Nocturnal Hours Research Articles

White-Tailed Deer Vigilance: The Influence of Social and Environmental Factors

Vigilance behavior may directly affect fitness of prey animals, and understanding factors influencing vigilance may provide important insight into predator-prey interactions. We used 40,540 pictures taken withcamera traps in August 2011 and 2012to evaluate factors influencing individual vigilance behavior of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) while foraging at baited sites. We used binary logistic regression to determine if individual vigilance was affected by age, sex, and group size. Additionally, we evaluated whether the time of the day,moon phase,and presence of other non-predatorwildlife species impacted individual vigilance. Juveniles were 11% less vigilant at baited sites than adults. Females were 46% more vigilant when fawns were present. Males and females spent more time feeding as group size increased, but with each addition of 1 individual to a group, males increased feeding time by nearly double that of females. Individual vigilance fluctuated with time of day andwith moon phase but generally was least during diurnal and moonlit nocturnal hours, indicating deer have the ability to adjust vigilance behavior to changing predation risk associated with varyinglight intensity.White-tailed deer increased individual vigilance when other non-predator wildlife were present. Our data indicate that differential effects of environmental and social constraints on vigilance behavior between sexes may encourage sexual segregation in white-tailed deer.

The association between sleep and body weight changes from birth to 3 years

background: Sleep is vital important for early childhood development. A growing body of work has found that sleep problems in Taiwan are common for children aged 0–6 years. Short sleep duration in infancy has been identified to be associated with childhood obesity in Western literatures. However, limited longitudinal evidence exists regarding the association between sleep status and body weight changes in early childhood for Taiwanese children. Aim: To investigate the longitudinal association between sleep status and body weight changes in healthy children from birth to 3 years of age. A convenience sampling technique is used to recruit interested primparous (singleton delivery) mother- newborn pairs at a medical center located in North Taiwan. The newborns are eligible for a 3-year follow-up (from 08/2010 to 07/2013) if the following criteria are met: (1) ⩾ 37 weeks gestation, (2) birth weight ⩾ 2500 g, (3) discharge from newborn nursery (baby-room) or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) without significant neonatal mobility, and 4) nursery or NICU stay less the 7 days. Eligible newborns are scheduled for collecting sleep, environmental light exposure, food intake, and anthropometric data every half-year from the 1st week after birth to 36-months of age. Sleep assessment is performed in the home environment by mother-reported infant sleep diary, the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, and an actiwatch to monitor movement of the child. There were 102 infants recruited at their 1st week after birth. Among the 102 subjects, 46 subjects were followed for 12 months and 11 of them were followed for 24 months. The results show that (1) sleep efficiency, total time in bed, total sleep time and nocturnal sleep hours increase with age; (2) duration of night awaking decreases with age; (3) body weight is negatively correlated with total sleep time, total time in bed, diurnal sleep time and night awaking hours; (4) body weight is positively correlated with sleep efficiency and nocturnal sleep hours. Study results are anticipated to understand the contemporaneous changes in sleep with changes in body weight, and to provide an informative reference regarding the effect of sleep on body weight changes for children aged 0–3 years. This study is funded by the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC 99-2314-B-182-032).

A multi-city analysis of the UHI-influence on warm season rainfall

This study evaluates the influence of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) on warm season precipitation for several US cities by using contemporary high-resolution observations. Spatial (local and downwind) rainfall anomalies associated with propagating and non-propagating storms are analyzed using statistical methods. A diurnal trend analysis suggests that the UHI has a dominant influence on precipitation for inland cities (Minneapolis and Washington D.C.), especially during afternoon and nocturnal hours. Propagating storms appear to converge over the urban region, but the rainfall intensification occurs downwind of the city. The nocturnal precipitation anomaly, which has received less attention in the past, is significant and comparable to the daytime anomaly. For coastal cities (New York City, Providence and Cleveland), a local increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme positive rainfall anomalies may occur during daytime due to the UHI-sea breeze interaction. For non-propagating storms, nocturnal rainfall enhancement is evident downwind of an inland city (Dallas), whereas a local daytime increase in the frequency of heavy rainfall events is observed for a coastal city (Houston). Downwind and nocturnal UHI impacts on rainfall appear less obvious for coastal cities. Future studies are clearly needed to understand the variability in processes that produce urban rainfall enhancement.

