kenya during 20...

I wish to describe a patient with vitamin D metabolitedependent hypercalcemia which only manifested after he moved from a rainy city to a sunny desert. This 73-yearold man began to feel vaguely unwell after he had moved from a city in Washington State (with cloudy and rainy weather) to a desert area in California State (with sunny weather in >300 days/year), USA, in October, 2008. His past medi...

In risk analysis of highway safety, severe crashes with injuries and fatalities are more emphasized because of their significant human and economic loss potential. In Wisconsin from 1999 to 2006, 4,919 crashes with injuries and fatalities occurred on highways in all adverse weather conditions: rain, fog, snow, sleet, and wind (3). Of these crashes, 1,805, approximately 37%, were crashes with in...

During the last years, more and more renewable power generation units have been connected to the European power grid, creating demands for higher transport capacity as well as longer transport distances. Plans for the construction of HVDC and hybrid HVAC/HVDC corridors in Europe lead to an increased interest in the corona behaviour of direct current overhead lines. Within the scope of this pape...

AIM To investigate the influence of season on erythrocyte picture, plasma enzyme and electrolyte profile of local pig of Mizoram at a different age. MATERIALS AND METHODS A volume of 2 ml of blood samples were collected from 72 Zovawk pigs of three different age groups viz. pre-weaning, grower and adult pigs reared in College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry Selesih, Aizawl, Mizora...

OBJECTIVES To assess if the clinical outcome of patients treated after performing a Rapid Diagnostic Test for malaria (RDT) is at least equivalent to that of controls (treated presumptively without test) and to determine the impact of the introduction of a malaria RDT on clinical decisions. METHODS Randomized, multi-centre, open clinical trial in two arms in 2006 at the end of the dry and of ...