A down-valley low-level jet event during T-REX 2006

A prolonged down-valley flow and low-level jet were observed throughout the Enhanced Observing Period 4 (April 28–29) of the 2006 Terrain-induced Rotor Experiment, held in the Owens Valley of California near the town of Independence. The low-level jet was strongest during the nocturnal hours, and special field observations captured important details of the event lifecycle. High-resolution simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting numerical weather prediction model were generated, with underlying assumptions being that model resolution, boundary layer physics, and nesting configuration would be dominant controlling factors in reproducing the jet. The large-scale conditions were dry throughout the event, so moist physics were not a significant forcing consideration. For the control simulation, a two-nest (4.5 and 1.5 km grid spacing) configuration with 90 vertical levels was applied. Additionally, the Quasi-Normal Scale Elimination planetary boundary and surface layer option were selected due to its published performance under conditions of stable stratification. Three other sensitivity simulations were run for comparison, differing from the control just in the choice of vertical resolution (60 versus 90 levels with Quasi-Normal Scale Elimination) and planetary boundary/surface layer physics (90 levels/Mellor-Yamada-Jancic; 90 levels/Yonsei State University). Although the gross evolution (location, height, and timing) of the low-level jet is captured by all model runs (with the 1.5 km inner nest providing the more accurate details), there were at times large underestimations of the nocturnal jet speed max in each simulation (approaching 100 % error, or up to almost 10 m s−1). Overall, the variations of vertical resolution and planetary boundary/surface physics against the control seemed to (1) yield little overall improvement to statistical or subjective evaluations; (2) do little to improve deficiencies in reproducing the magnitude strength of the nocturnal down-valley low-level jet. Since the cold-start simulations spanned 36 h (including a 12-h spin-up period), it was suspected that the lateral boundary conditions imposed on the outermost 4.5 km nest might negatively impact the interior model solutions in the Owens Valley. To investigate this possibility, an additional simulation was executed by adding two extra nests to the control configuration: an outer 13.5 km and an inner 500 m. This simulation produced a better evolution of the nocturnal low-level jet and especially the speed max. The addition of the larger 13.5 km nest appears more critical to this improvement than that of the extra spatial resolution provided by the inner 500 m nest, which supports the idea that accurate capturing of the large-scale synoptic condition was critical in reproducing important details of this down-valley low-level jet event. The extra 500-m resolution did seem to improve the morning valley cold pool forecast.

Circadian Time Organization of Professional Firemen: Desynchronization—Tau Differing from 24.0 Hours—Documented by Longitudinal Self-assessment of 16 Variables

*This work is dedicated to the memories of Drs. Israel Ashkenazi and Erhard Haus, outstanding pioneers of medical chronobiology, dear colleagues, and distinguished gentlemen of exceptional human qualities.We investigated the circadian synchronization/desynchronization (by field-study assessment of differences in period, τ, of 16 coexisting and well-documented rhythms) of 30 healthy firemen (FM) exposed to irregular, difficult, and stressful nocturnal work hours who demonstrated excellent clinical tolerance (allochronism). Three groups of FM were studied (A = 12 FM on 24-h duty at the fire station; B = 9 FM on 24-h duty at the emergency call center; C = 9 day-shift administrative FM) of mostly comparable average age, body mass index, career duration, chronotype—morningness/eveningness, and trait of field dependence/independence. The self-assessed 16 circadian rhythms were (i) physiological ones of sleep-wake (sleep log), activity-rest (actography), body temperature (internal transmitter pill probe), right- and left-hand grip strength (hand dynamometer), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) plus heart rate (ambulatory BP monitoring device); (ii) psychological ones (visual analog self-rating scales) of sleepiness, fatigue, fitness for work, and capacity to cope with aggressive social behavior; and (iii) cognitive ones of eye-hand skill and letter cancellation, entailing performance speed (tasks completed/unit time) and accuracy (errors). Data (4–6 time points/24 h; 2 591 480 values in total) were gathered continuously throughout two 8-d spans, one in winter 2010–2011 and one in summer 2011. Each of the resulting 938 unequal-interval time series was analyzed by a special power spectrum analysis to objectively determine the prominent τ. The desynchronization ratio (DR: number of study variables with τ = 24.0 h/number of study variables × 100) served to ascertain the strength/weakness of each rhythm per individual, group, and season. The field study confirmed, independent of group and season, coexistence of rather strong and weak circadian oscillators. Interindividual differences in DR were detected between groups and seasons (χ2, correlation tests, analysis of variance [ANOVA]). Moreover, in each group, both in winter and summer, a normal distribution was observed in the number of FM with rhythms with τ = 24.0 h, e.g., ranging from 5/16 (large desynchronization) to 16/16 (no desynchronization). Such a normal distribution with intraindividual stability over time (i.e., seasons) is consistent with the hypothesis of an inherited origin of a differential propensity to circadian desynchronization and which is supported by the distribution of τs in winter and summer following the Dian-Circadian Genetic Model, i.e., with τ = 24.0 h, τ = 24.0 h + n(0.8 h), and τ = 24.0 h − n(0.8 h).

The urban heat island effect in a small Mediterranean city of high summer temperatures and cooling energy demands

The results of an urban heat island (UHI) study during summer and winter through a full year period (2010–2011) in a small city of western Greece are presented and analyzed. The specific research target was to identify the existence of the phenomenon, measure its intensity and investigate the parameters that may be associated with the appearance of the UHI. A network of air temperature sensors was installed in nine different locations of the city and measurements were recorded every 10min. Extensive statistical analysis revealed strong UHI intensities reaching values up to 6.0°C with a mean intensity of 3.8°C during nocturnal hours of August. Heat island in the city proved to be a night dominating phenomenon while wind velocity was found to wield great impact on the ventilation and cooling effect of the city. During summer, early in the morning many locations in the city centre remained cooler than the rural environment while a heat island was observed on a monthly basis during winter. In order to determine the variation of the current energy needs due to the UHI effect, the heating degree hours during winter were calculated and were found to be much lower in the city centre than in the rural area (12.6–14.2% reduction). During summer, a high increase in the cooling degree hours of the city was observed in comparison to the rural environment, with a maximum difference of 36.3% for August 2010.

Abstract P203: Restricting Sleep Duration Alters Resting and Postprandial Respiratory Quotient, but has Minimal Effects on Overall Energy Expenditure

Introduction: Epidemiological evidence has demonstrated a link between short sleep and obesity. Clinical studies suggest a role of increased energy intake in this relationship, whereas the contributions of energy expenditure (EE) and substrate utilization are less clearly defined. Our aim was to investigate the effects of short sleep on EE and respiratory quotient (RQ) during sleep, basal conditions, and in response to a high-fat meal. Methods: Seven females (age and BMI: 27.4 ± 8.1 years and 26.2 ± 1.6 kg/m2, respectively) participated in a randomized, crossover study lasting 4 days. Participants were studied under two separate conditions: short (4 h/night; time in bed 0100-0500 h) and habitual (8 h/night; time in bed 2300-0700 h) sleep. Meals were served at 0800, 1200, and 1900 h, with a snack at 1600 h. Data included 24-h EE and sleep metabolic rate (SMR) from the metabolic chamber and fasting resting metabolic rate (RMR) and postprandial energy expenditure (PPEE) over a 6 h period after consumption of a high-fat breakfast on day 4. Results are expressed as mean ± SD. Results: Total 24-h EE was 1,907 ± 229 kcal and 1,830 ± 63 kcal for short and habitual sleep, respectively (p=0.084, paired t-test). Mean SMR was 0.967 ± 0.19 kcal/min throughout the 4-h sleep period and 0.895 ± 0.09 kcal/min throughout the 8-h sleep period (p=0.211, paired t-test). When we examined the 8-h period spanning the sleep episode during the habitual sleep phase, there was a significant sleep condition x time interaction for EE (p<0.001). During the short sleep phase, this measurement included 4 h of sleep and 4 h of non-sleep time. Specifically, EE in the short sleep condition was significantly higher than in the habitual sleep condition mostly during non-sleep times: at 0000-0100, 0100-0200, 0500-0600, and 0600-0700 h, resulting in an increase of 0.21 ± 0.19 kcal/min (p=0.009) throughout the full 8-h period. RQ significantly declined across the 2300-0700 time period (p<0.001), but did not differ between conditions. RMR after 3 nights of short vs. habitual sleep did not differ between conditions, whereas fasting RQ was significantly lower (p=0.026) after short vs. habitual sleep. Postprandial RQ and PPEE did not differ between conditions. The postprandial RQ peak was significantly reduced in short vs. habitual sleep (p=0.008, paired t-test). Conclusions: We demonstrate here that short sleep results in increased EE during nocturnal hours spent awake, but does not significantly alter SMR. Over the 24-h period, however, it results in a slight increase in EE, which was not significant with this sample size. These findings imply that the greater prevalence of obesity in individuals with short sleep observed in epidemiological studies is most likely attributable to greater food intake that is not offset by the small increase in EE associated with greater time spent awake.

Feeding chronology of six species of carcharhinid sharks in the western North Atlantic Ocean as inferred from longline capture data

Time-at-capture data for 6 species of carcharhinid sharks were collected during 2692 fishery-independent longline sets conducted in the western North Atlantic Ocean from 1995 through 2009. As operations occurred continuously throughout the diel cycle, time-at-capture data were used as a proxy for natural feeding behavior to examine the diel feeding chronology of blacknose Carcharhinus acronotus, spinner C. brevipinna, bull C. leucas, blacktip C. limbatus, sandbar C. plumbeus, and Atlantic sharpnose Rhizoprionodon terraenovae sharks. All 6 species were collected during all hours of the diel cycle; however, application of circular statistics revealed that spinner, bull, blacktip and sandbar sharks increased their feeding activity during nocturnal hours. Atlantic sharpnose and blacknose sharks exhibited no significant directedness in time-of- capture, indicating that these 2 species lack distinct feeding patterns. The species-specific differ- ences in feeding chronologies of the sharks examined demonstrate that broad generalizations concerning the feeding behavior of sharks are not appropriate.

Attraction of the cutaneous leishmaniasis vector Nyssomyia neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae) to host odour components in a wind tunnel

BackgroundLaboratory studies of host-seeking olfactory behaviour in sandflies have largely been restricted to the American visceral leishmaniasis vector Lutzomyia longipalpis. In comparison, almost nothing is known about the chemical ecology of related species, which transmit American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), due in part to difficulties in raising these insects in the laboratory. Understanding how ACL vectors locate their hosts will be essential to developing new vector control strategies to combat this debilitating disease.MethodsThis study examined host-odour seeking behaviour of the ACL vector Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) (=Lutzomyia neivai) using a wind tunnel olfactometer. The primary aim was to determine whether field-collected female N. neivai would respond to host odours in the laboratory, thereby eliminating the need to maintain colonies of these insects for behavioural experiments. Responses to two key host odour components, 1-octen-3-ol and lactic acid, and a commercially-available mosquito lure (BG-Lure™) were assessed and compared relative to an air control. We also tested whether trials could be conducted outside of the normal evening activity period of N. neivai without impacting on fly behaviour, and whether the same flies could be used to assess baseline responses to air without affecting responses to octenol, thereby reducing the number of flies required for experiments.ResultsOctenol was found to both activate host-seeking behaviour and attract female N. neivai in the wind tunnel, while lactic acid elicited weaker responses of activation and attractiveness under identical conditions. The BG-Lure did not activate or attract N. neivai under test conditions. Further experiments showed that sandfly behaviour in the wind tunnel was not affected by time of day, such that experiments need not be restricted to nocturnal hours. Moreover, using the same flies to measure both baseline responses to air and attraction to test compounds did not affect odour-seeking behaviour.ConclusionsThe results of this study demonstrate that N. neivai taken from the field are suitable for use in laboratory olfactometer experiments. It is hoped this work will facilitate further research into chemical ecology of this species, and other ACL vectors.

Diel Cycles in Chemosensory Behaviors of Free‐Ranging Rattlesnakes Lying in Wait for Prey

AbstractThe sensory ecology of foragers is fundamentally influenced by changes in environmental conditions such as ambient light. Changes in ambient light may hinder the effectiveness of particular senses (e.g., impaired vision at night), but many predators rely on multiple sensory systems and may continue to forage despite changes in light availability. Exactly how predator behaviors and sensory systems compensate under changes in light availability in the field is not well understood. We used radio telemetry and portable video surveillance cameras to quantify the sit‐and‐wait chemosensory foraging behavior of free‐ranging red diamond (Crotalus ruber) and northern Pacific (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) rattlesnakes during day and night periods. The two most common behaviors we observed were chemosensory probes, a behavior we describe in detail for the first time, and mouth gapes. During chemosensory probes, rattlesnakes extend their head beyond their coil, explore the surrounding area while tongue‐flicking, and subsequently return to a stationary position inside their coil. Foraging rattlesnakes probed at significantly higher rates during nocturnal vs. diurnal hours. Similarly, mouth gaping occurred during a higher percentage of nocturnal vs. diurnal hours for foraging snakes. Nearly half of all mouth gapes were followed immediately with a chemosensory probe, suggesting that mouth gaping also serves a chemosensory function in this context. Our results suggest that chemical cues play an increasingly important role in mediating rattlesnake foraging behavior at night. Examining how abiotic factors, such as light availability, influence the sensory ecology of free‐ranging predators is essential for accurately characterizing their interactions with prey.

English

  A climatological analysis of the differences in air temperature between rural and urban areas (ΔTu-r) corroborates the existence of an urban heat island (UHI) in Akure (7º 25’ N, 5º 20’ E), a tropical city in the south western part of Nigeria. The investigations which have been conducted out of a year-long experiment from fixed point observations focuses on the description of the climatology of urban canopy heat island in the Akure and the analysis of the results were presented. The results show that the nocturnal heat island was more frequent than the daytime heat island as it exists from less intense to higher intensity categories throughout the study period. Nocturnal heat Island intensity was observed to be stronger during the dry season. Although of lower intensity, daytime heat Island exists throughout the day except for few hours in the months of November and December that exhibits a reverse thermal contrast. The daytime heat island is observed to be intense in the wet months than the dry months, which may be caused by the evaporative cooling of wet surfaces. On the average, the urban/ rural thermal differences are positive, varying from 4°C at nocturnal hours during dry months to an approximate of 2°C around noon during wet months. This paper explain the aspects of heat islands and their relation to other causative agents such as the sky view factor (SVF) and also discusses its potential impact on energy demand.   Key words: Urban heat island, sky view factor, energy demand

Furosemide versus Gosha-Jinki-Gan, a Blended Herbal Medicine, for Nocturnal Polyuria: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

To investigate the efficacy of two types of drugs, furosemide and gosha-jinki-gan (GJG), for treatment of nocturia with nocturnal polyuria using a randomized crossover method. A total of 36 patients with nocturnal polyuria were recruited for this study. We assessed the International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), frequency volume charts, blood pressure, urine chemistry, serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and body fluid compartments. Both furosemide and GJG significantly improved the nocturia score in the I-PSS, the I-PSS Quality of Life (QOL) score, actual nocturnal frequency and hours of undisturbed sleep compared with those at baseline. Nocturnal frequency and nocturnal urine volume were more significantly reduced by furosemide treatment than with GJG treatment. The I-PSS total score and nocturnal urine volume significantly improved only by furosemide treatment. Furosemide treatment definitively improved nocturia with nocturnal polyuria. GJG treatment may also induce mild improvement of nocturnal polyuria, although further study is required to confirm its efficacy.

Cognitive deficit is associated with phase advance of sleep–wake rhythm, daily napping, and prolonged sleep duration—a cross-sectional study in 2,947 community-dwelling older adults

This study aims to examine the phase advance of sleep-wake rhythm, napping habit, nocturnal sleep duration, prolonged sleep latency and insomnia and their relationship with cognitive function. This is a cross-sectional study. Participants in this study are 2,947 community-dwelling adults older than 65 years old. Measurements of mini-mental examination (MMSE) score, go-to-bed time, wake-up time, nocturnal sleep duration, prolonged sleep latency, napping, and insomnia were done. The mean (standard deviation) nocturnal sleep hours was 7.96 (1.39) h. Twenty-one percent and 16.2% of the participants complained of prolonged sleep latency longer than 1 h and insomnia, respectively. Fifty-six percent of the participants napped once or more than once weekly. With advancing age, the participants reported longer sleep duration (p<0.001), went to bed earlier, and woke up earlier, which were significant both before and after adjustment. The participants who had lower MMSE score went to bed earlier and woke up earlier, which were statistically significant both before and after adjustment. An inverted U-shaped relationship was observed between MMSE score and napping frequency, p for tend 0.026.The MMSE score decreased when the sleep duration prolonged from 7 h to ≧10 h (p for trend 0.006). No trend was observed from the sleep duration <4 up to 7.9 h (p for trend 0.500). Modest age-independent phase advance of the sleep-wake rhythm is associated with lower cognitive function. Whether this is a manifestation of early pre-clinical dementia and whether its recognition with early stabilization can slow cognitive decline remain elusive.

Unconstrained by the clock? Plasticity of diel activity rhythm in a tropical reef fish, Siganus lineatus

Summary 1. In studies of an organism's functional ecology, key behavioural traits such as foraging periodicity are assumed to be uniform across the species. In particular, the fundamental division between diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns is usually assumed to be a fixed one, with organisms demonstrating physiological traits optimised for a particular diel rhythm. 2. In this study, we explore the activity rhythm of a tropical reef fish, the golden-lined rabbitfish, Siganus lineatus. We make use of acoustic telemetry (manual tracking), combined with underwater observations of feeding behaviour to investigate the diel foraging patterns of S. lineatus, at three sites around the lagoon of Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. 3. We found significant differences in the activity patterns of shoreline and reef-based populations of S. lineatus. Individuals inhabiting the boulder-shoreline site foraged during the day and remained stationary in rest holes during the night, whereas individuals from the two reef populations foraged only during nocturnal hours, remaining stationary at the edge of favoured coral bommies during the day. To our knowledge, this represents the first example of a wholesale intraspecific shift in diel activity rhythm for a tropical marine fish. 4. We suggest that S. lineatus is a diurnal nominal herbivore whose biological rhythm has developed the flexibility to be nocturnal. This development may simply represent the masking effects of predation, competition or ontogeny, or it may represent entrainment over an evolutionary time-scale necessary to enable the species to expand its range into the coral reef environment. 5. Either way, the results identify S. lineatus as a potential subject for research into the relative importance of the various biological forces driving divisions along the temporal niche axis and suggest that the species has the potential to provide insights into the impact of biological rhythm plasticity on ecosystem functioning at the ecological and evolutionary level.

Temporal variability of the Buenos Aires, Argentina, urban heat island

This paper describes the statistical characteristics and temporal variability of the urban heat island (UHI) intensity in Buenos Aires using 32-year surface meteorological data with 1-h time intervals. Seasonal analyses show that the UHI intensity is strongest during summer months and an “inverse” effect is found frequently during the afternoon hours of the same season. During winter, the UHI effect is in the minimal. The interannual trend and the seasonal variation of the UHI for the main synoptic hours for a longer record of 48 years are studied and associated to changes in meteorological factors as low-level circulation and cloud amount. Despite the population growth, it was found a negative trend in the nocturnal UHI intensity that could be explained by a decline of near clear-sky conditions, a negative trend in the calm frequencies and an increase in wind speed. Urban to rural temperature differences and rural temperatures are negatively correlated for diurnal and nocturnal hours both for annual and seasonal scales. This result is due to the lower interannual variability of urban temperatures in comparison to rural ones.

Factors affecting space use overlap by white-tailed deer in an urban landscape

Variation in the size and overlap of space use by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) has broad implications for managing deer–human conflicts and disease spread and transmission in urban landscapes. Understanding which factors affect overlap of home range by various segments (i.e., age, sex) of an urban deer population has implications to direct contact between deer on disease epidemiology. We assessed size of home range and overlap of space use using the volume of intersection index (VI) for deer in an urban landscape by sex, age, season, and time of day. We found mean space use was larger for males than for females, for males <3 years old than for males ≥3 years old, and during nocturnal hours compared with diurnal hours. We also identified larger space use by both sexes during the nongrowing than the growing season. Overlap of space use for female and male deer in our urban landscape differed considerably depending on demographic (i.e., age) and environmental variables (i.e., time, season). For example, highest mean VIs occurred between 6-year-old females (mean = 0.51 ± 0.10) and 5- and 6-year-old males (mean = 0.49 ± 0.14); no mean VI was greater than 0.31 between females and males for any age combination. Variation in overlap of space use for urban deer provides new information for managing deer–human conflicts and direct transmission of disease between various segments of a deer population in an urban landscape.

An Analysis of Local Spatial Temperature Patterns in The Delhi Metropolitan Area

The present study focuses on spatial patterns of urban heat island (UHI) development within the rapidly changing urban landscape of the Delhi Metropolitan Region (DMR). To determine the role of local environmental factors in the shaping of microclimatic conditions, automated weather sensors were installed at 13 sites for a one-year period from May 2007 to June 2008. The results indicate significant differences in observed near-surface temperatures among the different stations. The UHI effect was more pronounced in the late afternoon and nocturnal hours. The highest temperatures are observed in the northern and western sections of the study area, which overlap with high-density residential and industrial land uses. Furthermore, these areas also experienced extreme high temperatures of prolonged duration during the daytime, increasing heat-related risks in these areas. At the seasonal level, the greatest differences in temperatures were observed during the summer, likely due to the predominantly clear sky conditions. However, areas of higher temperatures were relatively localized during the cooler months of the year.

Removal of melatonin receptor type 1 increases intraocular pressure and retinal ganglion cells death in the mouse

Previous studies have demonstrated that melatonin is effective in lowering intraocular pressure and that it may also protect ganglion cells. We have recently reported that, in mice lacking the melatonin receptors type 1, 25–30% ganglion cells die out by 18 months of age, suggesting that these receptors might be important for ganglion cells survival. In this study we show that the loss of ganglion cells is specific for melatonin receptors type 1 knock-out since mice lacking the melatonin receptors type 2 did not show any significant change in the number ganglion cells during aging. Furthermore, we report that melatonin receptors type 1 knock-out mice have higher intraocular pressure during the nocturnal hours than control or melatonin receptors type 2 knock-out mice at 3 and 12 months of age. Finally, our data indicate that administration of exogenous melatonin in wild-type, but not in melatonin receptors type 1 knock-out, can significantly reduce intraocular pressure. Our studies indicate that the decreased viability of ganglion cells observed in melatonin receptors type 1 knock-out mice may be a consequence of the increases in the nocturnal intraocular pressure thus suggesting that intraocular pressure levels at night and melatonin signaling should be considered as risk factor in the pathogenesis of glaucoma.

Tamsulosin versus transurethral resection of the prostate: Effect on nocturia as a result of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Our objective was to compare the effect of tamsulosin versus transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for the management of nocturia in previously untreated men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and no other predisposing factors for nocturia. The study group included 66 patients (mean age 68.9 years, range 52-81) randomized to receive either tamsulosin 0.4 mg per os daily (n = 33) or TURP (n = 33). Nocturia was assessed at baseline, after 3 months and after 1 year, by the number of nocturnal awakenings and hours of undisturbed sleep (HUS) obtained from a 72-h Frequency Volume Chart (FVC). Furthermore, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Nocturia (ICIQ-N) and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Nocturia Quality of Life (ICIQ-NQoL) were recorded. At baseline, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups. ICIQNQoL and ICIQ-N scores correlated with the number of awakenings and HUS, respectively. Both tamsulosin and TURP improved all examined parameters during the follow up. TURP was associated with a statistically significant improvement in the number of nocturnal awakenings and in the IPSS, ICIQ-N and ICIQ-NQol scores in comparison with tamsulosin. HUS increased in both groups, but without any statistically significant difference. In conclusion, TURP is superior in comparison with tamsulosin for the management of BPH-related nocturia.

Use of Acoustic Tools to Reveal Otherwise Cryptic Responses of Forest Elephants to Oil Exploration

Most evaluations of the effects of human activities on wild animals have focused on estimating changes in abundance and distribution of threatened species; however, ecosystem disturbances also affect aspects of animal behavior such as short-term movement, activity budgets, and reproduction. It may take a long time for changes in behavior to manifest as changes in abundance or distribution. Therefore, it is important to have methods with which to detect short-term behavioral responses to human activity. We used continuous acoustic and seismic monitoring to evaluate the short-term effects of seismic prospecting for oil on forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) in Gabon, Central Africa. We monitored changes in elephant abundance and activity as a function of the frequency and intensity of acoustic and seismic signals from dynamite detonation and human activity. Elephants did not flee the area being explored; the relative number of elephants increased in a seasonal pattern typical of elsewhere in the ecosystem. In the exploration area, however, they became more nocturnal. Neither the intensity nor the frequency of dynamite blasts affected the frequency of calling or the daily pattern of elephant activity. Nevertheless, the shift of activity to nocturnal hours became more pronounced as human activity neared each monitored area of forest. This change in activity pattern and its likely causes would not have been detected through standard monitoring methods, which are not sensitive to behavioral changes over short time scales (e.g., dung transects, point counts) or cover a limited area (e.g., camera traps). Simultaneous acoustic monitoring of animal communication, human, and environmental sounds allows the documentation of short-term behavioral changes in response to human disturbance.